Gig Soap

Chad Bourquin (00:01.302)
All right, hey, welcome to the first Gig Soap podcast. I'm really excited to be doing this. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time is tying in the multiple worlds that I'm in with entertainment, with music business, just personal development, all the things that I'm passionate about that I love to be part of.

thought that, what a cool way to get that out there a little bit more, maybe just, and pulling other people like our guest today is to just do this in a podcast. And what I love about the whole podcast platform is it's normally mostly an authentic podcast or format where we're just having discussions. There's not going to be any editing on these podcasts unless Corey just really says something bad.

Cory Jackson (00:55.876)
I'll try to tone it down today.

Chad Bourquin (00:59.038)
Yeah, I feel I fell off safe with my first guest but so Let's get right into it though. Cory Jackson is our guest today and Cory is been a friend for Probably getting close to a couple years. Maybe Cory Cory's a Musical artist songwriter. He was on The Voice. We'll talk about that a little bit as well

Hey, Corey is actually getting ready to start his own podcast too, which I want to talk about that too, Corey and just get into that. And then Corey is also, he's like all of us. He's, he has gone through struggles. He's, he's going through some things right now. He's, he's on the upside of this. And so love to have, you know, you share a little bit about that as well, but welcome to the show, Corey.

Cory Jackson (01:46.436)
Absolutely. Thanks for having me, man. I'm excited to be here and be the first guest for the Gig Soap Podcast. So, honor, man.

Chad Bourquin (01:53.73)
Yeah. Yeah, man. let's, let's talk a little bit first off. Let's just get a little history here. You know, we don't have to go too far back, but, you know, what, what, first of all, got you started in music.

Cory Jackson (02:09.358)
You know, the first thing that really got me started in music was my grandpa. And growing up, we would go to Silver Dollar City and to Branson and spend, I mean, quite a few days. We'd go like quite a few times a year. But I remember just loving bluegrass music, country music, but even the Haygoods and they kind of...

you know, did a mix of pop and all that kind of stuff too. And I was just a huge fan. I've always been a big fan of music, but it wasn't really until I was in my sophomore, junior year. think I was right in the middle of my sophomore year of high school. My grandpa had just retired from the heating and air business and he got a guitar, I think from Florida.

They would go to him and my grandma would go to Florida for a month when it was cold, like in like January or February. And I remember him coming back and him being like, man, I really want you to play guitar with me. And at first I was like, I don't know about that. And because I was more into sports and that kind of stuff at the time, and it kind of came down to I was like, you know what? If you'll help me pick out my very first guitar.

I'll play with you. And so that's what ended up happening. We went to like two different guitar shops that was in Jonesboro and I ended up finding one that I just really liked at Backbeat Music. And it was just a Fender acoustic guitar. And man, it was like when I got that.

I think I had been searching for that one thing that I loved because I kind of jumped around sports and nothing ever just really I'd do okay at them and be fine, but I was nothing just like grabbed me like that. I just loved but it was like when I got that guitar everything began to change and little did I know that it was going to kind of take over my life.

Chad Bourquin (04:30.892)
Yeah. So let's, let's, let's talk about how that happened. mean, you know, it's one thing to pick it up and just kind of learn a few cowboy chords, but at what point did vocals get involved and, and, and you start to excel.

Cory Jackson (04:45.181)
I think the cool thing is, is that I never, I never like felt pressured or,

you know, worried about like diving into that. It was like something that just happened. When I started playing the guitar, it was like, ooh, I know a couple chords now. What if I tried to write a song? And I always loved to sing in the shower. So I was like, oh, what if I tried to sing a song? And...

Me and you've kind of talked about this a little bit, but I think there's something just amazing and really special when we don't try to force something. And that wasn't forced. It just kind of happened.

Cory Jackson (05:43.97)
Yeah, was just, it all just started kind of pouring out once I picked up the guitar because I was just like, hey, what if I tried this? well, if I can do that, what if I tried this?

Chad Bourquin (05:58.094)
Yeah. You know, that's something that I think a majority of people don't ever experience. And it's not that they can't, I mean, but the idea of finding something where time disappears, you know, that's, I mean, I experienced the same thing when I started playing guitar. You know, I would work on these scales.

Cory Jackson (06:14.729)
yeah.

