Nightmare Success In and Out

What happens when your worst fear becomes your reality? On this episode of Nightmare Success In and Out, Brent Cassity sits down with Dr. Ron Elfenbein — a board-certified emergency room physician trained at Johns Hopkins who stepped up when the world shut down. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ron didn’t wait. He acted. He built testing sites before most believed the virus would spread. He treated thousands of patients. He donated critical supplies across multiple states. He became a trusted voice on the frontlines when fear and uncertainty were everywhere. Then, without warning… everything changed. Federal charges. A criminal trial. His reputation, career, and freedom all on the line. But just when it looked like his nightmare was over, a federal judge issued a stunning decision — wiping away the conviction in a rare and powerful ruling 93 page opinion. And still… the fight isn’t over. The DOJ won an appeal overturning the the Chief Judge's acquittal. This is a story about courage under pressure, standing up for what you believe is right, and navigating a system that can turn on you overnight. It’s about resilience. It’s about truth. And it’s about what it really takes to survive — and keep fighting — when your nightmare isn’t finished yet 🎙️ Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, and share — it helps us bring more powerful stories like this to people who need them.
Show sponsors: Navigating the challenges of white-collar crime? The White-Collar Support Group at Prisonist.org offers guidance, resources, and a community for those affected at prisonist.org. Protect your online reputation with Discoverability! Use code NIGHTMARE SUCCESS for an exclusive discount Visit Discoverability.co. Auto Plaza Direct "Your personal car concierge!" Let them handle every detail to find your perfect car autoplazadirect.com. Author Saffron Gustafson, "My Name is Saffron." Author Nevin Shetty, "Second Chance Economics: How Hiring The Formerly Incarcerated Can Unlock $1 Trillion in GDP." www.secondchanceeconomics.com

What happens after prison? For most people, that’s where the real struggle begins.
In this episode of Nightmare Success In and Out, Brent Cassity sits down with Doug Feller—an entrepreneur who went from building businesses and living fast… to facing federal charges, prison time, and starting over from nothing.
Doug shares the truth about reentry that nobody talks about:
👉 Why getting out of prison is just the beginning
👉 The stigma that follows you for life
👉 How he rebuilt from $10/hour jobs to building and selling a company
👉 Why he created the MyHarvest App to help others succeed after incarceration
“Getting out of prison isn’t the end of the sentence… it’s the beginning of the climb.”
This is more than a prison story—it’s a blueprint for resilience, second chances, and rebuilding your life when everything is gone.
Show sponsors: Navigating the challenges of white-collar crime? The White-Collar Support Group at Prisonist.org offers guidance, resources, and a community for those affected. Discover support today at Prisonist.org Protect your online reputation with Discoverability! Use code NIGHTMARE SUCCESS for an exclusive discount on services to boost your digital image and online reputation. Visit Discoverability.co and secure your online presence today. Skip the hassle of car shopping with Auto Plaza Direct. They’ll handle every detail to find your perfect vehicle. Visit AutoPlazaDirect.com "Your personal car concierge!"

What happens when your worst fear becomes your reality… and you come back determined to rebuild the very system that once held you?
In this powerful episode of Nightmare Success In and Out, Brent Cassity sits down with Kerwin Pittman, a nationally recognized recidivism reduction expert, founder and executive director of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services, and the first formerly incarcerated person in U.S. history to purchase a decommissioned prison.
Kerwin shares his journey from growing up in poverty and violence, to gang involvement, prison time, solitary confinement, and ultimately a complete transformation from the inside out. He opens up about the moment that changed everything, how he educated himself while incarcerated, and how he came home with a mission to create real second-chance infrastructure.
Now, Kerwin is turning a former prison into a recidivism reduction campus focused on workforce development, behavioral health, education, housing support, and opportunity for justice-impacted people.
This is a story about redemption, purpose, and what it really means to keep the main thing the main thing.
Show sponsors: Navigating the challenges of white-collar crime? The White-Collar Support Group at Prisonist.org offers guidance, resources, and a community for those affected. Discover support today at Prisonist.org Protect your online reputation with Discoverability! Use code NIGHTMARE SUCCESS for an exclusive discount on services to boost your digital image and online reputation. Visit Discoverability.co and secure your online presence today. Skip the hassle of car shopping with Auto Plaza Direct. They’ll handle every detail to find your perfect vehicle. Visit AutoPlazaDirect.com "Your personal car concierge!"

What happens when your worst fear becomes your reality… and you turn it into art?
On this episode of Nightmare Success In and Out, host Brent Cassity sits down with musician Jason Pears, known artistically as Jason Made, whose life took an unexpected turn when a PPP fraud case led to a 30-month federal prison sentence.
Raised in Fairhope, Alabama, Jason’s life had always been intertwined with music—from teaching himself piano in church as a child to writing songs in Nashville and Los Angeles. But financial pressures, entrepreneurship, and a pandemic-era business decision eventually led him into the federal justice system.
What happened next is the heart of this story.
Inside Federal Prison Camp Pensacola, Jason found an unlikely refuge: a chapel piano and a spiral notebook. Over the course of his sentence, he wrote more than 40 original songs, turning isolation, uncertainty, and reflection into deeply personal music. Jason Made's music can be heard on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/6YIPePfcIWGBLFqICgmHYv
In this powerful conversation, Brent and Jason discuss:
The moment the FBI showed up at his door

Navigating the psychological toll of waiting for sentencing

Life inside federal prison

Finding purpose in unexpected places

How music became his path to redemption

The creation of his debut EP “Go Lay Down”

Jason’s story is a reminder that sometimes your purpose finds you—even in the darkest places.
And sometimes, a nightmare becomes the soundtrack to a brand-new life.
Show sponsors: Navigating the challenges of white-collar crime? The White-Collar Support Group at Prisonist.org offers guidance, resources, and a community for those affected. Discover support today at Prisonist.org Protect your online reputation with Discoverability! Use code NIGHTMARE SUCCESS for an exclusive discount on services to boost your digital image and online reputation. Visit Discoverability.co and secure your online presence today. Skip the hassle of car shopping with Auto Plaza Direct. They’ll handle every detail to find your perfect vehicle. Visit AutoPlazaDirect.com "Your personal car concierge!"

In this gripping episode of Nightmare Success In and Out, Brent Cassity sits down with Ryan Bloom to tell one of the most shocking stories ever featured on the show. Ryan shares how his life was turned upside down by a gunpoint FBI arrest in his front yard, an 18-month federal ordeal, and a legal fight that threatened to destroy everything he had built.
But this story takes a turn almost nobody ever sees. After relentless research, the right legal team, and the courage to fight back, all charges against Ryan were dismissed. This is a powerful conversation about fear, family, resilience, justice, and what it takes to stand your ground when the full weight of the government is pressing down on you.
This episode is for anyone facing adversity, navigating the criminal justice system, or looking for proof that persistence and courage still matter.
Show sponsors: Navigating the challenges of white-collar crime? The White-Collar Support Group at Prisonist.org offers guidance, resources, and a community for those affected. Discover support today at Prisonist.org Protect your online reputation with Discoverability! Use code NIGHTMARE SUCCESS for an exclusive discount on services to boost your digital image and online reputation. Visit Discoverability.co and secure your online presence today. Skip the hassle of car shopping with Auto Plaza Direct. They’ll handle every detail to find your perfect vehicle. Visit AutoPlazaDirect.com "Your personal car concierge!"