Three Years of Living: Jason Tharp’s Journey from Brain Cancer to Hope and Transformation

In this special episode of the BHP Podcast, Jason Tharp marks three years since his brain cancer diagnosis with a powerful solo episode. Jason shares his inspiring journey of overcoming adversity, embracing self-acceptance, and finding hope in the face of life’s greatest challenges. Discover how Jason’s story can motivate you to take the first step towards your dreams, find resilience, and transform your life. Join Jason as he reflects on his path to self-discovery and the lessons learned along the way.

Key Themes and Discussions

Facing the Unknown:

•Jason opens up about the moment his life changed with a brain cancer diagnosis, highlighting how unexpected events can turn our world upside down. He emphasizes the importance of being prepared to face the unknown and making courageous choices.

The Anti-Guru Approach:

•Jason explains his mission to be known as the world’s best anti-guru, focusing on showing the path rather than claiming to have all the answers. He stresses that hope exists and it’s up to us to take action towards it.

The Journey of Self-Acceptance:

•Reflecting on his past, Jason talks about how he spent years on the sidelines of his life, filled with self-doubt and disbelief. The diagnosis became a wake-up call, leading him to start valuing himself and embracing his imperfections.

Breaking the Cycle of Self-Hatred:

•Jason shares how the diagnosis broke down years of self-hatred and disbelief, and how he decided to prove the doctors wrong by taking bold steps towards his dreams. He encourages listeners to challenge their own limiting beliefs and take control of their lives.

Finding Hope in Vulnerability:

•Jason discusses the power of vulnerability and how sharing his story has helped him feel seen and supported. He encourages listeners to be brave enough to share their own struggles and find connection through vulnerability.

Hope as a Strategy:

•Jason emphasizes that hope is not just a feeling but a strategy that can get us started on our journey. He explains that while hope alone is not enough, it is the foundation upon which we can build our actions and achieve our dreams.

Embracing Imperfection:

•Jason reflects on the importance of accepting our imperfections and learning from our mistakes. He reassures listeners that messing up is part of the process and that every lesson lies in the mistakes we make.

The Power of Gratitude:

•Jason talks about the transformative power of gratitude and how being grateful for the small things can change our perspective. He encourages listeners to find one thing to be grateful for each day.

CONNECT WITH JASON:

✩ Website - https://www.jasontharp.com
✩ BHP - https://www.beyondhopeproject.com
✩ Beyond Hope Project Podcast - https://www.jasontharp.com/podcast
✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wondervillestudios/
✩ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wondervillestudios
✩ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thepowerupproject?_t=8e4jxMT9QFP&_r=1
✩ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/beyondhopeproject

OFFICIAL SHOP & BOOKSTORE:

📚 https://www.jasontharp.com/shop

MEET JASON:

Hi, I’m Jason!
Ever since I was six, I knew I was born to tell stories. As a best-selling author, illustrator, and sought-after speaker, I've turned my personal battles with grade four brain cancer, obesity, and negative self-talk into fuel for transformation. My keynotes don't just talk—they spark potential, ignite creativity, and build resilience. If you're ready for an engaging experience that challenges the status quo and propels your organization to new heights, let's turn your 'impossible today' into 'possible tomorrow' together!

For more information or to partner with me - https://www.jasontharp.com/bookjason

