Kyle Kingsbury Podcast - #458 Jeric Fry- from the Marines to BJJ to saving lives post military career and finding meaning

Episode Date: May 28, 2026

From the Marines to BJJ to saving lives post military career and finding meaning. Jeric Fry is an incredible human who shares his story from his time as a Marine to getting out and hitting the bottom and finding his way again in life.  support the mission here- https://www.vetbushido.org/about-us/ Get the best microdosing products on the planet from www.BrainSupreme.co/kkp and remember to use code "KKP" for 15% off everything in the store! Up your brains hardware and software now! Join my new community The Kingdom Within on Skool right here for a free 1 week trial!  https://www.skool.com/the-kingdom-within-5541/about

Welcome back to today's podcast. We have Jerich Fry on the podcast today. Jerich, my buddy Dustin Swartz introduced me to Jerich. Dustin is one of the few people who's, if they tell me about a guy to have on the podcast, I'm all ears. And he didn't disappoint this time. Jerich was Marine. I've mentioned before in this podcast that I love having military folks on. You know, I met my wife on a tour for the troops in Kuwait and Iraq. I've always appreciated the men and women that serve our country. And I see it from all angles. Let me mention on this podcast. I'm deep. balls deep in the conspiracy game for lack of a better term i understand you know the fuckery that took place with 9-11 and many other things like that it doesn't it doesn't change the fact that these

people who are going out there to put their ass on the line are actually putting their ass on the line and are losing friends and and and body parts and um fighting for for our freedoms in many ways you know they're not they're not calling the shots on war and things like that but that's a separate topic altogether i'm just saying that because uh I really appreciate getting to meet military folks, especially those who have come through a pretty substantial amount of healing. And Jarek's path to healing is awesome, so cool. He started a company called Veteran Bushito, which sponsors veterans for three months

in Jiu-Jitsu, CrossFit yoga, just something to pull them out of their rut and get them back into community and back into their physical bodies. I think it is absolutely brilliant. And he's had great success with it. He's also a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He's opening a 10th planet up in Pittsburgh and just doing great things. You know, his story's incredible. Also, you know, I've had other military friends on this podcast and I never push people

to open up, you know, about their experience, share as much as you like. But I was very impressed and honored that Jerich would open up about, you know, himself and as much of the things that were pressing for him through his career. That really, you know, it paints a different picture. the more detail you get and the more someone opens up about that. So thank you again for that, Jerich, for being open and honest and telling your story, brother. It's a beautiful story. Both of us, by the end of this damn thing, come to tears.

Not surprisingly, but not from the things you might think of. You know, so it's worth making you all the way to the end. It's, you know, two hours and change, but worth every minute. And I'm excited to call Jerich a new friend and really excited to be able to support what he's doing in the world. support the show by sharing it with friends. You know, we know a lot of people have friends in the military and things like that. It's worth sharing with these guys. Spread the word.

Also, support our sponsors. Brain Supreme is the very best company on earth for microdosing psilocybin. KKP gets you 15% off everything in the store. Check the show notes for that. And join me in my brand new community, the Kingdom Within. I'll tell you more about that during the podcast, but we have launched. We did a soft launch. I'm teaching on it right now.

It's on school. The link will be in the show notes. It's $150 bucks a month. It is worth every penny that is the cheapest way. You can work with me in any way, shape, or form. And, you know, for years, I've just wanted to bring people together, like-minded individuals to teach and to have low-hanging fruit, you know, to not have a $4,000 event that excludes tons of people.

What brings in 100, I want this to reach the masses as best I can. So check that out as well on school. We're already getting into it. You can see the previous recordings right when you sign up. And I'm stoked to have you guys. I'm stoked to get to know you all there. All right, without further do, my brother, Jerich Frye. Jerich, welcome to the podcast, brother.

Yeah, thank you very much for having me. I'm pumped to have you. You had a question on Methylene Blue, which is, it's funny how, to me, how you, basically what we've seen in the world of health and wellness, fitness, human performance, optimization, biohacking, whatever the fucking slate gets called. Like, you know, the division continues to grow. So, you know, you've got half people saying, oh, methylene Blue is a big, pharma thing and you know it's no good and i don't trust it and you got other people saying like oh it

works here's how it works and it's just an interesting one but it it does it does what it claims it works to influence the mitochondria in a positive way um it's great for immune system but most of them are underdosed is my point so i think the lumetal blue bars from midazin i have no affiliation with these guys that's what i've been taken and i think it's i think it's awesome you know you can go they have 180 milligram bars and they're scored so you can cut them in a quarters 45 migs and just take that accordingly. Yeah. And then finding whatever's right for you, where you've got energy, but you're not

cracky, that's generally like the sweet spot. Okay. And that'll help with nitric oxide. But yeah, the nitric oxide thing's hilarious. I ended up creating a product that on it called Total Nitric oxide. And it was like the organic version of NO explode. Yeah. You know, meant to give you a little bit of a pump, meant to help for certain types of

training, but definitely not, not something I'd take before Jiu-Tzu or MMA. Yeah. You know, Dustin's handed me guests before. and I appreciate that because he's giving me good guests and so I put you know every time he reaches out hey you should look into this guy

I always fuck there's like a few people a handful of people and I'm like fuck yeah I'll look into that loved hearing about your story I also love personally like one of my GMs here he was an EOD in the Navy another good friend of mine was a army guy and combat veteran and you know

ground forces type and I've trained a lot with those guys I met my wife in Kuwait and Iraq on a tour for the troops and did about a dozen of those got to go to Afghanistan twice and Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, lots of cool places I'd never get to see otherwise. So tons of respect for what you guys do. And also, you know, I'm in the conspiracy theories

and there's a lot of fucking whack shit with the people that make the wars happen and whatnot. I get to see things from both sides. Tell me about your life growing up. You know, what formed you into who you were and talk about why you got in the military and all that. Yeah, absolutely. man. So grew up blue-collar Pennsylvania. You know, I call it the blue-color grind. So like the, I grew up east of PA,

working-class family. Mom and dad both worked. You know, mom worked in food service, different kinds of delis and whatever, her whole life. And dad worked for a laminarant countertop company that he actually ended up building into one of the largest granite countertop companies in the country at the time. So super, super knowledgeable, super driven, gets up at 4 a.m. to go to work, comes home at 6 and never missed a football game. I grew up playing high school football and like, that's what you do in PA. You know, you play football, your parents work, and then you drink. There was nothing else to do, you know? So grew up with a pretty nice, like average childhood, right? Like nothing crazy. I mean, there was some stuff that happened in my life, but generally pretty normal.

