Nightmare Success In and Out

What type of mindset would you have if you were sentenced to 25 years to life? In this episode of the Nightmare Success podcast, host Brent Cassity interviews Joe Robinson, the founder of Mindful Money. Joe shares his personal journey from growing up in the rough neighborhood of East New York, Brooklyn, to getting involved in a life of crime and eventually being sentenced to 25 years to life in pr...

Have you ever got a hot flash just because you are going through customs? Scott Carper had a nightmare scenario coming back in from the Mexico border. He was addicted to pain pills and made a trip across the Mexico border to save some money. When he went through United States Customs his world was forever changed. He knew he has the pills and declared them what he didn't know was what else was...

Imagine being addicted to heroin and needing $2,000 for rehab. A guy comes to you and says he works for a Columbian Drug Cartel as a courier. His bosses stole money from him. If you help him get it back by robbing their stash house...you will never need to work again. It was all a setup and the Columbian Courier was an undercover federal agent with a fake stash house. This episode features an inte...

What would you do if you were responsible for collecting over a billion dollars of receivables for MCI at the age of 32 years old. Meet Walt Pavlo who was a young MBA rising quickly through the finance ranks at the nations second largest telecom company, MCI. With a beautiful wife, two kids and a promising career, he epitomized the American dream. Pavlo's life took a dark turn when he became a...

If you were born and raised in politics and policy, could you make it back if you went to prison? Yes, Kandia Milton did, and he is now the Policy Director for Dream.org Justice. Kandia was born and raised in Detroit. He says he doesn't remember a life that did not involve politics. Kandia rose through the ranks in Detroit politics, being Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief of Staff to the Mayor, and...

What would your life look like after 14 years in prison? For Louis L Reed it has been nothing but action becoming a Rock Star in the Justice Reform Movement. His leadership has led to the passage of more than 30 state and federal bills, including creating the biggest grassroots national advocacy group for the First Step Act signed into law in 2018. He has consulted with the White House, Department...

If you got knocked down could you get back up and earn back something that you really wanted? Charlie Naselsky did. Charlie was a successful attorney. He took pride in being an attorney. It was something he loved to do that he had a passion for. Charlie took his case to trial for tax evasion, and he lost. Charlie was sentenced to 70 months, and the judge immediately remanded him into Federal custo...

Could robbing a jewelry store set you on the path to being one of the biggest names in criminal justice reform? You may have seen Glenn as a media guest on NPR, MSNBC, Fox News, or CSPAN. Glenn Martin has had two decades creating impactful change in the arena of criminal justice reform. Growing up as the son of a Police Chief, Glenn took a different path with the wrong crowd that eventually had hi...

What would be your mindset if your sentencing guideline was 8 years, and you receive a 213 year sentence? Meet Adam Clausen who had the "never give up" mindset to keep believing he was going to get out. He finally did after 20 years and it is one heck of a story! He transformed his life while in prison compiling an extensive list of "extraordinary and compelling" achievements that eventually earne...

Could a guy who has been a Warden with 5 prisons be the change agent that impacts the system for the good? Meet my guest Brian Koehn. He is the founder and CEO of Social Purpose Corrections. Through his tenure as warden of 5 separate prisons, Brian experienced firsthand the existing gaps and opportunities within the criminal justice system. His personal mission is to reform corrections. Brain has...

Imagine driving home from work one night on a dark road, and you wake up in the hospital finding out you have been in head on collision. Hours later you find out someone died. This was the beginning of Lark Hodge's nightmare. This story has so many twist and turns. It is revealed that the driver who died had a .15% blood alcohol content with a history of DUI's, and Lark's was under the legal limit...

Farmer Melvin from bad soil to good soil. Melvin Parson had spent his life going in and out of prison for 13 years homeless and addicted to drugs. What happened next in his life was not planned. Melvin was living at a place that had a community vegetable garden. The man tending to the garden passed away. People living there encouraged Melvin to take care of the garden. He said, "I don't know anyth...

Have you ever heard of ghost dope? My guest Sabrena Morgan is here to explain what that is and how you can go to prison with a ghost dope conviction. Sabrena has had a rollercoaster journey. She was even shot in the back of the head by a police officer while she was a passenger in a car chase. How did all this happen to the girl who came from a strong loving family. Her early life was about being...