Transcript

Hey, guys, it's Jason, and welcome to the Beyond Hope Project. So I'm just going to be honest with you. I've tried to record this episode now. I don't know how many times it's been a lot What makes it unusual is usually on a set. Just hit the button and just go. Well, Joe usually hits the button and I just go Shout out, Joe. Sorry, I'm recording this without you. it's important to do this episode for everybody out there, because somebody might be just like I was three years ago. Where everything was completely normal. Everything. And what you may not know is that tomorrow could bring something that flips your whole world upside down. And you're going to have to make choices that you never could have imagined that you'd have to make. So that's why this is important. The goal of this one more than any other episode that I put out, is that I want you to hear yourself in my story. This is not me telling you. I have it all figured out. If anything, by now I hope that you realize that I'm so anti guru that at the top of my business plan, is that I want to be known as the world's best anti guru. I just want to show you that there's a path that hope exist right now, but it's up to you to take the action towards that. for a long time. I sit on the bench of my life watching it go by, thinking I had it all together, thinking that I had it all figured out in the meanwhile, just fooling myself, never really accepting the things that were part of what I wanted to be. As something that was actually possible for me. The weird part was how much that awakening missed me. probably one of the hardest things for me to understand is, and still to this day, is why I took a brain tumor for me to wake up to my life. We always hear these stories about magic existing in those moments when we don't really know what to do. I've had plenty of those. I didn't feel like there was magic when I weighed £400 and I couldn't leave the house. even when I lost £200, I didn't feel like I somehow figured out what the magic was. I started a business and failed. Didn't feel the magic then. Then, on the brink of foreclosure, I decided that it was time to start living the dream. Start telling the stories I wanted to always say, That's success with that. I got to write lots of books. 23. Didn't feel magical, though. It felt like there was never signs, but. This is the beauty of a brain tumor. And you really get to look back with hindsight. There's been signs all along it was just me that chose to ignore them. I didn't pay attention to the fact that every day they were showing up. Because I didn't value myself enough. It was a stranger. A doctor that. Within 2 minutes of knowing, he told me I'd be dead in seven months. That shook that foundation. That change at all. Now, the crazy thing is, I don't ever want to interact with that doctor again. But just like the brain tumor, I'm so grateful for them. What they did was they broke down a foundation of years and years and years of self-hatred, disbelief and any sort of possibilities for me. In my stubbornness, I decided that I was going to break all those impossible. Not out of a reason. And I'm going to prove it wrong to them. But out of this weird question that got me out of so many other times. What if I'm wrong? What if they're wrong? What if I could be the one that makes a difference? That's what I set out to do. It was simple. I had no clue what I was going to start with. I just knew that I was going to beat seven months. And then I'm going to string it together and string together and string together. Because if I'm going to be somebody that beats this thing, I need to act like somebody that's going to beat this. So I addressed everything. There's no secret to all this stuff. You may look at the things I do and think that somehow I've got it all figured out. But I'm just like you. Somebody that gets afraid of stuff. I'm somebody that questions a lot of things. I'm scared to death of the unknown. And I have doubts, too. I always question anybody, especially out there in this world, is telling you that they don't have doubts. Because they do. In my experience, those people were trying to sell me something. thinking that they have the bandaid I'm looking for. But trust me, it doesn't exist. The Band-Aid that you're looking for, there's only one place to find it. And it's by sitting down to get to know yourself. So in 712, 20, 21, everything changed. It was just like every other day. But then it all went blank. I learned later that I had a seizure and the MRI revealed that I had a grade four glioblastoma brain cancer. I don't ever really remember recalling why me? But I do remember having this fierce drive that I was going to prove it wrong. And I don't know if that was just out of pure ignorance or just out of all the things that I've been told that I would never be able to do that I've done, or just a combination of all those things. And what I realized more than anything is that everything that I've done up until this point that everybody else would tell me was imperfections and that I was failing and even myself that I decided that I was failing all turned out to be the things that I knew would get me through this thing that I was now facing. It's kind of weird when you think about it. So I ask you this question, those things that you're wanting to do, how many times somebody else told you that you could you maybe just think of yourself as a failure or you think there's no way that any stuff's possible for you. And you've sat on the sidelines of your life on this bench, waiting