Earning Freedom with Michael Santos

Made in America: Dennis Langlais

Dennis Langlais hosts two podcasts on iTunes: Made in America and Five Minute Bark. As I saw his podcast rapidly climbing to the top of the self-help chart on iTunes, I reached out to him. At Earning Freedom, many people in our audience are in prison. They need inspiration and hope. People who’ve endured reversals of fortune serve as role models. I knew that Dennis could offer value.

He launched both of his podcasts to inspire people with his story. Dennis enjoyed early success as a professional BMX writer. Global corporations like Pepsi sponsored him to ride his bicycle in countries around the world. Dennis leveraged his fame to host empowering seminars for high schools, and he built a business that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual revenues. Proceeds from the sale of that business resulted in his having sufficient income to launch several new businesses.

Unfortunately, those new business ventures did not succeed as well as his seminar business. After three disappointing endeavors, Dennis spoke about how he intended to build his new business. It’s an online personal accountability venture that will allow him to inspire other people to achieve their highest potential. He is a goal-driven achiever and he feels strongest when he is helping other people achieve their goals. With the Made in America and Five Minute Bark podcasts, Dennis is reaching people in dozens of countries. He intends to continue contributing to the better of mankind, grateful for every opportunity.

Those who want to learn more about Dennis’ work should visit his podcast or connect with him at his Facebook Page

Jameson Rodgers built a company that will bring in $15+ million in revenues after only two years. He shares his strategy with listeners of the Earning Freedom podcast.

I reached out to Jameson with hopes that he would provide us with his secret to success. Turns out there isn’t any secret. The recipe for building a great business is the same recipe for building a great life. First, an individual must define success. That definition leads to crystalizing a vision. The vision lead the individual to create a plan. Then, day after day, the individual executes the plan that leads to the vision.

Jameson had a vision for building an e-cigarette company. The origins of his vision began because he wanted to lessen his mother’s addiction to nicotine. She had been a smoker for Jameson’s entire life. Despite his pleas with her to stop smoking, she couldn’t quit. When he saw e-cigarettes on shelves at a convenience store, he purchased some for his mom. He had read that the e-cigarettes were less harmful to health than ordinary cigarettes. His mom liked the new products. That simple market research encouraged Jameson to learn more. 

During our Earning Freedom podcast episode, Jameson Rodgers told me that he studied to learn more about e-cigarettes. Through his online research, Jameson learned that a major tobacco company had purchased an e-cigarette company for more than $100 million. The company was only two years old and had 8,000 different retail accounts.

That information gave birth to a vision for Jameson. If he could persuade 8,000 stores to carry his line of e-cigarettes, he reasoned, he would have a business that others would value at $100 milion.

Jameson next created a plan. His research led him to learn that e-cigarettes were manufactured in China. After finding numerous suppliers, he flew to China. After a few days in China, he secured a deal with a supplier. Jameson returned to the United States and further detailed his plan. He presented his plan to investors and they agreed to fund him with $100,000 in startup capital. That capital allowed Jameson to purchase 8,000 products. He didn’t have one customer, but with his plan in place, he knew that he could persevere.

Jameson tells the Earning Freedom podcast audience how he grew. Although he began without a single customer, through relentless execution of his plan, in less than three full years he has built a national distribution system with more than 15,000 stores selling his products. He is an inspiration to anyone who chooses to create something magnificent out of nothing more than sheer determination.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can deploy this strategy of Visualize, Plan, Execute to reach your highest potential, then join the Earning Freedom Mastermind Course and Crush It!

In today’s podcast on the Earning Freedom network, I respond to a university students questions about prison. Kristin Wilson, a student from City University in New York, reached out through MichaelSantos.com. Instead of responding to her questions through writing, I invited Kristin onto the Earning Freedom podcast and suggested that she could ask me anything about my prison experience. I pledged to answer openly and honestly.

I enrolled in a workshop with Podcaster’s Paradise to learn the best-practice techniques for launching a podcast. The networking group pairs us with other podcasters under the theory that we can help each other grow. Today I participated in a session with Erica. We began at the same time, but she has yet to launch her podcast. In today’s episode of Earning Freedom, I offered to show her the techniques I used to launch the Earning Freedom podcast.  As the Nike slogan says, “Just Do It!” We conducted an impromptu episode and she told me that the exercise brought her a new level of comfort in moving forward. Listeners who have a tendency to procrastinate may find some value in the episode.

Today the Earning Freedom podcast features Chris Samples, a military officer who has devoted his career to protecting America. I met Chris online, through the Podcaster’s Paradise community. Chris is CEO of Journey of Success, a podcast that inspires others to work toward reaching their highest potential. He interviews leaders, he provides guidance, and he holds question and answer sessions to provide fuel that will help his listeners sustain a high level of energy as they pursue success.

Chris’s personal story shows the embodiment of contribution and leadership. He enlisted in the military 24 years ago, just as CNN was broadcasting the start of Desert Storm. He enlisted with a four-year commitment, wanting to contribute to the cause of liberty. I remember watching those same episodes on CNN while I was beginning my term in prison at the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta. As a young man, I wanted to do something for our country, but the bad decisions I made during my early 20s had consequences. In my case, those consequences meant decades in prison.

I admire Chris for his passion to build a stronger America. Following his four-year commitment, Chris worked to advance his education. After earning his undergraduate degree, he resumed his military career as an officer. Simultaneously, he earned two master’s degrees. Chris has lived abroad for seven years and he is currently stationed in Germany.

