Jared Yates Sexton was one of the very first guests here at the WAIM pod. He appeared way back on episode #004 back in March of 2023. When I saw him again, a full year later, at Pod Jam in Las Vegas this March, he remembered me right away and was eager to talk again on the record.
I was excited to chat with Jared as well. In addition to all of the political changes in the world that we might be able to cover, I was really hoping we could spend some more time on Jared’s turbulent childhood growing up in Indiana. He chronicled the story in his terrific memoir, The Man They Wanted Me To Be, and I was hoping to take a deep dive into Jared’s past to see how his handling of that trauma has made him the man he is today, and to find out what he has learned on his path of self-discovery.
We began the conversation by catching up about our time together at PodJam in Las Vegas this past March. Once we finished waxing poetic about Pete Dominick and the great time, we dove straight into Jared’s boyhood in Indiana, and the violence and abuse that permeated his childhood home.
Jared talks about how he has always felt like an orphan and admits he is still a genuinely lonely person. We discussed the courage required to question who you are and what you want from your life. The conversation runs through the loneliness of healing, the systems that enhance our misery, and the invisible prisons that we build for ourselves.
While the conversation might be deep and heavy, it is hardly hopeless or dour. There are more than a few smiles along the way and Jared and I both marvel at our own progress. We have also found hope for continued progress. We both admit to being workaholics not just to prove our worth, but even to prove our very existence on the planet.
This is a remarkable and genuine conversation that I am incredibly proud to have been a part of. It’s about trauma, co-dependency, loneliness, hope, progress, and the belief that we all deserve better. This is a truly special one. Enjoy.
Cheers,
Matty C