Ep. 173: Ronald Simpson-Bey on the Wrongful Conviction that Changed Everything

Ep. 173: Ronald Simpson-Bey on the Wrongful Conviction that Changed Everything

From Grief Is My Side Hustle by meghanrjarvis

January 15, 2026 · 50 min · Episode 180

About this episode

Ronald Simpson-Bey shares his journey of grief and advocacy following his wrongful conviction and the loss of his son.

Ronald Simpson-Bey would call his grief a proponent of his survival. While he was incarcerated (for a crime he didn’t commit) during the early 2000s, his young adult son was fatally shot. Ronald’s conviction was finally overturned in 2012, and he would return to mainstream society as a grieving father who had lost such a formative piece of his life. These days (after becoming a paralegal while imprisoned) Ronald is a staunch advocate for individuals fighting wrongful conviction, and acts as a pillar of strength and wisdom in his community and beyond. Ronald is currently working as the Executive Vice President for JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA). He is also a 2015 Leading with Conviction (LwC) Fellow with JLUSA. Thank you SO much for coming back to another season of Grief is My Side Hustle! Please be sure to leave a five-star rating and review wherever possible. We truly appreciate you! For more about Ronald:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4kwP3U0d5w https://www.instagram.com/ronaldsimpsonbey/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/simpsonbey1/

People in this episode

Host: meghanrjarvis

Guest: Ronald Simpson-Bey

Topics covered

  • grief
  • wrongful conviction
  • advocacy
  • survival
  • community support

Keywords

  • grief
  • wrongful conviction
  • advocacy
  • survival
  • community
  • paralegal
  • JustLeadershipUSA

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: JustLeadershipUSA, Leading with Conviction

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