Quick Update From Noél

“Pushing & Praying” 

Oh man… I’m not kidding when I say my eyes are burning from all these late-night editing sessions right now. I genuinely love every single word of Shatter Your Shame… but my body does NOT 😂

I’m continuing to ask for prayers for supernatural strength and endurance as I push through and will these pages into existence.

I truly believe our brothers and sisters who are suffocating in shame need to read Brett’s one-of-a-kind, shame-slaying stories about his barbed-wire brothers. I am so PROUD to help bring this handwritten manuscript into the world because I know it’s transformational. It’s life-changing.

If you feel led to be part of spreading this message, you can text me here at (714) 410-2191 to grab some first edition copies of this beautiful book.

I’m beyond grateful to share that we’ve already sold (50) copies of Shatter Your Shame, and I’m continuing to walk in faith that somehow we will reach our goal of 200 copies by April 12th (my big bills doomsday 😅).

I LOVE all of you so much and am forever thankful that you have chosen to cheer me on during this surreal season of life. Your support means more than I could ever put into words.

Now scroll down and read Brett’s incredible letter about how our buddy Finn is helping heal the heart of his new barbed-wire brother, “The Kingpin.”

Mr. Finn… you are truly something special. Thank you for bringing purpose back into my forever person’s prison cell.

ENJOY!!!

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Kingpin

“……… I finally get to make my family proud.”

These were the tear-filled words “The Kingpin” uttered to me while we walked The Fantastic Mr. Finn around our lopsided prison track together.

My newest barbed-wire brother, “The Kingpin,” is 55 years YOUNG and chiseled from chin to toe. This loving and dedicated father has spent the last 20 years of his life inside several insanely violent prisons.

The fact that this man in his 50s has the body of Hercules on steroids is NO ACCIDENT. He was unfortunately one of the unlucky men who started his long prison journey at a highly volatile “joint.” For years and years, his fellow felons FORCED him to work out daily. If an “enforcer” ever caught him slipping or relaxing, a NOT-SO-NICE physical reminder would be immediately issued to his unsuspecting body.

Luckily, the man who could easily bench press me was transferred to our “chill” concrete compound this past November. After two decades of pushing his body to the max, “The Kingpin” welcomed the opportunity to stay fit on his own terms and timeline—without the constant threat of violence looming around the corner.

During one of his recent refreshing runs around the prison track, “The Kingpin” noticed a bunch of black dogs with big red capes trotting around our compound.

Naturally, after 7,300 days inside federal prison, my new friend assumed the dogs were being used by officers to track down drug smugglers inside our cells.

Once he actually found out that our federal facility is one of the few in the nation that teaches convicted criminals how to become certified service dog trainers, he felt a divine purpose pulling him forward.

With 6 years still remaining on his sentence, “The Kingpin” was fully focused on finding something that would make his FAMILY PROUD during his final years in prison. So when prison staff posted a bulletin that our dog training program had an opening, “The Kingpin” took a long shot and applied for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train dogs while serving the remainder of his sentence.

After a nerve-wracking interview, the shame-filled father received one of his favorite letters ever inside his designated prison mailbox.

HE HAD OFFICIALLY BEEN ACCEPTED INTO OUR PRESTIGIOUS DOG TRAINING PROGRAM AND WAS REQUIRED TO START HIS APPRENTICESHIP IMMEDIATELY.

“The Kingpin’s” long-forgotten feelings of excitement and hope were instantly stolen by the shadow of shame and replaced with the weight of feeling UNWORTHY to train future superhero service dogs.

Decades of imprisonment had crushed the once BIG DREAMS of this loving and caring father. He had forgotten what it felt like to be PROUD of himself because he was still chained to his past.

During “The Kingpin’s” first all-team training, “The Networker” and I could see the doubt, fear, and panic taking over this fit man’s face. Instead of judging or mocking his nervous nature, we invited the stressed-out dad to sit next to The Fantastic Mr. Finn for the remainder of the session.

Finn’s world-famous smile, constant tail wagging, and contagious high energy melted away any fear our new felon friend had about becoming a dog trainer.

“The Networker” and I both know how hard and overwhelming it can be to be THE NEW GUY in the dog training program. So we intentionally let “The Kingpin” know that we were FOR HIM and available anytime he wanted to sharpen his newly acquired dog training skills.

