Taking Action with Coach Jackson

EP02: From Rock-Bottom to Resilience—Why Your Backstory Fuels Your Best Body & Life

Episode Notes

Coach Jackson peels back the curtain on his own messy, midwestern-kid-to-model-to-mentor journey—and proves every embarrassing misstep can become rocket fuel. From barely passing discrete math to bombing in New York’s modeling scene, racking up $70k in debt, and getting blindsided by Tonal’s shutdown, he shows how each failure forged the systems, empathy, and unshakable mindset behind Action Jackson Fitness.

You’ll hear how a cop-dad, an ailing mom, a cut from the college baseball team, and a near-empty bank account shaped the coaching philosophy that’s transformed 2,000-plus busy professionals. Most important: you’ll learn exactly how to flip your own setbacks into the confidence, consistency, and clarity needed to take action—today.

In this episode you’ll hear…

• How discipline learned in a Chicago basement gym became the foundation for a global coaching brand
• The “growth-mindset moment” that turned an F-bound student into an A-student—and later a six-figure trainer
• Why getting cut from the baseball team (and later losing a Tonal contract) created unshakeable confidence
• The real cost of chasing glamour: modeling horror stories, $4k rent panic, and a $70,999.97 credit-card bill
• Critical pivots—Diakadi Body in SF, Tonal’s founding team, and rebuilding Action Jackson Fitness online
• Jackson’s eight hard-earned truths (discipline > motivation, consistency > intensity, environment > willpower, etc.)
• A mission born from his mother’s health battle: saving lives one sustainable habit—and one six-pack—at a time

Memorable Quotes

• [01:04] “Sometimes your worst moments become the best things that ever happened to you—if and only if you don’t give up.”
• [10:23] “Growth isn’t about talent or natural ability; it’s about belief.”
• [18:44] “Sometimes the door to your dream life is the one you didn’t want to walk through.”
• [24:50] “Once you’ve been broken and rebuilt yourself back up, you stop fearing the fall.”

Links Mentioned

• Apply for coaching: https://actionjacksonfitness.com/apply
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Seven Secrets for Chiseled Abs (Coach Jackson’s book)
• Tonal home gym & programs (https://www.tonal.com/)
• Diakadi Fitness (San Francisco):https://www.diakadi.life/

Sign up for Coach Jackson’s email newsletter Stronger Saturday: https://actionjacksonfitness.com/subscribe/

This is the new playbook for getting lean without losing your mind. Ready to take action? Hit play, grab your notebook, and start showing up like the 1% who actually get results.