Struggle2Succcess Podcast
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Struggle2Succcess Podcast
From Chains to Change: The Transformative Journey of Corey Angelo
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This episode was hosted by Sterling Brown
Hello, wonderful people. Today's guest is living proof that your past doesn't define your future. It refines it. Corey Angelo, also known as C, is a life coach, speaker and the host of Exist With Purpose podcast. He's also the author of A Hostess Recourse After serving 10 years in prison, corey turned pain into purpose, rebuilding his identity from the streets to the stage. Turning pain into purpose, rebuilding his identity from the streets to the stage. He's been featured on local news, honored by his community and trusted by many searching for a second chance. His message rooted in spiritual clarity and the belief that we are all worthy, no matter how far we have fallen. Corey, welcome to the show.
Corey:What's going on?
Sterling:good, brother, man, hey man it's a blessing to be here on good brother man.
Corey:Hey, man, it's a blessing to be here. Thank you for inviting me to your platform, man. But this is a blessing to be here, man. I grew up in Pasadena, on the east side of the Indianapolis area. I live in Atlanta, georgia now, but the youngest of five no father in the household, man, like you know, so easy to get into to mischief, whatever the case that may be but um took a lot of wrong turns, man took a lot of wrong turns in life. You know, I mean, and you know that the last wrong turn, that was a defining moment where I feel like you know, I mean, like I gotta do something different. You know, I mean. So I just took my whole life experience and just try to, you know, help brothers coming behind me, like, show them a different avenue. We could do other things besides sit in prison and accept the very lowest rung of quality existence that life has to offer us. But we're going to get into it, man.
Sterling:Let's just start from the nitty-gritty. What did you go to prison for, and who were you then versus the man you are today?
Corey:Well, when I went to prison. I've been in prison twice, unfortunately, both times selling drugs. First time selling drugs to the feds, second time, you know, selling drugs to the undercover. Blah, blah, blah, and I spent a total of 15 years of my life in prison. This last bit has been the longest one. I did 10 straight. The first one, I did five, but I've been in and out of the county jail for just so much nonsense, man. But you know it's always drugs that sent me to prison.
Corey:But to answer your question, who was I then compared to who I am now? Unfortunately, bro and I don't want to broad stroke this, I guess you know across the culture, but unfortunately I was like, I was a lot, like a lot of other young black men coming up in the streets. Man just lost no sense of direction. I mean just trying to find myself, and I'm finding myself in all the wrong things. You know what I mean Trying to prove my validation through this, having old school cars fixed up, you know what I mean. Clothes, you know just, you know whatever. Jewelry, and then you know that ain't working. So I'm still trying to deal with my internal issues. So I'm drinking and smoking, trying to numb the pain of that. So the person I was when I first went to prison, compared to now, it's like somebody went from lost to somebody who know his path, know his direction, still healing, still on that journey as well, but like then, that part of myself that I know that no longer serves my higher self, you know I mean now you mentioned county.
Sterling:I work down here in a county facility where I reside. Is there a difference from a person being in county than I guess the term would say, going upstate?
Corey:Yeah, so okay, in our counties it's definitely rough. You know what I mean. Well, it depends. Well, back when I was going to Woodland, you know, and it got kind of a little bit common and he got kind of a little bit calmer but like, yeah, it's a big difference because, like at county, for the most part if you're fighting your case, you know what I mean, like you got that added stress on to you. But once you go upstate, like okay, you got your time, you know what this is, you know what I mean, and like I can't say like the respect levels is way different, like county. I can't say like the respect levels is way different, like county. I don't know about y'all county, but our county youngsters they stay up all night beating on tables, rapping blah, blah, blah, blah, blah when you go to the joint.
Corey:Same thing down here when you go to the joint. That's all that's over with, bro, because they're serious about their sleep and like respect. Respect is like it's a big thing, respect is like it's a big thing. So my first time going to prison, I went to like a. I went to where Mike Tyson was locked up, actually Indiana Youth Center really yeah, yeah, yeah so when they had Mike Tyson locked up in Indiana, I went to that same prison.
Corey:Actually Mike Tyson, rumor has it, a lot of CEOs have been working to forever say it's true. All they gym equipment is brand new, said Mike Tyson, paid for it because he still was training. So he came in there and seen the gym equipment Like this is just trash, like I'll pay for it, man, but just put some new stuff in it, but anyway. So that's a lower-level prison. But the time I just went to prison I was in maximum security behind the wall. This place called Pillanin Correctional Facility and it's one of, like, the roughest prisons. It ended up Because you got Wabash. Them was the three rough prisons. So you go back there.
Corey:Just like the respect level is so much different, man, like you know it's so different. So to answer your back, to answer your question, is it different between the county and the prison? Like, totally different. Like county, and it's so funny. Like in the county you have access to the law library but nobody goes. Everybody's just sitting there to play all day until people go across the street and people give you 100 years. Then it's oh man. But once you get to the joint and you're around older dudes, they're like bro, have you looked into your case? Like, why are you trying to get out of here? Like you know what I mean. But yes, I did.
Sterling:Right, right. Well, you know what? I agree because a lot of the moments that I will come across individuals in the county down here, I'm always saying to them that they're the younger generation. I'm like look, take this seriously. You know, you need to start transitioning to understand that you could go upstate. Yeah, this could turn into something that could eventually hurt you in the long run you know, but a lot of times they don't think about it like that.
Sterling:All right, yeah, so yeah again, I try to phrase it to them like get your mind right, right, understand that, even though you're around individuals that you know from the street, this is serious.
Sterling:Yeah, you know a lot of times they think that I know from the street this is serious. Yeah, you know, a lot of times they think that I say it's a city within a city because they're still in their neighborhood city and they think, okay, this is just playtime. Yeah, you know, and they're up all night. And again, like when I go to the different tiers and the different pods, you have that older generation, those that are coming down on rent. They're coming down and they're seeing their cases and they won't be bothered with that. So the mentality of those who've already been upstate and have coming down is totally different, you know.
