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Arizona Storytellers: John Vasquez

John Vasquez at the Peoria Center for the Arts
Carlos Salcedo/The Republic
John Vasquez shares his story at the Peoria Center for the Arts on January 24, 2018.

KJZZ is partnering with the Arizona Republic to bring you the Arizona Storytellers series. We record the live events and share them with you on the radio. In Phoenix, the storytellers share stories about our community or the life events that have shaped them. Megan Finnerty is the creator of the series.


John Vasquez says he was a chubby kid and he was picked on for it. Even though his name is John everyone called him Joey, which he hated.

When he was 7, some kids started calling him Gordo, which John thought was a cool nickname, but he quickly learned it meant "fat boy." John says he wanted to prove to the world who he really was so he got into weight lifting in high school and then joined the military.

John Vazquez is an author, motivational speaker and founder of JV Impacts.

The next Arizona Storytellers event is July 17 at The Van Buren in downtown Phoenix. To learn more about the Arizona Storytellers project or how to tell your own story, visit  storytellersproject.com.