Legendary AveNew

08/04/2026

I remember thinking the thoughts a lot of these women have now behind those walls. That’s why I say “ I will be forget!”

07/24/2026

More to come!

07/22/2026

LEGENDARY AVENEW LLC: TURNING PAIN INTO PURPOSE.

My name is Candace Williams, and I am the founder and CEO of Legendary AveNew LLC.

For 16 years, I lived behind prison walls. I know firsthand what it feels like to lose your freedom, your identity, your time, and pieces of yourself that you can never get back. I also know what it means to walk out of those walls and try to rebuild a life in a world that continued moving while you were gone.

But my story did not end with incarceration.

It became the foundation of my purpose.

Legendary AveNew LLC was created to support women impacted by incarceration, trauma, and life transitions. We believe women deserve more than a second chance—they deserve the opportunity to heal, rebuild, lead, and create a future that reflects who they are becoming.

Women who have experienced incarceration often carry invisible wounds: separation from their children, damaged relationships, lost opportunities, stigma, grief, and the struggle to rediscover their identity. These women are more than their convictions. They are mothers. Daughters. Sisters. Leaders. Entrepreneurs. Survivors. And they have stories worth hearing.

I created Legendary AveNew because I know that transformation is possible.

I am living proof.


I don’t own the rights to this song.

07/01/2026

07/01/2026

05/27/2026

Run it back.

05/27/2026

I became a mother at 15 years old while incarcerated. Because of that, I never had the opportunity to be the mother I know I could be today. And now, on Wednesday, my only child will graduate from high school. 💙

It’s bittersweet.

He reached this incredible milestone, and I can only imagine all the moments that led up to it without me there beside him. I missed the homework nights, the first date, the first heartbreak, the first fight, and so many other moments a mother dreams of being part of. Yet despite it all… he still made it.

I am beyond proud of the young man he has become, but there’s also sadness because this is another major moment in his life that I won’t physically be there to share. Still, I hold onto hope and prayer that one day I will get the chance to experience these moments with him in person.

Most of all, I want to thank my mother. Thank you for standing in the gap when I couldn’t. Thank you for loving my child, guiding him, protecting him, and sacrificing so much so he could have the life and support he deserved. Your love and dedication have never gone unnoticed.

To my son: even from a distance, I have always loved you with my whole heart. Congratulations on your graduation. Keep shining. Your strength gives me strength every single day. 🎓💙Olivia Howard

05/26/2026

Legendary Feature of the week:

Meet Kelly Payne.

At 54 years old, Kelly has spent the last 20 years incarcerated. She openly acknowledges that her past was shaped by addiction, drinking, and driving — a life she says she is not proud of. Every day, she prays for redemption, forgiveness, and the chance to continue living the life she has worked so hard to rebuild.

But Kelly is not the same woman she was 20 years ago.

For two decades, she has remained clean and sober. In an environment surrounded daily by drugs and alcohol, she chose recovery. She chose healing. She chose accountability. And through that choice, she found something she never had before: freedom within herself.

At 34 years old, Kelly earned her GED, and that moment changed everything. Education became her pathway forward. She immersed herself in recovery work, facilitated classes, chaired groups, and committed herself to personal growth and leadership.

Since then, Kelly has:
✨ Completed leadership training through Celebrate Recovery
✨ Completed 7 Habits for Highly Effective People
✨ Earned a scholarship to PVCC and graduated summa cm laude
✨ Received certifications in Building, Maintenance & Repair
✨ Earned certification in Optical Lens Technology
✨ Achieved her Advanced American Board of Opticianry Certification
✨ Continued her apprenticeship in Optical
✨ Is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree through the University of Virginia

Kelly’s dream is simple yet powerful: to use her degree to become a substance abuse counselor, help others break free from addiction, care for her mother, and build a peaceful life with “Coffy,” her life partner and best friend.

This is what transformation looks like.

Not excuses.
Not denial.
Not forgetting the past.

But accountability, growth, education, sobriety, and purpose.

People are capable of change. Kelly Payne is proof. 💜

05/04/2026

Taylor Paul Henry BJ Estes Tim Jellison Matthew McCarthy Neona King-James