16 Days on a Deserted Island

Something most people don’t know about Jason Linden is that he is a true Survivor. 

A castaway on Fiji in 2019, Linden faced the prospect of having to fend for himself, finding shelter and sourcing food to get through the 16 days he was trapped on the island.  Before you worry about this could happen and how Jason finally got home, what you should know is that  Jason was lucky enough to have help from his 22 fellow castaways as he competed on season 39 of Survivor.

“Surviving Survivor on the Island of the Idols was much more difficult than I originally thought it would be.” Says Linden.  Linden had been applying to be a castaway on Survivor Island since season 33, which aired in 2016 and his tenacity paid off when he was finally chosen for season 39.  “Survivor is a relationship-based game, '' said Linden.”  He planned to use his deep and fundamental understanding of human communication and connection.  Skills he has honed and attributes to his success as a personal injury attorney.  “I speak to my clients everyday.  They are going through real struggles after being injured somehow.  I work hard to get to the heart of what is happening for them and how they really feel and I believe this helps me be a more effective advocate for them.”  Linden planned to use these skills to develop the relationships he needed to win Survivor.

Relying on his resilient and hardworking nature, Linden went into the competition believing he had the stuff to lead his allies to success.  His “is that all you got” attitude was sure to help him succeed in winning the competition for the million dollar prize at the end of the game.  “I love the game, said Linden.”   Expecting challenges along the way, he didn’t expect that his first challenge would be trying to fix his smoky sneakers after accidentally putting them too close to a fire to dry.  Linden overcame that “bozo award challenge” as he called it and continued the good fight, collecting firewood, sleeping with rats,  spending time in the cold pouring rain and pushing himself to his limits.  

Jason realized that learning where his limit was in such a challenging way prepares him for the courtroom.  “I know my limits exceed that of any attorney I am opposing in a trial or litigation against my clients.”  No matter what life throws at you, I learned that I can say I am stronger than this.  Whatever the obstacle or uncomfortability that is in front of you, creating a stronger threshold and being mentally tough will help you through.  Says Linden of his biggest lesson from his Survivor experience.   

Looking back, being a cast member on Survivor was a bit of a selfish decision.  I look at my life now, says Linden. I have a beautiful wife and a wonderful daughter.  My family comes first now.  I am glad I had the opportunity to realize my dream of playing the game before my practice became as robust as it is today and before my daughter came along.  I wouldn’t do it again.  Now, I feel I owe my time to the people that put faith and trust in me like my family and my clients.  

My biggest mistake, looking back, says Jason is underestimating the importance of first impressions with everyone you meet.  No matter what you’ve already achieved, new people that come into your life are still deciding whether they want to deal with you at that very first meeting, in those very first moments.  It was an excellent reminder of what is important.  I don’t rest on my laurels anymore.  People deserve the very best version of me, every time they meet me.  And I can bring that to the table, thanks to those 16 days on Fuji Island.