Be a Coffee Bean: A Journey To Redemption (feat. Damon West)

Summary

Detailed Summary of "Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley" Episode: "Be a Coffee Bean: A Journey To Redemption (feat. Damon West)"

Introduction and Connection with Damon West ([00:15] - [00:54]) Savannah Chrisley opens the episode by expressing her excitement about featuring Damon West, highlighting the unique connection through individuals who have interacted with her parents in federal prison. She shares how these connections have provided her with deeper insights and meaningful relationships.

Notable Quote: "I try to connect with people who have met my parents. I had a woman on that was incarcerated with mom, and it honestly helps me in a way to, like, come in contact with people who have had contact with my parents." ([00:15])

Damon West’s Introduction and Background ([00:54] - [03:14]) Damon West introduces himself, mentioning his past encounter with Savannah's mother in federal prison. He provides a brief overview of his criminal history, including his sentencing to 65 years in prison for organized criminal activity. Damon recounts his earlier life as a promising athlete and professional, which took a downward turn due to substance abuse.

Notable Quote: "Six dimes and a nickel is prison slang for 65 years. Every 10 years in prison is a dime. Every half of that is a nickel." ([03:14])

Descent into Addiction and Crime ([03:14] - [05:27]) Damon delves into his addiction to meth, cocaine, and ecstasy following a sports injury in college. He describes how his addiction led to homelessness and a series of burglaries, escalating from car break-ins to larger property crimes, which ultimately resulted in his severe sentencing.

Notable Quote: "Meth is the most evil, most destructive, isn't it? Like, the most addictive?" ([04:28])

Trial and Sentencing ([05:27] - [09:40]) Damon discusses the rapid progression of his trial, highlighting the "rocket docket" system in Texas that expedited his case. He explains the plea deal offered and his decision to go to trial despite the overwhelming evidence against him, including incriminating jailhouse recordings.

Notable Quote: "The trial lasts six days. The jury deliberates for ten minutes. Ten minutes after six days of testimony." ([09:09])

Reflection on the Shawshank Redemption Comparison ([09:40] - [13:00]) Damon addresses the comparison made by a USA Today reporter likening him to Andy Dufresne from "The Shawshank Redemption." He clarifies the distinction between his guilty state and Andy's innocence, emphasizing the true essence of redemption showcased through the character Red.

Notable Quote: "Red says, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies." ([13:00])

Transformative Experience with Muhammad ([17:28] - [24:38]) Damon recounts a pivotal moment during his imprisonment when he met Muhammad, a seasoned inmate who introduced him to the "Coffee Bean" philosophy. Through a metaphor involving a pot of boiling water, Muhammad taught Damon the importance of maintaining inner strength and positivity to effect change, likening himself to a coffee bean capable of transforming the entire pot.

Notable Quote: "If you want to come back home the way your parents want you to, you got to be like that coffee bean." ([17:28])

Transition to Parole and Life After Prison ([24:38] - [32:39]) Upon his release on parole in 2015, Damon reflects on the challenges of reintegrating into society. He discusses the stringent rules he adheres to, such as avoiding situations that could jeopardize his parole, and emphasizes the concept that "punishment never stops," highlighting the ongoing struggle ex-convicts face in society.

Notable Quote: "Punishment never stops. Those three words. Don't ever forget that." ([32:39])

Building a Platform and Advocating for Change ([32:39] - [55:33]) Damon shares his journey of establishing himself as a motivational speaker and author, driven by his desire to spread the Coffee Bean message. He details his interactions with influential figures like Clemson’s Coach Dabo Sweeney, which led to extensive speaking engagements and the co-authoring of his book, "Six Dimes and a Nickel." Additionally, Damon founded the Be a Coffee Bean Foundation, focusing on supporting children of incarcerated parents through scholarships.

Notable Quotes: "We need motivation. Everybody needs motivation." ([44:05])
"Whatever you’re going through in life, don’t quit because it gets tough." ([48:22])

Impact and Personal Growth ([55:33] - [56:35]) In the concluding segment, Damon emphasizes the importance of his mission to restore hope and provide support to those affected by incarceration. He encourages listeners to donate to his foundation and highlights the transformative power of perseverance and personal accountability.

Notable Quote: "Don't listen to yourself, because sometimes the voice in your head is fear talking to you." ([42:55])

Conclusion and Final Reflections ([56:35] - End) Savannah and Damon reflect on the profound impact of his story, acknowledging his resilience and the hope he brings to others. Damon reiterates the essence of the Coffee Bean philosophy and his commitment to fostering positive change in individuals and communities affected by incarceration.

Notable Quote: "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies." ([13:00])

Key Takeaways:

• Redemption Through Transformation: Damon’s journey from a life of crime and addiction to becoming a motivational speaker underscores the possibility of personal transformation.
• Coffee Bean Philosophy: The metaphor teaches that maintaining inner positivity and strength can change one’s environment and influence others positively.
• Advocacy for Incarcerated Families: Damon’s foundation focuses on supporting children with incarcerated parents, addressing a often-overlooked aspect of the criminal justice system.
• Perseverance and Hope: Central to Damon’s message is the importance of not giving up despite adversities, encapsulated in his advice to "be a coffee bean."

Support Damon’s Mission: Listeners are encouraged to donate to the Be a Coffee Bean Foundation at beacoffeebeanfoundation.org to support children of incarcerated individuals and further Damon’s impactful work.

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This summary encapsulates the core discussions, insights, and transformational journey shared by Damon West in the podcast episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who haven't listened to the episode.

Transcript

[Damon West]

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[Savannah Chrisley]

Welcome back to this week's episode of Unlocked. I am so excited. If you guys have been listening to the podcast, then you've seen some faces on that, you know, that have stories behind them, some being. I try to connect with people who have met my parents. I had a woman on that was incarcerated with mom, and it honestly helps me in a way to, like, come in contact with people who have had contact with my parents. So I'm super excited to share the story of Damon West. Welcome, Savannah.

[Damon West]

Thanks a lot for having me. It's so good to be here. And yes, about a year and a half after I met your mom in a federal prison where I was speaking, here we are today.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Isn't that crazy? I remember. I will never forget her calling me and saying, like, this guy, you know, it was what, November you said?

[Damon West]

November 23rd? Yeah.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah. So it was hard because that's around the holidays. And you came in and spoke, and she, like, called and told me about it and was like, you, this guy is awesome. You've got to have him on your podcast. And then now, a year and a half later, here we are.

[Damon West]

It's so wild. Yeah, because, I mean, you meet people in prison and you hear their stories. And your mom came up to me, and I didn't recognize her at first, but then she told me who she was, like, okay, I remember hearing the story. Then she told me about you, and I told her, I promise, I said, yeah, at some point, I'll definitely do her podcast when the time's right. And here we are today. And it couldn't be a better time. Right. With everything going on and how your platforms grow. I love what your platform. I love your show, especially your episode with Alice. That was so good.

