Meet Jacole Hall

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jacole Hall. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jacole below.

Hi Jacole , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Developing confidence and self-esteem has been a life long challenge for me. Something I still work at to this day. Growing up my family was poor even though both of my parents worked, they still struggled to make ends meet at times. These struggles often crept into my head leaving me with the feelings of being unimportant, unappreciated, unwanted, and often forgotten about. When I was about 7 or 8 I dreamed about being a singer, fashion model, movie actress and the first “song” I ever wrote was called “I ain’t got no money, so you’ll just have to love me the way that I am.” To the best of her parenting when I told my mother I dreamed of being a runway model she gently told me I was too short. While watching the movie ‘Annie’ for the first time and seeing/hearing her sing ‘Tomorrow’ I told my mother I wanted to sing like that, once again she gently said, “I don’t know, she can get up there pretty high.” At one point I told my mother I was going to have a spiral staircase in my house. She so sweetly replied with, “Well then you better marry a rich man.” (Insert all of the scoffs and laughter of todays day and age here or “lol’s and rolling on the floor emojis” ) She was raised in the 50’s, her generation clearly was/is much different than mine/ours. As an adult now I hold no grudges against either of my parents, they did the best they could with what they had. Could they have encouraged more instead of try to save me from pain, failure, regret; perhaps. Would it have saved me years of poor body image, constant negative self talk, and constantly telling myself I was stupid, fat, and I’d never amount to anything? Potentially. As a mother myself I see her heart and her intent. And maybe her clutching to her wallet as she tirelessly swung a double waitressing shift back to back while also juggling the duties of wifehood with a husband to take care of and 3 girls to raise. Being told in not so many words that “Who I was wasn’t going to cut it, I was not enough.”

It wasn’t until years later while training for my first half marathon that I realized I CAN do ANYTHING I set my mind to… I just ran 5 miles, and then 7, and then 10, and eventually 13.1! I felt so accomplished after my first half I signed up for another one. Later falling into Martial Arts at Corrente’s Martial Arts Academy a wave of new accomplishments came. Learning how to do Olympic Lifts, arm bars, wrist grabs, and grappling while being the first women to ever step on the mat was intense. I just showed up. and I KEPT SHOWING UP. And I thank God for those men who didn’t accept me at first. (insert lol’s and laughing emojis here once again.) That led to me becoming a Health and Fitness Coach where, for the first time in my life at age 25 someone that I looked up to (my boss) looked at me and said, “Well you will be great at anything you do…”

Me!? YOU think I’m great? Wow.

If I could go back and tell my younger self how beautiful she is, that God Loves her and made her for a purpose I would do so in a heart beat. And I would do it every damn day. And I mean this with such passion, grit, determination. For any young woman reading this, YOU are destined for GREATNESS!! YOU have been put here for a reason and I BELIEVE IN YOU.

I am so very blessed that the Lord put a heart of fire in my chest and the helmet of salvation upon the crown of my head. He has never left my side and has showed me the trials and pain I have endured will always shine through with Love and Determination to help others. I have listened to countless podcasts, audiobooks, youtube videos, along with reading the Bible. Proverbs 31 speaks to me on the daily, not only because of the encouragement and reminders to do what is right but also because behind these beautifully written pieces of encouragement and love is a dedicated mother speaking to her son, which rings high for me as a mother of two boys myself. While navigating the deep feelings of grief from the loss of my parents and and recently my husband has caused some serious anxiety to creep in, depression started knocking at the door and I refused to answer it. I refuse to be broken. I refuse to give up. I refuse to quit.

I have found journaling, purposefully practicing positive self talk, reaching new heights at the gym, saying yes to things that terrify me and push me outside of my comfort zone, while at the same time setting boundaries and learning how to say no is all part of it. Determination to maintain a healthy diet and healthy sleep schedule along with prayer and surrounding myself with positive people that love all of me for me help with growing confidence, self-esteem, and self love. You only get this one chance at Life. Who do you want to be in the story? Decide on your character and go after it! YOU are worth it, your dreams are not silly. YOU can build your own damn spiral staircase! (Laughing emoji)

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
The story of creating Vaspire316 is a story of compassion, love for others, and being bold enough to follow your dreams; it’s a story of pain, despair, depression, loss, survival, being knocked down, falling on your knees yet recognizing the opportunity to pray while your down there. It’s a story of finding your self-worth, your grit, your grace, and refusing to let your spirit be broken.

Vaspire316 is when you feel the fires of hell burning at your heals but instead of stomping out the cinders your use the steam to fire your engines, the blaze to see in the darkness and light the way. You continue to pick up that cold, heavy sword of God and wield it towards the enemy day after day, exhausted breath after exhausted breath. One. More. Time.

Vaspire316 is fighting cancer. Together.