Chad Bourquin (06:23.882)
And these drills that were most people would think are the most boring things you could ever do. And I would do it for hours and I would, I would, I would work myself all the way up the neck. And if I made one little error, I'd make myself start over. And it was fun. mean, I loved it and time completely disappeared. So, so as you progressed, what, what was your first opportunity to sing in front of somebody?

Cory Jackson (06:41.411)
Yeah.

Cory Jackson (06:54.116)
My very first opportunity, it was kind of filled with really like sad and sad emotions actually. I was still in high school and there was two girls and a guy that were in a really bad car accident going to prom and two of the girls passed away.

the two girls passed away. And I was kind of close to one of them. Like I knew one of them from ever since preschool. And they were doing a fundraiser for them. And I was always the shy kid in school. I didn't like to be in front of people. I definitely did not like to read in class or get called on. And...

I remember going to that fundraiser and my cousin Audrey, she was kind of over some of the logistics and stuff of it. And they had a karaoke machine and it was in our auditorium in the high school. And so you could get up on the stage and do karaoke. my cousin, we used to like do skits and stuff to our parents and our family.

And she kind of encouraged me. She's like, come on, just come up here and you can see what song you like and you can try to sing it. And I was like, I was scared to death. But I was like, you know what? I'm just going to do it. And I, for some reason, I think my mom had gotten me like a Lionel Richie CD and I had been just jamming out to that in my, with my stereo in my room. had a big stereo and

They had a Lionel Richie song on one of the karaoke CDs and it was Penny Lover. And so I did that song and that was the very first time I'd ever played out or ever sung out. And I remember being so nervous, but it was kind of cool. Cause that led to me going and doing a...

Cory Jackson (09:16.45)
Not a competition, but it was just like a little thing for student council at a convention that everybody was kind of playing music. And so I got to get up there and play with my guitar then. But yeah, looking back on it, it's kind of cool how that moment led to that.

Chad Bourquin (09:37.08)
So what point did you say, is what I want to do? I mean, I don't want to do anything else.

Cory Jackson (09:46.296)
you know, my dad worked with a guy named Mike who's such a great guy and he, he had asked my dad, he's like, well, has Corey ever thought about putting a band together? And the reason he had asked my dad that was because I was about to do a talent show for the Northeast Arkansas Fair.

And I'd been encouraged by my mom to do that. you know, I got to give a lot of credit to my mom because she kind of, she helped push me out of those comfort zones. And I'm very thankful for that. Cause I definitely wouldn't have otherwise. But with my dad worked with this guy and he played drums and he knew a couple of guys that, you know, one guy played guitar and another guy was looking to play bass for somebody. And my dad,

came to me and said, hey, would you ever want to put a band together? And I was like, I've never thought about it. Sure, why not? Let's see what we can do. So we began to practice at his house and we would drive out there and I'd already been writing songs. So that was kind of cool. That was the first time I ever got to put some of my songs together and really make them come to life. And

I just became more more interested in it. remember I was kind of, I guess by that time I was in around my freshman year of college and I think it began to be, it became more real that like, I might be able to do this as a profession. I never thought about it like that. And cause I went into college like, I'm going to do the

medical school route, you know, and all that kind of thing.

Cory Jackson (11:44.088)
But as we started playing, we didn't really play like, I would say a lot of bar gigs. We did like some house parties and we did like a couple of festivals and people really became really interested, which got me excited. And I was like, okay, yeah, this might really be able to turn into something. And...

then it got me thinking, well, maybe I don't want to be a doctor. Because I remember telling my buddy, Devin, when we were standing in the parking lot at Arkansas State University. And I was like, man, all I want to do is play music. So I would say, yeah, it was definitely like around that time where I started my first band and all that kind of stuff that it really became real.

Chad Bourquin (12:38.956)
So was.

Was there a belief level that it was possible at that time or were you just thinking, yeah, I'm gonna see what happens.

Cory Jackson (12:51.984)
yeah, I think there was a belief level that, that it was possible. I didn't know what it looked like. And there was some guys that were in Jonesboro that had been signed to, I think it was Mercury, records back in like the nineties. And they had ended up coming out to one of my shows and really liked what I was doing. And so then I got involved with them.

