Hello, hello and welcome to the Borealis

experience. I'm your host Aurora, and I'm very excited to

be posting my interview here with John Astin, a couple of

you. Beautiful listeners might know him already. I had him on

my show where he talked about his 150 years sentence. And

yeah, his experiences, and his awakening and what made him

start to fight for his freedom. And then I had another interview

with him, and Reginald, Joseph, which was very motivational and

inspirational. And today, we want to talk a bit more about

the prison system. And how John is doing now that he's out and

about in this crazy world. I don't want to imagine how much

stress you encountered at times. I was not locked up. I was not

away for 20 years. And I have still difficulties to catch up

with. Yeah, the fast paced life that it is, and I feel I don't

know if you agree, John. Evolution like on an

evolutionary. Like, if you want to look at evolution, people

don't really have evolved. They're not kinder, they're not

more compassionate. They're not more patient. We invented a

bunch of electronics, since you were gone. But people are just

as greedy and aggressive and selfish as they were before.

Would you agree with that? Or did you can you see an evolution

on a hard level?

I agree on both points. Good.

I say that because people change. But the world is like,

the world is moving fast. And the people change, but the

mindset doesn't. Yes, and I'm saying that because when I came

home, when I came home from Angola after doing 20 plus

years, I find my old friends and friends of friends have the same

observations as I did. People are stuck in the same rut that

it was 20 years prior. And I found that very amazing. And I

wonder why. You see, because during in prison, I educated

myself on what the Bible college what the horticulture school, I

was a mentor, faith based instructor. I did a lot of

things in 20 years that I was going so I use my time wisely.

Okay. And I'm home now two years. And lots of people tell

me that I have accomplished what I have accomplished in two

years. People haven't did it? Did that there's been free for

2030 years. Hmm, yeah. And that is to me, that's to me, that's

very alarming. Yes.

Yeah. And I feel we can learn from your mindset. And it's so

tough to put into words, but I feel some people have to go

through pain and stress in order to wake up and see how valuable

life is and how fast time is running. Now that you've been

out for two years, do you feel you're appreciating life on a

deeper level?

Yes, and it was doing time was a valuable lesson to me. Now that

I'm home, I can use what I learned. While incarcerated.

Actually, I learned patient that's the biggest thing. I

never jumped into I never jumped into situations. When I came

home. I wanted a house I wanted a car. I wanted all these

things. I started working immediately to acquire these

things. But at the same time, I didn't. I did not jump on the

first opportunities. That came my way that I never felt right

about it, because I did not want to put myself in a situation or

financial situation this week, but I was in a position before

prior to being incarcerated. And I had to maintain that. So I had

to have a job. I had had continued No, I had a lot of

worries that I that, that I don't have to date, because I

never put myself in a position to be forced to work, or

whatnot. You see not to take my time, and think out what

actually I am going to do for myself, to provide for myself.

And is to it's a slow process. But it's a birthing process.

Yeah, very good. And so now that you've been out and you see that

people have not really like changed. Do you feel that they

are more and more listening to you and that they can see, okay,

John went through some stuff. And he has to share things with

us that he's learned before, just before you said, people

have to know more about prison, and how prison life is and what

you learn there and the hardship you have to go through.

Yes, in prison, I learned that the more that you learn, the

better position you will be in. So and when I first got to

prison, I was playing sports, I was doing actually I was doing

everything was everything other than what I was supposed to been

doing. Like studying a law, the law got me in prison, and it was

the law that's gonna get me out of prison. When I realized that

I had to learn the law as it pertains to my case, my

situation. And it took me like, it took me like four years to

really dawned on me figure it out that, look, I have 150 years

of my head, if I don't do anything, this has been my

permanent place. And like I discussed what you are now prior

interviews, is that what woke me up is seeing a guy being buried

in Angola, and feeling his feeling his pain in so to speak,

like I'm spiritually speaking here. Yeah, feeling his pain and

not notice guy did not notice. But I felt him because of the

commonality we have been incarcerated. And no one is

putting myself in his shoes. Is it was a very emotional for me.

