Why a Top-Producing Tulsa, Oklahoma Realtor Keeps Going to Prison

I’ve had a Word of the Year for myself and encouraged everyone in my circle to choose one for decades. It’s been a cornerstone of my personal growth and leadership journey.

But I can honestly say this was the first time I’ve ever stood inside a prison and encouraged a group of incarcerated women to choose a Word of the Year for themselves and wow… it hit different.

This year, as I prepare to turn 50, I’ve committed to a personal challenge: 50 things I’ve never done before - 50 firsts. (I created an Instagram highlight of these 50 firsts if you're interested in following along.) And this moment, standing in that room, watching women claim words like peace, hope, and strength for their lives, was absolutely one of them.

This was #2 in my 50 Firsts series, and one I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

Most people don’t expect a top-producing Realtor in Tulsa, Oklahoma to spend time inside a women’s correctional facility but that’s exactly where some of my most meaningful work is happening right now.

My volunteer training started back in August has turned into a powerful, ongoing ministry inside Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center - Taft and it’s reshaped how I view leadership, service, and transformation.

This is PART of the story behind why I keep going back.

How Does a Tulsa Realtor Feel Called to Serve at a Prison?

In August, I completed the required volunteer training to serve inside the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

At the time, I didn't fully understand what it would become. It was something I needed to do. A calling to be present, to step outside my comfort zone and show up where hope was needed.

Like most things worth doing, it required patience. PAPERWORK... so much PAPERWORK.

Training.

Waiting. More waiting.

...Did I mention waiting?

Looking back, I can see that God was laying a foundation long before I ever stepped inside the facility.

Jennifer Mount's First Visit to Prison During the Holidays (December)

My first opportunity to speak inside Eddie Warrior came in December, right in the middle of the holiday season.

I spoke on gratitude. And gratitude hits differently when you’re incarcerated during Thanksgiving and Christmas. The holidays can make the ache louder, the empty seats, the missed moments, the prayers you whisper when no one is watching. But Christmas is also the story of God coming near. Not to people who had it all together, but to people who needed rescue. In that room, gratitude wasn’t about denying the pain or pretending everything is okay. It was about reaching for a God who specializes in restoration, and believing He can still do something beautiful with what feels broken..

The women didn’t just listen, they leaned in and engaged.

Chains don’t cancel calling.

Understanding the System: Levels of Correctional Facilities

To understand the significance of what’s happening at Eddie Warrior, it helps to understand the structure of the correctional system in Oklahoma.

There are four primary levels of correctional supervision:

• Community (including ankle monitoring and limited freedoms)

• Minimum Security

• Medium Security

• Maximum Security

One of Oklahoma’s maximum-security women’s prisons is Mabel Bassett Correctional Center.

One woman I met began her sentence there. She was in maximum prison for murder. Meeting her in that chapel, I never would have imagined that about her. She was kind and helpful and engaging.

Through years of good behavior, personal accountability, and a deep spiritual transformation, she was transformed on the inside and then transferred to Eddie Warrior. Today, she is the drummer in the praise and worship band inside the prison.

That’s not just rehabilitation.
That’s transformation.

Tulsa Realtor Prison Outreach: What’s Changing Inside Oklahoma DOC

What makes this story even more powerful is that it aligns with a statewide shift.

In late 2024, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections officially updated its mission. Their goal was/is to reduce the return rate by focusing on transformation on the inside on the inside! They began and expanded Programs to match the mission!

The updated mission reflects a commitment to helping individuals change on the inside while incarcerated so they can successfully reintegrate into society as contributing members upon release.

That shift shows up in real, tangible ways:

• Faith-based leadership opportunities

• Inmate-led praise and worship

• Trade and workforce training programs

One example is Eddie Warrior’s cosmetology program, where 26 women are currently enrolled, learning a licensed trade that will make them employable upon release. They provide vocational, substance abuse, degree, even work release Programs.

This isn’t about checking boxes while these ladies are on the inside.
It’s about helping them build a future.

Second Visit to Eddie Warrior: Meeting the Warden and Touring the Facility

My second time inside Eddie Warrior wasn’t to speak — it was to meet the warden and tour the facility.

