What happens when both of your parents go to prison during your teenage years? Thousands of children experience this every year, but it’s something that’s rarely spoken about. In this episode, Natasha Harris shares her story of growing up with both parents in prison at 15 – the lack of communication, the stigma, and the lasting impact it had on her life. She also talks about why she’s now using her voice to raise awareness for children of prisoners.

We’re also joined by Sarah Burrows, founder of Children Heard and Seen, a charity dedicated to supporting children and families affected by parental imprisonment. Together, they explore the hidden struggles of these children and what needs to change to make sure they’re no longer overlooked.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

Children Heard & Seen – They offer tailored one-on-one support from trained practitioners, assistance for parents/carers, peer support groups for both children and carers, engaging online activities, fun-filled activity days and residentials, as well as practical support such as legal advice and guidance on financial well-being.

https://childrenheardandseen.co.uk/

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Life After Prison, we speak with Dr Kenny Imafidon – entrepreneur, author, and criminal justice advocate from Peckham, London. At 18, Kenny was on remand facing joint enterprise charges and became the first person in the UK to complete A-levels in prison. After being acquitted, he wrote the influential Kenny Report and co-founded ClearView Research to amplify unheard voices. He is also the author of That Peckham Boy and has been recognised with an MBE, an honorary doctorate, and listed in Forbes 30 Under 30.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

JENGbA (Joint Enterprise: Not Guilty by Association) – Grassroots campaign fighting unjust convictions under joint enterprise.

https://jengba.co.uk/

Spark Inside – Runs life coaching programmes in prisons to help young people unlock their potential.

https://www.sparkinside.org/

Spark2Life – Committed to preventing youth offending and promoting emotional wellbeing in children and young adults (11–30 years old), particularly those facing exclusion, exploitation, or criminal justice involvement.

https://www.spark2life.co.uk/

The forward Trust – Works across prisons and communities to support people overcoming addiction, offending, homelessness, and barriers to employment.

https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might remember today’s guest from way back in Series 1 – back then, he shared how music and therapy helped him rebuild his life after prison and launch a youth music charity. Since then, so much has changed. Anthony Olanipekun (aka Tony Supreme), stepped back from being a CEO after hitting burnout, focused on his mental health and sobriety, got married, and built new businesses — including Soul Surge Wellness, supporting young people and men in prison. Now, he’s teaming up with National Prison Radio on a brand-new show, Cellmate to CEO. In this conversation, we get into burnout, healing, growth, and what it really takes to build a balanced, purpose-driven life after prison.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

The Kings Trust Enterprise Program - Offers business training, mentoring, and start-up support for young people aged 18–30, including those with criminal records.

https://www.kingstrust.org.uk/how-we-can-help/support-starting-business

Enterprise Exchange (Brighton) - Trains and mentor people with convictions to become successful entrepreneurs. Not only Providing business support, but also helping to build the confidence and self esteem

Working Chance (London) - Helps women with convictions into employment, offering career coaching, skills training, and support for those exploring self-employment or entrepreneurship.

https://workingchance.org/

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is Isaiah James – also known as Resilient Lion. He spent years in and out of prison, starting from the age of 15, and was deep in gang life — thinking that was the only path available to him. But during his last sentence, something shifted. He found faith, got serious about fitness, and started focusing on self-development to change his life. Since coming out, he’s launched Freedom Through Fitness, spoken and done workshops in prisons, and recently ran around every single prison in London to celebrate breaking the cycle of re-offending.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

Untapped - Combine fitness coaching with entrepreneurship training for disadvantaged and justice-involved young people.

https://www.fitforlifeyouth.co.uk/

XO Bikes (London) - Trains and employ ex-offenders as bicycle mechanics, providing prison-based training and post-release work opportunities to reduce reoffending and support community reintegration.

https://xobikes.com/

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Life After Prison, we’ve got Margs, Beanos, and Loons from the No Behaviour podcast joining us. These three keep it real with honest, no-filter chats about life on the streets of London — and they’ve all been to prison themselves. It’s actually the most guests we’ve ever had in the studio at once, so it's gonna be a lot of energy!