Well, they knew even more musicians and then they got me involved. You know, they started dragging other musicians into what I was doing and just got to meet a tremendous amount of people out of that. And it was also through them that I recorded one of my first songs and ended up doing an EP, two EPs with them. I think...

It was then really when I started working with them that it became I think even more real. That I was like, okay, this really could do something.

One of the guys that I was working with at the time he he had found that the Opry radio station had a competition WSM 650 a.m. and He's like why don't why don't you just go over there and try out and give it a shot and So I was like, know what I'll do that I was scared to death. I remember being so scared to death of that but

Uh, made some contacts that I've still kept up with. one of the guys that, uh, won the second competition, he, uh, he's a big songwriter now has had a hit for Cody Johnson. And, um, but I guess to back up from that, I ended up winning the first competition. And that's when I was like, I think I'm on my way. A little did I know what all, you know, it takes.

Cory Jackson (15:04.482)
but it just seemed like things were happening. Or I guess let me back up here. I've been very blessed to have had so many opportunities that I felt like I stepped in each time and I did my absolute best at that given time with what I had and the knowledge I had and the training that I'd had. I wouldn't say that each one went

like I thought it would afterwards, but they've each taught me something that has gotten me to where I am now. And so I'm very, very thankful for that.

Chad Bourquin (15:48.62)
Well, and then so we've then we've got this whole voice thing, you know, how did that how did that happen? The NBC The Voice.

Cory Jackson (15:52.599)
Yeah. Yeah. I guess there's a lot of story there. I'll try to piece it together a little bit. So I did the WSM thing, the very first round and I won that competition and got to open up for the Oak Ridge boys. They ended up having a second competition and they ended up letting me enter it, which I was kind of surprised.

but I got to enter it. I ended up getting to, I guess the top three. And I got to open up for Tracy Lawrence in Kentucky with Jessica Rose and Ryan Larkins. And...

From there, had done, I guess kind of like in between all of that, I had done some stuff like trot out with like American Idol. I ended up making it past the first round in New Orleans, then got cut and sent back home. But for those that don't know, there's many rounds away before you get to the TV portion. So.

came came back and it seems like there was somewhere in between there itself kind of fuzzy. I don't remember quite the time range, but there was a competition in Jonesboro for a silver ticket on American Idol. So I did that. I ended up winning the silver ticket and I got to go to Little Rock, Arkansas and try out in front of the producers of the show.

I didn't make it, but they told us, well, you'll still get to meet the judges, but you can't ask for autographs. Well, I did ask for an autograph. And I got Keith Urban's autograph on one of my boots, which is actually one of my favorite pair of boots to wear. They're so comfortable with their twisted X. So I kind of had had like...

Cory Jackson (18:04.388)
a foundation with doing some competitions. They always made me really nervous, but it was like from each one, I learned something and I grew from it. So from after that last American Idol try out with the silver ticket, I went through a time where I didn't try out again for anything and I wasn't really planning to do it again.

Until I think it was the fall of 2018, my family had heard, you know, the voice is coming to Nashville. Why don't you try out? I was very against it. I didn't really want to do it.

because I've always, I've always been, I'd always been a very shy person and being in front of a lot of people and doing that kind of thing made me very, very nervous. But I was like, you know what? I'm going to do it and I'm not going to make it, but it's going to be a fun weekend in Nashville. Well, I get there, it's freezing outside. I'm wearing my wax jeans, my skinny wax jeans and I'm got like

barely a coat on and I'm standing there waiting outside in line. I'm like, this better be worth it. This better be worth it. And I get inside and they put us in groups of like 10 or something like that. And I go into the room and there's one producer just sitting there with a computer.

And he calls us up to this screen tape that's just on the floor one at a time. And so we're all going and I'm thinking, my goodness, these people are so great. Like, wow. And he gets to me and I think I did already gone by the equals.

Cory Jackson (20:08.804)
And he stops me, you know, like within 30 seconds and he's like, Cory, do you have another song? And I'm thinking in my head, oh, is that one not good enough? All right. So I was prepared at least I had like three or four on the back burner that I'd been working up. And so I did another one, which I think was beat of the music by Brett Eldridge. And he got, you know, he let me do like 30 to 60 seconds of that. And then told me to have a seat.

