The Hidden Third – “From Prison Cell to Rocket Scientist”

Host: Mariana van Zeller
Guest: Marta Barit
Date: March 25, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the extraordinary journey of Marta Barit, whose life has spanned harrowing childhood trauma, years of addiction, sexual exploitation, and prison—and who ultimately found freedom through forgiveness, faith, and a career building rockets for Virgin Orbit. Today, Marta is an engineer at a biotech company, a mother, and a passionate advocate for the incarcerated, regularly returning to prisons to inspire others with her story of resilience and transformation. Mariana and Marta’s conversation is raw, emotional, and deeply insightful about the hidden economies of trauma, reentry, and hope.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Childhood and Early Trauma

• Portuguese Roots and Childhood Dreams

  • Marta grew up in a tight-knit Catholic Portuguese family in Norco, California with “dreams and desires to be a mom and… an aerospace engineer” (00:00; 02:02).
  • “I loved being Portuguese. I loved playing outside and just doing the normal things that girls did.” (02:09)

• Sexual Abuse and the Burden of Shame

  • First abused by a family member at age nine during a family trip in Portugal.
  • Marta internalized the comment, “you shouldn’t have worn the dress,” which led her to blame herself and feel deep shame (03:49, 06:39).
  • “For so long, that dress wasn't just about a garment. It was so much more. It held me captive in ways I would have never imagined.” (06:39)

• Repeated Victimization and Lack of Belief

  • Suffered further abuse from other family members; attempts to report this (to her mother, CPS) were unsuccessful—she was accused of lying and being on drugs (09:33, 10:23).
  • “I was a teenager then… I wanted help. I was in so much pain.” (09:33)

2. Struggle with Identity, Faith, and Addiction

• Searching for Belonging, Facing Rejection

  • Marta’s family, deeply religious, condemned her for dating women and her sexual orientation, going as far as trying “cleansing” rituals (12:23).
  • “I was only trying to feel loved in some way. And that was a hard thing to navigate.” (12:23)

• Descent into Addiction and Sex Trafficking

  • Introduced to methamphetamine as a means to cope with trauma and insomnia.
  • Abuse and sexual exploitation escalated; family member began “passing [her] around” and being paid for it (15:57).
  • “I felt, Mariana, that God must have put me on this earth to service my family members, because it always felt like it was my fault.” (15:57)

3. Crime, Incarceration, and Systemic Failures

• Addiction-Fueled Crimes and First Prison Sentence

  • Life spiraled into burglary and trafficking. Multiple stints in rehab failed to address the multi-layered trauma: “I didn’t get the therapy that I needed.” (25:15)

• Motherhood and Relapse

  • Became a mother through DIY artificial insemination: “I used a turkey baster, and I got pregnant with triplets.” (27:07)
  • Despite periods of sobriety, unresolved pain led to multiple relapses, loss of custody of her daughter, and repeated incarceration (29:44–36:06).

• Trauma Compounded by the System

  • Marta repeatedly sought help—asking for long-term rehab and therapy—but was met with criminalization, not support (36:28, 44:49).
  • District attorney dismissed her pleas: “That’s not going to help you.” (45:15)

4. Finding Faith, Forgiveness, and Redemption

• Spiritual Awakening in Prison

  • Unexpected encounters with faith behind bars, starting with a pastor’s visit: “God’s calling you to serve him…God’s greatest apostles are you.” (46:47)
  • Startling fulfillment of a prediction from a fellow inmate: “You’re only going to do two years.” Marta served two years instead of her original 24-year sentence due to Prop 57 (49:51).
  • “And I felt like I was finally gonna have a chance to turn my life around.” (50:42)

• Reconciliation with Family

  • Parents finally acknowledged the truth of Marta’s abuse: “We want to do whatever we can to help you.” (50:29)
  • “I told her, ‘Mama, I forgive you.’…I didn’t want her to carry the same weight I did all those years.” (50:42)

• Therapy and Internal Freedom

  • Three years of therapy were crucial: “I received the freedom that I didn’t think existed in this world. I finally felt like the rays of the sun were hitting my face.” (52:44–53:29)
  • The key unlock was understanding how guilt and shame are “a different kind of prison” (53:28).

5. Reentry, Professional Success, and Advocacy

• Breaking the Cycle: College and Career

  • Won scholarships, maintained a 4.0 GPA, and had her photo put on college billboards (38:50).
  • Despite setbacks—including being doubted because of her background—she persisted: “I thought, man, this is great. I’m doing awesome.” (38:50)

• Rocket Science: Virgin Orbit

  • Became a propulsion technician at Virgin Orbit through Project Rebound, a reentry program: “I got hired as a propulsion technician for Virgin Orbit.” (63:59)
  • “I got to work on rocket engines, and there’s a rocket that went to space… and I was a part of that.” (64:03)

