Some stories don’t fit neatly into a redemption arc. Melvin Cole’s is one of them. On the latest episode of Drive By with Sam Coates, Cole, founder of PURE Academy in Memphis, shares a raw, unpolished account of growing up in extreme poverty, entering the drug trade at age 11, surviving gun violence and ultimately choosing a radically different path. Raised by a heroin-addicted grandmother in South Memphis, Cole lost his sister as a toddler due to a medical misdiagnosis, experienced childhood sexual abuse and became a father at just 14. Survival wasn’t a philosophy: it was daily reality. Football once offered a way out. Cole earned a college scholarship and had NFL aspirations, until a drug deal gone wrong left him shot in the head and back. What followed was prison, where witnessing a brutal assault became a spiritual breaking point. In a moment of desperation, Cole made a promise: if he survived, he would dedicate his life to saving young men headed down the same road. When he was released after serving time for cocaine trafficking, Cole dug up more than $500,000 he had buried during his time dealing drugs, money he once saw as a retirement plan. Instead of returning to the streets, he used it to build PURE Academy, a year-round boarding school for at-risk Black boys in Memphis that focuses on discipline, structure, emotional intelligence, agriculture, academics and faith. Today, PURE Academy serves 61 students on full scholarship, operates on a $3.7 million budget and boasts an 83% college matriculation rate. Cole is candid about the challenges that remain — the temptation of his former life, frustrations with nonprofit systems and the emotional toll of leadership. But his mission is clear: remove boys from environments that trap them in cycles of poverty and give them the tools to build something better. This episode isn’t polished inspiration. It’s an honest conversation about trauma, responsibility, faith and what it actually takes to change outcomes: not just for individuals, but for communities. Episode Highlights “I Started Selling Drugs at 11 — Not to Rebel, But to Survive”Cole explains how poverty and fatherhood at 14 pushed him into the drug trade as a calculated business decision, not teenage rebellion.The Moment Prison Changed EverythingWitnessing a violent assault behind bars led to a desperate prayer and a life-altering promise that would shape PURE Academy’s mission.Burying $500K — Then Digging It Up for a SchoolThe drug money Cole once viewed as his future became the seed funding for a boarding school instead of a return to crime.Inside PURE Academy’s Daily DisciplineFrom 6 a.m. workouts and meditation to academics and agriculture, Cole breaks down how structure, not charity, changes lives.“You Feed One of Two Wolves”Cole speaks openly about the ongoing internal battle between his past and present, including why success doesn’t erase temptation — but purpose keeps him grounded.