Corey:So so, on this last time I was in there, when I, when my level did drop and I ended up going to a lower level prison, a lot of dudes in there they were like you know, I'm fresh in there, but just how I move, I guess They'd be like, bro, you're coming from a big prison, ain't you? I said, yeah, why you say that? Like, just because how you move, like you're real reserved, you're real laid back, you don't really talk much, like really talk much. Like you know. I mean, you always got a book in your hand. I'm like, like me, I just the horse play in prison or jail. Like I just don't, I can't wrap my mind around that. Like this is not horseplay time.
Corey:Like these people have taken you what I'm gonna say, taking your life because you did something for them to in most cases. But like you have you forfeited your life and you're in, you're still in her plan. You don't get, don't get it. So, yeah, so I understand that. Like, when I they ended up bringing me back to the county too, I put in for something, something that you don't even. I think I put in for a correction of paperwork, something that you don't even ever go back to you don't got to go back to the county for it's a clerk or Earl. They supposed to just fix it back to court. So when I went back to the you know, went back to the county gym seeing guys and they're like you know, big bro, even there they're like like where you at, I'm like I'm behind the wall, they're like, yeah, we could tell like you just move a lot different.
Sterling:When did it? When did it hit that this wasn't. It's gonna be this weekend, couple months. This is gonna be, this is gonna be long term. This is gonna be real time, right now. When. When did that hit?
Corey:So the funny thing about that or not so funny thing about that, before I had caught the bit that sent me back when they gave me 20, when I got out of prison the first time, I'm still in that mind frame like I'm about to get this money, I'm about to get this money, so I get out. Brother, I wasn't out a good year. We got a spot. They raided the spot. It's a bunch of stuff in the house. It ain't on nobody's person, so they really can't say who had what. But since I'm fresh out on parole probation for drugs, they said okay, well, we're going to put some of this on you because evidently you're a drug dealer. You know what I mean.
Sterling:And you own papers in here.
Corey:Short story short, I ended up getting six months house arrest for that. Now, mind you, I'm fresh out from doing the five. I get six months house arrest for that While I'm on house arrest. I had the grand idea. I'm on house arrest, can't go nowhere, might as well get some money selling drugs again. It happened so quick that I was right back in the county they bussed me again. It happened so quick.
Corey:It was this lady in there. She's a transport guard. We call her Danica Patrick. She's like the race car driver. She's young. You know what I mean Attractive, little young white lady. She do the transport. So you know what I mean Attracted, a little young white lady and she do the transport. So when I'm back, when they bust me again, I come back.
Corey:She like because she's reading off the names, like everybody, come and get on her chain gang. She got her chain stretched out. Like you know, when they call you, you just come out and stand next to the chain. They'll come down put them on your arm. So she says she see my name. She's like Corey. This better not be who I think it is. So here I come after she look at me. She's like man, you're going to talk when we get across the street. So I'm thinking she just, whatever we get across the street, bro, she letting everybody off the cuffs, putting us in the bullpen. And she look around like where's Corey at? I look like what's up. She's like where's Corey at? I looked like what's up. She's like come here. I'm like what's up. She's like no, we're about to talk. So and I never told you this off the camera and it kind of like it kind of hit different Right.
Corey:But she took me to a little room and she's like, because she see how old my mother was, when my mother came to court, she said what, just let you out on house arrest. What are you? And you back in here, she said. And you got an A, dylan, a B. She said you in some serious stuff right now. I said man. She said Corey, let me tell you something. She said I don't know what God's plan is for you, she said. But after this, right here, you got to get together. She said your mother's not a young lady, your mother's not a young lady, your mother's old, she said. And to see her in the courtroom when you get the house arrest. And now you're right back in here and surely she's back out there again. She said she out there now? I said yeah. She said see what I'm saying.
Corey:But we sat down there and talked for about 45 minutes to the point where I started crying. She started crying too. She's like, corey, no, she's like what are you doing? I said man chasing that money? She says there's so many. She says so many different ways to get money, corey.
Corey:She said they literally just let you out. They literally just let you out or house arrest. And you're right back here, she said when I seen your name on that docket. She said this better not be who I think it is. She said now come over there to the county and pick y'all up and you come out that cell, come out the holding tank. I said this is this dude Like he's nuts.
Corey:To answer your question when did it hit? Because I knew I was gone. I knew I was gone, bro, like I'm on house arrest for drugs and get busted selling more drugs. I know it's a rap. There'll be no house arrest. There'll be no. You're gone Bye-bye. So I get my lawyer and every time she come and see me, she like she got a little folder. I said what they talking about? She said 30. 30 years, that's the opening plea. 30. She said they are not playing with you. She said this is your fourth drug conviction, your fourth Courtroom. 20, that's our drug, because we got a specific courtroom, just straight drugs and ending up with what they got. I don't know, it's not mine.
Sterling:So it's a specific courtroom, right right, they bought it. It don't belong to me, I don't want it.
Corey:I ain't got nothing. They got it you know what I mean, but yeah, so every time she come and see minute it's like surely she been gone for a month or so, surely she come back with some better news this time, come back. But they talking about 30. I said, oh my gosh. She said they are not playing. They are not playing with you, they are serious.
Sterling:Now, did you feel not to cut you off? Was she a public?
Corey:No, no, no, no no no, no, no, no, she's paid I've never had a public defender in my whole life, all right I think that's a whole another it is I don't, I don't want to go, I don't want to go too far into it but that's a whole another episode.
Sterling:It is, it definitely is.
Corey:But that's the reason why I asked that. Yeah, I know, you know I will go with that right.
Sterling:But even on that, even on that again, pay versus public. There's a level of experience that comes along with that of defense. Knowing your case, yeah yeah, and you believing in that defense, right yeah, go ahead, tell me about that. So about what you just said about the defense no, no, just keep going and just double back on that.
Corey:Okay, so, yeah. So she keep coming to see me and she's like 30-30.
Sterling:So we're getting closer to trial daytime, so she coming and you understand that you believe that from this, I guess we can go there. When she said that 30-30, this is someone you said okay, I believe what she's saying, oh yeah she's serious in the city, she don't play, she's one of them.