• Current Career and Expungement

  • Now an engineer at a biotech company linked to Koch Industries, and previously worked at SpaceX.
  • Proactively went through the process of having her record expunged: “I went into the same courthouse that wanted to give me 40 years to life…and the judge said she’d never seen anyone turn her life around like I did.” (71:18, 71:28)

6. Speaking, Mentoring, and the Power of Second Chances

• Giving Back: Work in Prisons

  • Regularly speaks in California prisons, including men’s prisons to populations of sex offenders, traffickers, and abusers: “I said, ‘for the first time, I feel safe in front of you guys…can I get up and give you a hug?’” (73:24)
  • Emphasizes accountability, forgiveness, and hope: “When you take responsibility…you gain a freedom…I can’t even begin to express.” (74:35)

• Value of Belief and Forgiveness

  • “When my dad came to me and finally said that, I felt like I was finally seen. And it was a feeling…like I was finally able to breathe.” (54:06)
  • “It was the guilt and shame, the inability to let that go…that really kept me imprisoned even before I went to prison.” (54:48)

• Her Impact

  • Receives letters from prisoners: “You have made a considerable difference to every person in my tribe. We will never forget how you have touched our hearts and our humanity.” (75:38)

• Supporting Healing Even in the Darkest Places

  • “Everybody deserves…forgiveness. And we have such a hard time as human beings dying on the cross for one another. But yet God died on the cross for us and didn’t even think about it.” (55:55)
  • Her advocacy extends to reminding society that “children…are out here without their father and mother, that are in jail and prisons that deserve them to come home…with hope and rehabilitation.” (79:04)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Childhood Trauma
  • “For so long, that dress wasn't just about a garment. It was so much more. It held me captive in ways I would have never imagined.” – Marta, (06:39)
• On Unbelieved Victims
  • “That’s what kept me out for so long, is that the fact that no one believed me. I was this liar. It was my fault. I wanted it. It was the dress.” – Marta, (56:24)
• On Forgiveness
  • “I forgave my mom, I forgave my traffickers. I flew to Portugal, I forgave my family member. And now I go inside and I…talk about the power of forgiveness.” – Marta, (54:48)
• On Freedom Beyond Bars
  • “I didn’t realize, Mariana, that that guilt and shame and unforgiveness kept me imprisoned even before I went to prison.” – Marta, (53:28)
• On Her Message to the Incarcerated
  • “When you take responsibility for that, you gain a freedom that I can’t even express…Because it no longer imprisons you, it sets you free.” – Marta, (74:35)
• On the Power of Being Believed
  • “When my dad came to me and finally said that, I felt like I was finally seen. And it was a feeling…like I was finally able to breathe.” – Marta, (54:06)
• Letter from an Inmate
  • “You have made a considerable difference to every person in my tribe. We will never forget how you have touched our hearts and our humanity.” – letter to Marta (76:28)
• On Orgasm and Trauma (rarely discussed but critically honest)
  • “The traffickers and the people that harm me had such a hold on me that I could not have an orgasm unless I thought of them hurting me. And that guilt of that was the hardest to put on the table.” – Marta, (58:38)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment & Key Content | |-----------|----------------------| | 00:00–06:39 | Marta’s childhood, first trauma, and family’s responses | | 09:12–18:33 | Repeated abuse, turning to drugs, family betrayal, and beginning of sex trafficking | | 22:11–36:06 | Military service, addiction escalation, trafficking, motherhood, and first incarceration | | 38:50–41:41 | Early attempts at turning life around, community college success, relapse, and criminal justice failings | | 46:47–50:42 | Experiences and revelations in prison, faith, and parents finally believing her | | 52:44–54:48 | Therapy and release from internal imprisonment, importance of being believed | | 58:38–60:20 | Deep discussion on the legacy of sexual trauma, impact on sexuality, and breaking taboos | | 63:59–65:07 | Becoming a propulsion technician at Virgin Orbit | | 71:08–76:06 | Expunging her record, mentoring, and advocating for second chances in prisons | | 76:28–79:17 | Letter from an inmate, Marta’s ongoing mission, and final reflections |

Tone and Language

The episode is candid, emotional, and unwaveringly authentic, with both Mariana and Marta maintaining a blend of frankness and compassion. Marta’s storytelling oscillates between vulnerability and empowerment, marked by moments of heartbreak, humor (“Seven is your lucky number!” 28:09), and hope. Mariana provides gentle guidance as a host and direct, empathetic questioning that allows the rawest truths to surface.

Conclusion: Why Marta’s Story Matters

Marta Barit’s life illuminates how cycles of trauma, addiction, and incarceration are perpetuated by disbelief and systemic neglect, and how true transformation is enabled by faith, forgiveness, advocacy, and second chances—not only for herself but for everyone overlooked by society. Her work inside prisons, her courage to break silence around taboo subjects, and her success breaking into aerospace stands as testimony to the value of believing survivors and investing in genuine rehabilitation.

For More:

• Listen to The Hidden Third for more stories that expose the underground economies and hidden human stories shaping our world.
• Learn about Project Rebound and Root and Rebound for reentry and expungement resources.