Why Losing Was Never the End for Jake Bostwick
7/20/20261 hr 9 min
Jake “Brutal” Bostwick, professional fighter and bare-knuckle boxer, joins The Determined Society for a raw conversation on fighting, violence, identity, resilience, discipline, and refusing to stay down. Jake opens up about growing up in Southeast London, being surrounded by violence, learning to defend himself early, standing up for people being bullied, and stepping into professional fighting as a teenager. Together Shawn French and Jake discuss his journey through MMA, boxing, and bare-knuckle fighting, the pain and respect that come with combat sports, what it feels like to keep fighting after loss, and the identity challenges athletes face when the sport becomes who they are. This conversation goes beyond the ring and into the mindset of a man who has built his life around toughness, protection, discipline, and getting back up every time life hits. The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms. Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave a review. It helps more than you know. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJake Bostwick· Guest0:00
[dramatic music] [crowd cheering] It's like I've, I've been through battle.
Shawn French· Host0:09
Mm-hmm.
Jake Bostwick· Guest0:09
You know, like I've, I've s- had to stand and fight and battle.
Shawn French· Host0:14
Most people when they lose, they stop. They tell themselves the story that maybe this wasn't for them.
Jake Bostwick· Guest0:19
You know, you either choose to get up or you don't.
Shawn French· Host0:21
Mm-hmm.
Jake Bostwick· Guest0:21
You know, I always choose to get up.
Shawn French· Host0:23
A lot of people when they lose something, they, they go down the rabbit hole of, "I'm just not that good."
Jake Bostwick· Guest0:28
The loss, definitely learn from the mistakes. The wins are the wins.
Shawn French· Host0:31
There's a special fighter inside every single one of us, but it's your job to call on that fighter.
Jake Bostwick· Guest0:37
You gotta look at the full picture. How did I mess up? What did, what, what did I do wrong? Like what, what could I have done better? Because- Great ... that's how I'm gonna grow and get better. You're at the top of the ladder of all, bro. Like you are busting cork, yeah.
Shawn French· Host0:51
Mm-hmm.
Jake Bostwick· Guest0:51
You know, and then if you are not doing that anymore, then yeah, there's gonna be an identity issue there.
Shawn French· Host0:57
If you get knocked down, you can't retreat. You have to get back up and do the things that you know you need to do to get better.
Jake Bostwick· Guest1:03
Determination, I think, are you willing to throw all your eggs in the basket to pursue something that you want and wanna take? I think you're either all in or you're all out.
Shawn French· Host1:16
Jake Bostwick, welcome to the Determined Society.
Jake Bostwick· Guest1:28
Absolute pleasure, mate. Thank you