Is That Really Me?

Quick Update from Noél

Brett’s raw handwritten manuscript from prison is slowly but surely turning into a beautiful, powerful book that I truly believe will help free people from the chains of their past.

After each late-night editing session, I find myself falling deeper and deeper in love with every single page. This book is not just words… it’s healing, it’s hope, and it’s freedom.

If you feel even the slightest tug on your heart, I would be so grateful for your support. I am doing everything I can to reach my goal of selling 200 copies of Shatter Your Shame by April 12th (my big bills doomsday 😅).

There are so many brothers and sisters suffocating in shame who need to hold these stories in their hands and be reminded that their past does not get the final say.

So far, I’ve sold 55 copies, and I am truly grateful for every single order. I still believe—with everything in me—that with your support and encouragement, I can hit this goal.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for walking through this prison journey with my family and me. I honestly don’t know how I would have made it through this season without this community.

If you want to be part of this shame-slaying story, you can text me at (714) 410-2191, and I’ll get you taken care of right away.

Ok… that’s the end of my “shameless” sales pitch. 😉

Now scroll down and check out BIG BEARDED BRETT kneeling next to The Fantastic Mr. Finn.

I am so PROUD to be this federal prisoner’s wife. 💛


Is That Really Me?

When I look at the picture of the man kneeling next to The Fantastic Mr. Finn, I can honestly hardly recognize myself.

I find myself staring at that picture longer than I probably should… trying to make sense of what I’m seeing.

Because for so long… I didn’t like the man I saw in the mirror.

  • NOT because of my big bushy beard. (Shaving in prison is actually way harder than you think. This is 6 months without shaving a hair on my head.)
  • NOT because of my pasty white skin tone. (Winter in the midwest is NO JOKE. In fact Minnesota sits in the bottom third of the country for sunshine.)
  • NOT because I've lost 20 lbs since coming to prison. (Thanks, Chowhall.)

The simple but profound reason I don’t recognize myself is BECAUSE I ACTUALLY LOOK PROUD in that picture.

And that… that right there… is something I haven’t felt in a very long time.

For years, the man staring back at me was weighed down… exhausted… and quietly suffocating under the weight of his own decisions.

The shame and pain of my “past” used to define me. It followed me everywhere. It spoke louder than anything else in my life.

But now…

That voice is quieter.

And for the first time in a long time… I can finally breathe again.

The shame of my past no longer defines me, and this divine freedom is somehow radiating off my government-issued khakis.

Trust me, I’m fully aware the consequences of the worst decisions of my life are VERY real. I carry that weight daily, and I will be working for the rest of my life to reconcile what I’ve broken.

BUT…

The shadow of shame no longer owns me… and it no longer owns my family.

I walked into the pit of prison a broken man—confused, ashamed, and unsure if I would ever feel whole again.

And by the GRACE OF GOD, I’m being rebuilt… piece by piece… into a man with purpose.

A man who gets to train future superhero service dogs.

I mean… seriously… C’MON!!!!

If that’s not a GOD STORY, I don’t know what is.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for using these furry guardian angels with tails to bring me back to my true self. Even when I was at my lowest point in life, you lifted me back up with unconditional love.”

Look… I will NOT pretend to understand how God’s plans work.

There are still days in here that feel heavy. Days where the walls feel closer. Days where I miss my family so much it physically hurts.

BUT…

I cannot deny what He is doing in me.

The man kneeling in that picture is a living, breathing testimony that we serve a God who redeems… a God who restores… and a God who weaves our worst moments into something meaningful.

That man in the photo understands what Jesus CHOSE to do at the cross.

God’s sons and daughters were suffocating in shame…

So HE STEPPED IN…

And He finished it.

“It is finished.”

Those three words are no longer just something I read in a book… they are something I FEEL deep in my soul.

Because of the blood of Jesus Christ, my barbed-wire brothers and I—trapped behind a razor-sharp fence—are experiencing something I never thought was possible in this place…

Freedom.

Real freedom.

The kind that doesn’t come from unlocked doors… but from a healed heart.

God… You are too good.

And I am forever grateful for Your grace, Your mercy, and Your refusal to give up on a broken man like me.

Sincerely,
Brett
(A broken man being rebuilt by the goodness of God)

A Note From Noél

Well… I’m flipping ugly crying (AGAIN) after reading Brett’s reaction to seeing his true self in that photo with Mr. Finn.

And if I’m being completely honest… this one hit me in a place I wasn’t prepared for.

Because I didn’t just read about it…

I lived it.

I saw firsthand how shame slowly sucked the soul out of the bright, kind-hearted man I married.

For years… Brett walked this earth as a shell of himself.

Still showing up.
Still trying.
Still pushing forward.

But something inside of him was fading… and as his wife, watching that happen right in front of me was absolutely excruciating.

There is nothing more painful than watching the person you love slowly disappear into the shadows… and not knowing how to pull them back out.

BUT THEN GOD…

Loved Brett all the way back to who he was always meant to be.

In one of the darkest places designed to punish people for their past… our GREAT REDEEMING GOD showed up.

Not in the way I would have expected…

But in the form of a couple of furry, tail-wagging, joy-filled miracles.

