Elizabeth Holmes reads Harry Potter in prison and earns pennies

Remember Elizabeth Holmes? Theranos? The blood-testing startup that promised so much, but delivered… well, not much at all. She’s now serving time for fraud and conspiracy. And life inside? It sounds tough.

Holmes recently opened up to People magazine about her experience at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas. “Hell and torture,” she calls it.

Heartbreak and Frustration

Imagine saying goodbye to your two and three-year-old children after a visit. Holmes describes that heartbreak. It must be brutal. She also still maintains her innocence and feels misunderstood. “People who have never met me believe so strongly about me. They don’t understand who I am,” she told People.

Working for Pennies

Like other medically fit inmates, Holmes has a job. She makes 31 cents an hour. What does she do? She’s a reentry clerk. She helps women getting released write resumes and apply for benefits.

She also works as a law clerk and teaches French. Talk about a contrast to her former life!

Finding Solace in Stories

What does she do in her downtime? She reads. Harry Potter. The I Ching. Quite the range. She’s also seeing a psychiatrist. Holmes testified she suffered abuse from her ex-boyfriend and Theranos executive Sunny Balwani. She says she’s coping with PTSD.

“I wish that I left, or I had seen the abuse or understood it — and why I didn’t — and I’m finding peace with that,” she said.

Looking to the Future

Holmes is scheduled for release in 2032. Her plans? Family. And advocating for incarcerated parents. “This will be my life’s work,” she said.

It’s a stark contrast to the life she once led. From Silicon Valley star to prison inmate. A story that continues to fascinate.