Jonathan Gluck | Author of “An Exercise in Uncertainty” | Ep. #986
TOM ROWLAND PODCAST
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Jonathan Gluck on Beating the Odds: Fly Fishing, Faith, and the Fight of His Life
How purpose, mindset, and wild rivers helped him defy a terminal diagnosis.
Jonathan Gluck is a journalist who has written for the New York Times, Vogue, Garden & Gun, and others and author of An Exercise in Uncertainty. Diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer in his 30s and given just 18 months to live, he’s still here — 21 years later — with fishing stories, medical miracles, and a message for anyone facing impossible odds. In this conversation, we talk about what it means to face mortality, to find purpose in uncertainty, and how fly-fishing became more than just a hobby — it became oxygen.
🐟 Discovering Purpose in Fly Fishing
From Jackson Hole to international waters, Jonathan found something sacred in trout streams and flats. Fly fishing wasn’t just a hobby — it became oxygen. A way to stay present. A way to escape the shadow of illness. A reason to keep showing up.
🩻 A Fall That Changed Everything
One cold night in New York, Jonathan slipped on the ice. A twisted hip led to an MRI. That scan revealed multiple myeloma — an incurable blood cancer. The diagnosis forced a conversation with his wife, a reordering of priorities, and a radical shift in mindset.
💉 Riding the Wave of Medical Breakthroughs
Every time he relapsed, a new treatment arrived — just in time. Jonathan calls it uncanny. A mix of luck, timing, and perseverance. From stem cell therapy to breakthrough drugs, he’s ridden the cutting edge of cancer care while holding tight to his will to fight.
🧠 The Role of Mindset & Faith
He’s not religious — but he believes in what he calls “the life force.” That primal instinct to survive. It’s what helped him make peace with uncertainty. What grounded him during the darkest moments. And what gave him the strength to live like time was borrowed, not lost.
📖 Writing the Book That Changed Others
Jonathan spent three years writing his memoir — not to make sense of his illness, but to help others navigate their own. An Exercise in Uncertainty is packed with raw honesty, medical insight, and fly-fishing stories that will make any angler’s heart skip.
🎣 One Final Fishing Trip
From Patagonia to the South Fork of the Snake River, his travels reflect a life lived wide open. One of his favorite memories? A perfect fall day, a big brown trout sipping a dry fly, and a quiet moment of reflection near an old barn.
“Every day above earth is a good day.”
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