The JustUs Speaks Podcast, presented by JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA), amplifies the voices of formerly incarcerated individuals in the U.S. Hosted by JLUSA Policy Analyst Zach Ruppel and JLUSA Leadership Admin Coordinator Lana Mendis, the JustUs Speaks Podcast features interviews with directly impacted people sharing their experience with the criminal justice system, and life upon reentering society.
To learn more about JustLeadershipUSA and its mission to amplify the power of people who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, visit www.JLUSA.org
S3 E12 | Jamala Taylor Spent 15 Years in Solitary Confinement and Now Helps Others Inside and Outside of Prison
Jamala Taylor (https://jlusa.org/leader/jamala-taylor/) (Leading with Conviction™ 2024) was initially sentenced to a daunting 99-year-to-life term and spent 15 years in solitary confinement at Pelican Bay State Prison/S.H.U. Over his 31-year incarceration in various maximum-security facilities across California, Jamala’s journey took a significant turn when he was granted release on December 30, 2020.
Since his release, Jamala has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from CSU-Fullerton and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in nonprofit management/Public Policy from the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Jamala is also a certified life coach, having completed the rigorous 9-month Coaching for Healing, Justice, and Liberation certification program (CHJL). Recently, he launched a coaching and consulting firm called Amandla. Jamala consults with various companies around the country on reentry and incarceration-related training and issues.
In addition to his coaching work, he currently serves as the Senior Reentry Manager for Land Together (formerly The Insight Garden Program/IGP), the program from which he himself is an alumnus.
22 Apr 2026
S3 E11 | Stephanie Jeffcoat Lost Her Daughter While Being Incarcerated for 6 Months and That Drove Her to Pursue a Career in Law
Stephanie Jeffcoat (https://jlusa.org/leader/stephanie-jeffcoat/) (Leading with Conviction™ 2024) was in and out of prison because of substance use and addiction, which led to a six-month period of incarceration where she permanently lost custody of her daughter.
The trauma of losing her child has led her to found Families Inspiring Reentry and Reunification for Everyone (FIR4E). It also led her to earn five associate degrees, as well as her Bachelor’s at Cal State Fullerton and pursue a law degree through Trinity Law School.
Beyond academia, Stephanie has shared her transformative journey from addiction, incarceration, and homelessness in a published memoir.
8 Apr 2026
S3 E10 | Alexander Brown on fair chances at employment and becoming a paralegal after incarceration
At the time of this interview last year, Alexander Brown (https://jlusa.org/leader/alexander-brown/) (Leading with Conviction™ 2024) was working with Live Free Illinois, as well as being Community Liaison for Cook County’s Justice Advisory Council and working as a Paralegal with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office, one of the biggest law firms in the country.
He talks about fair chances at employment after incarceration.
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