084: Finding Enlightenment in Prison with David Hopper

In this episode, David shares his experience of getting into the street life of selling drugs at 14 and the anger and arrogance that ultimately landed him in prison. We discuss how he found understanding with his father, the enlightenment he found during incarceration, and the brilliant work he’s doing now with children and young adults in New York City as he helps them deal with their trauma and trust issues through creativity and guides them back to their own greatness.

We dive into:

• David’s pivotal childhood moment with his mom and the shifts that came from it
• The realization that he hated his father and his healing around this
• Selling drugs on the street at 14 years old
• Dealing with the anger & arrogance that sent him to prison
• His experience as a black man dealing with the stigma of men expressing emotion
• The biggest lessons from prison that led to his expansion
• David’s organization, “Nana’s Living Room” and how he’s using creativity to guide at-risk youth and others to healing
• And more

David Hopper, Co-Founder of Nana’s Living Room Inc. David is a FilmMaker, Spoken Word artist, Credible Messenger, Mentor, and Author. His organization helps at-risk youth, young adults and formerly incarcerated individuals heal and navigate traumas, pain & trust issues. David uses his book "Moments, Writings, Thoughts and Letters of a 2x Felon" (*on Amazon) to create dialogue on solutions of mass incarceration, conflict resolution, and the school-to-prison pipeline. His mission is to use art, film, and experiential learning to combat violence. David is currently working on his second book “Moments 2 Motivation” slated to be out November 4th.

Connect with David:

BronxNet TV Interview: https://youtu.be/GxV4g0DyMwA

Personal Website: www.iamdavidhopper.com

Organization Website: www.nanaslivingroom.org

Organization Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nanaslivingroominc/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamdavid_unstoppable/

Connect with me and let’s go deeper:

Website: https://www.pohongyu.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/pohong.yu/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/pohong.yu/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pohongyu/