for this path to show up. And, you know, the path is right in front of you. Everybody else keeps walking by. It's like you're waiting for a clearing. You're waiting for nobody to see you step into those things. Because if they see me, they might judge me. I got a newsflash for you. They're going to judge you regardless. They're going to judge you because they wish they could be you. They're going to judge you because they're not able to do the things you do. they're just going to judge you because that's what people do. See, fear is a loud, loud voice. And it'll stop you from doing so many things. But inside there is also love. And if you could figure out a way to let that love part shine through, you'll find something about yourself that very few get a chance to do. Now the world is full of stories about people that was dying or diagnosed with some crazy cancer and finally decided to live. I remember Steven Press Field's book, The War of Art. He even talks about it in there about how many people will be diagnosed with cancer. and decides that they want to open a Tex Mex restaurant. And they do and they've never felt better. And guess what? The cancer go into remission. I never thought that would apply to me. This is exactly what happened. On 712 last year, I launched this debate behind our project. Back then. It was called the Power Project. It has since Evolved one 1111. Last year we decided to call it the Beyond Hope Project. Hope is an amazing place to start, but it won't do anything for you if you don't have the courage to begin. And that's what it takes. Sometimes it just takes that ability to get off that bench. Just wonder. Like What if what if you could be the one to make a difference? What if those things that you're dreaming of aren't crazy after all? What if you're just one step away from having everything you've ever wanted? What if you could avoid getting a brain tumor or a heart attack or diabetes or any of the other crap that we have going on in our world? What if you realized that we're all actually pretty similar? We're all connected and as a whole we can really help each other out if we learn how to just talk with each other instead of judging or thinking that the other person does something wrong. If we just realize that we're all just trying to get through life without messing up. And that's all you're trying to do. Not mess up. And when you do mess up, realize it's just normal. Sometimes the lesson is in the messing up In fact, I would argue that every time the lesson is in messing up. It's what you do with that afterwards. If you are a person that sits there and thinks that your whole life is nothing but a mess up, you're wrong. Be brave enough to accept that you might not be as perfect as you think you are. And that's perfectly fine. Nobody wants. Perfect. Because if you were perfect, what's the point? Life wouldn't be as amazing then. You wouldn't have moments that take your breath away. Moments that shock you to the core, that makes you go like, I can't believe that I got to see that. This last three years has filled my life with all of those moments. And it's crazy to think that I might have missed them all. If it wasn't. For that stupid tumor. And if it wasn't for that doctor. Was zero empathy in any ability to have a human connection. To shake me. What I would love for you to take from this episode, Is that? There's nothing wrong with you. Maybe you've spent so much time beating yourself up that you don't even know where to begin when it comes to giving yourself a compliment. The thought of giving yourself any sort of love is just some sort of foreign idea that is remained for somebody else, but not for you. I feel that. I was there to. But there's something I want to remind you of. Every day. You get the reset. The only one carrying yesterday into today is you. Most of the people you interact with within a couple of days, they're going to move on to their own problems. They're going to forget the things that you've done or said or whatever. Anything you're hanging on to is on you. So many times we get caught up in our thinking, not realizing that the thought we had was just the thought. We're the ones that are spinning out of control. Thinking that somehow if I keep thinking about it enough, that eventually the thought will turn into an answer. And that's not true. Because all we do is spend tales We want our life to be perfect. Here's  a news flash it already is. The fact that you woke up today. And this is hitting your ears. Is proof. That's your special. Not that many people got to do that. So you said on this bench your life. Waiting for the opportunity to step into what seems like. A crazy amount of unknown. Take this piece of advice. Your life is waiting for you to live it. You don't have to wait for permission from anybody. To be everything that you've ever wanted to be. For you, for your family. For the people you love or maybe just helping somebody else. This is where the gratitude comes in. And I know I'm getting emotional as hell during this whole episode, and it has nothing to do with sadness. That's that's the coolest part of all of it. Because the thing that's been the hardest for the three years for me. Why did I wait so long to meet this version of myself? When it's been here all along. But it was me that chose to ignore it. And blame other people. And it wasn't their fault. They were just living their lives. But it was so much easier for me to blame them than it was for me to accept the responsibility that it was me that was making up the stories