Our Father in Heaven—who knows the deepest needs of our hearts—sent two future superhero service dogs, Conrad and Finn, to remind Brett that his story wasn’t over.

That his past didn’t disqualify him…

It actually became the very place God would build purpose through.

God was NOT done with my husband.

And shame was NOT going to get the final word over his life.

Because of the blood of Jesus Christ… Brett is being reborn right in the middle of the painful pit of federal prison.

And that is something I will never, ever take for granted.

YES… the consequences of his decisions are real.
YES… there is still reconciliation ahead.

BUT…

We worship a God who takes the worst parts of our story and weaves them into something healing… something meaningful… something redemptive.

Our imperfect family story is a living, breathing testimony of who God really is… and why Jesus chose to go to the cross for ALL of us.

The Bartletts are broken…

and somehow, still beautiful because of it.

When I look at that pixelated photo of my husband kneeling next to The Fantastic Mr. Finn…

I don’t see a prisoner.

I SEE THE MAN I MARRIED.

And by the grace of God…

THE REAL BRETT IS BACK.

“Thank you, Jesus, for choosing the cross so Your sons and daughters could be set free and redeemed from the shadow of shame forever. You are LOVE, Lord. AMEN”

With a full, overwhelmed heart,
Noél
(A wife who is absolutely buying her husband a razor and a spray tan when he gets home from prison 😉)

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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
I, Noél Bartlett, am committed to following all applicable Federal Bureau of Prisons policies and procedures while sharing, documenting, and memorializing our family’s prison journey and the letters and manuscripts Brett sends to me.
For complete clarity, I alone am the owner, operator, publisher, and financial beneficiary of Proud Prison Wives and this website. I am also the sole publisher and beneficiary of any books or other works published through Proud Prison Wives, including SPEAK DOG, SHATTER YOUR SHAME, and any future manuscript of Brett’s that I independently choose to edit, develop, and publish.
Brett is currently incarcerated in federal prison. He does not own, operate, manage, or conduct business through Proud Prison Wives, nor does he receive any financial benefit from the publication, sale, or promotion of these books, letters, manuscripts, or website content.
I am incredibly proud to take my husband’s raw letters and manuscripts and transform them into beautiful, meaningful books that allow others to witness his journey and cheer him forward as he chooses to use his time in prison productively.
Brett and I also take the safety, security, and privacy of the institution extremely seriously. In the letters and manuscripts he sends me—and in the material I ultimately choose to publish—identifying details may be intentionally changed, combined, omitted, or rearranged. This may include characters, conversations, events, timelines, locations, and other details in order to protect the privacy of staff, fellow incarcerated individuals, and the institution itself.
The heart and spirit of Brett’s writing are based on his lived experiences, but these writings should not be interpreted as a literal, chronological, or identifying account of daily institutional life. Some details of Brett’s experience will simply have to wait until he has fully completed his obligations to the Department of Justice.
Again, I, Noél Bartlett, am fully committed to respecting and following applicable Bureau of Prisons policies and procedures. I consider it a privilege to preserve our family’s story, document this chapter of Brett’s life, and share the good that can still come from an incredibly difficult season.
Thank you for reading, supporting our family, and respecting the purpose and boundaries behind what we share.
— Noél Bartlett
Owner & Publisher, Proud Prison Wives

Shatter Your Shame- Sneak Peek

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 1

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 1

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 2

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 2

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 3

Shatter Your Shame, Chapter 3

Shatter Your Shame is NOW AVAILABLE

Brett and I are so excited (and honestly still a little in awe) to officially announce

Shatter Your Shame is LIVE on the site.

This book was written inside a federal prison—on random pieces of scratch paper, with a dull pencil, behind razor-sharp barbed wire and an electrified fence. What started as handwritten prison letters has turned into a powerful testimony of redemption, responsibility, faith, and purpose.

Shatter Your Shame is for anyone who carries the weight of their past, the burden of regret, or the quiet pain of shame—and is ready to see how God redeems what the world calls broken.

Brett writes with raw honesty about the worst decisions of his life, the consequences that followed, and the miraculous way God met him in the pit of prison and transformed his shame into purpose. These are one-of-a-kind prison stories that will help you heal, rise, and walk forward unchained.

(Perfect for small groups, book clubs, churches, or gifting to someone who needs hope.)

Every order directly supports me and my 4 beautiful children during this season Brett is away.

This journey hasn’t been easy. Prison is heavy. Shame is heavy. But God is proving—once again—that He specializes in turning massive messes into healing miracles.

Thank you for believing in redemption.
Thank you for supporting our family.
Thank you for helping us share this message with the world.

With so much love,
Noél

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SPEAK DOG is NOW AVAILABLE

Speak Dog is not your average dog-training book. It is a testimony, a powerful blend of storytelling, breakthrough psychology, and the real-life prison puppy training program that God used to transform countless lives, including Brett’s, and our family’s.

This book carries redemption on every page. It shows what God can do with a broken man, a hurting dog, and a second chance. It’s hope, healing, laughter, purpose, and breakthrough all wrapped into one unforgettable journey.

I am SO beyond excited for everyone to get their hands on this book and experience the same heart-shifting, faith-building transformation that we did.

Shop Now