Mom and dad are still together. You know, they're still working, you know, and they probably will forever. And that's the trap there in PA. And I saw it. You know, I saw it as a kid. Like, you go to school, you graduate school, you start working, you have a family, and that's it. And then you die, you know. And I saw that growing up, and I appreciate it.

Like, my old man taught me hard work and taught me discipline and taught me, you know, dedication to a company. But growing up, I was like, man, what do I want to do in my life? You know, what am I meant for? Am I going to go play football, play in college a little bit? Like, if I could. And then do what? Go to work. And so I have one older brother, one older sibling in high school. He actually had a kid. So that changed some things, some reality. You know, he was in like 11th grade and he had his kid. Wow. So I became an uncle in fifth grade. Wow. Yeah. Um, so, uh, she was a big part of my life growing up. I, I helped take care of her a lot. You know, I'm a server by, by nature. Um, and then, uh, you know, junior year going to senior year, um, I was just telling the story last

night. Uh, after football practice one day, I was an okay football player. I hated school. School was not for me. I was actually made to think that like I really couldn't read well growing up. I was put like into like classes to hold me to a to a lower standard. Special classes. Yeah. Yeah. And so then I didn't have to perform. It made my life easier. But, you know, it really held me back for years to be honest. But so junior going to senior year, I'm like, man, I don't want to go to college. Like I was sitting on my back steps of my porch at my parents' house in the sun after a hell camp one day of football. And I said, well, I don't want to go to college. Like, I hate school. Like, I would go for some like D2, D3 school, like do whatever. And then what would I do then? And I didn't just want to go to the working force

because I saw it. You know, I didn't want to get in there at 18 like everybody else does and just grind and die. So I was sitting there. My eyes whited out, and I was told to go and join the Marine Corps. And this was 2004. I think it was July. When are you born? 92?

86. Okay. Look, you got all your hairy piece of shit. Thank you. That's not fair. That's not fair. That's like you're 10 years younger than that. I'm 40 this year.

That's awesome, brother. Yeah. I just turned 40. I'm 82. I just turned 44. 40s are fucking rad, dude. Keep going. Keep going. So, dude, I get up and I go down the steps. I'm still in my football clothes. And I get my 1986 Dodge Omni with my fur interior that I put in. And I drive to the recruiter station. And I tell them that I want to carry a gun. I want to be in the front line. Like, this is what I'm built for. And, you know, they're like, well, hold on a second, buddy.

Like, let's do this thing. So, like, you know, you do this thing. where they put these cards on the table and they see your values and where you align. It's just like a... Personality test kind of thing. Yeah, recruiter tool. You have to go through it. So I go through that, right? And I'm sitting there and put honor and serving and serve a higher purpose.

And like, that was always just like where my heart was for sure. And they're like, well, let's see if you took an ASVAB. And I was like, what's that? And they were like, did you take a test in 10th grade to see if you? And I was like, I don't know. Oh, man. I partied and hung out in high school. Like, that's what I cared about.

Um, well, I did. And I scored extremely high on the as well, my my asveb score was like super high. I qualified for any job in the military. Um, and so the recruiter comes back and he's like, man, he's like, you're great. Like you want to sign up today and you can do any job. We can put you any spot that we want. Right. And recruiters have a hard time because they need to get people in these specific spots sometimes. They have this quota. So when they get somebody in that's a candidate for that, they try to push you to do it because they need to fill all these intelligence jobs and all this crap. And he's like, well, let's get you a job that you can do something when you get out. And I was like, no. I was like, what job carries the big gun and fights? Right. And I never had thought about this before. Legitimately, prior to me sitting on

my back steps and me having this rush of anxiety over me that I ever think of joining the Marine Corps. And there I am sitting there. And he's like, no, he's like, let's do something else. And I was like, no. I was like make like this is the job I want if you want me to sign up let's do it I'll go somewhere else and he's like all right so he signs me up for it that day uh for 03 uh so infantry marine corps and uh you know this is this is 2004 this is in the like the heat of iraq you know Afghanistan's going Iraq there's Ramadi there's Fallujah like that's when everything's going on I'm seeing it on the news like and that that's that was my calling there was no question to me It was as clear as I could potentially ever be.

Right. So I was 17. I wasn't 18 yet. I was 18 in like a couple months. But I wanted the ship. I knew that I wanted the ship directly after I graduated high school. Right. Like I was going to get in trouble.

I was drinking probably every weekend at that point. My friends were starting to get in trouble for just being dumb. Nothing crazy. Just being idiots. So I was like, I need to get out of here. Like I need to get out of here. need to go do something. So I wanted the ship three days after graduation.

That's the date I picked. But I was 17, so I couldn't sign the paper completely. So I go home and I say, mom, I just joined the Marine Corps. She said, what? You know, like, you've never talked about that? And I was like, yep, I'm doing it. I'm going. I'm going to be infantry.

And she was like, hold on, let's talk about it. And I was like, there's nothing to talk about. I said the recruiter's coming over later. I was like, you're going to have to sign the papers for me because I'm not old enough. So the recruiter comes to my house, and this dickhead says, he tells my parents, like, hey, he scored extremely high on the ASVAB. He's still not letting it go. He still fucking gets in a different spot. And I'm like, looking at him.

