Daily Inspiration: Meet Jaquese ‘JQ’ Smith

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaquese ‘JQ’ Smith.

Hi Jaquese ‘JQ’ , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The Counted Me Out Podcast was created by me, Jaquese ‘JQ’ Smith in January 2023 with a simple but powerful goal: to provide a media platform where current and former athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, influencers, and other individuals could share their personal journeys of overcoming rejection, adversity, obstacles, and doubt.

The podcast is powered by my athlete public relations and management company, JQSportsPR, LLC. The idea for the podcast was inspired by my team members’ experience as former college and professional athletes and our passion for sports media. What began as a desire to tell meaningful stories has evolved into a platform designed to give people a space to share the moments, challenges, and experiences that shaped who they are today.

The Counted Me Out Podcast is supported by a passionate creative team, including Wesley “Spoon” Witherspoon, Co-Host; Terrence “Fonz” Peterson, Videographer; and Megan Pickett, Photographer. Together, we believe there is an opportunity to bring something different to the sports and media landscape by highlighting authentic, powerful stories from a diverse range of guests.

As the platform continues to grow, our vision extends beyond the traditional podcast format. Counted Me Out is becoming a movement centered around resilience, perseverance, and the belief that being counted out does not have to be the end of your story. Through conversations, community engagement, live experiences, and original content, we aim to create something that resonates not only with athletes, but with everyday people who have faced moments where others doubted what they could accomplish.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but we’re incredibly grateful for how much the platform has grown over the past few years. One of our biggest challenges has been securing the financial resources to grow the platform at the pace we envision.

But I think that challenge has also forced us to be creative. As a team, we’ve found alternative ways to increase our visibility, create exposure and continue building the brand without overextending ourselves financially. We’ve learned that growth doesn’t always have to happen quickly, it has to happen intentionally.

Scaling at our own pace has allowed us to focus on building a strong foundation and, most importantly, maintaining the quality of what we produce. Because of the relationships we’ve built and our commitment to telling meaningful stories, we’ve been fortunate to feature some incredible guests and continue creating opportunities for the platform to grow.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The Counted Me Out Podcast is an Atlanta-based storytelling and community platform built around one powerful idea: everyone has a story about being counted out.

The brand began as The Counted Me Out Podcast, where we created a space for athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, influencers and other individuals to share the personal experiences behind their success, specifically the moments of rejection, adversity, doubt and obstacles that people often don’t see.

What sets us apart is that we don’t just focus on the highlight reel. We focus on the journey. We want to know what happened when things didn’t go according to plan, when someone was overlooked, or when they had to prove themselves.

Those are the stories that we believe people can truly connect with.

As we’ve grown, we’ve realized that Counted Me Out can be much bigger than a podcast. We’re expanding the brand into community conversations, student and youth initiatives, event coverage, storytelling experiences and other opportunities that allow us to take our message beyond the studio and directly into the community.

What I’m most proud of is the identity we’ve built around the brand. The Counted Me Out Podcast isn’t about where you started or what someone thought you couldn’t accomplish. It’s about what you do after you’ve been counted out.

Ultimately, we want Counted Me Out to become a platform that gives people a voice, creates meaningful conversations and reminds people that being counted out doesn’t mean you’re finished. Sometimes, it’s where the story really begins.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happy? That’s a great question. Helping individuals reach their greatest potential in whatever they aspire to be. I strongly believe that’s my calling and purpose while here on earth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jqsportspr.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/countedmeoutpodcast/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@countedmeoutpodcast