Jack Wagoner
Most students have no idea what they're capable of. They've never tested it.
Most students have no idea what they're capable of. They've never tested it.
The talk
Students decide who they're going to be before they have any proof about themselves. Pick a major. Pick a pathway. Write a plan. All of it from a chair.
Some questions you can't think your way into.
You have to act your way in.
One small action makes evidence. Evidence makes self trust. Self trust buys a bigger attempt. That's the mechanism, and almost nobody shows it to them.
One name. One move. One night.
That's the whole ask.
Three moves. Each one proved with a story and a piece of research. It ends with every student writing down one thing and doing it before they go to bed that night.
Three years ago I was in a high school hallway too. I had good grades, was pretty good at sports, and some close friends. I knew I wanted to do something big with my life but I had no clue what that meant. I had absolutely no idea how much I could do by acting instead of waiting to figure it out first. This is the 45 minutes I needed then.
You already have the slot. Orientation, RA training, a first-year seminar. What's usually missing is the part students act on after they walk out. (I know, I'm a student.)
About
At 16 I moved to France alone. No English around me, no safety net. By 17 I was fluent, running an online business and managing a team of four.
I hit everything I'd set out to hit, and I felt worse than before I started. So I started a podcast to ask people who'd gone further than me whether it happened to them too. Neuroscientists, bestselling authors, founders. Two years and 155 episodes later, I have an answer, and it's the talk.
We don't need to sacrifice our relationships for success. We don't need to sacrifice our peace for ambition. Nobody tells students that.
It lands coming from me because I'm 19 and sitting in the same room they are.
I study behavioral neuroscience at Northeastern. I stood in the red circle at TEDx. And twice a week I still sit down with someone who knows more than I do.
Stay grateful, stay hungry.
Proof
A private, invite-only mastermind I host and facilitate. Bestselling authors, founders and executives, in one room, phones down.
July 2026. Chris Schembra, Chester Elton, Cynthia Kersey, Blaine Bartlett, Jim Britt, Jobert Abueva, Todd Cherches and others. These are the messages they sent afterwards, unprompted.
Jack, thank you for bringing us all together. It was an honor to be able to slow down and learn / unlearn from y'all. Thanks for helping me remember I'm worth receiving.
It's wonderful being around so many people committed to gratitude and generosity. Feel like I'm in gratitude heaven. Count me in for the next gathering.
Thanks for creating this space, Jack. Great to be in the presence of brilliance.
It was an absolute honor to be in the room with such amazing people, and I'm looking forward to what the future may hold.
Kudos to everyone for a great call. Jack, thank you for organizing this, and I look forward to the next edition.
The work
I get to work with executives at Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Inmar and nVent through the 7:47 Club. I host a private mastermind with bestselling authors in the room. I stood in the red circle at TEDx in London.
I've hosted over 820 gratitude experiences in the last 10 years. I've worked with thousands of leaders across hundreds of organizations. And I'm telling you, this kid has something that can't be taught.
Where the research comes from
Twice a week I sit down with someone who knows more than I do about why ambitious people feel the way they feel. Everything in the talk came out of one of these conversations.
155 episodes · top 2.5% of podcasts globally · 300,000+ views a month
See the show & guestsBooking
Tell me about your event and I'll come back within 24 hours with which of the two I'd run and why. If I'm not right for your students, I'll say so.
Or just email me
Free this semester while I build campus footage. Real offer, real expiry.