[Savannah Chrisley]

She's awesome. Just like, you've done a good job with this, more people need to hear the stories truly from the inside. I say we don't have enough politicians who have actually gone through the mess. So if you. There's. You don't understand prison until you've been through it or until you have a family member that has gone through it with you. You just don't have the ability to understand it.

[Damon West]

That's true. And I know that from what I do for A living going around speaking about my life and my story. I know that we Americans, we love stories with certain elements, right? We love stories about the underdog journey. We love to see people overcome adversity. We love it because when the underdog wins, we. Yep, we love stories about sports. Sports are big in America. Sports is like the great uniter. It brings all of us together. Right? Nothing brings us together like sports. But what I have found, Savannah, that people in America, we really love true crime and prison stories.

[Savannah Chrisley]

We do. It's wild.

[Damon West]

And I got it all.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Like, I mean, we even have Casey Anthony now on Tick Tock.

[Damon West]

I'm not on Tick Tock, so I haven't seen it.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Oh, my gosh. She's put this Tick Tock video out and that's a whole different story for another day. But about being now like a criminal justice advocate. And I'm like, that's a whole different thing.

[Damon West]

But everybody's got their lane. That's not my lane. Everybody's got their lane. But. But I can't tell you that we're going to have a good time today because my story has all those elements in it.

[Savannah Chrisley]

So I love it. So let's start. You've got a book coming out and it is called Six Dimes and a Nickel. Life Lessons to empower Change. And can you give us a little insight into the meaning of that?

[Damon West]

Yes. So six dimes and a nickel is prison slang for 65 years. Every 10 years in prison is a dime. Every half of that is a nickel. A jury in Dallas, Texas in 2009, on May 18, 2009, sentenced me to life, 65 years life in prison for engaging in organized criminal activity. Savannah. Back then I was a very different guy than what you're seeing in front of you today. Back then, I wasn't this clean cut, polished looking guy. This family man, this businessman, the college professor. None of that stuff's happening back then because back then I was a full blown meth addict and I was the head of an organized crime ring. You know, I had everything going for me in life, Savannah. I was this guy that you had it all. I came from a two parent home like you come from. You know, my parents were married for 55 years. I grew up in Texas under the Friday night lights. I was a sports star, a quarterback. I go off to play Division 1 college quarterback at North Texas, get hurt. Once that injury happens in college, I get hooked. Hooked on meth. I get hooked on cocaine then and ecstasy. But I graduate. You know, I'm going Through this life, I've got a job working in the United States Congress. I work in Wall street. And in 2004, when I'm working at a Wall street bank in Dallas, another broker introduced me to meth and was like touching a live wires, man. I was instantly hooked. Meth is the most evil, most destructive, Isn't it?

[Savannah Chrisley]

Like, the most addictive?

[Damon West]

Most. It's just chemically made to get you hooked because it's made in a lab. That's what these drug dealers, these. These make. These people that make it. They make it in a lab. And I was instantly hooked, Savannah. And I gave everything away for that drug, because that's what addicts do, Savannah. We give things away. An addict gives up their goals to meet their behaviors. That's the definition of addiction. So I'm giving up all my goals in life. First it's my car, then it's my job, Then my home, my family, my tethering to God. In 18 months, I'm living on the streets of Dallas. I'm homeless. And that's when I become a criminal. I start breaking into cars. I'm breaking into storage units. Then eventually I start breaking into people's houses. Now, burglary is a very serious crime, Savannah, because when I broke into people's homes, I didn't just steal their property. I stole their sense of security. And I can't give that back to my victims. I can't change what I did to my victims. I can't even apologize to my victims. The state of Texas has a law that says it's a felony to apologize to the victim of a crime. Once you get out, you can't apologize. So I'll never be able to apologize to my victims.

[Savannah Chrisley]

And that, to me, is just. With going through the court system, you always want to hear like, oh, take accountability, you know? You know, make your wrongs right. And to not even have the opportunity to make your wrongs right to me is a little tough.

[Damon West]

You can't. I understand why the law's written. The law's written, I think, for more serious crimes. My crimes were property crimes. No one was ever home during burglaries. I never saw my victims. They never saw me. We never physically hurt anybody. No weapons were used. Yeah, I have my own burglary crew committing these crimes, But I think the law is written for more. The victims of violent crimes. A survivor of a rape or a sexual assault or the surviving members of. Of a family that someone was murdered. You know, you don't necessarily want people coming back and Reopening that wound. And so they just blanketly say in Texas, if you have a victim, you can't apologize to your victims. They send you back to prison over that. So I'll never be able to apologize to the victim of my crimes. But in. I work a program recovery, and in my program recovery, they have these 12 steps. The eighth step is when you make a list of people that you've harmed. The nice steps, when you make the apology, you make the amends to the people, except when to do so would cause them or you harm. And in the ninth step of my program recovery, it says, we have this thing called a living amends. And a living amends means you go out and just do good deeds, and you expect nothing in return. So the Damon sitting on your couch today is living a life of just making living amends. Because I figure if I just go make living amends, the rest of my life, that takes care of everything I've done for the apologies I can't make. But back to the story. So I'm running around Dallas. I've got this crew of other meth addicts. We're breaking into people's homes. These burglaries go on for about three years. And it starts off in uptown. They call them the. The uptown burglaries. They called me the uptown burglar before they even knew who I was. And they spread out throughout the city of Dallas. And it all comes to a head on July 30, 2008. And I'm sitting in this little rundown apartment. I've got my dope dealer next to me. His name is Tex. And we're passing this pipe back and forth, and I'm telling tax man, you don't want to be here, man. The cops are closing in on me. The end is near. 10 days before this.

[Savannah Chrisley]

How did you know they were closing in on you? Just because it was all over the news.

[Damon West]

It was all over the news. They got my partner in crime 10 days before Dustin. This guy, my right hand man. Dustin knew everything about art, crime, terminal operation. And, man, just as I pass the pipe back to Tex, the window on my right blows out and shatters. And then tumbling across my living room floor is this little canister going end over end, smoking on one side. I see it. It locks in my mind. My legs say, stand up. I try to get out of there, but it blows up in my face. Boom. Flashbang, grenade, right? And when I came to, when I can see and hear again, there's a cop standing over me A full swat, right? Your Buddha's on my chest. The bearer of an assault rifle. My eye socket. Don't move. Don't move. And I'm like, man, don't worry. Don't worry. Right?

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah. I'm not going anywhere.

[Damon West]

Like, it's over, man. You got me. And that's what I'm telling him. You got me. You got me. It's over. It's over. And one of the SWAT team officers screamed out, we got him. We got the uptown burglar. Now, Savannah, that's a name I'll live with for the rest of my life. Because about a dozen other meth addicts of myself, young and old, male and female, black and white, and everything in between, because drugs and addiction do not discriminate.

[Savannah Chrisley]

No, not at all. So they got you then, and you ended up getting 65 years.