I'm like, you traitor. Like, we talked about this, right? And they're like, well, maybe you should consider something else that, like, you can get a job when you get out. I was like, I don't care. Like, this is what I'm going to do. Like, you're either going to sign today or in three months when I turn 18, I'm going to sign, but you're going to push my ship date. And I'm probably going to hate you for it. And they were like, well, I guess, right?

So they signed, and that was, they picked my ship date then. It was June 12th of 2005, three days after graduation. And so senior year was interesting, you know, when you are pending war. like I was going to war. In my mind, there was no doubt that as soon as I graduated, I was going to boot camp, I was going to infantry school, and I was going to war. So it does something to your brain, right? Like it does something to what's important.

What are you doing that year? What do you care about? So all I cared about was having fun. So I shouldn't have graduated. I did no work in class. I refused to. I hardly showed up to school. I missed like 70 days.

But on my side, this was battle of Fallujah. This is the battle of Ramadi. This is, we're in it. So my principal actually grabbed me at the end of the year and goes, hey, you can't graduate. And I was like, what do you mean I can't graduate? He's like, you've missed too many days of school. We can't. Like, you're not going to be able to graduate.

and me being an arrogant asshole at the time, like knowing everything. I told him, I was like, you're going to keep me from going to war. Like, I'm going to fight for our country, infantry, like right after we graduate. You're going to keep me and you want me to come back here next year, keeping me from doing this for our country.

And he was like, you're such an asshole. And I graduated. That's good, sir. I graduated, you know. But, like, it, it, It kind of like, I wish I would have paid more attention. Hindsight, like looking back on it in the military. Like, man, I didn't do math.

I didn't do science. I didn't do writing. Like, I skipped everything. I didn't care about any of that, right? And I got away with it somehow. I was smart enough to pass the test and do enough to pass. But I had to then teach all myself, like all of that stuff when I was in the Marine Corps because you have to do all that.

You have to write papers. You have to do math. You have to do machine gun math. You have to do like accounts for people. You have to do ammunition counts. You have to be accountable for all this stuff. So if I would have paid more attention than when I was in high school, I wouldn't have had to learn all this stuff on the fly while I was actually in the Marine Corps.

But then, yeah, had a big party, graduated high school three days later, at first time on a plane to Parris Island. Damn, first flight. First flight. First time south of Maryland. That's incredible. It was a wild trip. Yeah.

I mean, I played football, couldn't stay in school. Similarly, I did grade on tests, you know, so like I didn't think I took it to Zavab, but if I could, if the teacher taught in class what he or she wanted on the test, I could absorb that. Yeah. Auditorily and just rigor-stated on the test and, you know, get good grades on that. But I never did homework. I refused to do homework, projects, shit like that. So I had like, I don't know, I had to take summer school to maintain a 2.0 grade average because I kept, you know, there was enough Ds in there that was like 1.8, 1.7. And then I'd get a good grade in summer school and bump that back up. College football is what kept me going.

You know, they had the desire to play in college football and potentially the NFL. But it's, I never vibed with it. And it's funny looking back now, there are certain things where I'm like, I could have absorbed more of that, but I feel like now, and maybe this is true for yourself, that you have done so much of your own education and you realize like the Goodwill hunting line, like you got all that for $2.50 and late fee charges from the public library, right? Yeah. Like that's how I feel now.

Like we're in, you know, my office. There's probably half my books in here. There's half in the kids' rooms. And I love learning, you know. There's so many awesome things you can learn out there. And now with the internet and information age, like it's just fucking excessive. I feel like you can deep dive that stuff. And so I don't really have a, I don't push one way or the other.

If my kids don't want to go to college, it's not going to bother me. I don't want them doing what you're, you know, what life looked like in Pennsylvania where it's like fucking blue collar, get a job at 18, you know, get pregnant, get all the things, you know, and make that grind. I want my kids to be entrepreneurs and teach them, you know, see a need, fill a need. Like think of what the world needs, create that, be your own. boss, make your own hours, hire the right people, you know, learn this shit from the inside out, make mistakes, keep going. And so, I mean, that's really been what I've done since fighting is more entrepreneurial,

even though I've had some corporate jobs that on it and things like that. But I feel like there's, it's a, it's a rough road in certain ways, but there's a lot to be gained from it. Yeah. You know? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I don't, I don't look back and, like, look bad on anything that I did or any experiences that I went through, right?

Like I I those are all little past and little stepping stones to get me to where I am and the capabilities and the struggles and the things that I've had to learn and look back and like that's my testimony man like we like I have a testimony for a purpose and that then it was like how do I use this how do I use these tools? How do I use these struggles that I've been through? How do I help my kids, you know, be better than like where I failed because I'm very transparent with them. Yeah. You know, that's such a difference between our generation for the most part in the generation's past. Yeah. And not just a. our parents like every generation passed. Yeah. Held that shit in and there was, you know, almost like there was something noble to not discussing what's happening on the inside or, you know, just withholding, you know, and I think that there's, it's a superpower to have the right level of honesty. Yeah. It doesn't mean fucking share everything like, Daddy's sad right now because it's like, no,

you can't fucking overdo it. But there's an invitation, you know, when you, when you communicate with your kids in that way for that to be reciprocated. and that keeps things ultra tight, keeps the parent-child bond super tight. Yeah, absolutely. I imagine where you're at now is quite a bit different than where you were when you were in the military. Talk about some of your experiences there, where you were stationed in your time. Yeah, absolutely.

So I did nine years in the Marine Corps infantry through boot camp. I excelled. Like, I got in the boo camp and I just fit in. You know, I think of that like Forest Gump says, like we were like peas and carrots. Right? Like that's just like, like I got in the Marine Corps and I was like, I fit here. Like this is, this is what I'm supposed to do. You know, I was always joked about like, people called me the Marine, you know, like my dudes and stuff called me the Marine. Like I looked like it. I carried it, but like I did everything right.

