Personal Growth Episodes

Growing up near Chicago, Illinois, Anjel Ocegueda learned by age 13 that the environment around you can shape the course of your life. "The streets take a toll on you. Whether it's your environment, the people around you, or something that happens to your friends or family, you feel like you have to choose a side." As a sixth and seventh grader, Anjel excelled in school. He earned straight A's, made the honor roll, participated in sports, and envisioned a future built around higher education. H...

When most people hear that someone has proactively decided to write, befriend, or even date a prison inmate, they think it's weird, bizarre, or unhealthy. So many people, not accustomed to the prison pen pal world, will ask, "Why would you write an inmate? Why not find a friend (or partner) who ISN'T incarcerated?" After a lot of thinking and a little research, we now know the answer: Connection. Or a complete lack of connection, as the case may be. When men and women feel disconnected from one another in the free world (thanks in large part to technology) they turn to someone who may be more inclined to listen, more inclined to pay attention -- a captive audience, so to speak. We discuss some of the research that has helped lead us to this conclusion. We learn about how people are spending much less time out of the house, and how technology is the biggest problem in so many marriages today. People don't feel heard. Many people don't even know how to connect verbally anymore. This epi…

In 2011, Will Leverett stabbed 54-year-old Melissa Millan as she jogged alone at night on a trail in Simsbury, Connecticut. The case went unsolved for over four years. Overcome with guilt and shame, Will confessed his crime, first to a good female friend of his, and then to some members of his church. Soon after, they walked with him to the police station, providing moral support as he confessed to the crime. Will, now a member of PenPals.Buzz, hopes to meet an understanding and open-minded pen pal who would be willing to write him letters and emails. He loves animals, the outdoors, and hopes to travel one day, after completing his 35-year sentence. Later in the episode, we chat with Tennessee inmate Luis Paz. Luis, who has written blogs for PenPals.Buzz, explains why giving real support to an inmate has nothing to do with money. He also talks about ways to make genuine connections with your pen pal. Spoiler alert -- it doesn't involve love letters or romance. He reminds us a…