Born and raised in Malibu, California, Tyler was a privileged and intelligent young man. Talented and active, he engaged in competitive sports as well as achieving academically in his early years. However, easily bored and continually searching for adventure and stimulation, Tyler experimented with drugs and a whole new crowd of friends. These new choices led him to drop out of high school. However, because of his joy in baseball, he entered city college playing on their team. But his adopted lifestyle of drugs continued to dominate him. Still a teenager and enslaved by the influence of drugs, Tyler found himself perpetrating a crime which earned him 32 years to life in state prison.

At the inception of his incarceration and forced sobriety, he immediately achieved his GED in the LA County Jail system and continued his education by earning five associate degrees in prison. Tyler learned about addiction and ended up being the chairman of various in-house groups including AA, NA, CGA and Actors’ Gang.

After serving 17 years, in November of 2020, the Governor commuted his sentence. Initially upon release, Tyler participated with Beit T’Shuvah, a residential recovery house until he was able to transfer his parole and be close to his supportive family.

Recognizing how his personal story gave him wisdom in the field of addiction and trauma, Tyler uses that empathy to help those still struggling by working at a treatment center. One of his goals is to become a drug and alcohol counselor. Realizing he wanted even more out of life, he expanded his service to society to include wildland firefighting. Because of his prison record, there were obstacles that eventually led him to the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, an agency that looked beyond his criminal record. Tyler will be graduating from FFRP in April and has already been offered a job to work for the Bureau of Land Management. His indomitable spirit and belief in himself have led to a never give up attitude. Tyler can be heard repeating his mantra, “failure is not an option.”

Sneak Peet at Episode 6 with Tyler Lord

Listen to the complete episode on Spotify