Corey:She's one of them. It's two lawyers in Indianapolis, it's probably more than two. It's a guy named David Hennessey. He probably retired now, surely. But if you hire Hennessey, he'd be like if you're looking for a plea bargain, I'm the wrong guy, I'm not your guy. I'm not a plea bargain lawyer. I beat them. This is what I do. You just got you got to have faith in me to beat them and if we lose, just have faith that I can get you back. But I don't accept pleas.
Corey:She's like that. She's like, if I see anything, we're like, nah, that don't sound right, let's try them. But if I know you cook, I'm just going to be like, hey, and in my situation, bro, you cooked you on house arrest and they want a situation where you serve them and then they keep coming back and a couple of weeks later it's like no, you serve them Soon as they pull away. Boom, so you got the money in your hand. Or, informer, got the drugs. Like what are we fighting here? But yeah, so when you say, did I believe, you Like yeah, she's serious, she's serious. She ain't one of them type of you know what I mean, mean if she see any kind of way that she could kind of maneuver like, yep, they did that wrong, they did that wrong, let's try them, even though you did like, yeah, they did a lot of stuff wrong within the whole chain of events. Right, yeah, so they keep offering me the 30. It's like maybe two, two to three weeks before trial day.
Corey:She come back and see me again. She said I said, man, tell them they drop it at 20. I'll take a 20 right now. She said all right, let me go see what they talking about. She come back. She said they said they'll go for the 20. She said they said they'll go for 20. She said and if you like they basically telling me to tell you, like, if you don't want to do that, they're ready for trial because you cooked, you got the house arrest bracelet on your ankle when they bust you. You got the house and you're running out the back door to sell more drugs. Then when you make that sale, boom. So okay, you own house arrest for drugs. You got caught selling more drugs.
Sterling:So they got you in the transaction, yeah, in the transaction With the bracelet.
Corey:Yeah, in the transaction With the bracelet, with the bracelet, with the money, everything, everything. So, yeah, so that's how I ended up getting to 20. You know what I mean. But to answer the first question, like when did it? I knew when I got, when I served him. So here's the funny thing about it I'm on house arrest. I told you so dude called me at the time I'm selling heroin. And dude called me and I tell him to come on. Whatever the case might be, I'm walking away from him. And where I lived at the time, you know it started to be. You know white people started moving in. It ain't just the hood, no more no-transcript, like they buying the property. So it's mixed now and like when they first started moving in. Well, actually, when I first came home from prison, I just see white ladies jogging through the alley with their little stroller and their little dog. I'm like, oh my God, this is different, like this is different.
Sterling:This is different. This is different.
Corey:Shit would have never today like you know, what I mean.
Corey:But so as I walk away from after I'm serving, I just see white people start, you know, running my way. But I'm not thinking police, because it's white people there, because they all in plain clothes and they ain't started saying get down, get down, yet. They just running towards me and I just started looking like man. These people got badges on their neck like oh man. Then that's when they hit me. They started get down, get down. Like oh my God. So when they had me on the ground in the snow, handcuffed, I said it's a wrap, buddy, get ready. It's a wrap, like they say on life. You can go for the long haul, buddy. Send them on a long ride, boss.
Sterling:So what was the one day after prison? How did you separate who you were from who you were becoming Like when you? What was that pivotal moment that and I think we hit on this in our earlier conversations I think you had mentioned someone spoke to you about them calling you a name. Was that it?
Corey:Yeah. So the change see, a lot of people don't realize, like this whole transformation of me, it didn't begin when I got out, it began while I was in prison. Okay.
Corey:It began when I was in prison and like we had talked to, like we had talked about off camera. You know, my nickname in the neighborhood was Cocaine, so the older guy in prison he used to. We in single man cells, so you really, you're in there 23 hours a day. So only time you really see people is when you go to rec and when you go to commissary and when you go to a visit. Basically, other than that, you in that cell out there, you don't, you don't come out.
Sterling:Now, this particular institution was maximum security and it was about how many people was it like on a tier, or how was it set up? It's?
Corey:tears. So it's three tiers up and the whole prison peeling in, I think peeling a whole like 1700 people, something like that. It's a big prison. It's a big prison.
Sterling:So how many? How many will be on a tier at one time?
Corey:on the flag. That's what they call the bottom rung. The flag is probably about 40, 50 cells. You got that all the way up. So it's three levels up. So you got that. You got the middle range, you got the top range and, like every range holds like 50 cells. Maybe you know what I mean. It holds like 50 cells, wow.
Sterling:So the old school we used to always just hear.
Corey:So when I got over there a guy I knew he ended up giving me the job as the range runner. But yeah, so he got me a job as a range runner and he's always like hey, kane, what's up, koke? So one day he's like that's you. They be always calling that. I'm like, yeah, he's like bro, don't let them speak that to your life man. So he got my attention. So I stopped and said I'm going to talk. You're in for little brother. I like selling drugs to the police. He's like hmm, he said. And I told him like how many times did y'all say that? This is my fourth time? He said huh. He said man, that didn't like when you was younger. That didn't process in your mind. He said well, okay. So when your guys come over to your house, look for your kids outside playing. What they say they cocaine there. Where your daddy going. He says so, now that your kids older, they. You don't see them putting that like my daddy's a drug dealer.
Corey:That's why everybody calling cocaine he said wow spoke that into your life so much that you got four drug convictions and you steady letting people call you cocaine, so you internalized yeah, yeah so and that, and that's something I think that you know.
Sterling:a lot of this younger generation, these generations who are living in dire circumstances, they internalize this image and they just want to evolve into that Not evolve, but it becomes acceptable.
Corey:Yeah yeah, yeah.
Sterling:Right.
Corey:Unfortunately, unfortunately.
Corey:Unfortunately, yeah so that was how that really played out and got started. So he was like nah, man, he said we're not going. He said they can call you cocaine. He said but I'm going to start calling you Shakur. He said you talk about being grateful and gratitude a lot. He said that's what Shakur means. He said but stop letting them breathe that into your life, man.
