by Rahwa Asmerom
The latest journalist caught in a high-profile expose of plagiarism is former Daily Beast reporter Gerald Posner. Although Gawker is speculating that he may set the world record for filched reportage, it is Jayson Blair who arguably holds the title of most disgraced journalist in recent memory. When Blair left his coveted post at The New York Times in 2003, there had been other scandals, most notably the one involving Stephen Glass, former writer for The New Republic. But Blair, young, black and responsible for appropriating and fabricating content for one of the most respected newspapers in the world, was pilloried in the press.
Nonetheless, even as his name continues to echo in the cautionary tales of newsrooms, Blair has managed to move beyond the stigma and reinvent himself and, in turn, his profession. Here he explains how his past mistakes and the discovery of his mental health issues have paved the way for his new career guiding others.
How did you come to embark on a career as a life coach?
I grew up in Virginia. I returned home about a year after resigning from The Times and put my energy into bringing my life back into order. I had spent the first year afterwards recovering and writing my memoir. I knew I had a lot of work to do on myself, both in terms of character and treatment for bipolar disorder, which I was diagnosed with in the weeks following my actions becoming public. About a year after returning to Virginia, I started a support group for people with bipolar disorder that grew into several mental health support groups and eventually a non-profit organization. In my work with that non-profit I began working with area psychiatrists and psychologists, and after about two years one of them tapped me to start a unique form of peer-to-peer, mental health-focused life coaching at the practice he ran. The training to become a life coach dovetailed with my work in peer support and studies I had begun in psychology following my departure from The Times.
You left The New York Times amid a storm of controversy in 2003, what was the aftermath of that like?
The aftermath was extremely painful for me and others. It was a time of great confusion for me as I tried to manage a very personal crisis in a public fishbowl. I did little to lessen the public scrutiny, but, in retrospect, it would have been much easier to deal with in a more private setting. I was very lucky to have the support of The New York Times Company, its union and my family and friends in terms of my medical treatment. I recognize those were great advantages that others are not necessarily afforded. I was also able to access, through the public nature of the scandal, many everyday people who had struggled with mental health problems, or whose loved ones had, who reached out to me in the aftermath.
How did that incident impact your life and your next steps?
The scandal saved me from a disastrous path, both in terms of my mental health and my character. On a personal level, however painful the scandal was, it was a vehicle for a saving grace that I am grateful for in more ways than I can count.
What has been the initial perception from your clients?
My clients have not been, by and large, that surprised. For most of them, it makes a lot of sense that a guy who has been through mental health problems, substance abuse problems, career problems and all sorts of other things – and made it to live another day – has something to offer them. It’s not even counter intuitive. It’s intuitive.
What is one of the greater principles you promote as a life coach?
I am a firm believer in an individual approach tailored to each client, although some reoccurring themes with many of my clients are existential and relate, beyond the surface of the specific issue, to isolation and belonging, meaningless and meaningfulness, self-awareness, forgiveness and freedom. My personal approach involves accepting people how they are and making that clear to them. I want to help them become self-aware, lean into their strengths to the extinct that we can and minimize their weaknesses. I think I try to be honest with people about where I can help and where others are needed to join in the mix. I am never offended by human nature and interested in the roads that people have traveled. I see mistakes, even in the relationships between my clients and me, as powerful teachable moments.
What have you learned yourself from the experience of coaching others?
One of the best elements of this work is that I am constantly learning from the people who come in and teach me through their experiences every day I’m at a home or in session. I am constantly growing, and I see evolving as one of the most important human experiences. I realize each day that there is a thin line between the human potential for good and bad, and that knowledge, effort and self-awareness make all the difference.
How do you look back and view your past today?
I see that part of my past just like I see yesterday, a chance for great opportunities for me to grow, learn, be enriched and evolve as a person. Yes, it was painful, but sometimes we have to learn certain lessons a hard way in order to move forward, avoid even worse consequences and grow as humans.
Do you feel that you are in a better place?
Very much so.
Are you planning on writing a book and entering the national spotlight again?
I am working with a clinical psychologist on a book about bipolar and a collection of short, narrative, non-fiction stories on the human condition about people I’ve encountered in life.
