Some men break under pressure. Brandon Baker got forged by it. At 18, Brandon was sentenced to 75-to-life. He spent 25 years behind bars — and walked out employed, enrolled in college, published, and on a mission. In this episode,

we go deep on what it really takes to survive maximum security prison at 18, why hope sometimes has to die before it can grow, and how Brandon is now training counselors at Rikers Island and performing at theaters across LA.

This conversation will hit different if you've ever felt like the system wrote you off, or if you love someone who did time.

We talk about:

Suppressing hope to survive — then letting God resurrect it

Why he says prison prepared him for society

His goals: EGOT, doctorate, nonprofit, and generational wealth

Why he's an abolitionist for juvenile incarce ...