Latest / In Search Of Excellence / Damon West: How to Escape a Life Sentence | E120

Transcript

Damon West: How to Escape a Life Sentence | E120 · In Search Of Excellence

• 0:00
  Damon West: Here's the message, go and define what a bad day looks like, right? Let's make it let's define what a bad day is a bad day would say it's when, when a marriage fails, a job gets lost, you know, maybe you fail a classroom, your college, you had a you had a bad grade, whatever, someone dies, something happened to your kid.
• 0:17
  Damon West: So what happens? Your pet, these are bad days, let's define what a bad day looks like. Anytime you think you're having a bad day, ask yourself, Is it really a bad day? Is it one of those days, right? Because if it's not one of those days, then my day is just not that great. I can turn this thing around pretty quickly, right? I just got to change the way I think about the day in front of me when I'm in the room that night at Euston, Texas, I had survived prison.
• 0:39
  Damon West: I've been to do something way worse than this. But I took the time to apply the perspective because if I don't apply their perspective, that night, the odds of me succeeding is so daunting. I'm gonna walk out that room and listen to the voice of fear in my head. But I stopped that pod per second with Daymond. This isn't a bad day this even if this guy tells you no, it's just a no doesn't hurt.
• 0:56
  Damon West: It's not like you're getting beat up in the day room again, define what your bad days look like and compare your days to those days.
• 1:09
  Randall Kaplan: So you survive in prison, you got respect from you know, you got profit from whites and blacks. How did eventually you get paroled when you had 65 years in prison?
• 1:24
  Damon West: So here's where I started becoming the coffee bean.
• 1:28
  Damon West: I'm I'm, I'm struggling. This is after the thing with blackjack and all that I'm in my cell one night. And I haven't shared with Carlos the story, the coffee bean. Carlos is a very significant person. And I tell people before I tell you the story, this is what I tell people a lot when I'm speaking out is this. The messengers in life can come from anywhere, they won't look like you, they won't come to the same background as you they'll have the same experiences you but the trick is you have to be receptive to all of life's messengers to get all the messages in life. Right? And if you if you close yourself off to somebody because they don't look like you they're not the same religion as you they don't come from st part of America as you you'll miss the most important lessons and some of the best friendships right? So Carlos this little bank robber that Carlos has gotten 99 years from insured bank job super nice guy though. Real good guy. I guess put a gun in people's faces but he's a he's a nice dude. But he's a good guy. Right? So whenever medium is a really good guy and you gotta make friends somewhere. Right? So Carlos is my buddy. Um, I've told him I'm struggling. I can't do it. I don't know if I can make it through here. I don't want to become an ad night in our cell.
• 2:30
  Damon West: I told Carl's story the coffee the first time I've ever shared it with someone else. And man, Carlos is excited, man. He's real animated little guys. Like he's like, man. I love this coffee beans story, he said But you're right. You're no coffee bean. He said. Honestly, you'll never be a coffee bean. I got him I got across his face. Man.
• 2:48
  Damon West: That's all aggravated. I am this point. Like, what do you mean?
• 2:51
  Damon West: Who You Are the coffee bean man.
• 2:51
  Damon West: Why can I be your coffee bean right now? Like, I'm stuttering.
• 2:54
  Damon West: I'm so mad at him. And he's laughing at me. He's like, because of what you think. He said your thoughts or everything? He said, Your problem is you think prison is a punishment. When you should be thinking prison is an opportunity.
• 6:48
  Damon West: They didn't know what it was. No one had ever told me. So I go up in front of the TV one day, I'm like, Hey, do y'all know what they're talking about up there?
• 6:53
  Damon West: How those get a fight? Like what are you trying to make fun of us? Why boy? No. But I can teach you all about that. Because I used to be a broker. I taught these guys about the stock market in there, man, these guys are running their own black market stock market would stuff off the commissary man, they jumped in what I found out too about prisoners, there's some guys in prison, there's a great businessman, that can be a great business person, right? I mean, you take a drug dealer, somebody that can take a quantity of a drug, break it up in a bunch of different baggies, different quantities, and they know which baggie, they get to they break even, they know which baggie they're gonna get to they can buy more supply, double and triple their supply. They're running a business, just a bad business. But they're running a business, I found a way to tap into the bet the better part of their angels, and get them to be a part of a community and believe in themselves. I tell them those words to those four words that you usually hear from a coach or a teacher. Tell them I believe in you. I believe in you. For four most powerful words in the English language are I believe in you, I believe in you. I've made it transform those guys. When I go into prisons now, still with my class, and I go to prisons and talk over America. I make sure they hear those words from me, I believe in you, because that matters. Now someone else believes in me. And Rando, you're talking about? You know, when I was in prison, I was a very sober observer. Prism was white like living in a giant sociological petri dish, right?
• 8:14
  Damon West: I mean, you're in a lab experiment every day. And the rules can change whatever pod you live in whoever has the power and their whatever gang is in control. That's the rules you live by. So I was starting to observing what, what are the factors that kind of decide who goes to prison, right?
• 8:29
  Damon West: identified five. Here's the five variables that I think kind of tells us who's going to have negative interaction with the criminal justice system.
• 8:35
  Damon West: poverty, poverty was the biggest factor in prison. You know, most people in prison come from a very impoverished background.
• 8:41
  Damon West: Lack of an education was the second biggest. Most of the people in the average education in prison was seventh or eighth grade at the most, right. Lack of a family unit was the next biggest, not about nuclear families coming out of prison. I was an anomaly for this. By the way, Randall. You know, a lot of these people came from a single parent home, if they were lucky, that single parent was involved in watts. I knew a guy in prison that his mother used to burn him every day with cigarettes, if he didn't snatch enough purses when he was seven years old. Imagine that, and that's your mother.
• 9:14
  Damon West: That's going to take some trauma healing to fix that person.
• 9:16
  Damon West: Right. The next variable was race. I got into prison and I saw man what happened in America, white people make up the majority of America, right?
• 9:25
  Damon West: Black people, black men, specifically black men, they make up about six and a half percent of our entire American population, black people make up 13%. Black men are about six, six and a half percent. Black men were about 50% of the prison population when I got in there.
• 9:42
  Damon West: And I'm like, How is six and a half percent of the population committing 50% of the crime?
• 9:45
  Damon West: Well, they're not right. That's the whole point. But the numbers were just reversed. Blacks had the main numbers, Hispanics had the next numbers and then whites had the lowest numbers in prison. So poverty, I mean, for so race was the fourth big variable that you deal with in there. And the fifth variable was substance abuse, slash mental health. That's the variable was mine. I was a substance abuse guy. 80% of the people in prison have substance abuse issues. 80%. And when I learned this number, when I was in prison, I started going to my my recovery meetings. And the first meeting I went to in recovery, I was like, Man, I'm excited. I'm going to AAA and a, and there's 3000 people, this unit, it's a big unit. It's like a city that you live in, right?
• 10:27
  Damon West: And I'm thinking myself, maybe 80% of the people in here have substance use issues, we could potentially have 2400 people at a meeting. I mean, we don't have enough guards for that. How are they gonna, we're room we're gonna do this in. I got to the chapel of hope. That's where we held our meetings the next day.
• 10:41
  Damon West: And I found out why it was held in chapel. 50 guys out of 2400 that should have been in there 50 guys were in that room.
• 10:48
  Damon West: That's what I knew was in the right room. Right? When you're in the room that people voluntarily go to because they want to find a better way of living. That was the right room.
• 10:57
  Damon West: So all these factors Randall of understanding servant leadership, understanding about the things you do and did not control. There were only four things you can control.
• 11:08
  Unknown: Which how does it actually work? When you get parole there?
• 11:12
  Randall Kaplan: How does it actually work? When you learn?
• 11:14
  Randall Kaplan: You're getting paroled? Is it a letter? Is it right then and there? We said, Okay, you got it. And then what was the exact feeling that you were thinking when you walk out of the prison grounds and like you see on the movies?
• 11:25
  Damon West: Yeah, great question. So 2015 Now we're seven years into this prison sentence. I work in the chapel.
• 11:33
  Damon West: The chaplain comes in. And Jim is chaplain, Vons. I don't know if he's still alive now, chaplain. Vons comes in, he's really excited that day. He said, West security's looking for you. They just called you down with the radio at the parole board is here to see you.
• 11:42
  Damon West: Randall, I know him well for parole, brother. And notice that day, I don't know what day they're going to come see me.
• 11:50
  Damon West: But when you're where you're in the review process for parole, they can come anytime they want.
• 11:55
  Damon West: Now, remember, I got sentenced to life in prison at seven years. I'm about to see parole for the first time, not aggravated nonviolent guy I'd never heard anybody ran. I can't stress it enough. The reason why they're letting me out. Part of it is because I'm not a violent guy. But the parole board said a day to see me. He said, You gotta go you gotta go visit with him. It's gonna be fine. So I go there, Lady for parole calls me and she said, have a seat, Mister, where she said, sit down.
• 12:21
  Randall Kaplan: There's three people, five people, one, one person.