Would you give up on yourself if you lived through being in foster care, drug addiction, and 9 years in prison? Jessica Henry did not. She got sober, she began getting educated while she was in prison earning 2 associate degrees with high honors. . She got out and found a meaningful job with Nation Outside as a manager who uses her personal experiences to help others through recovery. She mentors...

How did a kid in Kansas with a paper route become the head of a national marijuana empire from California to Kansas? Meet Los Dahda who has quite the story of a weed entrepreneur who's case went all the way to the Supreme Court. Los and his twin brother were eventually arrested with 43 other people with over an alleged 8,000 pounds of marijuana funneled through the charged conspiracy. Dahda was se...

Have you heard the story about the Sheriff of Bergen County that was convicted, but became a priest? Father Joe Ciconne is that man. He is an incredible man who has lived a fascinating life. Father Joe was born in New Jersey. His dad was a police officer, and he eventually followed in his dad's footsteps. His dad was actually his boss in their precinct when he first began. He spent over 20 yea...

How does a guy who helped displaced companies after 9-11 end up in Federal Prison. Meet Jason Safford who in only 4 months removed from getting out of Federal Prison. Jason has been a CEO, a real estate investor, author, speaker, and executive coach. He was an early pioneer of green energy, and even taught New York City officials how it could work for the city. Jason was the CEO of Safflyn for 16...

How does a guy who was released in August 2021 have over 1 million TikTok followers? Well, meet Jesse Crossen. Jesse, says he found cocaine in 2002, combined with alcohol and insecurity he went from a kid graduating high school to strung out and barely hanging on. Just after his 18th birthday he committed a robbery and a crazy argument that ended up with a shooting. He was arrested feeling a sense...

How does a school guidance counselor go on to generating over $3 billion dollars of sales in the pharmaceutical drug industry? Meet Alec Burlakoff who was the VP of sales at Insys Pharmaceuticals. You may have seen him on 60 minutes, maybe you have read his book "Selling Hard Lessons Learned." Netflix has a movie coming out about in October titled "Pain Hustlers." In the end the founder and 6 comp...

Can you imagine being swallowed up in the legal hurricane of Russiagate with President Trump and Special Counsel Robert Mueller? My guest, Sam Patten, was and is here to give us front row seats of the nightmare he endured with his conviction. Sam's book, Dangerous Company: Misadventures of a "Foreign Agent" is a memoir that reads like a thriller. Sam has had his hand in historical events without t...

Do you ever wonder what prison life is like from the female perspective? Elizabeth Mikotowicz shares all the details of her journey through the Federal Prison system. Elizabeth lived through a hard knock life of picking the wrong guys to be with that almost killed her. She shares shocking tales of inside the prison. Prison is also the place where she found her passion for her artwork. The Warden n...

Could you build a new empire off your worst life decision? Meet Justin Paperny who is the founder of White Collar advice, who has become an expert at helping 1000's of people facing challenges with the criminal justice system. Justin’s story has been featured on many national news stations, including ⁠The Washington Post⁠, ⁠CNN⁠, ⁠Fox⁠, ⁠Dr. Phil⁠ and others. Lastly, NBC Universal aired “⁠My Deal...

What would you do to help your spouse out of a business jam? And you are an expert in what she needs help with...Bill Livolsi, an accountant by trade, had lived the American dream life. He had climbed the corporate ladder at a New York Advertising firm. He had moved to Vegas and fell in love and got married to an investment banker. They moved to Oklahoma to assist the wife's aging dad. Then things...

How do you become the reinvention architect and mindset coach after hitting rock bottom in prison? Craig Stanland had it all and lost it all, and then found his new passion. He is a TEDX and Keynote speaker, and best selling author of the book "Blank Canvas", along with, being an effective mindset coach helping people cultivate the courage to pursue their calling. If you want a podcast episode to...

How does the first black district attorney of Philadelphia handle going through a Federal Indictment, and then received a 5-year sentence? Seth Williams story reads like a movie script. He had been a difference maker all his life. Seth was the student body president at Penn St. of 37,000 college kids, and then went on to Georgetown law school. He made a name for himself with a stellar career in th...