Today we’d like to introduce you to Aza Enigma
Hi Aza, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I had made a few mistakes by 2006, and as a result of those mistakes, I found myself with a felony charge. Fast forward 11 years, and I had rectified most of my mistakes and was graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Now, instead of pursuing a strictly normal psychology career, I decided to combine my love of psychology with my passion for helping others and The Friendly Felon was born. Now, I’m a published author, blogger, reentry advocate/ coach and writer for hire, that has a side hustle of creating various crafts for decor and novelty.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road I have taken in life has been a bumpy one to say the least, Just before my felony charge, I lost a close sibling to cancer, and just as I was finishing my Associate’s degree, I lost my stepfather to a neurological disease and took some time to help care for my mother who suffered from MS. She passed on three years after I completed my Bachelor’s degree, which allowed her to see me reach a kind of success that she recognized as success – especially after all my mis-steps in earlier years. The love and determination she showed in every day life has always been an inspiration to me that I aim to achieve in my own.
Beyond the loss and emotional struggles that came up over the years, I also struggled to maintain stable income and housing due to my felony conviction. Thankfully, as I conquered each step forward, I created a safe haven for myself and my loved ones, and now work to help others find stability in their lives to help them overcome the obstacles that follow a felony conviction.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In addition to the published Guide to Life After a Felony and it’s workbooks/courses/workshops that aim to help individuals build a better life from the ground up, I have an intense passion for writing and informing others. While I am a creative person, I love sharing facts and accurate information that helps educate others in some way, shape, or form.
As other classmates were complaining about writing 3,000 word essays, I was excited in my own way (if feeling somewhat limited by the topics in college, but now I can write in any niche I love) to put together all this information I would find as I did the research for each topic. Once the classes were finished, I still felt a desire to write, and so I did. I’ve made writing a huge part of my multi-faceted career. So, if you’re looking for a writer that is cannabis-friendly, experienced in justice, and unique overall, you’ve found me!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Well, the most surprising thing about me in most cases is that I’m a convicted felon. I mean, every single person I’ve told has been completely surprised by this fact. But, as The Friendly Felon, that’s basically how I say hello.
So, I suppose that my other surprising feature is that I’m neurodivergent and require accommodations to be able to work at my maximum efficiency – my biggest need is for everything to be in writing. Part of my neurodivergent path involves an audio processing disorder that has caused chaos in my life before I acknowledged it and began requesting accommodation for it – including being fired from a job over the phone (completely not processing that information due to overwhelm at the first part of the conversation) and trying to show up for the shift later that night (and being yelled at in person for doing so, which was incredibly embarrassing).
With this in mind, I encourage everyone to be as considerate as possible to others as they may be trying to cope with things that are not obvious or they might not understand they have something going on that requires accommodation.
Pricing:
- Books – Prices range from 5 to 20 USD depending on their editions
- Courses – Currently 50 USD for a five-section course on reentry (payment plan available)
- Writing Services – start at 12 cents USD per word
- Crafting Services – start at 10 USD
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thefriendlyfelon.wordpress.com/writing-services/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azaenigma/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theFriendlyFelon
- Other: https://21ststreet.group/products/the-friendly-felons-guide-to-life-after-a-felony-commissary-edition?_pos=1&_psq=aza&_ss=e&_v=1.0
