Estes Fall 2025 Weekly Journals

Week 5

Monday                                                                                               August 18, 2025

First and foremost, all glory be to our Heavenly Father, for we are truly blessed to wake up this day, enjoy the beautiful things and gain more knowledge in the PEP classroom. Our day began with us having to test over a couple of chapters out of our Living in the Village book that teaches us about finance and budgeting. There should be no reason not to pass because we have an excellent teacher. Shortly after, we had an unexpected visit from PEP’s new CEO, Chris V. The knowledge that was given to us was of great value as he shared words of great wisdom.

Right after lunch is when our nervousness and excitement kicked in, because we were faced with the task of saying our business pitches in front of the camera. Today, we found out who really has been practicing, but overall, we did an amazing job. When we got finished with the pitches, we returned to our housing areas.

Upon arriving at K-pod, we noticed some familiar faces in the pod of men who don’t live there, but soon we realized that they were part of the PEP paint crew. They were prepping our dorm so that it can be ready to paint. We are getting some new colors on our walls!

After dinner, we held another pitch panel just to make sure that we are on top of our pitches and have them memorized verbatim. Just know that at PEP, we are a brotherhood, so we work with each other and continually build each other up. We are a team, and this teamwork makes the dream work.

Antonio E. (aka “Little Tea Pot”)

 

Tuesday                                                                                              August 19, 2025

Good morning. This morning our team got together with integrity and accountability as we cleaned the showers, the dayroom and the 2nd floor tier. This is the first unit where people actually take pride in their cleaning and duties to ensure everything is sterile and smells like bleach by the end of the job.

Today when we arrived in class, we opened with a prayer then proceeded to our scheduled Tuesday test day. Our pod tutors helped us prepare days before by studying all the necessary materials and ensuring we all were highly successful on the test. The Peer Educators do an outstanding job of planning and scheduling the daily itinerary. When we arrived, you wouldn’t believe it, but to our amazement, they had organized the PEP room with new desks and new laptops. It was a state-of-the-art test environment.

Next, we were released for lunch where we received healthy meals and were sent back to our pod to wait for the second half of our class. While we were waiting our class got together and discussed our test material and where each of us was strong or needed improvement. Then we got called back to the second half of class, where we had an executive speaker come in and share insights about business and real-world character strategies. We really enjoy the executives because they are very informative and are fun to learn from. We give them a standing ovation at the end of each lesson. We finished class for the day then proceeded back to our pod.

Upon arriving at our pod, we broke off into our accountability teams where we discussed the power of positive affirmation. When the team leaders dismissed us, they called a pod meeting where the pod mentor, peer educator, toastmaster, game night coordinator, pod tutors, pod clerk, and other dorm positions shared common goals, events, and policy updates. We are all truly blessed to have been selected for the program and we are all looking forward to graduating.

Cheyne F. (aka “Waterboy”)

 

Wednesday                                                                                         August 20, 2025

Today was a beautiful day. We woke up excited because we got a day off. That means we get extra time to study or finish any homework that we have. They brought our test scores today. Some of us were not too excited about our scores, but it is okay. We will do better on the next one. For us it is a blessing to be in this program. That is why we encourage one another and hold each other accountable.

Every day we are practicing our business pitch. We are doing our best to get it memorized. We shared and passed time together by watching the new movies when we had time. A few of us worked out while some of us stayed busy at the table all day.

We were lucky to have morning recreation on our day off. Fresh air and sunlight did us a lot of good. We don’t get that very often so we took advantage of it by playing cornhole and basketball. We played volleyball for two minutes before someone hit the ball onto the roof!

We love this program because the things that it offers us cannot be found anywhere else in prison. It is truly something beautiful—the love we show to each other and the brotherhood. It is a pleasure to be a part of PEP. They help us with our character development. We are ready to go back to school tomorrow. It is 6:35 p.m. and slowly everybody is disappearing from the day room. It is time to shower, eat something and go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Octavio H. (aka “Stitch”)

 

Thursday                                                                                             August 21, 2025

Today was a good day. The Lord woke us up to have another chance in learning to be better men for a new life. We started the first session late with learning about two of the 10 Driving Values, the first one being “Fresh Start” Outlook. We believe people can change, dignity can be restored and as a result society will reap bountifully. We can have this if we pursue the things we need to do in life. We can’t look back on the past. We have to look forward so that we can walk a new path. The other driving value is accountability. We believe without accountability, neither our participants nor the executives with whom we work will be changed by the program. Also, it’s said that we need to take this personal and work together as a family. If one falls we all fall. We need to take ownership and responsibility and commit to achieving our goals.

We also learned about chapter six with analyzing cashflow and other financials. We learned about the importance of a cash flow analysis. It is saying we need to develop a good cash flow statement.

