I’m a skater. It’s that simple.   In today’s episode of ‘Chats & Tatts’ Podcast by Aaron Della Vedova, I am joined by Jamie Thomas, a professional skateboarder, and the owner of Zero Skateboards and Garage Days Collection.   Jamie started skateboarding when he was in high school with friends. His journey wasn’t an easy rock as he suffered to be an ‘outsider,’ slept on the streets, experienced hunger, and fell thousands of times on his skateboard. But these didn’t stop him from wanting to belong in the skateboarding community. Then when the opportunity arose from Ed Templeton's Toy Machine, everyone was all over him.   So for over twenty years in the making, Jamis has redefined the culture of skateboarding and being a skater. He showed a great drive, optimistic approach, outstanding work ethic, and remarkable progression that made his skateboarding career an inspiration to aspiring skateboarders across the globe. He earned the respect that once he hadn’t.   Today, as the original pioneer of groundbreaking street gnar on the board, Jamie continues to push himself in business and skateboarding, while balancing family and life.   Find out how Jamie faced the challenges to land in the career he’s most passionate about, what drives him to do better skateboarding every day, how he fought his inner demons, how faith and Christianity impacted his mindset, and what his future plan is in his career and business.    Also, you don’t want to miss this episode because, for the very first time, he’ll share the deeper meaning of his tattoos! Timestamps: 1:21 - Guest intro 2:45 - Jamie’s childhood background and skateboarding journey  9:34 - The importance of having a support community 15:26 - Jamie’s leap of faith and breakthrough with skateboarding 23:55 - How to conquer life challenges 29:08 - How to start your own brand 33:01 - How Jamie transition from skateboarding to entrepreneurship 43:06 - The impact of the recession on a business 44:17 - Tips and tools to becoming a better version of yourself 51:52 - Why building connections matters in relationships 56:39 -  Jamie reveals the reasons behind his tattoos Quotations:    “I wanna focus on skateboarding. I love it! I feel like 15!” - Jamie Thomas   “I felt like I needed to prove to myself that I had value and that I was worthy of being a professional skateboarder.” - Jamie Thomas   “The thing that I'd learned the most was that I'd been humbled and I'd been brought to my knees… what I've been doing the last five years in order to be able to dedicate myself, to the relationships that matter most and humble myself to accept the mistakes that I'd made in the past and to try and learn from them. So they're ultimately not things that I regret. They're things that I appreciate.” - Jamie Thomas   “In the late nineties, I became a Christian. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior because I knew that I had some internal demons that I was suppressing and that I was trying to navigate on my own. I reconnected with my faith...” - Jamie Thomas   “...seeing life through a different lens.” - Jamie Thomas Useful Resources: Shop Zero Skateboards merchandise here: https://zeroskateboards.com/collections/all-products   Get in touch: Follow Jamie on zeroskateboards.com; Facebook; Instagram; and Twitter Connect with Aaron:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatsandtatts/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AaronVedova Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaron.dellavedova/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatsandtatts/featured