216: Next Big Star Stripped Away for Being Gay with Jonathan George

Hi, I'm Natalie Jill, fat loss expert turned lifestyle and high performance coach. When odds are stacked against us, how do we shift and create everything from nothing? How do we level up when we aren't feeling it yet or have had a big setback? And how do we adjust quickly when life throws us major curveballs? On this podcast, I do what I do best. Taking complicated information that is relevant to us now and breaking it down simply with actionable steps. Steps you can implement to level up your own life. I also regularly interview some of the most inspiring and courageous men and women on the planet who at their worst, learn how to achieve success greater than they ever dreamed possible. Leveling up, Creating everything from nothing. If you are new here, I encourage you to go back and listen from episode one for the full transformative experience. Jonathan George builds Rockstar brands. He is known as the human hitmaker because of his ability to see people's untapped potential. His methods to pull the potential to.

The surface, and his ability to cultivate them into greatness is second to none.

But who he is today is not who he always was. You see, growing up as a gay male in Texas, he never felt good enough. Bullied, picked on and teased for his creative side totally confused him. And with a father who was a pastor, he was taught to fit in a box and hide who he really was.

Right before, his gifts and talents in.

Music were truly about to take off.

In a big way.

As a young adult, the industry he loved so much found out he was gay and dropped him just like that. Devastated but not defeated, Jonathan pivoted his passions into purpose and now helps others.

Create their rock star brands.

Today, Jonathan has fully leveled up. As CEO of JG Entertainment, he has spent the past 20 years creating Rockstar brands for celebrities, entrepreneurs and influencers. With over 150 million online followers. Join in today and learn exactly how Jonathan George leveled up and created everything from nothing.

Today on Leveling Up, I've got Jonathan George who builds Rockstar brands. And I was nervous talking to him because I thought, okay, what is he looking at about me now? When I heard he does rock star brands, I thought, I'm not a rock star. Thanks so much for being here, Jonathan. I'm dying to know, like, how you got into this and then any tips that we're gonna have. I got so many questions for you. Thanks for being here.

Thank you for having me. Yeah, you know, creating Rockstar brands. I moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to do my singer songwriting career. I was on Ed McMahon's Next Big Star. And I was the grand champion winner. And I had a record deal on the table. I just released my singles. I had a. You know, I was working on my album, and the label calls me and says, hey, we're gonna retract the contract. And I was like, wait, what? What do you mean? I was like, you know, my head tilted with my dogs, you know, they said, well, we Googled you. And that's when Google first came out, right. 20 years ago. And they said, well, we found out that you're gay, and we're gonna retract the contract because, you know, that wasn't viable in the industry at the time.

And so what year was this?

It was 2000.

Gosh, that's so.

It just seems like 2001.

I can't even believe, like, that recent. It's not even that long ago. That was still. That was coming up.

I was literally devastated. I mean, when I tell you, like. I mean, I'm sitting in my living room, I mean, it's like the pinnacle of my, you know, my dreams coming true. And then all of a sudden, and. And I was sitting there, my team, my management team tried to get me married. They were trying to change my music, trying to change the way that I dress, trying to mask anything that they could possibly mask to hide this. And I was just like, you know, what if. You know? And I was just sitting there. I was in my living room. It's like, do I go down this journey? Do I go down line? Do I go down, you know, having to do this horrible thing? And it took me back to being this kid where I was relentlessly bullied for being the creative kid, you know, the kid with the jazz fingers being more creative than everybody else, and. And probably being a little bit more extra than everybody else. And I didn't play sports, which I was raised in Dallas, Texas, out in the country. So, you know, if you didn't play sports, you were. You were a sissy or a faggot. Words that I didn't even know existed. I didn't know what they were. I just knew that it meant you're not good enough. And then my dad is a Pentecostal pastor.

Oh, my gosh. You have, like, everything working against this.

Yes, yes.

I mean, Texas, like. Yeah, the whole thing. Okay. Your dad's a pastor. Wow.