And there was a few other people that went, but out of all those people, he didn't ask anyone else to do another song. And so that really confused me. I didn't really think about it at the time as being a, as a good thing. Well, everybody finished. He's like, all right, everybody, thanks for coming. Corey, do you have one more song that you could do? I was like, my goodness. Two wasn't good. Right.

Chad Bourquin (21:04.302)
really want to eliminate this guy, I'm gonna need one more song. Yeah.

Cory Jackson (21:08.804)
Cause I'm like, everybody else sounded so great. And, so I got up there and I did like 15 seconds of blue, ancient color and he's okay. You can have a seat. And, so then, you know, no one else in the group ended up making it through that round, except for me. And, it felt very fortunate for that. I was so excited.

but I ended up having to stay over another night, which I wasn't planning to do another audition and an interview the next day. I can keep going through all the details of this. I know it's very long, but needless to say, there's quite a few steps. Like I went to LA next and then LA again. And then it finally led to me on the big stage with the chair, with the back of the chairs turned.

towards me,

Chad Bourquin (22:07.8)
Yeah. So what, so once that those chairs turned, mean, what, was the emotion of that?

Cory Jackson (22:13.538)
You know, it's really cool. We were standing backstage and we were talking to like some of the ladies that really handled a lot of our part of the stuff and we're like, Hey, do we actually hear the pshhh? You know, and it's actually really faint. You can't like from the stage, it didn't come through the monitors or anything. They're like, yeah, you may or may not hear it. It's not going to be really loud for you.

But I almost, I kind of liked it because we had gotten out there in practice with the chairs in front of us before that day. And...

With the chairs turned, you know, you're kinda like, you don't really think about it as much, but you could see elbows, you know, like somebody that was moving or something. I remember being nervous. It's kind of funny. I think they kept it on some of the clip that they ended up putting it out on YouTube, but right before we start, you know, lots of everything's kind of calm and I'm over here like.

And I think they kept that when they played it on live TV. was like, man. But I mean, was like, you know, that is kind of cool too. It shows a real part of me. It's like, Hey, this is, this is who I am. This is kind of how I deal with the nerves before I, for the lights come on.

Chad Bourquin (23:46.744)
You know, what I'm noticing in this story all the way through, every time that you said that you were either, it either a fear or you were nervous or something like that, it didn't stop you. You still did it, right? I mean, that's, think that, and that's such a key to anything we do in life is not letting that fear stop us. In fact, I know you and I have talked about this.

Cory Jackson (24:00.132)
That's true, yeah.

Chad Bourquin (24:13.774)
quite a bit is that a lot of times if we're afraid, I mean unless it's like a bear chasing us, we should legitimately be afraid at that point. But unless it's something life threatening, it's actually a really good sign that we should do something and lean into something if we're afraid, because the last thing we want is the reason we didn't make it was just out of fear, because that's, most fear is internal anyway.

Cory Jackson (24:22.532)
Right.

Cory Jackson (24:32.142)
Yeah.

Chad Bourquin (24:41.954)
I mean, well, it all is except for the bear, you know, you know, don't run towards the bear, but run towards everything else. So what season was this, by the way, for the

Cory Jackson (24:48.322)
You're right.

Cory Jackson (24:54.882)
This was season 17. it was the fall of 2019.

Chad Bourquin (24:59.414)
Okay, and so how far did you go?

Cory Jackson (25:03.106)
I made it to Battles. So that year they changed it or they changed it every year. I'm not sure exactly the way this past or this year's is set up, but it was the blind auditions and then Battles were next. So I made it basically two rounds there.

Chad Bourquin (25:21.87)
Okay, all right. And then you were off, so you go back home, and then what?

Cory Jackson (25:29.932)
Yeah, it's kind of crazy. So

When I got off the show, it was kind of weird. I kind of felt like there was, that it was coming. Like there was just something there that made me feel that. So I was like, I'm going to go out here and give it everything I got. And I knew that, I knew when I left that stage, I was like, I left it out there. Like there's nothing I could change that, or that I would want to change. And I was getting married during that

Chad Bourquin (25:55.544)
Mm-hmm.

Chad Bourquin (25:59.448)
Mm-hmm.

