It is not so much how long you live as what you do with the years you are here.
We all possess some type of genius, and Ryan Leone’s genius was his love of stories, particularly those portrayed in books or film. That love helped him turn his life around after his lifetime flirtation with drugs landed him in federal prison. During his four years of incarceration, he spent numerous stints in solitary confinement, arguably a counter-productive form of torture that has no place in our country’s penal system. He nonetheless wrote Wasting Talent, which sold approximately 400,000 copies after publication in 2012.
During his final year in prison, Ryan turned to a positive addiction, physical fitness, and coupled with exceptional nutrition became uncommonly healthy and strong. He resolved to address the outrages he experienced by working hard to change the world. His passions were twofold: to help addicts manage and not be shamed by their addiction and to call attention to the myriad injustices of our criminal justice system.