From Bank Robber to Author to Mentor, featuring Joe Loya

This week’s episode covers much territory, from cultivating mentors (whether they know they’re your mentors or not) to how to take care of yourself when writing trauma. This week’s guest, Joy Loya, had an unusual and powerful journey to becoming an author, and his story is testament to how we choose who we want to be in this world and how we show up.

ABOUT JOE LOYA

Joe Loya is an author and former convicted bank robber. He grew up in LA, and from 1985 was robbing banks in Southern California until he began a seven-year prison sentence in Lompoc Federal Penitentiary. While in prison he was placed in solitary confinement for violent behavior. During this time he developed a friendship with the author Richard Rodriguez. After his release in 1996 he wrote about prison life for the Pacific News Service. He’s the author of The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell and you can find him online at joeloya.ltd.