A Second Chance

By: Catherine Hoke

Narrated by: Catherine Hoke

What if you were only known for the worst thing you've ever done?

For millions of Americans, this isn't just a hypothetical nightmare. Not only does the United States have the highest rate of incarceration in the world, it also makes certain that the stigma of a felony conviction follows people who have already served their time.

After she came to understand both the frustrations and untapped potential of the incarcerated, Catherine Hoke founded Defy Ventures, a revolutionary organization devoted to transforming the lives of people both inside and outside prison walls. A Second Chance is the story of how Defy came to be and how it works to heal families, break the cycle of mass incarceration, and create jobs - as well as how all of us can help in our own way.

Part memoir, part chronicle of Defy's community-building efforts, this unabridged audiobook follows one woman's vision and her relentless effort to make it real. By sharing her sometimes difficult personal story and those of the people she serves, Cat helps us understand why Defy is necessary, how to persevere in the face of daunting odds, and what it means to lead from within. For anyone who wants to create positive social change from the ground up, A Second Chance presents a wealth of pointers and inspiring, teachable stories.

A Second Chance is about coming together in community to build life anew - a story of painful changes, fresh starts, forgiveness, reckoning with shame, and the power of possibility. Life shouldn't be defined by our mistakes. After all, doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?

©2018 Catherine Hoke (P)2018 Sounds True

Glad I preordered after hearing about it on Tim Ferriss’s podcast

I’m so grateful that Cat made an unabridged audiobook of this book. I plan to re-listen again and again!

Hearing Cat’s words, in her voice, fuel me while I continue to work through developing my generous hustle, ADJUST.

I feel as though Cat has become a trusted companion, reminding me that I am not alone as I build and work through each challenge—and most importantly: that fear, struggles and tears don’t take away from the service I am working to provide.

Thank you, Cat, for whispering in my ear that I am enough, my contributions matter, and to keep going.

This book is a real boon! I highly recommend and have already begun to gift it to friends.

Most of us slip and fall, some harder and farther than others but we all want to look up.

This is a great story of redemption and also the story of hope. Even in a justice system riddled with injustice we can find rays of light that penetrates even the deepest cells.

Amen

A beautiful life changing book that encourages you to look inward and find as well as give forgiveness!

Excellent!

Catherine Hoke is the real deal. Reading through A Second Chance made my blood flow! The work that she does is incredible and I love how she will fight for Americas most unseen underdog, the incarcerated. Not only was this an account into her work, educating and empowering incarcerated "entrepreneur's in training", or EIT's, I felt like it was therapy in a book for myself as well. Catherine, if you come to Arizona I would follow you into a prison as a volunteer in a heartbeat!

An exceptional and important book

This is a heavy book, and one born out of incredible generosity. Cat Hoke poses the question “What if you were only known for the worse thing you’ve ever done?” as the thread that takes the reader through her story, the story of the incarcerated Entrepreneurs in Training she’s dedicated her life to, and most pointedly to the reader. While Cat amazing work at he nonprofit Defy Ventures is a lot of he story, this fundamentally a book about forgiveness and what is can look like in your life. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Thanks to Cat and Seth Godin for putting this important work in he world.

Awesome every, single, time!

This was my fourth time to listen to this book, I love it! The whole thing is straight up AWESOME!!

Hope

What an incredible journey. I am truly walking away from reading this with a new found perspective. This is hands down a repeat read.

A Seth Godin Protégée, Cat Hoke Makes a Wonderful Ruckus

Defy! Cat’s program, is a brilliant example of how it’s possible to love people to wholeness. You need not have been incarcerated to find redemption through her program. Merely being human, imperfect, fallible, mistake-making, and still worthy. Hard love, unflinching honesty, and buckets of generosity is what she’s peddling. If we choose to accept her story and her gifts, we can change ourselves and the world. Not hyperbole.

VULNERABLE & INSPIRATIONAL!

Great book, provocative, authentic & interesting. i like that the real author was also the narrator.

Thank you for sharing

Thank you for sharing your story thank you for the time you put into caring for others. I know your book will reach many many people and your work will continue to benefit the world. I look forward to working with the Defy in the future and I hope I get to see you speak at Willow Creek leadership summit at some point.