Sentenced to sixty-five years in a Texas prison, Damon West once had it all.

Damon West, M.S. Criminal Justice, is a college professor, nationally known keynote speaker and best-selling author (with best-selling author and motivational speaker Jon Gordon) of The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change. His first book and autobiography, The Change Agent: How a Former College QB Sentenced to Life in Prison Transformed His World, was published just three years after his release from a Texas maximum-security prison.

Join Dr. Michelle and Damon as they talk about:

• Damon's background story and his health journey of letting go of addiction for greater wellbeing.
• Why the world is a pot of boiling water and you have three choices: be a carrot, be an egg, or be a coffee bean and why you should choose to be a coffee bean.
• His childhood and the impact of being sexually abused by his babysitter.
• Takeaways Damon took away from his experience with drugs and going to prison for it.
• Damon and his wife, Kendell's foundation, Be A Coffee Bean.
• The impact of COVID-19 on Damon's career as a speaker and how he had to work through the struggles of events being canceled.
• Why Damon began to give free presentations during the pandemic to give back to others.
• The differences between racism and prejudice plus what change we can make happen.
• Why Damon and his wife, Kendall, launched the program, Mister Coffee Bean, to help people get back on their feet after prison and teach in schools.
• How their program, Coffee Bean CARES, is financially helping incarcerated parents provide for their children's extracurricular activities.

Mentioned In This Episode

• 216 – Damon West
• The Coffee Bean by Damon West and Jon Gordon
• 185 – Jon Gordon
• Be A Coffee Bean Foundation
• Mister Coffee Bean
• Dabo's All In Team Foundation
• Call Me Mister
• Episode 329 - Alana Muller and Johnny Waller
• Coffee Bean CARES
• Wellness On A Shoestring by Dr. Michelle Robin
• SCBS Sleep Campaign
• Your Wellness Connection
• SCBS 40 Days of Gratitude
• SCBS 31-Day Kindness Campaign
• Big Shifts Foundation
• CommunityAmerica Credit Union
• AdventHealth

Connect with Damon via:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube