From Chains to Change: The Transformative Journey of Corey Angelo

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This episode was hosted by Sterling Brown

Episode Transcript

Sterling (00:00):
Hello, wonderful people.
Today's guest is living proofthat your past doesn't define
your future.
It refines it.
Corey Angelo, also known as C,is a life coach, speaker and the
host of Exist With Purposepodcast.
He's also the author of AHostess Recourse After serving
10 years in prison, corey turnedpain into purpose, rebuilding
his identity from the streets tothe stage.

(00:20):
Turning pain into purpose,rebuilding his identity from the
streets to the stage.
He's been featured on localnews, honored by his community
and trusted by many searchingfor a second chance.
His message rooted in spiritualclarity and the belief that we
are all worthy, no matter howfar we have fallen.

(00:41):
Corey, welcome to the show.

Corey (00:43):
What's going on?

Sterling (00:43):
good, brother, man, hey man it's a blessing to be
here on good brother man.

Corey (00:45):
Hey, man, it's a blessing to be here.
Thank you for inviting me toyour platform, man.
But this is a blessing to behere, man.
I grew up in Pasadena, on theeast side of the Indianapolis
area.
I live in Atlanta, georgia now,but the youngest of five no
father in the household, man,like you know, so easy to get

(01:08):
into to mischief, whatever thecase that may be but um took a
lot of wrong turns, man took alot of wrong turns in life.
You know, I mean, and you knowthat the last wrong turn, that
was a defining moment where Ifeel like you know, I mean, like
I gotta do something different.
You know, I mean.
So I just took my whole lifeexperience and just try to, you
know, help brothers comingbehind me, like, show them a
different avenue.
We could do other thingsbesides sit in prison and accept

(01:29):
the very lowest rung of qualityexistence that life has to
offer us.
But we're going to get into it,man.

Sterling (01:37):
Let's just start from the nitty-gritty.
What did you go to prison for,and who were you then versus the
man you are today?

Corey (01:48):
Well, when I went to prison.
I've been in prison twice,unfortunately, both times
selling drugs.
First time selling drugs to thefeds, second time, you know,
selling drugs to the undercover.
Blah, blah, blah, and I spent atotal of 15 years of my life in
prison.
This last bit has been thelongest one.
I did 10 straight.
The first one, I did five, butI've been in and out of the
county jail for just so muchnonsense, man.

(02:10):
But you know it's always drugsthat sent me to prison.
But to answer your question, whowas I then compared to who I am
now?
Unfortunately, bro and I don'twant to broad stroke this, I
guess you know across theculture, but unfortunately I was
like, I was a lot, like a lotof other young black men coming
up in the streets.
Man just lost no sense ofdirection.

(02:31):
I mean just trying to findmyself, and I'm finding myself
in all the wrong things.
You know what I mean Trying toprove my validation through this
, having old school cars fixedup, you know what I mean.
Clothes, you know just, youknow whatever.
Jewelry, and then you know thatain't working.
So I'm still trying to dealwith my internal issues.
So I'm drinking and smoking,trying to numb the pain of that.

(02:52):
So the person I was when Ifirst went to prison, compared
to now, it's like somebody wentfrom lost to somebody who know
his path, know his direction,still healing, still on that
journey as well, but like then,that part of myself that I know
that no longer serves my higherself, you know I mean now you

(03:15):
mentioned county.

Sterling (03:17):
I work down here in a county facility where I reside.
Is there a difference from aperson being in county than I
guess the term would say, goingupstate?

Corey (03:29):
Yeah, so okay, in our counties it's definitely rough.
You know what I mean.
Well, it depends.
Well, back when I was going toWoodland, you know, and it got
kind of a little bit common andhe got kind of a little bit
calmer but like, yeah, it's abig difference because, like at
county, for the most part ifyou're fighting your case, you

(03:51):
know what I mean, like you gotthat added stress on to you.
But once you go upstate, likeokay, you got your time, you
know what this is, you know whatI mean, and like I can't say
like the respect levels is waydifferent, like county.
I can't say like the respectlevels is way different, like
county.
I don't know about y'all county, but our county youngsters they
stay up all night beating ontables, rapping blah, blah, blah

(04:11):
, blah, blah when you go to thejoint.
Same thing down here when you goto the joint.
That's all that's over with,bro, because they're serious
about their sleep and likerespect.
Respect is like it's a bigthing, respect is like it's a
big thing.
So my first time going toprison, I went to like a.
I went to where Mike Tyson waslocked up, actually Indiana
Youth Center really yeah, yeah,yeah so when they had Mike Tyson
locked up in Indiana, I went tothat same prison.

(04:32):
Actually Mike Tyson, rumor hasit, a lot of CEOs have been
working to forever say it's true.
All they gym equipment is brandnew, said Mike Tyson, paid for
it because he still was training.
So he came in there and seenthe gym equipment Like this is
just trash, like I'll pay for it, man, but just put some new
stuff in it, but anyway.
So that's a lower-level prison.
But the time I just went toprison I was in maximum security

(04:52):
behind the wall.
This place called PillaninCorrectional Facility and it's
one of, like, the roughestprisons.
It ended up Because you gotWabash.
Them was the three roughprisons.
So you go back there.
Just like the respect level isso much different, man, like you
know it's so different.
So to answer your back, toanswer your question, is it
different between the county andthe prison?

(05:13):
Like, totally different.
Like county, and it's so funny.
Like in the county you haveaccess to the law library but
nobody goes.
Everybody's just sitting thereto play all day until people go
across the street and peoplegive you 100 years.
Then it's oh man.
But once you get to the jointand you're around older dudes,
they're like bro, have youlooked into your case?
Like, why are you trying to getout of here?
Like you know what I mean.

(05:33):
But yes, I did.

Sterling (05:35):
Right, right.
Well, you know what?
I agree because a lot of themoments that I will come across
individuals in the county downhere, I'm always saying to them
that they're the youngergeneration.
I'm like look, take thisseriously.
You know, you need to starttransitioning to understand that

(05:58):
you could go upstate.
Yeah, this could turn intosomething that could eventually
hurt you in the long run youknow, but a lot of times they
don't think about it like that.
All right, yeah, so yeah again,I try to phrase it to them like
get your mind right, right,understand that, even though

(06:20):
you're around individuals thatyou know from the street, this
is serious.
Yeah, you know a lot of timesthey think that I know from the
street this is serious.
Yeah, you know, a lot of timesthey think that I say it's a
city within a city becausethey're still in their
neighborhood city and they think, okay, this is just playtime.
Yeah, you know, and they're upall night.
And again, like when I go tothe different tiers and the

(06:41):
different pods, you have thatolder generation, those that are
coming down on rent.
They're coming down and they'reseeing their cases and they
won't be bothered with that.
So the mentality of thosewho've already been upstate and
have coming down is totallydifferent, you know.

