Chiseled Ep 79 A Conversation with God - Jamie Krakofsky

Chiseled with Rob Commodari

You would never know it talking to mild-mannered Jamie Krakofsky that he grew up a hard partier in Ft. Lauderdale. Immersed in drugs, alcohol, women, and gang violence, he was thrown out of his dad's house at age 17. He tried living on his own but couldn't keep a job or an apartment.
Exasperated, his mom challenged him to change his life. She put him on a plane to Bangor, Maine, with a bunch of camping gear and told him to hike the length of the 2,193-mile-long Appalachian Trail. Whatever he did, he was not to return to Florida.
"She said, 'This is something that you need,'" Jamie recalled.
But Jamie didn't realize how right his mom was until he reached the top of Mount Katahdin, the northern point of the Appalachian Trail, on his first day of the journey.
"I just remember being up at the top of the mountain and just truly started having a conversation with God," Jamie said.
The conversation lasted overnight and by time he was done with it, Jamie was feeling detoxed and refreshed. But he still had a long way to go.
He didn't make it. Three and a half months into his adventure, he got injured. Obeying his mom's wish for him to keep out of Florida, he went to Colorado to stay with his mom's friends. The first week there, they decided to go camping. While up on Greenhorn Mountain, Jamie met his future wife, Bianca.
Together, the two of them forged a new path. Jamie went into the military but had to take a medical discharge after eight years. He started in real estate and succeeded beyond his imagination.
They also had three children — and they fostered 16 or 17 more. When their youngest child was 20 years old, the couple adopted a baby.
"I'd like to think I've had an impact on a lot of people's lives," Jamie said.
Jamie shared his incredible story in this week's episode of Chiseled. Usually, I am familiar with the facts of my guests' stories before they come on the show, but Jamie surprised me. I didn't know about all the parenting he has done, and I am truly inspired by the details he shared. If you're like me, his story will warm your heart and give you a spiritual lift.
Want to talk to Jamie? You can find him anywhere on social media @jamie.krakofsky or go to the end of the episode to hear him share his phone number.
Now, let's go get chiseled!