[Damon West]

My trial took place 10 months after that. That's called the rocket docket. Sue Anna, when they want you in a courtroom like that, because trials usually take a long time to run up, right? You've lived it. Who am I telling you? You've lived through it. My trial took place 10 months after my arrest, and, man, they got me in that courtroom fast. And this isn't a burglary case anymore. This is an organized crime case. This is rico. And I'm the boss of the whole.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Did you not get the opportunity to, like, plead out or.

[Damon West]

They made one offer for a plea deal the week before trial, and the offer was 50 years. You can't sign for 50 years, Savannah. If you sign for 50 years, you're giving away when you sign.

[Savannah Chrisley]

When you sign a plea deal.

[Damon West]

You sign a plea deal, you give up all your appeals, you give up your right to go to trial. And the most they could give me. Here's the sentencing stuff. In Texas, this is a Texas state charge, so it's not federal. Yeah, but in Texas, the most they can give you is 60 years. Juries don't know this because they'll try to do the math if they ever find this out. But 60 years is life in Texas because you have to be 17 to go to a prison as an adult. 17 and 60 is a natural lifespan of a human being. Sentencing stops at 60. But they don't tell juries this, but every criminal in county jail knows this.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Damon West]

And they're like, man, Mohammed, the guy we're going to talk about in a second, he's like, you can't sign for 50 men. The most they can give you is 10 more years go to trial. So I do. I go to trial. The trial lasts six days. The jury deliberates for ten minutes. Ten minutes after six days of testimony. But. But I'm guilty of everything. Right. The evidence is overwhelming. They got me dead to rights. The biggest witness against me is me on these jailhouse recordings.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Damon West]

Me telling other people for my crime ring, man, get me out of here. You owe me this money for this job we did. And the cops are just steadily picking people up, you know, because of these jailhouse calls. I'm a dumbest criminal in the world.

[Savannah Chrisley]

I know.

[Damon West]

I'm like, what I mean, but you had me on the streets, and I was like a pretty good mouse game. But you take away. You put the pressure on somebody, and I'm cracking under it. I'm making these calls to try to get out of jail, but I'm just making my situation worse. I'm bringing more evidence against me. My bond was 1.4 million. No bond. You can't make a bond that high.

[Savannah Chrisley]

No, you can't. And so you have been referred as like the modern day Shawshank Redemption. Can you give us some backstory into that?

[Damon West]

Yeah. And so this. This reporter from USA Today got a hold of my story, and he did this. He did a really good piece. That USA Today article is prop. Probably the best overview of my entire life. But he said, you know, you're like a modern day Shawshank Redemption. He said, you're like the character Andy Dufresne. And I pushed back on him. Savannah, listen, I get where you're going with this comparison, but the difference between Andy and I was Andy was innocent, and I was guilty. I was guilty of everything. But here's the deal, Savannah. The movie Shawshank Redemption, the title of that movie, the redemption part of that title, the redemption part of that title, wasn't about the redemption of the character named Andy Dufresne. You know, Andy's the innocent guy, goes to prison for 19 years. He tunnels through a wall, he swims through 500 yards of sewage to get to his freedom. But Andy didn't need redeeming, and he'd escaping. The redemption part of that title was about the character named Red. I'm going to tell you why it's about Morgan Freeman's character Red, and not even about Andy. So Red is our narrator. When we meet Red for the first time, he's a dead man walking. Remember, he gets denied parole or scene. You meet the rest of the men in Shawshank, they're all dead on the inside because all they can do is wager on who's going to break on the prison bus first.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Damon West]

Brooks. Brooks Hadlon. The old man. Remember the old man that makes parole after 50 years?

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yes.

[Damon West]

Lasted two weeks in the free world. He gets to the halfway house and he hangs himself. He can't take it out there, but he write it. He writes a letter back to the boys in Shawshank, tells him what he did and why he did it. And as Andy read that letter out to the men in Shawshank Prison, every man in Shawshank understood what Brooks did, what he did, because they had the same hopeless mindset. But it's Red, our narrator, who explains it. Red says, andy, I wouldn't make it out to either. Andy. I'm an institutional man now. Red said the words out loud. Savannah for you to truly understand. Red said, hope is a dangerous thing. Now imagine if you live in a world where you can imagine this because your parents probably tell you about people that live in that world where they truly believe hope, the thing you have to have, is dangerous. But what did Andy tell Red? Andy told Red, no, man, you get busy living or you get busy dying. When Red finally gets out of Shawshank 40 years later, we don't know if Red's going to make it. He remember, he walks by the pawn shop, sees the guns in the window. He even stays the same halfway house room that Brook stayed in. But. But Red makes it. He makes that rock wall. Remember the rock wall told me to go to. And he finds the letter that Andy left behind. And in that letter were the words that he need to hear when Andy said, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.

[Savannah Chrisley]

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[Damon West]

Most people would rather remove a nest of irate hornets than search for auto and home insurance. That's why the zebra searches for you, comparing over 100 insurance companies to find savings no one else can Compare. [e-mail] I think I'll wait inside Savannah I Want your listeners to go back and re watch the end of Shawshank? Just the very last scene. Remember the last scene on the beach of Mexico? Zihuataneo, Mexico.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Damon West]

So Zihuataneo, Mexico. That's what kept Andy dufresne alive for 19 years. Andy could always see himself in a better place. All those years inside that prison, Andy always saw himself on the beach, working on the boat. Go back and watch the last scene. Listen to the dialogue of the character named Red at the end of the movie versus the dialogue of the character named Red at the beginning. Every sentence that Red says in this last piece of dialogue, Savannah starts off with two words. I hope. And he tells you, I hope I make it across the border. I hope I see my friend again so I can shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it was in my dreams. I hope that's the last two words of Shawshank. I think that the reason why I'm being compared to a modern day Shawshank is that my story gives people so much hope.

[Savannah Chrisley]

So much hope. There's life on the other side.

[Damon West]

There's life on the other side. But, but no matter what situation you're in, there's always an opportunity. In the university life. The SWAT team that came to get me. Savannah, most people will never go through a SWAT team raid, right? That's, that's, that's crazy to think that most people would experience that. But I think everybody experiences the SWAT teams of life in different ways. The SWAT team of life is a bankruptcy. It's a marriage failing, a job that's lost. Something happens, one of your kids or your pets, big life changing event in your family. You've been through the SWAT team raid with your family. You know what the SWAT team's like. But it's when we understand that when the SWAT team comes, then we start looking for the opportunity there. What does life teach me? Where's the opportunity here?

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah. And is that where the whole Coffee Bean philosophy comes into play?

[Damon West]

Man, this is a great, great question. So this is a great story here. Right after I'm sentenced to life in prison, I get a conversation with my parents behind this bulletproof glass. It's right after the trial. They feel sorry for my parents. I just got life. My mom and my dad are talking to me. Really? It's just my mom doing the talking. Moms are special, Savannah.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Women are strong, most resilient.