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

The Big House Theatre Company – Work with at risk youth, offering theatre and media training, whilst helping participants develop confidence and storytelling skills

https://thebighouse.uk.com/

Stretch Charity – Work people affected by the criminal justice system, delivering hands-on projects in digital storytelling, filmmaking, photography, and creative writing, helping individuals tell their own stories in powerful ways.

https://stretch-charity.org/

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Life After Prison, we are joined by Lisa Newman – an addiction recovery coach and founder of Recalibrate Recovery Services. Drawing on her own lived experience of addiction, prison, and recovery, Lisa now supports others through one-to-one coaching, sober companionship, breathwork, and holistic wellbeing practices. She blends Eastern and Western approaches to help people rebuild their lives, and she’s passionate about breaking the stigma around addiction, relapse, and what recovery really looks like.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

The Prison Phoenix Trust - Supports prisoners and prison staff through the practice of yoga and meditation, helping to foster calm, resilience, and personal transformation within the criminal justice system.

https://www.theppt.org.uk/

The Forward Trust – Offer substance misuse and mental health services to people in and leaving prison. As well as integrating wellness tools such as therapy, peer support, and education.

https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/

The Shannon Trust - Helps people in prison and after release to improve reading and communication skills through peer-led learning.

https://www.shannontrust.org.uk/

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week in the Life After Prison studio Zak & Jules are joined by Frankie Stedman. Frankie was involved in a major drug conspiracy that led to a nine-year sentence—but since coming out, he’s turned things around. He now runs his own scaffolding business and goes into schools to share his story and help young people make better choices.

Frank is also incredibly walking 200 MILES, from our HMP Styal HQ to our HMP Brixton HQ, to raise money for our charity and raise awareness of the power of National Prison Radio.

If you want to learn more and donate, click the link below!

https://www.justgiving.com/page/200-mile-walk?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

The Wise Group (NE and NW) Personal wellbeing – Comprehensive support for individuals serving sentences and community-based justice work, focusing on mentoring, skills training, and job placements. (can ask to be referred to them if you’re on probation in these areas)

https://www.thewisegroup.co.uk/

Disclosure toolkit, by Offploy - A toolkit combining precise legal guidance, personalised letter drafting, and trusted resources, to confidently handle disclosure.

https://www.disclosuretoolkit.org/

Unlock – a charity offering peer‑run helpline, information, advice, and advocacy for people with criminal records navigating employment, disclosure, and discrimination.

https://unlock.org.uk/

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Life After Prison couch, Zak & Jules are joined by Jacob Dunne. At 19, Jacob was sentenced to prison for manslaughter after a one-punch attack that took a man’s life. What followed is a remarkable story of transformation. After meeting the parents of his victim through restorative justice, Jacob went on to earn a first-class honours degree in criminology and has since worked across education, health, criminal justice, and the arts. He is also the co-founder of the Common Ground Justice Project — an initiative engaging voters, victims and communities to build common ground for a safer, fairer justice system. His memoir Right From Wrong was recently adapted — with his creative input — into PUNCH, a critically acclaimed play heading to the West End and Broadway.

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Useful organisations:

Jacob’s Website - www.jacobdunne.co.uk

Common Ground Justice Project - The project aims to engage diverse voices to uncover shared values and develop a modern justice system that garners broad public support

https://www.commongroundjustice.uk/

3Pillars Project - This sports-based mentoring charity helps ex-offenders build a life away from crime and make a positive contribution to society. They offer personal training qualifications to ex-offenders on release through 3Pillars Fitness, with potential employment opportunities with 3Pillars Wellbeing.

The Forgiveness Project - Dedicated to exploring forgiveness and reconciliation through the sharing of personal narratives from both victims and perpetrators of crime and violence.

https://www.theforgivenessproject.com/

The Longford Trust - Supporting young people leaving prison by funding their university education, providing one-to-one mentoring, and helping them rebuild their lives through its scholarship and employability programmes.

https://www.longfordtrust.org/

Clean Break – Theatre company working with women affected by the criminal justice system.

https://www.cleanbreak.org.uk/

Synergy Theatre Project – Works with current and former prisoners through theatre and the arts.

https://www.synergytheatreproject.co.uk/

Contact us:

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok

📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.