And so the spiritual abuse that I received, because everybody in my family are Pentecostal ministers and pastors, and so the spiritual abuse that I went through as a kid, you know, again, you're not good Enough. You're not good enough to go to heaven. You're not good enough to be blessed. You're not good enough to follow the calling in your life. And so here I am, you know, 26 years old, 27 years old, sitting in my living room, going, do I fight against who I am, or do I just be. Go be honest and be real? And I just said, you know what? I'm gonna be authentically me. If I can't be me, and I'm not gonna. Then I'm not gonna sit here. I'm not gonna be happy. So I made the choice to actually give up singing. I was like, I'm done. If this is what I have to do, then I'm not gonna do it. And I started working with singers. I have a bachelor of Music education, so I started working with singers. And rather than make twelve to six dollars an hour, whatever the money was back then, I could make $50 an hour teaching voice lessons. And from there, I just. I realized that everybody wanted to grow and change. So I started, like, developing people taking their photos because I was a, you know, photographer by. By hobby, anything creative, I started. You know, I'm great at. So I was, like. Started taking their photos. I started building their websites. And my first client, I got her on the first season of America's Got Talent.

Wow.

And, yeah, Caitlyn Taylor Love. And she, you know, went to the semifinals, blew it away. And then it just, like, everything happened from there. She booked her first show on Disney where she was the lead singer in the show, and called in the band, I think, and literally. So this whole thing, once you learn it with one person, I began to recreate it with everybody else. And so my clients literally went from nothing. I went from nothing, you know, starting to. Just. Because I need to avoid. And here's the. Really. The thing, Natalie, is that I was so broken, and I did not want other people to feel the way that I felt. I didn't want people to feel like they weren't good enough. I didn't want people to feel like they had to change. Change in order to become the greatness that's within them.

Gosh. Oh, my gosh. I have. I have 5 million questions for you. I'm not gonna ask you 5 million. But, like, so much is coming up for me, and I, like, I want to pause you because I want to. I'm gonna. I have so much I want to ask. But what's coming up first and foremost for me is my daughter's a singer. She's 13. So everything you're saying is like. Like landing on a whole different level. Because I feel that she's going through that with, like, who do I need to be? And can. Can I be my. Like, she wants. She talks so much in her music about wanting to express herself and be her, and she gets conflicting information from the outside world, like that you're supposed to be a certain way or supposed to dress this way or whatever. So I hear that. But I've got some questions dating back to you because you got such a tremendous story here. Like, did you know, first of all, did you know you were gay as a kid? Because did that start shaming that I have to be somebody else? Did you know that? Like, when did you come to terms with that? Tell me about that first.

Well, you know, being. I think I always. I mean, I always was attracted to guys, but as a kid, you know, But I didn't know what that meant. I didn't know what that was.

Okay.

It wasn't like a perverted kind of attraction, you know, I mean, it's just like, I was attracted. But When I was 19, I went to college and. Or at 18, I went to college and figured out now that you asked me that I was 17 and I dated my boss. I did.

Which was a male or a female?

Yeah.

Okay, a male.

Okay, male. So that was my first.

So did you as a kid feel like. Because did you not know yet as a kid, or were you starting this journey of having to be somebody that you're not as a kid? Like, did you feel out of place or like you had to pretend you were something else as a kid?

100%. Yeah. You know, you get called names and you. You know, my. My. My brothers are star athletes, you know, hunters, you know, the typical Texas family, and also all preachers. And so you just really kind of mask. But thank God I'm a rebellious kind of person. Not rebellious in a bad way, but rebellious of like, I don't want to. I'm not going to live under everybody else's rule. So, yeah, at 16, 17 years old, I started going, wait a minute, there's something. What is this that I'm. I'm feeling? What is this that I'm having these emotions? What is this that I'm having here? And so I. I was able to go out and search it. Luckily, you know, and I have a person. You know, I'm a personality that I'm not scared by a whole lot of things. So I just go and talk to somebody and.

But did someone did you have anyone as a kid, did you have anyone to talk to about this, or was it a shaming thing? Like, could you. Because I was mad. Your dad's a pastor, so, like, was he. Was that, like, a shameful thing? Did you. Could you have to, like, hide it from your own family?

