In this episode, I interview Fritzi Horstman, the founder and executive director of the Compassion Prison Project. In 2017, Fritzi won a Grammy Award working alongside Dr. Dre in The Defiant One, a 4-part documentary series. She has worked with many of the top names in the industry such as Richard Dreyfuss, Christian Slater, Jewel, Jennifer Lopez and many more, but it is not her accomplishments in the movie industry that now define Fritzi, but more so the work she is doing with the Compassion Prison Project.
At the very core of her being, Fritzi’s Compassion Prison Project is about bringing humanity and compassion to incarcerated men and women. She is currently filming a documentary about the work that she and her team are doing in maximum security prisons in the United States and their commitment to help inmates understand that their true nature is not violent and hateful but instead magnificent and magical. Her new mission in life is to help incarcerated men and women heal and reform themselves in ways that help them re-enter society and contribute back to the communities that they live in proactive ways. Her hope is to provide them with the tools and skills to live meaningful lives that give them a sense of purpose, hope, connection and love.
This conversation dives very deeply into the impact of childhood trauma, the importance of compassion for others and compassion for self, the power of belonging and connection, and the need to look more closely at our own lives and the work we need to do to live with more fulfillment and meaning. Fritzi hopes that listeners of this podcast, at minimum, better understand the devastating impact that childhood trauma can have and to understand what the ACE Test is (Adverse Childhood Experiences Test). It is her hope that everybody takes this test to better understand any childhood trauma that they may have experienced and what can be done about it. The ACE Test can be found at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
See the powerful Step Inside the Circle video
Fritzi's Bio
Fritzi Horstman is the Founder and Executive Director of CPP. She is a Grammy-award winning producer for her work on “The Defiant Ones”, has been a producer and post-producer on dozens of television projects and documentaries and has directed several films. She believes it is urgent to bring humanity and compassion to those living behind bars and these acts will help transform our society. She has a Bachelor's Degree from Vassar College.
Connect With Fritzi
Website: https://compassionprisonproject.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Fritzi5
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fritzi.horstman and https://www.facebook.com/compassionprisonproject
Please consider a donation to Fritzi's Compassion Prison Project. She currently has a fund raising initiative to be able to continue doing the amazing work that she and her team are doing.
Special thanks to Bronx based band Conversing with Oceans and Alex Bondarev for creating the podcast music.
https://www.conversingwithoceans.com/