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Tragedy Academy
The Tragedy Academy Podcast is a show that explores the human experience through the lens of tragedy and triumph. Our goal is to help listeners grow and thrive by sharing stories of real people who have experienced adversity and success.
Hosted by Jay Hicks, a veteran, voice artist, music producer, and multimedia artist, The Tragedy Academy Podcast provides a unique perspective on life's challenges and how to overcome them.
Our guests come from all walks of life and share their stories of struggle and triumph. We believe that our past does not define our future and that living authentically and purposefully is the key to a fulfilling life.
Through candid and humorous discussions, we explore societal divides and bridge gaps in understanding. We believe that laughter is the best fertilizer for the tree of knowledge, and that's why we bring you stories that will make you think, laugh, and inspire you to be a better person.
The Tragedy Academy Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Subscribe now and join us on this journey of humor and enlightenment as we strive to grow the tree of knowledge together.
And remember, be cool and keep learning.
Hosted by Jay Hicks, a veteran, voice artist, music producer, and multimedia artist, The Tragedy Academy Podcast provides a unique perspective on life's challenges and how to overcome them.
Our guests come from all walks of life and share their stories of struggle and triumph. We believe that our past does not define our future and that living authentically and purposefully is the key to a fulfilling life.
Through candid and humorous discussions, we explore societal divides and bridge gaps in understanding. We believe that laughter is the best fertilizer for the tree of knowledge, and that's why we bring you stories that will make you think, laugh, and inspire you to be a better person.
The Tragedy Academy Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Subscribe now and join us on this journey of humor and enlightenment as we strive to grow the tree of knowledge together.
And remember, be cool and keep learning.
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Recent Episodes
173
Nov. 6, 2026
More Than Words: Jason Heffler on Stuttering and Self-Expression
What happens when the thing that makes speaking difficult becomes part of how you find your voice? Jason Heffler grew up with a stutter, bullying, and the constant calculation of which words might come out cleanly. He shares how those experiences shaped his relationship with language, belonging, and self-expression. Jason joins Jay to talk about Tongue Tied, his children's book about a shy chameleon who camouflages herself because she's afraid her speech will keep her from fitting in. From the
May 27, 2025
The Lens You Didn't Know You Needed
What happens to decades of experience when a business decides faster and cheaper are enough? Julie Matzen joins Jay to talk about creative work, AI, and the fear of becoming invisible in an industry you helped build. She shares the thinking behind Boarderline, a platform intended to connect businesses with experienced advisors they might otherwise struggle to reach. Their conversation moves through failed ventures, the confidence it takes to begin again, and the difference between generating a
May 20, 2025
The Mirror Has an Echo: Reflections shaped in the presence of others.
A conversation can change the person asking the questions, too. The Mirror Has an Echo gathers Jay's reflections from conversations across The Tragedy Academy. There is no new guest interview here, but the people who helped draw these thoughts out remain part of every subject: shame, identity, compassion, and the effort to live with greater awareness. Jay returns to childhood bullying and body image, the identities he built around pain, and the questions that emerged when those defenses stoppe
May 13, 2025
Bruce W. Brackett – How to Breathe While Suffocating
Bruce W. Brackett describes sobriety as the foundation beneath the life he has now. Getting there meant facing experiences he had spent years trying to survive. This flashback episode revisits Bruce's conversation with Jay Hicks about addiction, identity, and How to Breathe While Suffocating. Bruce shares a difficult turning point and the personal ritual he used to mark the end of one chapter in his life. They talk about compassion, creative expression, and the pressure to make yourself accept
May 6, 2025
Creativity, Consciousness & the Breath Between: A Conversation with Leo Marrs
Leo Marrs once thought he was someone who simply couldn't meditate. Finding a way into stillness changed how he understood his own mind. Leo joins Jay Hicks to explore the relationship between creativity, consciousness, and the body. They talk about breathwork, the frustration of trying to sit with a restless mind, and how an intellectual understanding of yourself can coexist with feeling disconnected from what you're experiencing. The conversation moves through language, Integral Theory, spir
April 29, 2025
Better Off Bald: Andrea Wilson Woods on Advocacy, Grief & Healing Through Action
Andrea Wilson Woods became a parent to her little sister before she had finished figuring out her own twenties. At 22, Andrea took custody of eight-year-old Adrienne. She joins Jay to talk about the years they shared, Adrienne's diagnosis with stage 4 liver cancer, and losing her at 15. Her memoir, Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days, preserves both the cancer journey and the person her sister was. Andrea describes trying to understand medical information while caring for someone she loved, th
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Recent Blog Posts
April 15, 2025
Tongue Tied Truths: Jason Heffler – Finding Your Voice Through Story, Sound, and Self-Acceptance
Meet Jason Heffler, author, music journalist, and Managing Editor at EDM.com. In this week's episode, "More Than Words: Jason Heffler on Stuttering and Self-Expression," we delve into the layered intersections of stuttering, storytelling, creativity…
Nov. 22, 2024
Bridging Science and Spirituality: My Conversation with Crystal Cassidy
When I think about the divide between science and spirituality, I don’t see conflict—I see a yin-yang. In the same way, the black swirl of the yin carries a dot of white, and the white swirl of the yang carries a dot of black, so science and spiritu…
Nov. 15, 2024
Transforming Teenage Lives: Building Resilience and Coping Skills for a Lifetime
Transforming Teenage Lives: Building Resilience and Coping Skills for a Lifetime In this blog post, I want to reflect on my recent conversation with Austin Davis, a leader in teenage behavioral health and addiction recovery, on The Tragedy Academy …
About the Host
Jay Hicks
Host / Creator / Owner
Florida native Jay Hicks is a music producer, podcaster, graphic designer, Voice Over Artist 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 and 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, or 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.