Oh, 100% I had to hide it from my family, you know, but at 19, I came out to my parents, actually. They found. They found out from some, you know, somebody in my high school, my college knew somebody in my high school that knew somebody in my elementary. And it went to my niece, who was 11 years old. And so she went home and said, hey, is it true that Uncle John's gay? And so it was one of those things where I was forced to come out and just be like, this is who I am. And so. And it has. It's still a journey at 40, you know, 47. I'll be 48 soon. And so it's still a journey with my family. And I have incredible parents who love me, but they still feel like it's wrong, you know, and so that's an internal battle for them. And. But it's not my battle anymore, you know?

Know what I mean? Good for you that you stood in that. Because I'm just. I'm unpacking your whole story here. And it's like. It's just interesting to me when people think things like that is a choice, because it's like, that's so sad to me for a child, or like that you had to pretend or felt shame for being who you were, you know?

Yeah.

And I would imagine that that. That creative outlet, music was more than just, like, your creative talent. It was like, your outlet, I would assume. So like, a double whammy to being that.

And here's the incredible thing, is that my. My stepmom was an interior designer. Very creative. She taught music. So I was always underneath her wing. And she was like, did I do this to you? You know, because I was so creative. And she just would open up. I mean, literally, we communicated through song. So she would ask me something and I would answer in song. And so, you know, she was that person who really blew up the creativeness in me and allowed it to come out even more. Who was this?

You said? Your mom or your stepmom?

Stepmom, yeah.

So the one married to your pastor dad.

Yeah. So, you know, and so my whole family are musicians. My mom's fabulous too, you know, and so she's a multi. She plays piano, organ, saxophone, you know. All these different instruments. So I was raised in that creative. And it was cool to be creative and being in church was a singer, but again, you. You did have to, like, you couldn't be gay. And as soon as that. As soon as that I came out, I was ostracized from. From church.

Wow.

And the only thing that I ever knew and the only thing that I ever wanted to do was to help people, to love people, to care about people, and to. To sing. And. And all of that was stripped away from me.

Gosh, I am so feeling this. Like, I'm like, I'm just picturing my daughter, like, that's her dream is singing. And I'm like, if that was. If she couldn't be herself and if that was taken from her because of that, like, that's.

Yeah. Well. And this really goes. And this isn't just about, you know, being gay. This is about everything that we go through as people, as humans. There's always these stigmas that you have to follow. There's these things that. They're the golden rules. Do you have to be this way? You have to dress this way, you have to sound this way, you have to look this way. And that is not the case. And that is why I'm so freaking passionate about helping people be the rock star that's inside of them. Because you don't. You're not the world. The world can't tell you how you have to be. And so if I can help somebody know how to show up confidently in the world as themselves, they're going to attract the right people. And it's. And it's like, I'm chills thinking about all of the people who are listening right now, or the people that I watch out in the world who don't step into their greatness. They don't step into their power because of the world sitting there pushing their thumbs down on your back. The parents say, no, you can't do that. And I say, be rebellious against the world and stand up in your power and your strength.

Gosh, I hear you and I feel you. And I think it's a lot easier to say than to wow.

To go through it, because 100%, so.

Many people just don't have those tools yet to do that. Now, I do think here in 2020, we've come a long way from that 2001 mark, but it doesn't change a lot of prejudice people, a lot of people that have opinions. A lot of. It's still heavy in many churches. Like, I feel that how when you were in your prime with the singing and your dream is coming true. It sounds like your team, your management, everybody knew this about you and they were trying to cover it up. So what did that do to you? When it was like, we found out we're done, I was. Was your team then, like, we told you, like, what was happening then. Did you have to, like, reshape everyone you knew, like, what was going on then?

What's really crazy is that these are conversations that we had way before, you know, it's like, how do you mask this? I mean, this is when Ricky Martin, they were pushing Ricky Martin to. To. Was he gay? And I was like, ricky, come on out, brother. Help a brother out. You know, like. And so it was just one of those times where we knew the reality of it. We knew what we were up against. And so we had a lot of conversations leading into this. And, you know, my manager was my best friend and somebody still best friends with to this day and really affected all of us, you know, and it forced you into either doing music theater or forced you doing, you know, some kind of a certain. Stuck you in a certain corner where it was acceptable. And, you know, so we were aware of what was going on, so we weren't stepping into this blindly. But, you know, unfortunately for me, what I wanted to do, I just refused to lie about it. And. But here's the thing, is that I'm so thankful for what I went through.

