During a typical year, Jason keynotes events ranging from executive retreats and management conferences to national education summits. Over 250,000 copies of his books are used in schools, colleges, and corporations. In recognition of his business achievements, Jason won the Austin Under 40 Entrepreneur of the Year Award at age 25—one of the youngest winners ever.

Jason’s nontraditional path began at age 16.

Growing up in a rural community, Jason saw few opportunities and abundant obstacles. At a critical moment, a teacher inspired Jason to leave high school and start college early. Going to college early and out-of-state changed Jason’s perspective about what was possible. He spent a summer studying medicine in Florida, another summer working on an archeological dig in Israel, and then a year attending college full-time in upstate New York. It was during his studies in New York that Jason discovered he had a talent for helping young adults who were struggling academically and from tough backgrounds.

By age 18, Jason was a junior in college with an extensive network, respected mentors, and tremendous job opportunities. He also saw that many of his peers were not well positioned to get the job they wanted. Determined to help, Jason authored and then self-published Graduate to Your Perfect Job in his college dorm room.

Jason celebrated his 19th birthday $50,000 in debt and sleeping on the beige carpet of a tiny garage apartment. He had never felt more alive or vulnerable.

Word of Jason’s book and message eventually reached the media. Soon business and education leaders were asking him to keynote their high-profile conferences. Graduate to Your Perfect Job—which included a diagram of how to tie a tie—went on to become a national bestseller. It is estimated that 100,000 members of Generation Y have used Jason’s first book as a resource to enter the workforce.

Jason initially focused his speaking efforts on reaching educators, students, and administrators, because he wanted to continue the legacy of the educator who took the risk to inspire him. These efforts led to Jason speaking on-site at over 700 diverse schools and colleges. This frontline experience culminated in his highly acclaimed book on cost-effective school culture improvement, 50 Ways to Improve Schools for Under $50.

Jason’s focus on generational dynamics in the workplace began after he was contacted by business leaders wanting to know how to retain and motivate their Generation Y employees. Jason was aware of the growing difficulty retaining Generation Y, because this was an underlying theme in his 2007 book, My Reality Check Bounced!, which was published by Random House. Jason realized that his experience speaking directly to 350,000 Gen Y’ers about workforce issues—and being a member of Generation Y himself—gave him a unique perspective. He also realized that a key component to unlocking Generation Y’s employee loyalty and performance was to connect all four generations in the workplace.

To understand the realities of leading a multigenerational workforce, Jason interviewed executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and employees representing each generation in a variety of industries. His goal was to learn their beliefs, priorities, and preferences to find common ground in the workplace. Jason used this experience and extensive research to develop a framework and step-by-step strategies business leaders can use to increase employee loyalty, teamwork, and discretionary effort across the generations.

Now 29, Jason has delivered over 1,800 keynotes and trainings to diverse audiences as large as 13,000. He is currently writing a new book that explains how to unlock Generation Y’s workplace potential and connect all four generations in the workplace.