HHE: You previously mentioned that a few people you were locked up with helped you and that makes you want to pay it forward.
Nelli: That’s the crazy thing to be honest and to speak candidly, when I got in there, I was scared to death! I thought I was just going to meet a bunch of monsters, killers, rapists…and although I met all of those people, surprisingly I met a lot of angels in there too. I met people who touched my heart because of who they were as a person. When I first got there, I didn’t have anything because you don’t go there with money. A guy I never met before gave me four soups, two honeybuns, two bags of chips… just because he saw that I needed it.
That beauty, sincerity and human connection I felt from them is something I will never forget. Those “monsters” are actually real people inside those prison walls. Essentially a lot of the inmates are merely lost souls dealing with unaddressed issues from their childhood; things that happened to them way before they came to prison in the first place. One of my biggest dreams is to return the love many of those lost souls gave me; their love helped me survive in there.
HHE: Since you’ve returned home, you have traveled the world and have lived abroad in Amsterdam, Australia, and Istanbul. So that strike doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.
Nelli: Not at all. On the contrary, it’s the beginning of a new world, new life and new possibilities. People think that once they go to prison that that’s it and the possibilities are limited in life so they are thinking about the next scheme; or what they did wrong in the previous scheme. They think this time they’ll learn how to make better mistakes instead of completely turning their life around. I want to show them that they can travel the world and have different experiences and they can try new things and most importantly they can start over, if only they learn to Dream Awake.
HHE: That’s kind of easier said than done. What was your process and how did you answer the dreaded question about your conviction when you went on job interviews that you successfully landed with companies like The Source, Clear Channel and Radio-One?
Nelli: It is that simple bro. I ceased what I wanted. I accepted my mistakes and my own personal rehabilitation. I eliminated every excuse and I never got defensive. I didn’t go into interviews needing a job; I went in “offering” my services to the company. I went in with the confidence of knowing who I am. I showed the person interviewing me that they needed me and I was fully prepared to accept “NO” if it came my way. It’s all about owning your situation, owning your past mistakes and owning where you are now… Essentially owning and controlling the moment. That’s what I did in my interviews. I was always upfront and never hid my past from anybody. I never made my past a secret and that let the person sitting across from me know and see that I’m a different man and I grew from my mistakes. That gained me respect from my former employers and gave me confidence that anything is possible.
HHE: Let’s revisit your conviction. What are your thoughts now on marijuana starting to be legalized throughout the country after you served time for something many don’t consider a crime?
Nelli: It’s a slap and a hug at the same time. I feel slightly vindicated in a sense because during my entire prison term I knew it wasn’t that serious… As I said previously, I was in there with killers, murderers and rapists; I was in prison with the darkest and scariest people in the world and I all did was run a successful weed business between me and a few college friends. Everybody was in school, everybody was otherwise good except for the fact we like to smoke and sell weed.
It wasn’t a crime that hurt anybody, yet they sentenced me to prison for 4 years and 2 months for my first offense ever. It was a non-violent crime but I was still treated and sentenced like a dangerous man and a threat to society. I spent most of my time wondering how the system could be so unfair and cruel. So to see the legalization of it all come to fruition today, I feel a small vindication. Like wow, thank you, you guys finally see it.
HHE: Your story is so inspiring and a true testament to the fact that you can come back from anything. What made you decide to share it with the world and write your book?
Nelli: To show people that I’m no different than them. So many people were touched by my story and inspired by what I’ve done with my second chance at life and it moved them to want something different for their own lives. My friends told me that my story was worth sharing and that others could be inspired from reading about it. I really just wanted to give other people’s thoughts and dreams a voice and possibility because at the end of the day; although I experienced a tough life, it made me stronger; it made me want more and others can learn from that. The marks and scars my past left on my soul is similar to the scars and baggage most people who look like me carry everyday. We all share similar experiences in life that we can grow from. Mine made me stronger and the desire to Dream of a better day, I hope every person who reads my book finds the inspiration to do the same.
HHE: This is going to be great read come spring 2015, give the people a brief synopsis of what to expect.
Nelli: I Dream Awake is a journey through a dark and sad beginning to a promising future. It’s a story that should inspire everybody. It’s what I went through and my life between the ages of 10 -25. It’s written from two different perspectives; a child the day before his mother is murdered by his father and a man, the day before he goes into prison for the first time.
Each chapter follows the journey of the man and the boy separately and how they faced realities that they would’ve never dreamed of in their worst nightmares. And then stories overlap when the boy becomes the man at the end. I Dream Awake is a real-life blind date with destiny.
Nelli Davis continues to live his dreams and besides being a motivational speaker, he’s also an International certified trainer with NASM – National Academy of Sports Medicine. He’s currently based in Miami, Florida where he runs his physical fitness company NFIT LIFE.
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