It brought tears to my eyes. And from that point forward, that's

when I made the decision. Look, I'm gonna fight for my freedom.

Of all cause I'm gonna, I'm gonna sacrifice. I'm gonna do

this net coming before me learn in my situation, as the law

pertains to me. Yes, so. And long story short, I'm home now.

Because of that.

Yeah. How was it for you, John? When you're encountering

situations now, maybe you have in the last two years, where you

have a choice, you have a choice to react as the old John, and

you have a choice to react as the new John, do you like to

remember a couple of situations that you would like to share?

That

is a that's a beautiful question, because I didn't even

know that. I mean, when you change your life, you're always

gonna have the opportunity to flash back to the old view. And

you have a decision to make at that point. Yeah. And that thank

God first and foremost that he kept me to all these situations.

Is time that I'll just want to blow up in this go off on an

inmate or even a free forget. I like With my mind, by me

learning in, in balmy water, my freedom, it kept me at, it kept

me at bay. It kept me focused on my goal. You see, in that, in

that was very paramount to my freedom. Today I reacted to

situations that would normally bring me out there and made me

lose everything. So now as I look back today, I am very

thankful. And in a chocolate up, I'll give the credit to God

first and foremost, because it's because when I went to Bible

college, while there, the reason being is because I want to get

to know who God is for myself. That was my tell me, I wanted to

pray, I want to experience these things. Because the Scriptures

say Try me, tastes me, I'm sweeter than honey, you're never

you're never turned back. That was a promise. And I want to,

and I want to hold Jesus, which is the word to that promise. And

I'm not going to talk I'm not going in. As a result of that.

My decision is never turn my back on God for the rest of my

life. Because that is the word of God that opened my mind to

things. Because that was other than that I was tunnel vision.

Yeah, I've seen things where I want to see it. And nobody can

tell me no different. Yeah, now. I'm patient. I listen. And I

learn. Like My Daddy told me, you say, if you always talking?

How are you going to learn anything? Yeah, how are you

going to hear?

Yeah, that's so beautiful. So you have those situations where

you have a choice, but you have found God, you have found your

faith that keeps you on track. So it is not only to be a good

person, because you have to because you are on parole, like

you're not doing it for the government to be good. You do

not for yourself and for God. And that's your motivation.

Because otherwise I think it wouldn't like if it was for the

government and to be a good and perfect person all the time. It

wouldn't be sustainable you wouldn't you? It'd be hard to be

happy because you found that peace inside of you. And you

want to keep that peace. It's motivation from the inside.

Today understand that, right?

Exactly. Exactly. Because if I don't do it, if I'm not doing

something, for me, it's not in my heart to do eventually, out

there would end to see good behavior will be overweight,

that I can flesh out at any time and be like a walk in Tambaram.

Exactly. Yes. Well, it says now. So. So since I'm doing it from

our heart, I have more sustainability. You just

mentioned.

That's so beautiful. Now, you have your nonprofit organization

called Second Wind, where you help people who come out of

prison to reintegrate into society. How do you approach

them? Which tools do you give them in order to be out there

and freedom and not being scared to having to go back to prison

because of Yeah, committing another chord, the

main thing, right, law of C, that's the whole thing of my

nonprofit organization is to lower the recidivism rate. And

that is helping them to return back to prison. And they have to

know that you can do anything you put your mind to do. You

have to focus. Find out what that thing is that drives you

that make you good, that give you hope. And hold on to dad in

achieve that to the bitter end. And you shall I'm a prime

example of that. Look at me. Look at me because I experienced

that first experience was coming home. Not I couldn't find one

person that understood my case and agree with me that I was

going to win in Louisiana Supreme Court. You Hmm, I got

denied the first time and Louisiana Supreme Court. But in

that dissent I received from the judge on the Chief Justice gave

me the ammunition, the understanding, to go forward,

and know that I'm gonna when the next time around, it was the

language in there. And I use that language for my benefit.

