The Person Next to You

Meet Maria.  She founded Awake Window & Door Co in July 2020 to meet a need.  Joining together with three other owners, they recognized qualified men and women were missing out on job opportunities because they had a criminal background.  They built a company to prove simply that people can be qualified to do great work despite their past… and it’s working.  In just over five years, Awake Window & Door Co has grown from $200K to over $30 million.  Over 50% of the workforce has a justice-involved background and build high-end windows and doors for a demanding market.  Join us in learning from Maria what it means to be a fair chance employer and some practical lessons learned along the way.       Music by  Armond “Mondo” Thomas. ----more---- Links from the episode: https://oudbiztoolkit.org – Opioid Use Disorder Business Toolkit used by Awake Window & Door Co and other AZ business to build a recovery-aware workplace. https://arizonaatwork.com – AZ @ Work is a powerful community resource connecting talented job seekers to AZ companies.  https://jessecrosson.com – “The Best Part of Prison” by Jesse Crosson is an inside look at the men and women breaking all the stigmas during and after incarceration. https://www.ihaveabean.com/pages/second-chances - I Have a Bean is a fair chance employer and creator of the best coffee we’ve ever tried!    

Meet Braden.  He is a receiving technician, forklift trainer, and growth coach at Awake Window & Door Co.  He gets honest about his struggle with substance use, homelessness, and a background that disqualified him from many employment opportunities.  Braden breaks the mold and challenges stereotypes that suggest he would be anything less than a great addition to any team. Music by  Armond “Mondo” Thomas. --------------------- Links from the episode: https://awakewdc.com/news-article/the-space-between-falling-and-rising - “The Space Between Falling and Rising” by Jessica Coz https://oudbiztoolkit.org – Opioid Use Disorder Business Toolkit used by Awake Window & Door Co and other AZ business to build a recovery-aware workplace. https://unhookedrecovery.com – Unhooked Recovery https://www.theworkeraz.org – The Worker provides pathways to self-sufficiency, with employment as the foundation of all they do. https://pazdecristo.org – Paz de Cristo provides not only meals but also hope and dignity so people can start over.

Meet Erik Maloney.  Erik is an author, a mentor, and a man who has served 26 years of a life sentence.  Erik shares about his book, Imprisoned Minds: Lost Boys, Trapped Men, and Solutions from Within the Prison. Together, we discuss his unique perspective on how childhood trauma can shape behavior and the opportunity that fair chance employers have to be a part of the solution.----more---- LInks: Imprisoned Minds: Lost Boys, Trapped Men, and Solutions from Within the Prison Read more about Erik's story on Change.org ASU Center for Correctional Solutions Awake Window & Door Co. 

Meet Lizzette.  Hear her story of hope and determination as she nears the end of a 16-year prison sentence.  She is one of the 70 million Americans who have a criminal background that makes it challenging to find work, support family, and rebuild after incarceration… and she’s a great hire.  Lizzette invites us to join in on her journey of re-entry as it happens.     

Meet Danny Hoffert.  Our goal at The Person Next to You is to introduce the 1 in 3 Americans directly impacted by mass incarceration and recidivism.  Danny shares his story of returning home after 8.5 years behind bars.  His journey from survival, to stability, and now to thriving is why fair chance hiring makes sense for businesses and for healthy communities. 

Episode 1 of The Person Next to You sets the stage for the series by uncovering the “Why” behind the urgent need to share experiences of people who’ve lived through incarceration. With 1 in 3 Americans directly impacted by the ripple effects of mass incarceration, this isn’t a “them” issue, it’s a “we” issue. In this opening conversation, we explore resilience, struggle, vulnerability, and unexpected growth, reminding us that the person beside us may carry a story that could change how we see the world….if we choose to listen.