Embraced:Fully Interview Series &#8211; Embraced:Fully

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Carlos Vasquez – “Coming out of Prison With a Purpose” [video]

Gabriel Serafini — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:37:49 +0000

Watch the replay:

Our 2nd interview with Carlos Vasquez, author, speaker, and CEO of How to Battle and co-founder of the Pathway to Purpose Project.

We discussed how to come out of prison with a true purpose in life. Carlos served 17 years and experienced true moral character transformation. Today, his inspiring podcast reaches thousands of listeners.

About our guest

Carlos Vasquez is a speaker, author, and the Founder and CEO of HTB Consulting. After overcoming homelessness, addiction, and a 17-year prison sentence, Carlos transformed his life through faith, education, and personal development. He walked out of prison with just $200 in gate money and rebuilt his life from scratch.

Carlos is also the co-founder of the Pathway to Purpose Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mentoring at-risk youth, including those in foster care and juvenile detention. Through his work and podcast platform, Carlos strives to inspire individuals to embrace resilience, overcome fear, unlock their potential, and create lasting change in their lives and communities.

Links:

How to Battle (https://howtobattle.com/)
How to Battle Podcast (https://howtobattle.com/podcast/)
Pathway to Purpose Project (https://p2p-project.org/)

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Rob Smith, San Diego County Director, Center for Employment Opportunities

Gabriel Serafini — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 01:21:28 +0000

Watch the replay of our interview with Rob Smith, San Diego County Director, Center for Employment Opportunities:

About our guest

Rob Smith is the Site Director of the CEO San Diego office, overseeing all aspects of the Social Enterprise and our vocational services. Rob has 20 years experience as a nonprofit leader, specifically focused in underserved communities. He is also a lived experience expert in understanding the challenges of extreme poverty, domestic violence, sexual assault, drug addiction and incarceration from early childhood until his release from state prison in 2000 that was the existence of his life. Overseeing the CEO office in San Diego Robert has been able to combine the best of both his worlds; his relentless hustle and grind mentality has propelled San Diego’s office to the second largest site next to NYC; his deep understanding of and ability to partner/broker between justice involved communities and public systems has contributed to expanding San Diego CEO’s footprint across the local region.

About CEO

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) offers individuals returning home from incarceration the ongoing support necessary to build career capital and financial stability. We believe that everyone, regardless of their past, deserves the chance to work toward a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

As the largest reentry employment provider in the country, CEO is using our scale, experience, and data – backed by our participants’ feedback on what works – to change the way government invests in criminal justice and workforce development.

Links:

Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Libby Hoffman, President of of Catalyst for Peace

Gabriel Serafini — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 17:16:13 +0000

Watch the replay of our interview with Libby Hoffman, President of of Catalyst for Peace:

About our guest

Wise woman and practical visionary, Libby Hoffman has worked for more than 30 years at the nexus of international peacebuilding, organizational development, spirituality, and social transformation. She is the president of Catalyst for Peace, a private foundation she established in 2003 to grow a new architecture for peace — one that works from the inside out, where those most impacted by violence and war lead in building peace and restoring social wholeness.

For over 15 years, Libby has focused her work in Sierra Leone, as co-founder, funder, and ongoing program partner of Fambul Tok (Family Talk), a community-led post-war reconciliation program rooted in local culture and tradition. In response to the 2014 Ebola epidemic, she helped adapt the Fambul Tok approach into a groundbreaking national policy framework for people- and community-led planning and development. The framework has become a model for transformative partnerships between international donors, national governments, and civil society.

Libby produced the award-winning documentary film Fambul Tok and co-authored a companion book of the same name. A former political science professor at Principia College, she has degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Williams College. The mother of three grown children, she divides her time between southern Maine and Washington, DC.

Links:

Catalyst for Peace

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Eddie Ellis, Co-Director of Outreach & Member Services at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth [Video]

Gabriel Serafini — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 16:58:36 +0000

Watch the replay of our interview with Eddie Ellis, Co-Director of Outreach & Member Services at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth and author of Change is Possible: I Never Gave Up, a personal memoir of his experiences:

About our guest

Eddie Ellis joined the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth team in early 2018. He works with ICAN members across the country, connecting them to each other and with local resources. He also works with other directly impacted communities, including the family members of juvenile lifers.

