Meet the Heart and Soul of GOGI - our Volunteers
Meet the GOGI Team
Leaders who live the Life Tools. Stories that inspire transformation.
Behind every GOGI lesson is a heartbeat, a story, and a journey of someone who chose growth in the face of challenge. Here, we honor the hearts and souls behind GOGI—the mentors, volunteers, leaders, and lived-experience champions who bring the GOGI Life Tools to life through compassion, courage, and commitment.
Each person has walked a unique path, yet all share a belief in the power of personal choice and the strength that lives within every individual. Their work proves that transformation is real, healing is possible, and freedom begins from within—long before any physical door opens. Together, they continue to inspire others to rise, one choice and one tool at a time.
"You can think of the GOGI Life Tools as a gift from individuals who have been both the most harmed and the most harmful in our society. Instead of remaining angry, they use these tools to create and maintain internal freedom, hoping all humanity can build positive lives through daily use of the GOGI Life Tools. They believe that if they had these tools in their youth, the prisons we build to contain those who harm others would hardly be needed."
GOGI Coach Taylor
GOGI Founder/Volunteer
GOGI Coach Taylor founded the nonprofit Getting Out by Going In (GOGI) in 2006 after volunteering in prisons and jails as a psychology student. With two master’s degrees in psychology, a PsyD, and ordination as an Interfaith Minister, she quickly recognized that the key to addressing mass incarceration, addiction, and lawlessness lies within the individual. Through her work, she saw that when people in prison are given simple tools for positive decision-making, they often choose the most constructive path. Many shared that had they learned these tools as children, they likely would not have ended up incarcerated.
The GOGI Life Tools were developed in collaboration with tens of thousands of incarcerated individuals over more than two decades of Coach Taylor’s volunteer service.
To hear GOGI Coach Taylor interview GOGI students and supporters, listen to the Prison Positive Podcast.
GOGI Community Coach Roster
Download GOGI Community Coach Roster 2026 in PDF here
GOGI Team of Volunteers
Getting Out by Going In (GOGI) is a non-profit that models the value of volunteerism. As such, there are no paid staff members at GOGI. Those who are paid, receive a small stipend for their contribution to advancing the global use of the GOGI Life Tools. Coach Taylor, a volunteer for GOGI since its inception, explains. “How can I encourage the student of the GOGI Life Tools to live a life of service if I am taking a paycheck? It didn’t make sense to me, and it did not seem honest in the way that GOGI has always been honest. This choice, to remain 100 percent volunteer staffed, was not an easy one. It certainly hampered our growth in many ways, but no one will ever be able to challenge the sincerity of the GOGI mission and vision.”
GOGI Coach Carlson
GOGI Head of Media, Digital & Interactive Learning
Whether producing large-scale content, building creative teams, or developing transformational learning platforms, Coach Carlson unites strategic vision with social impact, using storytelling as a catalyst for personal and collective transformation.
Andrii Batyrenko
GOGI Database Director
Andrii volunteered to help GOGI create a database to track students, their locations, and their course completion. More than a decade later, Andrii continues to volunteer his expertise to GOGI.
Yana Batyrenko
GOGI Data Supervisor
Yana’s unwavering commitment reflects the heart and soul of GOGI. Now living in Germany after relocating through Poland, she has resumed her work. Though she misses her home, Yana continues to find inner freedom through helping GOGI students discover their own.
Lisa Butcher
GOGI UK Ambassador
Lisa gladly accepted the title of GOGI Ambassador to the UK and is actively working to introduce the GOGI Life Tools throughout the United Kingdom, inside and outside of prison.
Yamel Villa
GOGI Spanish Curricula Development and Education Specialist
As a volunteer for GOGI, Yamel focus on the translation and editing of GOGI Books, handouts, and educational material, sharing them with the growing Spanish speaking GOGI student body. Her goals is to ensure the GOGI Life Tools reach the Hispanic Community with clarity and heart.