[Damon West]

Most resilient women and children. Absolutely. And my mom has this conversation with me. She says, damon, you know, you did everything they said you did. So you have to go and pay that debt to society. You owe Texas that debt, but now you owe your father and I debt, too. We gave you all the opportunity, love, and support to be anything in life. So here's the debt you're going to pay to us when you go to prison. You will not get in one of these white hate groups, one of these Aryan brotherhood type of gangs. You weren't raised like that. You're not raised to be a racist. You're not starting that now. And my mom's even saying you won't get any tattoos while you're in there. I mean, that's why I come out. I got no ink, man. Almost 10 years in the trial, and.

[Savannah Chrisley]

You were in a maximum security.

[Damon West]

Maximum security level. Five, the highest security level there is. And, I mean, that's Savannah. Whenever you get a life sentence in Texas, Texas has certain rules around big sentences like that. You have to live with other lifers, and that's the big time. Maximum security prisons. Part of it's a supermax where it's 23 and 1. So this is the hardest kind of prison there is in America. And I know a lot about prisons in America because since I got out of prison, I went back to school and got a master's in criminal justice and became a professor at the University of Houston, teaching a class called Prisons in America. So I know about prison. Yeah, it's crazy. We'll get that a little bit. But this is May 18, 2009. My mom's telling me no gangs, no tattoos. Come back as the man we raised or don't come back to us at all. She just draws this big line in the sand, puts a marker down, right? So I don't know how I'm going to do this, because I get back to my pod in Dallas County Jail. I've got two months before the prison bus comes to get me. And I'm frantically asking every guy that's been to prison before, how am I going to survive? What am I going to do? And everybody's telling me the same thing, Savannah. You're going to the worst part of prison. You got to get into a gang. You won't survive without a gang. But there was this one guy that was so different. This older black man named Muhammad. Now, Muhammad's what you call a career criminal. He's been in and out of prison his entire life. But he's the most positive guy I've ever met in my life. He's got a Smile on his face everywhere he goes, right? And so one morning, he comes up to my bunk, and he's got a cup of coffee in his hands. There's a smile on his face. He's like, wes, man, I've been watching you. I've been watching how you're dealing with these knuckleheads and dummies, talking about, you got to get into a game. He said, don't list these fools. He said, you want to keep the promise you made to your mom and your dad? Let me tell you what prison's really going to be like. And so he told me the first thing you need to understand about prison. Prison's all about race. He said, race runs the whole institution inside of a prison, especially one you're going into. Every race breaks off in their own group and stays with that group, but you promise your mom something different. So when you walk in the door, the white gangs get the first dibs on you because you're white. And he starts naming them, too. The Aryan Brotherhood, the Aryan Circle, the White Knights, the Woods. He said, you fight them all. You survived that. You're fighting black gangs, and the white gangs send the black gangs after you. The Crips, the Bloods, the Gangster Disciples. They're going to be happy to tee off on this independent white guy that won't give with his own race and his own kind. He said, if you survive all that and you can survive all that, you will earn the right to walk alone, Savannah. He said, the strongest man in prison always walks alone. He told me the truth about fighting. He said, you don't have to win all your fights, but you do have to fight all your fights. Some days you win, some days you lose. He said, you just get back up and you keep fighting. And that's what he's telling me. Get back up. So I'm looking at this guy like a deer in headlights. All this violence and terror I'm about to walk into. That's when he's like, wes, he said, let me break this down for you a different way. He said, I want you to imagine prison as a pot of boiling water. And he said, anything we put into this pot of boiling water will be changed by the heat and the pressure inside that pot. He said, I'm going to put three things in this pot of boiling water and watch how they change a carrot, an egg, and a coffee bean. So he said, first things first. If I put a carrot in the pot of boiling water, what happens to the carrot? I'm like, the carrot turns Soft. He said, that's right. But the carrot goes in the water hard, but becomes softened by the water. You don't want to be a carrot. He said, what about the egg? I'm like, the egg is going to turn hard in the boiling water like a hard boiled egg. He said, that's right, West. He said, the egg has a shell that's going to protect it physically on the outside. But inside that shell, that soft liquid core, that yolk, that heart becomes hardened. He said, if your heart becomes hardened, you're incapable of giving or receiving love and you don't come back as someone your parents recognize. Then he asked me the question. He said, what about the coffee bean? He said, what happened to the coffee bean and the pot of boiling water and Savannah? I didn't have an answer for that. I didn't know what happened to a coffee bean and boiling water. And that is when Muhammad, a man who looks nothing like me, a man who doesn't come from the same America I come from, a man who doesn't believe the same things I believe in life. This is a black Muslim man from the streets of Dallas. I'm this white middle class Catholic guy from a little town called Port Arthur. But this man who's so different than me is going to share with me one of the most important and transformational measures I've ever received in my entire life. And the moral to that is this, Savannah. If we ever shut ourselves off to other people because of their differences, right, Their different race, gender, ethnicity, religion, politics, if we shut ourselves off to people because of their differences, we're going to miss some of the most important lessons and some of the best friendships in this life. Because Muhammad told me that day, he said, if I put a coffee bean in that same pot of boiling water we call prison, he said, now you got to change the name of the water to coffee. He said, the coffee bean. The smallest of the three things, small like you, has the power to change the entire atmosphere inside that pot. Because the power's inside the coffee bean just like the powers inside of you. Wow. And he's. Yeah, man, I know. I'm blown away. I'm like. And I remember how I felt. It's the same thing I see in audience's eyes when I go around speaking all over the world telling story, the coffee bean and my story. They get it. Everybody's light bulbs goes off because. Yeah, because the coffee beans, the change agent, right? It's the only thing that can change the water. Everything else has changed by the water. And that's what he's telling me. If you want to come back home the way your parents want you to, you got to be like that coffee bean. In fact, the last words he ever said to me when he. It's the summer of 2009. He's leaving Dallas county jail. He's made bond. I'm about to leave on the back dock in the prison bus. He has four words for me. He said, hey, west, be a coffee bean. That was the four words that changed my life, because those four words put the power back inside me and Savannah. It's the ultimate message I'd ever heard about our world being created from the inside out, not the outside in. You know, the world doesn't come from social media, doesn't come from all the noise out there, the crazy politics and social problems. That's not where the power is. It's inside you. But you've got to keep the power inside you to not only survive adversity, but thrive in adversity.

[Savannah Chrisley]

That's amazing. So that's where your whole be a coffee bean came from.

[Damon West]

That's where it came from. And interestingly enough, like, where your mom's prison, is that where she's doing time in Kentucky? On the wall in the medical unit, there is a big mural that says, be a coffee bean.

[Savannah Chrisley]

That is awesome.

[Damon West]

Full circle.

[Savannah Chrisley]

I love that. And so when it comes to all of this, obviously, like, one of my favorite things that caught me is you spoke about sports, and you kind of talk about, like, the power of asking, and you had an encounter with dabo, which I love dabo.

[Damon West]

You love dabo? Oh, he's great.

[Savannah Chrisley]

I was born in right by Clemson. Dabo is amazing, man.