It’s being looked in the eye and the words “You have 8 weeks to live” ring in your ears, echoing the sound of a bullet being ejected from the barrel right in front of you. The sting, the shock, being frozen in dis-belief, knowing you did everything you could have done to fight.

Vaspire316 is community. Love. Prayers. Supporting other cancer fighters, families, young widows and their children.

Vaspire316 is two boys ages 2 and 4 losing their dad to Pancreatic Cancer due to toxic exposures from his selfless service in the military as a Recon Marine and Green Beret.

Vaspire316 is a widow drying the tears of her young sons when they talk about being scared to die, that when daddy left he didn’t take anything with him, asking questions if they will ever have another daddy, a man to wrestle with, play catch in the back yard with, one to snuggle with who won’t leave them.

Vaspire316 is your donation of $23 a month to help other Veteran Cancer Fighters and to keep Dominic Hall’s name and his legacy alive. To teach his children that even in your darkest hours when you are tired and weary, you fight. That your past does not define you and your circumstances do not stop you.

As an infrastructure of the Recon Sniper Foundation Vaspire316 raises money for Recon Marines, Snipers, and other Veterans fighting cancer. Your donation contributes to a $10,000 check to be received by a Veteran Family fighting cancer. Your monthly donation of $23 also contributes to funding the Galleri Pre-Screen Cancer Test Kit from Grail. Every Recon Marine, Sniper, and Military Service member should familiarize themselves with the Galleri Pre-Screen Cancer Test Kit by Grail. Each kit is roughly $1,000.

Vaspire316 raises funds for military families and we just turned ONE! Over the year some exciting news I’d love to share is Vaspire316 raised $30,000 in less than a week to help purchase the Galleri Pre-Screening Cancer Test Kit by Grail to test our local Police Department’s Veterans for cancer. Along with the help of HunterSeven Foundation this is an on going project that we are still working on and I feel so blessed and excited to help others in my community! We also recently had a local Fire Fighter and former Marine, Cory Asimus, break the Guinness World Record for Running a Full Marathon, 26.2 miles while carrying a 100 pound ruck sack on his back! He raised $10,000-$12,000 for Vaspire316 to help purchase the Galleri Pre-Screen Cancer Test Kit for Veteran Fire Fighters in our area. Vaspire316 was blessed to co-host a fundraiser with The Frag Out Podcast, owned and operated by Ryan Lonergan, at our local Archery Club, Twin City Rod and Gun club. This fundraiser along with the gracious monthly donors of $23 a month jetted us forward to raise our first $10,000! We are in the process of handing that $10,000 check to a local Veteran Family who has walked the cancer journey.

Again, I feel so blessed from all of the love and support Vaspire316 has been showered with. Thank you to all who continue to donate, volunteer, advocate, and have signed up for the monthly donation of $23!! I will stop at nothing to continue this journey, show my boys we are strong and can do anything through Christ who strengthens us. I will continue to honor the Lord for these fires and desires He has placed in my heart. I want nothing more in this life than to be a great mom to my boys, give back to my community, and support those who are walking a similar path that my family has. If we would have known about the Galleri Pre-Screen Cancer Test Kit, our story would have been different.

One future goal for Vaspire316 is to offer a clothing line of comfortable clothes, warm fleece lined pieces, blankets, and athletic wear for Cancer Fighters, and all who support them.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Great question.

Number One. Pray.

On the eve of celebrating our son Thorin’s second birthday, after singing and cutting the cake, my husband quietly crept to the bedroom to lay down… as I pushed my feelings of sorrow and despair to the side while entertaining our guests, I looked at my phone to see a message from Dominic;

“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to miss out on these moments.”

My breath was instantly vacuumed from my lungs and my heart sank, and honestly as I write this, sitting at the YMCA with the sound of families laughing in the background I can’t help but to tear up. It absolutely breaks my heart.

I go back to that moment in my mind often, the sadness yet triumph, he always came back with such grace and stoicism. He believed in Heaven and looked forward to his judgment day. With the help of our Priest, Father Patrick he always brought his focus to where it mattered; maintaining a state of grace. There was a phrase he would say often when the anxiety of death would start to creep in, “Jesus I trust in you.”

Pray and surround yourself with positive, like minded people. Others who do not believe in themselves will never believe in you. Share your dreams with those who are dreamers as well. They will fuel your fire! I had no idea how to start a non-profit or which website to trust. I reached out to Chelsey Simone from HunterSeven Foundation whom I admire deeply and trust. She sent a text message with a link and boom, that night while my husband and kids were in bed, I sat at the kitchen table with a box of kleenex, a glass of wine, and a prayer to God that if I could be a lighthouse for another family as broken hearted as I felt, I was all in. That cold, dark night in March, Vaspire316 became an official non-profit organization. It was a dream come true, a way to shed some of the deep layers of agony, and pain that I felt everyday. Anticipatory grief is a real thing. It knocks at your soul and toils relentlessly with your mind and spirit. But if I could use this pain for purpose and be a vessel for God to speak through then I will gladly suffer for the greater good. I often thank God for the journey I traveled while loosing my mom at a young age, if that pain was meant for wisdom to guide my children through their journey of grief, I’d do it all over again. Knowing the outcome. The Lord comforts us in all of our sufferings, so we can comfort those in all of their sufferings…. (2 Corinthians 1:4) rings in my ears. I thank our family therapist, Dr. Hardy with SAP Solutions LLC, for that verse.

