Father Gregory Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world, and author of the new book, The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness, is the featured guest for the special Christmas week episode of the Impact Podcast with John Shegerian this week. The show is hosted by Shegerian, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of ERI, the nation’s leading fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company.

Born and raised in Los Angeles and a Jesuit priest from 1986 to 1992, Father Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights. Dolores Mission was the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles that also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city. Father Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence on his community during the so-called “decade of death” that began in the late 1980s and peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992. In the face of law enforcement tactics and criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the means to end gang violence, he and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings.

In 1988 they started what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of men and women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.

Father Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. His second book, Barking to the Choir, was published in 2017. His new book, The Whole Language, is now available everywhere books are sold.

“It’s humbling to have Father Greg on our show,” said Shegerian. “I’ve known him for more than 30 years and he has served as a huge inspiration for my own career in social entrepreneurship. Father Gregory has such a compelling and positive story and his impactful and compassion-based work with Homeboy Industries continues to touch and change the lives of so many. He is the ideal guest for the Impact podcast to share the holidays with this year!”

“Thanks so much for having me on the Impact Podcast,” said Father Boyle. “It’s an honor to know John Shegerian.”

Every week, Impact Podcast guests are invited as thought leaders to share with listeners first-hand accounts of how they are able to make the world a better place on a daily basis.

Recent guests have included leaders from Verizon, Best Buy, General Motors, Ford, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, HP, JetBlue, Comerica Bank, Goodyear Tire, Virgin, Dell, GE, IBM, Ben & Jerry’s, Timberland, New York City, Beyond Meat, Lipton Tea, Patron Tequila, Panasonic, Molson Coors, Seventh Generation, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and a number of fascinating thought leaders and game-changers, including Martin Luther King III; best-selling author Ryan Holiday; real estate powerhouse Ryan Serhant; writer/comedian/author Jeannie Gaffigan; softball legend and ESPN baseball anchor Jessica Mendoza; ESPN radio personalities Sarah Spain and Israel Gutierrez; ultra-endurance athlete Rich Roll; the late, legendary actor Ed Asner; and hundreds more.

The Impact Podcast with John Shegerian is available for listening on ImpactPodcast.com, Apple’s iTunes, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Spotify, libsyn, and as part of iHeartRadio’s digital broadcast, reaching over 120 million users.

For more information, visit ImpactPodcast.com

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