Jason is the founder of The Setback Collective.

I grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand, overweight, unsure of myself, and constantly chasing a feeling I couldn’t quite explain. Music and sport were my escape routes. I picked up the drums at 13, was touring semi-pro by 16, and moved to Melbourne at 21 to chase the dream full tilt, playing with bands like Ten Thousand, Aimee Francis, and Catholic Guilt.

Life threw its curveballs.
The Christchurch earthquakes. Losing my best mate in tragic circumstances. Walking away from music just when it felt like everything was finally happening. I wrestled with depression, regret, and the ache of feeling like I’d let my biggest dream slip through my fingers.

Eventually, I rebuilt, in Recruitment and Home Care of all places. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was real, and it mattered. Helping people find work, confidence, and direction while giving back to the community gave me a new sense of purpose and taught me everything I know about resilience and relationships.

Then came fatherhood, marathon running, and raising money for Muscular Dystrophy Australia, chapters that helped me reconnect with parts of myself I thought I’d lost for good.

The Setback Collective was born from all of that.
Not from a highlight reel, but from the hard stuff: the losses, the pivots, the rebuilds, and the relationships that carried me through. It’s built on the belief that setbacks don’t define us, they shape us into who we’re meant to become.