Corey:So from that day I started telling people like nah, because it made sense, it made all the sense in the world. And then when you're in the cell 23 hours a day, man, you have nothing but time to think I'm not a fan, even to this day, like I'm not a real fan of TV, even though I had TV in my cell, like I just I want more books than anything. You know what I mean. Sometimes I'll skip ordering commissary of food, just get books, because I, you know, I like, I love reading. But it was just sitting in that cell. And then one day I was watching anthony bourdain and he they was asking him how did he get off heroin and start traveling the world doing his cooking stuff? He said I seen somebody in the mirror that was worth saving and that hit me like a ton of bricks. I said you know what? I see somebody in the mirror worth saving. So from this point forward, I'm going to make my life mean something, no matter what that is it's going to mean something.
Sterling:You say 23 hours a day, seven days a week, one hour out, and you're on a tier maybe 30 to 50 men. What does the mind go through? A lot. What does the body go through?
Corey:Both a lot, both a lot. I will tell you this. I will tell you this. If you don't have, if you don't, I'm trying to make sure I do this justice that 23 hours a day. It breaks a lot of people, breaks them.
Corey:You see people over there going stark mad for being locked in that cell. Like that I mean stark mad. And when Obama was in office he heard about when the feds was doing that. He's like no, we're going to stop this. Like y'all ruining people. Like humans come from communities and interacting with people, y'all locking people. Basically, bros. Like being locked in your bathroom in your house right now, your bathroom. Just say you got locked in there for 23 hours a day. Right, and somebody your wife or somebody just brought you a little TV. You go to the TV. Here you go. You, a cooler, I come past once or twice a day Give you some ice for your cooler. Here you go, a little hot pot so you can boil you some water, cookie, ramen, noodles, and 23 hours a day I'll let you out one hour a day to go out back and do some pushups and some sit ups and toss a basketball around.
Sterling:So to answer your question, what?
Corey:And toss a basketball around. So to answer your question, what does the mind go through, bro, if it wasn't for me having such a strong spiritual foundation, if it wasn't for me and my love of books, and actually this is so crazy. I tell people all the time the system thought they buried me, they planted me, they gave me too much time to think so when I came home and started doing all this stuff, my niece is like oh, you don't, you don't play.
Corey:Well, like we sit around, make vision boards the whole family area and, like you, the only one be almost completing your stuff. I said because I'm only, I just, they gave me too much time to think I understand what it takes now. They gave me way too much time to think. They gave me too much time to think I understand what it takes now. They gave me way too much time to think. They gave me way too much time. I forget which one of them old warrior stories, but he ended up beating somebody. He said he gave me too much time to study. He should have just attacked me and got me out of the way. He said he gave me too much time to study the board.
Corey:If you give me too much time to study the board'm gonna win. But to answer your question, what does it does? What does it do to the mind? Bro, if you know, if you're not strong mentally, you're not strong mentally, it's gonna break you. But my love of books, and actually in prison, where I picked up meditation, while I love meditating so much, while I meditate every day, you know I mean.
Corey:But books. It took my mind somewhere else, even though I know I'm locked in this closet. It took my mind somewhere else and marcus garvey got a famous quote that I love. He said always read good books by good authors because it puts you in a company of people that you may never have a chance to meet. So through my love of books, I've met marcus garvey, malcolm x, I've met the greatest minds, and I just read their books and just sort, absorb the information, and that's, that's how I the information and that's how I got through it. That's how I got through it, bro, I'm not going to lie.
Sterling:Books, that's how I got through it. You said a hard day. I think this is in your questionnaire. A hard day for me was a sweet day for my ancestors. How does that statement, or what was your mindset, keep you going?
Corey:In prison since I've been home.
Sterling:That's a good.
Corey:let's answer them both so in prison, even though under the worst conditions, under the worst conditions, the worst conditions I could suffer through prison, it was still a hundred times better than what my ancestors went through. Yeah, I was locked in a closet 23 hours a day. Yes, the food was trashed. Yes, the guards come and tear up your cell, sometimes for no reason. Yes, it was just untold numbers of violent acts, you know, between inmates.
Corey:But when I compare that to the ancestors being beat within an inch of their life because somebody felt like they weren't working fast enough, because they looked at a certain person a certain kind of way or made a pass at the woman at a house, whatever the case may be, the stuff they went through, through the whip, tar and feather, through the hangings, like bruh, I still it's still way better than they went through. So my worst day. That's why I be telling, like some people I talk to now, because I hear so many people complaining about oh man, it's hard, it's hard Like bruh, your hardest day, your hardest day out here. The ancestors would have loved a day like that. That was sweet to them, would have loved a day, wow, that would have been sweet to them. Oh, you call we complaining about.
Sterling:So I always try to Like you don't have to walk 10 miles, 5 miles, 7 miles to go to school and walk back in your bare feet, Exactly.
Corey:I mean not to me, this is my opinion. Now we're going to leave out, just like you know, some of the super horrendous, like, I guess, school shootings and all that. But just like the average day person, bro, especially from our culture, the average day person, their worst day. I promise you and I'm not going to even say just the slaves I'm talking about through Jim Crow and all that People would have loved to have a day like that, like this, it, and you complain about this man. I could take a hundred of these a day. You know what I'm going through. Well, like if one could come and talk to you like, bro, you complaining about that. Let me show you my back. Let me show you what I went through on a daily basis. And you complaining because your boss said it's mandatory overtime. My whole life was mandatory overtime. Like, what are we talking about here? What are we comparing here? Prayer here. You know what I mean.
Corey:I always try to keep that in mind. My worst day is one of my ancestors' sweet days. They would love to trade places with me. Love to trade places with me. I was listening to Inky Johnson a couple weeks ago. He said if everybody, you took a circle of people and y'all all wrote y'all problems on the card and threw them in the pile and just switched the pile up and you start picking out other cards, other people's problems like you would love to hate. Well, hold on where my card at. I want my problems back. Compared to some of these problems I see other people got, I want my problem. So yeah, I always try to keep that in mind. Man, a hard day for me is a sweet day.
Sterling:What lie about yourself? Did you stop believing? Did because I know we talked about the name yeah right, but was there anything else that you, when you took a self-inventory, that you said? You know what I'm lying to myself you know.