Corey (06:59):
So so, on this last time I was in there, when I, when my
level did drop and I ended upgoing to a lower level prison, a
lot of dudes in there they werelike you know, I'm fresh in
there, but just how I move, Iguess They'd be like, bro,
you're coming from a big prison,ain't you?
I said, yeah, why you say that?
Like, just because how you move, like you're real reserved,
you're real laid back, you don'treally talk much, like really

(07:26):
talk much.
Like you know.
I mean, you always got a bookin your hand.
I'm like, like me, I just thehorse play in prison or jail.
Like I just don't, I can't wrapmy mind around that.
Like this is not horseplay time.
Like these people have taken youwhat I'm gonna say, taking your
life because you did somethingfor them to in most cases.
But like you have you forfeitedyour life and you're in, you're
still in her plan.
You don't get, don't get it.
So, yeah, so I understand that.
Like, when I they ended upbringing me back to the county

(07:49):
too, I put in for something,something that you don't even.
I think I put in for acorrection of paperwork,
something that you don't evenever go back to you don't got to
go back to the county for it'sa clerk or Earl.
They supposed to just fix itback to court.
So when I went back to the youknow, went back to the county
gym seeing guys and they're likeyou know, big bro, even there
they're like like where you at,I'm like I'm behind the wall,
they're like, yeah, we couldtell like you just move a lot

(08:10):
different.

Sterling (08:11):
When did it?
When did it hit that thiswasn't.
It's gonna be this weekend,couple months.
This is gonna be, this is gonnabe long term.
This is gonna be real time,right now.
When.
When did that hit?

Corey (08:22):
So the funny thing about that or not so funny thing about
that, before I had caught thebit that sent me back when they
gave me 20, when I got out ofprison the first time, I'm still
in that mind frame like I'mabout to get this money, I'm
about to get this money, so Iget out.
Brother, I wasn't out a goodyear.

(08:45):
We got a spot.
They raided the spot.
It's a bunch of stuff in thehouse.
It ain't on nobody's person, sothey really can't say who had
what.
But since I'm fresh out onparole probation for drugs, they
said okay, well, we're going toput some of this on you because
evidently you're a drug dealer.
You know what I mean.

Sterling (09:05):
And you own papers in here.

Corey (09:07):
Short story short, I ended up getting six months
house arrest for that.
Now, mind you, I'm fresh outfrom doing the five.
I get six months house arrestfor that While I'm on house
arrest.
I had the grand idea.
I'm on house arrest, can't gonowhere, might as well get some
money selling drugs again.
It happened so quick that I wasright back in the county they

(09:30):
bussed me again.
It happened so quick.
It was this lady in there.
She's a transport guard.
We call her Danica Patrick.
She's like the race car driver.
She's young.
You know what I mean Attractive, little young white lady.
She do the transport.
So you know what I meanAttracted, a little young white
lady and she do the transport.
So when I'm back, when theybust me again, I come back.
She like because she's readingoff the names, like everybody,

(09:53):
come and get on her chain gang.
She got her chain stretched out.
Like you know, when they callyou, you just come out and stand
next to the chain.
They'll come down put them onyour arm.
So she says she see my name.
She's like Corey.
This better not be who I thinkit is.
So here I come after she lookat me.
She's like man, you're going totalk when we get across the
street.
So I'm thinking she just,whatever we get across the

(10:15):
street, bro, she lettingeverybody off the cuffs, putting
us in the bullpen.
And she look around likewhere's Corey at?
I look like what's up.
She's like where's Corey at?
I looked like what's up.
She's like come here.
I'm like what's up.
She's like no, we're about totalk.
So and I never told you thisoff the camera and it kind of
like it kind of hit differentRight.
But she took me to a little roomand she's like, because she see
how old my mother was, when mymother came to court, she said

(10:40):
what, just let you out on housearrest.
What are you?
And you back in here, she said.
And you got an A, dylan, a B.
She said you in some seriousstuff right now.
I said man.
She said Corey, let me tell yousomething.
She said I don't know whatGod's plan is for you, she said.
But after this, right here, yougot to get together.
She said your mother's not ayoung lady, your mother's not a

(11:03):
young lady, your mother's old,she said.
And to see her in the courtroomwhen you get the house arrest.
And now you're right back inhere and surely she's back out
there again.
She said she out there now?
I said yeah.
She said see what I'm saying.
But we sat down there and talkedfor about 45 minutes to the
point where I started crying.
She started crying too.
She's like, corey, no, she'slike what are you doing?

(11:26):
I said man chasing that money?
She says there's so many.
She says so many different waysto get money, corey.
She said they literally just letyou out.
They literally just let you outor house arrest.
And you're right back here, shesaid when I seen your name on
that docket.
She said this better not be whoI think it is.
She said now come over there tothe county and pick y'all up
and you come out that cell, comeout the holding tank.
I said this is this dude Likehe's nuts.

(11:48):
To answer your question when didit hit?
Because I knew I was gone.
I knew I was gone, bro, likeI'm on house arrest for drugs
and get busted selling moredrugs.
I know it's a rap.
There'll be no house arrest.
There'll be no.
You're gone Bye-bye.
So I get my lawyer and everytime she come and see me, she
like she got a little folder.

(12:09):
I said what they talking about?
She said 30.
30 years, that's the openingplea.
30.
She said they are not playingwith you.
She said this is your fourthdrug conviction, your fourth
Courtroom.
20, that's our drug, because wegot a specific courtroom, just
straight drugs and ending upwith what they got.
I don't know, it's not mine.

Sterling (12:27):
So it's a specific courtroom, right right, they
bought it.
It don't belong to me, I don'twant it.

Corey (12:32):
I ain't got nothing.
They got it you know what Imean, but yeah, so every time
she come and see minute it'slike surely she been gone for a
month or so, surely she comeback with some better news this
time, come back.
But they talking about 30.
I said, oh my gosh.
She said they are not playing.
They are not playing with you,they are serious.

Sterling (12:53):
Now, did you feel not to cut you off?
Was she a public?

Corey (12:58):
No, no, no, no no no, no, no, no, she's paid I've never
had a public defender in mywhole life, all right I think
that's a whole another it is Idon't, I don't want to go, I
don't want to go too far into itbut that's a whole another
episode.

Sterling (13:10):
It is, it definitely is.

Corey (13:11):
But that's the reason why I asked that.
Yeah, I know, you know I willgo with that right.

Sterling (13:17):
But even on that, even on that again, pay versus
public.
There's a level of experiencethat comes along with that of
defense.
Knowing your case, yeah yeah,and you believing in that
defense, right yeah, go ahead,tell me about that.

(13:37):
So about what you just saidabout the defense no, no, just
keep going and just double backon that.

Corey (13:42):
Okay, so, yeah.
So she keep coming to see meand she's like 30-30.

Sterling (13:45):
So we're getting closer to trial daytime, so she
coming and you understand thatyou believe that from this, I
guess we can go there.
When she said that 30-30, thisis someone you said okay, I
believe what she's saying, ohyeah she's serious in the city,
she don't play, she's one ofthem.