Cory Jackson (26:05.016)
process. I literally at the end of June, it was like a Monday auditioned, flew home the next day and got married on Saturday. So there was a lot going on through that process. And I know especially for Sarah, so I'm very thankful for her. But I remember I, I didn't really know at the time I was working a full time

job at Tech Friends and I was working in manufacturing at their company and there was a lot of bookings coming in and I was like man this is awesome I'm gonna be able to do music I was like I don't know how I'm gonna I don't know how I'm juggle all this but this is so cool and

Chad Bourquin (26:49.454)
Mm-hmm.

Cory Jackson (26:55.98)
As soon as things were really about to get ramped up in 2019, the band guys and I were about to play a show. And I think it was a fundraiser show at a school for my buddy, John. There was something going on, like a connection there that he had that we were doing. And we were about to just like.

I mean, take off and then COVID hit. And I had been asked, like when I was leaving the stage during battles, Blake Shelton come up to me and it was so funny cause he's like, Hey, would you want to play old red? And when he asked me that question, I thought he was like, Hey, do you want to like sing old red? Like here in just a minute.

Chad Bourquin (27:28.643)
Mm-hmm.

Cory Jackson (27:53.54)
And I was like, Oh, I mean, you know, I guess I could. he, I was not thinking about, um, his, you know, restaurant and he's like, okay, well I'll be in touch with you. And they, and he did, they reached out to me, his people did, and, uh, they had me set up to play old red, uh, I think in Tishominga. like his hometown area and, uh, you know, that got cut. There were.

There were a lot of festivals that I was lined up to do and they all got cut.

I didn't really know what was going on or I didn't expect COVID to last as long as it did.

And I think there was, there was a lot of like, man, I don't know what to do. But at the same time.

I was viewing it as a gift because I was like, you know, I don't know what I would have done because there was so much going on. I just got married trying to figure that out at the same time. And as I look back on that, it allowed for Sarah and I to have that first year of our marriage together instead of what it going to be us apart a lot, probably for most of the year.

Chad Bourquin (29:15.416)
Mm-hmm.

Cory Jackson (29:23.758)
So I'll look at it now as like really a big blessing than a negative thing.

Chad Bourquin (29:33.538)
Yeah, I mean, that's such a powerful thing to do retrospective. then as we grow, right, we try to figure out how to do that in the moment, I suppose, which I mean, I just know quite a bit your story. I know you've really worked on that and made a lot of headway in that area too. Let's pivot a little bit. wanna talk just a little bit about some of the struggles you've gone through with the vocal things and what that's meant to you.

Cory Jackson (29:43.939)
Right.

Chad Bourquin (30:02.323)
and what you're doing to come out of that on the other side.

Cory Jackson (30:07.17)
Absolutely. You know, I started having, I'd never really had vocal trouble in the 10 years that I've sung. I'd always, one of my biggest focuses was on vocals and making sure that I was healthy and able to sing for long hours and all that kind of stuff.

We've had, we had had a lot of change over the past, I would say.

Three to four years in our life as Sarah's medical school got busier and then she started having to travel her last year of medical school.

I had, in and amongst that, I had quit my full-time job because I had an opportunity to—some people may or may not know this—but I had an opportunity to begin worship leading. And I ended up taking on that role because I was like, man, this is so cool. I can do something that I love and, you know, not have to go to a job that

Yes, I love the people, but it's not the end result that I'm wanting to get to.

Cory Jackson (31:32.376)
And with Sarah traveling, then me, I ended up starting worship school, and my faith has always been a very...

Let's see what's the word. It's been a very foundation for me and

Cory Jackson (31:57.912)
However, I guess to be real honest, my relationship with God, though, wasn't as deep as I would have liked it to be either.