Chapter seven in the Entrepreneurship book, during the afternoon session, we learned financing and accounting. We learned about key financing issues involved with starting a business.

Now, once class was done for the day, we returned to the dorm to finish our “3x3x3”. The rest of us were studying for the next test. A few of the other guys went to the gym. We are rebuilding that which we may have lost for so long.

Bryan H. (aka “Sid the Sloth”)

 

Friday                                                                                                   August 22, 2025

Today in class we started as usual, by being called out to the PEP room. Excitement builds within us as we make our way down the hall. We expect to have a great day and we know we are going to get some great information from executives, servant-leaders and in-prison management. So, as always, we begin the day with prayer. After we pray and start the day right, we head to the back of the room to get the energy right in the classroom with a little dancing.

This is a special day because we have just finished the infamous “3x3x3,” which is a rite of passage within the PEP brotherhood. This rite is not for everyone. It is a daunting task and not easy to accomplish in the short amount of time given. With all of the other things we need to complete it feels almost impossible. With that behind us, we eagerly sat and waited to see what the day had in store. Like every Friday, we started out with “pass the buck.” This consists of passing a bean bag around the room and expressing our thoughts, feelings and what we have accomplished on this journey.

After breaking for lunch, we returned to class where two PEP alumni from the Dallas transitional homes shared their knowledge about how they apply the 10 Driving Values in their daily lives. They reminded us to never give up, stay dedicated and focused on graduating. When we get released we can apply what PEP has taught us. We can become a better person and be a role model for our families and society upon release.

Andrew G. (aka “Timon from Lion King”)

Expressions

“Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. This is a song of ascents.” –Psalm 128:4

Many often overlook the real blessings in life. Recently, I have been thinking about many of my past years of life. I thought about my prior jobs, prior incarcerations and prior experiences, and all the many things that God has brought me through. I have been through so many things and through it all, God has been faithful. But many times, I did not always see the blessings of God in my life. I often looked back on things as a burden or punishment. I had many jobs that I did not like. I remember many experiences that were unpleasant. God designed my life with the experiences and circumstances that I needed to bring me through and make me who I am today.

In this verse of Psalm 128:4, the psalmist writes behold, meaning look. He’s referring to the prior verses. He had just written about working, family and home. He wrote about things that often challenge many of us because we become distracted with the challenges of life. Because of those challenges, we often overlook the simple blessings of God. The blessings of a home, blessings of having a job, blessings of being able to work, the blessing of being in PEP, the blessings of our children, and so much more.

We are each given moments and time each day to serve God in a great way with many blessings that we often take for granted. While the challenges of life may be difficult, don’t let them get in the way of your enjoyment of the blessings of God.

Michael G. (aka “Dr. Egghead”)

Week 4

Monday                                                                                             August 11, 2025

It is safe to say that for most PEP brothers, Mondays are always kind of an anxious day, knowing we have a test as soon as we get to class. It is kind of a relief though after all our studying to show what we have learned. After getting our test out of the way, we migrated over to the world called Living in The Village, which is our personal finance course.

It is truly amazing to see the list of volunteers that make up PEP. Chaplain Bruce T. is our teacher for Living in The Village, and he always teaches us so much! No matter who you are or what you know, you are guaranteed to learn more about finance. We have learned answers to questions we have had our entire lives but never knew how to ask. After finishing our personal finance class, we got in our groups and practiced our business pitches with our teams.

Upon returning to class after a short break, we were ready to start on one of the greatest subjects we cover in PEP, called BetterMan. We truly feel that nobody walks away from this course without learning something. This not only makes us better mentally, but also spiritually and emotionally. It’s so good to see the success of a PEP brother that has been in our shoes, such as David F.

Once we were back in our pods, we prepared for our pitch panels. We practiced our pitches as if we were in front of the executives again. It may seem that PEP is just a little program to some, but in reality, it is a life-changing experience for those who want to change.

Joel D. (aka “Tigger”)

 

Tuesday                                                                                            August 12, 2025

Welcome to another awesome day in the Prison Entrepreneurship Program. As we walked in the door today, our Servant-Leaders were setting up the tables and chairs, due to us having our entrepreneurship test over Chapters 5 and 11 today.

After setting up and getting situated, our wonderful brother Ryan L. led us in a great pray-in before the hard part began: taking the tests. Once completed an hour later, we all broke for lunch and waited for the second half of class to start.

During the second half of class, we started things off by going to the back of the room for our J-Pod vs. M-Pod dance off. Well, of course, somebody (who shall remain nameless) didn’t do it right, so Bryan H. had him dance again, this time by himself. Then it was down to business with our Toastmasters project: “Developing Your Speech.” We have been practicing and reciting every day. After our fellow brothers got up there and gave their speeches, it was time to go to the pods, but before we left, our cool brother, Joel D., led us in an amazing pray-out.