Yeah. What made you who you are, what you know, and how you relate to people.

And I've been able to help thousands of people step into their power. And that is exciting to me to know if I hadn't have gone through what I've gone through, I wouldn't have been so passionate and so determined to say, yes, you can. When you say, I can't, Jonathan, I can't, Jonathan, I'm saying, yes, you can and you will because we need you.

Well, and pain becomes your purpose. And clearly that's what's happened with you. So. So when you. One more question about this and then I promise to move into how you actually help people become a rock star brand. But how when you. This all came crashing down and they said, this is not happening, it's pulled from you. How. What did you do to cope with that? Did you. Did that. Did you get angry? Were you trying to, like, take that back out on them? Did you just literally close that chapter? Like, what was your process then?

You know, I. I thank God that I am literally somebody who is a realist. Is like logical thinking and I don't hold on to things. And I truly believe that things happen for a reason. You know, very spiritual. And so I just was like, you know what this means? This chapter is closed.

Wow.

Unfortunately is that I've carried until I was 40, like 45, thought that my voice didn't matter on a large scale, that I couldn't speak. That, you know, that's the reason why I hid behind the scenes and have raised all these other people and pushed them up to a level. And when it was time for me to start standing up and speaking on stages to be able to help people on a massive level to, to step out of the music industry, to be helping CEOs and entrepreneurs and best selling authors and coaches, I thought, who am I? Speak. I would start crying thinking about this. Is that I had to think. I was like, who am I? You're not good enough. You're not going to get. And then that old thing came through and last year I went and got my master's practitioner's license in neuro linguistic programming.

Okay. I love nlp. Yeah.

Yeah. And my coach, who is like a freaking beast, like set me down because you know, she asked, she said, what's some things? And I said, you know, I keep hitting these glass ceilings in my life and I see where I should be, but I can't seem to surpass them. And I said, it's fear. And I don't know where this fear is coming from because I'm pretty fearless as a person. And she, I mean literally within 20 minutes knocked all of that out. I broke through those barriers. I forgave all of this stuff that happened in my life that I didn't even know existed.

Wow.

And I have, it totally changed me now. I'm like, I'm here.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? Like, hello world. I'm just, I'm stepping out to the world now and I've got a message to share. And if it's not for you, it's not for you. But I'm going to help people that, that, that it resonates with.

So good. So good. I love this whole journey and how it got you to your purpose. And it's interesting because you said a few times, like, who am I to share? Where is my voice in this? But like this gift that you figured out, like you're now helping expand all these other people into the world so it's like magnifying your gifts, like taking what you know and like so many others are blessed with it now.

As I always say. So how do you like those jazz fingers now, baby? You know, all my people are killing it, doing incredible things. So thankful for the jazz fingers in that and the extra creativity.

So it started with one client, one person that you were voice coaching and then you got her. You realized you had this gift for helping to expand a brand.

Yeah. And you know, and luckily my, my manager is like a genius at branding. And so what, everything that I went through, I basically took all my other people and just kind of, you know, recreated that. But when I was able to put my special touch and find out what makes me really great at this, then that's when it like blew up.

Yes. What makes you really great at it besides your story and your journey? Like, what is it about you that gives you this knack for it?

Literally, I see people and I know that sounds really creepy, but that I truly see the greatness in people. I see the potential, I see the things that you don't see about yourself and I call those out to the surface and I help you embrace that. And when I started doing branding intentionally, I created a four step pillar. I have four pillars where because everybody thinks that personal branding is this lie that we have in the industry, that it's your color, it's your color scheme, your fonts and your website. It's not what personal branding is. That's brand identity. That's great. It's a must. That's the creative process of putting it together. But it is the core of who you are and how you're showing up in the world. Because people can see through BS immediately.

Yes. So true.

And we need to see who you are at your core. And why are we going to trust you over the other 100,000 coaches that do the same thing that you do. What makes you be the blue duck out of a sea of yellow ducks?