Worship school really pushed me in ways that I had never experienced God or listened to the Spirit. And I'm still learning those things, I think I always will be, but it pushed me in ways that I'd never expected and that was very vulnerable and very hard at the time, but I'm so thankful for, I think, a combination of

Because Sarah was going to like, I mean, she spent a month at Columbus, Ohio. In Oklahoma, there was like all these different things going on. And then when we found out we were moving to Kansas City, we just didn't expect it. So there were so many things that were very up in the air that I think really at times and with

except with Sarah too, we were just holding on. We don't know what's happening, but here we go. And I think that,

Chad Bourquin (33:08.639)
All

Cory Jackson (33:16.664)
to kind of bring this back here. When we moved, it was such a big change as well that I had been the one that had been working all the time and always busy. That when we moved, the roles changed for us. Sarah is now the one that works all the time and not that she didn't before, but it's just residency is a different, it is a different game.

and

Cory Jackson (33:50.508)
It's been very difficult for both of us, especially the first year when we moved here and I was still trying to travel back and forth and play music and play at church at times. And I think it all, everything from those past few years, now that I had time to kind of sit, it just, I broke really. It was kind of like, okay.

something's gotta change. can't, I can't, let me back up for a second. I am a people pleaser and I think I've always, I have always been that yes man. Like, yeah, I'm gonna do that. And I begin to realize, no, I can't.

And well, I guess I could, but things are gonna have to be sacrificed for that. And it's like, okay, what am I, what's that gonna look like? And for me, family's always been very important. So I was like, well, Sarah needs me. It is time for some change to happen. I think my vocals, I had gotten in a place where

I hadn't done a whole lot of solo stuff before. I had mainly done full band stuff or if I did do a solo stuff, I had a couple guys with me. And I tried to take all that on myself. And you know, some people can handle that really well. And for me, it's not that I couldn't handle it, but I wasn't having fun anymore.

Chad Bourquin (35:37.452)
Mm-hmm.

Cory Jackson (35:38.02)
And I was missing the energy. Life had changed and I didn't want to accept it. And I remember, man, was, I mean, I'm so, so fortunate and I feel so blessed to have come to Kansas city and sorry, I like hit my mic and, and to have had such an amazing reaction.

from the people here that have just come to so many of my shows traveled with me to come to wherever I was, whatever bar, restaurant, venue, whatever. And I remember I would be like, man, they're having so much fun.

Why am I not having fun? You know?

Chad Bourquin (36:29.23)
Right, let's not end up

Cory Jackson (36:36.58)
I mean, I did, I got to where I was over trying and I didn't have to. And I'm like, what am I doing? Like these people are happy. not having, I shouldn't feel like I have to please anybody like, except for God. And it's like, just couldn't get out of that head space. then with, along with what I was having vocally, was like,

I remember coming to God in November and I was just open-handed. And me you've talked about this and, I just encourage anybody that's going through anything hard, instead of trying to hold that fist of sand,

just to open it and you can hold so much more in your hand when you come open-handed to give an analogy anyway. But I remember in November, things were getting better vocally, I was feeling better. But I would still have these shows where it was like I would revert and then by the end of it, my voice would hurt. It would hurt not just that night but

for the next day or two. And I was like, man, something's got to change. Something just ain't right. in January, after a show that I had, I was like, I didn't expect this. I didn't see this coming. But I was like, it's time for a change.

Cory Jackson (38:21.732)
and I was sitting really down here on the futon over here and was praying and still open-handed and was just like, okay God, what are you saying?

Cory Jackson (38:41.188)
And that's when I really felt like I think I need to cancel everything for this year. I've got to.

heal vocally, but not just vocally in so many other aspects of my life so that I can be.

there for my wife and for others. I'm pouring out so much, I'm not, it's like my cup was empty.

And I didn't see it coming, but I remember going back to bed or going, trying to go to bed that night and I couldn't sleep. And I was like, when Sarah gets up, which is like two 30 or three, I was like, I'm going to get up and tell her that I'm canceling everything for the year. And so I did. And she was just so supportive of that. And

I can't say that it's not been hard. Man, I've had, I've cried many tears and have been on my hands and knees just at times trying to be like, what the heck's going on? I don't even know. And, I'm so grateful.

Cory Jackson (40:08.206)
for this time because it's changed my life.

Cory Jackson (40:18.222)
Sorry, I didn't mean to get emotional, but it's changed my life in so many ways.

Cory Jackson (40:31.936)
I'm still learning as I go through it.

Cory Jackson (40:38.899)
and

I used to be a workaholic and worried about money and all those things.

Cory Jackson (40:55.46)
But it's amazing when you let go.

Cory Jackson (41:05.97)
and let God

Cory Jackson (41:11.874)
what happens. It's just really.