This is not just another program – PEP is a brotherhood. It is a really great blessing to be able to be a part of it and learn ways to build positive character. Every day at PEP is a different experience and a better learning opportunity. We are all thankful that God has allowed us to come on this journey.

 Scott D. (aka “The Fake Jelly Roll”)

 

Wednesday                                                                                       August 13, 2025

Today we didn’t have class, but our Servant-Leaders did, so we just stayed in the dorm and did our homework. We also ran our pitches in order to get our pitch sheets signed and memorized even better. Some of us worked on learning our 10 Driving Values, while others practiced for Toastmasters. We also went over our Entrepreneurship textbook, Chapters 6 and 7.

We are thankful God has allowed us to be here in PEP, and we are working hard to become better men for our families. We hope in completing this program that we become not only great businessmen, but better men than before we got locked up. As we go through this process, we hope to improve in our actions by living out the 10 Driving Values set forth by the program. We all have our setbacks in life, but in learning from them, we prove to ourselves that we can overcome anything that’s thrown our way. We just have to keep going and never give up. So, here we all are, bettering ourselves and learning from our mistakes.

Living on L-Pod is a blessing in itself. We have a blessed pod coach who helps us learn Servant-Leader Mentality. There are also many Servant-Leaders who work with us every day to help us study and grow. They show us what love truly means, and we are blessed to have them teach us that there is a better way to live. This program is a great opportunity, and we are grateful for it.

Phillip D. (aka “The Broke Dez Bryant”)

 

Thursday                                                                                                   August 14, 2025     

Today started out great. One of the first things that the class did was go over a couple of quotes and discuss different people’s thoughts and perspective on them. One of the quotes said, “If you do not get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately be defined by others.” This quote seemed to resonate with quite a few classmates, because most of them shared their thoughts on it.

On another note, there were baptisms performed a few nights back. There were 23 total and there were about a dozen classmates that chose to be baptized. That truly is a beautiful thing. The brothers who were baptized in class were recognized and given a round of applause.

When we were talking about baptisms and the quotes of the day, out of nowhere, the class rose to their feet and started clapping hard and loud. This can only mean one thing: an executive arrived. We welcome them and show our appreciation in this way.   

The executive who came was Mike B., who is an accountant. One of the blessings that we have is being assigned a chapter to work on from the Entrepreneurship book. Then, an executive comes in and goes over the chapter with us. He spoke about forms of business, contracts, leases, regulations, licensing requirements, copyrights, trademarks, patents, insurance and boards of advisors or directors.

The last half of the day, we finished up our second Toastmasters project. We split the room into two groups, and everyone in class gave their speeches. Many of us enjoyed this, as many of us are well-spoken. It was a great experience.

Dylan D. (aka “Ned Flanders”)

 

Friday                                                                                                 August 15, 2025

Today was an amazing day. God showed favor toward us by allowing us to see another day, and for that we are thankful.

We began our day in PEP with an opening prayer, as always. Then, we danced to some jamming music to wake up those of us who were still half asleep. Fridays are always our favorite day because we have open mic class, where the brothers share words of encouragement for each other to keep pushing through. This class isn’t easy, but the reward at the end is worth it.

We then received a warm visit from Sean B. and Jeremy J., part of the Reentry team for PEP. They came and shared with us all the great benefits of being a part of PEP upon release. Those brothers took the time and answered questions that many of the brothers had, especially for those who will be going to the transitional homes PEP offers. (They also answered questions that brothers had who will not be going to the transitional homes.) They assist with clothing, job leads and so much more.

Then, one of the great volunteers for PEP came and taught us about establishing operations for our business. Michelle G. was a big help in giving us the tools and some jewels on how important it is to strategically pick locations for our businesses, as well as the importance of time management.

Last but not least, our In-Prison Manager, Adam W., gave our class the dreaded “3x3x3” assignment – PEP Alumni know about this, but for those who don’t, it’s a writing assignment that is a rite of passage for being in PEP. It is 18 pages of the AP Stylebook, business vocabulary and personal finance vocabulary that we have to write out not one time, not two times, but three times each! The best part about it is we sit down as a brotherhood and fight through it together, because God knows it’s not easy. Once we’re done, we can say we overcame!