and not all of them. That's the beauty of hindsight, right? Here's the cool part, though. You have people like me that are willing to share this stuff with you. I can tell you right now. That. Everything that you've ever thought you couldn't be is. Is possible. That you're going to be filled with naysayers. You're going to have people around you that are going to tell you what you can and can't do. But you're going to have also the yaysayers, the ones that will be cheering you on. Those are the people that when you get to the end of your goal, you're going to realize that they've been there all along. And you took it for granted. And they are going to need an apology. They're just going to basically say that they knew you could do it all along. Because I think for a lot of us just looking for answers, we're looking for somebody to tell us that it's okay. It's okay to be you. It's okay to be different than everybody else. It's okay to not want to do the same thing as everybody else does. And it's okay to tell a doctor or anybody else that they're wrong about your life, that their predictions about your life have nothing to do with you and everything to do with their inability to wrap their tiny thinking around your massive thoughts. And just because somebody tells you how something is going to go doesn't mean that's the way it is going to go. There's bravery and boldness. Your courage will be rewarded. Understand that not everything will happen on your timeline and you may be ahead of the universe's timeline. Chill out. Take a breath. Then look around. See one thing. Do it right now. Just look around. Wherever you are right now. Look at one thing that you can be grateful for. The blows your mind that you get to see that. It's pretty cool. So tomorrow is going to be three years and it's wild stuff. Three years. And I've been all clear. I've been in better shape than I've ever been in my life, which is crazy. This is what I wish I had looked like when I was in my twenties, But if there's any parting things that I can give you all to think about as a wrap up this. This this podcast. Is it really a podcast this time or just more of a a me just kind of dumping everything out here. I don't know. Something tells me somebody is going like this. But the thing I want you to know is that hope is a strategy. I've heard so many people say that hope is not a strategy. Hope doesn't mean anything But I will tell you right now, hope is definitely a strategy. Where they get it wrong is they think that that's the only thing you need to do. But hope is the thing that will get you started. It's the post in the ground that says it can be done. But it's going to require you to take that step. So if today you find yourself at that familiar crossroads sitting on that bench. Holding up all the reasons why. Like a giant backpack weighing you down. I encourage you to let go of that. To step into the unknown, as scary as it can be. And take that first brave step towards yourself. Because in that step toward yourself, you're going to find you. And all the things that you thought that you hated about yourself. They kind of become your cheerleader. They kind of. Welcome you to your life. Because once you can learn how to quiet that voice of your ego mind, that's telling you all the reasons why you should stay. You realize that love is right there. It's been waiting for you. Hand outstretched. Helping you step that first foot into that path of everything you ever wanted. This is where you get to pick up the map and start drawing your own path. And there's lots of us waiting to see the amazing stuff that you create. The only question left to answer is. Are you brave enough to take the first step? I really hope this helps. And then it reaches somebody. And if it does, I'd love to hear from you. And if it didn't, that's cool to. So the mission isn't to tell people how to do things. It's to help you see yourself in my story that there is a path and you should walk down it. And you're going to stumble just like everybody else. But I want you to think that you failed. Instead, what's happened is the path is moved. So if you know two people. That could benefit from this. I need your help to spread this hope and transformation. This is my mission. my wakeup call. And I'm not ignoring this awakening this time. And I have found magic in it. But I need your help. So, guys. Tomorrow when I wake up. It's going to be three years and it's awesome. I'm grateful. for all these out you out there that are going through life, struggling to figure things out, I just want you to know you're doing a good job. And maybe you haven't heard it for a while, but. You are loved. You are supported. It's hard. Being human life is difficult, sometimes showing great. Thanks for being here. Thanks for sharing this world with me. And I know you might not know me. But I think you're pretty awesome. I hope this helps. Power up.

Jason Tharp: Hey, everyone. Jason again. Did you know that we have a newsletter? And it's free and it doesn't sell you a thing. And I create a comic for it every week, which is pretty cool, too. It's a lot of fun. But I would encourage you to go over to JasonTharp.com Tharp.com. Sign up for the newsletter. And if you know somebody that could benefit from this stuff, please share it. I'm looking for two people. Two people that know two people to help build this bridge between hope and transformation My goal is to make sure that everybody realizes that they're not in this alone, that they're in it together with all of us. Help me spread the hope.