#370: From Grief to Global Impact: The Inspirational $8K Gamble That Turned Pain into Purpose

Kevin Lowe: And yet standing here today, encouraging you to never give up, to never stop trying, to never stop pursuing your dreams.

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Kevin Lowe: And with that, my friend, as inspired by the name of James' own podcast, I want to remind you, if he can do it, you can too.

Kevin Lowe: I welcome you to episode 370.

Kevin Lowe: Hey, I'm your host, Kevin Lowe, and you are listening to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Kevin Lowe: What is up? This is Kevin Lowe back again in the studio with another amazing guest.

Kevin Lowe: This time, it just so happens to be a guy named James Bracken.

Kevin Lowe: James, welcome to the studio.

James Brackin: It is so great to be with you, man. Thank you for having me.

Kevin Lowe: Absolutely. Well, well, James, I'm excited for us to get to explore your story.

Kevin Lowe: And I guess I always love to kind of start us off. And I figure the question I want to start off today with is, You know, I feel like in life, like when we achieve things, but we're either driven by one of two things.

Kevin Lowe: It's either the dreams that we have, the desires, or maybe it's the fears, anxieties that we're running away from.

Kevin Lowe: What do you feel like has been that that driving force for you?

James Brackin: Yeah, I mean, that's a great question, because I think more than ever this year, that's really changed.

James Brackin: Honestly, I think for the beginning and I think for a lot of people in the beginning, the thing that pushes them is they don't want to be where they are.

James Brackin: So it's that fear of, I mean, we're going to be driven a lot more from going away from something than we are to go towards something. I at least find that for a lot of people.

James Brackin: So for me, when I first started, it was definitely a fear of staying where I was at, going toward what I saw people were at in their lives, not enjoying what they were doing, just kind of coasting through life, really.

James Brackin: And this year, I've got to a point where I feel it's kind of the opposite now.

James Brackin: It kind of feels like more than ever, I'm just trying to figure out what excites me each day. And how can I continuously be excited about life?

James Brackin: Because I mean, if we're not excited to wake up in the morning, what are we doing here? Because this life is so quick, but we kind of live like we're not going to die sometimes.

Kevin Lowe: Yes, exactly. No, I agree. And it's if you're like me, too, it can be so easy if you're not intentional to fall in that trap of just monotony with one week blending into the next.

James Brackin: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, especially when you work for yourself, it's kind of like, oh, now I make my own hours.

James Brackin: And I think for a lot of people, they think that they want to be self-employed, but what they really want is just like choice.

James Brackin: I don't think they really want to be self-employed. They just want choice to be able to do what they get to do with their day.

James Brackin: And if that means working under somebody else, but still having, you know, the clarity of what they get to do with their day and kind of deciding what they get to do, I think a lot of people would be just in a much happier position.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. I agree 100%. Well, James, I would love to explore a little bit more of your story to kind of how you got to this point in your life. And.

Kevin Lowe: Would you mind talking with me about, because I know that I read that you actually had three losses in your family at a young age.

Kevin Lowe: Would you talk to me a little bit about that?

James Brackin: Yeah, absolutely. So my father, my uncle both passed at 37.

James Brackin: And I honestly did not realize how young that was until, you know, I got a little bit older and started really just realizing how young that was.

James Brackin: I mean, I really couldn't comprehend it.

James Brackin: Then my grandfather passed away a few months before his retirement.

James Brackin: And that was what really hit me because I was a little bit older at that point.

James Brackin: And I see my father, my uncle both passed away.

James Brackin: All three were unexpected, by the way. So we weren't expecting any of this to happen. It wasn't something that had happened and we were like, yeah, this makes sense.

James Brackin: It was just more so life kind of feeling like, why is this happening to me?

James Brackin: It's what it felt like for a long time.

James Brackin: And then I kind of started asking the question, how is this happening for me instead of against me?

James Brackin: And my life really started to change because those things that were once the thing that felt like life was pushing me down, they were the exact things that kind of helped me move forward in my life.

James Brackin: So yeah, three of the most important men passed away really young in my life.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah. How old were you when that happened?

