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

See All 598 Episodes of "Small Changes Big Shifts"