You have a Batman like you could be hired as a Batman. Yeah. You just got the fucking perfect jaw, the high cheek bones. So like in like if you ever look at the old school Marine Corps posters like the like the 1950s Marine Corps posters of like the dude and blues like that's I looked identical to the guy right but I did everything right like it made sense it was easy like military's easy and like that's the thing about it like you show up on time you wear the right stuff you listen and then you execute and you shut your mouth like you'll be successful like just doing that it's very very very simple

so boot camp like I learned that quick and I just fit in and I was like all right and like they I stood out as a leader, like I was putting leadership positions in boot camp right away, right? There was a group of us, there was about 10 of us that were signed up for the infantry. And dude, we were in the heart of the war. So we had a drill instructor that was infantry too. A lot of the other drone instructors aren't infantry. One of ours was. And so he would grab us aside and talk to us.

Like, you guys are like, this is admirable. You guys joined after 9-11. Like, you did this knowing that you're going to go to war. Like, your contract at 0-3s. Like, this is amazing. Like, good job. which was cool. It was cool to feel that like, like, hey, you're doing the right thing. This is awesome. So he would, like, help teach us some stuff and, like, give us a little bit of extra privileges and stuff and, like, stand out from everybody else. Because there was, like, 80 guys in our platoon in boot camp. So, um, so, uh, did well in boot camp, went there, got out, uh, then went to school of infantry, um, SOI. So, um, so I do. I loved it. Like, now we're, like, learning actual stuff. Like, we're learning how to fight. now school of infantry it's three weeks of um like your basic infantry stuff so you just basically

live in the field you take all these tests like these simple tests on like tactics and instructing and stuff they just it's just regurgitating knowledge they teach it you test tests on it and then you spend a bunch of time in the field so then you like live in the field and you're just like hiking sleeping in the field you're shooting machine guns you're shooting rockets you're shooting like everything that's like i was like this is it you know like this hanging out with the boys shooting guns in the field like that's awesome and fucking rockets yeah Like something out of an Arnold movie. Yeah, it's cool, you know.

And you shoot all the Marine Corps weapons, and they test you, and they're watching you and proficiency of everything. Then you get selected, you know. So then you break down after the first three weeks to go to specialty trades. So the guys that do better get specialty trades. So like 0-3-11 is the base trade. Everybody's like a, that's a rifleman. After that, there's mortars, machine guns, demolition.

And back then there was rockets. I think they got rid of one of the two of them. But so I got the pick because I was like, I did very well on my test. I did everything. So you get selection if you get that. So I pick machine guns because they're the biggest guns. They're cool. You know, it reminds me of like Rambo.

I grew up watching Rambo and tried to turn up. Jesse the body, you know. Yep. So I picked machine guns and, dude, I excelled at it. Like top grad, I was on. honor grad out of that class like on all the tests shooting test knowledge test like I just absorbed it like every bit of it like more stuff on the weekends I would people would go out drinking I would sit in a hotel room I would drink in a hotel room studying machine gun knowledge just reading the book there's something

called the machine gun Bible and I would literally sit there and study every page and I could verbatim spit back like what page knowledge was and stuff like it just fit like it just made sense to me and there was this pending war, right? Like, I was going to war. So I was like, I got to know this the best that I can so I can save other people's lives. You know, that was always what was in my head. So graduated out of there, honor grad.

And then I did, got to the fleet, went to the 1st Battalion 8th Marines. I don't know if you know about them at all. So 1-8 did the push through Fallujah. And they were the tip of the spear. So that was in November. of 2005. You were on that team?

No. Okay. So I got there. I got there in December of 2005. So these dudes just pushed through one of the worst house-to-house fighting fiddings since Way City, Vietnam. Like notably, there's movies written about it. So these dudes came back broken, right?

like PTSD war torn, like, injured. Like I get there and there's guys with bullet wounds and like another guy, like his eye messed up and like all these dudes are hurt. And that's where I got dropped off to my first unit. Wow. And they were, they were brutal. But because they were brutal because they understood the cost of war and what you need to be trained to. You know, people haven't seen fighting like that for a long time. So until you do, you don't understand what it takes to be there.

So that's the first unit I got to. And it was rough. Right? You know, they had alcohol problems. They had other problems. They had PTSD. They were fighting through their own stuff, but they really cared about it. So wanted us to do well.

You know, so they pushed and pushed and pushed. So it was hard. But within months, I stood out. You know, that knowledge base and that dedication to just learning, like, they would challenge you on knowledge. And, you know, within six months, I beat, like, nobody could could stump me on knowledge. And so they kind of leave you alone.

You know, like they stop messing with you so much. When you do your job well and you're doing it well and you're fit. And that's a big thing with the Marine Corps too. Like can you fight or you fit. You know, if you can keep up in PT and you can fight and you're tough and you know your stuff, they'll leave you alone.

You know, they're like, yeah, this guy made it. Yeah. You know. So it took about six months. We deployed six months later. So like I got there December.

We deployed June. we were supposed to float on a boat to go over to Iraq. It was a mew, but that's when Lebanon happened. So in Lebanon, when Israel bombed Lebanon the first time, so we actually ended up evacuating Lebanon in 2006. All the civilians that were there when Israel was blowing up Lebanon and we had 10,000 American citizens that lived in Lebanon that needed evacuated.

So our boats were part of that mission. We evacuated all them. Then we went and part of that. in Italy and all that stuff. You know, that was fun. Cyprus, Italy, France. But then I did back-to-back Iraq to Iraq. So it was like 2000.

I'm misstates sometimes. It's just, but so like it was like 2007. We went to Iraq. We did Ramadi. This was after the awakening. So like this was after the major pushes. There was still some stuff going on. There was some firefights, IEDs, whatever.

