We recently had the chance to connect with Eric Jara and have shared our conversation below.
Eric, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Recently, I re-watched 22 Jump Street and forgot how stupid/funny the ending was when Channing Tatum threw the granade and said “something cool” to blow up the helicopter…. absolute CINEMA!!!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Short story long… I’m all over the place…. I’ve started a dance crew, a construction company, a clothing brand, and a non-profit scholarship. I’ve been blessed to travel so much of the world, and I’ve even lived for a few months in South Korea and another few months in Chile. As a professional wrestler, I’ve given life to 3 very different characters (Durango Kid, Lil Pepe, and most recently: SpinalGator), where I’ve won championships, been hit with chairs, and flown off the top rope more times than a 17 year old should. I self-published a book with very bad grammar and language because I wrote it as if I was talking to one of my homies, and I’ve published music on streaming platforms with those homies under the Canyon Night Record umbrella. So yeah… what’s my brand? Not sure… I think it could be summed up as “YOLO”, or “you’re not down!”, or “life’s too short, just FULL SEND IT”. I’m not smart, I’m not talented, and I’m not rich… I just work hard and I like doing things that are seen as “not normal”. Whether it’s anxiety, trauma, or something else… I can’t stay still. I get bored easy. And I see absolutely nothing as “impossible”. I’m blessed, I got a lot of love around me, and I strive to be the best “SpinalGator” I can be. I believe that God bets on all of us, and I want to make sure his investment is not in vain. Life is short, but love, leadership, growth, mentorship, and doing cool sh*t is what I’m all about(:
Shout out to my ADC family! (insert heart emoji here)
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
Easy. My dad. He literally has never taken a day off, and as toxic and unhealthy as that is, that’s been my greatest lesson and inspiration to work. When I was 4 or so, my dad worked in construction and he borderline broke his back while working…. he still went to work like 3 days after or something crazy like that. A few years ago, he finally had back surgery to try and fix what happened so many years ago, and the doctors said he’d be “recovering” for a few months. After a few weeks, he was walking around the neighborhood with a back brace on, and a few more weeks after he ran a 5K. Whether he’s tired, hurt, or literally broken, he’s always kept going. Now fast forward to my time at the University of Utah and me feeling “tired” from doing easy school work… on a computer… inside an air-conditioned building…. I had nothing to complain about compared to what he’s gone through. What he’s taught me about work, more than anything, is to never quit, to never say “I can’t”, and to always push harder to be better than I was yesterday.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
1. When I was 12, my little brother was born with a heart problem. About a week or two after he was born, he had his first surgery. And bout a week later, he passed away. “Success” could never teach me that life is short, and I should make every second of my life count. The pain and confusion I felt when my brother passed taught me more than any “achievement” could teach me. And that lesson actually stuck.
2. My first business was a non-profit scholarship. I had no sponsors, no donors, no nothing. I was 19 years old and I funded it out of pocket. After 2 years of giving 2 students $2,000 each for college, I tested my limits and maxed out the scholarships at 8 students with $2,000 each… that didn’t go as planned, and I was not able to deliver on the money I promised the scholars. I stopped trying to do cool sh*t for a while, and even debated never doing business things at all. What did this teach me? To never make a promise I can’t keep. Never again…
3. When I worked in South Korea and Chile I was away from home chasing a dream. I had internships and was chasing a “professional career”. I should have been happy the whole time right? I mean, I tried… But after a while, I missed being home with my family. I missed 2 of my mom’s birthdays, 2 of my sister’s birthdays, and a bunch of family events and celebrations. Now I’m questioning, “would I rather chase ‘success’, or be with my family to these big days?” I don’t think I would have the current mindset of balancing family time and goal chasing, if it weren’t for those moments.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Love. Sounds cheesy and stupid as f***, but throughout my whole life, that’s the one thing I’ve never lacked. From my family, from friends, from my mentors, from business partners/associates, and from complete randos. I don’t feel like I’ve ever lacked love and support, so I try to continue the cycle and show love and support others however I can. Whether that’s buying from their businesses, showing up to their performances or award ceremonies, or teaching/helping/mentoring those who ask for my help, I just can’t be a cold-hearted a**hole. Love is WAY more powerful and effective than hate or drama, so love is the one thing that I cannot let go of no matter what.
#GodDid
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
My hope is that people would say that I was a good person. Someone who was always down to help, and lead by example. I hope people say that my crazy life and wild “go for it” attitude has somehow inspired them to do the same. Hopefully, people think of me as a good influence. Inspirational, helpful, loving, random, and just a dope human I guess.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://allegiantdancecrew.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spinalgator/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-jara-300/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Eric.SpinalGator
