The Lioness Tale

Transformational Tools for Spiritual Freedom and Emotional Growth

The Lioness Tale Prison Project brings transformational tools for inner freedom and emotional literacy to women serving long term to life prison sentences at the Central California Women’s Facility, a maximum-security prison in Chowchilla.

A uniquely visionary program, The Lioness Tale Prison Project combines potent elements of storytelling, mindfulness, community building, and trauma-informed practices to foster self-discovery, resilience, and inner liberation among incarcerated women. Using a peer leadership model, participants then facilitate the sharing of these resources throughout their prison community.

The program centers around the book The Lioness Tale, written by Diane Pendola, about a young lioness who is captured and grows up in captivity. The story of Lioness relates to the women’s stories, not only to their physical incarceration but more urgently to the emotional and spiritual imprisonment that obstructs access to the discovery of their essential Self. With this self-discovery comes a sense of hope and purpose, empathy for self and others, and a changed life narrative.

As the embers of this transformation are fanned into flame in each individual heart, light emanates from within to without. A group of individuals becomes a community, and a flame becomes a fire. The community grows, radiating a transformative power throughout the prison and bringing light to once dark spaces.

The Lioness Tale Prison Project is operated by Skyline Harvest, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in California.

The Lioness Tale

by Diane Pendola

Diane Pendola

Author & Co-Founder

The Co-founder of Skyline Harvest, a California 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, Diane Pendola is the founder of the Lioness Tale Prison Project and the author of book, The Lioness Tale, upon which the program is based.

The intention of The Lioness Tale Prison Project is to awaken the inner freedom of women serving long term to life sentences, giving purpose to their lives, and lighting up the prison where they live from the inside out.

Diane has been a contemplative presence in county jails and prisons since 1986 when she completed her Masters degree in theology. In her graduate studies, she was deeply influenced by feminist and liberation theologies, with their emphasis on giving voice to the voiceless and bringing the disenfranchised from the margins to the very center of authentic life. She has worked among incarcerated women for over 30 years.

Diane has sought her own transformation through prayer and meditation, Gestalt Awareness Practice, and the Enneagram, all of which she teaches and integrates in her life and work.

Diane knows all things are possible through the Love that resides at the center of our expanding universe and at the center of our human hearts.

Our founder, Diane Pendola, speaks about the history and intentions of The Lioness Tale Prison Project

Click to read an article about the program from the ‘The Union’ newspaper

You can make a difference

The Lioness Tale Prison Project is a heart-centered, visionary program that brings hope, healing, and inner transformation to women serving life and long-term sentences in maximum-security prisons.

Inspired by The Lioness Tale—a story of a young lioness taken from the wild and raised in captivity—this project resonates deeply with the lived experiences of incarcerated women. More than physical confinement, many carry the weight of emotional and spiritual imprisonment, often disconnected from their true selves.

Through compassionate presence, storytelling, and intentional community, this work nurtures a spark within each woman—the spark of dignity, purpose, and self-worth. As that inner light is rekindled, it grows into a shared fire of healing and strength. A single flame becomes a source of warmth for many. A group becomes a circle of belonging. And from this center, light radiates outward, gently shifting the energy and culture within the prison walls.

Your support of The Lioness Tale Prison Project helps us reach more women with this powerful work. With each donation, you help to kindle hope, restore that inner light of freedom, and remind these women of the light they still carry within.

Together, we can illuminate even the darkest corners—with compassion, with courage, and with love.

As a California 501(c)(3) non-profit, donations are tax-deductible. Your receipt will show Skyline Harvest.