#34 | Jackson Edwards - From AFL to Entrepreneur (Failing Forward, Faith & Becoming a Dad)

Thank you for being here!

Follow along at Talk Therapy IG @talktherapy.pod

This week on Talk Therapy, I’m sitting down with the man behind JT Vissuals and JT Studio Haus, Jackson Edwards.

Jackson grew up believing he’d have a long career in the AFL. He dedicated so much of his life to footy, only to be delisted after just 12 months. Now, he’s building successful businesses, navigating fatherhood and exploring his faith in a way he never expected.

There’s SO much to take from this conversation! What happens when the life you planned for yourself doesn’t happen? How do you let go of the identity you’ve built around one thing? And what if the things you thought were setbacks were actually redirecting you towards something else?

We get into: Being delisted from the AFL after chasing the dream your entire life

Why your identity can’t be tied to one version of your future

Going from an elite sporting environment to washing dishes at a cafe and figuring out what’s next

Perfectionism, high standards and the mindset of “if I can’t do it properly, I won’t do it at all”

How perfectionism can impact your relationships, communication and ability to show up for the people you love

Why we sometimes avoid things when we feel like we can’t do them perfectly

Navigating family relationships, independence and learning to make your own mistakes

Finding faith later in life and learning to trust a path you can’t fully understand

The fear of being judged for something you’re still learning about yourself

Why you don’t need to have all the answers before you start exploring something that matters to you

The pressure to appear a certain way on social media when the reality behind the scenes can look completely different

Building a business with a purpose beyond yourself and creating opportunities for other people

Becoming a dad and thinking about the lessons you want your children to learn from watching you

Why sometimes the right people in your corner can change the entire direction of your life

This conversation really came back to one thing: you don't have to have your whole life figured out to keep moving forward.

Thank you for being here and for listening to another episode of Talk Therapy. I’d LOVE to hear what you take away from this one, so come and chat to me over on Instagram. @christinapengilly @talktherapy.pod 🤍

📲 Instagram 💌 Personal YouTube ❤️ Talk Therapy YouTube

Episodes drop weekly on Wednesdays. See you next week! xx