James Brackin: My father, I was six. I think my uncle, I was around 10 or so.

James Brackin: And then my grandfather, I was probably 12, 13, something like that.

James Brackin: So I was still young for all of them.

James Brackin: I mean, I know when my father passed away, I don't even think, like, I couldn't tell you what his voice sounded like. I've never really, I don't feel like I've ever really met the man, to be honest.

Kevin Lowe: Wow. Wow. Maybe from your perspective now, when you kind of look back, because I think when we kind of go through life. It's just, it's our own norm.

Kevin Lowe: But when you look back on it now, like, can you see how maybe your life was impacted by those losses, your childhood?

James Brackin: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think for me, growing up, I didn't really have a role model, I guess.

James Brackin: And I think that was a blessing more than anything, because it helped me create my own identity, kind of step into figure out what I wanted to do.

James Brackin: It wasn't having anyone's kind of expectations of what they wanted for me out of life. It was more so me just being open minded about what could come of life.

James Brackin: And I think for me that that was such a blessing. And I didn't see it at the time of just stepping into what I wanted to do.

James Brackin: And now I look back and I think, I mean, becoming a quote unquote life coach at 17 years old, starting a podcast at the same time, going down a path that I mean, was a complete left turn from what everyone else was doing when I graduated high school.

James Brackin: I think the thing that really gave me that, that ability to step out of my comfort zone and step into things that, you know, felt most in alignment with me was not having anyone ahead of me kind of saying, this is what you should do or this is what you need to do. And I really look back at that as a blessing.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. I love, I love and appreciate that mindset tremendously. Now, you just said you became a life coach at 17.

James Brackin: Yeah.

Kevin Lowe: Talk to me, where did that even come from? Because that is not the typical thing.

James Brackin: Yeah, I know. Even now, like I'm 21 now and I feel like I've been, I feel like I'm a veteran, but also a beginner at the same time.

James Brackin: Like I've been at it for so long, yet also so early on in my journey.

James Brackin: And I think for me, I mean, I was listening to podcasts, reading books, stuff like that, just getting into the self-improvement industry.

James Brackin: And I was listening to a podcast. At the end of it, they were talking about a coaching program. I had no idea what that was. Didn't even know what a coach was. I just knew that.

James Brackin: Kind of felt really right. Like the way that they were explaining it, what they were talking about, the past few years of like my transformation, I really been able to, you know, transform myself with no external help outside of, you know, books, audiobooks, stuff like that.

James Brackin: I thought, well, what could really happen if I stepped into hiring my own coach?

James Brackin: Like having someone outside of me that's ahead of me, that's, you know, in a place that I want to go.

James Brackin: What would life look like if I could step into that? And so I invested more money than I had in my bank account.

James Brackin: I mean, like I had about probably $3,000 in my bank account at the time.

James Brackin: And the coaching program was about $75,000, $8,000.

James Brackin: So didn't know how I was going to make it happen, but I put the down payment on it. And man, my life really changed from that moment because when you pay, you pay attention.

James Brackin: And I realized the value of just investing in yourself. I really can't emphasize it enough.

James Brackin: And I became a coach from that point on. I mean, I took a couple of weeks of that.

James Brackin: I think it was a 10 week course of really just to learn how to become a coach, how to help people get out of their own way and what coaching really is at the core of it.

James Brackin: Because a lot of people think it's just giving advice when I'm a 17 year old, what advice do I have to give?

James Brackin: Because I barely lived a life is what a lot of people would see.

James Brackin: And the thing that I really came down to when my first mentor really taught me was that I don't have to.

James Brackin: The answers, I just have to have the questions. And I think that that's where through the podcast and through coaching, I've really been able to excel is just kind of help people access a part of themselves through just asking really intentional questions.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, if you think about it, it's kind of like, if we want to do sports analogy, I mean, the best coaches, they've never even played football.

Kevin Lowe: You know, I mean, yeah. Now, so when that happened at 17, were you still in high school?

James Brackin: I just about graduated high school. And that was the funny part was I just graduated high school.