Still like a high risk. But our phase in that war was changing. It was not so much combat now as more policing and training and in transition, which is hard. ROEs are really hard. Talk about that for a second. You know, like a lot of people, it's easy to fucking armature quarterback any war or anything that we've done. But to me, that seems like it would be one of the most perhaps frustrating or rewarding things you could do is like teaching the locals how to defend themselves and in that way.

You know, like you're basically trying to leave it in the hands of these guys to do their own thing. And that works sometimes and it also doesn't work a lot of the time, you know. It's hard, man. It's hard, especially in that role that we were playing. So like Big Brother came in. We destroyed your country. We destabilized all of the things that you had. You had power. You don't have power. You had roads. They're gone. Your buildings were blown up. And now we're like, hey, we're here to help you. So, like, we came in and destabilized the country for whatever reason. I don't care.

Like, I didn't care at that time, to be honest. I still don't. I went there to save other people, save my dudes. But so then the training missions are tough. A lot of them don't care. They're made, they have to do it. They're put in these positions. We were with the provisional.

It's actually kind of funny. It reminds me of like a road warrior movie. You have these factions, right? Like there are these factions, these rogue factions in these countries. And a lot of the countries have it. So like the highway police don't like the local police. The army doesn't like anybody. The provisional security force, who are the ones that actually helped us in the fight.

Like these were dudes that were like badasses. Like these were like dudes that were like, we want to help the Americans fight this war. the provisional security forces like these are like rogue warriors right these are like a lot of these guys have been fighting for a long time they were like in their like they were fighting the

the insurgents with us but they were like prior like Iraqi special forces and like they were badasses so like those dudes were cool provisional security for but all these guys would shoot at each other like you you'd have the highway

police shooting at these police like Like it was wild, right? Like so it was an interesting time and it was just like, how do we stay alive, stay out of trouble, do a good job? Like, what is our job? Our job's saving Americans right now. You know, stabilizing, getting rid of the assholes that are just trying to hurt us. So it was difficult. We basically, like for us, I just tried to stay out of trouble and keep my guys safe.

was the reality of it. That's every one of my deployments, I focused on keeping my Marines alive. You know, like whatever that took, I would do it. So Iraq was weird, right? So like that Iraq deployment, I was right after the push. The push is easy.

You go fight. Like, that's simple. This stuff is weird. Don't get blown up. Don't get engagements. If there's an engagement, you have to be, everything's investing.

because ROEs get real tight. Rules of engagement are really tough then. And then I went back in 2009. I go back to Iraq. So like back to back to back three deployments like stacked on top of each other. We'd go for about seven months, come back for like seven months, deploy for seven months. And so that was the that was after the turnover. So we had like officially. turned our forces over to them. Right. So now we're just there. I don't know what we're doing. Right. Like we would patrol around the outside of our perimeter and we would do humanitarian missions.

So humanitarian missions were cool. You know, like we were building waterways, taking money to help support these organizations. And like we were helping reestablish what we brought. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense to me. Yeah. The humanitarian missions make a lot of sense.

Yeah. And it's something that takes, you know, like a lot of it's hard work. Yeah, it takes physical beings that know how to fucking do shit correctly and are detail-oriented. So that seems like the perfect fit in a lot of situations. Yeah.

So like that was cool. You know, like now we're actually rebuilding. Like the security and stuff was like kind of irrelevant. You know, it was just something to do. But when we got to actually do humanitarian stuff, that was cool. We were in a place called TQatum. So TQ. Um, they actually had, it's called Habanilla Torres Village.

If you Google it, check it out. Habanilla's tourist village in like the 80s and 90s, there's pictures of like white people everywhere. This was like a super high end. Like they had like a 12 story hotel and like this crazy fountain that would go through the and like these really nice like condos all over this hillside. It had the only bibliotech, so like the only disco in all of Iraq was there. And it was built by one of the, uh,

uh, Hussein's. And he had his, like castle next to it. And so there was a disco who was still running, actually. He was back up in operation. So we're going through this like beach little town on this avenue

Torres village with thousands of people. Like, it's blown up. Like there was fighting there. It's blown up. Some of the like the, a lot of the stuff's abandoned. A lot of the stuff doesn't work.

But you can tell like this place was like something. You know, this was a really happening place at a point. Um, but now people are coming back. because they went on vacation. They haven't vacationed in 10 years. So we're walking through crowds of people

of thousands upon thousands of people and like, I'm terrified. Like one of them was probably fighting against us at a certain point, probably a lot of them. But they were just there to have a good time, you know? So we did it a little bit, but kind of kept our distance from that because it just didn't make sense tactically. But the humanitarian stuff.

And then that was a great. really during the drawdown. So they were breaking down bases. We went from that base to another base and then came home. But so when I was there, that was 2009, the monitor. So the guy that like controls where you go in the Marine Corps after your first enlistment, because I had re-enlisted the prior deployment. It was up for me to move.

So the Marine Corps likes you to move every three years. That's like kind of one of their things. Like every three years, they want you to switch units. So you switch units, you switch jobs. Typically, if you're infantry, if you're deploying, you do like two deployments and then you go non-deployment. So you go give back to the Marine Corps. So you're a drill instructor, you're an SOI instructor, you're a recruiter. And then you go back to the fleet with this knowledge after giving back to the Marine Corps.

That's like kind of the motto. I didn't want to do that. I just wanted to deploy. I didn't want to do any of the other crap. Like I wanted to go fight. And so I was chasing this fight. And I was mad that I never got in a fight. like we had some like little stuff go on but like I never got like what I expected of war.

So we had a monitor comes to Iraq when we were there. And so I go and sit down with them. They're like, well, hey, you got orders to SOI already because that would just give you orders. Like they don't care. They don't care what you want. And I was like, I don't want to do that man. I don't I don't. And he's like, well, we have a unit deploying to Singh in Afghanistan next year.