• 12:24
  Damon West: She's a parole representative. Now she's not a voter. Okay, what this parole representative is going to do, she's going to assess you and interview you. And she's going to send your file to the lead voter for parole. On a parole voting panel, there's three people, you've got to get two of the three votes, the lead voters who you really gotta get right, because the second voter is going to kind of vote with the lead voter right? That's what do you think in your mind? So I go in there that day with the pro representative, this lady from parole, have a seat, Mr. West, she's got my criminal file in front of her. It's called your jacket, my jackets about this thick, it's your life story.
• 12:53
  Damon West: It's every arrest every felony.
• 12:56
  Damon West: And she's flipping through the pages of my jacket for about 20 seconds. She slammed it shut.
• 12:59
  Damon West: She pushed the file away. She said Mr. West, I came here today to ask you one question for rural visit. It's a one question test. The answer my question is going to determine whether or not you go home and stay in this prison. But the answer to my question is not in the file. But the guy I'm reading about who committed all those crimes in Dallas all those years ago. She said we don't get to see a lot of people like you come through our system. I'm gonna be honest with you because you had it all.
• 13:23
  Damon West: She said you had every advantage, every privilege, every opportunity over everybody else your entire life. She said, You're the definition of a privileged person in America.
• 13:29
  Damon West: She said but you gave away all your privileges. You became a drug addict. You became a criminal. You become a thief, a jury and Dallas gave you life in prison for the things you did.
• 13:38
  Damon West: She said your fall from grace, maybe the most spectacular fall from grace I've ever seen doing Sproul stuff. You had it all.
• 13:44
  Damon West: But you change yourself inside this prison. Mr. West, she said there's no doubt about the change you made yourself. She said no one's doubting that today.
• 13:53
  Randall Kaplan: Who's telling her that by the way, is the warden or the wardens.
• 13:58
  Damon West: Everybody, everybody's in this file talking about you your word. Now you can put together the same? That's a good question. You can put together this thing for your first pearl. Whenever you call a pearl packet, you put it together, I put it together, my mom and I put it together. I'd call my mom on the phone, just want to put one to put my packet I'd write out stuff. I'm in prison this whole time. Like, I'm fighting my case, by the way, that appeal I told you about earlier with Dustin and all that. I'm putting my appeal to you. I wrote my own appeal. I got the attention from all of these lawyers in Texas. Fact is one law firm in Beaumont told me while I'm in prison, man, you did this great legal work for guys never been to law school.
• 14:30
  Damon West: If you ever get out of prison, come see us. We got a job for you. So I'm appealing my case.
• 14:36
  Damon West: But now parole is coming up. So my mom and I are putting together my parole packet. It's everything you're doing while you're in prison. The change that you're making, right? All the classes that you're taking, I took every class I could in prison Randall. I got involved in everything, everything. I want them to see this guy that's working on changing himself. I took every class every chapel class, I did correspondence classes I could do I got a college degree so I can't take any bachelors classes, you know, but I took the HVAC trade class I became certified in HVAC. I'm not going to fix your AC. Don't worry, but
• 15:07
  Randall Kaplan: you're coming out of the house after this.
• 15:08
  Randall Kaplan: Yeah, but the AC is working.
• 15:08
  Randall Kaplan: Yeah,
• 15:10
  Damon West: I can't even work with a seasoned people's homes in Texas. I got a burglary charge. Right. So, but um, so I've got this parole packet of everything that she's seen the PRO Pack is he I submit that to parole months before. So they've read the packet. They see this guy this metal has changed my family. They know that my family's come to see me over 150 times she talks about that. Good 150 visits, you know, no one gets 150 But if you had a visit every year for the years you were in prison. You're one of the richest guys they're just one visitor years all you need to be a rich guy in prison.
• 15:39
  Damon West: Somebody love you, right? I had one every weekend pretty much, you know. So the lady for parole was like I said, she's gone over this whole thing. She said so here's my here's my question for you. She said and think think art give us some thought. Sansar is important. If you can be remembered for being anything in life, anything at all? She said, Tell me what that would be. But but but give it to me and just one word. Go. Randall. I've been living that word the entire time. I've been in Britain and I knew the answer question fighter answer back at her without hesitation. useful. I just want to be useful. And because I think every human being wants to be useful. Don't be random.
• 16:16
  Damon West: Every single person wants to feel like they have value to add to society. That's when I think you want to fix America. Make everybody figure out how they're useful again, right? Figure out what your worth is. And that's what I told her. I said, Ma'am, I just want to be useful. I can be useful inside this prison. I could use on the free world finding more coffee beans. And she dismissed me that day. She said alright, the parole board is gonna make a decision on you.
• 16:37
  Damon West: They'll let you know as soon as they do have a great day, Mr.
• 16:39
  Damon West: West,
• 16:41
  Randall Kaplan: and there's you can't read faces at that point.
• 16:43
  Randall Kaplan: Or she's somber and just don't that that don't face deadpan.
• 16:47
  Randall Kaplan: You're walking out there. Like
• 16:49
  Damon West: she did ask me what she did ask me a question that made me think then she asked me the poison pill question you don't want to get from a rural voter? Here's the question. Do you think you got too much time?
• 16:58
  Damon West: Ran to your lawyer think about the answer this right? Either way is wrong. If I say I got too much time, they're gonna say well, you haven't accepted responsibility for the things you've done. Right? Because in prison, we want people to come around to the concept that I earned this time. I didn't I gotta do the crime do the time, right. But if you say no, I didn't get too much time. They could say well, good sit here and do some more of that time.
• 17:22
  Damon West: That right? That was a good sentence for us. They aren't just more of a license. So when she asked me the question, I told her, I said, Ma'am, I don't feel comfortable answering that question. I'm gonna tell you why I just gave her that reasoning.
• 17:32
  Damon West: If I say yes, this if I say no, that. She said, Well, I'm gonna tell you what I think I think you got too much time. And I was like, wow, that was an interesting admission from the lady from parole, right. But my crimes again, random or property crimes around meth, no one got hurt. A lot of people lost their property. I stole their sense of security. I was a bad guy. But I wasn't a violent guy. I was I was locked up with Werner murderers. I got eight years, you know, for murder. Eight years, I got eight times that.
• 18:00
  Damon West: But she's acknowledging you got too much time. One of the things I found out later on in life rental, when I got out of prison, went back to school, got a master's degree in criminal justice. And I became a professor at the University of Houston, who were asked by way, that's incredible. I'm the one professor on the planet to teacher prisons, classic University who lived in prison.
• 18:19
  Damon West: That's it. There's only one guy has ever done that. But one of the things I learned is that juries will. And I figured this out on my own. But I learned for fact, juries when they send us to people do a lot of time like that. It's usually one or two reasons or both. They're either very afraid of the person that they're sentencing, or they're very mad at the person, their sentencing. Jury was afraid to me, they were mad at me, the guy that had it all, and there's the guy on the phone being the mob boss, you know, so. But the lady did tell me she she felt like it too much time. But she told me okay, we'll make a decision, we'll let you know. I'll tell you the date happened. I got the decision. So it was a Friday, May 1 2015. I work in the chapel. So for lunch, you can leave your job and go back to your cell and eat your food if you have some food in your locker or something like that.
• 19:05
  Damon West: So I go back to the cell want to make a phone call. They got prison, they got day room phones in the prison. So I call my mom up and I call my dad because usually on Fridays I'm calling to find out when they're gonna come visit me. And I call my mom up. She says, Hey, Damon, I got to talk to you about something.
• 19:19
  Damon West: And she said, I just went to the parole website. They made a decision, you know, random immediately I'm like, because I don't think I'm gonna make parole, right. My mom look. Next year will be different. And I'll start apologizing and telling her look, I'm sorry, I didn't make it. Next year will be different. Mama, I'll do better.
• 19:37
  Damon West: I'll get this done. I'm gonna get out of here at some point.
• 19:40
  Damon West: And she's like, Damon, the nightmare is over. You're coming home. You made parole. And I mean, random chills when you I mean, I got I mean, I got goosebumps now. I mean, first of all, I mean, I'm tearing up now.
• 19:54
  Damon West: I start tearing out when she tells me this I might. I like Mom, go Don't play with me. You don't have to do this. I understand I didn't make it. So Damon you made it. She said, you're going to come home. And, and the floodgates open I started crying. I started bawling like a baby man. Because I mean, shit. This is over. I'm gonna leave this place. Biggest mistake I can make. This is prison, man. Everybody's watching you all the time. One thing you can't do in prison is cry. You can't show its weakness. There's predators everywhere, man. And I just realized I made the biggest mistake. I'm on this phone call and I'm bawling like a baby. And so I started trying to straighten up, you know, get all the tears out of my face. And I'm like, Mom, I'm gonna go, I'll call you later, I hang up the phone and I leave the cell and go back to the chapel and go back to work. I get to the chapel and talk to the chaplain and the couple guys who work with the chapel man. They're all happy for me. Everybody's praying and stuff like that.
• 20:48
  Damon West: That's it guys. Look, I really screwed up. The day room I made this call and I started crying.
