Gary. That is the name of the man Lester Young killed. Lester committed an entire life to honoring that man’s life and found ways to, in his words, “not make up for lost time – but maximize the time that is left.”
Early Life
Lester has had quite the life. After losing his mother when he was 16, things came apart rapidly. To fill the void he turned to the streets and started using and selling drugs. Lester was sentenced to life in prison after killing a man in a drug related exchange.
Lester somehow found a way to rewire his mind. Knowing that he had a 3% chance of parole and only 19 years old when he entered prison, he still found a way.
A Turning Point
During his time in prison he came across an episode of Oprah and started to write down five things that he was grateful for, despite how dark prison got for him. He also built a relationship with a chaplain who introduced him to reading and suggested As a Man Thinketh by James Allen.
Life After Prison
Paroled 6 years ago, Lester is now dedicating his life to helping those who are incarcerated. He helps them rewire their minds inside the prison walls and help them understand how to navigate life outside of prison.
His foundation, Path2Redemption is a nonprofit focused on helping prisoners transition back into society and provide those who have been incarcerated with the skills necessary to be successful in society. He also wrote a book about his experience during his incarceration called The Five Stages of Incarceration.
To learn more about Path2Redemtion, please visit path2redemption.org. Listen to his podcast on Apple Podcasts at Path2Redemption and order his book, click here.