Daivone D. (aka “JJ from Good Times”)

 

 

Expressions

“The words we speak are powerful. They can wound and they can heal. They can affirm and they can accuse. How much more powerful do our words become when we confess the truths of God? A decree is an official order issued by a legal authority. A decree is taking God’s words and speaking them out. A decree from our lips can be loaded with life, restoring the fallen and reviving the forsaken. We have been given the authority by Jesus to speak decrees into our realm of influence, and as we do, we begin to create the will of God in our lives in the spiritual realm. I know without any doubt that speaking decrees over our lives and families can change our circumstances. Use the name or names of Jesus in your decrees and watch heaven move on your behalf. You hold in your hands a book written by an experienced, powerful servant of Christ. You will begin to speak life-giving words that will impact everything around you. You will see your family change, even your future change, by making decrees over what lies before you. It took me higher into the ways of God.”

– Brian Simmons

Decrees saved my hand from being scarred. One day, I accidentally poured boiling water over my hand. I decreed the Word of God, declaring that there would be no burn effects or blisters on my skin. My hand was perfectly fine and did not even turn red! A decree is the practice of simply quoting God’s promises back to Him, reminding Him of what He has said. Decreeing God’s word not only builds our faith but transforms our lives.

Accept the challenge to decree the words of scripture boldly, in God’s timing and for His will and purposes to break forth in your life.

 Quendarious E. (aka “Reggie”)

 

Week 3

Monday                                                                                              August 4, 2025

Today was an awesome day. We were filled with a lot of exciting emotions that will be remembered forever. Praying in is our favorite part of the day. After pray-in, our day jumped into a dance-off between everybody that had jackets on versus everybody that had on state shoes. It was a super fun wake-up to start our day.

Next, we took one of our tests on the Living in the Village book. It is a good course that we go through to better our personal finances. We learn a lot about the old days as well as current practices. We were then blessed by Chaplin Bruce T.’s teachings over the next chapter. (We will be tested on that chapter next week.) It is always a pleasure to have a speaker come in and help us learn some things we don’t know. We went over some homework assignments that we had to help us see where we went wrong and learn how to do things better next time on our test.

We took some time out to go over our business logos, which is the fun part of our business plan. It was exciting to come up with a plan for drawing our logos. Then we started recording our team videos for our business plan pitches. It was an intense experience because we had to really stand up and get in front of the camera. Overall, it was an amazing day that we can truly thank God for.

Anthony B. (aka “Uncle Elroy off Friday”)

 

Tuesday                                                                                             August 5, 2025

Today was a great day – not only did the good Lord wake us up, but he gave us another chance to learn from PEP and how to be better men for our families. It started with a good pray-in! We then followed that up with a good dance session.

Afterwards, we started testing. Today, we tested on Chapters 3 and 4 out of our Entrepreneurship textbook. We were able to use the laptops for testing, which is a different experience. It had been a while since any of us have had the opportunity to use a laptop, and it was a humbling experience.

After coming back from lunch, we proceeded with Toastmasters, our public speaking curriculum. Learning about Toastmasters was very different and an intimidating experience for the class. Not everyone has the courage to stand up in front of a large crowd without stumbling over their words. We know that the more we do these Toastmasters projects, the more it will help us overcome the stage fright of standing and delivering speeches. The stories from our peers are enough to put you in a trance, and they sometimes take you on a journey that you don’t even realize you are on. It’s truly something beautiful and such a pleasure to be a part of.

So don’t think that PEP is just a series of tests and a competition. It’s a brotherhood of like-minded individuals dedicated to character development and rebuilding lives that have felt lost for so long. We can’t wait to see everyone at graduation. Seeing our families will make this journey worth every step. In conclusion, all in all, we had a great Tuesday.

 Jose C. (aka “Fred Flintstone”)

 

Wednesday                                                                                           August 6, 2025

Today was a wonderful and blessed day! We woke up today and went to get some eggs and biscuits for breakfast – a good meal was a great way to start the day. Thank God for all His blessings that we have received and for giving us another day in this world.

Today was a great day in class. We gave our Toastmasters speeches in the classroom, and we learned a lot from each other. Mainly we listened to what everybody has gone through in their lives. Listening to all our different upbringings showed us that we all have a lot in common. Specifically, we all share traumas from our childhood. Many of us had one parent, and most of us had parents with addictions that affected our lives in many ways.

Thank God for PEP. It’s a place where we can get better; work on ourselves; break the chain to change our mindset; and stop our children from following in our footsteps and ending up in prison like us. Thank you PEP for helping us in better ourselves by learning how to start a business, manage our money, budget and save money for emergencies. Thank you for teaching us the 10 Driving Values to become a better version of ourselves and use our entrepreneurial skills.

We are all here to better our lives for our families, to have a more successful future and succeed in life. We want to use this opportunity to offer our children a different path than ours, as well as to be role models and give back to our communities.