Corey (14:02):
She's one of them.
It's two lawyers inIndianapolis, it's probably more
than two.
It's a guy named DavidHennessey.
He probably retired now, surely.
But if you hire Hennessey, he'dbe like if you're looking for a
plea bargain, I'm the wrong guy, I'm not your guy.
I'm not a plea bargain lawyer.
I beat them.
This is what I do.
You just got you got to havefaith in me to beat them and if
we lose, just have faith that Ican get you back.

(14:24):
But I don't accept pleas.
She's like that.
She's like, if I see anything,we're like, nah, that don't
sound right, let's try them.
But if I know you cook, I'mjust going to be like, hey, and
in my situation, bro, you cookedyou on house arrest and they
want a situation where you servethem and then they keep coming

(14:45):
back and a couple of weeks laterit's like no, you serve them
Soon as they pull away.
Boom, so you got the money inyour hand.
Or, informer, got the drugs.
Like what are we fighting here?
But yeah, so when you say, didI believe, you Like yeah, she's
serious, she's serious.
She ain't one of them type ofyou know what I mean, mean if
she see any kind of way that shecould kind of maneuver like,
yep, they did that wrong, theydid that wrong, let's try them,

(15:06):
even though you did like, yeah,they did a lot of stuff wrong
within the whole chain of events.
Right, yeah, so they keepoffering me the 30.
It's like maybe two, two tothree weeks before trial day.
She come back and see me again.
She said I said, man, tell themthey drop it at 20.

(15:27):
I'll take a 20 right now.
She said all right, let me gosee what they talking about.
She come back.
She said they said they'll gofor the 20.
She said they said they'll gofor 20.
She said and if you like theybasically telling me to tell you
, like, if you don't want to dothat, they're ready for trial
because you cooked, you got thehouse arrest bracelet on your

(15:49):
ankle when they bust you.
You got the house and you'rerunning out the back door to
sell more drugs.
Then when you make that sale,boom.
So okay, you own house arrestfor drugs.
You got caught selling moredrugs.

Sterling (16:02):
So they got you in the transaction, yeah, in the
transaction With the bracelet.

Corey (16:05):
Yeah, in the transaction With the bracelet, with the
bracelet, with the money,everything, everything.
So, yeah, so that's how I endedup getting to 20.
You know what I mean.
But to answer the firstquestion, like when did it?
I knew when I got, when Iserved him.
So here's the funny thing aboutit I'm on house arrest.
I told you so dude called me atthe time I'm selling heroin.

(16:27):
And dude called me and I tellhim to come on.
Whatever the case might be, I'mwalking away from him.
And where I lived at the time,you know it started to be.
You know white people startedmoving in.
It ain't just the hood, no moreno-transcript, like they buying
the property.
So it's mixed now and like whenthey first started moving in.
Well, actually, when I firstcame home from prison, I just

(16:50):
see white ladies jogging throughthe alley with their little
stroller and their little dog.
I'm like, oh my God, this isdifferent, like this is
different.

Sterling (16:57):
This is different.
This is different.

Corey (16:59):
Shit would have never today like you know, what I mean
.
But so as I walk away from afterI'm serving, I just see white
people start, you know, runningmy way.
But I'm not thinking police,because it's white people there,
because they all in plainclothes and they ain't started
saying get down, get down, yet.
They just running towards meand I just started looking like
man.
These people got badges ontheir neck like oh man.

(17:20):
Then that's when they hit me.
They started get down, get down.
Like oh my God.
So when they had me on theground in the snow, handcuffed,
I said it's a wrap, buddy, getready.
It's a wrap, like they say onlife.
You can go for the long haul,buddy.
Send them on a long ride, boss.

Sterling (17:35):
So what was the one day after prison?
How did you separate who youwere from who you were becoming
Like when you?
What was that pivotal momentthat and I think we hit on this
in our earlier conversations Ithink you had mentioned someone
spoke to you about them callingyou a name.
Was that it?

Corey (17:55):
Yeah.
So the change see, a lot ofpeople don't realize, like this
whole transformation of me, itdidn't begin when I got out, it
began while I was in prison.
Okay.
It began when I was in prisonand like we had talked to, like
we had talked about off camera.
You know, my nickname in theneighborhood was Cocaine, so the

(18:17):
older guy in prison he used to.
We in single man cells, so youreally, you're in there 23 hours
a day.
So only time you really seepeople is when you go to rec and
when you go to commissary andwhen you go to a visit.
Basically, other than that, youin that cell out there, you
don't, you don't come out.

Sterling (18:34):
Now, this particular institution was maximum security
and it was about how manypeople was it like on a tier, or
how was it set up?
It's?

Corey (18:45):
tears.
So it's three tiers up and thewhole prison peeling in, I think
peeling a whole like 1700people, something like that.
It's a big prison.
It's a big prison.

Sterling (18:55):
So how many?
How many will be on a tier atone time?

Corey (19:00):
on the flag.
That's what they call thebottom rung.
The flag is probably about 40,50 cells.
You got that all the way up.
So it's three levels up.
So you got that.
You got the middle range, yougot the top range and, like
every range holds like 50 cells.
Maybe you know what I mean.
It holds like 50 cells, wow.

Sterling (19:17):
So the old school we used to always just hear.

Corey (19:18):
So when I got over there a guy I knew he ended up giving
me the job as the range runner.
But yeah, so he got me a job asa range runner and he's always
like hey, kane, what's up, koke?
So one day he's like that's you.
They be always calling that.
I'm like, yeah, he's like bro,don't let them speak that to
your life man.
So he got my attention.
So I stopped and said I'm goingto talk.

(19:40):
You're in for little brother.
I like selling drugs to thepolice.
He's like hmm, he said.
And I told him like how manytimes did y'all say that?
This is my fourth time?
He said huh.
He said man, that didn't likewhen you was younger.
That didn't process in yourmind.
He said well, okay.
So when your guys come over toyour house, look for your kids
outside playing.
What they say they cocainethere.

(20:05):
Where your daddy going.
He says so, now that your kidsolder, they.
You don't see them putting thatlike my daddy's a drug dealer.
That's why everybody callingcocaine he said wow spoke that
into your life so much that yougot four drug convictions and
you steady letting people callyou cocaine, so you internalized
yeah, yeah so and that, andthat's something I think that
you know.

Sterling (20:24):
a lot of this younger generation, these generations
who are living in direcircumstances, they internalize
this image and they just want toevolve into that Not evolve,
but it becomes acceptable.

Corey (20:38):
Yeah yeah, yeah.

Sterling (20:40):
Right.

Corey (20:40):
Unfortunately, unfortunately.
Unfortunately, yeah so that washow that really played out and
got started.
So he was like nah, man, hesaid we're not going.
He said they can call youcocaine.
He said but I'm going to startcalling you Shakur.
He said you talk about beinggrateful and gratitude a lot.
He said that's what Shakurmeans.
He said but stop letting thembreathe that into your life, man
.

