Jacobi Thornsberry’s journey began in the vibrant streets of New Orleans, Louisiana. Seeking an escape from the bustling chaos of the city, he made the leap to Oregon. However, fate had other plans, and within three years, he found himself behind bars in an Oregon prison. Loneliness settled in, and the thought of finding a meaningful connection crossed his mind. He considered WriteAPrisoner.com as a way to meet that special someone. But then there was the enigmatic "Baby Gua," a mysterious figure in the dayroom, who steered him towards PenPals.Buzz instead. In this captivating episode, Jacobi, a 31-year-old spiritual black "adult in custody," opens up about his life in prison. He shares how he strives each day to nurture his physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being, challenging himself to learn something new daily. He’ll also reveal the qualities he hopes to find in a partner through our pen pal platform. And as a devoted father, he talks about his relationship with his 11-year-old daughter, who has recently started texting boys — a situation he admits is tough for him to navigate from behind bars.

Learn more about Jacobi’s story at https://penpals.buzz/inmate/jacobi-thornsberry or write to: Jacobi Thornsberry #21598022 at the Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario, Oregon. You can also connect with him on the GTL GettingOut App or at GettingOut.com.

Changing your name while incarcerated is impossible in some states, and quite easy in others. There are countless reasons why someone behind bars might feel the need to legally reinvent themselves. In this episode, we’ll explore the inspiring story of Savannah Turner, formerly Gena, an incarcerated member of PenPals.Buzz. Currently incarcerated for identity theft, Savannah has moved beyond a troubled past filled with poor choices and substance abuse. Today, she seeks to shed her old name and embrace a fresh start complete with a new attitude, new goals, and new values. This episode will guide you through the process of changing your name while incarcerated, including the time it typically takes and the various motivations behind such a decision. Are most inmates seeking to escape their pasts, hide their crimes, and protect themselves from online searches? Or do they have deeper, more legitimate reasons for wanting a name change? Once an inmate has paid their debt to society, should they be given the chance to leave their past behind? Unlike some European countries that offer ex-prisoners a new identity to aid in rehabilitation, the U.S. often seems to impose a lifelong stigma on those who have already served their time. Join us for a thought-provoking 15-minute exploration into the significance (or insignificance?) of a legal name and what it truly means for those looking to rebuild their lives.

"Welcome to More than an Inmate's Girlfriend. I'm your host, Jae," speaks a soothing voice each week from her podcast studio in Canada. Since 2024, Jae Ely has been releasing podcast episodes aimed at reducing the stigma associated with prisoners, prison wives, and even pen pals who choose to write to prison inmates. Jae, who is married to an inmate (yet not allowed to communicate with him!) talks about her life, her podcast, and the challenges she's faced along the way. In this exclusive interview with Big Steve, she opens up about how marrying Nicholas Ely, incarcerated in Nebraska, has completely changed her life. Learn about how Jae is working to get Nebraska's Felony Murder laws overturned, the free gift catalog she's created for inmates, her recent three-part podcast series about prison pen pals, and so much more. She'll even talk about why she no longer gets nervous when interviewing famous guests and reality stars from shows like Love After Lockup. This is an inspirational interview, filled with honesty and heart, which offers a behind-the-scenes look into Jae's personal life, her goals, and the mental strength it takes to host a successful podcast in 2026. Learn more about her show at https://morethananinmatesgirlfriend.com

Romantic relationships between an inmate and their free-world pen pal often start out like a whirlwind romance. After just a few letters exchanged, prisoners often feel like they met the person of their dreams, their true love, their soulmate. But is any of it actually real, or are they merely living in a fantasy world of false hopes and future faking? In this episode, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and founder of Gratitude and Growth Counseling, Jennifer Garcia, breaks it down. You'll learn about idealization and fantasy, love bombing, Borderline and Narcissistic Personality Disorders, loyalty tests, trauma bonds, and other factors that play into the start of these intense relationships. She will also teach you strategies to help better your chances of a sustainable pen pal relationship, and she will share proven red flags to watch for if you find yourself developing feelings for your pen pal.

Prison relationships can seem like a fairytale love story. Take Anthony Cloud, for instance. A few years ago, he met the love of his life, Melissa on PenPals.Buzz. They referred to each other as husband and wife. After all, Melissa told him she was pregnant with his twins. According to Anthony, she had the ultrasound pictures to prove it. Having grown up in foster care, he never had a family who loved him. When he met Melissa, all of his dreams came true. But shortly thereafter, Anthony realized that nothing was as it seemed. Listen as he details a prison pen pal relationship filled with fantasies, fabrications, and lies. How did things go so wrong, so fast? Learn more about Anthony at https://penpals.buzz/inmate/anthony-cloud

Britney Gulley is his legal name, but this female to male transgender inmate is better known as Xandan. He's a political prisoner, activist, and published writer. Xandan Gulley enjoys football, reading, astrology, Greek mythology, women’s basketball, dogs, and listening to NPR. One minuscule tranquility for Xandan is being able to watch the sunrise and sunset every day, out his small window in the 6X9 solitary cell (where he has been a victim of prolonged solitary confinement for over 14 years). Xandan Gulley has been published in the Texas Observer, The Advocate magazine, LGBTQ Nation, San Francisco Bayview newspaper, Prism, and Black Lipstick magazine, and recently won a 2025 Stillwater Award. Naturally down-to-earth with a great sense of humor and contagious smile, Xandan doesn’t allow his dire circumstances to break his soul or dictate his spirit. He loves making people smile and laugh while continuing to bring awareness to the concealed injustices within a flawed prison system. In this episode, you'll hear his story of discrimination, loneliness, strength, and courage living as a Black trans man in a woman's prison in Texas, locked alone in a cell with no human interaction other than phone calls to his mother, and an occasional correctional officer grunting as he passes by the cell door. Through the story he shares, Xandan proves how “a single candle has the power to defy darkness."

Richard Strong was convicted of First-Degree Murder for the 2011 shooting of Ygnacio Bermudez, Jr., on the streets of Lansing, Michigan. Rick, who was sentenced to Life without Parole, claims he was wrongfully convicted of the murder and has polygraph test results to prove it. He admitted, however, that his past history of selling drugs and hanging around the wrong people contributed to his downfall, and he knew he "needed to just change everything." It was then that he made a conscious decision to stop thinking about himself and discover his God-given purpose: helping others. So for the past 14 years, incarcerated at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan, Rick Strong has worked as a GED Tutor, a mentor to new inmates, and has received an Associate of Arts and and a Bachelor's Degree. In prison, Richard Strong says he is never alone, but always lonely. That's why he hopes to meet a pen pal who values honesty, kindness, and real conversation, and who believes that everyone deserves to be seen as more than just their mistakes. Read more about him at https://penpals.buzz/inmate/richard-strong

Robert, a PenPals.Buzz Super Fan, works as a caretaker in Illinois. After some personal experiences with friends and family members being arrested and incarcerated, he decided it was time for less judgment and more kindness. In addition to helping the free-world senior citizen residents as his place of employment, he felt a strong desire to help those behind the walls, too. That's when, about a year ago, he happened across PenPals.Buzz and began writing to male and female prison inmates around the country. (He did his homework and learned, from our podcast, how to avoid being manipulated and taken advantage of.) Robert shares his personal experiences writing to prisoners and talking to some on the phone. He feels he's doing God's work by offering a supportive ear to those who need it most. "Sometimes, it just takes a listener. People just wanna feel heard," he shares. Robert also offers helpful advice to others about what to do (and what not to do) when beginning a pen pal friendship with a prison inmate. Most important, he says, always remember to "come with confidence, because you are the boss."