Alfredo C. (aka “Jimmy Neutron”)

 

Thursday                                                                                           August 7, 2025

We started the day bright and early at 8 a.m. We had a little issue finding our seats, but our emcees Jeremy W. and Frederick M. worked hard to fix the issue.

After being prayed-in by Gary P., we started to examine our phrase of the day. Jeremy W. talked about how his perception had changed and grown since he came to prison and was forced to grow up. Frederick M. spoke about how he has grown since he was a kid, and how he used his speaking gift in the wrong way. Now, at PEP, he can use those skills that were built in his past to help and inspire others. Gary P. and Isiah R. also spoke on the same subject. Gary P. said, “Working for something makes you respect it more.” Nikki B. and Michael G. said they loved the quote and the debate about it, and Michael G. said it showed two of the 10 Driving Values: “Fresh Start” Outlook and Love. Jeremy W. closed the discussion by saying, “You need to realize how bad you were and own that, so you can change from the easy path.”

Our next speaker was business executive Carl G. He came to us to teach on Chapter 11 of our Entrepreneurship textbook about marketing. With his 31 years of experience, he was able to give us huge insights into how marketing works. He spoke on the different types of promotions that are used to make you aware of a product, to convert you to that product, and to make you return again as a repeat user. The Question and Answer session with Carl G. helped him pass on knowledge to us that is not in the book and that will be very helpful in our own businesses.

The afternoon session stared with Cindy V., our new business executive. Since Cindy V. has volunteered for PEP for the past 7 years, she’s the perfect person to teach about business mission and strategy. She told us how to create an effective mission statement and the three steps to identify a sustainable competitive advantage. Finally, she taught us about strategies that we can apply to our own businesses.

Michael C. (aka “The Stork from Looney Toons”)

 

Friday                                                                                                 August 8, 2025

Today started out great, just as every day has since we began PEP. Everyone in our current class has made amazing improvements. Who would have ever thought that we would be given a chance such as the one PEP has given us? We all share one major quality in our class: the need for change.

Today, we started PEP the same way we do every morning by praying in. Then, we went to the back of the room and danced down the aisle. The reason for the dancing is to get everyone in good spirits and to start our morning on a happy note. Afterwards, we started our class by getting new pitch sheets. This pitch is for our group in the Business Plan Competition (BPC). We also got copies of our pitch from the group’s CEO. We will be getting ready for our next big pitch day on September 26.

We started the BetterMan portion of the program today, and David F. was amazing. We broke into groups to discuss what we heard David F. share. We are all amazed at how much PEP has offered us. A lot of us have been involved with many programs during our time in the system, but none are as promising as this one. We have been presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. It has been unlike anything we have ever seen, being taught by all these intelligent people. God is truly great.

 Joby C. (aka “Foghorn Leghorn”)

 

Expressions

“You are a world entirely. You are grand and lovely.

But you have to see it before anyone else does.”

– Pierce Brown

This quote came from my favorite author of the Red Rising series that has grown so popular. The characters in this story have all suffered great loss, witnessed horrific destruction and done many things in the war that rages on in their universe. At times, the war makes them feel like monsters themselves. However, there was always one who saw the good in the characters despite what they had done in the past – one who saw in them what they did not see in themselves and was trying to mirror the good that lay within them but was hidden by anger, hate, loss and pain. When I came across this, my mind instantly went to how this was also true in my life. So many have told me that I have a good heart; that they see the complete other side of me where I actually care about myself; that I have the potential to be so much better than the man I was. For a long time, I told myself that I wasn’t good enough, and sometimes I asked why God created me. I wondered what it was other people saw in me.

Anytime I messed up, I was my own worst critic and beat myself up more than anyone else could. Beating myself up only produced anger that I then directed at God, on top of the loss and pain I was already feeling. Now that I have started to grow in my faith and take the advice of people who see the good in me, it’s becoming clear to me that they’re right. I’m learning how truly capable I am when I challenge myself to surpass my limits – not only that, but what it actually means to love myself and be okay with who I am while continuing to grow. I hope that one day people will be able to be inspired by me.

Frederick C. (aka “Soul Glow”)

 

 

Week 2

Monday                                                                                            July 28, 2025

We had an amazing day today! Honestly, every day has been awesome since our class started our journey through PEP. We are truly blessed to have the opportunity to learn, grow, and be a part of something that is greater than ourselves. This morning after praying in, we had the privilege of Bruce T. joining us to teach us and review the first two chapters of Living in the Village, a book about financial planning. Bruce T. introduced our class to some financial terms. We learned ways to deal with money and that, when investing, “Slow and steady wins the race.”

