Prison Consultant Shows Pattern of Success

Sunday, April 26 through Saturday, May 2, 2015

 

Sunday, April 26 (Afternoon gatherings)

I spent morning working to gather information for a prison consulting client. He recently pleaded guilty to a white-collar crime. Some Internet research led him to my website and we had a conversation. The client retained me to assist him with his preparations for the sentencing hearing and his journey through federal prison. Unfortunately, the client’s defense attorney failed to prepare him in ways that would ensure he served the lowest amount of time and offered no guidance with regard to steps he could take for a successful journey in prison. Although I was in Washington DC today and he was in his home state, through a lengthy phone call this morning I was able to gather considerable information that I’ll use to assist him in achieving the best possible outcome for him and his family. In the afternoon, I attended two separate gatherings with people who supported me during my journey through prison. Then, in the evening, I caught up with more of my work.

 

Monday, April 27 (Library of Congress)

This morning I ran through a beautiful park in Washington DC. My friend told me it was the second largest urban park in the nation, behind Central Park in NYC. I enjoyed the peaceful run, though I had an upset stomach. I don’t anticipate being able to run too much until I conclude this lengthy trip. My schedule is simply too full and I’m going to have to sacrifice those runs until I catch up with my work.

After my run, Carol Zachary and I toured some of the historical buildings of Washington DC. I enjoyed a tour of the Library of Congress building. The architecture and design of the building shows the brilliance of our country’s founding fathers. The detail and fine craftsmanship left me in awe. I snapped many photographs to memorialize this portion of my trip.

In the late afternoon I visited offices of Families Against Mandatory Minimums to meet with Molly Gill. She arranged for three meetings on Capitol Hill. FAMM lobbies Congress to abolish the mandatory-minimum sentences that result in so much injustice across our nation. I was happy to accompany her to share my story with the staff of Senator Feinstein and with a newer member of the House.

 

Tuesday, April 28 (Congressional Staff)

Another busy day in Washington DC. In the morning I met with the Director of a the Unitarian Church. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss my keynoting an annual event to discuss the issue of social justice. Then I zipped across town to meet with the Director of the DC Department of Corrections. From there, I returned to Capitol Hill for a third meeting with a Congressional staffer, this time for Senator Boxer. Then I took the Capitol tour. Each time I look at the incredible architecture of the historic government buildings in Washington, I’m blown away by the ornate detail. Our country built those buildings to last forever and we can be incredibly proud of the attention to detail. I recommend those tours of the the Capitol and the Library of Congress to anyone who visits Washington DC. Following the tour, I boarded the “Red” train to Silver Spring, Maryland, for a brief meeting with Professor Peter Leone, from the University of Maryland. Then I returned back to the Axelrod residence, exhausted.

 

Wednesday, April 29 (Young man)

Today was a travel day. Before leaving, however, I had a meeting with a young man who now faces some real challenges. He was a sophomore at a prestigious university in the Northeast. Some reckless partying with others from the university led to drug usage. That drug usage had disastrous consequences. There was an overdose. It did not result in death, but there was need for hospitalization. Law enforcement became interested and the young man has been charged with distributing drugs on campus. He was one of about dozen young people who were charged. They’ve been expelled from the university and now must confront criminal charges. I spent some time with the young man offering guidance on steps he could take to manage the downside. We may continue working together. I will contact him again after I return home. One more trip. I went to the airport in DC and boarded flights that would take me to Minnesota for the last leg of my journey.

 

Thursday, April 30 (Probation and Parole)

I woke early to enjoy a run inside the Marriott’s fitness center. Then I completed some morning work related to the Earning Freedom podcast. I met others from the Robina Institute downstairs for our bi-annual meeting to discuss the study of probation and parole. The purpose of this study is to report on ways that different states administer probation and parole across the nation. I’m honored that representatives from the Robina Institute invited me to participate. Everyone else on the panel holds very high positions with law enforcement or they now serve as consultants. When I say high positions, I mean they are directors of state agencies or they were directors controlling massive budgets and overseeing thousands of people. I had an opportunity to share value that I’m creating with the Earning Freedom podcast and I’m enthusiastic by the reception that I received. They left me with many ideas on steps I can take to build a sustainable business from this investment of my time.

 

Friday, May 1 (Convergence / Divergence)

Today was the final day of my lengthy travel schedule. I’ve been away from home for 12 days. First I spoke at the State University of New York. Then I attended a series of meetings in Washington DC. Then I came to Minnesota for meetings with the law school and Robina Institute. Today I attended and participated as a panelist at the Robina Institute’s conference called Convergence and Divergence. We looked at steps we could take to lessen the lasting implications of mass incarceration. The keynote speaker at today’s conference was Alice Goffman, author of On The Run. In her book, Dr. Goffman reported on the implications of low-income families who became enmeshed in the criminal justice system. She gave an impassioned presentation that showed the enormous challenges for young black males who grew up in dense urban communities. They live with real expectations that they’re targeted by law enforcement. As a consequence, their experiences leave them distrustful of authority and vulnerable to a cycle of failure. She argued passionately for reforms.

 

Saturday, May 2 (Travel / Administrative)

I woke early this morning but I could not afford to go to the gym. I had too many responsibilities to complete. Instead of enjoying the hotel’s fitness center, I showered and packed my belongings. Then I took a cab to the airport in Minneapolis. I settled in and completed these entries to document my activities over the past week. Then I organized files that I would need to work on the plane. I had a five hour flight and I intended to complete a lot of work. I am scheduled to land in Orange County around 1:00 and I’ll take a cab to my office. I’ll work until around 7:30 this evening, when Carole will pick me up. I have a lot of follow-up work to complete over the next several days. My trip brought introductions to numerous people who can have an enormous influence in the development of my business. First, I must write all of the initial content that will show the value that I can provide through projects I’m developing. So it’s a busy few weeks ahead, but at least those weeks will not include much in the way of travel–other than a quick trip to San Francisco to celebrate Carole’s graduation with her master’s degree in nursing.

 

Libsyn downloads as of 5:00 pm, Saturday, March 28: 1,283

Libsyn downloads as of 7:00 pm, Saturday, April 4: 2,564

Libsyn downloads as of 7:00 pm, Saturday, April 11: 4,292

Libsyn downloads as of 7:00 pm, Saturday, April 18: 6,292

Libsyn downloads as of 7:00 pm, Saturday, April 25: 8,164

Libsyn downloads as of 7:00 pm, Saturday, May 2: 9,450

Miles for week: 9

Miles for month: 41.91

Miles run for year: 288.09

Weight: 169