My Pay It Forward Years

When I walked out of federal prison, I did not have a business plan. I had a record, probation, and a deep desire to make sure no one repeated the choices that brought me there.

The first place I turned was my law school. I reached out and asked if I could speak to the students at Columbia Law School. I wanted them to hear directly from someone who had lived the consequences of small ethical compromises. I wanted them to feel the real human cost behind professional pressure.

That first talk was not about a brand. It was about responsibility.

From that day, invitations began to spread. One campus became many. I spoke for student groups, bar associations, firms, ethics programs, and community organizations across New York City. The rooms were often modest, but the conversations were real. People stayed after to ask questions about integrity, fear, and how to rebuild after a fall.

As the demand grew, another question started to show up.

The question about fees

Event organizers began to ask something very normal in the world of keynote speaking

What is your speaking fee

In any other season of life, that question would have led to a simple contract. In my reality at that time, things were more complicated. I was still on probation. My judge still had authority over major parts of my life, including my work.

My probation officer took the issue to court. My former federal prosecutor, Joseph Capone, stood next to me and told the judge that my speaking mattered. He explained that my talks were impacting students and professionals and that they could help me pay restitution in a meaningful way.

The judge listened, then set a clear boundary. I could speak. I could have my travel, hotel, and reasonable expenses covered. I could not earn a speaking fee while I remained on probation.

So I stepped into a new reality as a speaker.

For three years, I spoke at almost three hundred events with my keynote fee completely waived.

Why I kept saying yes to free stages

People around me were puzzled.

Why keep doing this if you are not being paid
Why not wait a few years and build your speaking career later

My answer was direct.

This is my pay it forward.
If the universe is putting these rooms in front of me, those people are meant to hear my story.
If I want to serve as a powerful ethics and leadership keynote speaker one day, I need reps more than I need a rate.

Every event became part of my training ground.

I learned how to tell my prison story without glamorizing it or minimizing the harm.
I tested how different audiences responded to my experiences around fraud, pressure, and culture.
I practiced explaining complex ideas like behavioral ethics and human based decision making in simple, human language.
I made mistakes, adjusted, and tried again at the next event.

Looking back, those unpaid talks were like a live classroom in communication, resilience, and leadership.

How unpaid work shaped my speaking today

Today, I am a professional keynote speaker who works with companies, law firms, associations, and universities on topics such as

Integrity in the future of work
Human based decision making
Ethics and compliance that actually stick
Resilience through struggle, change, and uncertainty
Leadership that focuses on humanity as much as performance

Event planners bring me in because they want their people to think differently about risk, culture, and responsibility. They want a speaker who can share a real federal prison story and then translate it into clear, practical tools for daily decisions.

That impact did not appear overnight. It was refined in those three years when my fee was zero, my schedule was full, and my purpose was front and center.

Those were my pay it forward years.

What this means for your leadership and career

You may not be fresh out of prison or speaking to law students, yet I believe many people are living their own version of pay it forward years.

Maybe you are

Mentoring younger team members without any official recognition
Running extra ethics or leadership sessions inside your company because you know they are needed
Saying yes to opportunities that stretch you, even when the financial return is small at first
Building your voice as a thought leader or speaker before the paid invitations arrive

In a world that constantly talks about personal brands, influencer status, and revenue goals, it can feel risky to serve without a direct payoff.

Here is what my experience taught me.

Service and strategy can live together. You can be smart about your time and still choose to build your craft through seasons that are rich in learning and thin on visible rewards. Those seasons often shape your character, deepen your message, and create the authenticity that audiences crave.

For leaders, these pay it forward years can transform culture. When you show up for people without asking “What is in it for me” every single time, you send a signal. You tell your team that values are real, not just words on a wall. You model what accountability and resilience look like in practice.

Reps before revenue

If you feel like you are in a long stretch of giving more than you are receiving, try reframing it as reps before revenue.

Ask yourself

What craft am I actively building right now
Public speaking
Leadership
Coaching
Change management

Where can I collect meaningful reps in the next three to six months
What can I learn from each conversation, presentation, or project
How can I capture these lessons so I keep evolving

When you focus on reps, you are not ignoring money. You are placing mastery, integrity, and impact at the center. In my case, that approach led to a sustainable speaking business that is rooted in lived experience, not just polished talking points.

Why I still see every stage as sacred

Even though I am now paid as a keynote speaker, I still see each stage through the lens of those early years.

Every room that hears my story is a room where someone might make a different decision
Every conference session is a chance to prevent the next ethical failure
Every audience contains at least one person who feels trapped by pressure and needs to know that they can choose a different path

That is why I continue to tell the truth about prison, probation, restitution, and rebuilding. It is why my work centers on resilience, human based decision making, and the courage to rise through hard moments.

Those pay it forward years did not delay my work. They defined it.

If you are in a season that feels unseen or undervalued, I see you. Your effort, your integrity, and your quiet reps matter far more than you may realize right now.

You may be building the very foundation that your future self will stand on.

If your organization is ready for a real conversation about ethics, leadership, and resilience, and wants a keynote that blends lived experience with practical tools, I would be honored to speak with you. Use the contact form on this site to connect, and we can explore what Rising Through It could look like for your people.