Eddie, a native Washingtonian, was arrested and charged with murder at the age of 16 — he was later found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He served 15 years and finished the rest of his time on parole.

Eddie came home in 2006 and since that time he has worked on a variety of issues, including reentry, solitary confinement, and on behalf of people with disabilities who are in the system and coming home. He has served on the board of directors of a national legal organization, and helped with client center training for lawyers, probation officers and social workers. He is an advocate for those in the system, a mentor, and a motivational speaker. His lived experience as a formerly incarcerated person provides invaluable insight and depth into his work that allows him to connect with and engage the community he serves.

Links:

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Jenny England, Content Partnerships Manager at Edovo [Video]

Gabriel Serafini — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 21:11:48 +0000

Watch the replay of our interview with Jenny England, Content Partnerships Manager at Edovo.

About our guest

Jenny England is the Content Partnerships Manager for Edovo, the largest digital learning platform for incarcerated people in the United States. Prior to Edovo, she worked in creative direction and program development for a variety of non-profit organizations, both internationally and domestically. She currently lives in central Pennsylvania with her best friend and their opinionated dogs. When she’s not working, she’s most likely to be found on a pickleball court.

Links:

Edovo

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Rita Sloan, Coordinator for the Alternatives to Violence Project in Nevada [Video]

Gabriel Serafini — Tue, 27 May 2025 21:33:22 +0000

Watch replay of our interview with Rita Sloan, Coordinator for the Alternatives to Violence Project in Nevada:

About our guest

Rita is a lifelong resident of Reno, Nevada and is married with 5 grown offspring and 11 grandchildren. Her education includes a BA in Philosophy and a Masters of Theological Studies (MTS) in Christian Social Ethics from the Franciscan School of Theology, part of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA.

Rita currently holds a part time position with the Catholic Diocese of Reno, Nevada and serves as the Coordinator of the Alternatives to Violence Project in Nevada (AVP Nevada).

She has has worked over 20 years in the AVP program.

AVP is an international volunteer program that enables participants to deal with potentially violent situations in new and creative ways.

“What we do” – We don’t lecture or preach. Our experiential workshops use the shared experiences of participants, interactive exercises, games and role plays to examine the ways in which we respond to situations where injustice, prejudice, frustration, and anger can lead to aggressive behavior and violence.

Links:

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Courtney Stewart, CEO of The National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens [Video]

Gabriel Serafini — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 22:57:32 +0000

Watch the replay of our special interview with Courtney Stewart, CEO of The National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens.

Courtney is going to be one of our featured speakers at the 2025 Embraced & Empowered Prison and Reentry Ministries conference happening in Washington, D.C. on May 2-3, 2025. Registration to participate in the conference is free (including meals for in-person attendees). Register now to attend!

About our guest

Courtney Stewart is the Chairman/CEO of The National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens, Founder and CEO of Mentoring Works2. Inc. a nonprofit 501c(3) and President of Stewart’s Cleaning Service, LLC. He serves on numerous boards, and is Committee Chair for the Reentry Action Network, Rethink Justice DC and member of Steering Committee for Council for Court Excellence (CCE)

Mr. Stewart grew up in the drug infested streets of Washington DC and struggled with two alcoholic parents in the household. He became a product of the juvenile justice system at the tender age of 9 years old and placed in foster care at 12 years old. Ultimately, this led to his introduction to the revolving door of incarceration until his parole from Lorton Reformatory in 1985. Upon returning to his community, Mr. Stewart has met every single challenge he has faced, including drug use. He is an active member of AA, NA and has been drug and alcohol free for 34 years and sponsors various support groups and individuals throughout the Metropolitan area, such as The National Reentry Network Community Focus Group and a weekly peer to peer mentoring group.

