Welcome to the site of Think Outside the Cell, an imprint of Resilience Multimedia.

As our name suggests, we publish books that inspire readers to expand their minds, unlock their potential and own their personal power. To think beyond what is and reach for what can be. 

You will soon find on this site quality fiction and nonfiction titles that explore the rich and complex tapestry of African-American and Latino life, from marital and family relationships and coming-of-age journeys to self-help business strategies, defying-the-odds success stories and the mean realities of prison life.

Our name gave rise to the title of our featured book: “Think Outside the Cell: An Entrepreneur’s Guide for the Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated,” by Joseph Robinson. Lively, provocative and accessible, the book helps men and women who were or are still in prison tap into their entrepreneurial gifts and build the lives they want. In doing so, the book taps into the hugely overlooked potential of entrepreneurship as a strategy for successful prisoner reentry and breaking the cycle of recidivism. 

Coming next are three books in the “Think Outside the Cell Series,” written by and for the incarcerated, formerly incarcerated and their loved ones. Please visit our Our Books page for more information. And if you have a story you’d like to contribute to the series, please provide a brief summary by clicking the “Tell Us Your Story” button on that page.  

What all of our books share is the capacity to challenge readers to think – and become agents of change in their own lives, and the lives of others. 

Thank you for visiting. 

Sheila Rule

Publisher-Resilience Multimedia

 Continue Reading...

I conceived of Think Outside the Cell Week in 2007 as a way to inspire people to overcome self-defeating beliefs, attitudes and behavior, and to achieve their full potential. I had originally envisioned the week being celebrated by families, communities and municipalities across the country. Even around the world. As I saw it, this global movement would then trickle into the lives of incarcerated men, women and young adults. But as fate would have it, after conferring with my wife, Sheila, I've decided to have the first Think Outside the Cell Week in prison.

With the assistance of seven co-inaugurators,I rolled out today, April 18, the first in a week-long series of life-enhancing workshops that are broken down into Think Outside the Cell Week's 7 Pillars of Success. Each day of the week, we'll engage the 45 men who've signed up with hands-on activities, a recommended reading list, a quote of the day and real-life examples--both in prison and in the free world--of people who exemplify each Pillar of Success.

On day 1, which focuses on the pillar Education/Personal Growth, I am defining branding and interactively walking participants through the process of developing their own personal branding statements.

On day 2, Entrepreneurship/Employment, I'll stress the need for participants to embrace entrepreneurship as a life skill. We'll do an exercise based on the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, after which participants will be asked to highlight their strengths in one-minute sales pitches to hypothetical business partners.

Jose Soltero, a co-facilitator and co-inaugurator, will emphasize the need to develop a sound personal and home budget, and to become financially literate, on day 3: Financial Literacy and Stability. On day 4 will come Family/Community, where Bruce Bryant will conduct an asset-mapping exercise and ask groups of men to offer solutions to hypothetical personal, family and community problems.

On day 5, Health and Fitness, Robert Corapi will energize the session by having participants perform light-intensity exercises for bodybuilding and sports fitness routines. He'll also discuss the basics of nutrition. Lamar Sanchez and Collin Patrick, both co-inaugurators, will serve as model trainers to demonstrate the proper form for particular exercises. They will co-facilitate segments each day of the week.

Given the high levels of stress in prison, the yoga training offered by William Hicks on day 6, Spiritual Enlightenment, will offer a fresh approach to coping with the everyday tension that is pervasive in prison. William Holmes will bring the week full circle on day 7, with Building Institutions/Leaving a Legacy. He will highlight the fact that we each have a responsibility to leave this world better than we inherited it, by either building or assisting a community-based institution.

This week represents a beginning. I trust that, year by year, word of this movement will spread and that its universal themes will one day be embraced by people throughout the world.Continue Reading...

On the second day of Think Outside the Cell Week, I stressed the need for participants to embrace entrepreneurship as a necessity, not a luxury. For people with prison in their backgrounds, it's just that critical.

I cited a recent Wall Street Journal article that highlighted how difficult it is for people who've been in prison to find jobs. And I listed the four tracks that the formerly incarcerated usually end up on once they return home. They will either:
1. Find a job
2. Become self-employed entrepreneurs
3. Go on public assistance
4. Resort to crime and go back to prisonContinue Reading...