Becoming UnDone – Episode 138

From Athlete to Redemption: Jonathan Shorten’s Journey of Resilience

Host: Dr. Toby Brooks
Guest: Jonathan Shorten
Date: October 5, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Toby Brooks sits down with Jonathan Shorten, a rising star in automotive sales whose life has been anything but a smooth ride. From high school athletic glory and devastating setbacks—including ineligibility, public shame, and a harrowing legal battle—to carving out an authentic identity and a redemptive path in sales and mentorship, Jonathan’s story is a raw, courageous blueprint on surviving life’s sharpest falls. This conversation pulls listeners into the thick of heartbreak, youthful missteps, brushes with law, and a powerful transformation fueled by faith, hard lessons, and relentless resilience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Years: Athletes, Expectations, and Identity

• Background in Sports

  • Jonathan dreamed big as a kid, seeing himself as bound for the pros.
    • [05:14] “Like every kid, swore I was going to the pros. You know, swore.” – Jonathan Shorten
  • Late physical blooming helped him transform from a “chubby” 5’9” into a 6’3”, athletic force.
  • Family legacy loomed large—his father, Oscar Shorten, was a local sports legend with a notable pro career.
  • Early adversity struck with a team-wide drug test failure his junior year, derailing a championship-contending season and becoming his initiation to public failure and accountability.

• Trying to Escape the Shadow

  • Craving his own identity, Jonathan transferred schools hoping for exposure and a fresh start, only to face exclusion from play due to eligibility issues.
    • [13:22] “Came in to me and was like, hey, like, no shot.” – Jonathan Shorten (on being ruled out by UIL)

2. After Sports: Lost, Masked, and Unmoored

• Life Without the Athlete Label
  • Jonathan recounts drifting, seeking belonging, masking pain with parties and reckless behavior, and shunning self-accountability.
    • [15:38] “You mask it…You try to be like someone that you’re really not.”
    • [15:52] “From 2014 to about 2018 I didn’t have an identity. I wasn’t Jonathan the athlete.”
    • He admits the shortcut impulse: “We always had…some type of get rich fast scheme…they all failed…You just want the shortcut. But you gotta realize, it’s the process.”

3. A Turning Point: Protection, Providence, and Purpose

• A Critical Intervention

  • After moving to McKinney with hopes of reigniting his athletic career, a chance encounter with “Reggie,” the maintenance man, keeps Jonathan from a potentially violent confrontation.
    • [23:32] “He steps in and offers to keep Jonathan from what could have been a serious confrontation…Either way, Reggie the maintenance guy stepped in…” – Dr. Brooks
    • Later, in a surreal realization, no one at the apartment complex remembers “Reggie,” which Jonathan interprets as divine intervention.
    • [25:23] “This is probably my first moment I realized there is a God.” – Jonathan Shorten

• Back to Lubbock and a New Path

  • A call from Coach Poe brings Jonathan home to a “lot porter” job at Hayes Motor Company, becoming his entry to a career in sales.
    • [23:32] “Go over there in the morning, they need a guy to drive the cars around and, you know, pick the lot up and detail some cars. I was like, yeah, dude, I’ll do it.”

4. Sales Success: Innovation, Social Media, and Relationships

• Finding His Lane
  • Reluctant at first, Jonathan flourished in car sales—surpassing expectations by leaning on social media and genuine community ties.
    • [31:53] “My first month selling cars, I sold 15.”
    • Early adopter of using Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to move cars during Covid, going against traditional dealership marketing.
    • [34:41] “I start looking at things—now I’m like, dude, Covid was probably the best thing that happened to me because…I got to figure this out.”
  • Built trust with clients through authenticity, transparency, and connections established from sports and youth mentorship.
    • [38:46] “If you take care of someone’s kids, dude, that’s all anyone wants…”

5. NIL, Athletes, and a Unique Niche

• Leveraging Experience for Connection
  • By reaching out directly to incoming college athletes (notably KJ Allen from “Last Chance U”), Jonathan established early influence in the newly opened NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) market.
    • [40:01] “It’s just reality—I’m a young black guy, I still got enough swag where I’m cool enough to rock with ‘em…”
    • The NIL era allowed him to provide real value and trustworthy deals to athletes, bypassing agents as much as official “deals.”
    • [42:49] “So I drive right over… picked him up… That was kind of the start.”
  • His authenticity, shared background, and local roots made him the trusted car guy for athletes and their families.
    • [50:50] “Hey, we got this guy in Lubbock, this young black dude. He’s super cool… call this guy for cars.” – Jonathan Shorten