And like it was like probably about a year from there. He goes, we're trying to build this unit up. It's going to be the last big push through Afghanistan. This is the last, like, untouched, undone area in Afghanistan, right? Like, there's some real shit going on there. We couldn't even, the units that were there couldn't leave their little bases because they would get, they would run out of ammo. Like, that place is a mess.

So me and my friend Kennel, who rear in together, he was like, let's do it. I was like, let's go. So we signed orders there that three months. months after we'd get back, we'd drive to California, we'd cut to that unit, and then we would go to Sang in Afghanistan for this worst battle that we were expecting. Fun fact, I get there. So come back. I did some sniper training and stuff because I was going to transition to snipers. Did we get there? And so every single leadership position when you get there is a sergeant. it was the most senior battalion that I've ever seen in my life.

Usually you'd have like one, maybe two sergeants in your platoon. Each platoon would have like five or six sergeants. And I'm like, these are the saltiest, like hard-nosed dudes. Like these were guys that were like in every battle that like we could have done. We're all in this one unit.

I'm like, what is going on here? And then I see it. the monitor who recruited me to go there because I had three deployments under my belt and I was like in it he was there he was one of the he was one of the leadership there so the hand selected everybody the dude was building his he was building his unit to go to war so he built this like dude this like rag tag like group of like anybody who who wanted it that had deployed he sent him there and so like it was it was it was crazy like it was it was pretty funny like like

Everybody's camis are salty, sergeants everywhere, like the best leadership around. We were like, this is cool. You know, like we're going to work. So I got there and I was trying to transition to snipers. So I was a machine gunner. I was a squad leader. I was meritorious promoted every rank. I was kind of bored with what I was doing, to be honest.

So I wanted to transition to snipers. So I did a bunch of training and pre-sniper training when I was in my last unit because I developed relationships with them going out there to transition and do it. Well, I got there after 30 days of leave to transition. They give you time to move out there and move all your stuff. And I was working out, but not training for an extreme evolution. So I get out there and they were like, hey, man, we can't just take you in the platoon, but we have an end dock.

And I was like, all right. They were like, it's this week. And I was like, what's an end doc? So to get into sniper patoons, you have to do some sort of an endoc. So they'll do an evolution. It's internal to that platoon and the standards that they set. Typically, they will just work you out until they reduce the numbers to where they want. Like buds.

They're just trying to weed. Yeah. And it's usually like a couple days, but it's like you're moving. You're moving. You're doing land navigation. You're doing rocking. You're doing running. you're doing, you know, basic, it's a lot of its physical fitness and just mental toughness.

So I'm like, man, I haven't worked out in a month in the staff start. I was like, dude, I know who you are. Like, I know you've done training. Like, I know what you're doing. He's like, as long as you make it through it will take you. Like, don't worry about it. You'll be fine. And I'm like, okay.

So that Friday, I show up for the end doc. I got there Monday. This is Friday. I'm like, this is going to be rough. So it starts at like three in the morning. You do like a gear inspection. then you do a PFT and then you pack up your stuff, then you start running with a ruck on. So I did really well.

I was like top couple done with the PFT because I was still like very physically fit. Get the ruck on. Well, San Diego, man, the mountains out there, that whole base is just mountains. I was from Lejeune. It's flat. It's a swamp. So like I didn't have a lot of experience running on these mountains and these trails and stuff. And physically it didn't bother me.

Like the endurance and stuff, like it was fine. So I run. I'm like one of the first done to this like one meeting place. We run to the top of this mountain. We're running around. We circle up. We start to go down the next mountain. It's still kind of dark.

And I stepped in a wash with like a 60 pound ruck on. And I felt like an extreme pain burn and then no pain. And I lost all stability in my right leg. Like anytime I'd put my leg down, it felt like I. I was on marbles. And so I actually didn't want to be a pussy, so I ran to the bottom of that mountain, and then I ran to the top of the next mountain. I was hoping it was just like...

You'd be a pussy. Any of the way you finished, it would have been a pussy move. Yeah. You need to make your way back back to the top of the next one, right? And I was like, all right. So I get up there. But every time I couldn't straighten it the whole way because it would give out, and I couldn't really bend it the whole way because it would give out.

So, like, I had to, I had to, like, basically just keep it in the same direction and just go. So I made it. And I get to the top and I was like, hey, man, I'm out. He's like, what do you mean? And I was like, dude, my knee's destroyed. I was like, I know that it is. Right.

And he was like, ah, yeah, whatever, man, getting the vehicle. And I was like, I don't want to. I was like, I'm injured. So I get in there next day. I go to the medical and I tore my ACO, LCO. both meniscus were flipped and flipped over like complete catastrophic destroyed everything they tried to separate they started to separate me out of the marine court because as soon as you have that injury like my job you need your legs right um so uh ended up having to have surgery

they were forcing me to have surgery or i'd get kicked out immediately um so took a long process This took like six months. My unit's getting ready to deploy. They're going to Sengen. They're working up for it. I'm still helping them. So I wasn't allowed to deploy. They wouldn't allow me to.

The day I had surgery, I was in like the recovery area. And one of my sergeants came back that was injured as well. He had hurt his ankle. And he goes, he's like, hey, man, you all right? I was like, it was like a six-hour surgery. My knee was like a really bad. And he goes, we lost.

sparks and i was like huh and he was like yeah he uh it was the first day they were there and saying and um one of my marines that was in my platoon that like i was still like kind of helping out with um he was the first casualty of saying it and it was that day and my like laying in a recovery bed i found out that like that dude got killed um and then they just kept coming you know i had a 45 day no weight requirement like i couldn't bear weight or anything because they did bunch of stuff in my knee and like casualty report after casualty report after injury after casualty report like it was they were just raking up um as soon as i could walk like as soon as i could bear weight which i think in like 30 days i did i wasn't going to like wait do a step

protocol um i uh i started doing funerals so like it was they wouldn't let me deploy um in 90 days I was ruck running again after the surgery. I took as many supplements as I could to recover, whatever I could, because I needed to get over there because those dudes were getting hurt. And, you know, guys were coming back with missing limbs, gunshots, like, constantly. I mean, it was, there was reports almost every day. And so I did like six funerals, took dudes home because it was the only way I could serve these guys. they wouldn't let me deploy.