Next, we had some fun and finished the remainder of giving guys their “Fun Names.” We believe these are important because they give us something in common to bond over. They also help to break the ice between us. PEP Fun Names make you feel like you belong. We then found out who the CEOs of the companies were. It was exciting because we all worked very hard writing and delivering our business pitches during The Big Idea Pitch event. Those of us on M-pod are proud to say that we have nine CEOs in our pod. Each one of us did great.

During the second half of class, we found out which brothers and companies we were going to work with. We were broken up into groups of four, and each team member was assigned a role in the company: Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Chief Operations Officer (COO). We got together in our teams and discussed each part of the business, as well as which parts we will need to present later on.

Then as a class, we participated in two activities: one taught us that in helping someone else find happiness, you’ll find your own happiness; the other activity (working together to build a structure) showed us the importance of effective communication. Every day, we are growing stronger as a class. Congratulations to all the PEP brothers that were given their hard-earned positions of CEOs. Well done!

Rohn B. (aka “The Allstate Guy”)

 

Tuesday                                                                                            July 29, 2025

The PEP brotherhood here at the Sanders Estes Unit had an amazing day today. As usual, we started our morning giving thanks to God for all He has blessed us with, especially our families. The first order of business was taking an exam we had been preparing for. It was on the history and basic fundamentals of finance and entrepreneurship in America. As is everything we do, this test of our knowledge was intense, with both multiple choice and essay questions.

After returning from chow together, we sat at long tables and created our own personal Coat of Arms. This consisted of our pictures pasted onto the bodies of various superheroes and other characters on a posterboard. It was also decorated as a personalized representation of us. Some of us didn’t know what to make of it at first, but what we came to realize is that during the exercise we not only worked together as a team, but we also got to know each other better.

The Prison Entrepreneurship Program is unique in that it is a test of wills and a constant challenge. We are all striving here to become better men, fathers, sons and brothers for our societies and our families. At the same time, we have all accepted personal responsibility for what we have done wrong and are paying our debt to society.

We would personally like to thank all who have made this transformational journey possible, and that includes the PEP leadership; the executives who volunteer their time; and our PEP graduates and brothers, our Servant-Leaders.

Robert B. (aka “The Wacky Inflatable Man”)

 

Wednesday                                                                                       July 30, 2025

Today was a very joyful day, waking up thanking our Father in heaven first and foremost before anything. Our next task was to record an interview for virtual Family Day. This task alone brought a lot of positive inspiration to our current class of Fall ’25. This interview was to give the Family Liaison some key information to be able to contact and relay information to our family members about our progress in the program.

Another inspirational task we had today was the joy of taking pictures for birthday cards for our children. It was pretty amazing seeing the smiles among all of our faces as we took turns taking goofy pictures with props. These tasks may seem small to some, but to others it’s the inspiration we need to keep motivated and pushing forward to show our kids the change we are going through to be better fathers, or even just a better person for those who don’t have children.

The brotherly love we show each other here is another fantastic thing to witness. When we are in our dorms, we come together to help one another with studying, cleaning and even inspirational tasks. We’re taking and using these tools to build one another up prior to our re-entry back into society. We’re all anxious for graduation and to be able to walk across the stage to receive our PEP diploma and Baylor certificate.

 Myron B. (aka “Radio”)

 

Thursday                                                                                           July 31, 2025

What an awesome day we had today. We just want to thank the Lord for another day that we were not promised. He gave us another day to grow and become better men for our families and have a second chance at life. PEP is a true blessing, and we are so grateful for the chance to be here.

Every morning after we pray-in, we have a quote of the day – today’s was: “The teacher can only teach the teachable.” Now being prideful is a dismissiveness syndrome coupled with an over-estimation of one’s own wisdom or ability. This causes people to dismiss information they need because they arrogantly (or ignorantly) assume they don’t need it. Are we teachable? The answer is yes! We are open-minded and ready to learn something new every day.

Today, we learned about entrepreneurship: the art of science and process for success that lays the groundwork for a successful small business. We learned an approach to developing a quality business idea, where we were asked to list and evaluate our own personal skill sets and examine the marketplace for opportunities. We also learned that location is important when starting a business. Knowing your customers is key, and getting that first customer is the hardest.

We started our first Toastmasters (public speaking curriculum) today with the Icebreaker speech. Just being able to listen to our brothers’ speeches was a blessing. PEP is truly something beautiful, and it’s a real pleasure to be a part of a new family of brothers. We are starting a new chapter in our lives with improved character to achieve great success. We cannot wait to see everyone at graduation!

Michael B. (aka “Cow from the Barnyard”)

 

Friday                                                                                                 August 1, 2025

Today was a great day! We went to breakfast at around 3:45 a.m. for breakfast burritos. Not only did the good Lord wake us up, but He gave us another chance to learn how to be better men for our families. It started out as a quiet morning, due to the fact that the current class had the morning session off. We were able to complete our homework because the dorm was empty.