[Damon West]

So. So Dabo Sweeney, the head coach at Clemson, changed my life. And let me. Let me tell you how that happened.

[Savannah Chrisley]

So just a one of a kind human being.

[Damon West]

Oh, and he is as advertised. You see him in person. He's the same guy you see on tv. There's nothing different about dabo. Dabo is who dabo is, and he makes no apologies for any. I love dabo. One of my best friends in the world now at this point. But this story really solidifies about who this guy is. So I go to prison, I transform myself. I become that coffee bean. And it was hard at first. I mean, the kind of prison I went into, Savannah, the first two months was fighting. I probably got in three dozen fights the first two months and lost 75% of the fights, man. I'm getting my butt kicked all over prison. But I'M fighting the white gangs, I'm fighting the black gangs, and eventually it culminates with me going out to the rec yard and playing sports out there. Because, remember, sports is the great uniter, and I use my athletic ability to earn my respect. So two months into prison, when the violence is finally over, the threat to my physical safety was gone. I got to work on becoming that coffee bean. And it started with a mindset shift. Right. I had to stop looking at prison as a punishment and start seeing prison as an opportunity. Kind of like what Alice was talking about. I loved your podcast. I can't tell you how great it is and everybody listening. If you haven't heard that one, go back and listen to it. Because Alice talks about this. She gets into prison, and she's not going to let it keep her down. She applies for every class they take.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yes.

[Damon West]

She's got a life sentence. People are like, why are you taking these classes? She says, because I'm going to become a better person. I'm going to get out of here, and I can be a better person. And that was me.

[Savannah Chrisley]

And she refused to believe that this was the end.

[Damon West]

Exactly. Exactly. She had hope. She was Andy, and so many people are red, but I was Andy, too. I was Alice, too.

[Savannah Chrisley]

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[Damon West]

And I'm doing my time. I'm transforming prison. I realized that, you know, servant leadership is the secret to life. And when I learned about servant leadership in prison from this little old guy that would come to the chapel and volunteer with us, I asked myself, how do I serve these guys around me? Right. Well, the answer came to me. I had a college degree. Most of the guys around me didn't have but a seventh or eighth grade education. So I opened up a free tutoring service. I taught guys how to read and write. I get them ready for the GED test. So if they ever get out of prison, they're going to be a better husband or better father, because we need more fathers out there. And when I finally came to the parole board in 2015, the parole board that came to interview me, they were like, you know, we don't see a lot of people like you in prison, Mr. West. You had it all, but you threw it all away. But you transformed yourself and you transformed this entire prison. And the lady from parole asked me if you could be remembered for being anything in life, anything at all. She said, tell me what that would be, but give it to me in just one word. And I was like, useful. I said, I just want to be useful. Because, Savannah, everybody wants to feel useful. Useful. Everybody wants to feel like they have value. I've been in a maximum security level five prison. I've seen the worst that society has to offer. I've been out here in the free world and been in some of the biggest rooms there are in the world. Human beings want the same two things. We want to belong and we want to be loved. And that's it. Once those needs are met, we're capable of incredible things as human beings and being good people. And that's what I told her that day. And on November 16, 2015, I walked out of Texas Press prison. But it's not like I'm a free man. You're not sitting on the couch with a free guy right here. Right. I'm. I'm on parole for a little bit longer. I'm on parole till 2073. So I got a little more time left on parole.

[Savannah Chrisley]

You did. Can you describe a time to when you had to make a tough decision, like knowing one mistake could send you back to Prison.

[Damon West]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I've got these rules I live by on the road, and my parole officer is just. She's had me write them down before for the rest of her client. They call you a client when you get out. You know, inmate. So she had me write them down for her clients. Ms. Braggs, my parole officer, shout out to you. But rules like, when I'm on the road, which is 20, 25 days a month, I'm never alone with a woman that's not my wife or that I don't know well or my wife doesn't know I'm not. And it's not like I'm worried about being tempted. I just don't want to put myself in a situation where I need the benefit of the doubt.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Damon West]

Because I'm an ex con, Savannah. I'm never gonna get the benefit of the doubt again. In America, punishment never stops. Those three words. Don't ever forget that. Your audience needs to never forget that. Punishment never stops. We talk about how we're a forgiving nation, and we talk about Christian ideals, but we don't live like that all the time because somebody that's been through this system. Take Damon West. I'm a success by every metric there is. I'm a husband and a stepfather to a little girl named Clara. I'm a successful businessman, an entrepreneur. I'm a speaker. I'm a philanthropist. But if I had to go get a job tomorrow, I can't get most jobs in America because I'm gonna check this box that said I committed these. You know, I made these mistakes. From 2005 to 2008, I went to prison. So, you know, I'm never alone with a woman that's not my wife. On the road. Most of the time when I'm on the road, I even take my meals in my hotel room. Sober, alone in a locked hotel room. I've never seen anybody get in trouble in the history of humankind. So I spend a lot of time alone when I'm on the road. I find 12 step meetings to go to. I have an app on my phone that tells me where all the meetings are in the area where I am. I hit meetings on the road, sit in the back of the room. No one knows who I am. When I go to schools and speak. I never go to a bathroom in the hallway where the kids go into, because what if one kid made an accusation against me? My life is over. There's a lot of rules I live by that not everybody would have to think about living by. But I consider it a blessing to be on parole. Parole. Because the option for me is to be in prison still. And so for a guy that did his crimes and did his time, being in parole is a great honor. It's a privilege for me to be on parole. And I've got a different outlook than a lot of people do.

[Savannah Chrisley]

That's amazing. So you have to be very intentional.

[Damon West]

Very intentional. I just can't put myself in a situation where I need the benefit of the doubt. I can't take this. I could never take the stand in a trial against me. I could be innocent as can be. But if I go on a stand, the prosecutor, the first thing they're going to say is, let's hear from the guy that would say anything, not go back to prison. First question.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Damon West]

Now the jury thinks you're a liar.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Exactly.

[Damon West]

And you hadn't said a word. But I control four things in life, and this is what I learned in prison. You control what you think, what you say, what you feel and what you do and the rest of the things in life. God controls those. So I try to focus on those four things. And that's what's on my line in life and on my line. If I stay on my line and in my lane, I can have a pretty good life.

[Savannah Chrisley]

That is awesome. So now going back to dabo.

[Damon West]

Yeah.

[Savannah Chrisley]

The opportunity he gave you.

[Damon West]

So this story, I had to work up to it and let you know that I finally got out in 2015. I get out and I parole out and I live with my parents in their spare bedroom. Now I'm grateful to have a spare bedroom to live in because like, we were talking off camera, like halfway houses, stuff like that, there's a lot of people don't have a home.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Right.

