Jason McClaren grew up in several states but was primarily brought up in Anchorage, Alaska. Raised by a single mother in abusive relationships and on public assistance, he has first-hand experience of being in need and misunderstood. By age twelve, he had been through numerous homes, three fathers and four different elementary schools. By the end of high school he had attended three different middle schools and five high schools.

Soon after graduating from high school in 1999, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he served for seven years as a firefighter. His specialty was hazardous materials, and after three years, he became a Fire Officer and Station Captain. He was stationed in San Antonio, Texas, Las Vegas, Nevada and Anchorage, Alaska for two years each and visited two other Southeast Asian countries during his tour. When not battling fires, he could be found battling his personal struggles.

Jason was first married in 2003 but the marriage was no fairy tale, this caused the marriage to succumb to annihilation in 2007. In late 2006 while home on vacation Jason suffered yet another blow to his life. While at a mutual friends house Jason and his brother Payton were spending some rare time together when a friend asked Payton for a ride home. During this trip the vehicle burst into flames killing Payton and his passenger. Payton was 22 years old.

After losing his brother the Air Force offered Jason an honorable discharge. Upon his discharge in 2007, Jason McClaren moved to Texas to start a new life. He vowed to take a new path and start doing something good, rather than living day to day. Serving on mission teams and becoming involved in the church Jason was back on track. Leading many youth teams in “Payton’s Project” a non-profit designed by his brother, Jason began to use his leadership skills obtained in the military for use in other good works. Jason runs McClaren Enterprises while pursuing his Masters degree in Business Administration. He re-married in 2011 and resides in the Dallas, Texas area while serving as a public speaker, Fire Safety Manager for a top 100 University and as the Deputy Director of Safety for the Texas Wing, Civil Air Patrol.