And I had a lot of confident, confidence. And within myself

with this, I believe, God opened my mind because my prayer was

the God given wisdom, knowledge and understanding of my

situation, then we overcome. And I think at this at this moment,

he gave me that wisdom, knowledge and understanding, I

pray for all those years. And I thank God for it. Because if

nobody else could see it, that's why I'm, that's why I'm

mentioning this. Nobody so convinced one inmate counsel to

help me structure this thing. If that's what he's told me, he

said, Man, you came at me so many times and try to explain,

you see, you have so much compassion I had to help you. We

see. That's how strongly I believe I was gonna move this

case. And as a result of that, 50 plus people, inmates were

released, because in my case, the karma case, the Epstein

case, and he set precedents of law

are you still in contact with those people?

Not all count all of them. I don't know all these people that

I just know few of them. There was one there was in the same

facility I was in. I will love to know all these people. And is

still people getting out to date on Estienne case is like God

took my name and using it for freedom. When it was before was

for bandage. Yeah. God trick a name that my name that was the

wrong drug due to dirt. And now then praise in a sense. Yeah.

For good. Yeah. Only God can do that. Yeah,

yeah. And you're living up to your purpose, and you're helping

others know. And yeah, it's just incredible. Very beautiful. What

else people need to know about the prison system or about

people who come out of jail I feel there's still a lot of fear

and harsh judgment when it comes to ex cons and how do you feel?

Can we? Can we make people believe that there is second

chances people change? People can do good if they've done bad

in the past? That's not them. They can they can be a different

person in the, in the future? How can we Yeah.

I'm gonna tell you what changed me. It was a loving support of

my family in France. To sum it up, love of ages, everything. So

when you so when you help in people, it's natural for them to

be the show, or be appreciative of what you've done for them.

And I think that's the beginning of changing one's heart. So a

man hot has to change, we can't change it. He has to make the

initial steps to change his own heart. And God does the

miraculous thing. And as he does it, he completes it. Like they

have the scripture say like one guy comes along and sews the

seed and none of them comes and water it and God gives the

increase. Right? So we have to be careful of how we deal with

people because we don't want to do things that would take it out

guys hands. So we ought to be the example. So God put us here

not to be alone, to be come together to help one another.

You see, and of course the people that you help in must

also do their part. Okay, let's make it all work because faith

without works is dead. You can believe all you want on some you

can have ideas If we don't act upon it, it just remains an

idea. Yeah, that's what they need to understand. Once they

understand that principle, and they believe in a self, they're

not gone back to prison, because they have muscle bigger. They

they look in towards in prison, you gotta find something bigger

than prison, bigger than the act that you bought to commit, you

gotta find something bigger than that, you can't find that bigger

than that, then nine out of 10 times, you're gonna repeat,

you'd be a repeat offender.

So this is what your organization is doing for people

who maybe don't have a loving family, they are being received

by you guys. And they are being helped to find a mission, where

they can put their mind and their heart into it. In order to

not go back to prison, back to the old life.

Financially speaking, what our ultimate purpose is we are not

doing so what I did do what I launched was for senior

citizens, disabled vets, single parent homes, and people of the

like, we we launched a fee, lawn services care lawn care service.

So we go around, that will take a burden off these people. You

see, we try to help. We're trying to show that we are for

real, we want to help people, we need the donations. So we can

get buildings get to get the transportation get the buses for

transportation, bringing guys to and to and from their

appointments. Jobs if that's the case, I'm getting hired a

psychiatrist to deal with these guys mentally. You see, these

things need to be done because Louisiana from last time I

checked, we lead the nation in our mental health. And we don't

have one we had less facilities. So I mean, I think that's the

need there. Yeah. Come along and help you Yeah,

yeah. And you don't have to be a psychologist to help you can

just be a human being who offers Yes, right. You know, an ear,

listen to and to have compassion and to maybe help out finding a

mission? Because we all have

zactly because we can't do it alone. No, hey, do it alone.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Very, very

psychiatrists. We need other people surrounding people. They

also contribute in some way, shape, form or fashion.

