Named after his well-respected father who disappeared when he was two, Wallo grew up in North Philadelphia with his mom, brothers, and grandmother, feeling pressure to achieve the success and reputation his father had on the streets. Spending time in and out of juvenile detention centers, school psychologists and counselors labeled him “criminal-minded” and his luck on the streets involving petty crimes would soon run out. After his involvement in an armed robbery, Wallo was arrested and received a prison sentence of nineteen to fifty-two years. Upon serving twenty years of his sentence, Wallo was released and returned home to Philadelphia. This memoir traces the journey from Wallo’s youth and incarceration to his incredible success. In his time spent in prison, Wallo came to understand that he was armed with the wrong intentions despite great potential via a lack of guidance and proper mindset. With this understanding, he reckoned with the choices that put him there, accepted responsibility for his own actions, and vowed to arm himself with only good intentions upon his release. Wallo’s reflection and new-found philosophy-which he now shares with you-informed the new trajectory of his life. On the day of his release, Wallo moved back to Philly and started on a new frontier of entrepreneurialism. Armed with vigor and intention, his viral motivational content gained Wallo over sixty-thousand Instagram followers on his first day of freedom. This would prove to only be the start of his continuously growing career utilizing his social influence as a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and cultural changemaker.