(21:00):
So from that day I startedtelling people like nah, because
it made sense, it made all thesense in the world.
And then when you're in thecell 23 hours a day, man, you
have nothing but time to thinkI'm not a fan, even to this day,
like I'm not a real fan of TV,even though I had TV in my cell,
like I just I want more booksthan anything.
You know what I mean.
Sometimes I'll skip orderingcommissary of food, just get

(21:21):
books, because I, you know, Ilike, I love reading.
But it was just sitting in thatcell.
And then one day I was watchinganthony bourdain and he they
was asking him how did he getoff heroin and start traveling
the world doing his cookingstuff?
He said I seen somebody in themirror that was worth saving and

(21:43):
that hit me like a ton ofbricks.
I said you know what?
I see somebody in the mirrorworth saving.
So from this point forward, I'mgoing to make my life mean
something, no matter what thatis it's going to mean something.

Sterling (21:54):
You say 23 hours a day , seven days a week, one hour
out, and you're on a tier maybe30 to 50 men.
What does the mind go through?
A lot.
What does the body go through?

Corey (22:14):
Both a lot, both a lot.
I will tell you this.
I will tell you this.
If you don't have, if you don't, I'm trying to make sure I do
this justice that 23 hours a day.
It breaks a lot of people,breaks them.
You see people over there goingstark mad for being locked in
that cell.
Like that I mean stark mad.

(22:35):
And when Obama was in office heheard about when the feds was
doing that.
He's like no, we're going tostop this.
Like y'all ruining people.
Like humans come fromcommunities and interacting with
people, y'all locking people.
Basically, bros.
Like being locked in yourbathroom in your house right now
, your bathroom.
Just say you got locked inthere for 23 hours a day.
Right, and somebody your wifeor somebody just brought you a

(22:58):
little TV.
You go to the TV.
Here you go.
You, a cooler, I come past onceor twice a day Give you some
ice for your cooler.
Here you go, a little hot potso you can boil you some water,
cookie, ramen, noodles, and 23hours a day I'll let you out one
hour a day to go out back anddo some pushups and some sit ups
and toss a basketball around.

Sterling (23:18):
So to answer your question, what?

Corey (23:18):
And toss a basketball around.
So to answer your question,what does the mind go through,
bro, if it wasn't for me havingsuch a strong spiritual
foundation, if it wasn't for meand my love of books, and
actually this is so crazy.
I tell people all the time thesystem thought they buried me,

(23:44):
they planted me, they gave metoo much time to think so when I
came home and started doing allthis stuff, my niece is like oh
, you don't, you don't play.
Well, like we sit around, makevision boards the whole family
area and, like you, the only onebe almost completing your stuff
.
I said because I'm only, I just, they gave me too much time to
think I understand what it takesnow.
They gave me way too much timeto think.
They gave me too much time tothink I understand what it takes
now.
They gave me way too much timeto think.
They gave me way too much time.
I forget which one of them oldwarrior stories, but he ended up

(24:08):
beating somebody.
He said he gave me too muchtime to study.
He should have just attacked meand got me out of the way.
He said he gave me too muchtime to study the board.
If you give me too much time tostudy the board'm gonna win.
But to answer your question,what does it does?
What does it do to the mind?
Bro, if you know, if you're notstrong mentally, you're not
strong mentally, it's gonnabreak you.
But my love of books, andactually in prison, where I

(24:29):
picked up meditation, while Ilove meditating so much, while I
meditate every day, you know Imean.
But books.
It took my mind somewhere else,even though I know I'm locked
in this closet.
It took my mind somewhere elseand marcus garvey got a famous
quote that I love.
He said always read good booksby good authors because it puts
you in a company of people thatyou may never have a chance to

(24:52):
meet.
So through my love of books,I've met marcus garvey, malcolm
x, I've met the greatest minds,and I just read their books and
just sort, absorb theinformation, and that's, that's
how I the information and that'show I got through it.
That's how I got through it,bro, I'm not going to lie.

Sterling (25:05):
Books, that's how I got through it.
You said a hard day.
I think this is in yourquestionnaire.
A hard day for me was a sweetday for my ancestors.
How does that statement, orwhat was your mindset, keep you
going?

Corey (25:21):
In prison since I've been home.

Sterling (25:22):
That's a good.

Corey (25:23):
let's answer them both so in prison, even though under
the worst conditions, under theworst conditions, the worst
conditions I could sufferthrough prison, it was still a
hundred times better than whatmy ancestors went through.
Yeah, I was locked in a closet23 hours a day.
Yes, the food was trashed.
Yes, the guards come and tearup your cell, sometimes for no

(25:45):
reason.
Yes, it was just untold numbersof violent acts, you know,
between inmates.
But when I compare that to theancestors being beat within an
inch of their life becausesomebody felt like they weren't
working fast enough, becausethey looked at a certain person
a certain kind of way or made apass at the woman at a house,

(26:09):
whatever the case may be, thestuff they went through, through
the whip, tar and feather,through the hangings, like bruh,
I still it's still way betterthan they went through.
So my worst day.
That's why I be telling, likesome people I talk to now,
because I hear so many peoplecomplaining about oh man, it's
hard, it's hard Like bruh, yourhardest day, your hardest day

(26:29):
out here.
The ancestors would have loveda day like that.
That was sweet to them, wouldhave loved a day, wow, that
would have been sweet to them.
Oh, you call we complainingabout.

Sterling (26:40):
So I always try to Like you don't have to walk 10
miles, 5 miles, 7 miles to go toschool and walk back in your
bare feet, Exactly.

Corey (26:54):
I mean not to me, this is my opinion.
Now we're going to leave out,just like you know, some of the
super horrendous, like, I guess,school shootings and all that.
But just like the average dayperson, bro, especially from our
culture, the average day person, their worst day.
I promise you and I'm not goingto even say just the slaves I'm
talking about through Jim Crowand all that People would have

(27:16):
loved to have a day like that,like this, it, and you complain
about this man.
I could take a hundred of thesea day.
You know what I'm going through.
Well, like if one could comeand talk to you like, bro, you
complaining about that.
Let me show you my back.
Let me show you what I wentthrough on a daily basis.
And you complaining becauseyour boss said it's mandatory
overtime.
My whole life was mandatoryovertime.
Like, what are we talking abouthere?

(27:36):
What are we comparing here?
Prayer here.
You know what I mean.
I always try to keep that inmind.
My worst day is one of myancestors' sweet days.
They would love to trade placeswith me.
Love to trade places with me.
I was listening to Inky Johnsona couple weeks ago.
He said if everybody, you tooka circle of people and y'all all
wrote y'all problems on thecard and threw them in the pile

(28:00):
and just switched the pile upand you start picking out other
cards, other people's problemslike you would love to hate.
Well, hold on where my card at.
I want my problems back.
Compared to some of theseproblems I see other people got,
I want my problem.
So yeah, I always try to keepthat in mind.
Man, a hard day for me is asweet day.

Sterling (28:19):
What lie about yourself?
Did you stop believing?
Did because I know we talkedabout the name yeah right, but
was there anything else that you, when you took a self-inventory
, that you said?
You know what I'm lying tomyself you know.

