Episodes

Obtaining a healthy mentality is challenging as people must fight their fears and trauma, dive deep into their minds to be aware of it and slowly begin to process it. Tune in as Dr. Margit Muller discusses how one can release the anxieties and burdens ingrained in their body and then return to a state of peace and serenity. She will also discuss how animals support people in remaining happy despite adversity.

Summary:

A healthy mental state is complex, significantly if it has been affected sin...

The journey after cancer, or any disease, is one to be reckoned with, and it is not simple and takes time, patience, and strong support from your loved ones. Tune in as Juni Bucher discusses how she managed life during her cancer journey and how she uses therapy to aid individuals, both survivors and those presently facing this disease.

Summary:

You feel alone when you know you have cancer and are going through one of the most difficult times of your life. Discover how we can be there for folk...

The Techniques, Experiences, and Stories of Kelvin Gastelum as a Professional in Mixed Martial Arts in the UFC.

Are you a fighter? Are you interested in martial arts? In today's episode, Gary and Jay welcome a well-known professional mixed martial arts artist, Kelvin Gastelum. Please tune in to The Tragedy Academy Podcast as Kevin Gastelum shares various stories and experiences he has had in mixed martial arts.

Summary:

Did you know that MMA is all about deception? How do fighters observe the...

Summary

In this episode, Jay welcomes Mike Talerico to shed light on what it’s like to be a professional skydiver. Mike is a competitive skydiver who’s done over 2,900 jumps throughout his career. Pretty wild, right?

Skydiving is often a life-changing experience for the average person… but how has it changed Mike’s life? What drove him to start skydiving in the first place? Listen in to gain insight into life as a pro skydiver, how competitive skydiving works, and the weirdest/riskiest jumps h...

Summary:

In this episode of the Tragedy Academy, Jay welcomes Dan Lambert, owner of American Top Team, the legendary MMA gym. Dan grew American Top Team from an amateur MMA gym, doing it only for the love of the game, to one of the country's top professional sports gyms. He unknowingly became a pioneer of the sport and will go down in history as one of the firsts.

Key Topics Discussed:

🤼 [07:34] Getting into wrestling after MMA

❎ [12:50] Intersection between MMA and wrestling

🎭 [19:47] Wres...

Are you a parent? This episode is for you! Tune in as Jay welcomes Heather Jess to talk about post-partum depression, the challenges of being a parent, and the power of community support in raising children. Heather Jess is the creator of MommaSquad, a blog about motherhood, being a military wife, and so much more.

Listen in as Heather shares her thoughts on overcoming post-partum depression, teaching empathy and compassion to your kids, and the benefits of having a community to rely on through...

In this episode, Jay and Gary welcome Kerri McKinney to talk about the highs and lows of being an alcoholic and getting sober. Kerri is an empowerment coach, energy healer, and speaker who is also a recovering alcoholic who started drinking when she was at an astonishing 12 years old. She used to be ashamed of her past, but everything changed when she started embracing it. Now, Kerri is helping others do the same.
Listen in to hear how Kerri overcame her alcoholism and depression, what life is l...

Summary

*TW: This episode contains discussions of suicide; please listen with caution.*
This week on the podcast, Jay welcomes Iden Crockett. Iden is a true Renaissance woman: artist, writer, photographer, musician, and so much more, but this has been her second lease on life. Iden was a paramedic and firefighter for 25 years before being forced out of her job after she came out as trans. Her art has since been a vehicle for discussing her experience with PTSD, gender dysphoria, self-injury, an...

Summary

This week Jay welcomes actress Olivia Blair to the podcast. Today, Olivia pursues her passions of acting and film, however she hasn't always been able to live as her authentic self. Olivia first began to struggle with body dysmorphia in high school, when the pressures of media encouraged her to form a distorted body image. Jay reveals that he can relate to Olivia's struggle because he also suffered from body dysmorphia growing up. Both Jay and Olivia agree that the pressures young peopl...

Summary

*TW* - This episode discusses experiences with death and violence that may be upsetting for some listeners. Please listen with caution.
This week The Tragedy Academy is honored to have Deandre "Sip the Kid" Smith on the show. These days Deandre is an actor and motivational speaker, but in 2018 he was handed one crushing blow after another with the deaths of his brother, mother, and grandmother in a matter of months. Rather than give in to street mentality, the love of his children and f...

Summary

This week's episode of The Tragedy Academy features speaker, model, and wellness advocate, Jetty Nieuwenhuis. Despite having the following of an influencer, Jetty rejects the perfect curated image of the influencer and instead uses her platform to inspire others to pursue their dreams unapologetically. The guys and Jetty discuss the difficulties they've encountered building the lives they want, but they wouldn't have it any other way. Whatever the topic, Jetty emphasizes the importance ...

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The Tragedy Academy is excited to present a new regular feature for the show: TA Library. In this episode, TA librarian Jennifer steps out from behind the curtain to talk about what academics can expect from these after-school study sessions. There will be some history, some mystery, and as always we'll be bridging social divides. This time, the guys discuss the last time they were in a public library, and the role of libraries in the digital age. The main thing to take away: libraries ...