I love that. I love that with my clients I am always like pulling and maybe I am wondering if this is part of your process. I love to pull, pull their personal story just like we did yours, because I think that's what connects everybody and makes them human. So if I have a client that's like fitness or whatever it is that they are and all people are seeing as their workouts, but they don't ever know what makes them relatable or then the person watching doesn't feel seen, heard or understood. So I feel like, is that part of your process, pulling out that story?

Oh, the story. You know, if you watch American Idol, you watch America's Got, you watch Any of the top shows. It's story first. It's never the talent.

Yes.

There's a reason for that. I just had Kate Michaela Phillips on, I guess it's been two seasons now of America's Got Talent. Freaking amazing singer. You can't get better. And she was the Golden Buzzer winner, Heidi Klum. She went on. She's 15 years old. She goes and, you know, competes, competes. And then I. And after the show, I just said, hey, I just want you to know you're not going to continue to go further. And she was like, you know, devastated that I said that to her. I said, it has nothing to do with your talent or your ability. You blew everybody away. It's because they didn't give you a story that was relatable. They made you so normal, so average. And even though she may have a really good life, everybody has a story.

Yep. And people love all of that stories.

Yes. And that's what makes people relate to you. It's not about your talent. I always say success is 20% talent. The other 80% is how you brand that talent to shine.

So good. I love this. What is your. What is your four. What are your four pillars?

So I've got my four pillars. Is that. It is. First, we got to start with the head of, you know, we need to understand the fact of, like, who you're serving, what you're serving, how you're serving it. Right.

Okay. So, like, avatar work, like, you're gonna figure out, okay, you know, just to.

Kind of get a really strong sense of what. Where you are right now, what you're thinking, because it's going to change. It will change as we go further into the work. Right. So the next part is to the heart. And this is where all the personal work has to happen.

Okay.

Because what keeps you back, number one, is fear from your greatness. So we have to break through fears. It's almost like the personal development side of personal branding. This is where the story is. This is discovering your why your trust, why you're doing what you're doing, the passion behind it. Because this is what's going to make you successful. This is what's going to make people trust you. This is where we're building trust and rapport. And of course, then, you know, the third pillar. And to me, your. The heart is the most important part of your branding.

I agree that, and I actually think that's the most important for any person in business, personal brand, anywhere. If you don't know why you're doing what you do, even if you're, if it's a brick and mortar business, you've got to know why it is that you've opened that or why you're serving, who you're serving.

Yeah. And once we get that heart, then we go back to the head, which is, you know, the what, the how, or the who, your goals. And then we reassess from there because it changes 100% of the time because people are like, oh, oh. Because everybody's chasing the outside noise that you have coming in. We are so daunted by, well, this person's doing this, this person's doing that. Who cares what they're doing? You do. You boo.

Yeah, right.

And so that it always changes. And then of course, the body is the next section. This is the where. This is where is your content and is it positioning you as the authority? And two, I always say the depth of your brand depends on the depth of your goals. Like if you're just being, if you're working at Coca Cola and you want to become the CEO, well, we're gonna have to brand you a certain way and get you rocking a certain way. But if you are an entrepreneur trying to be the expert in the go to person in your field, then this body work, it will change. Getting your best, number one best seller, getting you the PR work that you need show how are you showing up into, you know, what kind of body of content of work are you putting out that you have? And this is all part of it. Yeah, it's just part of the journey. It's like, you know, if you think about it, look at it. I always relate to music because everybody understands music. If an artist comes out, what has to come out, a music video, a song, a body of work. And it grows only when there's continual body of work coming out. In today's market. I mean, my clients, literally the reason why they have 150 million followers is because of the body of work that we're creating.

Totally.

So, you know, it's not just, oh, let me put some logos and some fonts and some great pictures up. We have to create the body of work to go to build that personal brand.

So crazy that you're saying that because that you're right. That is where everyone goes to with branding. And I'm like, that's not branding at all. That's. But I get, it's funny that that's what people think is they spend so much time on the logo or the colors or the font or how their, their feed is going to look, and that's not what it is.

It's.

It's more in your heart. And questions like, how are people going to feel when they see your stuff? What's your reason behind it? What's your story? What connects you to them?

