Nightmare Success In and Out

In this episode of Nightmare Success, host Brent Cassity interviews Lester Young, a former inmate who turned his life around after serving 22 years of a life sentence. Lester is the founder of Path2Redemption a non-profit that helps the formerly incarcerated transition back into society. The organization also has a powerful at-risk youth program. Young is a TEDX Speaker, a Best-Selling Author, and...

In this episode of Nightmare Success, Brent Cassity interviews Sean Stegeman and Lee Loveall about what it means to value a real second chance after prison. They discuss Sean's journey from a troubled youth to in and out of prison in his twenty's and early thirty's and ultimately finding faith and purpose in life. Lee shares insights on building a successful company, CMC, that builds the buildings...

In this episode of Nightmare Success, host Brent Cassity interviews veteran Jeremy Harrell. Jeremy is a Iraq War Combat Veteran. He was diagnosed with PTSD and became a national expert on the subject. He created Veterans Club INC, that is a nationally recognized non-profit that helps veterans recover from PTSD. How did he get federally indicted? Harrell shares his incredible journey from a challen...

How does Wendy Lankton go from a wife working in her husbands law firm in Montreal to being arrested in a drug conspiracy in Omaha Nebraska? It is quite the Odessey to what she is doing today. In this episode of Nightmare Success, host Brent Cassity interviews Wendy Lankton, who shares her harrowing journey from addiction to incarceration and eventual recovery. Wendy discusses the impact of the Fe...

On this episode of Nightmare Success with Brent Cassity, we explore the shocking and deeply troubling story of Carlos Watson—a pioneering Silicon Valley entrepreneur who built OZY Media from the ground up, transforming it into a near-billion-dollar powerhouse. But in 2019, everything changed. When Watson refused to sell OZY to East Coast competitor Ben Smith (formerly of BuzzFeed)—not once, but fi...

The call to his daughter explaining how he had committed a white collar crime...her response was, "Dad what were you thinking?" Bill Carlson established his own investment firm naming the firm after his grandfather Victor. He had it all but became blinded by chasing the material things in life. He ended up making a choice that changed his life. In this episode of Nightmare Success, host Brent Cass...

In this episode of Nightmare Success, host Brent Cassity interviews Leah Howard, who shares her harrowing journey from a troubled marriage to a life-changing incident that led her to prison. Leah discusses her early life, the challenges of her marriage, the stalking she endured, and the climactic moment when she snapped that changed everything. Through her experiences, Leah found her purpose and n...

In this episode of Nightmare Success, host Brent Cassity interviews John Dimenna, a former real estate mogul who sold his commercial real estate empire before the crash of 2008. Many said he was the smartest guy in the business. He says he began to believe it, and he jumped back in the game instead of a comfortable retirement... at 77 years old he was federally convicted to years in prison. John s...

Could Nate Schott have been the next United States Senator from Tennessee, probably. In this episode of Nightmare Success, host Brent Cassity engages with Nate Scott, who shares his journey from a successful entrepreneurial career in dentistry to facing the consequences of healthcare fraud. Schott was known to buy groceries for folks or letting someone stay rent free to get back on their feet. Nat...

David Israel, a successful serial entrepreneur, shares his journey of overcoming adversity and turning lemons into lemonade. From serving a prison sentence to founding successful companies like Pop Gourmet created from prison, taking the snack industry by storm. The idea originated from inmates who were making their popcorn taste good. Oprah became a raving fan of the product. David then founded a...

Can a teenager, who commits a murder, find redemption and purpose back in society 28 years later? In this episode of Nightmare Success, host Brent Cassity interviews Jason Holland, who shares his harrowing journey from a life of crime to serving 28 years in prison for a murder that he would give anything to be able to take back that night. Jason's story became a national story covered by Rolling S...

In this episode of Nightmare Success, host Brent Cassity speaks with David Grosky, a former CEO and attorney who faced a tumultuous journey from corporate success to incarceration. His case went from SEC violations to criminal charges. David shares his experiences of navigating the complexities of the legal system, the emotional toll of losing family members while in prison, and the importance of...

