Who is Jason Vitug? My Journey of Transformation

Who is Jason Vitug?

I know you came here to learn more about Jason Vitug. You want to understand who I am, what I do, and why I am on your radar.

I am glad you’re here.

So, who am I?

I am a “people-person.” I gravitate toward areas that motivate, inspire, and uplift people. I’m an idea man, a go-to-person, an adventure seeker, a couch surfer, a helper and a leader, a realist and a dreamer. I am as complex as one can be. I’m a man with conflicting thoughts and views that have given me the ability to see the best in any situation and in everyone. I believe in the power one has to control one’s life.

I believe in the power of the mind and the law of the universe to make anything a reality. I’ve been called lucky, but cleaning toilets is not a distant memory. I’m a microloan philanthropist focused on self-sufficiency and a serial entrepreneur bent on world sustainability. I’m a filmmaker capturing history and a writer blogging curiosity.

I’m fascinated by the world around me and equally curious about the untold wonders above. I’ve been to all 50 states in the Union and visited 41 countries in five continents.

At my core, I was always curious about how things worked and how I fit into all of it.

But like many others, I was taught a set path to success and happiness.

I followed the traditional path, becoming highly educated (with an MBA), climbed the corporate ladder, and achieved many of the consumer-centric measurements of success. But it left me dissatisfied, unhappy, miserable, and ultimately unsure of myself.

I did all the mental gymnastics to say everything was okay. I pushed through it. I set more goals. I got more achievements. I hustled. I suppressed. I gaslighted myself into believing everything was fine: keep busy with work, make more money, buy more things, and keep my schedule filled so I am distracted from my thoughts.

I found myself mentally exhausted and emotionally drained.

That was until the mental agony that I easily hid manifested itself physically. I could no longer pretend nothing was wrong. I became sick. I was lethargic. I couldn’t get out of bed.

I underwent blood tests and evaluations to determine what was wrong. They all came back negative. But, my doctors were telling me I was clearly suffering…from something.

Stress? Exhaustion? Fatigue?

What was making me ill?

With the advice of my doctor at Stanford Medical, I changed my diet and my lifestyle. I needed to be more mindful of the meat I consumed (2x a day, 7 days a week). I also needed to get my body moving after spending so many waking hours sitting in a chair, whether behind my desk or on an airplane, flying to another company location.

I thought I was getting a handle on my stress.

I took yoga. It helped. It wasn’t easy. It was challenging because it forced me to be in my body and sit with my thoughts. Both of which were uncomfortable.

I remember one yoga class I took after work. I had just spent 90 minutes through an intense hot yoga flow, and all I had to do was lay on my mat (savasana) and allow my body to melt onto the floor.
With my eyes closed and my body exhausted, I felt myself melting. Or so I thought. My yoga teacher gently touched my shoulder and said let this go. As he applied light pressure, my legs began to shake.

I knew at that point yoga, something I enjoyed and certainly helped, had become a distraction from the problem.

But what was the problem I was grappling with?

When I had spent my entire life saying everything was okay and pushing through the messiness, it had an effect of clouding my ability to see what ailed me.

Something had to change.

I started working from home most days and began calling out more often. I knew I wasn’t working at my previous levels. But, then again, working at those levels is what got me feeling something wrong.

My CEO knew something was different. But, since I was a go-getter executive who loved challenging work, I might be inspired by a more challenging role. I was offered the successor CEO route.

I was flattered. Excited. I was also confused and felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

My initial reaction to my boss (who is still a friend today) was saying these words, “I think I’m going to quit.”

The truth: I was burned out.

I’m your typical high-achiever. The employee who gets “above expectations.” The person who does their job well and seeks more and rarely says no to more work. Someone who shows the team nothing is wrong: all is good. That is until they hand in their resignation letter. (I’ve learned through the years how companies focus on employees who are below expectations with action plans but fail to create a path for their very best employees to prevent burnout.)

I did the unthinkable.

I quit my executive job. And I found myself backpacking through 20 countries in 12 months. I had many life-changing experiences and thought-provoking conversations. I was finally letting go of who I thought I was to discover who I was meant to be.

In 2012, I left my career and home to reset myself. After returning in 2013, I learned how to define my purpose and funnel my passion into helping others in an area I had struggled with…money. I successfully crowdfunded phroogal, raising $78,501 from 541 people.

I wish I could tell you everything was great after leaving the traditional path, but that wouldn’t be true. It’s been challenging. But the challenge is where we see what we’re made of, right?

The entrepreneurial journey that has defined the last ten years of my life has mirrored much of my corporate climbing years of the previous ten years. I’ve learned how easy it is to fall back on patterns. To choose achievements over fulfillment. To focus on profits, not purpose. To repeat past mistakes because I haven’t truly mastered the lessons.

But I am learning. 

I am growing.

Maya Angelou’s quote rings true for me: Do the best you can until you know better. And when you know better, do better.

Fortunately, I know better now.

I wouldn’t be the person I am today, have done the things I have, seen places I only dreamed about, or met the people who’ve changed my life if I had stayed on the traditional path.

My journey continues.

It’s still filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, surprises and challenges. But it’s also filled with joy. Laughter. It’s filled with abundance. It is filled with travel. It’s filled with happiness. 

And I am filled with hope.

That is what it means to live because my journey hasn’t ended. It’s hope that I have more days ahead to figure things out. To grow beyond what I am today.

Living is about growth and transformation.

This is the core of what I share in my talks and conversations at events and conferences. It’s what the heart of the books I’ve written. 

Okay, so you came here wanting to know who Jason Vitug is? Who am I, really? 

There’s a lot to cover. So many more stories to share. So many details are left out in this article. In time, I’ll write more and share more. In the meantime, you can read some of my articles here and subscribe to my newsletter.

If you’ve read this long, I congratulate you. I hope this felt like a meditative exercise. I hope it’s made you think and maybe inspired you to do something different today.

I look forward to meeting you one day, in person, at an activity, or a random place on earth.

Yours in the journey,
XOJ

Below are some of the other things you might want to know about me:

Jason Vitug is a bestselling author, having written 3 financial wellness books, is a 3x award-winning creator, and sought-after keynote speaker. He’s a financial motivator, lifestyle engineer, curiosity follower, wellness advocate, and entrepreneur. 

Jason is the CEO of Javitusa Media, founder of phroogal, a financial marketplace helping thousands of people find the best money apps and tools, and the founder behind Smile Money, a financial education platform empowering a generation to live well through access, knowledge, and community.

Jason promotes The Smile Lifestyle movement to inspire you to live more experiential and purposeful lives. He incorporates the principles of the 8 wellness dimensions in his talks on personal development, career, travel, and entrepreneurship.

Jason received his bachelor’s at Rutgers University and MBA at Norwich University, along with certificates in project management at Villanova University. And holds the Psychology of Financial Planning certification and is a certified yoga teacher and breathwork specialist.You can read more of his achievements here.

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