Yeah, some of the most successful people don't even have a color scheme. They may not even have a logo. It's because they're out there. And I'm all for those things, trust me. I mean, you go to my page, it's gonna be branded. You're right. Everything's branded. Yeah, but at the end of the day, if the message isn't there of what you're putting out to relate to the people you're calling in, it doesn't matter how beautiful everything is, it's not gonna work. You're gonna be broke, stressed out.

So if someone listening right now is a personal brand or wants to be a personal brand or has a talent, what are some of the things that you're going to give them? Advice around? Like, they're just starting or they think they. Whatever they're doing is not working. If you were to give them, like, some initial advice, what would you tell them?

Number one is clarity. Understand what it is that you really, really want. And if you can even get a basic, this is an idea of what I want, then we can work around that, we can create around that, we can build. And also, I do not like to put people in boxes. Everybody's like, you have to. You have to. I do believe in honing in and being specific, who you're trying to target, but it doesn't mean that's all that. That doesn't mean that's only who you are. There's a way to creatively bring in. Because you could be somebody who speaks to mom, because you're a single mom who raised a child by herself. You could also be in, uh, you know, being a workout mom, somebody who's helping other moms. There's ways to creatively put together the things that you want.

Yes, I believe. You know, I believe that. I mean, I love using the word. And I just had a guest on recently that brought up the idea of brand expansion versus, like, pivot or because you can be different things. Like, I'll like, right now, I'm a podcast host interviewing you, but I also have a strong fitness, nutrition brand. I also have a coaching business that's not related to that. So it's. You can be different things. And I love that permission that you're giving too. Like you can. There's different parts of everybody.

Well, you know, I feel like my entire life was put into a box. You had to fit into this church box. You had to fit into this. You had to play sports box. You had to be this box. You know, as a singer, you could only choose one type of music that you can sing. And yes, I understand all of those things, and they are. There's truth to that. But I truly believe in brand expansion. Like you said, I love that term. That's great because you can be many things. And here's the thing is we're creative people. We don't go eat the same food every single day. That wears us out. You know, we all have many dreams, we have passions. We love to work with different kind of people. We want to do certain things. And don't. So don't get burned out on that one thing now. You know, again, let me just reiterate that I do understand and honing in on things, getting very specific with things, because you can't be successful when you're too spread out.

Yes.

Go in here, dive into that, Go into this section, dive into that. And you build it out. And you can build it out really well. And so, so, you know, again, I just want to say, reiterate, is that being very specific on what it is that you want, getting clarity, because clarity is king in what you're doing. And the other thing is I wanted to go into this whole thought process of that. I mean, I don't really want to open it. Open Pandora's box, but you know, your passions, your dreams, and making sure that those things align.

Give me an example of that. What do you mean by that?

Well, it's like if you, your passion. Like when I was a kid, my dad asked me what I want to do at six.

Okay.

You know, and I said I want to be a child psychologist.

Okay.

Well, looking back at that. And I really wanted to be a psychologist. Well, I think that I have been in so many levels. I mean, I've spent 20 years helping kids breakthrough issues, the BS in their lives, the naysayers break through all the, you know, the boxes that people are put in and help them. You know, my, my, my talent has been in major, every major movie, every commercial you see, every TV show on the radio. I mean, literally huge superstars. Well, here's the thing is that they're not the most talented, they're not the most gifted people.

Yeah.

It's because they were branded properly to know exactly who they are. The confidence is sexy. That's what we're attracted to. And I, and I don't mean to say sexy is for kids. That sounds weird, but, you know, I just mean as humans, as adults, that confidence is attractive. It's the sexy thing that we're attracted to in people. And when you know who you are and you know how to stand confidently, that's what people are attracted to. They trust you.

So good. It's so funny because I'm thinking back so many times people would ask me because my biggest platform is fitness and nutrition, and people would ask me, what is the credential that you did? Or what credential do I need to be you or to do what you do? And I always thought that was such a funny question because it has nothing to do with their credentials. Like. Their credentials? Yes. You need that to work with clients or you to learn or whatever it is. But. But that's not what builds up a personality or a brand or a business. It's never about the credential. You don't just get the credential and become whatever.

