“Prison Taught Me Everything—Now I Use It to Help Others”—Danny Darling’s Second Chance

Cut The Tie | Success on Your Terms

Cut The Tie Podcast with Thomas Helfrich

Episode 280
After spending 31 years in the California prison system, Danny Darling walked out with more than just his freedom—he carried a new purpose. In this powerful episode of Cut The Tie, Thomas Helfrich speaks with the founder, prison consultant, and life coach about how he broke free from rage, institutional trauma, and the cycle of incarceration to build a business that helps others do the same.

From being sentenced at 16 to helping ex-felons adjust to civilian life, Danny’s story is about healing, accountability, and radical transformation. This isn’t just a redemption story—it’s a blueprint for reclaiming your identity.

About Danny Darling:

Danny Darling is the founder of a reentry consulting business that supports incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals through coaching, strategy, and personal empowerment. Sentenced as a teen under California’s felony murder rule, Danny served 31 years in maximum security prisons before being released in 2020. Now, he helps others cut ties to their old identities and build new lives on the outside—with empathy, grit, and truth.

In this episode, Thomas and Danny discuss:

• Prison as identity and environment
  What it’s like to go from youth to adulthood inside one of the country’s toughest prison systems.
• Cutting the tie to anger and hate
  How Danny found healing by confronting the emotion that once protected him—and kept him stuck.
• Adapting to life outside the walls
  Why sleeping with the light on or scanning parking lots is just part of the reintegration process.
• How business gives power back
  For many formerly incarcerated individuals, entrepreneurship is the only path to freedom and stability.
• The seven people you must meet in prison
  Danny teases his upcoming book and how small roles (like the guy behind the food line) can save your sanity.
  

Key Takeaways:

• You are not what you did—unless you never grow from it
  Redemption begins with ownership and ends with reinvention.
• Cutting ties means letting go of anger
  Danny’s biggest transformation came when he dropped the emotional armor that helped him survive.
• Healing is ongoing—and real
  You don’t walk out of prison unchanged. But you can unlearn the pain over time.
• Employment is a privilege, not a guarantee
  Self-employment can be the best (and sometimes only) path forward after incarceration.
• Hope doesn’t knock. You have to build the door.
  Danny’s release came after decades of rejection—and one final breakthrough.
  

Connect with Danny Darling:

📘 LinkedIn: Danny Darling

📖 Book Coming Soon: The Seven Most Important People You Need to Meet When You Go to Prison

Connect with Thomas Helfrich:

🐦 Twitter: @thelfrich
📘 Facebook: Cut The Tie Group
💼 LinkedIn: Thomas Helfrich
🌐 Website: cutthetie.com
📧 Email: [email protected]
🚀 instantlyrelevant.com

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Chapters

1. Introduction to Danny's Unique Perspective (00:00:00)

2. Life at 16: Entering Prison (00:07:58)

3. Unlearning Prison Behaviors (00:16:03)

4. [Ad] PodMatch (00:18:34)

5. (Cont.) Unlearning Prison Behaviors (00:19:13)

6. Cutting Ties to Anger (00:24:47)

7. Building a New Life After Release (00:34:07)

8. Lasting Prison Trauma and Final Reflections (00:39:38)