Yeah. Totally. So what is your plan? Can you share with with

our listeners here? What is your plan? With your podcast? I'm

very excited about your podcast here. What is your Okay?

All right. All right, that the title of my podcast, which means

you will discuss that, but I'm leaving it alone leaving it,

Eric, a lot of people want it, you know, but we'll see what the

future holds for that. Yeah. Anyway, out of bondage and enter

success podcast. I came up with the ideas like was guys sent, it

was different wording at the time. But some I put it in the

right perspective for me, helped me out. And I really liked it

because of my lifestyle. I was in bondage. Not only physical

bondage, but I was in a mental bondage. And I come out of that

bondage doing positive things, and I'm reaping the benefits of

it now. And if I can do it, anybody else can do it. Yeah,

that's the whole purpose of my podcast is to, for the listeners

to listen to my podcast, and hear something that they might

be gone through at the time, could release them from that

bondage wherever they ban this or

Yeah, it can be like an addiction. It can be mentally it

can be just them living a boring life and not having a mission.

Right and you can be there and like, wake people up where and

let people share their story. That is so beautiful.

Yes, exactly. Exactly. And then is helping that person that

person I'm interviewing is helping them to is therapeutic.

He told me therapeutic. Yeah, yeah, you know, we need, people

need to get things off the chest. Yeah, the counties

burdens around that they don't need to be kept around. You know

the Word of God. When I learned the word of God, he said, my

burdens are light come to me. And I understand I get it. Now I

get it. And that's what I do. And guess what, every time I do

it, I feel a whole lot better. I can sleep at night. And God

opened doors for me. I can't beat that. I'm staying with it.

The greeting work from me, I'm sticking with it.

You're so, so wonderful. Yeah, this is a beautiful mission. And

this is where you put your full heart and drive into. Right? You

also have children, you also have a wife, and you have that

beautiful network around you. How can people reach you, people

who might not have that supportive system? Can they

reach you on Facebook, on Instagram? Through your

organization?

Yeah, I have a website. I have a website for my own nonprofit

organization. Yeah. Which is E second one.com. Yeah, you can go

on our site, in contact with do that.

Yeah. Beautiful. That is very, very

glad. I'm glad for people can attend. We have loved to talk to

him. We'd like to say communication rules a nation. So

we can together we can do it.

Totally. And you don't have to have a degree as a psychologist

to help other people. Sometimes it's, it's good that they know

that you went through difficult situations and you overcame

hardship. And now you can listen to others and have empathy and

compassion. Right.

Exactly. Exactly. Because I've been there done that and and

that makes you an expert in your in that area. Your experience?

Yeah, you see, you went through things, you figured things he

was wrong on certain things. And you had to figure that out? Once

you get to go to next thing and before you know you you got it?

And that would would you figure it out? People don't have to go

what you went through to figure it out? Because you have the

answer. You have the solution for them now. Yeah, and now and

that was make it a beautiful thing. Well, we need this need

people this the lesson, if they listen. And understand would

understand and you got to listen with understanding. You just

listening is going to one ear out the other, you have to

listen intently with understanding and try to

understand what what position the speaker is coming from, and

try to relate to it. If you're not doing these things, and why

you're listening, you will miss the whole point. And it's not

gonna be life changing for you. Yeah. For words, changes people

lives is the power of the word. The like the Bible again, say

you know is the tongue is the is the power of life and death.

