How a Father and Son Separated by Incarceration Turned Their Story Into a Path for Other Families

I was two years old when my father went to prison.

I don’t remember the moment it happened. What I remember is growing up without a frame of reference for what a father was supposed to be. My mother and grandparents did everything they could to give me a normal life—and they did a good job—but incarceration quietly removed something that never had the chance to fully form.

A bond.

There were letters. Phone calls. Occasional visits. Small points of contact. But nothing substantial enough to build a real relationship. When a parent is incarcerated while a child is that young, there’s no shared language yet. No shared memories. Just time passing in different directions.

Fourteen years later, when my father came home, there was joy. Relief. Gratitude.

And space.

We knew of each other but we didn’t really know each other. There was no manual for how to fill in a fourteen-year gap. We had to make time on purpose. We had to choose connection.

Years later, when I was grown and building my own family, we started taking weekly walks together in our local park. There weren’t any agendas or special conversations planned. Just walking and talking. Over time, something real formed. Trust. Honesty. Presence.

And during those walks, we started noticing something else.

Other fathers and sons in similar situations didn’t have what we were building. Some wanted it but didn’t know how. Others had given up on the idea entirely. The trauma was still there and it was unspoken, unresolved, and quietly shaping their lives.

That’s when we realized our story wasn’t just something we survived. It was something we could use to help.

That realization became Out of the Ashes.

Out of the Ashes is our story told on stage as a two-person performance. It’s broken into three parts: what led up to incarceration, how it shaped us differently, and the moment we reunited outside prison walls. In the third scene, we reenact our first meeting as free men—father and son—facing each other without bars between us.

We weren’t sure anyone would come.

But our first show sold out a local theater. Friends, family, and strangers filled the room. People cried. They stayed for the entire Q&A. And many shared that hearing our story gave them permission to finally tell their own.

We’ve been doing this work since 2015. Over ten years of listening, refining, and learning what actually helps families heal and reconnect. We know exactly what works and what doesn’t.

Today, we take that hard-earned experience and offer it through a half-day workshop designed to help others skip the guesswork and move forward with clarity and intention.

If you’re a father or a son who knows the gap incarceration leaves and you’re ready to do something meaningful with your story you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Book a free 20 minute call with us.
Let’s talk about what healing, legacy, and purpose could look like next.