The Tragedy Academy

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...

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 hu...

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 fai...

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. Summ...

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...

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...

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 t...

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 despit...

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...

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...

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 insig...

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] G...

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, teac...

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 ot...

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...

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...

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 grandmo...

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...

Summary 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 pu...

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 h...

Summary 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!   Episo...

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...

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 h...

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:...

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 t...