Beyond the Labels

In this episode of All Things Conflict, I sat down with mentor, facilitator, and founder of Aspire to Change, Chris Baker. What emerged was a raw and deeply moving conversation about trauma, identity, and the power of being seen.

Chris shared the story of growing up in an environment where violence and criminal activity were normalised. As a child, he was fascinated by his father’s radical criminal lifestyle. When those behaviours surround you from the beginning, “dog eat dog” can start to feel like the natural order of things.

His life reached a tragic turning point during a high-speed police chase that left him in a coma and cost him his arm. It became a moment that forced a different reckoning with his life and future.

When the “Naughty Kid” Label Sticks

During our conversation, Chris reflected on how easily children become defined by labels. Words like “naughty” or “troublemaker” often appear early in school life, and once applied they can follow a young person for years.

When young people repeatedly hear who they are supposed to be, they often begin to act into that role. Instead of asking what happened to this child, systems often ask what’s wrong with them, and that shift can make all the difference.

The Mentor Who Saw Something Different

One of the most powerful parts of Chris’s story happened while he was in prison.

There he met an unlikely mentor: a Harvard-educated man serving time for tax offences. This man saw potential in Chris before Chris could see it himself. He also gave Chris what he describes as the “dictionary words” to understand his life experiences and begin imagining a different path.

Sometimes all it takes is one person who refuses to see you only through the lens of your past.

Understanding ACEs and Trauma

Today, Chris draws on the framework of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to help young people understand how early trauma shapes behaviour.

While only a relatively small percentage of the general population have high ACE scores, the proportion among people in prison is dramatically higher. When young people learn that many of their reactions—anger, fear, hyper-vigilance, are biological responses to stress, not personal failings, it can be incredibly liberating.

It creates space for change.

Trauma Lives in the Body

Chris and I also talked about something that is often overlooked: trauma isn’t just psychological. It lives in the body.

When experiences of stress and fear remain unprocessed, they can manifest physically through inflammation, illness, or chronic stress. Understanding this helps shift the conversation from blame to compassion.

The Power of the “Wounded Healer”

One insight Chris shared that really stayed with me is how many people working in justice and social services carry their own histories of trauma.

Many of them, he suggests, are “wounded healers”, people who have transformed their own experiences into a drive to help others navigate similar struggles.

A Future Beyond the Past

Chris now works with young people through Aspire to Change, helping them understand their emotions, their stress responses, and the stories they have been told about themselves.

His journey is a powerful reminder that while our past shapes us, it does not have to define us.

For me, this conversation captured exactly what Justice Redesigned is about: redesigning justice through empathy, understanding, and the belief that people can change.

🎧If this conversation resonates with you, I invite you to listen to the full episode of All Things Conflict featuring Chris Baker.