James Brackin: I was getting into real estate thinking that that was going to be the thing for me.

James Brackin: And then I realized in getting into real estate that I hated doing that.

James Brackin: And I didn't, that was not going to be the path for me.

James Brackin: And so it was like this, I was at home and I didn't have anyone, all the judgment that I was fearful of and wouldn't allow myself to step forward.

James Brackin: It was kind of like that moment in time where I realized, Hey, this is like the perfect time because I'm not in school and all the people can judge me, but I'm at least not going to be around them.

James Brackin: And it's just going to be kind of me in this, I guess, like monk mode, that idea of just for a long time, right after high school.

James Brackin: I mean, that's all I did for six years or six months to a year straight was just intentionally figure out how I can make this thing happen.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. Now, while you were in school, so say, you know, teenage years going into high school and stuff, did you ever have any ideas at that point, like what you thought you would want to do as a career?

James Brackin: You know, what's funny is when I was growing up, like a really, really young age, my mom and my sister told me that I told them that I wanted to be a motivational speaker.

James Brackin: Now, I don't remember ever saying that. I don't remember ever that being a thing that I wanted to do.

James Brackin: But to step into podcasting and coaching and definitely speaking might be a thing in the future, but right now it just doesn't really excite me.

James Brackin: I'm still in that pathway. And it's funny that I ended up where I'm at right now because I could have never predicted it. Because no, I mean, when I was in high school, I just knew I didn't want to struggle.

James Brackin: I didn't want to think about money.

James Brackin: And I wasn't really thinking about making an impact. And then when I graduated high school, that was the only thing I really thought about because I, a coach told me, and this has stuck with me ever since, is that you do a disservice by not bringing your unique gifts into the world.

James Brackin: I think everyone has something here on this earth and we're here for a reason, but most of us aren't able to access that reason or most of us aren't able to believe in that.

James Brackin: And so having someone believe in me more than I believe in myself really helped me access that for myself so that I could, you know, help other people do that for themselves as well.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

Kevin Lowe: So my next kind of like one of the other last questions in regards to the life coaching thing is, how did you even come to that idea of this is the path I want to take?

James Brackin: It wasn't really. I mean, it wasn't. It's kind of like something like a path that chose me more than I chose it, I guess, because I think for for many people, opportunities show up in their life.

James Brackin: Right? So opportunities, synchronicities, things that if you were to really look out for them, you'd notice them.

James Brackin: But I think for a lot of people, we're looking for all the things that reinforce where we are rather than where we want to go.

James Brackin: And so when I was at the end of listening to one of the podcasts I was listening to and they were talking about a coaching program, again, I had no idea what that is. I have done a sales call.

James Brackin: They sold me. It just happened really quick. And from there, it really changed my life because I put in the work from that point.

James Brackin: And so it wasn't really something that chose me. I just knew I wanted to start a podcast. that definitely always felt in alignment with me.

James Brackin: I mean, at least from like my later ages, but that always felt in alignment.

James Brackin: And so I thought, well, if I'm gonna invest into a coaching program to become a coach, I'm gonna have to start posting on social media. So I might as well start a podcast at the same time.

James Brackin: And everything kind of just started from there, really, it wasn't really something that I chose, but it was more so something that I felt chosen for.

James Brackin: I mean, I think the distinction I like to use is most people feel pushed in their life, pushed towards something, and I felt pulled towards it.

James Brackin: And so it wasn't really my choice.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, oh man, I love that so very much. Now, I want to ask you something, and I mean, I hope you take it the way that I mean it, is the fact that I learned in my own life, my own situation, that I kind of came up with this idea that things in our life that are bad, they're only really bad if we can't figure out how to make good come out of them.

Kevin Lowe: And I can't help but wonder for you taking this path, getting into coaching and then podcasting in this whole realm that you're in.

Kevin Lowe: Do you feel like you are here and are the person you are because of experiencing those three losses as a child?

James Brackin: I mean, I don't know if it's directly like causation correlation kind of thing.

James Brackin: I don't know if it's exactly why, but I definitely know that I took that meaning from it. I think, I heard something recently and I don't remember, it might've been Viktor Frankl, whoever it was, but suffering is only suffering if you can't find the meaning in it.