Right? 100%. No. Because, you know, you can have many credentials, but doesn't make you good at what you do. You know, it's the passion behind it. To really help people and to serve people is what makes you great or.

Approachable or an appealing. Because I think those are the other two things that miss. You could be the best in the world at something. But if you're not approachable or appealing or aspirational, people are 100% right.

You have, you've got to, you've got to have that appeal to people. And here's the thing is if you don't know who you are in your space and what makes you special, most people don't understand their assets. And that's another big thing that I dive into, is grabbing your assets and pulling those to the forefront.

Okay.

And those are that, those are the things that make you special. You know, a singer, like you said, you're a singer or a coach, you can have. You can be really good at what you do. But again, if you don't know what makes you special at those things, you're just another talent. You're just another gift. What makes you powerful? What is that special gift that you have that other people don't have that makes you so special, so good?

So, so do you, when you work with. How does somebody work with you? Like, do they. Do you work one on one? Do you have a team that does this? Like, what's the process if someone wants like to work with you because obviously you're very knowledgeable at this and you've produced Rockstar brand. So how does it, how does that work? Like do you have programs, books, tools? How does that work?

Yeah, we, I've been, I mean I've had big teams, I've had small teams and right now we, we have like different areas that we work. On my website, there's like different ones because we do big workshops, we do one on one. We do a lot of different kinds of things. And I like everybody else, I'm going online to be able to help massive amounts of people, which that should be launched, you know, very quickly in the next month. So helping people, you know, there's different ways to help people. So one on one is right now is our main source of how we. Because here's the thing. I love online work. I love being able to help people in the masses. But if you really want a brand that is going to stand out above the rest, you've got to have one on one. You just do. How can I get to know you if I don't get to work with you one on one? There's just no possible way. And I have a team of people to also help me. But at the end of the day, I have to be the person that gets to know you because that's my gift.

I get it. You know, I get it. Okay. I have some like kind of rapid fire questions of things that are coming up. So I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna. Okay. And there they might be a little all over the place, but just so many things that have come up from this conversation. First the person that's listening that is hiding a big secret like you were, that you were gay. What advice would you give them? Because nobody feels good hiding that big secret. What would advice would you give them?

Own your shit, own your story. Own the pain, own the hurts. Own whatever you are going through. Because the other side of that is so powerful. Don't hide behind it, don't mask it. And if you're hiding, people won't trust you. And they don't even know why they don't trust you.

Oh, so powerful. That's so true. So true. Okay, the next thing is what advice or words of wisdom would you give to somebody that's hiding, that is feeling like they've let their family down? Because that's a big one for you, that you, that you went through like you have. I'm sure that still feels hard, like your dad wanted you a certain way. He was a pastor. Like how. What advice would you give around that?

Yeah, my dad still tells me that I missed my calling. He still thinks that I should be a pastor, which I feel like I am to the world, helping people, just in a different way. But I say that you can't live your life for anybody else. You cannot live your life under the rule and thumb and thought process of another person, another human being. You have to do what's in your heart and in your soul and go after it. Because at the end of the day, when you go after something that is powerful to you and you do it really well, you just gave them, it makes them go, okay, you did your thing.

I'm proud of you.

And even if they're not proud of you, you did your own thing. And all you can be is proud of yourself, worry about yourself. Quit worrying about what other people think about you. Because I wouldn't be here today if I thought about what other people thought.

Yeah.

Cared about what other people thought of me. I would not be. Because I'm telling you, I face depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, heavily. People don't know that about me. They always look at Jonathan. Oh, he's the strong one. Let me just tell you, those were some very painful, dark moments in my life, all growing up with what I went through. Do not live underneath somebody else's rule. And what they think is good for your life.

So good. So good. What would you tell somebody that's facing discrimination around who they really are? Like, what? You went there. I know this was 2001 that that happened to you, but what advice would you give somebody when that happens?

