Joe Garcia’s story is one of profound transformation, redemption, and the unexpected power of music and writing to change a life. Once serving a life sentence for taking another person’s life, Joe spent over 20 years in prison before finding his voice through storytelling. His powerful essays — “Listening to Taylor Swift in Prison” and “From Life in Prison to the Eras Tour” — published in The New Yorker and read by over a million people, captured hearts around the world. Now free, Joe is a writer for CalMatters and is working on his first book. In this episode, Joe shares how Taylor Swift’s music, self-reflection, and the written word helped him rebuild his identity, offering a moving testament to hope, accountability, and the possibility of redemption.