Giving Ex-Offenders a Second Chance

Cityscape

Our guest this week knows a thing or two about second chances.

When Coss Marte went to prison in 2009, he was faced with not one, but two big challenges: lose weight and discover a legitimate career upon release. Luckily for him, overcoming the first obstacle helped him find the answer to the other. Coss, a former drug kingpin, is now helping others get into shape through his fitness company -- ConBody. It markets a "prison style" boot camp based Coss' former prison workout routine. The company also provides opportunities to formerly incarcerated individuals by hiring them as trainers.

Coss is now doubling down on his commitment to helping ex-inmates turn their lives around with Second Chance Studios. It’s a nonprofit digital media company that trains and employs formerly incarcerated people in audio engineering, podcasting, video production and other in-demand technical skills.