James Brackin: And so for me, I found the meaning in it. And for so long, I didn't find the meaning in it. I mean, it was the exact opposite, really.

James Brackin: It was, why is life coming after me? Why is life pushing me down?

James Brackin: Why is this happening to me? Just why, why, why questions.

James Brackin: And then I started asking how questions. So why is this happening to me versus how is this happening for me?

James Brackin: And so then I just started to look forward in my life. And when you start to look forward in your life, you start to see it because it's always there.

James Brackin: You just, you're not looking for it.

James Brackin: And so absolutely, I think everyone's pain turns to purpose if they are able to turn it into purpose. And I just went out of my way to do so.

Kevin Lowe: Absolutely. You said that you have a sister, correct?

James Brackin: Yes.

Kevin Lowe: Did your sister handle things similar to you or differently?

James Brackin: It's funny. We kind of went down a similar path, but different approaches.

James Brackin: So she became a social worker, master's degree, social work, went down that approach. And I went down the approach of, you know, coaching, podcasting.

James Brackin: So we're both trying to help people through our, I guess, the trauma that we went through.

James Brackin: And so that was the kind of approach that we took was just more so like, how can I help people through what I went through, I guess.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, no, I love that so much. So podcasting, we talked about coaching.

Kevin Lowe: So you said that you had thought about wanting to start a podcast.

Kevin Lowe: So at what point in this kind of journey did you decide, you know what, I don't have enough on my plate, let's add podcasting?

James Brackin: Yeah, I think it was honestly, man, it was about probably a few days after I made the investment.

James Brackin: So I think I'm a 17 year old. I have no idea what a coach is.

James Brackin: I don't know how I'm gonna make this work.

James Brackin: I just invested more money than I had in my bank account. So I have to figure out a way to do it.

James Brackin: And so, and I'm still thinking about, you know, I just graduated high school not too long ago. So I'm still thinking about what other people are gonna think of me.

James Brackin: I mean, the biggest fear is where, you know, what are other people going to think? What if I fail? What if I look like a, like silly?

James Brackin: And, you know, all the fears that most people have, For me, it was like, okay, if I've already invested, it's up to me.

James Brackin: Now it's like, now there's no way I can go against this because I put money down on it and more money than I had.

James Brackin: So I literally had to find a way to make money just to pay it back, just to even make even on my investment.

James Brackin: So at that point, I'm thinking, well, if I have to start posting online to attract clients and start helping people through that way, might as well start the podcast because I've always wanted to do that as well.

James Brackin: And so it was kind of like an indirectly the exact thing that allowed me to just get out of my own way and start showing up for the thing that I know I always felt called to do.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. Now, did you ever think, was it always just podcast or I mean, a lot of people immediately tend to think, you know, oh, YouTube channel.

Kevin Lowe: Was it always just podcasting?

James Brackin: I think for me, they go hand in hand, really. I mean, my YouTube channel has is where most of my podcast, I guess, listenership comes from.

James Brackin: But I think, yeah, it was just more so an approach of I'm learning so much from these books, from these podcasts, from this kind of stuff. Like over the past couple of years, my life has changed dramatically. I feel like I've lived two separate lives.

James Brackin: And my second life really started when I started realizing that the first life I was living wasn't really my life.

James Brackin: It was more so an attachment to my thoughts or who I thought it was, not so much who I actually was.

James Brackin: And so I thought, what would be the coolest thing in the world if I could read a book?

James Brackin: I still have a lot of questions about the book and then I can interview the author about the book or entrepreneurs that I found really fascinating from building massive companies.

James Brackin: Like what could we learn from them? And so, especially from my perspective, I mean, not many people at 17 years old have a podcast, let alone are interviewing people that are, in the trauma, anxiety, mindset, personal development kind of space.

James Brackin: And so that was the approach I took. I just thought it would be the coolest thing ever. And to this day, it still is.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. 100%. Now, talking about books and reading and stuff, when did you really get into reading?

