Episodes

In this episode of The Tragedy Academy Podcast, host Jay sits down with Adam Gunton, founder of "Recovered on Purpose," who shares his story of overcoming addiction and finding a life of purpose. Through candid and humorous discussions, Adam and Jay explore the root causes of addiction and the importance of authenticity and purpose in achieving lasting recovery. This episode is a must-listen for anyone struggling with addiction or seeking a more purposeful life.


Key Takeaways:


😊 Embrace au...

In this episode of The Tragedy Academy Podcast, host Jay sits down with Jodie Shihadeh, an entertainment attorney who shares her journey in helping artists navigate the music industry. Jodie discusses her passion for working with creators, addressing industry issues, and activism throughout her life. 🎙️


Join them as they discuss Jodie Shihadeh's incredible journey from playing drums as a teenager to becoming a powerful advocate for artists in the entertainment industry. In this episode, Jodie...

In this episode of The Tragedy Academy Podcast 🎧, Jay Hicks and Gary DeFranco sit down with Cam F. Awesome 😎, a former heavyweight boxing champion 🥊 and comedian 🎤 who shares his story of embracing adversity with humor 😂. In this episode, he shares his unique perspective on life and offers insights into how humor can help us cope with tragedy and overcome adversity.

In this episode, we explore the power of humor in overcoming adversity with guest Cam F. Awesome 🌟. From his career as a heavyweig...

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 arrested and detained in Beijing for 14 days. Join us as we discuss his journey, his book, and how he found the strength to overcome his adversity.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

📌 How Chancellor's traumatic experience in China led him to become an author

📌 The importance of...

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.

Key Topics:

💪 - Sas...

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 medicine ceremonies. Gabriel shares his personal journey of healing from childhood trauma through plant medicine and discusses the benefits and risks of using psychedelics for healing purposes.

Engaging and enticing verbiage: Gabriel Castillo's journey to healing trauma i...

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. Together, they explore the power of hope in the face of tragedy and the importance of staying true to oneself in the midst of life's challenges. Through personal anecdotes and insights from years of working with addicts and celebrities, Audrey provides listeners with a roadmap for...

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

On this episode of The Tragedy Academy Podcast, hosts Jay Hicks and Gary DeFranco are joined by special guest Jon Pritchard, a professional mentalist, 🥋martial artist, author, and coach. Jon shares his journey of self-discovery and how he has balanced his stage character with who he is. He discusses the importance of utilizing one's authentic self and the idea of seeing people use their personalities to become their best...

"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, which is a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and hard work. 🚀

Throughout the episode, Jon offers valuable insights and lessons learned from his unique career path 🧠...

Introduction:

In this episode of The Tragedy Academy, Jay and Gary sit down with Alissa Musto to discuss her life experiences and how she has overcome adversity with candor and humor. 💬 A child of musicians, she could read music before words. A Harvard Grad and former Ms. Massachusetts. She opens up about her journey and shares her insights on resilience and perseverance. 💪 As well as her emotional recollection of leaving her friends on the ship during the pandemic and writing the acclaimed son...

Welcome to The Tragedy Academy, where our guest Joe Legolvan shares his journey of overcoming personal tragedy and transforming his life into a successful real estate investor, entrepreneur, and mindset and life transformation coach.

Introduction:

In this episode, we have Joe Legolvan, a father, multimillionaire real estate investor with over 100 doors, owner of four businesses, and a mindset and life transformation coach specializing in depression recovery, goal creation, and personal achieve...

Welcome to episode 78 of the Tragedy Academy, where we explore the stories of those who have overcome great struggles and come out on top. This week, Jay sits down with Susan Gold, a woman who has turned her own personal tragedy into a successful career as a producer and talent broker. Susan shares her inspiring journey of using her ability to discern where people are best applied, honed from her own trauma, to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry while offering actionable advic...

In this episode of The Tragedy Academy podcast, host Jay Hicks interviews Anthony Hyland, the focus of the new docu-series "Clout." The series details Hyland's personal struggle to clear his name after false allegations of sexual assault were made against him. The episodes provide a raw and emotional examination of the impact of these false accusations on Hyland's life and the lives of those around him, as well as an exploration of the motivations behind the person who made the false allegations...

In this special nighttime detention episode of the Tragedy Academy Podcast, host Jay and co-host Gary welcome special guest Pearl Gonzalez, a professional boxer and MMA fighter known for her power in combat sports. Pearl is a rising star in the fighting world, and she's here to talk about her career, aspirations, and life. Oh yeah, and to slap the hell out of Gary for an opportunity to be in Dana White’s new PowerSlap league.