I was fighting for it. So, that, dude, that was my darkest. I was drinking heavily. Like, heavily, heavily. I thought that I needed to be over there. Like, I was like, man, I could help. I could save people.

Like, I could do this is what I'm for. You know, and I'm missing it. I'm missing this thing that I want for. So their deployment started to taper down. So there was an opportunity for me to cut to another unit that was going to do like a training mission in UAE. And I was like, I got to go do something. I got to get the hell out of this country. Like I've took too many guys home.

I've seen their kids. I've seen their wives. I've seen their parents. Like, I need to go do something. You know? So I cut units orders to this unit. and back then in the Marine Corps, they would give you your document. I've never talked about this before.

So they would give you your paperwork because back then it was papers. So they gave me my medical record to go do this TAD mission. And so when I'm driving from the one side of the base to the other side of the base, I had all my medical records. The only proof that I was injured. So I removed anything that said I was injured. And so I left one. unit like on they were still debating kicking me out and i checked into another unit and i was

healthy as could be so so i checked into that unit and uh we worked out for for this uh training mission which would have been really cool we were going to go there and train the the ua like marine force and stuff it was a it was a neat unit um but then yamman blew up that was like a time that like bombings and stuff started happening in that area so they canceled it Well, around that same time, I was still getting casualty reports from the unit that replaced my unit. And so in a three-day period, I saw that they had nine casualties out of the same exact base. And three of them were sergeants. One of them was a staff sergeant.

One of them was a captain. And I saw him come through, and I'm like, who's left? Like, who's left? Who's leading this place? And so I had done a funeral with the Sergeant Major, Regimental Sergeant Major. He was this giant Samoan guy. And he had told me, he was like, Sergeant Fry, you're a good Marine. If you ever need anything, let me know.

So I drove to Regimental Sergeant Major's office and knocked on his door and sat down. And I said, he said, how are you doing Sergeant Frye? And I was like, I'm great. And he goes, so I guess you saw what happened. And I was like, I did. and he goes, you got your stuff in a fair? Like, all your things in a fair? And I was like, yes, sir, Major.

He's like, are you ready to deploy? And I was like, yes, Sergeant Mayer. He's like, are you healthy? And I was like, of course, Sir, Major. And he's like, all right. He's like, you're leaving Friday. So it was Monday. I left for saying in Afghanistan as a combat replacement around Friday for my fourth deployment.

And boy, did I get what I was asking for. You know, it took me about a week. week to get there. Usually it takes like a month to like deploy a whole unit. It takes a lot of work. Dude, I like Friday I was on a plane. We jumped to this base, went to leather neck from leather neck. They immediately like I was there for one day. Like they needed people. So they were rushing us. Get to, uh, uh, uh, ink room. I think it was what it was called down there and sang in. Um, and like these These dudes were getting blown up every day. They were still getting shot at.

Like, it was rough. And stayed there one night, and then they drove me on a truck to my base, PB fires. And there was a squad. I saw them. They were leaving the wire when I pulled in. You couldn't get trucks or anything in our actual sector, because it was all covered by canals and stuff, like hand-dug canals. You had to walk everything.

These dudes are lined up. outside of the to go outside of the wire i see them they drop me off i go to the the base i have my big pack i had like 30 security rounds just to like get there and the lieutenant goes i go in he was like sitting there like tired staff sergeant's there and he goes they're sergeant's there and he goes they're sartan fry he goes he goes tell me who you are and i was like it's a big question you know like so i just told him my background like my experience and he goes okay he goes that patrol's about to leave do you have ammo and i was like some And he's like, get as much as you can carry.

And I was like, okay. So I load up all of my mags. He held the patrol up, grabbed some grenades, grab some other stuff. And I was like, and they were like, he's like, go with that patrol. And that's like within 30 minutes of me getting that base. I was on a patrol and sang in Afghanistan thinking that every step I was going to take, I was going to blow up. Every patrol walked in a single file line.

First guy had a metal detector. second guy had some sort of marking and if you stepped outside of the line you got blown up yeah and uh so first 10 steps outside of the wire i was a i was staring at the ground like staring at each rock i was like i'm gonna blow up i'm gonna blow up i'm gonna blow up i'm gonna blow up and then i was like i I stopped and, like, took a big breath and, like, looked at the dudes I was there. And I was like, I'm here to save people. Like, I don't care if it cost me my life. Like, I'm probably not making it home from this.

And, like, peace wash over me. And I was like, I'm here to work. And I just, I was it. I was the last time I thought about it. And I was, I was working. That day we got in a firefight first day. Damn. No warm up.

I was like, this is it. We're in the game. I made it. But so did Sanging. When I was there, did some cool stuff. I got a Navy combination metal with V for Valor for actions there. Gotten some firefights, made some relationships, made some ground. Like really like, by the time we left, it was much better.

I actually captured 20 guys on one patrol. that all popped for gunshot residue, like crazy. And we lost one Marine. I lost, that was my first time I lost the Marine. Corporal Dutcher, September 15th, he stepped on an IED. He volunteered to lead our patrol with his mind detector because our normal guy wasn't able to do it. and he uh 20 days out from leaving he uh stepped on an iED and it severed his femoral artery in his

pelvis and uh i held his held his hand as he like want the peace um but uh i mean that day forever changed my life you know and so last 20 days i just tried to keep our guys safe you know we We had a couple, we had, our doc lost his leg and we had some other guys like lose limbs. But Dutch passed away that day and we got home and I got the leatherneck and they give you like a two-week transition. So they're not just, they used to just ship you right home. That's not, that's not. That doesn't work. It's not small.