Corey (28:37):
You know, if I had to pick one which was going which
is going to be the biggest oneis reason why I named both my
companies out of it.
My companies is WorthyExistence and then my publisher
company is Worthy Existence.
I mean publisher, but thebiggest one.
To answer your question is justthat I'm worthy, bro.
Like if you go through yourlife so much, you know, feeling
like that you ain't enough orwhatever the case may be, it's

(29:00):
just like you're unworthy.
When something snapped in yourmind and like I said that
Anthony Bourdain, when he said Ilooked in the mirror and seen
somebody, I looked in the mirrorand seen somebody.
Like hey, man, despiteeverything, you're worthy, bro.
You're worthy to have success.
You're worthy to have health.
You're worthy Every area ofyour life, you get covered.
You're worthy of that.

(29:21):
You're worthy of every area oflife.
You get covered.
You're worthy of that.
And don't you ever tellyourself nothing different,
because that's the biggest lie.
You can tell yourself thatyou're not worthy of whatever it
is that you want out of life.
And that's why I named mycompany Worthy Existence.
So that would be the biggestone.
I had to let that go like fromnot feeling worthy to like

(29:54):
whatever it is I want in life,I'm worthy of it.

Sterling (29:57):
And you know, actually this is not one of theimate,
not just to society and catch up, because understanding that you
have been put in a place, in aparticular environment for X
amount of years, god forbid.

(30:17):
Now you're coming back to asociety, minus those who may
have took that time lapse withyou, but you're coming back to a
society that is sped up.
How do you?
How have you because you speakabout you have two companies.
You're publishing, you'repodcasting, but also I know

(30:41):
personally, off camera, yourfather.

Corey (30:44):
Yeah.

Sterling (30:44):
Yeah, that's not a company, that's a life right
there.
You're going to be a husbandyeah, all right, and you're
already technically married, butyou're getting married.
So congratulations, appreciateit.
How do you acclimate it inthose transitions?

Corey (31:01):
So we're going to go with just like the biggest one
Coming home from prison.
Like you said, everything issped up.
But this goes back to what Iwas telling you about books.
So when I went to a lower level, I worked in the library and he
would always get new magazines.
So what did I do?
I looked at because I knew theworld was headed towards

(31:22):
technology, because everythingis moving so rapid.
So I just started glancing attechnology magazines like huh,
blah, blah blah.
So when I come home, my sistergave me a smartphone.
My sister gave me a smartphone.
I said, oh my God, you knowwhat I mean.
She's like this, do that, this,do that.
So we go out a couple.
I see people just swiping theirphone across the paper for
stuff.
I'm like what is all this stuff?

Sterling (31:43):
You didn't know how to use it did you Not at all?

Corey (31:47):
Wow, not at all.
So this is how I caught up.
I told you I'm a student, sowhy?
Everybody already know how todo anything.
Okay, I'm just going to study,read.
And then you know, my youngestson man God bless his little
brother.
He's so sharp, he's so muchlike me, so sharp.
He just was just teaching mestuff like pops, do it like this
, do this.
Didn't know me.

(32:07):
I tell you how I do that.
So once I started connecting thedots for this is just
technology I got it.
Now I get, and I still ain'tover there, but I'm way compared
to when I come home, hand asmartphone to a caveman like huh
, right, but the the main thingto help me acclimate in all
other areas of my life, bro, Iain't gonna lie.

(32:28):
When I came home, I had such astrong support system my oldest
sister, my fiancee, my nieces,like I just had people around me
who like, and I and I'm likeone of the people who like I
pick up quick.
So you know what I mean, justshow me.
Show me once, maybe twice, Igot it.
You know what I mean.
If I don't got it on the thirdtime I have we got it.
Then after that we got it.
But just to make that getacclimated to certain stuff,

(32:51):
like today still and my sisterwas talking about this like last
year, it's just solitude, justit don't bother me.
And I tell people now like I'mnever pressed for conversation
because I got a hundred books Icould read, like, even though I
got a face, wow, I like that.

Sterling (33:08):
I never pressed for conversation because I got a
hundred books yeah, I got ahundred books I could read.

Corey (33:13):
I'm never pressed for conversation, so I'll be having
to pull myself out of theresometimes I still like solitude,
you know what I mean.
I said like, I mean my family,like family, like we argued and
nothing.
But I can sit in my office allday and just be happy until she
like okay, well, we gonna watchthe show, like you know what I
mean.
So it started, stuff.
I'm still trying to cause itjust being a part, you know, of
my life for so long while I wasin prison.

(33:34):
Well, I'm gonna tell you afunny one.
When eat and I was mad, mysister like bro, slow down,
ain't nobody gonna.
I said you gotta think 10 years.
When you go to to the mess hall,it's come on, hurry up and eat.
By the time you get your trayto sit down, they tell me come
on, it's time to go.
Like we just got our trays.
Like yep, well, y'all betterfigure it out because it's time

(33:55):
to go.
So it forces you.
So you sit down because at theminute they're gonna be talking
about it's time to go.
So when, when I came home, thatwas a funny one.
We sat around talking about it.
We're like when we go out toeat, you just assume that food.
What's important in going outto eat is to sit down and enjoy
each other, come into yourfellowship and chill out.
When we look up, you're thefirst one done, but I didn't get
past it now.

(34:15):
No, but yeah.
So it was just different areasI had to really hone in on and
focus on to make thoseadjustments and changes.
Man, I think what.

Sterling (34:25):
I just had a thought and actually ties in to
something that I was going toask later on.
I can ask it now.
You had boundaries that youcould let down and boundaries
that kept you in line yeah, yeah.
So the boundaries that, likethe eating, yeah, yeah, yeah,

(34:46):
that's a boundary that you got.
I can, I can let this one downyeah, but the boundaries that
you kept in line.
How was that acclimation to saythat you know what?
Because for me, one of myboundaries is to say I can
always go back to the person Iused to be.
But if I want to be somethingbetter, I got to keep pushing

(35:07):
and, like you say, I'm going tokeep looking in that mirror.
I'm going to keep looking inthat mirror.

Corey (35:14):
So here's the funny thing , man.
Back to what I said.
They thought they buried me,but they planted me the whole
time I was in prison.
Bro, I literally time itsnapped and I'm like all right,
I'm about to figure this out.
I just used everything I couldin prison as a training ground.
And I say that to say now, mindyou, when it sell 23 hours a

(35:35):
day, you don't got to get up,you don't got to make your bed,
you don't got to do nothing.
You can sit in that bed all daylike they don't care what you
do in there, that's just have atit, we don't care.
So I knew I was through withthe streets.
So this is one of the first andhardest changes I had to make
Before I went to prison.