We were also able to make commissary. Servant-Leaders had a project management class that lasted most of the day, so our pod was quiet and empty. See, we’ve been working on our team business pitches for weeks now. Now it was time to put the hard work into action, showcasing the competition from within. With less then a month until the next pitch day in front of real-world executives, it’s time to get down to business.

Every day is a journey that’s all about teamwork and dedication. Just being able to hear the brothers and their stories is enough to put you in a trance. Sometimes you get taken on a journey that you don’t even realize you are on. It’s truly something beautiful and just a pleasure to be a part of. So, don’t think PEP is just a test and competition. It’s a brotherhood of like-minded individuals dedicated to character development and rebuilding that which may have felt lost for so long. We can’t wait to see everyone at graduation, making this journey worth every step.

David B. (aka “Hank from King of the Hill”)

 

Expressions

“The true measure of strength is based on who you lift up, not who you beat down.”

– Unknown

There have been different variations of this quote credited to Booker T. Washington, Denzel Washington and Kamala Harris. However, the original author is unknown.

Often, I find myself reflecting on this quote and sharing it with the men around me. I use it as a friendly reminder to myself and others that strength in character is reflected in how we treat others. Those who have used this quote have several things in common, including that they all demonstrate care for the community. Likewise, my care for the PEP community is why I chose this quote.

This quote inspires me to demonstrate my strength by giving an encouraging word, lending a helping hand, being a positive influence and sharing with those in need. Furthermore, this quote inspires me because I believe that being able to uplift others is an important leadership characteristic. After all, part of Servant-Leader Mentality is making positive contributions in the lives of others.

As I continue to share this quote with the men around me, I am pleased to see that they receive it the same way I did when I first heard it: with an open heart and a desire to help others.

Like most of the men here, my family is waiting for my return to society. This quote serves as a reminder that our true strength will be demonstrated when we lift up our families, our friends and our community. 

Nikki B. (aka “Andre 2000”)

Week 1

Monday                                                                                                  July 21, 2025

Today was a very tiring day, especially after coming off of lockdown. We all came in with energy, but after we got that out of the way, it got real. We all got to introduce ourselves and learn what we want from the class, and we all seem to have the same agenda.

We have four days until the first event, and for the most part our class is ready to perform – only a few messed up, but it was just nervousness. We were given a lot of work to do, but it will be easy if everyone puts their hearts in it. We should embrace this and really try to do the work and accept the challenge because it will all be worth it in the end, as long as we try.

Toward the end of class today, we went over different aspects of class such as these weekly journals and Toastmasters, as well as the lessons we will learn going forward. We’re all very happy and excited to grow and be a part of this, to be honest. Today was good because we all got those first day jitters out of the way and really got class started.

When we all came back to the dorm, everyone was doing their elevator pitches. We were talking to each other and really helping one another come up with ideas to either speak clearer, louder, or just loosen up and have some fun. We’re happy to get started for real and engage in meeting our fellow classmates and walk the stage with them.

                                  Jaymis A. (aka “Rafiki from The Lion King”)

 

Tuesday                                                                                                 July 22, 2025

Today was an amazing day. The Lord woke us up this morning prepared for our second full day in PEP. As we know, knowledge is power. We walked into the classroom this morning and, lo and behold, there was a really awesome quote on the board. They asked us what came to mind when we read the quote. When we read this quote about “submission,” we thought about the fact that the only way we can truly change is to submit ourselves to something greater than ourselves. So every day, Servant-Leaders (graduates of the program) walk around taking notes and asking us to sit up and pay attention and things like that. We wondered why they seemed kind of hard on us – but then the Servant-Leaders took the floor and really opened up to us. They told us all that their jobs entailed, and it really blew my mind to see how much these men want to help us change for the better.

After the Servant-Leaders wrapped up, our In-Prison Manager, Adam W., got up there to speak, and he was so excited to get us ready to run our pitches in alphabetical order. So then, as we recited our pitches, he critiqued us, and we realized and were inspired by the amount of talent our classmates have as the pitches kept coming. We saw every man who stepped up in that power zone grow in a powerful way.

After our pitches were over, we were given the opportunity to take the Myers-Briggs test to learn our personality type and characteristics. So, we have to say like Ice Cube does, “Today was a good day.” Thank you for taking the time to read this and God bless.

                                        Anthony A. (aka “Mater from Cars”)

 

Wednesday                                                                                            July 23, 2025

Today was an amazing day. Not only did He wake us up this morning, but He gave us another opportunity to talk, walk and change our ways to be better not only for us, but for our families as well.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for what I’m about to talk about? Because it’s about to get spicy, like our class was all day today! After our pray-in to the Lord our Savior, we went to the back of the room and danced. Of course, the DJ played music that not even your body could resist – no matter how hard you tried, standing still wasn’t an option with this type of music and energy running through the class.

