Jordan Edelheit has woven storytelling as a central theme through her work and life. She was a co-organizer of the first TEDx event inside of Marion Correctional Institution (MCI) in Marion, Ohio, alongside incarcerated individuals. Over the past decade, creative expression has been her chosen way to engage with the prison system and those who have been touched by its devastating weight. After organizing TEDx events, poetry slams, and a speaker series at MCI, she co-launched Alive Inside. Alive Inside hosts programming and open mics centered around grief, loss, and hope to bring people deeper into connection with each other, the fierce realities of our prison system, and the incredible resilience of each human impacted by it.