Number one, approach everything with love. Always approach things with love and kindness and care. And that's. I have been discriminated against. But let me just tell you, I would say 99.9% of the time I have won because of my love towards people. I don't get angry, I don't get mad at people. I don't get hateful. Because I feel like when you're being discriminated against, people just lack the knowledge and the wisdom. And when you can educate somebody through love, it changes the whole dynamic of the situation. It changes that person. And my goal is to help people change and to see things differently. And so that's who I am. And if you can't do that, then I say, you better stand strong for yourself. And again, trust me, I'm not weak. I don't sit there and just take it from somebody. I'll stand up for myself. But I also Approach it in love.

Do you think anyone can become a brand, can be a rockstar brand? Like, could anyone that has a talent do that?

100%. I don't care who you are. If you want to be a mom who has an organizational business, I mean, and you're like, want to share that and start doing that because you love to organize and you're really good at it 100%. You can do that. If somebody is not considered to have the rock star body, but you still want to teach fitness because you're being the healthiest version of yourself. You're going to feed into someone what you are good at, what you are passionate about is going to help someone. And that is the only thing that you need to worry about. You can't worry about trying to hit the masses, only the people. And this is why I say clarity is king, is that you got to know who you want to reach. Why are you wanting to reach those things? And when you understand that, then it can be so powerful.

You know, what's coming up for me so strong right now? I think a big reason. And tell me if I'm wrong. For sure. I think a big reason people struggle with building their brand or who they are like, is because they still are not being sharing who they are. They're still not being that authentic self. They're still hiding or trying to be for somebody else.

It's riddled in fear. Let me just tell you, when I started this journey three years ago to start, you know, branching out of music and working with the rest of the world, you know, those fears came in. Who am I? I'm not good enough. The imposter syndrome is a very real thing.

Yes.

And. And I literally started working with a speaker coach, and here I am. I can help anybody come up with their story, help them identify with it. But when it came to me, I had to have a coach because I was too attached to my own story, and I had to become comfortable. And I didn't want to talk about being gay. I did not. I was like, everything in my life was about being gay. I don't want to talk about that. I just want to be the guy. Right. I just want to be the expert at what I do. And they're like, jonathan, you got to tell your why of how you even got to this place. And I said, I know. I would tell everybody else the same thing.

Oh, my gosh.

I could not do that for myself. And I had to figure out a way to be able to tell my story that made sense. To me so that I could really truthfully and vulnerably and authentically tell my story to the world so that you know, so that it was. And you know, my story is intentional. I tell my story now that I can do it intentionally so that I can let other people realize, Listen, I may seem successful to you and I may help everybody else be successful, but I was just like you at one point in time. I didn't know who I was. I had the fear of not being good enough. And I truly want to anyone who is listening to remember this, that if you are not stepping into your power, if you are not stepping into your greatness, you are not only doing yourself a disservice, but you are also robbing me of my blessings. We need you. We need what you have to offer the world.

So good. Yeah, I could listen to you all day. You are so motivating and I love how you fully stepped into turning your pain into purpose. And I think people are so lucky to work with you and I can tell that you just fully care and give so much to them. Where do people go to find you and learn more?

Unleash your rockstar.com okay. @Jonathan George.com it all goes to the same place. I'm on all social media. I love people. I've been rebellious against social media because of all the stupid algorithms.

I get it.

So much work in Instagram and followers. It makes me so angry.

Zagnabit.

So I've been rebellious. But no, I'm on all social media and I love, I love hearing from people. Also, my book, Unleash youh Rockstar, I.

Just saw that on your site.

Yes, yes. So please go and you sign up and you'll be the first ones to get it. And I'm going to be giving out for free first month to the people who have supported me and followed me.

So amazing.

And yes, because I really believe. Again, you know, we've talked about like creating expert brands, but I believe that every human being should have a personal brand. Yeah, it just builds the confidence in you. It creates you. Knowing who you are and how to show up in the world. I mean, if you're dating, you're showing up on a dating site. My God, know who you are, know what your brand is. Know it's, it's about who you are, just authentically you, so that you can be attracted to people that you want to be attracted to you. So good you know who you calling in. So I just believe, and this book is about that it's not about becoming the expert. It's about unleashing your rock star in the world so that you can be powerful at whatever it is that you're what's calling you.

Can't wait to read that. Thank you so much Jonathan.

Thank you so much.

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SA.