After the good energy flowed throughout the classroom, we were taught how to take a test on the laptop, and how it will be graded as well. Not only that, but LaDavious S. gave us some tips on how to pass our class, because one thing is for sure: our PEP brothers who work here care about us graduating and making a change not only in ourselves, but in the community as well.

After the lesson on how the tests are taken and graded, we finally got our PEP Fun Names and boy, did we have some fun! For a minute, it felt like we weren’t even behind a fence. While we were getting our Fun Names (nicknames), and all of us were laughing and treating each other as a family when class ended for the day.

After we all got back to our dorms, we started practicing and getting ready for our big Big Idea Pitch event on Friday. Just remember, “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

David A. (aka “The Pterodactyl”)

 

Thursday                                                                                                July 24, 2025

Today was a great day. We started the day off with a nice warm up when this message popped up on the screen: “Anybody who wants to go home, to the back of the room!” So we all got up, turned up really quickly, and some even went and went back a second time.

Then we proceeded with a prayer, which was awesome. After that, we discussed our networking cards as well as our thank you cards. We also talked about what we could expect tomorrow at the Big Idea Pitch event.

After that we jumped right into some practice pitches, and we were ready. Seems we are all getting better every day. A lot of us are still working out of nervous energy, myself included. We all pitched and then started “owning” our Fun Names with a lot of roasting and smiles. We went to lunch and got to go back to our pods for the first time since we’ve been in class, which was really nice.

As we got returned to the classroom that afternoon, people with undershirts had to go to the back of the classroom to dance up toward the front. We got a good warm-up and proceeded into assigning more fun names for a while, until we stopped to applaued an executive who came in named Scott S. (aka “Sweet Starbucks”), who is a financial advisor. He was awesome. We talked about a book called The 21st Century Entrepreneur. He spoke about Chapters 1 and 2, saying that the most important slide in the presentation was “Critical elements an entrepreneur must solve for success.” Scott S. answered a lot of questions, and we all greatly appreciated his time coming in. Then we talked more about our event tomorrow and how we are all super excited, especially to find out which of us will nominated a CEO.

Corey A. (aka “Cleveland Brown”)

 

Friday                                                                                                      July 25, 2025

Today was exciting, The Big Idea Pitch event! We not only were blessed with another day from God, but we were blessed with wisdom and love from the executives! We started our morning with assigning some more Fun Names. We also held a pitch panel, where some of the guys were able to practice their pitches and get some really good feedback from some of the executives. It was really awesome to see everyone’s progress in delivering their pitches – fears were overcome; hard work was put forth; and goals were achieved. It was so encouraging and a beautiful thing to see.

The afternoon came and it was finally time to start the event. We entered the gym to a line of supporters: executives, PEP staff and Servant-Leaders all cheering us on and encouraging us. The experience was incredible! We pitched our big ideas twice before we had a break when executives gave us advice and words of encouragement.

We wrapped up the event with some touching testimonies and encouraging words. We also provided some Fun Names to a few newer executives, and they were good sports. We prayed-out at the end of the event, and when we got back to the classroom Adam W. encouraged us before David F. prayed over us. It was a wonderful day!

Once we got back to H-Pod, our Servant-Leaders were excited for us and wanted to know all about our day. It felt good to make them proud. PEP has been a blessing.

Micah A. (aka “Carlton Banks”)

 

Expression

“God has not forsaken me!”

– Yahweh

Through my life experiences, I know that God has always been by my side. At a young age I lost both my parents, and that meant my life was turned upside down. I felt like God had abandoned me as a kid despite being told about the love of God and how He protects us. I always asked Him why He took my parents when I needed them the most. At times, I felt lost and unworthy. As I grew up, I looked at the places and things I had been through and looked at how things could have been. I noticed that yes, He took what I loved most, but he gave me His love and mercy.

He has taken so many broken hearts and turned them into hearts of joy. He provided me with peace and comfort knowing that no matter what came my way, I was never alone. God has never forsaken me. Through Him, I have been blessed abundantly from people who have been placed in my life and those around me.

PEP has shown me brotherhood and fellowship from my brothers who to me were just other inmates. They turned into my PEP brothers and brothers in Christ. These brothers have shown me that no matter our background, religion or where we are from, being able to love the person next to you is the love of God. Being able to feel the love instead of pain allowed me to know that no matter where I am in this life, I know I am always loved by my parents and our God.

Eric A. (aka “Gary Coleman”)