Corey:You know, if I had to pick one which was going which is going to be the biggest one is reason why I named both my companies out of it. My companies is Worthy Existence and then my publisher company is Worthy Existence. I mean publisher, but the biggest one. To answer your question is just that I'm worthy, bro. Like if you go through your life so much, you know, feeling like that you ain't enough or whatever the case may be, it's just like you're unworthy.
Corey:When something snapped in your mind and like I said that Anthony Bourdain, when he said I looked in the mirror and seen somebody, I looked in the mirror and seen somebody. Like hey, man, despite everything, you're worthy, bro. You're worthy to have success. You're worthy to have health. You're worthy Every area of your life, you get covered. You're worthy of that. You're worthy of every area of life. You get covered. You're worthy of that. And don't you ever tell yourself nothing different, because that's the biggest lie. You can tell yourself that you're not worthy of whatever it is that you want out of life. And that's why I named my company Worthy Existence. So that would be the biggest one. I had to let that go like from not feeling worthy to like whatever it is I want in life, I'm worthy of it.
Sterling:And you know, actually this is not one of theimate, not just to society and catch up, because understanding that you have been put in a place, in a particular environment for X amount of years, god forbid. Now you're coming back to a society, minus those who may have took that time lapse with you, but you're coming back to a society that is sped up. How do you? How have you because you speak about you have two companies. You're publishing, you're podcasting, but also I know personally, off camera, your father.
Corey:Yeah.
Sterling:Yeah, that's not a company, that's a life right there. You're going to be a husband yeah, all right, and you're already technically married, but you're getting married. So congratulations, appreciate it. How do you acclimate it in those transitions?
Corey:So we're going to go with just like the biggest one Coming home from prison. Like you said, everything is sped up. But this goes back to what I was telling you about books. So when I went to a lower level, I worked in the library and he would always get new magazines. So what did I do? I looked at because I knew the world was headed towards technology, because everything is moving so rapid. So I just started glancing at technology magazines like huh, blah, blah blah. So when I come home, my sister gave me a smartphone. My sister gave me a smartphone. I said, oh my God, you know what I mean. She's like this, do that, this, do that. So we go out a couple. I see people just swiping their phone across the paper for stuff. I'm like what is all this stuff?
Sterling:You didn't know how to use it did you Not at all?
Corey:Wow, not at all. So this is how I caught up. I told you I'm a student, so why? Everybody already know how to do anything. Okay, I'm just going to study, read. And then you know, my youngest son man God bless his little brother. He's so sharp, he's so much like me, so sharp. He just was just teaching me stuff like pops, do it like this, do this. Didn't know me. I tell you how I do that.
Corey:So once I started connecting the dots for this is just technology I got it.
Corey:Now I get, and I still ain't over there, but I'm way compared to when I come home, hand a smartphone to a caveman like huh, right, but the the main thing to help me acclimate in all other areas of my life, bro, I ain't gonna lie. When I came home, I had such a strong support system my oldest sister, my fiancee, my nieces, like I just had people around me who like, and I and I'm like one of the people who like I pick up quick. So you know what I mean, just show me. Show me once, maybe twice, I got it. You know what I mean. If I don't got it on the third time I have we got it. Then after that we got it. But just to make that get acclimated to certain stuff, like today still and my sister was talking about this like last year, it's just solitude, just it don't bother me. And I tell people now like I'm never pressed for conversation because I got a hundred books I could read, like, even though I got a face, wow, I like that.
Sterling:I never pressed for conversation because I got a hundred books yeah, I got a hundred books I could read.
Corey:I'm never pressed for conversation, so I'll be having to pull myself out of there sometimes I still like solitude, you know what I mean. I said like, I mean my family, like family, like we argued and nothing. But I can sit in my office all day and just be happy until she like okay, well, we gonna watch the show, like you know what I mean. So it started, stuff. I'm still trying to cause it just being a part, you know, of my life for so long while I was in prison. Well, I'm gonna tell you a funny one. When eat and I was mad, my sister like bro, slow down, ain't nobody gonna. I said you gotta think 10 years.
Corey:When you go to to the mess hall, it's come on, hurry up and eat. By the time you get your tray to sit down, they tell me come on, it's time to go. Like we just got our trays. Like yep, well, y'all better figure it out because it's time to go. So it forces you. So you sit down because at the minute they're gonna be talking about it's time to go. So when, when I came home, that was a funny one. We sat around talking about it. We're like when we go out to eat, you just assume that food. What's important in going out to eat is to sit down and enjoy each other, come into your fellowship and chill out. When we look up, you're the first one done, but I didn't get past it now. No, but yeah. So it was just different areas I had to really hone in on and focus on to make those adjustments and changes. Man, I think what.
Sterling:I just had a thought and actually ties in to something that I was going to ask later on. I can ask it now. You had boundaries that you could let down and boundaries that kept you in line yeah, yeah. So the boundaries that, like the eating, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a boundary that you got.
Sterling:I can, I can let this one down yeah, but the boundaries that you kept in line. How was that acclimation to say that you know what? Because for me, one of my boundaries is to say I can always go back to the person I used to be. But if I want to be something better, I got to keep pushing and, like you say, I'm going to keep looking in that mirror. I'm going to keep looking in that mirror.
Corey:So here's the funny thing, man. Back to what I said. They thought they buried me, but they planted me the whole time I was in prison. Bro, I literally time it snapped and I'm like all right, I'm about to figure this out. I just used everything I could in prison as a training ground. And I say that to say now, mind you, when it sell 23 hours a day, you don't got to get up, you don't got to make your bed, you don't got to do nothing. You can sit in that bed all day like they don't care what you do in there, that's just have at it, we don't care. So I knew I was through with the streets. So this is one of the first and hardest changes I had to make Before I went to prison.
Corey:Man, don't call my. If you call my phone, 10, 11 o'clock in the morning, man, what you calling me so early? For, like bruh, it's 11 o'clock. What you talking about early Like this, is because I hung out all night, didn't go to sleep till 2, 3, 4 in the morning. So you calling me at 10, 11. I'm saying that's early in the morning.