[Damon West]

But let me really paint this picture for you, Savannah. I'm 40 years old. I just got out of prison. I'm on parole for the rest of my life. Life. I got a job making just above minimum wage and I live in my parents spare bedroom. Which way you swipe it on that guy on T. Right. That would have been a tough dating profile. I wasn't on the dating apps, but I get out of prison and I've got this story, this really incredible story and the great message of Coffee Bean. I want to go out and around and share it, but I found out there weren't a lot of places ready for me to come in and share at that time because I'm an ex con. Right. And how many ex cons that have come before Me have burned the bridge to the ground a lot. And I found out really quickly, you can't go knock on the door of a high school and say, I just got out of prison. I want to talk to your kids.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah. No.

[Damon West]

No. So in the first two years out of prison, most of my presentations were in my parents spare bedroom. Because in my parents spare bedroom there's a mirror in there, little vanity mirror. It's happened. When I moved in, every night for two years, I practiced my presentation from that mirror. I got in my reps. Savannah, anything you want to be good at in life, you have to practice that in life there's no such thing as an overnight success. So there I am practicing my presentation in front of this mirror. I'm getting myself ready for the right opportunity because I believe the right opportunity is going to be the world of college football. Because I played Division 1 college quarterback, man. But the problem is I don't know any of these coaches. It's been 20 years. Took a snap, right? I don't know the coaches. They don't know me. January 11, 2017, I'm out of prison 14 months at this point, a buddy of mine in Houston, which is 90 miles away, he works in the media, his name is Mike Orda, calls me up, he says, hey, Damon, get to Houston right now. Now, the Bear Bryant coach of the year awards. Tonight, they're going to name the eight, eight best coaches in America. I've got an extra press pass. I'm sneaking you in.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Wow.

[Damon West]

So, man, Savannah, I go, I get my car, I drive the 90 miles from Beaumont to Houston. Sneaks me the back door, Toyota Center. There I am in this room and all these coaches there, usc, Wisconsin, Penn State, PJ Fleck. And I'm going up and I'm shaking these coaches hands and I'm giving my pitch of why they should bring me in to talk to their team. And Savannah, every single coach I met that night slammed the door in my face. They all said no. It was a bloodbath. Savannah, in the first hour, I've been told no seven times by the eight coaches in the room. That's a no every eight minutes. And man, I am deflated. I'm in the corner of the Toyota center now I'm 10ft from the door, licking my wounds, feeling sorry for myself. And the voice in my head is screaming at me, go home. The voice in my head is telling me, thanks, Savannah. That a lot of people have heard you're an ex con. You don't belong in this room. You're not a whole person anymore. What did you think they were going to say? The voice in my head called me an imposter. And I think everybody listening to this, you've been the imposter. You've had that imposter voice before. But I'm going to tell you something I learned in prison a long time ago, and it may help someone else out there. Don't listen to yourself, because sometimes the voice in your head is fear talking to you. Talk to yourself. Tell yourself what you're going to do. Same thing Alice did when she was in prison. So there I am that night, telling myself, damon, you're not going anywhere. That last coach is going to tell you no to your face. You came here to talk to eight coaches. You're going to talk to this guy. He's the hardest guy to get in the room. Dabo Sweeney. His team had just beat Alabama two nights before for the national championship. Man, everybody's in line to talk to this guy. Yeah, but I'm like, damon, you survived prison. This isn't gonna hurt like prison did. So I stalk Dabo around this room, and I look like a crazy person. I'm hiding behind fake plants, trying to jump out at Dabo. I'm pushing people out of the way. Dabo sees me, and we finally come face to face, and I give him my best stuff, and I come up for air, and Dabo's a little freaked out by it. He's like, man, you got a card on you. I gave him a card. He said, I'll check you out. And he was gone. Took my car, just gone. That was a no. But I felt good about that no because I left it all on the field. And that's one of the biggest lessons I learned from playing sports. Like Muhammad said, you don't have to win all your fights. You got to fight your fights. Savannah. I went home that night. I slept like a baby, man. I just. I knew I gave it my all, and it wasn't meant to be. Four months later, I get an email from the director of football operations, a guy named Mike Dule, and he's the director of football operations at Clemson. Mike Duley's email says this. Hey, Damon, Coach Sweeney met you at award show in Houston. He'd love to have you come talk to the team. How does August 1st work for your schedule? And I'm like, my schedule, man. I have every first open man you can have August 1st. So August 1st, 2017, I go speak to the Clemson Tigers, the defending national champions of college Football. And after that presentation at night, Dabo's in my face. And like, you've seen Dabo. He's high energy.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yes.

[Damon West]

He's like, damon, that's the most amazing story I've ever heard. I've never seen my players respond like that to a speaker. He said, if you've been to Alabama to talk to their football team where Grayson goes to school. Alabama. And I'm like, no, Dabbo, I've been to Clemson, man. I haven't been anywhere, dude. Yeah, I mean, you. I haven't been anywhere. He said, we'll see about that. He said, I just text Nick Saban at the back of the room. Savannah. When my flight landed in Houston the next day for my trip to Clemson, I turned my phone on. There's a voicemail and a text message from the director of football operations at the University of Alabama, the Whale, the biggest program in America with the best coach to ever do it. Here's what that voicemail said. Said, hey, Damon, Dabo called coach Saban last night. Coach Saban can't wait to hear your story. He said, how does August 21, 7:30pm work for your calendar? And I laughed out loud like, I don't even have a calendar, man. I'm like, dude, I'll be in Tuscaloosa. I'll see you then. Just like that, Savannah. Dabo Sweeney kicks open the biggest door to college football. And Dabo didn't stop there because Kirby Smart calls Lincoln Riley, Chip Kelly, Lane Kiffin, Ryan Day. Every coach in America calls my phone, when are you coming to talk to my team? But the biggest thing Dabo did in my life hadn't even happened yet. Yet I hadn't met this second servant leader. So it was August of 2018. That was one year after that first presentation of Clemson. I get a phone call out of the blue. And on the other end of my phone is this guy named John Gordon. Now, John Gordon is one of the biggest motivational speakers and authors in America. He's the energy bus guy. He wrote this book called the Energy bus big, huge guy. And I'm like, john, I know who you are, man, but how do you know who I am? Yeah, he said, Dabo Sweeney. He said, I just got done speaking to Clemson's football team, Damon. And Dabo brought me off for 30 minutes. He told me your whole story. John said this before the pandemic. John said, damon, the world needs the coffee bean message. Damon, let's deliver this message to the world. He said, will you write a book with me. We'll call it the Coffee Bean. The summer of 2019, Savannah. Ten years after that first time I heard the story from Muhammad in a jail cell in Dallas county jail. The book the Coffee Bean comes out, took the world by storm, the whole planet. It starts off in America first, and it's like four to six weeks at the top of every best seller list. The Coffee Bean. Then it gets a global publishing deal. Global publishing deals are rare. That's when your book starts popping up in every language of the world. So it's popping up in Chinese and Spanish, Arabic, French, Italian, German. And then the year 2020 comes. The whole world becomes a pot of boiling water.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Damon West]

And the whole world is searching for the right message. And that's when so many people found out about the Coffee Bean guy. My life goes on this, this. And everybody listen. Just listening. I'm going horizontal. Then it's straight, vertical. Since 2021, I've been on the road 20 to 25 days every month, sharing the story all over the world about the Coffee Bean and my story about how I became the Coffee Bean. But it all goes back to that one night in Houston. January 11, 2017. The night that I had seven O's, Savannah. And I'm standing by the door. And if I listen to the voice of fear and doubt that night and walk out that door, we're not having this conversation today. And the world doesn't have the Coffee Bean message. So I encourage everybody. Whatever you're going through in life, don't quit because it gets tough. You. You don't. You don't throw in the towel because life gets hard. Don't not ask your questions. The only question you know the answer to in life is the one you don't ask. That answer is no every time.

