I hope this newsletter finds you thriving in the new year. If you are fully on track with your New Year’s resolutions, you should already be on book four of your reading list, have set a personal best in training for your next race, be able to ask basic questions in a new language, and have the first few chapters of your next book drafted.

If not, you are in good company!

In the Houston area, PEP recently held its first Business Plan Competitions at the Pam Lychner Unit. Volunteers noted that the new format allowed for better interaction and clearer communication during pitches.

The highest compliment came from the men themselves: only three participants withdrew during the transition, and this upcoming graduation is on track to be one of the largest classes in PEP’s history.

In North Texas, Entre Capital hosted its first Second Chance Showcase at SMU, sponsored by Huntington Bank. With nearly 100 people in attendance, and over half encountering PEP for the first time, the event highlighted alumni operating businesses for over a decade. What stayed with me most was how often these alumni spoke about lifting others up and giving back.

All of this sets the stage for three major advances shaping PEP’s future as we look toward 2026, each designed to expand the number of people we serve while improving quality and continuity.

The availability of secure tablets in TDCJ units has provided a digital platform for the continued expansion of the Leadership Academy. Men across the state can now begin engaging character formation, leadership development, and business fundamentals earlier and at greater scale. This widens the front door to PEP without replacing the relational, in-person experiences central to transformation.

Historically, PEP could only work with individuals within three years of completing their sentence, limiting access to a portion of the incarcerated population. The expansion and stabilization of “Culture Blend” Innovation Pods allow us to engage individuals earlier through peer-facilitated communities within designated housing units, supported by tablet-based curriculum and daily accountability. Participants experience PEP’s culture, values, and expectations in real time. Roughly a quarter will eventually advance into the Core Business Plan Competition, while many others will be paroled and connect directly to post-release programming.

The Core program – the most intensive, volunteer-driven, and transformative experience we offer – remains our flagship. Innovation Pods do not replace it, they complement it by creating a broader, better-prepared pipeline while preserving what has always made PEP unique: community, culture, character, and practical skill-building that begins inside and continues outside.

One of our most important advances is not adding new programs, but clarifying how people move through the ones we already have. The clarification and growth of post-release programs begins with distinguishing re-entry from entrepreneurship. Re-entry focuses on stabilization, employment, housing, documentation, and basic needs so that a person can successfully re-enter society and comply with parole. This happens immediately upon release and is necessary for everyone. 

Once re-entry needs are met, participants interested in entrepreneurship enter a defined sequence: eSchool reinforces life skills and community integration; Aspiration helps participants discern not just what they want to do but why; the BAM pitch allows candidates to secure a coach; and finally Applied Entrepreneurship, where coaches and participants work through assessments and learning objectives toward a “go/no-go” decision for launch, then PEP functions as an incubator.

This sequence is being strengthened to better receive two growing groups: those who went through PEP inside prison with a business idea that did not advance to the finals, and those introduced to PEP through tablets or Culture Blend communities who are newly discerning entrepreneurship after release.

PEP is designed to incubate the person and business idea. Once a business is launched and operating, Entre Capital becomes the accelerator—providing capital, coaching, and accountability to help viable businesses become sustainable engines for families and communities.

Over 22 years, PEP has graduated more than 4,000 men and launch over 700 businesses. Over the next decade, participation through Innovation Pods alone is projected to grow dramatically, while the Core program continues steady, intentional growth. This matters because it is how we expand access without sacrificing depth.

Thank you for being part of this community. The year ahead is not about doing less of what made PEP strong, but about extending it faithfully to many more who are ready for transformation.

Chris

Outside Event

Provide quality feedback on participants’ business models that will encourage participants to improve and continually develop ideas; to serve as a business coach to further develop business ideas; Networking with participants and other attendees.

Round 1: Lychner Summer 2026 Business Plan Competition

Judge individual participants on new business ideas from the lens of a consumer (i.e. Is the idea innovative? Is there a market?) Teams will be formed to move forward with the top ideas.

Outside Event

Join us for an evening of connection and collaboration at the PEP Business Mixer.

Meet entrepreneurs, mentors, and community leaders, explore funding opportunities with Entre Capital, and learn how PEP is helping returning citizens build strong businesses. It’s a simple way to plug into real impact.

Outside Event

Join us for an evening of connection and collaboration at the PEP Business Mixer.

Meet entrepreneurs, mentors, and community leaders, explore funding opportunities with Entre Capital, and learn how PEP is helping returning citizens build strong businesses. It’s a simple way to plug into real impact.

Final Round: Estes Winter 2026 Business Plan Competition

Provide quality feedback on participants’ business models that will encourage participants to improve and continually develop ideas; to serve as a business coach to further develop business ideas; Networking with participants and other attendees.

Outside Event

Provide quality feedback on participants’ business models that will encourage participants to improve and continually develop ideas; to serve as a business coach to further develop business ideas; Networking with participants and other attendees.

Get ready for our annual Barbed Wire to Business, PEP’s powerful pitch event where second-chance entrepreneurs take the stage to share their business ideas with seasoned executives in a dynamic “Shark Tank… PEP Style!” setting. This celebration of transformation, resilience, and opportunity is a highlight of PEP’s calendar and a chance to see firsthand how lives are changed through entrepreneurship and community support. More details and registration coming soon.

We’re excited to share that PEP is launching a new volunteer portal designed to make it easier than ever to stay connected and get involved.

Whether you volunteer inside the units, at post-release events, or virtually, this portal will become your central hub to:

You don’t need to do anything yet. Over the weekend, you’ll receive an email invitation with a link to activate your account. Once your profile is set up, you’ll be ready to use the portal for all future volunteer opportunities.

“Sow a thought, and you reap an act. Sow an act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit, and you reap a character. Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”

Character development can be challenging for many of us. As we get older, we often become more set in our ways. From a young age, our character is shaped by what we repeatedly do. Over time, those repeated actions become habits, and those habits ultimately define who we are.

The good news is that we are stronger than our habits, which means we can change them. Think about something as simple as folding your arms. When you try folding them the opposite way, it feels uncomfortable at first. But if you did it that way every day for thirty days, it would eventually feel natural. In the same way, new habits can feel awkward at first, but with consistency, they become part of our character.

As Samuel Smiles famously said:

“Sow a thought, and you reap an act.
Sow an act, and you reap a habit.
Sow a habit, and you reap a character.
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”

There are seven positive habits that people across the world share when they live fulfilled and purposeful lives:

These positive habits build strong character. Unfortunately, there are also habits that can quietly work against us. Reacting instead of taking responsibility, living without a plan, putting unimportant things first, competing instead of collaborating, talking before listening, refusing to cooperate, and avoiding growth all lead to negative outcomes over time.

Many of us struggle with these negative habits at different points in our lives. When we do, it is no surprise that life can feel frustrating or stagnant. Growth begins when we become aware of our habits and choose to replace the negative ones with positive, intentional actions.

— Joby C.