Corey:So the first thing, one of the very first things I did we talking about boundaries and stuff. I said, okay, when you get out in the morning we're going to force yourself to get up early in the morning. In prison, bro, I started getting up at 5 o'clock in the morning, had my little alarm clock Go out at 5 o'clock. Get up, make my bed, maybe some coffee, read me something spiritual, read me some kind of little motivational book or something, just probably cut on the news, watch MSNBC or something. So my neighbor, one of my guys, he's like bro, why do you get up so early? Like that? You're not going nowhere. I said because I'm preparing for when I get out In the outside world. You have to get up early to go to work. You can't slay any beer until 10, 11 o'clock at night.
Corey:So to this day and you probably could attest to this you might text me at night or something. Attested is you might text me at night or something. And to some people like I text him at 8 o'clock, I ain't going to respond, but you'll see me text you back at 4 o'clock in the morning, like perfect.
Sterling:Yes, you know what I'm saying? Yes, yes, because I'm up, I'm up, I'm up.
Corey:So I'll be praying on calls, no problems, nobody has Like I'm up. So you texting me at night, 8, 8.30, I'm in the bed, but I'm up. I'm up at 3.30 in the morning. Right, I'm up at 3.30 in the morning, so if I see you, I'm going to text you when I get up. I thought I went through my prayer and meditation, got myself together. I'm going to text you back, whatever, not just you. Whoever I'm up, y'all sleep, I'm up.
Sterling:Man that's so powerful. I mean, what you said was that if I'm getting this right, is that I'm not waiting until I get out. I'm internalizing this right now. I'm in transition right now, because if you wait till you get out, you're done, you're done, you're cooked, you're done, you're cooked, you're done, you're cooked. That's the same thing, the mindset alone. Right, there is that, and I got to ask it how long into your sentence did you start to have that mindset? One year.
Corey:And I'm going to be honest, bro, straight, pure transparency.
Sterling:Straight, pure transparency, bro Listen.
Corey:When.
Sterling:Going into a 20-year bid yeah, transparency, bro, listen. When going into a 20-year bid yeah, going into a 20-year bid after the first year, you had already said my mindset is that I I don't have to get up, but I'm gonna get up 5 o'clock, 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning. So when I get out, 19 years from, now, it's natural.
Corey:It's natural, it's just. I like no alarm clock needed. Like every time I say my purpose wakes me up, I only know alarm clock, my purpose wakes me up.
Sterling:I like that guy yo. My purpose, my passion wakes me up.
Corey:So here's the thing Back to. I'm going to go back just a little real quick. They got this place called RDC. I'm pretty sure all states got it, but ours is called RDC, it's the Some Diagnostic Center. So that's where they shave your head and make everybody look the same and run you through all kinds of blood tests and blah, blah, blah, blah. See what prison they're going to send you to Everybody. Look at your chart. Okay, he's a level four, he's a level five. He got violence on his back. He don't got. No, they try to sort you out with prison they're going to send you to.
Corey:So when I was in RDC, it's a prison right outside the wall of Pillon. It's called CIC, literally right outside the wall, because Pillon is behind a 40-foot wall. No matter where you're at in there, where you walk in there, all you see is airplanes and birds. And I tell people all the time jokingly, like sometimes the birds are like come on, we're going to fly around. They look depressed down there. Birds don't even want to fly over there. But I've tried to go to CIC for all the wrong reasons, because I was still in that dope boy mindset and I knew a guy over there who was doing some major things. I said you know, he got it wired up over there. He got the COs bringing him in and everything. I'm going to go over there and get me some money.
Corey:We get to CIC, slash Pillanin, because you go on the same bus. They start reading off the names of everybody that's going to CIC, johnson, smith. I'm looking down at the bus. I'm like, yep, he about to say my name any minute. He calls some names. All right, closed the door back. I'm like they ain't called my name. What's going on? I said hey, that's how y'all got for CIC. He's like yeah, he said the rest of y'all going behind the wall.
Corey:I said behind the wall, I feel like Eddie Murphy in life. You know what I'm talking about. Yeah, life, the wall. I said behind the wall, I ain't got no time to go behind the wall. People behind the wall got 50 years or better. People back there got 50 and better. I got 20. Why am I going behind the wall? Everybody else on this bus is going behind the wall. So they sent me behind the wall, of course. So, like I said that first year, I still was in there still thinking and I got a chapter in my book called Effective Thinking versus Ineffective Thinking, I was still thinking ineffectively. I was like, well, I got some guys back here, maybe I could you know. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But after that year I said, man, who am I kidding? Man, like, what are we doing here? And I read a book.
Corey:This guy I forget his last name is Kern, but he got a book called Change your Game Plan and he was in the feds for selling drugs. Short story short, he gets busted selling drugs while he's in the feds and his wife finds out he's white because he's still selling drugs. Tell the inmates. He gets busted and goes to the home. His wife finds out. He says his wife told him if you can't stop selling drugs in there, what makes you think you're going to stop when you get out here?
Corey:What make you think you don't stop you in prison already for selling drugs? You steady in there selling drugs to people and they done busted you and sent you to the hole. Now you got to be in the hole for three, four, five, six months but you telling me on the phone, baby, like, come on, I'm going to change my life, I'm going to change my. You can't. You're still doing the same stuff in there. They got you. You're still doing the same stuff in there. They got you in there, right. They got you in there. You think by some magic wand, when you get out you're just going to walk away from it all, like it's not going to happen. So when I read that, I said you know what? And I'll just call my name around his ear, mark. I said yeah, kid, because I know me. So just let me stop it here.
Corey:And I used to tell brothers all the time, especially when I left the maximum security and went to the lower level, they'd be like big bro when I get out, especially this one guy, man. He used to always come out, get out and start me a barbershop. This is this. And that I used to tell him. I said no, you ain't.
Corey:He said, man, why you don't sit and read books all day like you? I said, bro, let me tell you something that you got right now that people in the world ain't got. You have the luxury of time. You have the luxury of time. You don't have a job in here. You don't go to school, you just sit in this dorm all day and play cards and bull crap all day. So why not use the time now to get ahead of the game? So when you do get out they got a library over there, why ain't you going over there? And if they don't got books on barbershops, which they had a barbershop program in the prison you can learn how to cut hair if you really wanted to. I'm going to do it when I get out. Man, that's how I know you're not going to do it.
