“I work with a population that’s involved with high-risk activities.” – Angalia Bianca

This week we are excited to share Angalia Bianca’s story who is the co-author and subject of “In Deep: How I Survived Gangs, Heroin, and Prison to Become a Chicago Violence Interrupter.” Bianca is one of Chicago’s most prominent outreach worker/violence interrupters and has a really fascinating and incredible story. For 36 years she was stuck in a cycle of homelessness and addiction, working as a con artist and career criminal.

After serving 12 years in prison, her father’s death served as a wake up call and she decided to start using her personal experiences to help inner city youth and prevent gang violence. She talks with us about her childhood, her first experiences with heroin, her separation from her family and children, and her life in prison. She offers her advice on what you can do if you know someone struggling with addiction and tells us how saving someone’s life can be as simple as helping them find their untapped potential. Today, she has found a way to use her hustling skills and experiences on the street into positive negotiation skills for the greater good of the community. She made the decision to change her life and in doing so has saved so many others. We are honored to have her on the podcast and we know you will feel just as inspired by her story as we are!

“I’m blessed by God and I’m really lucky because
everything fell into place when I threw my hands in the air, got out of prison, and made that prayer to God.” – Angalia Bianca

SHOW NOTES

Angalia Bianca

• Website
• Twitter, @AngaliaBianca
• Instagram, @AngaliaBianca

Book

• “In Deep: How I Survived Gangs, Heroin, and Prison to Become a Chicago Violence Interrupter.”

Other References

• Safe Haven

4 YOU

1. What do you do when you first wake up? I pee, wash my hands, drink coffee and check my email and any text messages and then I jump in the shower.
2.  Do you still pray? I do, I don’t ask God for anything because I feel like I’m blessed that I’m alive and that’s okay for me but I thank God multiple times a day.
3. How do you process sadness and tragedy now that you’re confronted with it all the time? I’ve learned over the years…it hurts, it never goes away, it’s never not going to hurt but I have to do take comfort on those times, those dark days that I’ve lost somebody that I tried to help or even just a random person, I have to take comfort in the stories and the people that i know I saved their life or a mother that hugs me and says with tears in her eyes, ‘you saved my baby’s life’ It’s not easy.”
4. What is a guilty pleasure for you? I do smoke cigarettes, I’m trying to quit. I’m going to sound like a real dork but my guilty pleasure – I am a major Star Trek fan.