• 20:51
  Damon West: They're like, Oh, no. Here's the deal. If you make parole in prison, in Texas, you cannot get any more trouble. They'll take your parole from you. And if you get into a fight that's caught by a guard. There's no legal fighting in prison, both people to get into fights the same.
• 21:10
  Damon West: Whoever hit first doesn't matter. It's a major case. You have to do it in front of a guard. Now, if someone's got a beef with you, if someone's got a grudge against you, and they find out you make parole, they know they've got a limited amount of time to come get you.
• 21:22
  Damon West: So every enemy I've made whether intentionally did it or just did it on the way because I'm just super positive guy that runs around you know, with a smile on his face being a coffee bean.
• 21:32
  Damon West: You can make a lot of enemies that way to the guys aren't gonna know how you gonna go back to the pod? I was like I don't know what am I going to do? This and we got to make up a lie for you. I'm in the chapel. Right we're gonna make up a lie.
• 21:44
  Damon West: That's
• 21:46
  Randall Kaplan: fake as soon as you are telling me.
• 21:48
  Damon West: Chaplains in on it.
• 21:48
  Damon West: Everybody's unknown and we're in the chapel thinking about the best lie that Damon can tell when you get back because now my wife is on the line. So the lie was this I got a call my grandmother died the chapel is gonna back me up he's gonna say yes, we got the call down here the chapel your mom got to you first. And so he said go down there and tell them your grandmother died both my grandmother's are dead at this point. So it didn't matter right so the count was the yells the count was a blows I go back to my pod and walking just kind of stone faces stone faces I can I go to my bunk, and I'm gonna get my shower stuff. I'm gonna take a shower and go back to my bunk I'm just gonna hide out. So I'm getting my shower stuff on my bunk in threes. Aryan Brotherhood guys are coming to my bunk. Covered man. And one of the guys got a grin on his face.
• 22:30
  Damon West: Hey, hey, West. Congratulations and make a parole. Parole What do you talk about man? I said, and he said, You're crying the day room won't go. Oh man, my grandma died. You know, it's terrible. Man. My grandmother at nine years old passed away.
• 22:44
  Damon West: Through knock it off, man. He was saying one of the other other Aryan Brotherhood guys was sitting the day room, saw me crying, gets on the phone calls his mom says Hey, will you check Damon west out on the pro website because anybody can check you out. Right? And found out I'm a parole? He says so we already know about it. Everybody knows about the whole unit.
• 23:02
  Damon West: Here's the deal. You can't leave your cell West. They're gonna, somebody's gonna get you at this point. We don't know who it's going to be. But people are gonna come after you can't leave your cell. How much food do you have in your locker? And these guys weren't coming to get me they were coming to help me. So I start pulling out my food that I have. I got two weeks before the person was gonna come get me. We know that prison was gonna give gonna give me because I've gotta go. I've got a six month program. I gotta go to it.
• 23:30
  Damon West: This minimum security prison.
• 23:30
  Damon West: It's a it's got in prison therapeutic community IPTC. It's a drug treatment community. And they're gonna send me to that for six months before I actually walk out of prison. And so we started inventory my food and I'm breaking it. I got in prison. I got my diet under control. Now I'm eating tuna fish. I mean, macro. Instead of sunflower seeds, oatmeal with no sugar. I mean, I'm in the best shape of my life at this point.
• 23:52
  Damon West: Now, Randall, I'm in boxing shape. So we're back. We're sitting there breaking it out.
• 23:58
  Damon West: And we break out to what it could be every day for two weeks. And I said, I think I got it guys. And the guys are like, Listen, if you don't have enough food, come get one of us. We'll give you some food. Don't go to the chow hall again. Do not go to the chow hall. Charles dangerous for you. Don't go to the rec yard. Go to your job every day at The Chapel and come right back. Take a shower, get your bunk stay here. So that's what I did for the next two weeks. I didn't go back to the rec yard again. I didn't go to the chow hall again. I can't tell you what they serve for any meals for the last two weeks. I was in prison. I rationed out my food and ate out of my locker.
• 24:28
  Damon West: Thursday night. It was a I think it was May 14 Thursday May 14.
• 24:35
  Damon West: The guards coming now remember I'm in a prison that's just a few miles from where I grew up.
• 24:37
  Damon West: Some of the guards that are locked up with me play football with me in high school that grew up with me. You know these get these people know me man. I'm I'm from the area and I was a football star. So the guard working to do that night was a guy I played football with in high school man. He comes up and he's got this red bag and his red bags are the column your chain bags. That means you're going somewhere in a trip He walked up to my cell. It got a little cubicle I live in. He walks up and he drops the chain bag on my bed. He said this bag for you West. You're getting out of here in the morning. You're on the transport bus transport bus get out of here. He said, everybody knows I just dropped that bag off. He said, bag your stuff up, and I'm getting you out of here and I'm gonna put you in hiding right now. So he said, get this bag filled up.
• 25:21
  Damon West: Let's get you out of here. Let's get your stuff in return. So I managed to load my stuff up. He escorted me out. I walk out. And I spend the night in this holding cell area right. The next morning, the prison buses there to get me there escorted me and it's a different guard now because shifts change different guard. They're escorting me out. And this one guy is running across the rec yard at me. Well, I do. He's coming for me. And the guards are like on point. But am I well, we'll wait. Wait. That's my buddy. This support. So what was one of my cellmates I had in prison is this black Muslim guy, different Black Muslim guy than the guy in Dallas County Jail, right? Support. Man, this guy was like a brother to me. In fact, he's still like a brother.
• 26:00
  Damon West: I was just talking on the phone all the time in prison. I still talk to Carlos I swore. I talked to all these guys put money in their books every month. I take care of them. I'm like their family now. But that day in 2015 supports running across the rec yard. And I'm like, Man, can I go to my brother goodbyes, man, make it quick West. Do not let anything happen to you. I gotta get you on this bus. So I run over there and suborders like, man, he's out of breath. He's like, he hugs me. And it's very emotional. You know, we're both crying. And he's like, Man, I'm really happy for us and she get to leave us to go home. He said, but I need to know something. He said, Are you going to talk about what you talked about when we were in this prison together when we were soulmates? What's the board was asking is what I was going to talk about the stuff that I learned when we were soulmates in prison, when I when I learned from savour about things like racism, about social justice, about the disparities in the system, right that I explained a while ago. He's like, are you going to talk about that when you get out of here? And then like, so before when I get on my feet, man, I will, you know, and I had a good job waiting for I had a job at a law firm. They're gonna hire me, right? The second day, I'm out of prison. I go work at a law firm. But my parents are waiting for me the job the law firm is waiting for me. And I'd like to bore when I get on my feet, I will man I promise it will. And man, he looked at me his words hit me right between the eyes, Randall. He looked at me and he said, Good. He said sometimes they lock up the right guy. And I'm like, What do you mean by that support? What do you mean the right guy? He said, Look at you, man. Why middle class well spoken to parents waiting for you got a job at a law firm. He said, You're going to change the world. People are going to listen to you, man. You got to talk about what's in you. And you can't forget this place when you walk out of here. I've never forgotten that random. I've never that's why I still go into prisons. That's why I still do it. I do. But he said sometimes they lock up the right guy, man.
• 28:42
  Randall Kaplan: So let's talk about bear O'Brien Coach of the Year Conference. Oh,
• 28:46
  Damon West: man, this is a great, so good question. You've done your homework. And but I listened to I listened to your podcast, you do a lot of homework. So I'm not surprised.
• 28:54
  Randall Kaplan: So tell everyone what it was. And then you're hiding out on the bushes and then your own plants, fake plants. And now you're over 70 got one more to go. Okay, so
• 29:06
  Damon West: paint the picture for you when I get out of prison. I know I'm sitting this incredible story right in this great dynamic mesh of the coffee bean. But the problem is Randall, there's nowhere for me to share the story. You can't go knock on the door of a high school and say I just got out of prison. I want to talk to your kids. They'll chase you down the street. They chase me right. So I had to find a cop in a in a judge that would escort me into prisons. Think about this man.
• 29:29
  Damon West: In 2024. I go all over the world sharing my story. People hire me to speak all the time. I'm one of the most in demand speakers in America. But when damn one of the best, by the way. Thank you, man. I appreciate that. They appreciate that. Whenever I started this thing, I was escorted into high schools and rotary clubs by a cop or a judge man. The first time ever spoke I had a picture of it that a show sometimes. Is this at risk. Does that risk kids at Port Neches groves High School and right behind me is this big judge. He had to be with me. They couldn't leave me on escorted, right.
• 29:58
  Damon West: There weren't a lot of places for me to speak. But I knew I had to get better at speaking. I had to figure out I've never spoken before. I didn't have any teacher coach. I had a mirror.
• 30:06
  Damon West: It was in my parents spare bedroom. I lived in my parents spare bedroom. The first two years was out of prison, right?
• 30:11
  Damon West: I mean, think about this for a second. I'm 40 years old. I just got out of prison. I'm on parole for the rest of my life. I got a job at a law firm making just above minimum wage. And I live in my parents spare bedroom.
• 30:24
  Damon West: That would have been a hell of a Tinder profile, wouldn't it?