Key Discussion Points:

🥊 Introducing special guest Pearl Gonzalez, a...

In this episode of The Tragedy Academy, Jay, Gary, and guest Marina Hernandez have a thought-provoking and insightful conversation about cultural identity and the challenges and celebrations that come with it. Marina, a Chicana business owner and photographer in East Las Vegas shares her experiences of being told she does not belong in certain environments because of her ethnicity and style. Despite these challenges, Marina persevered and embraces her cultural identity, using it as a source of i...

Join Jay & Gary on the latest episode of The Tragedy Academy podcast as they explore the journey of finding authenticity and starting a successful podcast. In this candid conversation, Jay reflects on his past as a self-centered and narcissistic person and how he has learned to value different things in life. Gary asks Jay about his decision to leave a successful career in corporate America to pursue podcasting, even though he wasn't sure he would be good at it. Jay credits meditation and self-r...

Summary

On this week's "Detention" episode, Jay & Gary, our favorite delinquents, have brought up some seriously "heavy-hitting" topics. They were supposed to have Jay as a guest. Instead, things turned unexpected when Gary told a hilarious story about an attempt to put a bear in the UFC locker room courtesy of Johnny Knoxville of Jackass fame.

But that's not all! They also dive into the exciting new sport of "PowerSlap," a form of slap fighting that has taken the world by storm. With its inte...

Living the life we want requires walking on a rocky path. But with different tools, religion, and spirituality, we can make it through and attain an enjoyable life.

Tune in as Amrit Singh discusses how he reaches his goal of living his pleasant life with yoga and how spirituality can help us be better people.

Summary:

Sometimes in our lives, we stumbled and struggled to get back up to continue our journey. Discover how we can reach our goal of a prosperous life and the tools we can use to be ...

Everyone suffers trauma. But it’s how we choose to deal with it. One perspective is to look at your own trauma as stored energy that needs to be released. You cannot get over your emotional pain without allowing yourself to feel it. Listen here as Ann Hince shares her journey of emotional self-awareness and how something called EFT or “tapping” helped her get over her past.

Summary:

When we, as humans, experience emotional trauma, we tend to “choose” to forget about it. We tell ourselves that ...

Meeting and exceeding goals requires effort and perseverance. Obstacles and setbacks are unavoidable, and what counts most is the seriousness with which you resolve to overcome such failures. Listen here as Brandon Puffer shares how he recovered after hitting rock bottom and how he reminds others that redemption is possible.

Summary:

Failure is unavoidable, and the first step toward preventing failure is recognizing that it is normal. When things don’t go as planned, it’s not the end of the wo...

We are limited from achieving our highest potential by the fears we have developed due to our past experiences. We're not supposed to judge, and we're not supposed to judge our experiences; instead, we should take what we've learned and move on. Tune in as Birgitta Visser discusses how she managed her life from experiencing traumas to taking responsibility for her actions and healing herself.

Summary:A seed needs the ground to grow; we, too, must hit the ground to become our most authentic selv...

We all carry limiting ideas that prevent us from succeeding in the business and life we want. 95% of our lives are under the control of our subconscious mind, which operates on autopilot. By reshaping your perspective, you can transform into a spiritual alchemist who can use all we go through for our highest good. When you do that, you produce stronger vibrations that enable you to draw in more of the life you want, enabling you to achieve success easily.

Summary:

There is an energy that pulls...

Summary

This episode is about kicking back and discussing random things as friends do.

Our OG guest this week is episode 4 alumni Sarah Donna, five-time Miss Michigan, circus trapeze artist, actress, influencer, model, and grilled cheese connoisseur. With such incredible accomplishments, you could not ask for a more humble and gracious guest, not to mention hilarious.

Random Topic 1:

Sarah shares her Sunday recipe for a bloody Mary with grilled cheese. Everyone loves a warm grilled cheese an...

Everyone, at some point in life, will be brought down to their knees because of pain and suffering, no matter how much they endure it. But it’s not the end; that moment can be the time for your life to change. Tune in as Deborah Driggs discusses how she overcame her addictions and entered the worlds of real estate, investments, and insurance despite being in her 40s, broke, and having three kids to support.

Summary:

Facing the time when we lose hope and are brought down to the ground is fright...