Another important key of life I believe is the positive energy music/podcasts/audiobooks have on your soul. On the daily drive to school for the boys I play guided positive affirmations music for the boys. We then do what I call “Repeats”; they do not know this yet but Repeats are just positive affirmations I yell out and encourage them to yell back… such as “I AM AWESOME! I LOVE MY BODY! I LOVE MY BRAIN! I AM STRONG! I AM CAPABLE! I LOVE JESUS AND HE LOVES ME! I LOVE MY DAD AND HE LOVES ME! I LOVE MY MOM, SHE IS TOTALLY AWESOME, AND BEAUTIFUL, AND FUNNY!!!!” That last one is more for me most likely…. it does help (haha). Listening to upbeat, life breathing Christian music in the morning is a game changer. While making lunches or cooking dinners I have found listening to smooth jazz is a quiet reminder to take it slow. appreciate the opportunities we have been given, and the life we live. No matter how much we have cried that day, some one out there is always dealing with worse, more. As mentioned earlier a bed time routine is right up there with being successful. I have created a routine that now signals my body it is time to rest and allows my brain to finally turn off. Purchasing a sunrise alarm clock with a “night light” timer simulating the colors of a sun set, (which if you know me, sun sets and sun rises take my breath away, there is something so magical in the colors of God’s paintings…) and plays soft tranquil music reminds me of the spa… time to relax and enjoy the cozy blankets. I also sprits a lavender oil on my pillow and sleep with a heating pad… it helps ease the tensions of the day… in my mind anyway…

Pray, surround yourself with positive like minded individuals who believe in you, create healthy bed time routines, ask questions, create a warm, inviting environment with positive music, and Lastly, YOU are important. Listen to your heart, believe in yourself. The world needs your story. You are actually being selfish if you don’t share your story/idea/project and bring life to your dream. As my good friend Margaret said to me once, “Even if it helps one person.”

A pity party once in a while is ok too. I have had plenty of times when I purchased the bouquet of balloons, made taco dip, and invited the pity party with open arms to just pour out of me… “I can’t do this because of that. I don’t have that because of this. I’m so sad. I’m feel so depressed. I miss my family, the life I could have had, I miss my parents, I miss the life I thought I was going to have.” And then I realize and remember THIS is the life God has planned for me. Because ONLY I CAN ENDURE THIS LIFE. You are not your past, you are not your circumstances, and together we can and will grow, and thrive, and help others.

Apologies… I tend to make everything a longer story than it needs to be and get fired up!!! (haha!)

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
As a non-profit organization it would be a dream come true to wake up each morning and see another business large or small, local or out of state, or a massive investment firm sign up for the monthly draft of $23 and beyond or donate a large sum to help fuel our mission.

I envision and dream about the day when I can write a check for $50,000 and hand it over to a family fighting cancer. Whether they use that money for bills, treatments, a much needed family vacation anything… I truly just want to help and bring my calling from God to life. I dream about the day I can stand in front of a crowd, look them in the eye and lovingly, passionately, fill them with hope, joy, and belonging. I dream of the day I am able to write a book and hand it to a grieving widow when her child is feeling the effects of loss and say, this is what worked for me…. “Do not cry when they talk about the loss of your loved one… as hard as it is, hold those tears back and just listen”…. My ambitions run deep and the day will come when I am at the gym and someone walks by wearing Vaspire316 workout gear… it will take my breath away and I will feel God’s presence, the salt of the earth… these are the types of individuals/businesses/peers I’d love to meet for coffee and make big plans with. I envision a monthly “subscription” type box loaded with coffee from Black Rifle Coffee Company, HunterSeven and RSF Swag, Vaspire316 gear, a Signature Stanley, and a Pre-screening Cancer Test kit. I just want to help. What my little family has been through seasons past and seasons forth has been and will continue to be painful beyond words. Finding my joy again has been a daily goal of mine, a difficult one might I add… with your help, I can bring joy to others… and find myself again.

If you are someone with these types of connections I would love to chat! I can be best reached via email, jhall@reconsniperfoundation.org or instagram @ Vaspire316.

Truly, thank you for your time, and reading this article. I am humbled honored to have had the privilege to hold your attention this long. I value your time and presence.

Blessings,

Jacole Hall

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Tayler Lenz Photography Don Krueger Photography

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