C.S Lewis wrote: ” You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
I receive dozens of calls every week, and the single question and concern that I always hear is: “What am I going to do after prison?”
On nearly all of these calls, I hear a bit of whining and an “Oh, woe is me” attitude. Like there is no life after prison.
I tell those callers to stop their “pity party” and remember that they have a long life ahead of them, most with families to support. I explain that their attitudes are selfish and self-defeating and that just because we are felons, we do not have to be defined by this title or our charges.
Sure, if you hold professional licenses you might lose them. But what made us successful before our charges will continue to drive and motivate us as we move forward in our lives. We have families to support who rely on us, and incarceration can be both expensive and draining on those families. We have a lot of ground to make up for them. If you have restitution, you have victims to repay based on the judge’s schedule.
Successful people are not defined or limited by the challenges they face. In this video you will hear the story of the physician who went to prison for about 14 months and lost his ability to practice medicine, yet with our help, is now lecturing and teaching at a major health system in the SE about the potential pitfalls current and future physicians might face and how to avoid the legal problems he encountered. The hospital system that hired him stands to save millions in potential future legal costs as well as the loss of physicians due to any malfeasance on their part. He is making nearly as much money as he did before in his practice, working a few hours less a week, and taking care of his family as expected.
The second client was the CEO of a real estate investment firm. He pled guilty to wire fraud and was one of the first people I spoke with when I got out of the Miami prison camp in 2020. I spoke with him in December when he got home and suggested that he get a job selling new cars with Toyota. Within the first 3 months, his sales acumen was noted, and he was just asked to be the sales manager at a new location with expectations of future opportunities within the large dealership. He now stands to make well over 150K this year and hopefully, more as he continues to grow in his new career.
Life doesn’t end when you go to or leave the BOP. I always tell people to stop licking their wounds, get back in the saddle, and move on with their lives. Crying doesn’t pay the bills, and if you were a successful member of society before your charge, you can be now. Remember your families rely on you. There’s no need to hire a wannabe, self-help guru to remake yourself, We all have the drive and understanding within us to accomplish nearly anything and overcome nearly every obstacle. We just might need a little help or ideas from others who have been down this path before you and have succeeded.
If you would like to speak please call, text, or email me,
-Sam
561-490-4544
samj.mangel@gmail.com
sam@thewhitecollarconsultant.com
sam@thewhitecollaradvisor.com
www.sam-mangel.com