Jon Pritikin (born February 26, 1973) is an American strongman and motivational speaker.

Early life and education

Pritikin was born in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

to a Jewish family, Andrew and Nancy (née Kunz) Pritikin. Pritikin had speech and learning disabilities as a child. Placed in

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

in first grade, he was bullied and abused by schoolmates and neighborhood children, and has said he had no friends. In high school, a teacher worked with him on his speech impediment and academic problems, and he was accepted on academic probation to

Bethany University Bethany University was a four-year private coeducational Christian university located in Scotts Valley, California, in Santa Cruz County. It operated from 1919 until closing in 2011 and was endorsed by the Assemblies of God USA, a Pentecostal d ...

Scotts Valley, California Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, about thirty miles (48 km) south of downtown San Jose and six miles (10 km) north of the city of Santa Cruz, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mounta ...

Career

In 1994, Pritikin co-founded a nonprofit organization, ''Feel The Power'', which produces an anti-bullying assembly for elementary, middle, and high school students. The assembly consists of motivational speaking and a presentation of Pritikin's physical strength through various strongman exercises. His message focuses on the long term effects of bullying and the importance of accepting others. In 2008, Pritikin became involved in an anti-steroid program known as S.W.A.T.S., which is an acronym for Sports With Alternatives to Steroids. As of 2021, Pritikin has spoken to more than 10 million students in 60 nations. In October 2021, Pritikin released his first book titled
Feel The Power: A Survivor's Guide to Happiness
'.

World records

Pritikin broke and set two

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for "the tightest circumference of two aluminum frying pans rolled together with his bare hands in less than 30 seconds.” The frying pans were 30 cm (12 in) and he broke the record at Rectory Road Park in Sittingbourne, Kent, UK on July 11, 2007.

Personal life

Pritikin met his wife Rhonda (''née'' Garcia) when they were both students at

; they married in 1995. They live in California and have one child.

References

External links

Jon Pritikin
on

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Jon Pritikin
on

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Jon Pritikin
on

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Jon Pritikin homepage

Feel The Power homepage

Guinness World Records profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pritikin, Jon 1973 births Living people Bethany University alumni 20th-century American Jews People from Lodi, California 21st-century American Jews