In this episode of Becoming, Bubba Page sits down with former Major League Baseball pitcher Jay Jackson for an inspiring conversation about mindset, faith, fatherhood, and choosing to smile through whatever life throws at you.



Jay spent 17 years in professional baseball, grinding eight long years in the minors before his big-league debut and pitching across the United States, Japan, and Latin America. But his story runs deeper than the stat line. He opens up about the mindset his father instilled in him, his son JR's premature birth and long road home from the NICU, and how leaning on God helped him find the lesson and the positive in every trial.



They discuss:
• A 17-year pro baseball journey and eight years in the minors before the majors
• The mental game his father taught him as a student of the game
• Turning setbacks into speed bumps instead of roadblocks
• Failing forward and compounding the positive
• His son JR's premature birth and the family's NICU journey
• Leaning on God and asking what each trial is meant to teach
• How to calm your nerves and perform in the big moment
• Retiring to be more present as a father
• Mentoring the next generation on and off the field
• The SMILE philosophy: Start Making Intentional Life Efforts


About Jay Jackson:
Jay Jackson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who spent 17 years in professional baseball, including time with the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins, along with years playing in Japan. Known as "Smiley J," he is the author of Nine Innings to Living Your Best Life and the founder of the Smile Zone, a book, workbook, and app platform that mentors young athletes in the mental game and in life beyond the field. SMILE stands for Start Making Intentional Life Efforts.


Learn more about Jay:
@jaxland58 on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube
The Smile Zone app: smilezone.app


Subscribe for more conversations on fatherhood, faith, family, fitness, and personal growth.


Becoming is a community dedicated to helping men and women become better leaders, husbands, and parents.


Connect with Bubba:
https://bubbapage.com


#Baseball #Mindset #Faith #Fatherhood #Perseverance #MLB #BubbaPage #JayJackson #Becoming


Bubba helps faith-driven parents, entrepreneurs, and leaders create more peace, clarity, and structure using the same family systems he uses to raise his 8 kids and build successful businesses.