Jeff Grant is a member of our White Collar Support Group that meets online on Zoom on Monday evenings.
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Reprinted from bobbikahler.com, March 30, 2022
“Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Also, Life can be fraught with numerous drawbacks. However, regardless of what happens, the most critical aspect is rising again. My guest for today has a life story that is worth discussing. After developing an addiction to prescription opioids and serving nearly fourteen months in federal prison (2006–07) for a white-collar crime committed in 2001 while working as a lawyer, he began his reentry by earning a Master of Divinity in Social Ethics from New York City’s Union Theological Seminary. After graduating from divinity school, he was invited to serve as Associate Minister and Director of Prison Ministries at an inner city church in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He later co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc., the world’s first ministry solely dedicated to white-collar crime. Jeff Grant, Private General Counsel/White Collar Attorney at GrantLaw, joins today’s episode to share the insights he has learned on his journey from prison to calling.”
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Show Notes
Jeff’s First Life – Jeff tells his journey of various twists and turns, none of which he could have predicted would result in such a great life.
Being a Sober – Jeff discusses what he believes helped him stay sober when everything seemed to be collapsing around him.
Isolation and Community – Jeff provides a comprehensive explanation about his saying, “Isolation damages us, and the answer is community.”
Comeback Story – Whatever the worst-case scenario occurs in our lives, we must have a story of redemption. Jeff explains how he assists someone is preparing to write their comeback story.
Jeff’s advice – Jeff delivers some suggestions for individuals who self-sabotage on how to move ahead.
Resources
Connect with Jeff:
Jeffrey D. Grant, Esq., GrantLaw PLLC, GrantLaw.com, jgrant@grantlaw.com, 212-859-3512.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/revjeffgrant
Website: grantlaw.com
The New Yorker: Life After White Collar Crime, by Evan Osnos, Aug. 2021: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/30/life-after-white-collar-crime
Entrepreneur: 9 Things to Know When Hiring a White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer, by Jeff Grant, Esq., Sept. 2021, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/380464
Reuters: Why Lawyers in Trouble Shun Treatment — at the Risk of Disbarment, by Jenna Greene, November 2021, https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/why-lawyers-trouble-shun-treatment-risk-disbarment-2021-11-09/
#1 Most Viewed Insight on Bloomberg Law: Lawyers, Watch Out for These Five Signs of Addiction, by Jeff Grant, Oct. 2021, https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/lawyers-watch-out-for-these-five-signs-of-addiction
Business Insider: A lawyer who went to prison for 9/11-related fraud just got his law license back, and became an ordained minister along the way, by Peter Coutu, July 2021: https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-grant-lawyer-prison-minister-disbarred-911-law-license-reinstated-2021-7
Reuters: Jeff Grant ‘Let Go of the Outcome’: How this Felon Beat Addiction and Won Back his Law License, by Jenna Greene, May 2021: https://www.reuters.com/business/legal/i-let-go-outcome-how-this-felon-beat-addiction-won-back-his-law-license-2021-05-21/
American Bar Association Criminal Justice Magazine, “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: Progressive Diversion & Reentry,” by Jeff Grant and Chloe Coppola, Spring 2021: https://www.grantlaw.com/american-bar-association-criminal-justice-magazine-springp21-issues-a-rising-tide-lifts-all-boats-progressive-diversion-recovery-by-jeff-grant-chloe-coppola-2/
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Steal Money from the Feds? First, Meet Jeff Grant, an Ex-Con who Committed Loan Fraud, by Erin Arvedlund, Oct. 2020: https://www.inquirer.com/business/sba-loan-fraud-jeff-grant-white-collar-week-crime-bill-baroni-20201018.html
Forbes: As Law Enforcement Pursues SBA/PPP Loan Fraud, A Story Of Redemption, by Kelly Phillips Erb, July 2020: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2020/07/14/as-law-enforcement-pursues-sba-loan-fraud-jeff-grant-talks-redemption/#7a4f70cc4483
Entrepreneur’s #4 Most Viewed Article of 2020: I Went to Prison for S.B.A. Loan Fraud: 7 Things to Know When Taking COVID-19 Relief Money: by Jeff Grant, April 2020: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/350337
Greenwich Magazine: The Redemption of Jeff Grant, by Tim Dumas, March 2018: https://greenwichmag.com/features/the-redemption-of-jeff-grant
Bobbi’s Takeaways
I hope that you enjoyed that conversation. Here are my 3 insights for thriving:
1. Have some ritual that centers you everyday.
Jeff talked about feeling 1% off when he wakes up which is why he goes to an AA meeting every day. I’d never thought about it quite that way, but recently I started a guided meditation practice. If you’ve listened to the podcast, you know that this is something that has felt like a struggle for me. But, I founded a 12 minute guided meditation where I can move around and do stretches, etc. but it is focused on calming the mind and really feeling movement. A few weeks ago, I started doing this every morning upon rising. It’s been super valuable. This past weekend, for some reason, I skipped both Saturday and Sunday and I noticed that today I wasn’t feeling quite as grounded and centered. So, I did my meditation today and things feel more centered. When Jeffrey said that the 1% mis-alignment wasn’t bad but if you let it go on and on pretty soon, you are way out of alignment and not centered at all. It was a good reminder that having a routine that helps me be centered everyday is a great practice.
2. If you are going through something challenging, it is helpful to have a team of people around you who have been there and who understands where you are now.
3. Embrace healthy conflict as Jeff calls it. To me this means being willing to discuss the undiscussable, and to have the courage to bring up things EARLY, before they become a crisis and while they are still small enough to deal with. On an earlier episode, Josh Freidman used the analogy of dealing with things while the train is still in the station – not once it’s worked up a full head of steam.