Empathy in Action

Go inside. Listen deeply. Build connection.

Empathy in Action is enrolling volunteers for Fall 2026 at CTF Soledad Prison.

Mondays, October 5–December 7
4–6 PM

Plus a live theater performance inside the prison on December 13

Join incarcerated men and community volunteers for a powerful journey rooted in empathy, dialogue, healing, and human connection.

Space is very limited!

Contact Megan McDrew via this post OR email/text

[email protected] | 831-220-4141

Some signs we have in the TJC…my favorite is the one that says, “you will break but oh, you will also heal.”

We’ve been busy redecorating and building new ideas and projects, all in the name of healing, connection and love. Can’t wait to share more soon!

Friends, no yoga today at the TJC. It’s being used for an all day workshop with Rising Scholars. See you next week!

Soon to be streaming!

Sound healing this weekend at the TJC! Always free of charge and incredibly impactful...please join us!

As a reminder, yoga is on Wednesdays at 11am with yours truly :)

Namaste divine ones!

You know you are running a powerful organization when people start getting your logo tattooed on their bodies!

One of our longtime volunteers recently got the Transformative Justice Center LOGO of the lotus tattooed on her arm - the same lotus I wear on my right forearm. I was speechless.

Our logo has always carried deep meaning. The lotus grows in muddy waters, yet emerges beautiful, resilient, and reaching toward the light. It reminds us that no matter where we've been or what we've endured, transformation is always possible.
When I asked her why she chose to make this symbol a permanent part of her story, she shared these words:

"I first signed up for Empathy in Action during my junior year of college, and I have been volunteering ever since. I keep coming back because this program is life-changing. Over the years, I have built meaningful friendships and connections with both the Brothers in Blue and fellow volunteers.

This program has allowed me to grow as a person while hearing the often untold stories of many incarcerated individuals at Soledad Correctional Facility and Chowchilla Women's Prison. I have been deeply moved by the stories I have heard and am grateful for the trust and vulnerability that participants bring to the program.

Because of this experience, I chose to get a tattoo of a lotus flower, the symbol of the Transformative Justice Center. The lotus flower serves as a reminder that beautiful things can grow from the mud. I chose this tattoo to honor the stories of perseverance, resilience, and struggle that I have heard within prison walls.

My goal is to bring about positive change in society by becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and opening a transitional home. I want to serve formerly incarcerated individuals and support them as they navigate their transition back into society. Empathy in Action has profoundly shaped this vision, and Megan's unwavering commitment to the program has inspired me to pursue this work with purpose, compassion, and determination."

I often say that Empathy in Action changes everyone who walks through the prison gates, not just those living inside them. This is living proof.

To know that someone has been so deeply impacted by this work that they chose to carry its symbol on their skin for the rest of their life is one of the greatest honors I could ever receive.
The real gift, though, isn't the tattoo.

It's knowing that another future social worker, advocate, and changemaker has found her calling through the stories, courage, and humanity of the men and women we have the privilege of walking beside.

To every person incarcerated who has shared their truth, to every volunteer who continues to show up with an open heart, and to every supporter who believes that people are more than the worst thing they've ever done...this lotus belongs to all of us.

Thank you for reminding the world that beautiful things really can grow from the mud. 🌸

For those who missed it, our dear friend, Richard, is out after almost 40 years in prison! He is the one who makes the AMAZING pop up cards and is just an incredible artist and human being. He wrote this to share about the Empathy in Action program and his life:

I started my prison journey in 1988 and it was chaotic, to say the least. I had just turned 26 years old and was sentenced to 60 years and four days plus 11 years plus 7 years to life, all consecutive. I don't want to take you on that earlier journey because it was not a place I would like to return to. I could fill a tome with stories that would reach into your soul and probably have you lose a little faith in humanity.

People with no hope, no faith, no emotions, no love, and nobody, forgotten by the outside world, even their families, tend to act like the animals they are treated like. It was really difficult growing up in that crazy environment thinking that was all there would be for me for the rest of my life. Fortunately I had a loving family that supported me regardless of where I was or the fact that I may never see them in the free world again.

Fast forward to the more present when my life took a turn for the better. About 7 years ago I decided I was tired of living my life dictated by the people around me who really couldn't care less about whether I lived or died. I was expendable and that really rubbed me the wrong way.

I asked to move from CTF-Central to CTF-North where I heard they had programs that really focused on helping the incarcerated population to dig deep within themselves and truly explore the causes that made them make the choices they made. I had never heard of such things as ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), Anti-Social Behaviors, or the plethora of other negative conditions, or situations that formed my belief systems. It was strange because it was eye opening and depressing at the same time. I could finally feel a sense of relief; maybe I wasn't as broken as the system kept telling me I was.

Once I came to terms with that I wanted to find out if it was actually true; were there ordinary people out there in the free world that could look me in the eyes and tell me that I was human, I was valued, I was somebody, and I was worthy of love?

Yes there were, and they all came marching, like little ducklings, behind a wonderful person, by the name of Megan McDrew. All these wonderful volunteers, mostly women of all ages and backgrounds, whom I'm sure, must have been scared out of their wits just strolled right into the prison, and into our lives like they were meant to be there from the beginning.

When I was accepted into Megan's group, Empathy In Action, it was like I was adopted into a family of people who understood everything I was feeling. I was surprised, and dismayed, to see that these wonderful people had experienced many of the same things I had. What really hit my heart the hardest was that I felt like I was looking right into the souls of people that could very easily have been victims of mine. That was a difficult feeling for me to internalize because these were such awesome, and beautiful people, that I could not imagine ever doing anything to hurt them.

Megan somehow figured out a way to make a difference in the lives of so many people, both inside and outside, and I will always be in awe of how she even manages to do so much for so many, with so little, and still have a life of her own. I knew that I wanted to be a part of her organization in any way I could, either as an incarcerated person, or the miraculously free man I thankfully am today.

I was taken back to court and resentenced to 15 years, which put me out the gate quicker than even I was prepared for. My prison journey came to an abrupt, but very fortuitous end and I will continue to do all I can to help Megan and her organization regardless of where my journey takes me. It has taken a bit of adjusting after 37 years and 7 months of incarceration but I am here and I am loving life one moment at a time.

Sharing a testimonial from a high school classmate living in New York who just saw Going Inside…

Last night I saw an extraordinary short film, produced by my friend Megan McDrew: "Going Inside."

You can watch the 33-min. movie here on Vimeo: www.bit.ly/goinginsidemovie The Vimeo password is: humanization

It's a breathtaking documentary shot inside California prisons, where Megan conducts group therapy sessions with men serving long-term sentences, often for violent crimes.

Her program is called Empathy in Action, and the film provides a look from the prisoners' perspectives, both uncensored and understanding.

Some came from childhoods of horrifying abuse. Others from families poisoned by drug addiction. Some are innocent and shouldn't be in prison at all.

If you click the link and watch the clip, post your thoughts below.

Grateful that I saw it. Highly appreciative for the humanitarian work that Megan is doing, helping so many.

Vimeo Our customer support team is available to help 24/7. Enterprise members also receive dedicated account managers and a guaranteed uptime SLA.

I'm back and will be teaching today and every Wednesday! No cost to the community. Just come, stretch, restore and return to your full Self xoxoxo