Mr. Stewart cares about the quality of life for returning citizens who have paid their debt to society and who should have all their rights as a U.S. Citizen restored. He understands that DC is home to about 85,000 people who have had some involvement with the criminal legal system, many of them previously incarcerated for non-violent and minor offenses. Yet, these individuals face many barriers when returning to the community despite completing their sentence. Through his work in his own organization and coalition, he has fought to increase the rights and successes of our returning citizens. This includes rights for equal employment, housing, mental health services, public assistance, heads of households and substance use treatment as well as human rights and civic responsibility.

Mr. Stewart’s work has allowed returning citizens to work together to improve systemic barriers and stereotypes that have impeded our progress. He hopes to continue to expand more into leadership development and promotion of self-advocacy that leads to entrepreneurship and employment. The fight for building community and awareness among returning citizens is very personal for Courtney Stewart and the other members of the Network.

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Roger Workman

Gabriel Serafini — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 08:45:39 +0000

Watch the replay of our interview with Roger Workman, out after serving 35 years in prison.

About our guest

My name is Roger Workman. I spent 35 years incarcerated in the Nevada prison system. 5 years ago I requested Christian Science chaplaincy services. Chaplain David responded to my request. I was at that time in a dark place, mentally and physically. My relationship with Chaplain David was the beginning of demonstrating ‘all things are possible with God’. This eventually led to my release from prison in March of 2024. With Chaplain David‘s guidance, I applied for and was accepted into the Embraced:Fully for transitional parolee support. On day one I was greeted by Greg Davis of Embraced:Fully, who provided me with a backpack of basic things and some gift cards from the Principle Foundation. I had nothing at the time, so I was very grateful for that. The Principle Foundation also helped with rent until I could get on my own. I continued to work with Chaplain David who served as my EmbracedFully mentor. We meet once a week and read the Bible lesson together. I also worked with a CS Practitioner provided by Embraced:Fully, Jeanine Lambert. Recently I was hired as the manager/caretaker of the parolee housing facility. I obtained my driver’s license and purchased a car. I found housing for my aging father near to me, and will be taking care of him. I attend the Christian Science church regularly, and 3 weeks ago applied for Mother Church membership. All this proves that with God, all things are possible.

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861

Join our mailing list to receive an invite link to our Zoom meetings.

Please remember to specify Embraced:Fully as the program you’d like to support.

Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID number 43-0816306.

Interview with Byron Alexander, chaplain Kaye Cover, and Angel Team leader Marshall Reddick

Gabriel Serafini — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 01:45:27 +0000

Watch the replay of our interview with Byron Alexander, corresponding chaplain Kaye Cover, and Angel Team leader Marshall Reddick.

About our guest

My name is Byron Alexander I’m 48 yrs old I’m originally from South Los Angeles.
I grew up in the trenches. My first run in with the law I was 12 years old.
And for the last 32 years I’ve been in and out.
I’ve done everything from gang banging selling drugs, fraud. I’ve always knew how God is I use to attend that local hood church.
After multiple bids in juvenile hall, and camp.Then it was onto State prison then it was onto federal prison.
Then back to State prison again but it was on this last bid in which I served 11 and a half years..
That my life changed forever I was introduced to life changing book called Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy.But it was a Christian Science chaplain that was instrumental in my life changing spiritual awakening.
I truly believe every incarcerated person should give Christian Science a chance if they truly want to become the new Christ like person we are meant to be.I’ve been a devoted Christian Science member for 9 years now.Letting go and letting Gods predestined divine plan for us all will truly set you free.Get out of God’s way and watch your life changed forever just as mine has.I’m totally free today rooted in the word of God and serving his purpose and will for us.

I’ve received nothing but love and blessings since getting out. I belong to a loving church.
I’ve had the absolute pleasure of having a angel team surround me with nothing but love.

– Byron Alexander

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Marshall, Byron, and David after Byron’s first church service

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support Embraced:Fully Angel Teams and Returning Citizens

Note: Please be sure to select “Embraced Fully” in the “Fund” drop-down list on the donation page.

If you would like to support the work of Embraced:Fully with a check instead of an online donation, please make it out to:

The Principle Foundation
Memo: Restricted – Embraced:Fully Project
Mail to: 10670 Barkley St, Overland Park, KS 66212-1861