[Savannah Chrisley]

I would rather I say, what's the worst that you can be told? Yeah, Like I. I would much rather know. I asked and put my all out there and fought for what I believed in. And if you want to tell me no, that's fine.

[Damon West]

That's it.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Like, I'm going to keep going.

[Damon West]

Wayne Gretzky said it best, Right? Wayne Gretzky said you miss 100% shots you don't take.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yep.

[Damon West]

Gotta take your shots in this life, Savannah.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Without a doubt.

[Damon West]

And that's what life has been about for me. Just. And I don't. I don't. I'm not one of those guys that buys into the odds. What are the odds? I'm sitting on the couch with you right now. You know what you've done with your platform, where you've grown. You've grown to. It's an honor to be here with you today. And what are the odds I'm here? I don't believe in odds, and I don't think you should either. I don't think you should believe in the odds of what your mission is in life.

[Savannah Chrisley]

You know, I just had someone text me who. So it was actually, I got to pull it up. It was a. It is a chaplain that's at a federal prison right now and sent me a text and said, this was yesterday. And said, hey, Savannah, sometimes God gives me a strong impression about someone or something. God impressed upon me these words for you. Stay the course. I hope that encourages you in some way.

[Damon West]

Oh, man, that's so good.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah. So it's like, that's. Sometimes people just need to hear that message.

[Damon West]

We need motivation. Everybody needs motivation. I mean, like, even in my life, the motivators need motivating, and I would encourage everybody. When you're looking for motivation, find the motivation. That's the good stuff in life, the stuff that's integrity, you know, integrity is who you are when no one else is watching you. And so one of the things, Savannah, that has motivated me ever since I got out of prison is finding my friend Mohammed. That's, like, the most frequent question I've been getting over the years.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Where is he?

[Damon West]

Yeah, exactly. That's what everybody wants to know. Where is he now? The truth. It was very difficult to find Muhammad because Muhammad's not his real name. That's his Muslim name. When a person converts to Islam, they get rid of their real name, take on a Muslim name. Kind of like Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali, right? So I go back to Dallas county jail. When I got out of prison, I said, I'm trying to find my friend Muhammad. We did time together in 09, and Dallas county jail is like, we need a real name or a birthday. We can't find your phone. The Muslim name, it didn't work like that. That. So I had to hope that one day he would find me. Here's how he found me. Three years ago, I get a letter from an inmate in the Texas department of criminal Justice, Savannah. I get a lot of inmate mail. Men and women all over the American prison system write me letters all the time because you know who I am to every man and woman in prison.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah, you're.

[Damon West]

I'm Hope.

[Savannah Chrisley]

You're Hope.

[Damon West]

I'm Andy. I'm a real life Andy to them. And I write them all Back because I want them to have hope. But this letter was different. There's no return address. It has one sentence. That one sentence says this. Find James Lynn Baker and you find Muhammad. Seven years I've waited for this clue. James Lynn Baker. I go to Dallas. Yeah, I go to Dallas. I get with my lawyer. We get a private investigator. The first thing the PI Finds his criminal record. And this story is in the book. This is like, the culmination of it. Right. Find his criminal record. Matched everything he said in and out of prison his entire life. Had him in a County Jail in 09 when I was there. So I know this is him. All we have to do is find his car in the driver. But we never could find his current address because James Lynn Baker II. Muhammad. He died of an opiate overdose, drugs, May 9, 2017. He's been dead eight years now, Savannah. So I owed this guy my life. And I told my lawyer that day, if he's dead, let's go find his family. I got to honor my friend. And my lawyer was like, you dealt with lawyers? Lawyers. Like, I don't think this is a great idea. Look what part of Dallas this guy came from. Like, this is. Let's don't fight. Let's don't find the family. Yeah, we gotta find his family. His family needs to know what he did in my life. And we found his family. And he comes from an incredible family. Check this out. His little sister is in her 70s now. Her name is Von Seal Baker. She lives in Dallas. Von Seal Baker is the first Dallas Cowboy cheerleader ever.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Wow.

[Damon West]

First woman to ever wear that uniform. Yeah. It's this crazy story. And like his mother, Bertha Baker, in 1948, she's a pioneer figure in civil rights endowment. Dallas. She opened up the first licensed black daycare in Dallas in 1948. This guy came from an incredible family.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Damon West]

Just like I did. But drugs and alcohol, Right. So he's got three living sisters now. Veisha, Von Sil and Vanessa. I called these ladies up one night. I told them the story about the time I met their brother in county jail, the message he gave me, and what I was able to do. That message, both in prison and out of prison. I told his sisters. I said, listen, I don't know about your. Your feelings about what your brother made with his choices in life, but let me tell you about your brother. He impacted at least one person on this planet. Me. And I'll impact the entire planet with the message he gave me. And I said, listen, I want to honor Him. I got an idea. Let's start a scholarship. I'll fund it every year. I'll put $10,000 into a trust for the James Lynn Baker II Be a Coffee Bean Scholarship. You pick the winner every year. So every year, one little boy or one little girl that grows up in that old neighborhood, they get out, and they get a better chance at life through an education because these two guys met up in county jail back in 09 and Savannah. The sisters took me up on it, man. They've become like a second family to me. The Baker family and I, we were so close. Now, let me tell you about one of the scholarship winners. They picked this little girl named Megan. Megan's mother's a school teacher. Her dad is a disabled veteran. Right now, Megan's sitting in class at Texas A and M. She's going to be an engineer one day. Yeah.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Finally, I'm like, that takes me over the edge.

[Damon West]

It took seven years to find my friend. Wow. It took seven no's at night in Houston from Dabbo to get to the one yet to. It took seven years to walk out of prison. Some of your goals in life take longer than others. You just can't quit. You can't give up, you know, and.

[Savannah Chrisley]

It'S so hard when you get to that place and you're like, I've done everything. I feel like nothing's working. It's so hard to not quit.

[Damon West]

But I'm speaking to you when I say that, too. You can't give up on what your mission is. You got to keep fighting, and you're going to be successful in the end.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Well, I think what you're doing is where you're at in life is helping the person you once were.

[Damon West]

Yeah.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Like, that's. I feel like that is your mission.

