Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacy Cunningham.
Jacy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Where do I begin? From the age of 16, I knew that my passions extended far beyond the playing fields. Having grown up in a family of athletes, I always felt pressured to perform on the field, or the court, or the weight room.
The tasks required to become an elite athlete can be very grueling for a teenager, no matter how many times the world reminds us that kids aren’t just kids and adults aren’t just adults. In 2006, I left home to attend Miami University (Ohio), where the dream was to push my body hard enough to receive the greatest reward of becoming an NFL player. Now, before I continue let me preface you with some information regarding my HS.
I attended Landon School, in Bethesda, MD, where I would come face to face with the ills of cultural division and class separation. Landon School is one of the most prestigious (and confusing) private schools on the east coast and in my days predominantly white. Filled with the children of your board directors, accomplished authors, real estate moguls, and grocery store owners.
The environment was much different than what I was accustomed to, and as I continued to navigate the social sphere of the school, I found myself becoming more and more distant from my home situation. I was in the crux of an identity crisis and didn’t even know it. I began staying away from home longer and longer, distancing myself from the reality of my own life which didn’t compare to the lavish lifestyles of my peers. Let’s just say that HS was a very tough place for me.
Although I excelled at sports, I couldn’t figure out why my friends had all of these nice things (cars, mansions, etc.) and I didn’t. Now let’s jump back to the college days. Miami University would serve as the breeding grounds for a lot of my perspective shifts. I began exploring the depth of human socialization. Quit football. Joined a fraternity (Phi Gamma Delta). Partied my face off. Experimented with psychedelics. Stopped attending classes. And eventually left Oxford, Ohio, to return home to Fort Washington, MD.
The summer of 2007, I enrolled in Community College to find my way back to a university to continue my athletic pursuits. This journey still serves as one of my most proud moments. I didn’t let my decisions made at Miami determine the rest of my journey. If anything leaving Ohio forced me to face my shadow and shine more and more light upon it until it returned to its original essence. Summer of 2008, I signed a football scholarship to Howard University in Washington, DC. Here is where I experienced my most significant awakening within my life awareness. Whereas at Landon I felt alienated and obtuse, here at Howard I felt at home, I felt safe.
If Landon was a handshake, Howard was a hug, a grandmother’s hug. I would go on to play four years of football and graduate with an Economics degree in 2011. After college, I continued to pursue football, eventually throwing in the towel early 2012. No one prepares you for the day when you say bye to the one thing you spent the majority of your time on. For months following my exit from football, I dabbled in and out of states of depression. I couldn’t tell you the amount of times I sat up in the middle of the night thinking of ways to numb the pain.
Without my sports identity, who was I? That question would haunt me for years to come until I reconnected with a dear friend of mine, Elliot Bisnow, who at the time was working on his dream project, Summit Series. One dinner with him would lead me upon a journey into the unknown territory of community building. Summit Series would serve as a launching pad for my personal brand and more importantly my personal growth. Nestled in Ogden Valley of Eden, UT is where I spent 2013-2017.
Living, working, creating, skiing (well not me, of course), and just simply being. It also the birthplace of The Jacy Method. My gift to the world. The Jacy Method is my articulation of all that I have experienced in my 30 years of thriving. It takes you through all of my journeys in an hour or more and offers you an opportunity at looking yourself in the mirror and embracing each and every nook and cranny of your being. You will dance, sing, scream, cry, and hug your way into a reality you love and honor. It has created space for abundance in ME. I have served so many wonderful humans with the method.
Even spending a year with Mike Posner on tour; helping him, the band, and crew own each day. Nowadays, The Jacy Method can be found traveling the globe with the mission of spreading as much positivity, connection, and joy as possible. One day I may be motivating Red Bull’s Brand activation for 30 mins, and another day I may be speaking on a panel about why there’s a lack of color in the wellness industry.
We are not one thing. We are ALL things. WE ARE ONE.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been both smooth and rough. When I am honoring my path through my daily commitment to living a life I love, I follow my spirit. When this happens, it becomes difficult for me to find and establish the struggles of my life. But let’s face it., struggles exist. To be frank, my romantic struggles because of my lifestyle and my finances are always fluctuating because my work hasn’t blown up just yet.
Please tell us about The Jacy Method.
The Jacy Method offers a variety of services. From the hour-long class, itself, to on-site Corporate Motivation/Activation. If there’s anything I specialize in, it’s spreading joy. I’m known for cultivating the right energy to break people open and offer them a glimpse of who they truly are not the rehearsed story they tell themselves and the world.
As a company, I/WE are most proud of working with DJ Jazzy Jeff this past summer for his DJ retreat titled Playlist Retreat. I was so honored to be there and share the space with some of my favorite musicians. Masego, Sango, Xavier Omar, just to name a few. But these guys are my favorite contemporary musicians/artists.
Being around such musical talent was breathtaking and then having these same guys in my class and my panel was such an honor. What sets us apart from others is our energy.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Favorite memory from my childhood is dancing at my grandfather’s funeral. Up to that point, my family assumed that I was pretty quiet but that all changed once the music began. I was spinning on my head, doing moves no-one in my family thought possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thejacymethod.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacycunningham/
Image Credit:
Steven Wood
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