It's amazing and I haven't been through the hardest things like a lot of people have.

But my voice was...

Cory Jackson (41:35.416)
You know, it was how I made a living. It was how I, that's all I ever wanted to do was sing and make a living doing that.

Cory Jackson (41:49.334)
So when it was gone...

Cory Jackson (41:55.748)
or I felt like it was gone.

Cory Jackson (42:00.322)
I was like, I don't know what to do anymore.

Cory Jackson (42:07.662)
but I knew.

same time that

Hey, if I can't sing anymore, if I can't ever do it again.

gonna be okay.

Cory Jackson (42:27.184)
And man, you know, I'm very thankful for my family who's been so supportive through this.

Cory Jackson (42:39.684)
And the fans as well, know, they've been so, kind and so understanding. And, uh...

Cory Jackson (42:52.44)
I've known that going through something like this has...

changed the way that I look at life, the way that I look at the things that we take for granted.

in such a different way. man, I'm very thankful for you and the way you've helped lead me through this to face the fears that I've had.

And also just the amount of grace that you've shown me and also

taught me to have for myself.

Chad Bourquin (43:48.152)
Yeah.

Cory Jackson (43:49.928)
Cory Jackson (43:53.944)
But this is, I mean, I'm seeing just a different way of life moving forward instead of just running myself into the ground all the time. And I may cry about it here and there. Didn't mean to get emotional, but yeah. But just my whole outlook has changed and the way that I approach my day and

Chad Bourquin (44:13.122)
This is real stuff, man. Yeah.

Cory Jackson (44:25.368)
the way that even I train vocally and prepare for songs. Now, I tried for so long just to, yeah, I got it. I can do it. Yeah, just give it to me. got it. Yeah, powering through everything. And now I'm like, you know, I don't want to do that. I want to love what I'm doing. just, just to give an example, I'm writing down lyrics now.

Chad Bourquin (44:40.376)
power through.

Cory Jackson (44:54.414)
for the songs that I'm singing, like I hand write them. And I can tell such a difference in the way that I just, it's just like a.

fall in love with the song in a different way. And I can just feel that pour out of me when I'm singing to myself in the mirror over here. But yeah, man, I'm just, I'm so thankful and I'm so grateful right now for this time, even though it's been very difficult.

Chad Bourquin (45:27.438)
Yeah. Well, dude, that's a, that was a bit heavy, but is exactly what needed to happen. You know, it's, you know, it's, it's exciting to see how far you've come through this process, you know, from, from even January and, but yet it's nowhere to where you're going. And, and it's nowhere even close to

Cory Jackson (45:36.034)
It was.

Chad Bourquin (45:55.95)
I mean, haven't even yet the experience, the lives that are going to be impacted because you were willing to be vulnerable and share this and be authentic and be okay crying on a camera. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that at all. In fact, there's a lot of good things with what just happened here. And the foundation that you are laying because you've stepped back like this to fix

Cory Jackson (46:07.266)
Right.

Chad Bourquin (46:25.152)
and address the things that you wanted to work on and let go of the things that you need to let go of. That foundation is gonna be rock solid. And it's gonna be unbreakable. And so where this is headed is gonna be incredible. In which I think, good segue, let's talk a little bit about some of the things you are working on. Let's talk about this podcast, the idea that you are creating. I think you're pretty close to putting one out, right?

Cory Jackson (46:54.986)
Absolutely. Yeah. It is getting very close. I'm not going to release like the date yet because I'm still kind of working on that, but it is going to be in a few weeks. And I'm actually planning, depending on when this podcast goes out, I'm going to release a thing to the country club, which is the fan club this weekend through the monthly email, just kind of giving some hints at what is coming. But

Chad Bourquin (46:56.237)
Yeah.

Cory Jackson (47:26.136)
The podcast has been something I've wanted to do for a long time. And I had started something very similar to this in COVID. And,

For some reason though at that time it just, it just didn't happen the way I wanted it to.

