#819 Prison, Abandonment & The Power of "No" - Wallo#819 Prison, Abandonment & The Power of "No" - Wallo
Mental Illness Happy Hour
Paul Gilmartin and Wallo talk about twenty years in prison, mental “cells”, and the challenge of choosing yourself in a world obsessed with approval. Anonymous stories of anxiety, addiction and extreme trauma frame a conversation about stillness, boundaries and the risks and rewards of our hyperconnected lives.
1:09:50•25 Sept 2026
Prison, Phone Calls and the Power of Saying "No" with Wallo
Episode Overview
- Street “cool” and fast money can become an addiction to speed itself, leaving people trapped in crime and chaos.
- Prison limited physical freedom but created space for stillness, reading and reflection, which helped Wallo feel mentally freer than he’d ever been.
- A phone and social media can either be a mental prison or a tool for freedom, depending on whether it’s used or abused.
- Saying “yes to you” and “no to them” is framed as healthy self-prioritisation rather than selfishness, especially for those addicted to approval.
- Anonymous sharing of anxiety, addiction and abuse stories can bring a small sense of power back to people who’ve felt voiceless.
“The mind is something... It's a dangerous neighborhood. The most dangerous neighborhood in the world.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety and healing when life has felt like a war zone? This conversation between host Paul Gilmartin and guest Wallo (aka Wallo267, aka Wallace Peeples) sits right in that question, mixing brutal honesty, dark humour, and real talk about prisons both physical and mental. You’ll hear Paul set the tone with anonymous surveys from people living with anxiety, bulimia, alcoholism, sex addiction, and extreme trauma.
The stories are heavy, sometimes horrific, but they’re shared in a way that makes shame feel a little less isolating and pain a little more communal. It’s the classic Mental Illness Happy Hour mix of “awfulsome” — awful and strangely beautiful at the same time. Wallo then takes centre stage, talking about growing up in North Philadelphia, chasing “cool” through crime, and landing in prison for twenty years.
He explains why he says, “The first time in my life I ever was free was in prison,” describing how stillness, reading, yoga, and conversations with other men forced into pause helped him rewire his mind. A big thread here is the “mental prison”: fear of opinions, obsession with being liked, and the way phones and social media can either trap you or, as Wallo used them, become wings.
His upcoming book, *Yes to You, No to Them: The Discipline of Saying No and the Freedom That Follows*, frames saying “no” as choosing yourself rather than being “selfish” in the way the world likes to label it. The episode also touches on tech overload, fantasies of living off-grid, the normalisation of death, and the strange comfort of old films and vinyl records.
If you’re wrestling with people-pleasing, shame, or feeling stuck in your own head, this conversation might have you asking: what would saying “yes” to you look like today?
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