Growing Up in the CD, Enduring 14 Years in Prison: A Q&A with Debut Author and Fitness Coach Jordan Daisy
Jordan Daisy is no stranger to struggle, and he knows a thing or two about personal evolution. The former Franklin High School basketball star, born and raised in the Central District, faced his greatest challenge when he was jailed in 2010 at 21, for an altercation in a grocery store parking lot that left another person dead.
Daisy used his 14-year prison sentence as an opportunity to reflect on and apply the values he learned from his supportive family, determined to use his background in athletics and readings on mental wellness to “become [his] best self.” Since his release, he has developed his prison writings and life lessons into a well-regarded, independently published text for self-empowerment called A Daisy’s Growth: Overcoming Trauma, Finding Purpose, and Rising Through Adversity, and he looks forward to the grand opening of his new gym, Unbound Health and Wellness, on Capitol Hill on May 7.
Daisy spoke with the Emerald about his winding path to physical and mental liberation. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
A Daisy’s Growth is a workbook and has journal elements. Tell me how that structure came to be.
The structure started off with the handwritten stuff while I was in prison. My mom said I should [keep a journal]. I didn’t know what to write about, but every time I called home to friends or family, they’d always ask what it’s like in there, whether my life before this prepared me mentally and physically for a prison sentence. I took all those questions and started answering them in a journal. Then once I came home, I thought, “I could actually turn this into a book that could help some people.” Not everybody is in prison physically with the bars and wires, but we hold ourselves captive in our own minds, and in our bodies.
As I read, I thought about how important it is for men – in this case, Black men – to have examples of other men writing about their feelings. When you developed the book, were you specifically thinking about this demographic?
When I was writing, I had mainly the youth in mind. But I knew it could reach anybody, because we all go through struggles. I’ve gotten pretty good feedback from all walks of life: older, younger, women, men. I knew it would reach men because we don’t express ourselves as much – don’t be emotional, don’t be vulnerable. I mean it was tough, to put my emotions on page, but it was worth it.
Even as a reader, it’s a vulnerable experience to be going on the journey of your feelings and you working through your stuff. And participating alongside with the journal prompts.
You’ve said a bit about growing up as a Black man. Do you want to say more about your family structure and what it was like to grow up in the Central District during a certain point in time?
We’re all a little dysfunctional. Nobody’s squeaky clean or perfect. I was raised mainly by my mom, who was a single mother. She raised me and one of my sisters, then my little brother came into the picture. My household was tight-knit in the beginning, my parents were together until I was 11 or 12, and then my mom took us on by herself. My dad had his own struggles with addiction and the streets, which he’s overcome. I might’ve been 6 or 7, and my dad had to go away on this boating fishing trip for work. He told me I was the man of the house. Who hears that at 6 or 7? For some reason, that stuck with me throughout my life. Ever since then, I’ve tried my best to be responsible, to take care of my mom and sisters. For me it was normal to be big brother, dad, and son.
How did that influence your experience of childhood?
My mom did an amazing job raising us, and she always says, “You shouldn’t feel like you had to do that,” and I didn’t. She always had food on the table. But I wouldn’t change it, I put the pressure on myself to mature, and I think it prepared me for adulthood. Even though I slipped and fell, it helped my mindset throughout my stint in prison.
How is your world different, besides in your internal experience, from when you went in versus when you got out?
I had a big breakdown! Before I went in, I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of the world … hanging out, you know. I was trying to make money and support my family and myself. Once I got out, my mindset shifted to “how can I become the best version of myself?” Because once I get that right, the financial part will follow. When I came back into society … I was frustrated about how the people around me were moving, but I sat with myself and realized that I hadn’t been communicating or explaining how my new world worked. The [broader] world is definitely different, but I don’t think it’s as bad as people make it seem, because I’m at peace with my inner world.
Did you meet anyone in prison who influenced you in a positive direction?
I picked pieces from people I was around. There’s one instance — I’m super into working out — one day I woke up so angry and on edge. And I asked one of the other guys, “Man, what is this?” He said, “That’s your testosterone building up. A lot of men get that feeling of strength and abuse it, they wanna go fight people. It’s actually a gift from the universe, for you to use when necessary to protect your family.” He was a big influence on how I carry myself and my newfound strength.
Speaking of working out, what is the connection between fitness goals when training other people and your motivation and empowerment perspective?
Fitness helped unlock not only my body but my mind. Once you start to lift things you haven’t been able to lift or run farther than you have before, something goes off in your mind like, “Oh, I am capable, what else can I do?” I try to get the people I train to realize those shackles you feel don’t exist. Exercise also taught me there’s time for rest so you can heal. I try to convey that to people I train.
Have you gotten any feedback in particular that made the process of this book worth it?
An older lady told me, “Your book helped heal my childhood trauma.” I said, “Wow!” That’s somebody’s grandma telling me that! That trauma was a long time ago and stuck with that person for decades. That gave me validation that the book has purpose, and it’s being fulfilled.
That’s really wonderful. It also speaks to the generational healing that needs to be done in Black community. It doesn’t happen alone, and we learn from each other.
How has your experience living in the CD now influenced your journey, given gentrification and other changes?
Growing up in the CD shaped me through and through. Growing up in the era that I did – I’m 38 – it was really community. I could walk down the street and see someone I know, know their grandma, if I’m hungry they’d offer me some food. Everyone knew each other. I still hold onto that value, and I believe that’s unconsciously why I wrote the book. I love my people and want my community to thrive and realize their full potential, even if they don’t reach it. Just work towards it.
Now the CD is definitely changed. There’s high-rises everywhere and storefronts with apartments on top, the feel of community is not the same. But I’m learning to adjust with it and find the smaller pockets of community that are still there. It’s definitely different, but I’m finding my way.
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