The Tragedy Academy

Recent Episodes

March 27, 2023

From Detainment to Domination: The Incredible Story of Surviving 14 Days in Beijing prison

From Detainment to Domination: The Incredible Story of Surviving 14 Days in Beijing prison In this episode, we chat with Chancellor Jackson, an author, coach, and entrepreneur who shares his harrowing experience of being arre...

March 20, 2023

The Power of Self-discovery, Authenticity, and Parenting a child with Autism - Interview with Sasha Rogers

In this insightful interview, we chat with Sasha Rogers, a fitness counselor, coach, and mother of an autistic child, about self-discovery, the power of authenticity, and her experiences parenting a child with autism. Sasha shares her journey of overcoming personal and cultural barriers and the importance of supporting and connecting with others in similar situations.

March 13, 2023

Inside the Magic Mushroom with Special Guest Rev. Gabriel Castillo

Inside the Magic Mushroom with Rev. Gabriel Castillo Introduction: In this episode of The Tragedy Academy Podcast, hosts Jay Hicks and Gary DeFranco sit down with Gabriel Castillo, a spiritual teacher and facilitator of plant...

March 06, 2023

"Finding Hope in Tragedy" with Audrey Hope

Finding Hope in Tragedy with Audrey Hope In this episode of The Tragedy Academy Podcast, hosts Jay Hicks and Gary DeFranco sit down with Audrey Hope, a healer and addiction specialist with over 20 years of experience. Togethe...

February 27, 2023

Exploring Mentalism, Martial Arts, and Self-Discovery with Jon Pritchard

Get ready for a journey of self-discovery, inspiration, and enlightenment 💡 on the latest episode of The Tragedy Academy Podcast! 🎧 Hosts Jay Hicks and Gary DeFranco are joined by special guest Jon Pritchard, a professional mentalist, Wing Chun Kung Fu artist, author, and coach. 🥋 Jon shares his incredible journey of balancing his stage character with his authentic self, and the importance of using one's personality to become their best self. 🔥 With humor and candor, Jon, Gary, and Jay explore the intersection of mentalism, Kung Fu, and self-discovery. 🌟 Don't miss this opportunity to join them on this exciting journey of enlightenment and growth. 💪 Tune in now and get ready to laugh and learn! 😆

February 20, 2023

"From Raves to Riches: How Jon Grauman Went from Promoting Raves to Selling Luxury Real Estate"

From Raves to Riches: How Jon Grauman Went from Promoting Raves to Selling Luxury Real Estate" In this episode 🎙️ of the Tragedy Academy podcast 🎧, listeners are treated to an inspiring conversation with Jon Grauman 🎤, a former rave promoter turned real estate mogul. Jon shares his incredible journey to success, a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and hard work. 🚀

About the Hosts

Jay HicksProfile Photo

Jay Hicks

Host / Owner

Florida native Jay Hicks is a veteran, music producer, podcaster, graphic designer, and the owner and creative mind behind The Tragedy Academy Podcast. Jay has held many careers, from digging septic drain fields to being a Financial Services Solution Architect Manager for one of the nation's largest consulting firms. Jay has experience producing and engineering podcasts, voice-overs, promotional videos, and advertisements.

Why?
I lived most of my life imprisoned in my mind, a slave to past experiences and choices, as well as anxiety over the future. Seemingly random memories and worries trapped me: Will I be successful? Am I successful enough? Does she love me? Will people admire me? Do people hate me? Am I the way that I am because someone made me this way? Someone told me I'm no good. Does that mean it is true? I experienced shame over past bad decisions or was overly prideful with no need. The list of mental agonies is endless.

Looking at this box created around my life, I can see that I had succumbed to an onslaught of past and present thoughts. I had forgotten entirely about NOW. I wasn't grateful for today, the moment, family, friends, existence itself. I will not break down my construct and inner demons, but I want to give some insight and share my thoughts on what I believe is missing from humankind today.

I never learned how to be thankful and present now. I was taught to focus on the perceived problems from my past experiences or my need to prove something to imaginary adversaries. For myself, it has been a journey to this point - not good, not bad, just experiences as they all define who I am today. Without them, I would not see this need to be grateful in my own life. This realization is what drives my work, my creativity, and my mission.

Gary DeFrancoProfile Photo

Gary DeFranco

COHOST

Cleveland native Gary DeFranco is the Emmy nominated Executive Producer of UFC's The Ultimate Fighter and Discovery Channel's Street Outlaws and has produced over 500 television episodes for major networks (ESPN, Fox, Discovery Channel, Playboy TV, Spike TV, Bravo, Travel Channel). DeFranco is a recording artist, music producer, podcaster, graphic designer, and the owner and creative mind behind Max Glow Media/Design/Records. Gary has 20 years of experience producing non-scripted television, feature-length documentaries, music videos, and commercials. As the producer of shows like The Ultimate Fighter, Street Outlaws, Playboy Shoot Out, and UFC Next Level, DeFranco has seen it all and has brought that wealth of knowledge to The Tragedy Academy.