• 30:28
  Damon West: We're eligible guy. I don't know what you ladies swiping on that guy right? But I wouldn't on Tinder I wouldn't have the day I was so afraid of all that stuff.
• 30:36
  Damon West: And so but every night for two years and I wasn't speaking somewhere I was practicing my presentation from that mirror and my parents were bedroom. I got into my reps, anything you want to be good at in life rental, getting any reps. You don't just step into the podcast booth doing your reps, right?
• 30:51
  Damon West: You get your work in you practice, right? You get good at what you do. So I practice the presentation and I really thought I was supposed to be speaking in the world of college football because I played college football. The problem was it's been 20 years ticket snap. These coaches don't know me. I don't know them. But a buddy of mine in Houston calls me up. It was December, no January 12 2017 14 months out of prison. And he said, Hey, man, get to Houston. Houston, 90 miles away, is the Bear Bryant Kochi award. They're getting the best coach college football the eighth best coach in this room.
• 31:22
  Damon West: He said Ah sneaky. I got an extra press pass worship media.
• 31:25
  Damon West: So man, I drive 90 miles from Beaumont to Houston approximate Oh, elevator pitch. What am I tell these coach when I meet him, right? He sneaks me in, I'm running around, I got I got my best hammer down suit on I'm running around shaking their hands. All these coaches at USC, Wisconsin, Penn State PJ Fleck, they're all in this room. And I go up and meet these coaches and I shake their hand and I give them a pitch of why they should bring me in to talk to their team. And every coach I meet at night, slammed the door, my face, they're all telling me no, I'm getting beat up in this room. In one hour. I've been told no seven times. There's only eight coaches in the room.
• 31:58
  Damon West: I gotta know every eight minutes that night. Now I'm in the corner Toyota Center. I'm waking my wounds and feeling sorry for myself and the voice in my head is screaming at me. Go home.
• 32:06
  Damon West: What are you doing here, Damon?
• 32:09
  Damon West: The voice in my head is telling me I'm an imposter. I think everybody listening can feel like they were an imposter sometime. Right? Everybody's heard the imposter voice before.
• 32:18
  Damon West: But man you know what? I could do it a long time ago Randall listening to myself. And I don't think anybody should listen himself because the voice in your head could be fear talking to you. You don't want to listen to fear fear is a liar. And that last coach is gonna tell you no to your face and you're going home. Last coach heart has got to get to the room. His team just beat Alabama two nights before for the national championship. Everybody's trying to get a piece of this guy's time but I'm not leaving till he tells me no rental. So I stopped Dabo Swinney run that room. And I look like a nut man, like, I'm hot and hot and fake plants trying to ambush that. But when he walks by, and weavin and other people that security sees me, man, they're gonna throw me a Toyota Center. Pretty soon.
• 32:53
  Damon West: They're chasing me around this room. I finally get in front of Dabo I give him my best stuff for my 60 seconds and I come up for air. And that was like, get a card on you, man. So I gave him a card. He snatched it from me. He said I'll check you out.
• 33:07
  Damon West: He's gone. Well, that's a no looks like a no feels like a no.
• 33:11
  Damon West: But I felt good about that. No, you know what, that no representative for me, me leaving it on the field man.
• 33:16
  Damon West: That's what I learned in sports or what Muhammad said you don't have to win all your fights. You got to find out your fights.
• 33:22
  Damon West: anybody's ever worked a sales job. You knock on every door, you make every call. That's when your day is over. And I went home and slept like a baby forgot about that night. Four months later, I get an email from the director of football operations at Clemson guy named Mike Dooley. My do is email said hey Damon coach Sweeney, Michoud award show in Houston. He'd love to have you come talk to his team. Do you have August 1 open?
• 33:43
  Damon West: I'm like Mike, I got every first open. I got nothing going. I'm still talking to a mirror man.
• 33:47
  Damon West: So August 1 2017. I go speak to the Clemson Tigers defending national champs college football. And when I get done my presentation night Dabo was in my face and I don't know if you ever seen Dabo on TV man. He's as advertised. He's hired I need to hook you in Dabo loves what I need to do. We'd love to we'd love to meet Dabo I'll make the I'll make the introduction today. So Dabo is in my face man. Campbell's like man I've never heard a story like that before man. He said if you've been to Alabama to talk to their football team, I'm going oh man.
• 34:19
  Randall Kaplan: He said my story program except for University of Michigan greatest school on the planet but but one of the best programs ever. Well,
• 34:25
  Damon West: I don't disagree with that. One of the best programs ever. So he said have you been to Alabama right now man? I've been to Clemson dude, I hadn't been anywhere. He said well, I just text Nick Saban.
• 34:33
  Damon West: We'll see what happens next day.
• 34:36
  Damon West: Savings guy called save his ops guy calls me up. Hey, man Dabo co Coach Saban Coach Saban can't wait to hear your story. How's
• 34:42
  August 21 7: 30pm more for you?
• 34:42
  August 21 7: Pretty good. I'll see my calendar can handle that right?
• 34:46
  August 21 7: Just like that. Dabo Swinney starts kicking open every door to college football. He gets on the Kirby smart calls Lincoln Riley calls. Chip Kelly Lane Kiffin Ryan day. Sorry, no, Michigan, Michigan never called.
• 35:00
  August 21 7: But most college football teams in America are bringing me in to speak to their team. They want Him to cough up message, right.
• 35:05
  August 21 7: Everybody's telling everybody you got to do this got story got your story about the coffee bean. But the real magic of my life was yet to happen. It was one year after their presentation at Clemson. And I get a phone call out of the blue in August of 2018. And on the other end of my phone, it's this guy named John Cornyn. John Gordon, the energy bus guy, I follow John on Twitter man, he's my inspiration. And I'm like, John, I know who you are, man.
• 35:28
  August 21 7: How do you know who I am? He said Dabo Swinney is I just got done speaking to Clemson football team, and I'm in the office of Dabo afterwards and for 30 minutes. Dabo tells me your entire life story. He said he told me to sway the coffee bean. John said Daymond The world needs a coffee bean message statement. Let's deliver this message to the world. He said when you write a book with me, we'll call it the coffee bean. The summer of 2019 10 years Watch our furniture this toy from a hobbit in a jail cell on Dallas County Jail. The book the coffee bean comes out ran on it took the world by storm. It was a best seller here in America for like four to six weeks. Guess a global publishing deal starts showing up in every language in the world, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, French, Italian, German, Korean, Vietnamese. And then in 2020, a global pandemic hits the entire world becomes this pot of boiling water. And now the entire world search for a message to get them through it.
• 36:19
  August 21 7: The coffee, my life took off like this. I can't even explain to you mean, this is an entrepreneur podcast too. I go from, you know, making $150,000 a year speaking to making a million a year then 2 million a year then 2.8 million a year speaking going on stages and sharing this message all over the place because the world needed the message. Right? Right message right time. But it all goes back to that one night use in Texas that January 12 2017 When I had those seven noes, and I almost walked out the door because the voice in my head told me I wasn't good enough and told me to leave told me didn't belong in that room. Randolph, I'll walk out that door that night. We're not having this conversation day. The world doesn't have the coffee mess and I tell people all the time, don't quit. You don't give up.
• 37:04
  August 21 7: You don't not ask you quit. The only question you know the answer to in life is the one you don't ask. That's a no every time right. Wayne Gretzky May said it best you miss 100% of shots you do not take. Take your shots in life, man. First
• 37:18
  Randall Kaplan: time why there's so many things that I want to open.
• 37:22
  Damon West: I had this one thing that just happened. Yeah, this is this happened literally two days ago. Every year since I got told no by those other coaches in that room. I have called them up their operations guy every single year. Until I've gotten one Yes. After another. The other day. I just got the yes from Penn State. That was last one on the list. In August, I will speak to the last coach that told me no that night.
• 37:45
  Damon West: Seven years later, I finally got All yeses from that room in Houston, Texas.
• 37:50
  Randall Kaplan: Amazing.
• 37:50
  Randall Kaplan: Congratulations. Yeah, that's incredible. I do a lot of coaching mentoring summer interns. As you know, we have 36 interns every summer, I got 7400 applications this year, it's very hard to get a job with you, man. It's a it's a teaching internship. And yeah, we want people who have got the work ethic, the drive the hunger, and are willing to do the nitty gritty because a lot of people in today's world don't want to do the gritty, they don't want to do the tough work. But every intern and most young professionals, even people who are successful don't have the guts to go up to someone at a conference. And you know, these are people who are very famous people, right? This is Coach of the Year there's a circle around these people. Yeah, right. So you got to you got you got three to five seconds, maybe 10 Max to go in and do your pitches.
• 38:42
  Randall Kaplan: People are afraid to do this.