James Brackin: Yeah, it's funny because I grew up thinking that I would never read a book.

James Brackin: I mean, I remember my mom, my sister would always tell me like, you'll eventually start liking books.

James Brackin: And I went through my entire schooling life just taking a lot of pride in never reading a book, to be completely honest. Like I'd still passed the grade, but I didn't read anything kind of perspective on things just because, I mean, I think most of the books that I read gave me no value.

James Brackin: And so when I left high school, like I said, I started listening to podcasts and started, you know, surrounding myself with different kinds of people.

James Brackin: And from there, it was, I don't know, I think it was probably similar books that most people come across where it's, you know, Think and Grow Rich and Rich Dad, Poor Dad, that kind of stuff that came into my life.

James Brackin: And then from there on, I just went down a rabbit hole of just wanting to get more of a gist on the challenges that I was trying to overcome in my life and all of that kind of stuff. So it was around that same time.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Okay. Okay. Amazing. So I guess I'm curious to understand a little bit is, you know, we talked at the beginning about like kind of what drives you.

Kevin Lowe: Do you feel like it's still the same thing? Or do you feel like as you're continuing to evolve as a person, evolve in your career, what you're doing, do you feel like that driving force changes?

James Brackin: Absolutely. Absolutely. I think when I first started, it came from a place of lack.

James Brackin: And so trying to get to a place of not having to think about money, not having to think about just the basic needs that most people need in their life. Like just knowing that I can step into this path, this route and have full certainty in myself that I'm going to make it work.

James Brackin: That was kind of like the fear from the beginning. And that was what was driving me from the jump.

James Brackin: Nowadays, I think it's just more so continuously trying to find outlets of impacting people that excite me because there's a lot of ways of making money.

James Brackin: There's a lot of ways of building businesses.

James Brackin: There's a lot of ways of impacting people as well. I mean, there's podcasting, there's retreats, there's group coaching, there's one-on-one coaching, there's events.

James Brackin: There's so many ways and things that we can do.

James Brackin: And so for me right now, it's just continuously experimenting, trying things, having interesting conversations, hopefully impacting people, giving people a space to be vulnerable and open and work through the things that they need to work through.

James Brackin: And just finding things that excite me and make me want to get up in the morning.

James Brackin: Because I think for a lot of people, they get to their work and it's something that they want to get done with.

James Brackin: I mean, the idea of retirement in general never really jibed well with me.

James Brackin: I never really want to say that I want to get away from work because then I would lose my purpose in life. And so I think for me right now, it's just really finding ways to continuously be excited about what I do and not overcomplicated in the meantime.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, 100%. All the guests that you've interviewed on your podcast, obviously the podcast, I mean, we do it for our audience. We want our audience to get value.

Kevin Lowe: But talk to me a little bit about the value that you've received by interviewing the people you have.

James Brackin: Absolutely. I'll even go a step further by saying that my first 105 episodes were solo.

James Brackin: So you see it now and you see, you know, amazing guests, Seth Godin, you know, Tyler Henry, so many other amazing people that I've had the opportunity to speak with.

James Brackin: But my first 105 episodes were in my car, no microphone, like just completely doing it with my computer, just kind of like a public journal, honestly, just going over things that I was learning, things that I was working with clients on, and hopefully giving some kind of just perspective based on my life.

James Brackin: I mean, I never want to come from a place of I'm giving advice like I know things, but more so just from a place of, yeah, I don't know, but hopefully this is helpful to you because it was helpful for me.

James Brackin: And so through the podcast and then through interviews as well, I think more than anything, it's just really allowed me to expand my mind.

James Brackin: I mean, what it's done for me is what I'm trying to do through the podcast of you can too is just helping people reframe what they believe is true, reframe what they believe is possible for themselves by questioning what they believe and expanding their mind on what is possible by showing and sharing stories from expansive people that have done it themselves.

James Brackin: And so continuously doing it week after week of just inspiring stories that people have done that have overcome amazing things and done astounding things, it continues to remind me that I need to, as soon as I think that I've reached a certain place or I've done enough, it just continues to expand my mind of what's possible.

