Christa Gannon: Negotiating With Kids the System Gave Up On

Christa Gannon: Negotiating With Kids the System Gave Up On

June 30, 2026 · 55 min

About this episode

Stan interviews Christa Gannon about her work with youth involved in the justice system and the founding of Fresh Lifelines for Youth.

Stan interviews Christa Gannon about founding Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY) after volunteering with incarcerated teens and asking what could have prevented their involvement with the justice system. A former UC Santa Barbara basketball All-American and Stanford Law graduate, Gannon describes negotiating with fear to take a nontraditional path, learning entrepreneurial lessons from sports, and using deep listening to co-design programs with youth around legal education, mentoring, and leadership development. She discusses the demographics and trauma many justice-involved youth face, the use of role plays to teach life skills and conflict resolution, and the importance of authenticity, consistency, and humility in earning trust. The conversation covers persuading system stakeholders and donors with shared goals, outcomes, and youth-centered storytelling, plus FLY’s results in reducing recidivism and building hope, and Gannon’s later transition from CEO and her work supporting leadership transitions. Check out FLY: https://flyprogram.org 00:00 Vision Beyond Prison 00:22 Choosing a Different Path 02:29 Claiming the Torch 04:23 Athlete Mindset for Leadership 05:52 Juvenile Hall…

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