Andre Norman

Andre Norman: from prisoner to reformer. Once a man whose sentences added up to over 100 years in prison, now, he is known as ‘The Ambassador of Hope’ and proves that anyone, no matter where you come from or what you have done, can change their life around for the better. Andre is determined to help as many people as he can, and he has helped reform the lives of people in more than 25 countries focusing on teaching accountability, embracing mentorship, creating a plan and living with integrity, becoming a leader, and never quitting.

It all began with a trumpet, a trumpet which was thrown away by a 14-year-old Andre in fear of losing his friends because it was not considered ‘cool’. Andre did not have the best start to life; struggling with illiteracy and brought up in a violent household, it appeared Andre’s one-way-path had been mapped out for him: a life of crime and hate ending up in the prison system. A natural leader, it was not long before Andre was considered a King in prison, becoming one of the top gang leaders until he was placed in solitary confinement. It was in solitary confinement where Andre had an epiphany: a King of what? He decided to make a change and began working on becoming literate, reading the bible, taught himself the law and went to anger management sessions.

A mere 90 minutes after becoming free from Prison, Andre set to work on changing others’ lives, his first speech was to a room of young black men in juvenile detention, a place where he once sat. Andre has now worked with several top agencies, including: YPO, EO, Genius Network, The White House, Ferguson (MO), Harvard and London Business School. Andre has a unique and incredible experience and has been advocating to a wide variety of people, including ex-offenders, high-risk youth, business leaders and high school students for over 20 years. As a testament to his dedication, Andre was honoured the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice Research Fellowship. Andre is now the founder of The Academy of Hope which is a prison-based violence reduction programme, and runs his own Re-Entry programme with the aim of helping the 600,000 men and women who are released from prison make the transition back to society.

Andre has proven he is the definition of perseverance and resilience, and is dedicated to helping, and instilling, these qualities in others. These qualities he learned in prison, along with focus, purpose, and having a plan, can all be very relevant in life outside of prison. He regularly talks on these subjects to business owners, and how they can overcome anything, even the most daunting task, with these principles. Having gone from life inside a prison, to a lucrative motivational speaker, Andre’s story is now considered the #1 prison success story in the world. Do not hesitate to book one of the most inspiring speakers of today.