CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Escaping the Odds podcast series is kicking off its third season on Tuesday, February 8th. During the previous two seasons, host and founder, Aaron Smith interviewed dozens of business owners who had been incarcerated at one point in their lives, giving them a platform to share their stories of entrepreneurial success. The third season of Escaping the Odds will follow the same format, but the first episode will have a twist. For the first time, Aaron will be sharing his own story. Yasaman Hadjibashi, co-founder of Stretch Finance, an online bank that provides banking and full-time employment for formerly incarcerated people, will guest host as Aaron reveals to his audience how his time in incarceration changed his life and drove him to launch a media company.
Aaron is a native of the South Side of Chicago. He earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Columbia College Chicago, and it wasn't long after that he began his journey within the criminal justice system. In 2009, he was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for distribution of heroin and fentanyl resulting in death. Aaron knew that he had the soul of an entrepreneur, his drug operation sold over $15,000 per day, but as he likes to say, "I was selling the wrong product, so I had to switch hustles."
He was released from federal prison after nine years and five months in February 2019. With his belief in God and a lot of hard work, his focus was to live out his passion of entrepreneurship and make an impact through his media company, Escaping the Odds. In December 2019, Aaron launched the Escaping the Odds podcast to build his social capital and tell amazing stories of redemption through business. Aaron was awarded the 2021 Media for a Just Society Award in the podcast/radio category.
During the first episode, in addition to telling his backstory and sharing the origins of Escaping the Odds, Aaron will also be updating audiences on how his mission to inspire others to pursue their business dreams has grown and evolved. Aaron will discuss how he is now providing careers for other formerly incarcerated people through his latest venture, U Turn Transport, share about his work as a community liaison for the Safety Justice Challenge of Cook County, and discuss the new partnership between Escaping the Odds and Stretch Finance.
Escaping the Odds season three premiers Tuesday, February 8th. For more information and to stream the podcast visit: http://www.escapingtheodds.com.
About Escaping the Odds
Escaping the Odds is a podcast series that highlights individuals who were impacted by the criminal justice system and who are now entrepreneurs and business leaders. The podcast was started by Aaron Smith after he spent nearly a decade behind bars due to his involvement in a large scale heroin operation in Chicago. While incarcerated, he had a drastic mindset shift and switched up his hustle. Aaron is now an entrepreneur, podcast producer and mentor, whose goal in life is to help others switch mindsets and hustles. For more information visit: http://www.escapingtheodds.com/.
Media Contact
Cassandra Weller, Escaping the Odds, 1 610-297-1047, [email protected]
SOURCE Escaping the Odds
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