Within a term is the power life. Okay, so that is what you

speaking into your life. What you hear when you take an ad

from other people. So you got it as you know, I don't want to

ramble on, I just want to say it is, yeah. Take when you when you

don't wish, right. When we speak somebody speak to you if to you,

you're gonna, you're gonna, you're gonna receive that

because you use wait and see, because you live in, in trying

to do what's right. So you're always gonna gravitate towards

you trying to do good or bad. So I pray that it's good. Because

your, your result is going to be good. It is that's just a

principle

that you have to experience on your own. You cannot, you can

listen. But then you also have to act upon it. Like you said

earlier. Right?

Exactly, exactly. You got to put when you believe in something

new, something that you want to do some idea you have or

somebody told you something, they put some idea in your own

mind. act upon it. Have faith in yourself, have faith in that

idea that you have, and just do it. Because if you don't do it,

you never know what you can accomplish in life. You'll never

know you never come to the pump. They never put the effort

towards it. You have to go and do it. No matter if you fail or

not. Don't worry about that part of it. Because when you tell us

you learn how to be victorious. You just the process. This is

life.

Yeah, yeah. No, that's a such a powerful message. And if your

intentions are good, you don't need to fear. Right? You don't

need to fear if it's being received. Yeah. Exactly. If your

internet

what happened when you're doing?

Excuse me? No, no, you say,

no matter what the results are when you'd have when you do

something with a good intent. It doesn't matter. Because you can

get back up on a bicycle that you fell off of. And keep on

going. Yeah, eventually, you will get what you're seeking.

Yes.

Yeah. No, very, very good. John. Is there any last closing words

that would you like to add here for people to really know about?

Yeah, prison life and life after and life in general?

Yes, um, prison. I see that is no different than those who are

free in society. Who put yourself in your own prisons?

Yes. Okay. Yes. It's no different. Only thing different

is that you free you can do something about it. Or you can

go to get better health. In a physical bondage, you limited,

your resources are limited. That's what I'm talking about.

When you when you three Bangor that I am now here in society,

now, Marie, SOS are bigger, I have a choice to do big seek

help from various sources, versus me being in prison. So

therefore, the people desert society right now. They're

thinking about doing something wrong. Or going through sudden,

seek out help. Don't be afraid to talk to somebody about your

situation, find somebody that you can trust. There's one

person that I know that you can trust, to talk to, to talk to

that person, and how 10 times you will get some type of type

of satisfaction out of that. And if that if you don't get what

you deserve out of that was keep seeking. As the Bible Savior

Jesus telling you, you look you're not in seek and you shall

find in a door shall be opened unto you. So just keep going

keep knocking at that door, seeking for what you what you're

looking for. And eventually, you would get there. That's my word

for you.

Beautiful. There's also like, another thing I've heard is that

God helps those who help themselves. Right? You have to

be active, like you just said, you have to go and seek help go

and ask questions. Because you will be helped. You have to

learn.

That's right. Yeah, that's right. You know, is like me, I

receive help. For my situation, my court and while I was in

prison, fighting my case, I receive help, because people saw

me working so hard. Yeah. But by me not knowing the law like me

counsels the death thing they do every day. In, they saw me they

see me going and knocking on their door everyday trying to

learn maximum questions, and I'm trying to find out certain

different things. And some umbrella, you know, because I

don't see this, they see it over and over again, people will

initially start with deals, they will fade out. So they don't. So

a lot of people don't want to help you because they feel like

you'd like the rest. But just keep doing it. Keep on going

forward. Because eventually they're going to find that one

person is going to see you, you know, feel you is going to help

you. You hidden in there you have it.

Yeah. So beautiful. John, thank you so, so much for your time

today and for Yeah, sharing your wisdom with us. It's deeply

inspiring and so motivating and you don't have to be a person

who was in jail to understand and to relate, because we're all

sometimes in prison in our minds or in a situation we don't want

to be in. So what you hear relates to everybody, and I'm

very excited to post this episode. Thank you so much,

Joan. You're welcome.