• 38:47
  Randall Kaplan: They're afraid. What's your direct message? If you look into the camera, and you tell everybody, you're a college student, you're young professional, there's a CEO over there, you know, you haven't met the CEO before, we haven't had the founder the company. Look in the camera. This is how I made my career. And this is how you made your career. But but tell everyone what the message Aerith
• 39:09
  Damon West: here's the message, go and define what a bad day looks like, right? Let's make it let's define what a bad day is a bad day would say it's when when a marriage fails, a job gets lost. You know, maybe you fail a classroom, your college, you had a you had a bad grade, whatever, someone dies, something happens to your kids. So what happens your pet these are bad days, let's define what a bad day looks like. Anytime you think you're having a bad day, ask yourself, Is it really a bad day? Is it one of those days, right? Because if it's not one of those days, that my day is just not that great. I can turn this thing around pretty quickly, right? I just got to change the way I think about the day in front of me. When I'm in the room that night at Euston, Texas, I had survived prison.
• 39:50
  Damon West: I've been through something way worse than this. But I took the time to apply the perspective because if I don't apply that perspective at night, the odds of me succeeding is so daunting.
• 39:59
  Damon West: I'm going to walk out that room and listen to the voice of fear in my head. But I stopped and I applied it per second with Daymond. This isn't a bad day this even if this guy tells you no, it's just a no, it doesn't hurt. It's not like you're getting beat up in the day room again, define what your bad days look like and compare your days to those days. Now. Also, it's your mindset. It's always about you, it's never going to be about you is never going to not be about you because what I'm saying it's your mindset. It's like a John Gordon talks about this. Some days you're sitting in traffic and the traffic bothers you, right? Some days you sit in the same traffic and it doesn't bother you at all. Is it the traffic or is it you?
• 40:34
  Damon West: It's always you. It's always your mindset that you're in and the situation you're in. You've got to control. There's only four things you have control.
• 40:38
  Damon West: You control what you think. You control what you say. You control what you feel, and you control what you do. And if it's not one of those four things, you don't control it, but you have to feel Because within things you can't control and let go the things you cannot control.
• 40:56
  Randall Kaplan: The worst thing that can happen is they say no.
• 41:00
  Randall Kaplan: Today and the more people say no, the easier it is to keep coming back. I find it Yes. And there's always a lesson to learn from failure. Failure just gets fail, you get such a bad rap, right. But some of the best lessons I've learned in life or when I've failed, failed completely, I went to prison.
• 41:14
  Randall Kaplan: You know, I felt so bad in life, I got sentenced to like a jury threw me away. But I've learned a lot of lessons while I was there. You could learn a lot from rock bottom rock bottom is a good place to build a new life form. It's a great foundation.
• 41:24
  Randall Kaplan: So he's talking about what makes people successful. One of the things that's made me successful is my preparation. Yeah, extreme preparation is a term that I've coined and I'm going to write a book on that I am writing a book on that. You talked about practicing in front of the mirror your speech, and I've heard your speech even today.
• 41:38
  Randall Kaplan: You're articulate, I mean, you got it down. It's motivational.
• 41:41
  Randall Kaplan: How important is extreme preparation been to your success? And what's your advice to people who say, okay, you know, I got a speech, I got a corporate presentation, I'm going to meet with my boss, you know, winging it for 1015 minutes. 60 minutes. Yeah. So, extreme preparation. You're the best at it. You could write a Master's class on it. In fact, you should do a masterclass on it. Sometimes I'll take it, because you're very prepared.
• 42:08
  Damon West: But I think one of the biggest things in life that that, like, one of the separators I've had is my grit.
• 42:16
  Damon West: My hard work. This is the same guy. You're you're looking at it when he played high school football, this little 510 guy that wanted to get a division one scholarship. Yeah, we're outworked everybody. I'll outwork you, I'll doesn't matter who it is. I'm gonna outwork you. And you're gonna have to kill me to stop me. Right? If I get it in my mind. I'm gonna do something, I do it. But a big thing in life is doing what you say you're gonna do. You know, your word matters. Your your character matters. That's the that's a big thing. Another thing in life is relationships.
• 42:42
  Damon West: Relationships are everything.
• 42:45
  Damon West: Randall. I'll tell you another story about relationships. Go back to that story with Dabo.
• 42:48
  Damon West: And John, I was with Dabo a couple months ago, he came to see my new house that I just built, because I call it the house Dabo build. I got the John Gordon pickleball court and a house it never asked about pickleball Yeah, so but Dabo came to my house and he was just blown away what my wife and I have done and I had a bunch of people there waiting to meet Dabo all the people we help out in the community. You know, the the youth sports programs that we sponsor and all this other stuff, because it Dabo believing in me, I believe in you, right?
• 43:14
  Damon West: And so I fly back with Dabo to Clemson at night. And he's on the plane. He said ever. He said Have I ever told you the story about that day that John and I were in the office? I told him for the first time. I was like, No, I've never heard your side of this just that John called me that day and said I was with Dabo. He said yeah, Damon he says so John gets done speaking the team, we go into the office and I pull my keys out of my pocket, throw my keys on the table. Now I've given Dabo a little wooden coffee bean keychain the year before just as a little memento and say thank you I didn't have much money.
• 43:43
  Damon West: These little wooden coffee bean keychains weren't much the internet, gave one to him and gave one of his ops guy Mike Dooley, right? That will pulls out his keys. And those who want to table John Gordon's eye catches that wooden coffee bean keychain. John said, Hey, man, what's that thing on your keychain? Dabo said, Oh, that's a coffee bean man. He said you know the story, the coffee bean John's like, No, I've never heard this already. Coffee.
• 44:06
  Damon West: Well, we just had a guy named Damon West, come talk to our team. Let me tell you the story of Damon West and tell you the story. The coffee me if I don't get to have oh, that coffee bean keychain. We're not having this conversation today. But I wanted to build a relationship with Dabo. So I want to show gratitude and dab of what he did. And it doesn't have to be something big man. It could be just like, you know, how do you show gratitude? How do you build a relationship? And some of the relationships This is to your interfaces to everybody, man, some of the relationships you want to build a life, you're gonna have to build to build them from a place of less than zero. Not everybody you call call up for podcasts wants to do a podcast with you. Right?
• 44:38
  Damon West: Right. I
• 44:40
  Randall Kaplan: mean, many don't. Right?
• 44:42
  Damon West: Here's
• 44:43
  Randall Kaplan: what everybody does. I hope I hope you get on the hope you got on the train.
• 44:45
  Randall Kaplan: And for all those of you who said no, I'm still I'm still coming out for you to make it a yes, but you should.
• 44:53
  Damon West: But here's the thing. You've got to build a relationship, sometimes from a place of less than zero. What I'm telling you is this that, that there's going to be people you want to build a relationship with, whether it's business or podcasts, whatever. And maybe they've had such a bad experience with someone that's doing what you're doing. Yeah.
• 45:09
  Damon West: Maybe you work for a company and it's someone that used to work for your company. They weren't your same logo, but then I'm there anymore, because they were so bad. But they burn bridges everywhere they went right. But people don't want to maybe your sales at door to door salesperson D to D Right? And how many people have a negative interaction every negative mindset have a preset bias of salespeople, right? You've got to find a way to build a relationship from a place of less than zero, and it can be done. I know it can be done. I'm an ex con Randall. You think people are just dying to hang it? You think people are dying or the next con when I got out of prison know how many ex cons that came before me have burned it to the ground because of their behavior after they get out of prison and go back to prison about 85% in the first three years right There's a number for that called recidivism. I had to build bridges and roads that weren't there. For an ex con like me.
• 45:57
  Damon West: Now I go into fortune 100. I go into masterminds, I go into schools, athletic departments, college and pro. But I had to start from a place of less than zero to do most of that. You can do it too. Everybody can build a relationship with somebody in front, you just got to be willing to put in the work.
• 46:15
  Randall Kaplan: And you mentioned something very important, which is these little mementos, actual physical, tangible things to provide someone that is the memory, it's thoughtful, it says, okay, you know, Damon was gave me this. I teach this and I coach this, right? I'm very big on as I said, personal research and development budget. So I said, I say to people, I said, Alright, how much are you willing to pay for that meeting? Student, you know, what are you talking about? I said, Would you pay for a meeting with someone who you want to meet? You know, what are you talking about? I said, Okay, you prepare for that job interview for 10 hours, 20 hours, you write the cover letter, you do this, you do that. And it may go in the trash. But you can send them a little trigger. You're not bribing them for something, but maybe we sent them. Some guy came in, want a job bombed the interview, knew he bombed it.
• 47:03
  Randall Kaplan: And then he sent me a letter with a little Michigan leather football. They said, I am really sorry, I blew it. I want a second chance. I knew that day that I was hiring that guy. Wow.
• 47:15
  Randall Kaplan: Just like that. Wow. And it's just like that he's not bribing me. He probably spent $25 on this football. But I became his boss's mentor. I pay him a salary to put food on the table right? And it's like people people don't do this. Here's one was crazy. So my friend Luke, hockey league player didn't make it to the pros played in the minors. I was 26 years old, comes out doing commercial real estate. Now this is during pandemic is booming. You can't get a warehouse and he's a guy just making cold calls. No one's calling me back. I said sent me how much are you want to spend for a meeting? So what are you talking about? And I said, Let's make a personal r&d budget that you're going to spend $1,000 is$2,000 I'm going to use that money to get immediate. He's still again, people kind of wrap their head around. This is a new concept. And I said, Alright, here's what you're gonna do. You know, would you pay 50 bucks for meeting? Would you pay 25 bucks that I don't know. I said, Let's settle on. 50 bucks. Okay.