(35:55):
Man, don't call my.
If you call my phone, 10, 11o'clock in the morning, man,
what you calling me so early?
For, like bruh, it's 11 o'clock.
What you talking about earlyLike this, is because I hung out
all night, didn't go to sleeptill 2, 3, 4 in the morning.
So you calling me at 10, 11.
I'm saying that's early in themorning.
So the first thing, one of thevery first things I did we
talking about boundaries andstuff.
I said, okay, when you get outin the morning we're going to

(36:21):
force yourself to get up earlyin the morning.
In prison, bro, I startedgetting up at 5 o'clock in the
morning, had my little alarmclock Go out at 5 o'clock.
Get up, make my bed, maybe somecoffee, read me something
spiritual, read me some kind oflittle motivational book or
something, just probably cut onthe news, watch MSNBC or
something.
So my neighbor, one of my guys,he's like bro, why do you get

(36:43):
up so early?
Like that?
You're not going nowhere.
I said because I'm preparingfor when I get out In the
outside world.
You have to get up early to goto work.
You can't slay any beer until10, 11 o'clock at night.
So to this day and you probablycould attest to this you might
text me at night or something.
Attested is you might text meat night or something.
And to some people like I texthim at 8 o'clock, I ain't going
to respond, but you'll see metext you back at 4 o'clock in

(37:05):
the morning, like perfect.

Sterling (37:07):
Yes, you know what I'm saying?
Yes, yes, because I'm up, I'mup, I'm up.

Corey (37:14):
So I'll be praying on calls, no problems, nobody has
Like I'm up.
So you texting me at night, 8,8.30, I'm in the bed, but I'm up
.
I'm up at 3.30 in the morning.
Right, I'm up at 3.30 in themorning, so if I see you, I'm
going to text you when I get up.
I thought I went through myprayer and meditation, got
myself together.
I'm going to text you back,whatever, not just you.

(37:40):
Whoever I'm up, y'all sleep,I'm up.

Sterling (37:44):
Man that's so powerful .
I mean, what you said was thatif I'm getting this right, is
that I'm not waiting until I getout.
I'm internalizing this rightnow.
I'm in transition right now,because if you wait till you get
out, you're done, you're done,you're cooked, you're done,
you're cooked, you're done,you're cooked.
That's the same thing, themindset alone.
Right, there is that, and I gotto ask it how long into your

(38:09):
sentence did you start to havethat mindset?
One year.

Corey (38:12):
And I'm going to be honest, bro, straight, pure
transparency.

Sterling (38:20):
Straight, pure transparency, bro Listen.

Corey (38:23):
When.

Sterling (38:23):
Going into a 20-year bid yeah, transparency, bro,
listen.
When going into a 20-year bidyeah, going into a 20-year bid
after the first year, you hadalready said my mindset is that
I I don't have to get up, butI'm gonna get up 5 o'clock, 4 or
5 o'clock in the morning.
So when I get out, 19 yearsfrom, now, it's natural.

Corey (38:49):
It's natural, it's just.
I like no alarm clock needed.
Like every time I say mypurpose wakes me up, I only know
alarm clock, my purpose wakesme up.

Sterling (38:59):
I like that guy yo.
My purpose, my passion wakes meup.

Corey (39:04):
So here's the thing Back to.
I'm going to go back just alittle real quick.
They got this place called RDC.
I'm pretty sure all states gotit, but ours is called RDC, it's
the Some Diagnostic Center.
So that's where they shave yourhead and make everybody look
the same and run you through allkinds of blood tests and blah,
blah, blah, blah.
See what prison they're goingto send you to Everybody.
Look at your chart.
Okay, he's a level four, he's alevel five.
He got violence on his back.

(39:25):
He don't got.
No, they try to sort you outwith prison they're going to
send you to.
So when I was in RDC, it's aprison right outside the wall of
Pillon.
It's called CIC, literallyright outside the wall, because
Pillon is behind a 40-foot wall.
No matter where you're at inthere, where you walk in there,
all you see is airplanes andbirds.
And I tell people all the timejokingly, like sometimes the

(39:45):
birds are like come on, we'regoing to fly around.
They look depressed down there.
Birds don't even want to flyover there.
But I've tried to go to CIC forall the wrong reasons, because
I was still in that dope boymindset and I knew a guy over
there who was doing some majorthings.
I said you know, he got itwired up over there.
He got the COs bringing him inand everything.
I'm going to go over there andget me some money.

(40:08):
We get to CIC, slash Pillanin,because you go on the same bus.
They start reading off thenames of everybody that's going
to CIC, johnson, smith.
I'm looking down at the bus.
I'm like, yep, he about to saymy name any minute.
He calls some names.
All right, closed the door back.
I'm like they ain't called myname.
What's going on?
I said hey, that's how y'allgot for CIC.

(40:29):
He's like yeah, he said therest of y'all going behind the
wall.
I said behind the wall, I feellike Eddie Murphy in life.
You know what I'm talking about.
Yeah, life, the wall.
I said behind the wall, I ain'tgot no time to go behind the
wall.
People behind the wall got 50years or better.
People back there got 50 andbetter.
I got 20.

(40:52):
Why am I going behind the wall?
Everybody else on this bus isgoing behind the wall.
So they sent me behind the wall, of course.
So, like I said that first year, I still was in there still
thinking and I got a chapter inmy book called Effective
Thinking versus IneffectiveThinking, I was still thinking
ineffectively.
I was like, well, I got someguys back here, maybe I could
you know.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
But after that year I said, man, who am I kidding?
Man, like, what are we doinghere?
And I read a book.

(41:13):
This guy I forget his last nameis Kern, but he got a book
called Change your Game Plan andhe was in the feds for selling
drugs.
Short story short, he getsbusted selling drugs while he's
in the feds and his wife findsout he's white because he's

(41:33):
still selling drugs.
Tell the inmates.
He gets busted and goes to thehome.
His wife finds out.
He says his wife told him ifyou can't stop selling drugs in
there, what makes you thinkyou're going to stop when you
get out here?
What make you think you don'tstop you in prison already for
selling drugs?
You steady in there sellingdrugs to people and they done
busted you and sent you to thehole.
Now you got to be in the holefor three, four, five, six

(41:55):
months but you telling me on thephone, baby, like, come on, I'm
going to change my life, I'mgoing to change my.
You can't.
You're still doing the samestuff in there.
They got you.
You're still doing the samestuff in there.
They got you in there, right.
They got you in there.
You think by some magic wand,when you get out you're just
going to walk away from it all,like it's not going to happen.
So when I read that, I said youknow what?
And I'll just call my namearound his ear, mark.

(42:16):
I said yeah, kid, because Iknow me.
So just let me stop it here.
And I used to tell brothers allthe time, especially when I left
the maximum security and wentto the lower level, they'd be
like big bro when I get out,especially this one guy, man.
He used to always come out, getout and start me a barbershop.
This is this.
And that I used to tell him.

(42:39):
I said no, you ain't.
He said, man, why you don't sitand read books all day like you?
I said, bro, let me tell yousomething that you got right now
that people in the world ain'tgot.
You have the luxury of time.
You have the luxury of time.
You don't have a job in here.
You don't go to school, youjust sit in this dorm all day
and play cards and bull crap allday.
So why not use the time now toget ahead of the game?

(43:00):
So when you do get out they gota library over there, why ain't
you going over there?
And if they don't got books onbarbershops, which they had a
barbershop program in the prisonyou can learn how to cut hair
if you really wanted to.
I'm going to do it when I getout.
Man, that's how I know you'renot going to do it.
Short story short.
He got out.
Seen him on the news.