Kevin Lowe: Absolutely. You said that your dad and your uncle, you said were 37 when they passed away. You are how old now?

James Brackin: 21.

Kevin Lowe: 21. Okay.

Kevin Lowe: I am 38, and I can tell you, I still feel way too young to be this old.

Kevin Lowe: But what does that do for you is just a mindset?

Kevin Lowe: Because, I mean, the fact is true is, I mean, none of us know how long we're here on Earth.

Kevin Lowe: And I can't help but think that with all that you're doing, and I mean, I think I need to just say that listening to you, to your mindset, to what you say, you're so much wiser than than your age.

Kevin Lowe: It's absolutely amazing. And I guess my question is, is does that age of 37, does it weigh on you thinking of how short life really is?

James Brackin: Yeah, it's a big question. I think for a long time it has.

James Brackin: And I think it's like we all have those things where we have mental blocks or perceptions, preconceived notions based on our past experiences.

James Brackin: I definitely think for a long time, it's, and I still think to some extent of when I, when I hit 38, it's going to be cool because it's just going to be this like mental breakthrough of, man, I, I passed that milestone kind of thing.

James Brackin: But I think just like anything else, it's the, the anticipation of it is more so the thing that really kind of gets in your head more than the actual event itself.

James Brackin: So definitely reminds me how short this life is when I think of it, but I don't think it holds me back in any way.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, no, absolutely. You know, when you were saying that, I kind of helped but think of my own situation story is I remember when it had been the 18-year anniversary of when I became blind.

Kevin Lowe: And I remember that was kind of weird, kind of how you talk about turning 38 when I hit that 18-year, because that meant I had been blind one more year longer than I had been able to see.

Kevin Lowe: And I remember always thinking that that would be really weird, even the 17, to think that I had been blind as long as I had been able to see. Yeah.

Kevin Lowe: You know, it's always kind of funny is exactly what you said.

Kevin Lowe: It's the anticipation for something is a lot of times the best part of it all.

Kevin Lowe: Because once you reach it, you realize, well, yeah, it's just like any other day.

James Brackin: I had a conversation with a guy named Daniel Lieberman earlier this year.

James Brackin: Incredible, incredible author. He wrote the book. I'm blanking on the name of the book right now, but incredible guest.

James Brackin: I would definitely recommend. And he was talking about how, I mean, dopamine in itself, like the anticipation of things is more than the actual event.

James Brackin: We get dopamine from the anticipation, not so much of the actual thing itself.

James Brackin: Great example that I like to use and something I experienced this year.

James Brackin: The number one place in my bucket list was Hawaii.

James Brackin: And this year I got to spend four months on the island of Kauai, which was a dream of mine. I always grew up watching Hawaii Five-0, the second version.

James Brackin: And it was always a dream of mine to go there. and then I spent four months on the island.

James Brackin: And to say it was a dream is an understatement. It's still, still is amazing that I had the privilege to go there.

James Brackin: But, you know, after two months, after three months, you kind of get, it's just normal at that point. And so just like anything, the hedonic adaptation is going to come in.

James Brackin: And so that's why I never like to put too much emphasis on something in the future because it's never going to live up to my expectations because the expectations is what makes the feeling more than anything.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, no, I agree 100%. I love that. Do you have anything for somebody listening today who, whether they're young or young at heart, and they feel like there's more for them, would you have any advice for them?

Kevin Lowe: I mean, because, again, I mean, you're a young guy, and I look at what you've done. And you went against the quote unquote norm of, you know, after high school.

Kevin Lowe: And I can't help but find just great inspiration in that and wonder, you know, what would you say to that person who's thinking, wow, I kind of wish I could be a little bit more like James Bracken.

James Brackin: Yeah, I mean, I would look at the name of my podcast, right?

James Brackin: I mean, it's the whole core of what I do is I'm trying to be a living representation of what I'm saying.

James Brackin: And through the conversations that I have, through the life that I'm trying to live, I mean, I think it's the same thing goes.

James Brackin: And so if I would say that if that feeling is inside of you, that there's more here, that there's more for me to do, I would say that your intuition isn't lying to you, you're just lying to yourself.

