In this episode, Paul sits down with Stacey Putka — and the conversation begins with a line most podcast intros never get to use: they met in prison. Paul shares what it was like entering Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility: handing over his phone and passport, being reduced to a badge number, and feeling that subtle loss of control that incarcerated people live with every day. Together, they unpack the emotional impact of walking into a room full of men serving serious sentences and discovering something unexpectedly human — real presence, eye contact, openness, and a level of vulnerability that challenged every stereotype.

Stacey explains why she founded Breakthrough: because punishment alone doesn’t create healing, accountability, or safer communities. They tackle the hardest question head-on — are some people simply “bad”? — and Stacey offers a deeper framework: holding two truths at once (real harm was done, and real change is possible), while prioritizing accountability and protecting future victims through transformation.

Stacey Poka is the founder and Executive Director of Breakthrough, a U.S.-based nonprofit that delivers transformational programming inside prisons and provides practical, emotional, and community support after release.

https://timetobreakthrough.org/about-us/

Paul Ryan is an eight-figure CEO and the host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast, where he explores what’s really going on beneath the surface of success — purpose, identity, values, leadership, and the inner work that shapes the outer results.

https://pauljryan.net/

https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan

In this bite-sized episode, Paul sits down with Carl Honoré, the voice behind the global Slow Movement, to challenge one of modern life’s most damaging assumptions: that faster is always better. Carl reframes “slow” not as laziness or withdrawal from ambition, but as the discipline of finding the right speed for the task at hand. Drawing on neuroscience, culture, and everyday experience, he explains why multitasking is a productivity myth, how monotasking actually leads to better results, and why slowing down improves focus, creativity, relationships, and wellbeing — often while helping us get more done, not less.

The conversation explores how constant acceleration is reshaping our brains, our work, and even our art — from shorter attention spans to the erosion of deep thinking. Carl also shares his own wake-up moment as a parent, the origin story behind In Praise of Slow, and why so many people tell him his work gave them “permission” to slow down. From mindful walking to cultural shifts around technology and boundaries at work, this episode is a powerful reminder that slow isn’t something we need to invent — it’s something we need to reclaim.

About the Guest Carl Honoré is a bestselling author, speaker, and leading advocate of the global Slow Movement. His books, including In Praise of Slow, have been translated into dozens of languages, and his TED Talks have been viewed millions of times worldwide. 👉 https://www.carlhonore.com/

About the Host Paul Ryan is a CEO, 8-figure business owner, mentor, and host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast. 👉 https://pauljryan.net/

Work With Paul You can book a discovery call with Paul here: 👉 https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan

Apply for a discovery call: I work closely with a very small number of clients, so applications are required:👉 https://calendly.com/inner-entrepreneur-podcast/discovery-call-with-paul-ryan

In this first Inner Mentor Series episode, Paul shares the pivotal experience that quietly reshaped the course of his life. Twenty years ago, despite outward success, he felt trapped in a business and life that drained him—until a last-minute decision to attend a weekend event in London changed everything. What began with skepticism and a firewalk evolved into a far deeper reckoning: a visceral confrontation with the future version of himself he was becoming, one of quiet misery, the other of purpose and fulfillment—Paul made a choice that would demand far more courage than he expected.

About the Host Paul Ryan is an 8-figure CEO, mentor, and host of The Inner Entrepreneur Podcast. Through the Inner Mentor Series, Paul shares personal stories and hard-won lessons from decades in business and personal development, helping entrepreneurs design lives of clarity, purpose, and fulfillment beyond surface-level success.

Work With Paul To explore mentorship or coaching opportunities with Paul, visit: https://pauljryan.net