(43:20):
He was back got the same prison.
I told everybody.
I used to tell him.
I said yes, because you havethe luxury of time, if my thing
was when I was locked up to opena barbershop, I'm going to be
reading everything barbershoprelated, reading exactly.
Everything barbershop related.
Why Exactly?

Sterling (43:34):
Because people on the streets.

Corey (43:35):
They got to hustle and bustle.
I got to get up, go to work.
I got to spend time with mygirlfriend.
If I got You're pulled in athousand different ways, so why
not right now?
Why you got the luxury of timeto learn everything that you can
learn about whatever it is thatyou want to do, and then, when
you get out, you're already 10steps ahead of the game and I
think that's kind of like one ofthe things that helped me.
I was just already studying andlearning so many different

(44:02):
stuff, so much different stuffabout what I want to do when I
get out.
Then, when I get out, when Igot out, it wasn't nothing to do
but just to implement it, andthat's where I really started
writing my book at.
You know what I mean.
As you can see in thebackground, I started writing it
when I was in prison, but inreal time, documenting all the
changes I was making, thestories, the stuff I was
implementing, from praying tomeditation, where I picked up
fast.
I started documentingeverything that I was doing in
real time and put it in bookform Like this is going to help

(44:24):
somebody, this is going to helpsomebody.

Sterling (44:26):
Now we're going to come back to your book, because
that's very special and I dowant to talk about that.

Corey (44:37):
What do you want young brothers to hear when they
listen to you speak?
I want them to hear truth.
I want them to hear honesty.

Sterling (44:42):
I can tell you right now what I hear I hear
transparency.
That can tell you right nowwhat I hear I hear transparency.

Corey (44:46):
That was about to be my next word.

Sterling (44:50):
I mean, I took that from you.
I'm sorry, but I heartransparency.
But you said truth, honesty.
What else Transparency would be?

Corey (44:58):
one and just like we had talked off camera about this guy
from Philly, wallo267.
And he did twice as much time Idid.
I had 20 to 10.
So that's that's how it was.
It's changed now, but when Iwent to prison it was 20, you do
half that.
Now it's 85%, 75%.
But Wallo actually did 20straight.
You know what I mean.

(45:18):
But he came home and changed hislife in such a way that the
brother is doing Ben'scommercials and got all this
stuff going on.
He's walking out thePhiladelphia Eagles on a
football field.
And he just did 20 years inprison.
But he came home he said Idon't know.
I don't know much.
I've been my life being inprison.
But he did the same thing.
He said well, I was in prison,I just studied marketing, I

(45:38):
studied technology, I studied.
I'm just going to get out insome kind of way, use my life
experience to help people.
And that's how he started justmaking videos every day.
Get up, get up, good morning,y'all should be up grinding,
y'all should be up doingsomething.
And it just caught on fire.
He got a million subscribers.
He got a million followers onInstagram right now.
I mean, the dude just blew outthis world Got a podcast, a

(45:59):
million dollars for game.
But back to your originalquestion what do I want young
brothers to hear me?
What do I want young brothersto hear when they hear me?
Like you said, justtransparency, bro, and just like
bro.
You don't know to the degree itpains my heart to see not just

(46:19):
young brothers but brothers ingeneral.
But my focus is definitelyyoung brothers to feel like,
wherever they at in life.
This is just all.
It is Like bro, no, no, it'snot.
We have to get out of thatmindset.
I'm in the hood, I'm always.
You know what I mean.
I'm an IE and all thesedifferent names they got for
young.
But like you know what I mean,like I'm talking like bro, no,

(46:47):
no, it don't come out of Compton, the worst of the worst.
But you know what they had,their father.
They had a mindset like no,we're going to make something
happen from right here.
Inky Johnson, another one comefrom Kirkwood, atlanta,
surrounded by drugs gangbangers.
No, I'm going to make some inkyfault.
To go back to the same theworst performing, one of the
worst performing schools inAtlanta.
They transferred him to aso-called better school.

(47:09):
He said Mama Daddy, please sendme back.
Send me back to where I camefrom.
They're like ain't nobody makesit from there.
He said, I'm going to make itfrom there.
I'm going to make it from there.
Watch me, I'm going to make it.
So I want the youngsters tohear me like bro, you change
your mindset, start looking inthat mirror.
Send somebody that's worthsaving.
It won't actually want betterfor yourself.

(47:29):
Bro, a lot of our stories willchange drastically I mean
drastically if we just startaccepting that this ain't got to
be my lot in life.
And the elder that I wastalking to in prison I think we
talked about this off camera hesaid, bro, when I talk to you,
you got sense.
He said you got a lot of sense.

(47:49):
He said I hate to say what I'mabout to say, but it's the truth
.
He said some of these dudes inhere, this is just a lot in life
, man.
They don't see nothing but this.
He said just because you're inprison don't mean and that's
another mindset I had to makeBecause you're in prison don't
mean you got to buy into prisonculture.
I stood out.
I met a couple of my guys thatI was real cool with.

(48:10):
I said, man, we unicorns inhere.
They look at us like weirdos.
We meditate, we read books.
We always got a positivethought on our head.
Just because you're in herewith me, you got to gang bang,
carry knives and buy into yourwhole face tattooed.
I'm thugging bro.

Sterling (48:23):
Right Like no Right, no Right Exactly.
There's another phrase, I don'tknow because I can't quote the
author, but basically, justbecause you lock my body up, you
don't lock my mind up, lock mybody.
You can't lock my mind, you knowit's exactly when we talked
about this off camera.
But what was it like to haveyour mother I'm going to use the

(48:52):
term that we would know ridewith you and be exposed to that
presentation that you know?
That awaited them when theycame to see you the metal
detectors, the winding, what wasthat like?
Was that a part of your change?
That?

Corey (49:05):
was bro.
My mother's birthday is the26th of this month.
She's about to be 86 years old.
Yeah, it was to see her stickby my side the very first time I
went to prison, because youknow my son and mother, which
you know it happens At the end Ididn't understand it because it
was my first time in prison,but you know the women.