Learning the nuances of training short attention span pups into future superhero service dogs takes a ton of time and A LOT OF PRACTICE. To help curve “The Kingpin’s” steep learning curve, “The Networker” and I encouraged our new barbed-wire brother to join us during our early morning Finn training sessions.

To our delight, “The Kingpin” accepted our invitation to train together at 6:30am on the dot every morning inside our puppy training room.

After Finn receives his customary good morning hug from each of us, we all get to work teaching him the next stage of skills required for his future as a superhero service dog.

“The Networker” and I take extra time, rotating turns gently guiding “The Kingpin” through the techniques that have launched Finn to the top of his class.

For the next hour, the three of us broken men share stories about fatherhood, the pain of our past, life inside prison, and our BIG DREAMS for when we are released… all while preparing The Fantastic Mr. Finn for his forever family.

I swear, 6:30am to 7:30am inside our tiny prison puppy training room feels almost holy for some reason.

Maybe those 60 minutes feel sacred because we are three federal prisoners with “pasts” whose shame is slowly being shattered by a future superhero service dog named Finn.

I guess it makes total sense why “The Kingpin” said those tear-soaked words while we were walking our furry friend around the track.

What did he say again??? Oh yeah…

“THANKS TO FINN, I finally get to make my family proud.”

Your one-of-a-kind Mr. Finn… thank you for being YOU!!!

“The Networker,” “The Kingpin,” and I will forever think you’re FINNTASTIC!!!

Sincerely,
Brett
(A prisoner who should probably do a few more push-ups while in prison 😉)

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A Note From Noél

Well… another father suffocating in pain and shame has now entered into our ever-evolving prison storyline.

And if I’m being honest… that reality alone just wrecks me.

Because behind every “convicted criminal” is a real person… a father… a son… a man who once had dreams, love, and people he cared about. And somewhere along the way… shame got loud… and purpose got buried.

But then God…

Somehow, some way… God breaks through razor-sharp barbed wire fences and reaches into places that feel completely forgotten.

Getting to witness His unconditional LOVE show up in a place like this is something I will never be able to fully put into words. It is breathtaking… it is humbling… and it is deeply, deeply personal.

So how is our merciful God bringing purpose and healing back into the lives of these broken men???

MIRACULOUS ANSWER = Adorable puppies destined to become superhero service dogs for families in desperate need.

I mean… C’MON!!!

Who could have ever written a story like this but God???

If our family’s prison story were a movie, most people wouldn’t believe it.

ALL GLORY GOES TO OUR GREAT REDEEMING GOD WHO NEVER ABANDONS HIS CHILDREN!!!

I’m going to be real with you… because that’s the only way I know how to be…

I still HATE this.

I hate that the man I love is 2,000+ miles away from me and our babies.
I hate the empty space in our home.
I hate the moments he’s missing.
I hate the weight this has put on our family.

BUT…

Even in the middle of all of that…

I cannot deny the God story that is unfolding right in front of me.

“The Kingpin” is a man who has been defined by the worst decisions of his life for over 20 years.

Twenty. Years.

I can’t even begin to imagine what that does to a person’s heart… to live in survival mode that long… to slowly feel hope slip away… to forget what it even feels like to be proud of who you are.

But God was not done with him.

Not even close.

There was still purpose waiting for him.
There was still identity waiting to be restored.
There was still a calling on his life that prison could not erase.

And somehow… God used my husband to see it.

Brett saw the silent ache in this man.
The quiet longing for something more.
The part of him that hadn’t fully died yet.

And instead of seeing a “criminal”…

He saw a man worth fighting for.

A man worth reminding…

of who he really is in the eyes of our Father.

And of course… because this is just how God works…

He chose a dog named Finn to help bring that man back to life.

Mr. Finn… you are so much more than a puppy.

You are a vessel.
You are healing.
You are proof that love still reaches the darkest places.

Your joy, your energy, your unconditional love… it is breaking through walls that years of prison built.

And I can’t help but sit back in complete awe of it all.

Finn, your forever family is out there… and I have no doubt you are going to change their life just like you are changing lives right now.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for dying and rising again so that ALL OF US can be set free from the shadow of shame.”

God is taking our mess… and He is turning it into something I never could have imagined.

Not easy.
Not painless.
But undeniably purpose-filled.

And I am standing in the middle of it… in awe… exhausted… stretched… but still believing.

With so much love,
Noél
(A wife who loves a man who should probably do a few more push-ups while in federal prison… c’mon babe 😉)