Matthew Garcia has been in jail for 26 years for second-degree felony murder. He didn't even have a gun, yet he has a life sentence. As an adopted child from North Philadelphia, Matthew has turned his life around in remarkable ways. He is a published author with a book called "Raw Reflections" and graduated with college courses from Villanova, St. Joseph's, Bryn Mawr, and Widener University. Matthew also created his own mentoring program called the Real Rap Program and has scholarships for at-risk youth with Councilman Kenyatta Johnson. Despite these achievements, he remains behind bars due to Pennsylvania's harsh felony murder law. This petition seeks to change the felony murder law in Pennsylvania to make lifers like Matthew eligible for parole. His case shares similarities with Derek Lee’s case that the PA Supreme Court is ready to rule on, including 17 amicus briefs filed on behalf of individuals like him. Please support Matthew Garcia by signing this petition and advocating for fairer sentencing laws in Pennsylvania!

If you would like to help Matthew out, the petition is below

https://www.change.org/p/change-pennsylvania-s-felony-murder-law-to-allow-parole-for-lifers?recruiter=1338786924&recruited_by_id=1f98e0d0-13f6-11ef-8e42-110cd3ef6ae3&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard&utm_medium=copylink#FREEMATTHEWGARCIA

This episode is with my good friend Jacqueline. She is somebody I met on TikTok one day, just perusing through my feed. She's somebody that I can absolutely relate to, and she's very kind and generous to have very in-depth personal conversations with. She talks about having multiple sclerosis and mental health, and all the struggles that come with both. She also discusses her inner struggles and battles that she has within herself every day.

Dale Walsh is a coach for the families of those diagnosed with schizophrenia. He has been coaching these families for several years and is the creator of the LIVELOVE method to help his clients. He is guided by the mantra “Recovery is Always an Option.” Following a thirteen-week hospitalization after being “extracted” from Dartmouth College in 1975, he was in a private psychiatric program where he was hospitalized nine times over five years. He then moved into his own unsupervised apartment and returned to college at Fairleigh Dickinson University, from where he graduated magna cum laude in English Literature. Diagnosed 50 years ago, Dale has been episode-free for the past 32. His mental health journey has evolved from total psychosis to a miraculous recovery. He has lived independently for forty years.

His website http://www.dewlivelove.net/

Andy Y. West is the author of Dopamine Mountain and Anhedonia Wastelands, books designed to hack the dopamine reward system for energy, motivation and happiness. Andy suffered severe chronic fatigue, cognitive decline and anhedonic depression for almost 4 years, however after experimenting with various hacks for rewiring the dopamine reward system, Andy made a full recovery, even learning to overcome migraine, chronic pain and overhaul the parasympathetic nervous system. Her productivity and drive ended up much greater than it had ever been.

Her website https://dopaminemountain.com/

This episode is with Whitney Bailey. I met her a while, looking through my feed on TikTok, and I found this wonderful woman who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and she was sharing her journey, very openly and honest. She talks about her struggles and her triumphs. Along with her social media, she also is a podcastor who has open conversations and interviews to spread awareness on what people with CP go through.

Her podcast https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNvT5RjStoEXvgvn-xHwj_o8AqknLIiAd

And her TikTok is https://www.tiktok.com/@wheelchairwhit?_t=ZT-8vMZ9xVAo1b&_r=1

This episode is with Ryan Deachman. I met him on TikTok while scrolling through my feed. I came across this guy who struggles with mental health and his disabilities, yet he stands tall and advocates through his words and music. One of his disabilities, he survived a traumatic brain injury. He also works with people with disabilities and mental health challenges.

You can follow him on TikTok/d3achy

In her late teens, Nancy's father was diagnosed with leukemia. As someone who witnessed firsthand the devastating emotional and financial impact on both individuals and families that being disabled and filing for benefits can have, Nancy is not just an attorney, but an empathetic presence who understands what claimants are going through. She represents people across the United States in getting their Social Security and Long-Term Disability benefits. Nancy has spent her career working tirelessly on behalf of Americans who have not received fair treatment or promised benefits. In doing so, she has written many consumer-friendly guides to disability, including The Disability Insurance Claim Survival Guide for Professionals and Your Rights to Social Security Disability Benefits. She is a National Organization of Social Security Claims Representatives (NOSSCR) member. While she has a nationwide practice, she is licensed in Florida and the District of Columbia I had the opportunity to ask Nancy numerous questions regarding Social Security disability, and she was incredibly helpful throughout. Her answers were thorough, and clear, and demonstrated a deep understanding of the subject. She was patient and attentive, making sure all my concerns were addressed. Nancy's assistance truly made a complex topic much easier to navigate.

Website https://caveylaw.com

Listen to her podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/winning-isnt-easy-long-term-disability-erisa-claims/id1529937679

This episode is with Samantha Vanalstyne. She is a disability advocate, author, and a good human overall. She talks about the inspiration for her books, living on her own, being a wheelchair, user, and much more. She was one of those people that caught my eye on TikTok, because she was being so open about her disability, and though she struggles as we all do, she refuses to let anything break her.

https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=Nfe0GXn51tIJduBL5rM5bV7fyh5FfAZ8fkhiBLczap8

https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=7hotO7WyeEQlFHjy4FbPUba59oNvMst94AoS0n5Po0f