(49:26):
They leave because, likeeverybody's sitting around
waiting on you five, ten years,like life goes on, whether you
want it to or not, like you knowwhat I mean.
So, but my mother always cameto see me, always kept money on
the phone.
Whatever the case may be, I getlocked up.
The second time she was so hurt.
This is why I'm still in thecounty.
She was so hurt and I knew shewas hurt because at the time my

(49:47):
wife which my ex-wife now shesaid call your mother.
I said no, she said I know,that's why you need to call her.
She said I stopped by to checkon her.
She just sit in her room, justbe in the bed sick.
And I talked to her.
Captain, he going to be allright.
He a grown man, he makes hisown decisions.
Like yeah, I know you atesomething today Like, nah, like
Mr Captain, eat that boy goingto be all right, he going to be

(50:08):
all right.
He got to learn.
He got to learn.
Second time I went to prison mymother was coming through them
doors like the Woman King, thatmovie with Viola Davis Strong,
like man.
So we used to have deepconversations.
Like mama, when I come home,I'm about to shock the world.
I said I promise you, I'm goingto go back into my mental

(50:29):
archive All the lessons you donetaught me my whole life.
They still there.
They still there.
All the lessons you taught meabout being a decent person,
about working hard, about youknow what I mean.
I'm about to go back into thevault, get them lessons and I
promise you, when I come homeI'll make you proud.
I'm going to shock the world.
I'm going to shock the world.
She said I hope so, baby,because I can't go through

(50:50):
another one of these.
She said because this iskilling me.
I said watch what I tell you,watch what I tell you.
But to answer your questionabout at one point, bro, I told
her to stop coming to see mebecause behind the wall they're
so disrespectful it's not all ofthem, but you come to that
visiting room like this is mymother man, and I'm not saying

(51:11):
that some people probably ain'thad their mother try to bring
them something in there, but mymother's an 87-year-old woman,
christian.
She's not on that kind of time.
She's not bringing me nothingin here but a hug and a smile.
But to see the stuff she gothrough when she sit down and
talk to me.
Yeah, people out there theyfeeling all of me, and this
isn't that.
I had to go down the street towalmart and change shirts.

(51:32):
Like what shirt could an 80year old, 70 year old woman at
the time have on this too?
She ain't got no tank top.
Like, what are we doing here?
It's like you know nasty dogjumped up on me because you know
they make the dog walk aroundand sniff them.
Whatever the case, like thatnasty dog jumped up on me.
I said mom, stop coming.
I got plenty of books in here.
I'm going to be all right.
I've talked to you on the phone.
I said stop coming At least atleast do I go to a lower.

(52:00):
I said, mama, don't come back.
I said I don't want to take youout because I told my cousin.
I said I'm going to take her tomy visiting list.
He said nah, cuz, don't do that, man.
I said because she won't stopcoming.
He said, man, you don't knowwhat that's doing for her.
Let her you know, do what shefeels right for her.
It ain't just about you, shewon't.
I said wild till he say becauseI see it, because she ain't,

(52:29):
she ain't sold no drugs, soy'all got her coming through
y'all metal detectors, all thisold crazy stuff, like treating
her like she did something wrong, she coming to see me, like you
know what I mean.
So, yeah, I told her to stopcoming like for six months, like
I don't even come, just waittill I go somewhere else.
Yeah, but it was, it was.
I think it was rough.

Sterling (52:38):
It was rough and I asked you that because I think a
lot of our younger generationneed to understand that.
I mean, I know when I went andI'm going to be transparent from
the stories that I heard frommy brother and not being able to
have a father in my life andnot meeting my father, and to my
mid-twenties and who wasincarcerated.

(53:02):
I wasn't built for upstate biz.
I ain't built for, for upstatebids, I ain't gonna lie.
But there was other componentsthat you know that we talked off
camera that helped me make thatdecision.
But I, I knew I I never wantedmy family members to go through
that.
But I think that needed to betold because, again, you are not
doing this alone.

(53:24):
If you have people that loveyou Going from the thoughts, the
prayers, taking money out oftheir time and effort to put on
your books to buy something thatwill cost a dollar at the
dollar store.

(53:45):
That's now like $7 $4.
Okay, let's make it make sensealright, and just for you to say
, I got money on my books, butthat money could have been used
with your family and so manymore Absolutely.

Corey (54:03):
And I'm going to tell you something, not to cut your
wisdom, but I'm going to tellyou something.
Not to cut your wisdom, but I'mgoing to tell you something.
This messed up my thinking wasbefore I ever got busted one
time for drugs, my mother and myolder sisters always be like
bro, do something different.
Do something different.
There's no future in that.
My biggest, most ignorantresponse was well, if I go to
prison, I'm the one going toprison, not y'all.

(54:23):
I don't prison.
I'm the one going to prison,not y'all.
I don't know what I got to doto turn, because I'm just
thinking physically but I'm notthinking about the tolls it's
going to take on my familyemotionally, mentally,
spiritually.
You know what I mean BecauseI'm somebody that they need and
want around.
So when I'm not in the picture,other stuff go wrong.
That should be going wrong,whatever the case may be.
So when I went this last time,you know what I mean.

(54:45):
Like my oldest sister, she waslike bro, let me tell you
something.
This was in the county before Ieven got shipped off, after I
got my time.
I'm just waiting on RDC to comepick me up.
She said I'm not coming to seeyou one time.
She said and here's why shesaid you smart.
She said you smart.

(55:19):
She said do this.
They bust you that way.
They just keep.
She said you know what?
That's not what god got for you.
It's not working.
She said some dudes could selldrugs and have runs forever
before they get busted.
One time you busted, six monthsbusted.
But like you just keep gettingbusted.
They're like because you justout here being sloppy and just

(55:40):
whatever like and you can havethe what you think is the most
elaborate system, like well, Idon't touch none, this, the
youngster go get it, and this,this, and that they bust the
youngster.
They just keep busting you.
Like, just give it up.
She said I'm not coming to seeyou one time.
She said but this is what Iwill do for you.
Keep money on your books, anybooks that you want.
Let mama know and I get them.

(56:01):
She said I keep money on mama'sphone so you can have a way to
call her home and talk to her.
She said but I'm not coming tosee you one time.
She said I promise you that andthe whole team, I was gone.
She didn't show up one time butshe did Everything else.
She said she'll do Kept moneyin my book.
She held you down.

Sterling (56:19):
She held you down and she kept her and she backed up
what she said, absolutely.
You know, because, as we say,actions speak louder than words.

Corey (56:27):
Absolutely, and since I've been from the first day I
got out to the present day,she's one of the biggest
supporters, helpers.
Anything I need, anything Ineed, I promise she going to do
it.
She do stuff for me that she'slike it's like don't tell my
kids which is my niece.
It's like don't tell my kids Idid X, y, z for you.
They didn't ask me the samething.
I told them.
Nah, she said, but I see youtrying and you kept your word

(56:49):
that you weren't going back tothe streets.
So any kind of position, anykind of thing I can help you
with, I'm going to help you.
She said I'm going to help you.
I said I ain't got much, butanything you need help with, bro
, I got you.
I got you because you kept yourword.

Sterling (57:05):
I know this is not going to be the last time that
you come.
I just want to say thank you.

Corey (57:09):
I appreciate you for having me.
I appreciate the Struggle toSuccess podcast man, everything
on and off Because this is whata lot of people don't know like
off camera man, this brother'staught me that you're important
with me, help me navigatecertain stuff I'm trying to do,
and I appreciate that.
Before we wrap up, I just wantto say one thing about the help.
I have a picture right here onmy wall of a turtle sitting on a

(57:33):
fence post and everybody cominghere like what's that picture
about?
Like if you ever see a turtlesitting on top of a fence post,
you know he had help gettingthere.
So that's my reminder.
That's my reminder.
That's my reminder.
No matter where I'm at in life,no matter what type of fence
post I'm sitting on, I had helpand you wanted people to help
and I appreciate you.