Why Jake?

 

Why Jake?

It’s not a mystery. It’s not branding. It’s not some clever alias cooked up to sound tougher or more marketable.

It’s survival.

My full last name is Jaques—a name most people butcher without hesitation. Trust me, I’ve heard it mangled every way imaginable. I’d be shocked if you pronounced it right on the first try. (Go on, give it a shot.)

But here’s the truth:

Jake is the root.

It’s what I was called when the full name was too much for a coach to figure out.

It’s what stuck when I was getting my ass handed to me in junior high football drills and needed something shorter than a string of cuss words.

It’s what became mine when I needed a name to speak through on the air.

It’s what I chose as a writer when I started building something bigger than myself.

Yes—my real name is Wes.

But Jake has lived beside me for years.

Not to hide. Not to be clever.

But because it felt like home when nothing else did.

Jake isn’t a mask. It’s not a persona.

It’s the name that held me when I couldn’t hold myself.

It’s the voice I found when silence tried to erase me.

So no, I’m not being mysterious.

I’m just being honest.

This is the name that carried me through football fields, radio waves, and book pages soaked in blood and truth.

You can call me Wes.

You can call me Jake.

But know this:

Either way, I’m still me.

And I’m not hiding from a damn thing.