Summary

Gary brings another inspiring guest to the show: Artem Lobov. A former MMA fighter and boxer, Artem is taking the opportunity of an early retirement to not only protect his health, but explore who he is outside of the sport. This includes writing a book about his life, starting a clothing brand, and getting into the whiskey business - which he sees as a way of giving back to Ireland, his home since he was a teenager. Gary and Jay also talk with Artem about the misconceptions and extreme...

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Welcome to the Tragedy Academy's very first detention episode! With the teachers away, Jay and Gary get up to more shenanigans and our favorite delinquents have brought some seriously heavy-hitting topics. From Teddy Ruxpin bumping Wu Tang Clan in church to nightmarish ER visits, they've got it all. Plus special announcements on new ventures for the Tragedy Academy! Don't miss out!

Episode Highlights

🎵 90's Music

💉 ER Visits

🐊 Florida Man

🏎️ Ruining rental cars

🥽 Safety tips

🚀 We...

Summary

This week, tattoo artist and actor Sam Suarez, a.k.a. High Noon, is on the show. A star of Tattoo Nightmares Miami, Sam offers a unique insider perspective into the art of tattooing and how he has translated that experience into acting. Plenty of bad tattoos are discussed, as are the larger themes of transparency and transformation. Make sure you don't miss out on this contribution to our larger discussion of authenticity!

Episode Highlights

🤠 Moving To The Midwest

🎨 Changing Canvase...

Summary

This week we're joined by professional fighter and Moyamoya survivor Vince Murdock. Vince has gone through a lot of setbacks in life:

A Moyamoya diagnosis led to brain surgery.

Injuries dogged his career.

A car accident came out of nowhere.

Others may have crumpled, but Vince proved his fighting spirit and returned from it all. You won't want to miss this episode as Vince shares parts of his challenging childhood and how it has affected raising his son. The group discusses the merit...

Summary

In this episode, we welcome professional fighter Bobby Maximus to the show. A long-time friend of Gary's, the two first met on the set of The Ultimate Fighter years ago and discussed their shared experience on the show. Bobby also shares his experience of growing up in a community focused on generosity and acts of service - he credits this upbringing as the source of his philosophy today: kindness makes the world go around. Living out his dreams and pursuing his hobbies - regardless of ...

Summary

This week Jay and Gary are joined by an extra special guest: Jay’s father-in-law, Gabriel Torres…and he’s got quite the story to tell. Gabe grew up in Colombia where as a student he was a basketball star. After graduating high school, Gabe had an opportunity to come to the US and another adventure began. Gabe built a life here: met his wife, had a family, and played street ball in NYC in the 70s. Gabe’s story is an immigrant one, and also an American one.

Episode Highlights

🏀 Street B...

Summary

Jay and Gary are joined in the studio by musician and rapper, Matthew Scheall. Matthew came to music a little later in the game, not starting his journey until college when he was inspired and encouraged by close friends. Matthew has grown as an artist in the years since embracing his authentic self and staying true to his faith. You won’t want to miss this episode as the gang talks about the ins and outs of artistry, creativity, and music.

Episode Highlights

💡 Discovering your inner ...

Summary

To kick off the third season of The Tragedy Academy, Jay and Gary are joined by Ellie Neidhart, the wife of late WWE legend, Jim The Anvil Neidhart. Jay and Gary are able to geek out over their shared childhood experiences of watching wrestling, while Ellie gives us her unique perspective on the sport. Things weren’t always easy: Ellie often functioned as a single mother because Jim had to travel so much for his wrestling career, and the convenience of communication certainly wasn’t wha...

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Welcome to The Tragedy Academy... 2.0! In this episode get the scoop on what we have in store for our relaunch. Jay sits down with our new co-host, Gary, to talk about this new era of TA - from new team members to new merch, we've got it all. We also give a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the re-release, and another huge thank you to all the Academics out there for your continued support ❤️

Episode Highlights

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Meet the team

💪 Preview our awesome guests to kickoff...

This week on The Tragedy Academy, Jay welcomes back musician and executive producer, Gary DeFranco, for a very special episode: The Tragedy Academy’s season finale! This is TA’s last episode before taking a short hiatus to come back even bigger and better. Jay covers some of the highlights from the past two seasons, lessons that have stuck with him the most, and sends out a huge thank you to everyone who has supported him on this journey. You also don’t want to miss out on the final reveal of al...

Summary

This week on the Tragedy Academy podcast, Jay rolls out a very big welcome for the talented multi-disciplinary artist, Katie Chonacas (aka KYRIAKI). Not only has Katie acted in numerous productions with A-list stars, but she also recently released a book of poetry and her debut album, Dreamland 1111. Jay and Katie dive deep into her musical inspirations, her revolutionary work creating NFTs and the future of art in the blockchain. Be sure you don’t miss out on this episode, and don’t fo...

Summary

This week on the Tragedy Academy, Jay introduces Ben Dykstra, a.k.a. The Rolling Dragon. Born with Spastic Cerebral Palsy, Ben hasn’t let his disability limit his potential. Ben is a talented voice actor with tireless perseverance in a field that can be tough to break into. Ben is also in the midst of developing a new podcast that would highlight the stories, voices, and talents of the disabled. Tune in to hear Jay and Ben discuss everything from perspective and authenticity to the Meta...