Chris will soon retire and return to the United States to begin a new career in contribution. He has been building a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. His podcast, The Journey of Success, is the #1 ranked show on several channels in the iTunes network. Through all of his work, Chris reminds us that success comes with a price, and the rent is due every day. I’m so grateful that Chris chose to share his inspiring message of self-empowerment with the Earning Freedom nation. 

I encourage you to follow and subscribe to Chris’s work:

Journey of Success Podcast

When I met Thad Roberts in federal prison, he told me that people called him Moon Rock. I’d been incarcerated for nearly 20 years at the time that I met Thad. By then I’d heard a lot of nicknames. As in the books I wrote describing prison life, common nicknames included “Crip Tank, Red, Joker, Satyr, and Wolf.” I’d never heard the name Moon Rock before and I asked Thad the origins of that moniker. He told me the story.

In his early 20s, Thad worked as a scientist at NASA. As a promising young physicist, Thad could access materials that astronauts retrieved from earlier excursions to the moon.

That was in love with a young woman. To express his devotion, he promised her the moon. Then he delivered.

Thad stole moon rocks from NASA, samples that had been scientifically tested and examines, and labeled “trash” by NASA. He gave the moon to his beloved and attempted to sell the rest, at which point a series of mishaps followed. In a sting operation the FBI swarmed around Thad and prosecutors charged him with crimes that resulted in his being sentenced to a federal prison term for 100 months.

While incarcerated at the federal prison camp in Florence, Colorado, Thad created meaning in his life by teaching, exercising, and further educating himself through independent study. He sought books that would further his education. He bypassed the stacks of novels by authors like James Patterson and Danielle Steele that filled prison bookshelves. Instead, he relied upon a growing support network to find books on physics, astronomy, advanced math, and space exploration. Without a doubt, we had a genius in our midst at the Florence Federal Prison Camp.

In an effort to inspire more people in prison to prepare for law-abiding, contributing lives, I’ve launched the Earning Freedom podcast on iTunes. Through that podcast, I share strategies that empowered me through the 26 years that I served in prison. But I also interview influential business leaders and former prisoners who returned to society successfully. From those interviews, I show patterns for a pursuit of excellence and success. This innovative project empowers us to live as the change we want to see in the world. Since authorities released Thad from federal prison in 2008, I reached out to see how his adjustment through the 100-month sentence influenced his return to society.

In our podcast episode, Thad described challenges he faced upon his return to society after the prison sentence. Despite minimal financial resources, he described a life of riches and wonderment. He found love. He traveled the world. And Ben Mezrich, author of Accidental Billionaires, published ‘Sex on the Moon’ that he based on Thad’s escapades. Further, Thad wrote his own book, ‘Einstein’s Intuition: Visualizing Nature in Eleven Dimensions’ that comes out this April and expounds upon Einstein’s theories. A billionaire investor became aware of Thad and hired him to run a research laboratory that would test his theories.

Thad’s amazing story of crime and redemption validates something that all leaders know. Namely, a combination of the right attitude and tenacity can elevate individuals from lives of despair to lives of meaning and relevance. That’s the secret to earning freedom, and it’s what I strive to show on the Earning Freedom podcast.

Thad's Contact Information:

EinsteinsIntuition.com

[email protected]

Ken Denman is a CEO who has led numerous world-class technology companies. He tells his story to the Earning Freedom network, inspiring anyone who chooses to listen. Reared in a family of modest means, Ken tells how he educated himself, developing strong communication skills along the way. The more he invested in self, the stronger he became. He describes pitching a well-known Silicon Valley venture fund in an effort to raise $10 million to fund his company. Ken’s awesome presentation resulted in his walking out with a commitment for $15 million to launch his first company, AuraServ. Success begot more success. Following a successful exit from AuraServ, capitalists recruited him to lead iPass, then OpenWave as CEO. Both companies were traded on the Nasdaq, with billion dollar valuations. Ken now is CEO of Emotient, a facial-recognition software company.

Listen closely to Ken’s story and you’ll hear the same message of Earning Freedom’s recipe for success:

Sign up for our mastermind course to learn how you can use these techniques to enrich your life, your career, and your relationships.

Mani Dabiri shares his journey with the Earning Freedom network today. He is a graduate of UCLA and USC Law School. After law school, Mani began his career as an associate for the mega law firm O’Melveny & Myers, rated as one of the top 100 law firms in the Unite States. After a few years, he secured a position as an Assistant United States Attorney, advancing his experience and credentials. Mani prosecuted all types of federal crimes and developed an enormous amount of insight into how government prosecutions operate. That experience serves him well now that he represents defendants. Mani’s practice focuses primarily on federal white-collar crime, but he defends all individuals who seek his guidance and expertise as an experienced defense attorney.

The Earning Freedom Network may contact Mani Attorney at the following locations:

Law Offices of Mani Dabiri

1 Park Plaza

Suite 600

Irvine, CA 92614

714-673-6798

[email protected]

Twitter: @ManiDabiri

LinkedIn

In episode two Reverend Jeff Grant’s story, he discusses his ministry of providing spiritual guidance and counseling for people who’ve been charged or convicted of crimes. His ministry specializes in working with white collar offenders, helping those who’ve lost enormous amounts recalibrate their lives so that they can resume lives of meaning and distinction.

After graduating from law school, Jeff Grant launched his career in Manhattan. He rose to the top of his profession, leading a firm that specialized in real estate law. In the first of a two-part episode on the Earning Freedom podcast, Jeff tells the story of how an addiction to pain killer medications led to his making a series of bad decisions, some of them criminal. He pleaded guilty to a conviction for fraud and served 18 months in the low-security federal prison at Allenwood, Pennsylvania. He talks about his experiences and how he began to restore his strength.