In this episode Dr. Mark interviews Jon Perri, Creative Director of Nation of Second Chances, that tells the stories in pictures and words from some of the 1715 inmates whose sentences were commuted by President Obama.

In this episode, Dan introduces Dr. Mark to his network at RDAP, as both go down a fascinating and eye-opening path in "real time" unedited mentoring!

In this episode, Dr. Mark and Dan (a.k.a RDAP Dan) cement the foundation of their mentoring relationship where, paying forward to Dan what someone once did for Mark that changed/saved his life.

In this episode, Dr. Mark speaks with Ping Lieu, released from prison 14 months ago after a 13 year prison term. He is Manager of Operations at Defy Ventures which helps inmates and newly released incarcerated men and women to land on their feet, hit the ground running, and have a realistic way of never returning to prison

In this episode, Dr. Mark agrees to mentor Dan in his journey to become an accountable person who stops outsmarting himself in an effort to grow into the person he would be proud to be. Listen in as Dan addresses a self-defeating fear of failure.

In this follow-up interview with Dan Wise, Dr. Mark turns the tables on Dan in a conversational ‘sting' that helps Dan to discover the man he wants to be, set aside the player, and lay the groundwork for a path to authenticity and connection.

Dan Wise is a prison consultant sharing everything he learned after going to prison as part of a sting on a doctor who was overprescribing oxycontin.  He is a riveting storyteller, so sit back and hear what he went through, how he turned it into helping others before during and after they go to prison, and what he still struggles with today.

In this episode, Dr. Mark hears from a prisoner who ruined his life by being addicted to porn, especially homosexual porn, which also cost him his marriage. Listen in as Dr. G discusses what causes our brains to lock onto behaviors that destroy our lives, the "boy crisis", and the impact of augmented reality and VR on sexuality.

In this episode, Dr. Mark responds to a letter from a prisoner who is in an "old school" punitive vs. rehabilitative prison for burglary, and has to keep his positive efforts a secret or else the angry prisoners might beat him up for making them feel he thinks he's better than them. BTW this is called the "Tall Poppy Syndrome" in Australia, New Zealand and Britain, when people try to drag down anyone who is trying to get ahead.

Listen in to Dr. Mark's interview with New Zealand conservationist and animal protectionist, Pete Bethune, as he retells his story of protecting the whales of Antarctica from Japanese whalers and ends up imprisoned in solitary confinement in Japan's top maximum security prison for five months.

In this episode Dr. Mark reads a letter from a prisoner who has been disappointed by people, especially those who are continually late, and he has adopted a practice of keeping his expectations low, so that he avoids being disappointed. Is he being cynical or practical? Listen to what for the surprising answer.

In this episode, Dr. Mark reads a report on the dramatic increase in suicides in prisons and jail and proceeds to empathize with and explain how a brain and mind can turn to suicide. He shares a description of a program he is using with the military to help them recover from depression, anxiety and feeling suicidal that you might want to share with someone feeling any of those.

In this episode, Dr. Mark hears from a prisoner who is motivated to become successful after prison, is being viewed as a leader in his prison, and is wanting to learn how to become an even better leader. Learn about the 3 D's of Leadership that Steve Jobs followed and the 6x6 leadership approach best demonstrated by famed UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.

Dr. Mark sits down with one of his heroes, Pastor Joseph Hamilton, Founder of Martin House in Los Angeles, to talk about men re-entering into society after being in prison, and what it takes to redeem, restore and regenerate these ex-offenders, so that they don’t fall through the cracks.

In this episode, Dr. Mark responds to an anonymous letter from someone who twenty five years ago had guns placed in his high school all ready to kill a bunch of people...and then he didn't. Find out what happened and what was going on in the mind of this “almost” school shooter.​

On this episode Dr. Mark interviews Susan Burton, author of Becoming Ms. Burton and founder of A New Way of Life, which is a re-entry project for incarcerated women. You won't want to miss her story of turning the hopelessness of having her 5 year old son killed and her sinking into alcohol and drug addiction, into hope, determination and empowerment.

Are you someone who can't take a joke? Do you take yourself too seriously? In this episode, Dr. Mark goes into why some people don't handle jokes and teasing, but more importantly he gives our writer and you a strategy for developing a thicker and more poised skin.

In this episode, join Dr. Mark as he hears from an inmate who is working towards becoming a minister while battling his inner demons, irresistible exhibitionistic tendencies that cause him deep shame and humiliation.

Listen to Dr. Mark’s interview with Mark Lovett, curator of TEDx San Diego, and discover how prisoners learning and giving TEDx talks is changing their lives and the lives of people teaching them.

To better understand the criminal mind, Dr. Mark presents a special episode where he creates an avatar from all the Prison Letters he has read and inmates he has met.  Join Dr. Mark as he  takes a closer look at the why and how, the common personality traits and impulsive behaviors;  this episode also highlights inspiring programs that launch "former criminals" into productive lives, including San Quentin’s The Last Mile, and the Defy Ventures entrepreneur training, which teaches former...

An inmate who is trying to stop a repeating cycle of success and failure, asks what is "self-sabotage" and why do we do it?  Join Dr. Mark as he addresses self-sabotage through the millennial lens of frenetic FOMO, and looks at the relationship between achievement and self acceptance and the eternal quest for validation.

Do you ever make resolutions and not keep them? In this episode, Dr. Mark reads a letter from a self-proclaimed "knucklehead" repeat offender who is committed to do what it takes to get it right this time when he is released from prison.

Prison letters are all written by hand and have one striking common thread: unbelievably neat penmanship. Can handwriting reveal more about us, deep dark secrets, fears, ethics, sex drives and other personality traits? Join Dr. Mark and special guest Bart Baggett, acclaimed handwriting expert, as they analyze the stroke of the pen to look beyond the pages and learn more about the inmates who write the letters.

An inmate in a substance abuse recovery program askes how to stop punishing herself and move past her past.  Join Dr. Mark as he takes the wind out of negative self-talk, explains the critical difference between guilt and shame, and how making excuses blocks our ability to find a way forward and forgive ourselves.

An inmate finds her calling after a lifetime of broken promises left her uncertain of herself and others.  Join Dr. Mark as he explores the origins of uncertainty, and connects the dots to show how having a plan changes wishes to actions - and intentions to vows.