July was a month of connection, clarity, and quiet progress.

 

There was no single breakthrough that changed everything. Instead, I took several smaller steps that strengthened the foundation I am building for my release. I continued developing my website, reached out to potential mentors, expanded my knowledge, and became clearer about what I am actually trying to accomplish through outreach.

 

Turning the Website Into Proof

 

The Xavier Lee Plan continued becoming more than just a website. It is becoming a public record of the work I am doing while incarcerated.

 

It documents what I am reading, writing, teaching, planning, and learning. It also shows the people I am contacting, the criticism I receive, the mistakes I make, and the preparation I am completing before asking anyone to believe in my future.

 

I also began thinking more seriously about how to promote the site without spending much money. My highest priority is not attracting thousands of random visitors. Right now, I want the site to reach people connected to criminal justice reform, successful reentry, entrepreneurship, and second chances.

 

Later, as I get closer to release, my attention will shift toward real estate leaders. But first, I need to build relationships with people who understand the challenges of returning home and can help me prepare for them.

 

Reaching Out With More Purpose

 

I continued contacting people and organizations whose work connects with my mission.

I reached out to Cedric Nash through his website and contacted Team ROC with a message built around a simple idea:

I do not only want help solving my problems. I want to help solve the problem they are fighting.

My message to Team ROC connected my plans for financial literacy, entrepreneurship, real estate ownership, and opportunities for returning citizens with its work involving justice reform and economic opportunity.

I also reconnected with Dr. Marc Howard. Marc supported me during one of the most difficult periods of my life, including attending my sentencing. Being able to tell him about the website, the financial literacy classes, my reading, and my plans for a real estate company made that conversation especially meaningful.

Later in the month, I also connected with several leaders in reentry, education, and prison arts initiatives, including those connected to Freedom Reads. I received responses or guidance that offered encouragement, information, updated contacts, and different ways of thinking about reentry.

Not every response led directly to a mentorship. Some offered information, encouragement, updated contacts, or a different way of looking at reentry. That still matters. A network is not built from one perfect introduction. It is built through many relationships that develop over time.

 

Understanding My Real Outreach Goal

 

One of my biggest realizations this month was that my goal is not simply to “find a mentor.”

 

My real goal is to build a trusted network of people who become invested in seeing me succeed before I return home.

That distinction matters.

A mentor may offer advice. A network can provide advice, introductions, opportunities, accountability, credibility, and support. The people in that network may include educators, justice reform advocates, business owners, returning citizens, real estate professionals, and others who believe that preparation should begin before release—not after it.

With the help of my supporters I am also learning that sending emails and letters is not the same as building relationships. Outreach can easily become a numbers game where I count how many messages I sent.

The harder work comes afterward.

I must follow up, listen, stay consistent, and find ways to become useful to the people and organizations I contact. I cannot build genuine relationships by constantly asking what someone can do for me.

 

Strengthening My Knowledge

 

I read The Second Chance Club by Jason Hardy and I am working to complete a book report on it, and continued searching for books on leadership, communication, public speaking, and building capital.

I clarified something important about communication: I do not simply want to become better at delivering speeches. I want to become a better speaker in everyday life—someone who can explain ideas clearly, listen carefully, lead conversations, and connect with different kinds of people.

I also developed a more organized format for my book reports. The goal is not just to summarize what I read. I want to explain why I selected each book, identify the lessons that mattered, and show how I plan to apply them.

Reading only becomes valuable when it changes the way I think or act.

 

Preparing to Teach More

 

Financial literacy remains one of the most important parts of my preparation.

I have already taught approximately 40 incarcerated men, but my larger goal is to reach 400. I continued preparing for another class planned for August that could include about 60 students.

Teaching gives me an opportunity to practice communication, leadership, organization, and service at the same time. It also reminds me that I do not have to wait until I am released to begin helping others.

 

Continuing to Document the Journey

 

I worked on new journal content, including an entry titled “Still My Friend,” and continued improving the professional appearance of the website through photography, graphics, and clearer presentation.

I also followed developments involving the Bureau of Prisons tablet initiative and what those changes could eventually mean for the population at Fort Dix. Successful reentry requires more than having a plan for myself. It also requires understanding how policies, technology, communication, housing, employment, and access to information affect people preparing to return home.

 

What July Proved

 

July did not produce a miracle.

It produced evidence.

The website is becoming stronger. My outreach is becoming more intentional. People are responding. My understanding of mentorship is becoming more realistic. I am continuing to read, teach, write, and prepare.

Most importantly, I am no longer treating release as the day my new life begins.

I am building that life now.

My focus for August is to deepen the relationships I started, follow up with the people who responded, teach the next financial literacy class, and publish more useful content about reentry preparation.

The work may still be happening behind prison walls, but the future I am preparing for reaches far beyond them.