About
Jacob Thompson
Hello, my name is Jacob Thompson. First and foremost, I am blessed to be a husband and father which are my two most important roles in life! Aside from that, I am a keynote speaker, published author, award-winning recording artist, disability advocate, podcaster, and para-athlete; I guess you could say I wear a lot of hats! The way I see it, all of these endeavors coincide and compliment each other. The funny thing is, I never really aspired to do any of the above but you never know what will happen when you both roll with life's punches and accept its invitations. Below is a condensed version of my story and an elevator pitch of my current work. I look forward to connecting further!
My Story (thus far)
Growing up I, just like most of my friends, wanted nothing more than to be a professional/Olympic athlete. I came from back-to-back generations of Division I athletes and wanted to follow the same blueprint. When I was 11 years old, after receiving the game ball from the championship game we had just won, my baseball coach pulled me aside and told me I thought I could go pro one day. Fast forward to my junior and senior year of high school; while my friends got stronger and faster, I began to get unexplainably weaker and slower. I watched all my athletic aspirations seemingly go down the drain. I was crushed.
Around that time I was fortunate to have a couple of college-age coaches who led a teen mentoring program at my school. Throughout my years of high school, they continued pouring into my friends and me, helping us build character and pointing us to an identity and a purpose that was bigger than just sports; something that didn't make much sense in my teenage mind. It wasn't until the downfall of my athletic identity that these messages began to click and make an impact in my life for which I am forever grateful.
I spent the next decade devoted to teen mentoring and coaching various sports, hoping to replicate the impact of my mentors in the lives of others. I also discovered a passion and talent for creating inspirational spoken word poetry and music. By day I was mentoring and coaching football while by night I was performing at concerts and selling t-shirts and CDs. I had married my beautiful wife and we had just bought our first house. All was well, except...
My health. What began as decreasing athleticism had progressed into trouble completing daily tasks due to poor balance and coordination. When my physical decline grew beyond being able to ignore it, I sought answers through medical professionals. After months of confusing doctors appointments, I was finally given a diagnosis: Friedreich's Ataxia (FA).
In short, FA is a genetic, progressive rare disease that causes ongoing damage to the cerebral cortex resulting in the loss of basic physical functions such as balance, coordination, speech, strength, energy production, and heart function. I was told that in the near future I would be dependent on a wheelchair and that I would have a shortened life expectancy.
Through both physical and mental battles, I have come to realize that though the causes and levels of severity may differ, we all suffer in life. We all have a choice to be overcome by what we can't control or to make the most of what we can. This realization sent me into a journey to live out my destiny, something I believe is available to all of us: a life full of purpose, hope, and joy in all circumstances.
From Diagnosis To Destiny
As I began to embrace my situation, I decided to turn the focus of my spoken word poetry, music, and social media content towards my experience battling FA. The response of the community was overwhelmingly supportive. Through the comments, direct messages, and even hand-written mail, I was further convinced that my difficult circumstance was bigger than me; it was an opportunity to uplift others.
In studying more about FA and rare disease in general, I learned that though FA impacts about one out of fifty thousand people, one out of ten people actually suffer from rare disease. More and more I wanted to both raise awareness on this issue and point people towards purpose and perseverance. This desire was met with an opportunity: each year the National Institute of Health sponsors a contest to use a creative medium to raise awareness for rare disease. I put my love for spoken word poetry to work and submitted a video that ended up winning first place. This led to being invited as a guest speaker for the annual NIH Conference.
With more speaking opportunities materializing, I knew that I wanted to impact people beyond just a twenty to sixty minute speech; I always felt like I had more to say! I figured the best option was to write it down. The result, my first book titled From Diagnosis To Destiny—you’re trials aren’t meant to break you; they’re meant to make you.
I have since given keynote presentations to tens of thousands of people in person and reached millions with online content. From schools and sports teams to pharmaceutical companies and educational leadership conferences, and everything between, I have done more speaking and performing than I ever thought or had planned. My secret sauce, though, is simple authenticity. I think often of the many times I gave an “inspirational speech” or performed my music and poetry to one person at a time or as a volunteer for a small group of teenagers without ever thinking of a crowd or contract. This is why I can confidently step on a big stage and be secure in my purpose: to inspire others to unleash their destiny.
DEAR YOUNG ATHLETE,
Since I was deeply impacted by my experience in sports and especially by my coaches, I have had an ongoing passion for using sports as a mentorship vehicle for young people. FA took me out of coaching after seven seasons of high school football but it did not stop this passion. My personal belief which is also rooted in research is that a coach is one of the most impactful people in a young person’s life. Coaches, though, are often busy running practices and games and dealing with parents and administration; they scarcely have time to sit the team down and share their story, their heart, and their advice for their young players. However, when asked, mentoring young people is the very reason that many coaches do what they do!
I came up with an idea to bridge this gap: “DEAR YOUNG ATHLETE,”. “DYA,” is a movement focused on building champions in sports and life. The process is simple. I conduct a podcast interview with a purpose driven coach who wants to make an impact on players beyond the sport. The coach then brings me in as a guest speaker to share my story with the team along with practical steps to building character and resilience. Players receive handouts linked to their coach’s podcast episode as well as a copy of my book, creating an ongoing impact on players as individuals while also boosting team culture.
“DYA,” has partnered with 25+ teams and athletic departments. Our podcast episodes feature former professional and Division I athletes and coaches with impressive accolades, but more importantly leaders who care deeply about mentorship and the impact they have on others. Each episode ends with a statement: Dear young athlete, _____________. What would you say to your players, to your younger self? Though this podcast has a sports focus, it is great content for anyone looking to grow in leadership and character and excel in personal and professional life.
Para Climbing
I thought my athletic dreams died when I was seventeen but it turns out that they were actually lying dormant for just over a decade. In 2021 I saw the Paralympics come on TV and this question dawned on me: is there a para sport for me? After all my Googling I settled on cycling because I already had a trike and none of the other sports seemed doable for me given my inhibited balance, coordination, and strength. I dove into training over the next two years, pushing myself with a coach 5-6 days per week and seeing great progress. Unfortunately, I came to find out that my recumbent trike wasn’t allowed in international competition. I tried the required upright trike but my FA symptoms are too severe to ride safely.
Fortunately on my cycling journey I came across para-climbing and found out it is a legitimate sport with a USA team and international competitions. I began training right away. My athletic dream has been revived and my new goal is to make the US Para-climbing Team. Reengaging my athletic career through para sports has given me back a part of myself in addition to ample new illustrations and insights for keynote presentations. I hope that this is another way I can inspire and encourage others to embrace their situation and make the most of their circumstances!
Advocacy
I hold the tension of embracing my situation while pressing towards a cure for FA and other rare diseases. There is an ongoing battle to raise awareness as well as funds for research. This is near and dear to my heart and takes many different forms in my life and work; participation in clinical trials, partaking in fundraisers, consulting with pharmaceutical companies, creating content, and partnering with organizations devoted to these efforts, to name a few. I am always interested in conversation and partnership around this area so please don’t hesitate to inquire.