Corey:Short story short. He got out. Seen him on the news. He was back got the same prison. I told everybody. I used to tell him. I said yes, because you have the luxury of time, if my thing was when I was locked up to open a barbershop, I'm going to be reading everything barbershop related, reading exactly.
Corey:Everything barbershop related. Why Exactly?
Sterling:Because people on the streets.
Corey:They got to hustle and bustle. I got to get up, go to work. I got to spend time with my girlfriend. If I got You're pulled in a thousand different ways, so why not right now?
Corey:Why you got the luxury of time to learn everything that you can learn about whatever it is that you want to do, and then, when you get out, you're already 10 steps ahead of the game and I think that's kind of like one of the things that helped me. I was just already studying and learning so many different stuff, so much different stuff about what I want to do when I get out. Then, when I get out, when I got out, it wasn't nothing to do but just to implement it, and that's where I really started writing my book at. You know what I mean. As you can see in the background, I started writing it when I was in prison, but in real time, documenting all the changes I was making, the stories, the stuff I was implementing, from praying to meditation, where I picked up fast. I started documenting everything that I was doing in real time and put it in book form Like this is going to help somebody, this is going to help somebody.
Sterling:Now we're going to come back to your book, because that's very special and I do want to talk about that.
Corey:What do you want young brothers to hear when they listen to you speak? I want them to hear truth. I want them to hear honesty.
Sterling:I can tell you right now what I hear I hear transparency. That can tell you right now what I hear I hear transparency.
Corey:That was about to be my next word.
Sterling:I mean, I took that from you. I'm sorry, but I hear transparency. But you said truth, honesty. What else Transparency would be?
Corey:one and just like we had talked off camera about this guy from Philly, wallo267. And he did twice as much time I did. I had 20 to 10. So that's that's how it was. It's changed now, but when I went to prison it was 20, you do half that. Now it's 85%, 75%. But Wallo actually did 20 straight. You know what I mean.
Corey:But he came home and changed his life in such a way that the brother is doing Ben's commercials and got all this stuff going on. He's walking out the Philadelphia Eagles on a football field. And he just did 20 years in prison. But he came home he said I don't know. I don't know much. I've been my life being in prison. But he did the same thing. He said well, I was in prison, I just studied marketing, I studied technology, I studied. I'm just going to get out in some kind of way, use my life experience to help people. And that's how he started just making videos every day. Get up, get up, good morning, y'all should be up grinding, y'all should be up doing something. And it just caught on fire. He got a million subscribers. He got a million followers on Instagram right now. I mean, the dude just blew out this world Got a podcast, a million dollars for game.
Corey:But back to your original question what do I want young brothers to hear me? What do I want young brothers to hear when they hear me? Like you said, just transparency, bro, and just like bro. You don't know to the degree it pains my heart to see not just young brothers but brothers in general. But my focus is definitely young brothers to feel like, wherever they at in life. This is just all. It is Like bro, no, no, it's not. We have to get out of that mindset. I'm in the hood, I'm always. You know what I mean. I'm an IE and all these different names they got for young. But like you know what I mean, like I'm talking like bro, no, no, it don't come out of Compton, the worst of the worst. But you know what they had, their father. They had a mindset like no, we're going to make something happen from right here.
Corey:Inky Johnson, another one come from Kirkwood, atlanta, surrounded by drugs gangbangers. No, I'm going to make some inky fault. To go back to the same the worst performing, one of the worst performing schools in Atlanta. They transferred him to a so-called better school. He said Mama Daddy, please send me back. Send me back to where I came from. They're like ain't nobody makes it from there. He said, I'm going to make it from there. I'm going to make it from there.
Corey:Watch me, I'm going to make it. So I want the youngsters to hear me like bro, you change your mindset, start looking in that mirror. Send somebody that's worth saving. It won't actually want better for yourself. Bro, a lot of our stories will change drastically I mean drastically if we just start accepting that this ain't got to be my lot in life. And the elder that I was talking to in prison I think we talked about this off camera he said, bro, when I talk to you, you got sense. He said you got a lot of sense. He said I hate to say what I'm about to say, but it's the truth. He said some of these dudes in here, this is just a lot in life, man. They don't see nothing but this.
Corey:He said just because you're in prison don't mean and that's another mindset I had to make Because you're in prison don't mean you got to buy into prison culture. I stood out. I met a couple of my guys that I was real cool with. I said, man, we unicorns in here. They look at us like weirdos. We meditate, we read books. We always got a positive thought on our head. Just because you're in here with me, you got to gang bang, carry knives and buy into your whole face tattooed. I'm thugging bro.
Sterling:Right Like no Right, no Right Exactly. There's another phrase, I don't know because I can't quote the author, but basically, just because you lock my body up, you don't lock my mind up, lock my body.
Sterling:You can't lock my mind, you know it's exactly when we talked about this off camera. But what was it like to have your mother I'm going to use the term that we would know ride with you and be exposed to that presentation that you know? That awaited them when they came to see you the metal detectors, the winding, what was that like? Was that a part of your change? That?
Corey:was bro. My mother's birthday is the 26th of this month. She's about to be 86 years old. Yeah, it was to see her stick by my side the very first time I went to prison, because you know my son and mother, which you know it happens At the end I didn't understand it because it was my first time in prison, but you know the women. They leave because, like everybody's sitting around waiting on you five, ten years, like life goes on, whether you want it to or not, like you know what I mean. So, but my mother always came to see me, always kept money on the phone. Whatever the case may be, I get locked up. The second time she was so hurt. This is why I'm still in the county. She was so hurt and I knew she was hurt because at the time my wife which my ex-wife now she said call your mother. I said no, she said I know, that's why you need to call her. She said I stopped by to check on her. She just sit in her room, just be in the bed sick. And I talked to her. Captain, he going to be all right. He a grown man, he makes his own decisions. Like yeah, I know you ate something today Like, nah, like Mr Captain, eat that boy going to be all right, he going to be all right. He got to learn. He got to learn.