And it's going to be, this is a little bit different than that. And that wasn't necessarily a podcast. was like more social media, me just talking and that kind of thing. But with this, it's going to be, I love fly fishing. I'm still new to fly fishing. But it's to me, it's like fishing in general is so peaceful, but there's something about fly fishing that with the

all the mechanics and stuff that it takes to do it. There's just something that really pulls me into it, which I love being on the river anyway. And just the sound of the water rolling is so peaceful to me. So a lot of what each episode, there's going to be about eight to nine episodes for the first season, but they'll all be kind of centered around a theme with fly fishing that

I have found so interesting to correlate with my music, but not just music, but with life. And it will talk about, we'll talk about the struggles that I've been going through with a guest on each episode and not just my struggles, but their struggles and how we've, we connect through those struggles and ways that we have dealt with that.

Cory Jackson (49:14.756)
through faith, through music, country and worship music, and then again, a little bit of fly fishing because that's fun. it'll be an interesting podcast, something probably that may or may not be out there. I don't know. But I'm just super excited to really dive into this with each guest.

Chad Bourquin (49:24.078)
Yeah.

Cory Jackson (49:42.56)
It is something that I've been a little scared of. I'm, you know, jumping into this little bit of fear and having faith. It's like, it's going to be a blessing for me and maybe it will at least bless one other person out there.

Chad Bourquin (49:47.522)
Yep. As you do.

Chad Bourquin (49:59.928)
Yeah, well, and you know, what I think is really cool is when you lean into things, even if you don't even see how the path is going to end up, you know, as long as you as long as we can see the next step. And we're passionate about moving forward in what we're doing. You know, I think those two things together are hugely important. And so who knows where this is going for you, you know, and how and and who knows?

Cory Jackson (50:13.047)
right.

Chad Bourquin (50:26.346)
how this is all gonna tie into your music. There'll be some interesting, really unique things that come out of this. It's like, wow, I never saw that coming, but that is awesome. That type of the, you know. Do you have, is the podcast got a name? Yep.

Cory Jackson (50:34.06)
Yeah, yeah, right.

Cory Jackson (50:40.204)
Yes, it's called Coffee with Quarry.

Chad Bourquin (50:42.478)
Coffee with Corey. Okay. Awesome. Is there a .com attached to that or a URL or? Okay. Coming soon.

Cory Jackson (50:46.294)
Now, CoreyJacksonMusic.com, guess, is what will be attached to that.

Chad Bourquin (50:51.276)
Yeah, there we go. Good enough. So anything, anything like if you could think of something that would be advice for somebody who's going through similar stuff that you're going through or went through, what, what would you think would, you know, what would you wanted to have known back then when you're in the middle of it? Or what, if you would, you know, we always say we want to know stuff we don't know that we would actually listen.

Cory Jackson (51:16.708)
Yeah.

Chad Bourquin (51:19.015)
But if we were listening and somebody said something to us, what would that thing be?

Cory Jackson (51:27.908)
You know, that's a really great question. And I may have a couple of things here just to say. First off, having grace for yourself, I think is so important. I was talking to a guy this morning that he struggles just like I did with the work aspect of life and always happen to be doing something. And when you can have grace for yourself and allow yourself to

experience the joy of life and know that there's an abundance.

That's really where things begin to change for me. I was reading a couple weeks ago, the fruits of the Spirit, and the one that just really stuck out to me was self-discipline.

And it's like ever since then.

That's when not like I've still had like really good grace for myself when waking up. But my routine has changed where things are really starting to stick. My workouts have really changed the way that I start my day, the way that I feel about even not just the day, but my whole week. And so my encouragement to someone that has

Cory Jackson (53:03.492)
experiencing a difficult time or maybe experiencing something that I've went through.

is to have grace for yourself.

to not give up because I think that something that I talked about in a men's or that we were talking about in a men's group that really stood out to me this morning was, you know.

Cory Jackson (53:34.36)
The devil wants you to fear and feel like there's not an abundance. But God's over here is like, hey, you have all that you need.

and there's plenty if you just look to me.

And that's not easy in the moment, but if you can just, but if you can get the people around you that encourage you and just remember to have that grace for yourself and to get back up.

God's got you. And it is going to be okay.

Chad Bourquin (54:12.44)
Good stuff, Corey, thanks so much for being on here. Yeah, I really appreciate it. So yeah, you too, buddy. All right. You've been listening to the Gig Soap podcast, first of many. We'll see you soon.

Cory Jackson (54:17.848)
Thanks, Chad. It was good to talk to you,