“And then I walked into a federal prison.
Prison was the hardest thing that I did, and the most sacred, beautiful experience of my life.”
-Portia Louder
Author of Living Louder
Bump In The Road:
Portia Louder On Finding Authenticity
Portia Louder: Prison, Redemption and Life
Portia Louder was a wife, a mom and a realtor. It was the realtor role that landed her in prison. During the hey days of the real estate boom in the mid 2000’s Portia was buying and selling overvalued properties. The appraisals were manipulated. When the market crashed, the owners and the banks were on the hook for the appraised value. That brought in the FBI and suddenly Portia’s life changed radically.
“I walked into a Federal prison. Prison was the hardest thing that I did, and the most sacred, beautiful experience of my life.”
Portia’s journey through the prison system became a journey into herself.
“Be willing to consider that there is a reason for this and allow it to transform you.
Be willing to walk through that pain that seems impossible to walk through.”
The time away from the outside world gave Portia time to reflect. How would she choose to respond to this experience? Stripped of her societal identities and roles, who was she? What did she truly value? The woman that emerged from Federal prison is compassionate, wise and very very real. This is a story about our values, judgements, acceptance, and personal evolution. And so much more.
Want The Rest of the Story?
[“498”]
Portia’s story is gut wrenching. But out of her experience came such wisdom. Here are some questions that come out of her story. They’re a guide for all of us.
- Is your life oriented towards having someone magically appear and make everything right?
- What are your deepest values? Are you living by them?
- How important are material things in your life?
- How do the people in your life influence and define you?
- How much responsibility do you accept for your life?
- What are you most grateful for?
- Do you judge people and situations? What if you didn’t? How might things change?
Portia’s story is one for all of us. When you strip away all the peripheral stuff, who are you? What really matters? How does that differ from where you are now?
Portia Louder On Going To Prison
“When the FBI shows up at your house, you’re like, just go away.”
“Be grateful for when you know when someone tells you the truth, because it’s powerful if you’re willing to listen.”
“I felt a level of loneliness that I never want to feel again.”
“I think you have to go through an experience that causes a profound shift in your values and the way you see life, whatever that experience is.”
“But the hard thing you’re going through, has the ability to, to transform your life and become your greatest blessing.”
“It took away all the worldly things that I had been caught up in and made it more made me more open to things that really matter.”
“My integrity is so important to me now.”
“Be conscious and aware and recognize that sometimes the world is trying to teach you. I think that alone is an invaluable lesson.”
“I had the ability to decide what every experience meant to me.”
“For me, the only way forward was truth.”
Recent Comments