Not long after the COVID-19 pandemic began, award-winning journalist and former Esquire magazine staff writer Chris Jones started telling Friday afternoon stories on his Twitter account, @enswelljones. Because of his time profiling celebrities for Esquire and because Jones is the kind of guy who often finds himself in hilariously embarrassing situations, many of the stories went viral (one was read 8 million times and another 10 million). The stories were exactly what people were looking for, offering levity and laughter during a dark and heavy time, and that was purposeful. Jones is no stranger to darkness, and with his Friday afternoon stories he set out to offer some light.
In this wide-ranging conversation about life, luck, mental health and what happens when the narratives we have in place for our lives crumble around us, Jones shares how his mid-life career change and divorce, along with anxiety, depression and bouts of suicidal ideation, have shaped who he is today -- a guy from Port Hope, Ontario, who wants to make the world just a little bit better.
Some links to things talked about in this episode: Esquire story Chris Jones wrote about Kelsie's Chris in 2007, Pete Simon Twitter story, George Clooney Twitter story, peeing on a guy Twitter story, Ricky Williams Twitter story.
A warning: this episode contains conversations about suicide and suicidal thoughts.