Jackson Strong’s life reads like a series of reinventions: the Florida farm kid, the high-performing private equity professional, the seeker in psychedelic ceremonies, and now the spiritual entrepreneur building a temple complex in the mountains. But behind every chapter is a relentless confrontation with the self.
The Hurricane That Changed Everything
In 2016, during a hurricane in Florida, Jackson found himself in a shouting match with his manager about quotas while boarding up his mother’s home for the storm. When the storm cleared, so did Jackson’s tolerance for a life out of alignment. He was fired. It was the moment he allowed himself to feel the pain he had been hiding behind a salary, describing it as escaping the “corporate prostitution ring.”
A New Path: Serving Spiritual Entrepreneurs
He pivoted, launching a mindset and marketing consultancy for spiritual entrepreneurs, allowing him to absorb teachings from top-tier coaches, healers, and transformational leaders while applying his own skills in sales, marketing, and strategy. But it was heartbreak that cracked him open even deeper. The end of a major relationship in Miami catalyzed a pilgrimage through the American West, retreats, sacred sites, deep psychedelic work, and moments guided by priestesses into the shadow realms of his psyche.
Jackson doesn’t shy away from discussing these shadows. “If you want to be a healer, prepare to go on a fucking ride,” he says, noting how healing is not about titles but about embodying wholeness so others can mirror it within themselves. This philosophy led him to launch AUREA in Austin, Texas, just five months after arriving, attracting big names like Preston Smiles and Aubrey Marcus while navigating the chaos of leadership, burnout, and the intense mirror such spaces bring to one's remaining shadows.