How does a man arrested 82 times transform his life to help others in a profound way? Wesley Keziah shares his journey from a troubled childhood to addiction and incarceration, and ultimately finding redemption and transformation through faith. He opens up about the challenges he faced growing up in a broken home, being molested, and the impact it had on his mental health. Wesley's addiction led h...

In this episode of Nightmare Success, Brent Cassity interviews Portia Louder, author of the book Living Louder- A Compassionate Journey Through Federal Prison. Portia shares her incredible journey from a non-traditional upbringing to facing the challenges of teenage motherhood, addiction, and ultimately, a prison sentence for mortgage fraud. Portia's story is one of resilience, transformation,...

In this episode of the Nightmare Success podcast, Brent Cassity and guests Jeff Grant, founder of White Collar Support Group, and Bill Livolsi, Deputy Director of White Collar Support Group discuss the upcoming White Collar Conference, emphasizing the importance of community and support for individuals affected by white collar crimes. They explore the challenges of reintegration into society, the...

How did Augie Ghilarducci survive and thrive after serving 13 years in Federal Prison? Augie Ghilarducci is the founder of the Second Opportunity Reentry Program, which provides courses focused on employment readiness, financial literacy, life skills, and reentry. He developed these programs while serving a 13-year sentence in the federal prison system. Augie's story is a true nightmare succes...

Could a person go from prison solitary confinement to respected attorney? Kaysia Earley did just that. She was arrested and charged with felony embezzlement during her senior year in college. She was working at a shoe store giving discounts on shoes to friends. Despite being four months pregnant, she was put in solitary confinement. However, this experience didn't break her, but made her stron...

Imagine waking up in your bed with police guns drawn at you. You have no idea why they are there because you are being wrongly accused of murder, a nightmare. Dwayne Williams shares his story of being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. The nightmare began when he was arrested and charged with a double murder and arson. Throughout the trial, Dwayne faced numerous...

How do you survive the nightmare of losing everything and going to prison? If you are William Sansing you spend the next two decades, post prison, advocating for people of disabilities, people directly impacted by the legal system, and people with substance use disorders. William received a Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education/ School Counseling and Guidance Services. He is the author of th...

It has been said that success on Wall Street can become intoxicating. Mark Varacchi, a 20 year former hedge fund executive, shares his story of how he went from success to standing at the gates of prison. He took responsibility for his actions after building systems and processes identifying flaws and risks in those systems, which eventually led to his downfall. Those skills were clearly used when...

David Garlock shares his story of surviving sexual and physical abuse, eventually he and his brother killed their abuser. The brothers received a 25 year prison sentence. He grew up in a dysfunctional home and experienced multiple traumatic events. At 11 years old, he lost his innocence and had to hide the abuse. David served 13 years in prison and used his experience to advocate for criminal lega...

What happens when a Wall Street Hedge Fund Founder goes to prison. He rises in again to become a force for change of reentry. In this episode of the Nightmare Success In an Out podcast, Brent Cassity interviews Chip Skowron, the CEO of Prison Entrepreneurship Program. Chip shares his journey from being the founder of one the largest Hedge Funds on Wall Street, Frontpoint Partners, to being convict...

Stephen Barbee's life story is one of dreams, destruction, disgrace, and deliverance. He grew up in a loving Christian home with a pastor father and excelled in sports, particularly football. Stephen earned All-American honors as a college running back. However, he struggled with addiction and eventually found himself homeless and facing a 70 month federal sentence. After getting out of prison...

How does someone go from prison to becoming an attorney, and State Representative? Tara Simmons shares her inspiring story of overcoming adversity and turning her life around after experiencing extreme poverty, substance abuse, and incarceration. She dropped out of middle school at 13, got pregnant at 14, but eventually found her way back to school and graduated high school. She went on to earn a...

Elizabeth Shatswell’s story is one of resilience and a thirst for knowledge after receiving a 55 year prison sentence as a 17 year old. Teenagers have events in their lives they wish they could take back. Elizabeth had a night that involved a robbery and carjacking. The events that followed shows how broken our justice system is for far too many. This inspiring story shows us how you can grow and...