[Damon West]

Yeah, that's. This buddy of mine named Ed Mylett told me that quote when I did his podcast a few years ago. He said, you're most qualified to help the person you once were, so you got to find that person in life. And so I know where that person is in my life inside the prison system. And so I do. I spend a lot of time inside of prisons, you know, voluntarily go into a prison somewhere in America every month. You know, I've got a curriculum I've started in the Texas prison system. But more than that, my mission in life, my lane that I've got into criminal justice reform, is helping children of.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Incarcerated parents, because I've always said they're the most forgotten.

[Damon West]

Oh. And the most impacted kids can't pick their parents, you know?

[Savannah Chrisley]

Yeah.

[Damon West]

And, you know, children of incarcerated parents. I got onto this thing when I was in prison. I'd see these guys. Remember, I'm serving life with lifers, man. It's. You can see people's lives crumbling apart year by year. You know, you have a same conversation over and over again. My son or my daughter is making bad choices. They're gonna end up where I was. You know, my dad was in prison, too, that kind of thing. Or my son or my daughter wants to do something extracurricular. Extracurricular. And we can't afford it because I'm in prison. And I always thought, you know, Savannah, if I get out and I ever get a platform in life, I'm gonna help those people. I'm gonna help the kids of incarcerated parents. And so. So my wife and I started the Be a Coffee Bean Foundation. And what the Be a Coffee Bean foundation does is we find children who have incarcerated parents and we give them up to $2,500 a year for any extracurricular activity they want. And when the program really works, well, it's when the parent that's in prison nominates their kid on the outside. And it helps repair the parent child bond. Because now the incarcerated parent, who can't do anything for the kid on the outside, on the phone call, hey, how's those dance lessons? Like, got you. How's karate going? You know, how's baseball going? How's football going? And, man, it's. It's incredible. I mean, some of the letters, it makes me tear up just thinking about. Because we. Just to hear that somebody's life is made easier because of something that I'm able to do with whenever I walked out of prison. Savannah, God told me. He said, you're going to work for me now, Damon. And he said, you're going to have one of the most incredible stories possible. Because that's how I show that I'm real. I take these stories that break people down and I bring them back up.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Up.

[Damon West]

But the minute this becomes about you, you're coming back to prison. This is God's show, not your show. You're a vessel. And I can find another vessel. Let's get to work. And so every day, I say this same prayer that I learned whenever I was in prison and I got into recovery. And it's. They kind of call it the third step prayer. But every morning I get up, and I'm a Christian, so I pray to Christ. But whatever you believe out there listening to this, you can pray Whatever you want. But I ask Christ every day, put in front of me what you need me to do today for you, and let me recognize that when I see it, because I don't want to miss whatever that is. Amen. So thanks for letting me be here with you today.

[Savannah Chrisley]

That is amazing. No, thank you. And can you tell people if they want to donate to your foundation and it go to children of incarcerated individuals, how can they do that?

[Damon West]

BeACoffeeBeanFoundation.org okay, it's a long name, but. BeACoffeeBeanfoundation.org and that's. That's where we go. And all we do is we just provide these scholarship, these kids. We don't have any overhead. It's run out of our house. We don't have any employees. So, you know, outside of, like, 1% that goes to, like, office supplies, 99% or whatever goes to the children. So it's.

[Savannah Chrisley]

That's amazing.

[Damon West]

Just for kids. Yeah.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Well, thank you. Your story is absolutely amazing. I'm, like, I'm blown away, and it gives me hope. I feel like you're restoring hope in very hopeless places.

[Damon West]

Back to where you started the conversation about the Andy Dufresne, the Shawshank Shank. That's the thing. Like, I think my story brings people hope. And, you know, I love going around sharing. That's what I do for a living. I go around sharing my story. And if you ever want to find me for that, it's damonwest.org d a m o n w s t dot.

[Savannah Chrisley]

O r g and before we wrap up, can you share anything else about when you met mom? Is there anything that comes to mind?

[Damon West]

Oh, your mom was like a beacon of light. All these other ladies were gathered around her. It's like she's got like. Like, you can tell that she's a leader because of all the other women that were around her. Like, they look to her. You can see the way people look at somebody when you know who the alpha is in the room. Clearly it was your mother. Your mother.

[Savannah Chrisley]

That doesn't shock me.

[Damon West]

Does that not surprise you?

[Savannah Chrisley]

But, I mean, that's her.

[Damon West]

But the fact that she walked up and I mean Savannah, and I mean this totally seriously. Her chest was held high. Her shoulders were up straight. Her head was held high. She wasn't coward by what she was going through in there. And you could just tell that she's a woman of pride and she's going to make it through this.

[Savannah Chrisley]

I always say I'm lucky and blessed to get to Call her mom. And I've said, if I can be half the woman she is, I will be happy.

[Damon West]

Moms are special, Savannah. And you stepped into a role in life where you have become a mom to Grayson and a mom to Chloe. And so you're getting a crash course in it.

[Savannah Chrisley]

I am. That's for sure.

[Damon West]

But women, like we said earlier, women are strong. They're very resilient. They're very tough. My mom. Mom is the hero in my story. Without my mom. My mom and my dad came to see me over 150 times in prison. Now you have family in prison. Think about how many visits that is. Right? So 150 visits in prison. And they got to see me. Turn it around. My mom and my dad. And my dad died in 2023. And before he died, he's like, you got to take care of your mom, you know, because you're the one. You're the one. You're the ones going to be able to do it. And so I understood what that meant, finally. And my wife and I bought a piece of property a couple years ago. We built our house on it. And this year, we just built my mom a house on our property. And my mom moved in December 23rd to her brand new house, and she lives with us now. So she gets to see her little granddaughter Clara grow up. She gets to hang out with my daughter, my wife, her daughter in law, and I get to see her every time when I'm in town. I'm not in town much, but I drop in to say hi to mom, and she still likes to cook for me, so I go have a bowl of gumbo. She. She's Cajun, so eat a bowl of gumbo every now and then.

[Savannah Chrisley]

I love that. Oh, my gosh. Well, yes. Moms are superheroes for sure.

[Damon West]

They are.

[Savannah Chrisley]

Well, thank you so much again. And you guys make sure Go and donate to be a coffee beanfoundation.org and go donate. Go read his story, do your research, whatever you want to do. This is such a story that just. It gives. It's a story of transformation that gives so much hope. And I've realized that nothing is more dangerous than a hopeless space or individual. So.

[Damon West]

And in that vein, do you mind if I plug the book real quick? So the book is available on Amazon right now, and that's how. That's how authors become bestsellers, is pre sales. So the book is available on Amazon. It's Six dimes and a nickel and Six dimes and a nickel. It's all the life lessons from life sentences. My entire life story, but all the lessons of how it turns around how you can too.

[Savannah Chrisley]

I love that. Thank you.

[Damon West]

Thanks Savannah. Thanks for watching. Podcasting isn't just about talking.

[Savannah Chrisley]

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[Damon West]

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[Savannah Chrisley]

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[Damon West]

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[Savannah Chrisley]

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[Damon West]

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