The Lesson: In many circumstances, the U.S. government, and those governing the 50 states, will place extraordinary, ruinous sentences on men and women who are simply in a difficult period of their lives socially, or who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well these loaded convictions are not always the end of the story, as there are many people and organizations around the country, whose effort often goes unreported, working to free first-time or non-violent offenders.
Notable Excerpt: “It was Winston Churchill who said ‘we make a living by what we get we make a life by what we give,’ and it’s also true [that] at the end of the day I’ve been very fortunate in the music industry. I’ve discovered a lot of great artists, helped to launch their careers—but nobody really cares, it doesn’t matter. Nobody really cares next week. Nobody cares who discovered the Beatles! Who discovered the Beatles, do you guys even know? I don’t know, it doesn’t even matter! The Beatles matter, they’ll always matter. But what does matter is that I’ve helped so many people get out of prison, start their lives again, help put their families back together, that actually does matter.”
The Guest: Jason Flom was described by the New Yorker as one of the most successful record-men of the last 20 years, and serves as CEO of Lava Media. He held previous positions as chairman of Atlantic Records, Virgin Records, and Capitol Music Group, and played a major part in the breakouts of artists like Katy Perry, Lorde, Gretta Van Fleet, and Kid Rock. His other life is in criminal justice reform, and hosts the podcast Righteous Convictions, which features interviews of people working for change in criminal justice. His work with criminal defense attorneys has seen dozens of first-time, non-violent, or innocent convicts regain their freedom.
The Podcast: Livin’ Good Currency explores the relationship of time to our lives. It gives a simple, straight-forward formula that anyone can use to be present in the moment—and features a co-host who knows better than anyone the value of time (see below). How do you want to spend your life? This hour can inspire you, along with upcoming guests, to be sure you are ‘Livin’ Good Currency’ and never get caught running out of time.
The Hosts: Good News Network fans will know Tony (Anthony) Samadani as the co-owner of GNN and its Chief of Strategic Partnerships. Co-host Tobias Tubbs was handed a double life sentence without the possibility of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. Behind bars, he used his own version of the Livin’ Good Currency formula to inspire young men in prison to turn their hours into honors. An expert in conflict resolution, spirituality, and philosophy, Tobias is a master gardener who employs ex-felons to grow their Good Currency by planting crops and feeding neighborhoods.
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