Have you ever wanted a safe space where you can just exist?

Where for a moment in time you can be you with all the intricacies and parts of you that people don't always understand.

Welcome to In The Deep, stories that shape us. I'm your host Zach Stafford and each

episode we create a space to be you, all of you, and all your messy and complicated glory.

Every story shares what it means to be a black and Latinx man living with different

hardships, whether it's the struggle of identity, discrimination, or health, and how they've managed to push forward despite the circumstance.

We hope to get closer, even if it's just a little, to a road of healing and understanding. Hey everyone, welcome back.

So today I want to talk about something that affects us all, I think.

And that's the idea of how we see ourselves versus how others see us.

How many times do people think they actually know our story, the real story,

based on assumptions or a cheeky photo we've posted online, or some water cooler

talk we've had in passing.

And how many times have others just gotten it all wrong?

Ian Manuel's life is one of those stories that we think we've heard before, and chances are,

you've probably heard his story narrated by countless journalists covering the events of one

late summer day that completely changed the course of his life at 14.

Or maybe you've heard about the prolific lawyer,

Brian Stevenson, who helped him gain his liberty

after 26 years of imprisonment.

But Ian's story doesn't begin and end

with a botched robbery attempt.

It begins with his mother and brother, who deeply, deeply hurt him,

...