That visit gave me a deep respect for the leadership, structure, and intentionality behind the Start Strong program and the broader transformation mission of the Department of Corrections.

This isn’t accidental change.
It’s purposeful.

Third Visit to Eddie Warrior in January: The Power of a Word of the Year

My third visit came in January, where I spoke on choosing a Word of the Year one word to anchor mindset, decisions, and growth.

One woman shared that her word the previous year was peace.

She shared that her husband passed away in February, but due to the absence of a chaplain at the time, she wasn’t notified until March. Can you imagine…..no answered phone calls and no reason why only to find this out!!!

She said she lost her peace…as we all would!!
But she found her way back to it.

That one word centered her through unimaginable grief.

The room went quiet.

That’s when you realize this isn’t about programming it’s about human beings choosing growth in the hardest circumstances imaginable.

How the Impact Is Growing at Eddie Warrior Correctional Center

Here’s what continues to amaze me:

• First month: 68 women attended

• Most recent month: 76 women attended

The room is growing.
The momentum is building.
The impact is multiplying.

And this experience is changing me.

What Comes Next: Legacy in Motion at Eddie Warrior (Fitness, Mindset, Hope)

My long-term vision is to bring a fitness-based transformation program into the facility.

The structure is simple and powerful:

• 5 minutes of positive affirmations during stretching

• Three 10-minute bodyweight circuits

• A cooldown with affirmations and weekly intention-setting

I’ve submitted the Legacy in Motion Program Proposal three times so far. It hasn’t been approved yet but I did get to tour the gym where it could take place.

When it does happen, it will be life-changing.

Eddie Warrior has a capacity of just under 1,000 inmates, with over 900 women currently housed. The opportunity for long-term, sustainable impact is enormous.

Why This Matters for Oklahoma: Transformation That Lasts

Oklahoma has historically had one of the highest female incarceration rates in the nation. Does Oklahoma have one of the highest female incarceration rates? data shows that women are one of the fastest-growing populations in the correctional system.

Rehabilitation works best when it addresses the whole person:

• Mindset

• Faith

• Skill-building

• Physical health

• Purpose

Programs that emphasize transformation not just punishment are key to reducing recidivism and strengthening families and communities. We have to work together to get this number down.

This work matters.

The 3–2–1 Takeaway

3 Things I’ve Learned and I hope you have to

• Transformation really can happen anywhere. I've seen how growth unfolds not when conditions are perfect, but when people find purpose, a bit of structure, and reasons to hope again.

• The way we think quietly shapes everything. Whether it's practicing gratitude, seeking peace, or discovering purpose, our inner world has this gentle but powerful way of influencing how we live, respond, and begin to heal.

• Leadership appears in unexpected places. Some of the most profound leadership I've witnessed hasn't been in boardrooms or business deals. It's shown up behind prison walls, in vulnerable conversations, and in the spaces many people overlook.

2 Things Worth Sharing

• No one is defined by their worst moment. I've learned that with genuine support, accountability, and a real chance, people can rebuild their lives, and often emerge with unexpected strength and wisdom.

• Growth changes more than punishment ever could. When we create systems that believe in people's capacity to change, the ripple effects touch families, communities, and generations we'll never meet.

1 Thing I Would Like You to Do

• If these stories have meant something to you, would you consider subscribing and sharing our YouTube channel? We're hoping to reach 1,000 subscribers this year, and honestly, we could really use your support to get there.

Final Thoughts

Real estate is what I do but people are why I do it.

Leadership doesn’t stop at transactions.
It shows up where hope is needed most.

So yes… this top-producing Tulsa realtor keeps going to prison.

And I’ll keep going back because transformation belongs everywhere.

I am an agent of change.

I am a hope dealer.

I am the person that will find purpose in the greatest pain.

This journey is just beginning.

Want to Watch the Full Story from Jennifer Mount Tulsa REALTOR?

Watch the full video here: “Top-Producing Tulsa, Oklahoma Realtor Goes to Prison for the Third Time”