• 48:18
  Randall Kaplan: You're going to go to Starbucks.
• 48:18
  Randall Kaplan: You're gonna get half on a coffee and a basketball and get two mugs. Or you're gonna start FedExing these to people with a nice note. I'm Luke. I love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with you better in person.
• 48:32
  Damon West: That's awesome.
• 48:32
  Damon West: fucking killed it. That's so wild. Smoke
• 48:36
  Randall Kaplan: it. You know, this led to 10s of 1000s of dollars in commissions. I think his second year wow. In business. I mean, it's a young kid he made over $500,000 his second year as a professional.
• 48:49
  Damon West: That's That's incredible. They absolutely are the my wheels are spinning. Like how can I do this in my with what I do, you know? Yeah. And the the more in I'm thinking like the the more success and the busier. I've gotten in life.
• 49:02
  Damon West: I've gotten away from that thing of given these personal mementos did the beginning. I need to get back to that right. I mean, it's
• 49:09
  Randall Kaplan: Dana White did my show. And you know, Dana, great. Episode Two. I loved it.
• 49:11
  Randall Kaplan: Thank you so much. has gone viral. It's
• 49:15
  Damon West: totally so much.
• 49:15
  Damon West: freaked him out. Yeah.
• 49:21
  Randall Kaplan: My pleasure.
• 49:21
  Randall Kaplan: Call me. Creepy at some point.
• 49:24
  Randall Kaplan: He ran a 5k and I knew is best time and high school. 1801 He ran a 5k.
• 49:30
  Damon West: That's better than no. Okay. Yeah. I was saying about my best time like, No, that's good, though. So
• 49:40
  Randall Kaplan: Danna does my show. And I think okay. I mean, he was generous to me, he, I interviewed him at this conference, big conference, scale Global Summit, scaled Global Summit in Vegas last May.
• 49:52
  Randall Kaplan: Amazing conference. We're gonna have it again. Well, now we're gonna have it. They're gonna have it again next day. Tell them want to speak at it. You are going to speak at it. It's just unbelievable conference we had and I can't say we I'm not even a part of the conference.
• 50:07
  Randall Kaplan: Kelly O'Connor runs a conference. She found that she does an amazing job. But they had and they had everybody there from in the political spectrum.
• 50:12
  Randall Kaplan: They had Boris Johnson, Hillary Clinton. They had William Barr.
• 50:16
  Randall Kaplan: They had Dana Steve Aoki, Mark Wahlberg, they had biohackers I mean, it was one of the best conference I've ever been to.
• 50:25
  Randall Kaplan: And I And Kelly was on my show said hey, love your show. You want to go interview someone on stage. I've never interviewed anyone on stage. I've got my podcast. She likes it. So go on stage interview, Dana. He cries on my show. People love it. And my son's a huge UFC fan. So when we're done, you know I said hey, we you take a video for my son, Charlie shoots a video. Hey, man, Charlie, I can't believe you No, you don't delay come here. But I'll tell you what I'm going to do. You can pick whatever fight and your story.
• 50:58
  Randall Kaplan: Yeah. Isn't that my story, which is amazing. So I said, Dana, will you do my show me? So he does my show? It took 11 months.
• 51:04
  Randall Kaplan: But you know, he finally did my show we did a few years ago, the episode came out, I think, a month ago, and I want to do something really nice for him.
• 51:10
  Randall Kaplan: And so that I Hickerson, my right hand guy superstar, says, Alright, here's what we're going to do. And he finds Dana, his addiction that his love of fighting, professional fighting came from boxing, marvelous Marvin haggard, and sugary luxury, biggest fights in the history of boxing. And he saw us on TV and it lit them up. So we got him a sign ticket stalled by both of those guys. Well, from way back when I was 20 years old, something like that. And we gave it to him. I gave it to him as a thank you after you did my show. And it's these really special guests. And yes, it was expensive. Yeah, it was very expensive. But Dana has been a great friend brought value to my life. But I think he's a great guy. I've learned a ton from him. And I was very grateful that he did my show. I knew it was gonna help me professionally. And it really has. Yeah, so that's incredible.
• 52:07
  Randall Kaplan: People People got to be thoughtful. Don't just send you know, something. Generic. Great.
• 52:11
  Randall Kaplan: Alright, let's talk about amazing people. So you got John Gordon, who calls you up out of the blue. And he actually got you on a book deal, and gave you some financial percentage that he didn't have to do.
• 52:30
  Damon West: So John, when John calls you out the days is, hey, let's write a book. We'll call it the coffee bean. And because you said Daymond, the world needs coffee, the message just before the pandemic, John said, Daymond, the world needs coffee.
• 52:41
  Damon West: The message was delivered this message to the world. My first response Rando was John, you're chatting, Gordon, man, you don't need me. You could have the coffee bean. Go write the book.
• 52:51
  Damon West: I'll buy it. It'd be a great book. Enjoy ever nice life.
• 52:54
  Damon West: John's like whoa. He said Daymond love God, show me the cover the book already. Your name is on it. Let's listen to God. Let's do this book together. He said, Look, I'll tell you what, I split a thing with you. 5050. And at the time, John, and John's got a much bigger book deals now. But at the time, that book deal, he got$100,000 advance for the book.
• 53:11
  Damon West: Yep. He said to look, you do it with me. I'll give you half the advance and we'll split all the profits 5050 From here on out.
• 53:18
  Damon West: And so we turned the manuscript in, I got my check in the mail for $50,000 and came in my, my, my then girlfriend, but now wife Kindle, when the check came in, in 2019. For $50,000. She's I know what you're about to do with that. So yep, I've been looking forward to this and call my parents up. I said, Hey, you're gonna live with Ken all the time. We just We just got our first house and it's more money than I've ever seen, right? I mean, it's a $50,000 check to me, call my parents up and said, Hey, you're gonna be home. I gotta, I gotta bring something drop it off. They leave about 10 minutes away. My dad's like, yeah, we're coming home. When I was going to my trial, my parents who had made a colossal error in life made a lot of bad choices. They still remember mom said she loved me unconditionally. They cashed in their retirement, they cashed in 50,000 hours. My parents didn't make a lot of money. They ran out. They didn't make a lot of money at all. But they spent exactly $50,000 on my legal offense. And when I got out of prison, I told him, I pay him back and give him like, $125 a month at that point, to try to pay back. I'm think I've paid back $3,000 The entire time.
• 54:17
  Damon West: I've been out of prison. But I drove over the house that day, and my dad's like, Hey, man, thought she had some. Where's it? Pull that check out? I gave it to him. He started crying, man. He's like, Damian, I don't know what to say I would ever see this money again. I said, my mom told me debts meant to be paid. Oh, you're the debt.
• 54:37
  Damon West: There's your 50,000 back. John Gordon gave me the ability to repay my parents that money back. In fact, when my dad died last year, one of the best things I can tell you random about that experience is that there's no regrets. He got to see me turn it all around. And then one of the last things he asked me to take care of your mom and I'm building my mama house now, you know, I
• 54:57
  Randall Kaplan: mean, it's just how great is that? By the Wow, dude. It's
• 55:00
  Damon West: incredible, man. I mean, just to be in a position.
• 55:03
  Damon West: I mean, it's sometimes it feels like I'm a time traveler like to be eight and a half years ago, I was living in a 10 by 12 prison cell serving a life sentence in prison. My wife and I just bought a house. My little stepdaughters closet is 12 by 12. You know, it's like I've measured the thing whenever they're building I'm like, this is bigger than my prison. So but that's how great life is but but one thing was incomplete in in John and we've hooked up we've done three books in the coffee bean one is a kid's book too, and it's been very successful.
• 55:32
  Damon West: John has believed in me man, John's like my god man, my mentor, I wouldn't be where I am without John Gordon. If John and John will tell you this, if I need Daymond pick up the phone i'll call if you call him anything. He needs him there, right. One of the things I was big on my list to do because we were talking about these different things, and I was talking about relationship building and doing what you say you're going to do telling your interns and people in college that everybody in general with the qualities to live by integrity and accountability are so big, right? Integrity is who you are when no one else is watching and accountability.
• 56:03
  Damon West: Man, that's that's hard to find in America right now. Because true accountability looks like this when we weren't just in the 12 steps, you make a mistake, you own your mistake, and then you change the behavior that caused the mistake. So we're not making the same mistake over and over again, because people get tired of seeing that, right. So one of the things I had to do when I got out of prison was fun, Muhammad, right. I kind of find this guy, you know, I've got these books, the coffee bean, this message has come out.
• 56:28
  Damon West: So I get out of prison. 2015 I go to Dallas County Jail and said, Hey, I'm trying to find my friend Muhammad. That was kind of yell was real nice about it.
• 56:38
  Damon West: They're like, that's his Muslim name. Randall. I don't know what his real name is, right?