6. Rising & Falling: Crisis, Accusation, and Humbling

• Success, Excess, and a Crushing Blow
  • A meteoric rise in sales led to partying, popularity, and complacency.
    • [55:59] “I was living it up, but I was like, man, I think I can be a better person.”
  • Suddenly, a relationship falls apart and an allegation of domestic violence upends everything.
    • [58:29] “…You’re being investigated for domestic assault…”
  • Losing clients, under scrutiny, and at risk of his career, Jonathan faced the stigma and reality of being publicly accused.
    • [73:32] “I went from hero to zero overnight… The fall is harder the higher you are.” -- Jonathan Shorten
  • Emphasized the challenge of silence and trusting legal allies, as well as advice from his father:
    • [72:08] “This is going to be great. This is going to be the best thing that ever happened to you.” – Oscar Shorten

7. Restoration, Redemption, and Empathy

• Turning Suffering Into Understanding
  • Highs and lows bred empathy for others, especially those unjustly or justly caught in life’s worst moments.
    • [74:20] “I’ve learned empathy now. This could happen to anyone. I need to start realizing I’m no better than you.”
  • Became a life coach for himself first and then a proactive mentor to kids and peers, focusing on being dependable and available.
    • [78:53] “I had to pay for a life coach. I was seriously depressed…It was like when an athlete retires—‘what do I do now?’”
    • [81:55] “What my dad told me—that’s the best thing that happened to me…Now I’m doing everything I do, but now I’m doing it with the power of God.”

8. Reflections: Advice, Growth, and What Remains Undone

• What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?

  • [84:36] “Don’t be anything you’re not…just be yourself, man.”
  • Discusses the cost of not being authentic and the wasted energy of trying to fit in.

• What Song Captures His Journey?

  • [88:06] “Kanye West ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing’…that is my song right there…”

• What Remains Undone?

  • [89:03] Continual growth as a person, especially in personal relationships: “I still want to be able to say no when I need to say no. I still want to be better in my personal relationships.”

Notable Quotes

• “I went from hero to zero overnight. My name’s Jonathan Shorten and I am Undone.” [00:03]
• “Football is life. In every football game, there are four or five plays that decide the game. The problem is, you don’t know what those four or five plays are… That’s the same way in your life.” – Oscar Shorten (shared by Dr. Brooks) [10:16]
• “You can’t control what others think of you. I just need to be content with myself.” [54:01]
• “I only got through what I was going through because people had my back, you know. And I just wanted to be that for everyone else now.” [81:09]
• “If you take care of someone’s kids, that’s all anyone wants is for you to take care of their kids.” [38:46]
• “Loneliness will kill you.” [84:36]

Significant Timestamps

• 00:03 – Jonathan recounts his lowest athletic moment
• 07:12 – On family athletic pedigree and expectations
• 13:22 – Transfer and ineligibility; identity crisis
• 15:38 – Masking pain, searching for belonging after sport
• 23:32 / 25:23 – ‘Reggie’ the maintenance man, and a spiritual wake-up
• 31:53–34:41 – Discovering sales, mother’s influence, social media innovation
• 40:01–42:49 – Becoming athletes’ go-to auto guy in the NIL era
• 58:29–72:08 – The legal ordeal, public shaming, and advice from his father
• 73:32–83:40 – Vulnerability, empathy, legacy, how adversity fundamentally changed him
• 84:36 – Advice for his younger self: authenticity
• 88:06 / 89:03 – Life’s soundtrack; ongoing personal goals

Recurring Themes & Tone

• Brutal honesty: Jonathan doesn’t sugarcoat mistakes, poor choices, arrogance, or suffering.
• Redemptive faith: Both host and guest see evidence of God’s hand in life’s chaos.
• Relentless growth: The idea that failure, pain, and “undone” moments can be the raw material for resurgence.
• Community and mentorship: The pivotal impact of coaches, family, and friends—positive and negative—on shaping who we become.

Ending Notes

Jonathan’s story is a testament to the fact that setbacks, even the most public and painful, can be the grounds for lasting transformation—if we’re willing to own up, learn, and reach out. His message to young people and former versions of himself is simple: be authentic. Don’t waste energy pretending. The long road to restoration isn’t about reclaiming old dreams, but building new ones on a foundation of humility, faith, and real connection.

To connect with Jonathan:
Instagram/Twitter: @JShorten
Facebook: Jonathan Shorten

For full show notes and resources, visit undonepodcast.com/ep138.