Corey:Second time I went to prison my mother was coming through them doors like the Woman King, that movie with Viola Davis Strong, like man. So we used to have deep conversations. Like mama, when I come home, I'm about to shock the world. I said I promise you, I'm going to go back into my mental archive All the lessons you done taught me my whole life. They still there. They still there. All the lessons you taught me about being a decent person, about working hard, about you know what I mean. I'm about to go back into the vault, get them lessons and I promise you, when I come home I'll make you proud. I'm going to shock the world. I'm going to shock the world. She said I hope so, baby, because I can't go through another one of these. She said because this is killing me. I said watch what I tell you, watch what I tell you.
Corey:But to answer your question about at one point, bro, I told her to stop coming to see me because behind the wall they're so disrespectful it's not all of them, but you come to that visiting room like this is my mother man, and I'm not saying that some people probably ain't had their mother try to bring them something in there, but my mother's an 87-year-old woman, christian. She's not on that kind of time. She's not bringing me nothing in here but a hug and a smile. But to see the stuff she go through when she sit down and talk to me. Yeah, people out there they feeling all of me, and this isn't that.
Corey:I had to go down the street to walmart and change shirts. Like what shirt could an 80 year old, 70 year old woman at the time have on this too? She ain't got no tank top. Like, what are we doing here? It's like you know nasty dog jumped up on me because you know they make the dog walk around and sniff them. Whatever the case, like that nasty dog jumped up on me. I said mom, stop coming. I got plenty of books in here. I'm going to be all right. I've talked to you on the phone. I said stop coming At least at least do I go to a lower.
Corey:I said, mama, don't come back. I said I don't want to take you out because I told my cousin. I said I'm going to take her to my visiting list. He said nah, cuz, don't do that, man. I said because she won't stop coming. He said, man, you don't know what that's doing for her. Let her you know, do what she feels right for her. It ain't just about you, she won't. I said wild till he say because I see it, because she ain't, she ain't sold no drugs, so y'all got her coming through y'all metal detectors, all this old crazy stuff, like treating her like she did something wrong, she coming to see me, like you know what I mean.
Corey:So, yeah, I told her to stop coming like for six months, like I don't even come, just wait till I go somewhere else. Yeah, but it was, it was. I think it was rough.
Sterling:It was rough and I asked you that because I think a lot of our younger generation need to understand that. I mean, I know when I went and I'm going to be transparent from the stories that I heard from my brother and not being able to have a father in my life and not meeting my father, and to my mid-twenties and who was incarcerated. I wasn't built for upstate biz.
Sterling:I ain't built for, for upstate bids, I ain't gonna lie. But there was other components that you know that we talked off camera that helped me make that decision. But I, I knew I I never wanted my family members to go through that. But I think that needed to be told because, again, you are not doing this alone. If you have people that love you Going from the thoughts, the prayers, taking money out of their time and effort to put on your books to buy something that will cost a dollar at the dollar store.
Sterling:That's now like $7 $4. Okay, let's make it make sense alright, and just for you to say, I got money on my books, but that money could have been used with your family and so many more Absolutely.
Corey:And I'm going to tell you something, not to cut your wisdom, but I'm going to tell you something. Not to cut your wisdom, but I'm going to tell you something. This messed up my thinking was before I ever got busted one time for drugs, my mother and my older sisters always be like bro, do something different. Do something different. There's no future in that. My biggest, most ignorant response was well, if I go to prison, I'm the one going to prison, not y'all. I don't prison. I'm the one going to prison, not y'all. I don't know what I got to do to turn, because I'm just thinking physically but I'm not thinking about the tolls it's going to take on my family emotionally, mentally, spiritually. You know what I mean Because I'm somebody that they need and want around. So when I'm not in the picture, other stuff go wrong. That should be going wrong, whatever the case may be. So when I went this last time, you know what I mean. Like my oldest sister, she was like bro, let me tell you something. This was in the county before I even got shipped off, after I got my time. I'm just waiting on RDC to come pick me up.
Corey:She said I'm not coming to see you one time. She said and here's why she said you smart. She said you smart. She said do this. They bust you that way. They just keep. She said you know what? That's not what god got for you. It's not working.
Corey:She said some dudes could sell drugs and have runs forever before they get busted. One time you busted, six months busted. But like you just keep getting busted. They're like because you just out here being sloppy and just whatever like and you can have the what you think is the most elaborate system, like well, I don't touch none, this, the youngster go get it, and this, this, and that they bust the youngster. They just keep busting you. Like, just give it up. She said I'm not coming to see you one time. She said but this is what I will do for you. Keep money on your books, any books that you want. Let mama know and I get them. She said I keep money on mama's phone so you can have a way to call her home and talk to her. She said but I'm not coming to see you one time. She said I promise you that and the whole team, I was gone. She didn't show up one time but she did Everything else. She said she'll do Kept money in my book. She held you down.
Sterling:She held you down and she kept her and she backed up what she said, absolutely. You know, because, as we say, actions speak louder than words.
Corey:Absolutely, and since I've been from the first day I got out to the present day, she's one of the biggest supporters, helpers. Anything I need, anything I need, I promise she going to do it. She do stuff for me that she's like it's like don't tell my kids which is my niece. It's like don't tell my kids I did X, y, z for you. They didn't ask me the same thing. I told them. Nah, she said, but I see you trying and you kept your word that you weren't going back to the streets. So any kind of position, any kind of thing I can help you with, I'm going to help you. She said I'm going to help you. I said I ain't got much, but anything you need help with, bro, I got you. I got you because you kept your word.
Sterling:I know this is not going to be the last time that you come. I just want to say thank you.
Corey:I appreciate you for having me. I appreciate the Struggle to Success podcast man, everything on and off Because this is what a lot of people don't know like off camera man, this brother's taught me that you're important with me, help me navigate certain stuff I'm trying to do, and I appreciate that. Before we wrap up, I just want to say one thing about the help. I have a picture right here on my wall of a turtle sitting on a fence post and everybody coming here like what's that picture about? Like if you ever see a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, you know he had help getting there. So that's my reminder. That's my reminder. That's my reminder. No matter where I'm at in life, no matter what type of fence post I'm sitting on, I had help and you wanted people to help and I appreciate you.
