Ep. 57: Finding Spiritual Surrender w/ Cyntoia Brown-Long

When things aren't working out, most of us white-knuckle the wheel and believe we can think our way out of the problem. This episode's guest is teaching you how to surrender.

Cyntoia Brown-Long shares her UNBELIEVABLE testimony of being convicted of murder, trying to THINK her way out of prison, and then finding a level of spiritual surrender few of us ever reach.

After 15 total years behind bars, she walked out of prison a free woman in a totally IMPOSSIBLE situation where every door had closed. Her attorneys were baffled, but Cyntoia was not. She always knew she would be set free.

How the heck did that happen? In this episode Cyntoia details a remarkable story of LETTING GO and LETTING GOD. Get ready for the unapologetically spiritual and inspirational conversation we all need right now.

💥 This episode is for you if 💥

• You love impossible endings to impossible stories
  
• You have a thirst for social justice that's quenched in conversations like these
• You were captivated by Cyntoia Brown-Long's rise to prominence in 2017 and 2018 when she was still in prison, and want to hear more details of her life out of prison

📺 What you'll hear in this episode📺

The episode begins with host Lauren Lowrey describing the psychological cages we imprison ourselves in and juxtaposes that with Cyntoia's actual imprisonment. It allows Cyntoia to share her defiance (from Day 1) around serving a term of life in prison.

• [12:57] Cyntoia describes the 3 total years she spent in solitary confinement and how it 'broke' her mind. She details how she needed to learn to have conversations again.
• [28:38] How Cyntoia met her husband who completely changed her idea of spirituality. He reached out to her through a written letter to say 'you're getting out of prison.'
• [47:10] Cyntoia shares her prophetic dreams leading up to her release, detailing the nighttime release in the rain. It turned out to be exactly how she was let out of prison.

Plus, Cyntoia gushes about her new soap business [1:07:40] that helps teenagers in and out of the juvenile justice system.

🔖 Chapters 🔖

0:30 - Lauren's opening monologue

3:05 - Liberating yourself from a cage and the defiance needed

7:03 - Treating God as a genie in a bottle

9:03 - Cyntoia's last prayer before anger settled in

11:16 - Cyntoia's search for help through other religions

12:57 - She describes her 3 total years in solitary confinement

18:09 - Cyntoia's obsession with case law and desperation to get out of prison

22:49 - A denied appeal and the hope for clemency

25:55 - Cyntoia's devastation with the denied appeal

27:48 - The problem with THINKING your way out of the problem

28:38 - How Cyntoia met her husband and how he uncovered her spirituality

33:33 - The miracles that happened when Cyntoia started to believe

44:39 - The process to forgive Cyntoia's birth mom

47:10 - Cyntoia's prophetic dreams about seeing her prison release

51:36 - The song 'Thy Will' and why it speaks to Cyntoia

54:04 - Her deep respect for former Gov. Haslam

55:58 - Some people are here to cause calamity

57:59 - Cyntoia's prayer these days

1:00:08 - Cyntoia's life lesson (Surrender to God's plan, because it's way better than yours)

1:01:56 - Cyntoia councils teenagers in state custody

1:06:26 - Is a 2nd book on the way?

1:07:40 - Cyntoia and Lauren BOTH make homemade bar soap

1:13:13 - Surprise story! Lauren shares that she was supposed interview Cyntoia in 2019 after her release

✔️ Show Notes✔️

JFAM - Cyntoia's foundation for Justice, Mercy and Freedom

Lipscomb University LIFE program for inmates that gave Cyntoia her Bachelor's degree

The PBS Documentary Me Facing Life where Cyntoia's husband first saw her story

Sentencing Children (The Tennesseean's series)

Thy Will by Hillary Scott

Epic Girl an organization Cyntoia partners with for teens

Soap & Water Organics, Cyntoia's soap company

✔️ Connect with Cyntoia Brown Long ✔️

Read her book, Free Cyntoia

Follow her on Instagram

Buy her soap by clicking here

✔️ Connect with Lauren Lowrey ✔️
On the AMPstigator website

AMPstigator on Youtube

The AMPstigator Instagram

Lauren's Instagram