• 56:42
  Damon West: Muhammad Ali, used to be a Ghanaian Cassius Clay Right?
• 56:45
  Damon West: When a person converts to Islam, they get rid of their real name take on a Muslim name. The only name he told me he went by was Muhammad. But I can't find Muhammad by Muhammad. They're like, we need a real name or birth date. So I had to hope that one day he would find me and here's how he finally found me. Two years ago, I get a letter from an inmate the Texas Department criminal justice Randall I get a lot of letters from inmates now. Men and women that are incarcerated American prison system all over. They all write me because you know who I am to every man and woman in prison hope I'm Hope. I'm the dream. They can touch the dream that they see Damon with. I'm anti new frame from Shawshank and new frame was hope that's what the whole movie about Shawshank is hope man. And I love my role was Andy man, I write all these inmates back but this letter was different. There was no return address and one sentence. Fun James Lynn Baker, and you find Muhammad that's the clue. It took me seven years to get that clue, right? Go to Dallas get a private investigator. First thing we found was his criminal record.
• 57:43
  Damon West: And it matched everything he said in county jail in and out of prison his entire life. All we got to do is find his current address. I go see my friend again. But we couldn't find his current address random because James Wan Baker, the second Muhammad. He died on May ninth 2017 and Dallas, Texas have an opiate overdose. He's a drug addict, just like me. But he never got to a program recovery never made 12 steps. There's a lesson there to Randall, this guy said on the coffee message his entire life, but he could not apply it in his own life.
• 58:13
  Damon West: You could sit on all the knowledge and information in the world. You could read all the best self help books. But if you can't apply the knowledge, the knowledge does you no good if you can't apply the knowledge.
• 58:22
  Damon West: So now that I knew who he was, as a private investigator, go find his family. I said I gotta honor this guy somehow because random we all know I'm not here without him. Right? Dale? That old man told Mr. Warren County Jail. So we found his family.
• 58:32
  Damon West: He's got three living sisters.
• 58:37
  Damon West: One of his sisters was the first Dallas Cowboy cheerleader ever this woman named Vaughn steelmaker black woman 1972 First Dallas Cowboy cheerleader.
• 58:42
  Damon West: Yeah. Vaughn steel Baker, you can look her up. So there was a Texas Monthly story about it that Piaf found. So he's got three living sisters vicia Vaughn, CO and Vanessa Baker, call these ladies one night, I'll tell them a story about the time that I met their brother in county jail. The message he gave me and what I was able to do that message both in prison out of prison. And I told his sisters I said, I don't know what your feelings are about your brother choice he made in life. But let me tell you something about your brother that I know that you don't know.
• 59:11
  Damon West: Your brother impacted at least one person when he was on this planet. Me. And I'm gonna impact the entire planet with the mess she gave me. I said, what high school did y'all go to growing up because I got an idea how to honor your brother. You know, when James and I were in County together, he told me from the poorest, most inner city urban part of Dallas, and the sisters confirmed all that they said Dallas Lincoln was the name of the high school they went to Dallas Lincoln's interesting.
• 59:35
  Damon West: Did you get Dallas that's South Dallas Randall. That is inner city, inner city of Dallas, right? So I said, Great. Here's what I want to do. Every year for the rest of my life. I'm putting $10,000 into a trust for a scholarship and your brother's name. We'll call this thing that James Lynn Baker the second be a coffee bean scholarship. And I would love it if your family pick that winner every year. So every year one little boy or one little girl that grows up in South Dallas. They get a better chance at life to an education because these two guys met up in county jail back in 2009.
• 1:00:03
  Damon West: Randall the sisters took me up on it and now we've picked two winners of the scholars. One of the winners was a little girl named Megan. Megan's mother's a school teacher. Her dad's a disabled veteran. Megan sit in classes at Texas a&m Right now Megan is going to be an engineer one day found a film Hamid Randall took seven years to find this guy took seven knows that night in Houston he gets the first yes I needed in life right with Dabo Swinney took seven years to get out of a prison took me seven years to turn all those nodes into a yes that night in Houston, Texas with Penn State now coming up. Life is about getting a lot of nose man and getting turned down some of your goals are gonna take longer than others but you can't quit you cannot give up before the miracle happens. There's
• 1:00:45
  Randall Kaplan: also something in life called luck. And I think every successful person that I know whether they admit it or not there There's a lot of luck on their success. I believe that I'm at my last call her up me says, Hey, you want to be on my show? Well,
• 1:01:00
  Damon West: it didn't call me they call you Oh no, this no, this is another great story.
• 1:01:02
  Damon West: This is a great store. So I want to get on a bad show bad. And I don't know how to get on that show. The only way I can contact Ed is through Instagram messenger. And this guy, I know him as a good friend of mine, I guess. 9000 messages a day throughout the week, right. John Gordon becomes friends with Ed my lead. John, man, when you talk to Andrew, I give him the show. John talks to him. They're very close. Yeah, they're very close. So it didn't happen right then Dabo Sweeney becomes friends with him and adds on his story talking about his daughter goes to Clemson graduated. And so he's like, he's he's on the story saying I'm going to see Bella at Clemson. I'm going to meet Dabo Swinney Why call Dabo damn Oh, man. And by let's go to talk to you when you talk to Ed about me and see if I get on the show. To have Oh, calls me up that night. Hey, man, I'll talk to Ed I think is gonna happen.
• 1:01:52
  Damon West: Still didn't happen yet. But um, I keep persistently sending Ed videos and stuff like that. Hey, Ed, let's come on. Here's what I want to talk about stuff like that. DMS DMS. DMS? Yeah, dude, I don't have a cell phone number. Yeah, so. Yes. Yeah, I haven't. We're friends now. So he's a great guy. He's a great years.
• 1:02:11
  Randall Kaplan: He's a good friend. He's your mama show. He did. Very early when you know, you appreciate every single person that helps you. I mean, when we started our tech company, I remember every cost I slept on. I remember everyone that helped me. Yeah. And he helped me on my show. He came on early.
• 1:02:29
  Damon West: Well, he he let me on. He's finally let me on.
• 1:02:32
  Damon West: Everything do a John Gordon gave me on that show. It was May 12 2022. I get I get a DM from him on Instagram. Alright, Damon
• 1:02:41
  West may 18 4: 30pm Sirius XM Studios in Los Angeles. There's your window of opportunity.
• 1:02:45
  West may 18 4: Here's my producer. Can't wait to see you on the show. And I show up that day on May 18, which is, you know, may 10. A big day for me as the day I was sentenced to life in prison back in 2009. May 10th 2019 is the day I got married for the first time 10 years to the day. I was sitting still life or my wife says you got what you want from one license to another right?
• 1:03:05
  West may 18 4: So, um, but may 18 2020, to sit down with cross from Ed my lad.
• 1:03:10
  West may 18 4: And man, that podcast was revolutionary for me. I mean, it plugged me into put me into a world people I didn't know that didn't know me. Millions of people listen to that podcast.
• 1:03:21
  West may 18 4: And I think the first day I got 1000 DMS my speaking business took off like that. So many people that listen to Ed's show, bring speakers in. And of course, they heard the story, man and you sit there and listen to story and you're like, man, it's there's not a lot of stories out there that have the amount of lessons that are in this story right here, right?
• 1:03:47
  West may 18 4: Because the place where I had to learn these lessons from it's the place that people are most curious about to write. I mean, people love stories that have certain elements in it, right?
• 1:03:57
  West may 18 4: We love stories about overcoming adversity. We love the underdog journey, right? We love sports stories. Sports, a great sport sells American sports, the great united in this country. We love stories about prison. I got them all. Here's why we love stories about prison random, because you can't go into a prison. There's only two ways to get into a prison either work at the prison or you live in the prison. And so people love prison stories.
• 1:04:17
  West may 18 4: And if you have those elements like that, like I have in my story, it opens people up to a whole world. Think about the things we talked about here today. I talked about, you know, crime and punishment. We talked about race and disparity, we had conversations here that you don't see people having a lot of times, right. But there isn't a way to have it in it's when you have a vehicle like this to have it on. That's why some horses sometimes I block up the right guy. Because here's this guy, you know, I went into an environment as a white guy, white middle class guy that I've never seen before and opened my eyes with so many things. I was a sober observer, and a listener and a learner while I was in there. And I saw a lot of things that I'll never be able to unsee and I wanted people to take me serious to the point that I went out and got a master's degree in criminal justice. So I wouldn't just some guy that went to prison and got out. Let me tell you what I learned in prison.
• 1:05:11
  West may 18 4: No, I'll go become educate you come Professor West, and I'll tell you all about it, you know.
• 1:05:17
  West may 18 4: So it's about putting the work.
• 1:05:17
  West may 18 4: I
• 1:05:19
  Randall Kaplan: think one of the things that make people successful is modeling yourself.
• 1:05:21
  Randall Kaplan: After different people and I've known for 10 years, I saw him grow his business. I think he's one of the best if not the best motivational speaker in the world. He's incredible. You're you're up there too. And he's actually it's better than me.
