Prison Consultant Shows Pattern of Success

Sunday, May 17 through Saturday, May 23, 2015

 

Sunday, May 17 (Victorville rental property)

The census of patients at Carole’s hospital this morning was low, so she received an unexpected day off. Since I work seven days each week, we rarely have time to spend together. Now that she is within days of completing her master’s degree in nursing, we’re launching plans for the next phase of our life. That will include building a portfolio of investment real estate holdings. We own one rental property in the San Francisco Bay area and we’re in the market for others. Today we drove to San Bernardino county, about 90 minutes inland from Orange County. We don’t see as much value in Orange County. Although we love living here, we found investment opportunities that make better sense for us in San Bernardino County, where we can purchase properties at a lower price point that make sense to the rental income we received. It’s very exciting for us to launch this next phase of our life together.

 

Monday, May 18 (Guests)

I’m looking for more guests to interview on the Earning Freedom podcast. I have taken the responsibility of producing one new podcast each day. Those podcasts accomplish one of three objectives: 1) The podcast shares a strategies that others can use to empower their life, just as the strategies empowered me through 26 years in prison; 2) the podcast features the story of formerly incarcerated individuals who emerged successfully; 3) The podcast features a community leader who offers guidance that people with criminal backgrounds may pursue to prepare for success. I don’t have any shortage of content that I can provide. I need more content from formerly incarcerated individuals who emerged successfully and more content from business leaders who can talk about opening job opportunities for the formerly incarcerated who want to succeed.

 

Tuesday, May 19 (State of Maine)

Today I received the first order for the Earning Freedom MasterMind program. Michael Tausek, Deputy Warden for the high security prison in Maine, issued the order. It’s very exciting for me to advance this project. The Maine State prison issued the purchase order for a one-year licensing agreement for the program. The MasterMind program is a 10-module course. Each module teaches strategies that empowered me through the prison journey. In addition to the modules, available through PDF download, I also will provide staff members in the Maine State Prison with access to the entire library of Earning Freedom podcasts. Each podcast will include a worksheet that staff members may use to gauge whether the participants absorbed the information.

 

Wednesday, May 20 (US Probation)

Today I had a sales call with a probation officer from the Central District of California. She operates a diversionary program that helps people avoid a criminal prosecution or imprisonment. The programs operate under the acronyms STAR and CASA. As I understand them, probation officers and court officials work with people who’ve been charged with crimes. In exchange for completing coursework and complying with other requirements of the program, participants are diverted from full prosecution. I’d like the STAR and CASA program to purchase a licensing agreement to use the Earning Freedom MasterMind program. I’m confident that those who work through this program will find enormous value in learning from strategies of Socrates, Mandela, Frankl, and other master minds who inspired me through the 26 years that I served.

 

Thursday, May 21 (Sitemap)

I’m launched a new initiative to make my work more visible. If people search in Google for any work by Michael Santos, they will find pages of content. I’ve been writing and publishing that content for decades online. The problem, of course, is that people who need the content most do not know the name Michael Santos. They don’t learn of my work until after they’ve encountered challenges with the criminal justice system. I need those people to find me when they’re searching for answers to their problems–not after they know my name. To make my site more easily searchable, I’m investing financial resources to build a sitemap and a coordinated keyword strategy. The sitemap strategy will link everything that I write for PrisonProfessor together with everything that I write or publish for MichaelSantos.com. The strategy will link the content with my Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Podcast. I produce an enormous amount of content, and I’m hopeful that clients will find value in this work.

 

Friday, May 22 (Graduation)

Carole and I boarded a United flight to San Francisco this morning. We rented a car and drove to the University of San Francisco. I felt really emotional as I watched her prepare to graduate with her master’s degree in nursing. Although Carole did all the work for this program, I feel as if it was “our” journey. We conceived of this plan for Carole to pursue a career in nursing when authorities transferred me to Florence, Colorado, back in 2004. Carole faced challenges in the employment market and we made a commitment to find a career that would allow her to earn a livable wage regardless of where prison officials transferred me. She suggested nursing. From that moment, we both made a 100% commitment to make it happen. I pledged to create writing projects that would generate an income to support her, and Carole pledged to work each day to become a nurse. First, Carole had to complete two years of prerequisite studies to qualify for nursing school. She advanced through each state of the nursing program, from nurse’s aid, to vocational nurse, to registered nurse. Tears filled my eyes as I watched her receive the cap and gown and rope that would signify she had completed all requirements for the master of arts in nursing as a clinical nurse leader. I’m incredibly impressed and proud of my baby for her accomplishment.

 

Saturday, May 23 (Five-Year Plans)

This morning Carole and I went for a run through Petaluma. We slept in the guest house of our close friends, the Nobmanns. Carole moved into the guest house just prior to my transition from the federal prison in Atwater to the halfway house in San Francisco. She began working at Sonoma Valley Hospital while I concluded my 26-year obligation to the Bureau of Prisons. We started our life together in the guest house. Now we’re much further along, with both Carole and I enjoying stability in our careers and in our relationship. Finally, I’m feeling as though we’re ready to start living. It’s been 650 days since I concluded my obligation to the Bureau of Prisons. I’m beginning to feel free, ready to launch the next phase of life. Carole and I talked about plans we would make as we ran this morning. We ran on the same roads we used to run when I got out, and we visited the first home we purchased together. I’m really enthusiastic about purchasing more rental properties with Carole. We’re launching our new five-year plan.

 

Libsyn downloads as of 7:00 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 25: 8,164

 

Miles for week: 20.28

Miles for month: 61.51

Miles run for year: 349.60

Weight: 169