James Brackin: That you've been lying to yourself for so long, saying, you know, kind of living in alignment with what you don't want more so than what you do want.

James Brackin: So if you keep pushing down that intuition, the choir that intuition is going to get and the less that you listen to it and the less that it'll show up in your life. And so I would just say, say yes to the things that your intuition is saying yes to, because you'll start saying yes to yourself and life will start saying yes to you.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, I love it. One hundred percent, man. Dude, James, you're such an awesome guy, man. Such a killer story.

Kevin Lowe: Honest to goodness. I mean, you as a child, let's face it.

Kevin Lowe: I mean, you went through the unthinkable. Even though you were young, it obviously has an impact. and the fact of where you are today, what you're doing, And just the person that you've become, I mean, I have to say, I mean, anybody listening has to feel just honored to meet you and proud of what you've been able to do.

Kevin Lowe: Of overcoming the challenges, overcoming these bad circumstances, to be here today, just kind of blowing all of our minds with the amount of wisdom you have to share. It's really amazing.

James Brackin: Man, you're doing the exact same thing just through a different lens, right? I mean, so I really appreciate that immensely.

James Brackin: You probably experience this sometimes too, where you forget the impact that you're having because you're just trying to do the best that you can.

James Brackin: And so there's a lot of times where I completely forget that anyone listens to my podcast or anyone that I've ever coached ever got value from working with me.

James Brackin: I mean, it's really easy to forget how far you've come when you're looking at about how far you want to go.

James Brackin: And so I really appreciate that. It means a lot. But I mean, I almost died when I was born. So to even be here to begin with is just a blessing.

Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Wow. Just another layer to this onion that we've been unpeeling, man.

Kevin Lowe: Well, James, tell me where's the best place, easiest place to find your podcast, plus anybody who either wants to see about working with you as a coach or just getting plugged into your world.

James Brackin: Yeah, absolutely. Main points is Instagram and YouTube is where I'm most present.

James Brackin: You can find my podcast, You Can Too, on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, everything that you can think of.

James Brackin: But those are the main platforms that I'm on. I'm on LinkedIn and everything else as well. But those are where I'm most at.

Kevin Lowe: Well, fantastic. Well, I'll be sure that all of that is in the show notes and it will be on the webpage for today's episode.

Kevin Lowe: James, man, dude, it's been a pleasure to meet you, a pleasure to get to hear your story. And I thank you for spending a few minutes with me today.

James Brackin: You are incredible, man. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me.

James Brackin: You have such an incredible story. You're such an amazing host.

James Brackin: You have the perfect voice for it.

James Brackin: I thank you for taking the time to speak with me and give me this privilege to speak with you and talk to your audience.

Kevin Lowe: Oh, man, you bet 100%, dude. For you listening today, hopefully you're smiling as big as I am.

Kevin Lowe: Hopefully you're also feeling a little jacked up right now because I feel like we just got a shot of a little James Brackett in our life, something that maybe you didn't even realize you needed.

Kevin Lowe: And now you realize you can't live without. So go ahead, enjoy today's episode.

Kevin Lowe: Well, hopefully you did enjoy today's episode. Share it with a friend.

Kevin Lowe: And hey, maybe you need to hear it all again.

Kevin Lowe: Hit rewind. If that's a thing in podcasting, rewind and listen again.

Kevin Lowe: This guy is amazing. You get out there and enjoy the day. Stay awesome. Be inspired.

Kevin Lowe: They say wisdom comes with age, but if that's the case, then how do you explain today's guest, James Bracken?

Kevin Lowe: He's in his early 20s, and yet he has more wisdom to share inside of the next 30 minutes than you could ever imagine.

Kevin Lowe: I'm talking about immense wisdom in overcoming loss, in choosing your own path, even if it seems uncertain at first.

Kevin Lowe: And maybe most importantly, the importance of you being willing to bet on yourself.

Kevin Lowe: If you could use a motivational boost wrapped up in a heartwarming story, all brought to us by a young man who's experienced all the pains of life.