EP.94 QUAN HUYNH: A LIFE SENTENCE FOR MURDER, NOW AN AUTHOR AND ENTREPRENEUR

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Quan is the author of his memoir â€œSPARROW AND THE RAZOR WIREâ€

His is an amazing story of redemption, the importance of second chances and the power of entrepreneurship.

Quan spent twenty-two years in and out of correctional institutions, including a life sentence for murder.

He was paroled 2015 and created his first company six months later. The following year, he received the Peace Fellowship Award for his work with the Alternatives to Violence Project.

He is the post-release program manager for Defy Ventures, a nonprofit helping those with a criminal past transform their lives through the journey of entrepreneurship. (I first met Quan when participating in an entrepreneurship program with DEFY VENTURES at Kern Valley State Prison).

Weâ€™ll be talking about:

Quan’s Story

His Vietnamese background and his early path to gangs and run-ins with the law
The Role of Taking Responsibility
The Horrors of Prison
Getting Out and the Transition to “Civilian Life”
Rebuilding everything
His company and his work with Defy Ventures . . .
Writing his book
The problems with the criminal justice system
The path to a better life through entrepreneurism

And whatâ€™s next for Quan . . . . (A movie deal I hope!)

Meeting Quan changed my worldview (More about my visit to KERN VALLEY STATE PRISON here). I hope you learn something from Quan’s experience and reconsider the role of the criminal justice system in our society.