• 1:05:34
  Randall Kaplan: He's actually the reason that we're here because we go through we look at the top shows and see who they've had on his gal and so I went on his list. That's how you got to me. That's how I got to so I DMDs so crazy. I was crazy. So I've never I'm gonna I'm gonna get done. That blows me away and now and now we're good friends. Yes. on my show, and John has become a very good friend. In fact, when Dave and I leave here today, John Gordon is playing pickleball at my house right now. And we're gonna go play pickleball with John and John's a mentor to me as well.
• 1:06:03
  Randall Kaplan: And it's been, it's been great.
• 1:06:06
  Randall Kaplan: He's been very helpful to my show. Before I finished today, I want to go ahead with one answer questions. Fill in the blank to what I call it. The biggest lesson I've learned in my life is
• 1:06:22
  Damon West: it has to be one.
• 1:06:22
  Damon West: One word,
• 1:06:24
  Unknown: one word. One word.
• 1:06:24
  Unknown: Yeah. Useful.
• 1:06:29
  Randall Kaplan: My number one professional goal in life is serve.
• 1:06:36
  Randall Kaplan: My number one personal goal is also serve. My biggest regret is
• 1:06:45
  Damon West: Muhammad. Well, not finding Mohammed I don't. That's not my biggest read. My biggest regret would be. Yeah, I don't know if I get someone who didn't want to word it. But I mean,
• 1:06:55
  Randall Kaplan: well, you have the same I mean, it can be one addiction, which
• 1:06:59
  Damon West: is a addiction.
• 1:06:59
  Damon West: Yeah.
• 1:07:01
  Randall Kaplan: My biggest fear is apathy.
• 1:07:06
  Randall Kaplan: The craziest thing that's happened in my life is freedom. The funniest thing that's happened in my life is
• 1:07:20
  Damon West: let me think the funniest things are my wife.
• 1:07:25
  Damon West: Let's come back to that. Okay.
• 1:07:28
  Randall Kaplan: The one thing I've jumped about doing for a long time, but haven't is skin.
• 1:07:34
  Damon West: I've never been skin.
• 1:07:36
  Randall Kaplan: You got to make it happen.
• 1:07:36
  Damon West: I'm an athletic guy.
• 1:07:36
  Damon West: I mean, I could pick it up pretty well.
• 1:07:40
  Randall Kaplan: If you can go back in time and give your 21 year old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
• 1:07:48
  Damon West: But it's more than one word ask for help.
• 1:07:52
  Randall Kaplan: We're gonna go back the funniest thing that ever happened in my, in my life is
• 1:07:57
  Damon West: I think that, like so. Like, there's so many things that I've experienced now Randall being a husband and a stepfather, because I never thought that was possible to me.
• 1:08:09
  Damon West: Like I laid my bunk in prison.
• 1:08:09
  Damon West: And I thought, There's no way I ever find somebody to love me.
• 1:08:12
  Damon West: If I find someone to love me, their family won't love me. I mean, who wants to the baggage of this guy? And there's just a lot of collection of funny things that have happened being attached to having a family and being a father. I'm going to stepfather because I have a stepdaughter. And yeah, so I don't know if I could just sum it up to one thing it's just being a family guy is opened me up to a lot of fun, funny things in life. It's been fun.
• 1:08:37
  Randall Kaplan: If you can make one person in your life who would it be?
• 1:08:40
  Randall Kaplan: Me one person life.
• 1:08:42
  Damon West: Alive or dead?
• 1:08:44
  Randall Kaplan: We'll go one on one one. And then the other.
• 1:08:47
  Randall Kaplan: First person,
• 1:08:48
  Damon West: be one person alive really like to meet Taylor Swift because I wanted my little stepdaughter wants to meet her.
• 1:08:56
  Damon West: So I gotta find a way to get Taylor Swift attention for her.
• 1:08:59
  Damon West: So I will use mine. For Claire on me Taylor Swift. She's got it. Yeah. So we went to a concert in Nashville. And like, Randall, I'm one of those guys who believe I can do anything, I can make anything happen. And I can usually pick up the phone and eventually, through one degree or two degree of separation, I can make it happen. To have my people that I know in this world with recording world, they know telephone people and they both get back to me individually said she's not me with anybody because the COVID stuff they just it was last year but COVID wedding going on. But she just wasn't meeting with people because she didn't want to get exposed to people. So I couldn't take her in in that. And we were in Nashville. I could take her to meet Taylor Swift. I was like, I'll make it happen. She's on tour right now. My daughters are in Europe. I just graduated college. I'm going to meet them in Portugal and 10 days. They're flying to London next week to me, I tend not to meet her but to go to her concert. It's such a good show. Ya know, it's She's such a good entertainer man.
• 1:09:52
  Damon West: She's the best she was my little stepdaughter and my wife were both in tears the concert every woman in the stands were in tears. And it's just, I understand the drawl to Taylor Swift, one of my friends in life, and we recently became friends. We're not like best buds or anything like that was Andy Reed. And I did it with Andy Reed last week. And any son is a good friend Britt Reid is on as a good friend of mine. And Britt told me that his dad said a best compliment I could ever receive. His dad said I really liked him and a lot he thinks like quarterback. Cool was compliment right? That's a great one. Oh, my God was so good now on Tom Brady college. Yeah, so so.
• 1:10:35
  Damon West: But yeah, man. So being a husband and stepfather opens you up to a lot of stuff. Like I would burn up the meeting somebody on on Clara to meet Taylor Swift and someone dead. I want to go back and meet someone from ancient Egypt. In fact, I don't know how they did all they did. It had to be somebody from that time 30 35,000 years ago when because I don't think these things are like 4000 years old pyramids and all that. Your Mr.
• 1:11:01
  Damon West: Rogan, he talks about this sometimes now
• 1:11:03
  Randall Kaplan: I don't listen to pyramids or I want Joe Rogan on my show, by the way, just as an FYI. Sorry, I haven't listened. But I do it on my show. But
• 1:11:12
  Damon West: I want to find out why they could do the things they did back then that we can't do now. Like, I'd have to meet somebody from that period. To have it explained to me. How did y'all do all this? How did y'all make you know, these 7010 blocks and stack them up? And none of those blocks are the same size for the pyramids and stuff like that. I'm not a conspiracy nut.
• 1:11:30
  Damon West: But I just think there's so much we don't understand about ancient Egypt that they understood then and we can't figure it out now.
• 1:11:35
  Randall Kaplan: We're going to end it on this. Did you ever think in your darkest moment, sitting in that cell with a life sentence that you'd be out today? With your dream home by the way, great shoe closet, I saw that shoe clouds man, and I wish I had all the room for my shoes. By the way. We got to get going here. You know, Jordan threes. Yeah. Trescott. But did you ever think sitting in that darkest moment, and your God life in prison, you're never getting out to where you are today, Dream House by your mama house making $3 million a year being one of the most coveted motivational speakers in the world? And what's the message that people look in the camera and tell people what that message is? Yeah,
• 1:12:15
  Damon West: first of all, never, never expected to be here in life. But but man plans and God laughs And be careful about the goals that you set, make sure you're setting them high enough because if you live a life that's full of serving other people being useful to society again, and put in the work, then you can accomplish every goal you set. So don't set your goals too low in life. And Randall I would also tell you this, that I know that in life, we get usually you get one chance in life, I've gotten an amazing second chance of life and I wake up every single day with a GET TO attitude. Like I get to do this for a living. I mean, I've got the I tell my wife every day I can't believe this in my life and I can't believe it because I get a chance to go out there and impact the entire world with a message that was given to me and changed people's lives. I've seen people's lives get changed with the coffee message and it just it blows me away that I can be a conduit to that but you have to be open to be a conduit of that kind of stuff and share your gifts with others
• 1:13:25
  Randall Kaplan: and you are and you're so inspirational motivation one of the best guests I've ever had best story ever thanks I appreciate that.
• 1:13:31
  Randall Kaplan: You've had some great guests and and you've been a mentor to me just even watching your progress because I want to go out and do corporate speaking and I'm working on my speech as well.
• 1:13:40
  Randall Kaplan: I've got the mirror we rent soundstages you know to do it so it's been great to watch all your success man I've seen it just explode I'm so happy for you.
• 1:13:51
  Damon West: You sent me text late at night. I appreciate that. Yeah,
• 1:13:54
  Randall Kaplan: I texture regularly Yeah, this is right.
• 1:13:58
  Damon West: I respond back as quick as I can. Yeah, but you know you're waking
• 1:14:01
  Randall Kaplan: up at four o'clock in the morning 330 In the morning you know driving in three hours from airports and little cities that there's no direct flights taken sure if if I buy it it's I admire you tremendously now let's get the f out here and go play some pickleball
• 1:14:16
  Damon West: Let's go do it man.
• 1:14:16
  Damon West: Look if people want to find me though man my website tell everyone sorry. Yeah, my website is Damon West dot orgy Da Mo N ws T dot orgy and Instagram and Twitter or x is at Damon West seven and books are anywhere books are mainly Amazon Barnes and Nobles places like that but Amazon runs the world so you find anything I've written on Amazon but but Damon West I don't work for speaking