It's a bad idea. So they transitioned us to the leatherneck and I remember sitting there on my bed and I hadn't like, I haven't dealt with like what we went through. I was I was in charge. Like I had to work. Like no matter what happened, the next day after Dutch died, we were on patrol. We were working. If we weren't working, they were working.

So we had to be out there. So I remember sitting there on my bed and there was a realization that, uh, what am I going to do now because I made it? because I didn't anticipate leaving there. So I'm like sitting on my bed and leather neck. I'm like, well, damn, I made it. Like, now I have to figure out life. On my way to that deployment, I actually found out midway that I had my first son coming.

So like, I was like, man, I hit every stereotype. I'm a sergeant. I didn't need to deploy. like I could have been done deploying. I volunteered for deployment that I shouldn't have been on because they were trying to kick me out. Could have took a medical separation and been 100% paid. And then I found out I had a kid coming. I was like, I hit the stereotype.

This would be a great movie, you know. So I was sitting there. I'm like, man, what the hell am I going to do now? You know, like, how am I going to? Like, what does life look like? So that was in California. So I got back and immediately called my monitor. And I cut orders to Quantico because it was closer to home.

And in like four months, I was having a kid. So I was like, man, I got to figure this out. So I immediately like... How old are you at the time? That was 2000. Was that 2000? That would have been 11, 12. That was in the 12.

I don't know, man, like 26, 25, something like that. So mid to late 20s, mid-20s? But I was an old man in the Marine Corps. Yeah. I was, I was. You got high mileage for certain. What's up, guys? I want to give you a quick break here to tell you about Brain Supreme.

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their 80s, plenty of times. But kids were getting married at 11, 12, 13. They were having kids at 14, 15. Like, they were seasoned by the time they were 25, you know. And they had been busting their ass their whole life on the farm or wherever the thing was. You know, they knew responsibility, they knew duty, they knew how to grow things, they knew relationships, they knew it all. And I feel like that oftentimes gets missed.

There's nothing that can really do that other than something like what you went through. It's like, yeah, the fucking stakes are so high at 25 years old, you've experienced more of life than most people ever do. Yeah. And had your life on the line more than most people ever have. You know, and that paints things in a different, I wanted to laugh when you're talking about in high school. because like high school everyone thinks

you know like this matters so much you know prom he must say yes or my life's going to be ruined you know like every little fucking thing if I don't get an A on this test I'm not going to get in the college I want my life will be ruined like it's all fucking

every example of how we think of those things and they're not true so that must have been just comical for you in that space to actually put things into true perspective of life and death and continue to hear the onslaught lot of ridiculous shit from all your friends and people that, you know, talking about how much

this stuff matters and you're just like, you know, I get that. That's, I felt like, I asked that because I felt like a kid when I had my oldest. I was 33 when we had Bear in somewhere, you know, throughout the, I went to Central and South America to work with plant medicines and look at different places to potentially open an MMA gym in a place that was less crowded, you know, and be by the water, be where it's one. warm, you can grow your own food. At the end of that month, because I spent a week in Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, and Panama, at the end of that month, I was like, you don't realize what you have until you leave it.

Yeah. Right. And like, for as corrupt as America is, it's a thousand times less corrupt than a lot of these other countries, fucking thousand times less, or at least less obviously. So, right? And we do have more freedoms than these other countries. The fact that we can have conversations like this says it all. Yeah.

You know. But that time away, you know, second trimester, my wife was like, go for it. You know, I want you to do this. Like, I realized, like, that was me fortifying what it meant to be a father and the responsibility of that. And I felt like a fucking kid having kids at 33. Yeah. And I remember calling my dad.

I was like, did you feel like a kid when you had me? Because you were 31. It was like 100%. I was a kid. And my mom was only 21. So she definitely was a kid having kids, you know? But sorry, I didn't mean to derail you, but keep going, brother. Keep going.

See, you get back. Yeah, so I got back and I was like, man, I just got to get close to home because I'm getting out. I made a promise to myself that if I ever had a kid, I had to get out. But, like, dude, I was like, I was the Marine. I loved it. Like, I freaking lived it. I loved it. I stayed there extra.

I stayed there early. Like, that was my stuff, right? But I was like, I have this commitment to my kid, period. Like, I have to do this because it's correct. So at that point, I was like, well, that. Well, Quantico is the closest base that I can get to Pennsylvania. And I was like, how can I give back to all of this knowledge and all, like, I am good. Like, I am good at my job.

I have a stack of paperwork that says it. You know, how do I give back and how do I make this last the longest, you know, all these things I've done? Because not a lot of people have got to experience that. So I went to Quantico to teach that infantry officers, to teach the officers. So I was like, that's going to be the greatest impact that I could possibly have. I can teach these guys and they're going to go and immediately have 30 guys that they're in charge of. If I can do a really good job, the impact that I can have is magnified. Like these guys are multipliers, you know, so that's what I did.

So I went there and I went there for, there was no enlisted infantry officer course instructors at the time. There was like helpers, but there was nobody that was an enlisted that taught the infantry officers. that wasn't a thing only only officers taught officers that was just always their role there so i went there to do the basic school tbS all officers go through it it's six months long so i went there to help for that a little bit and i immediately started planning myself in iOC every seed that i could plant every range that they did every time that i got the opportunity to meet them and tell them how much i knew what's iOC infantry officer's course so it's like you go there and then you're in charge of 30 Marines.

Okay. Like, that's the last stop, man. Like, those dudes changed to Marine Corps. So I was like, I got to get there. Like, those are the guys I want to affect. So I just kept playing like planting myself, spending as much time with them and any time that I could talk about machine gun knowledge

because I never met anybody that knew any more than me. And I was like, I'm just going to blast these guys with it. And it's going to be undoubtable that I belong here. So I did, and I just kept blasting them, and blasting them, blasting them. And then I was like, hey, you need to bring me on the team. I need to work here. I was like, you're going to waste my skills elsewhere. Like, this is what I'm supposed to do.

I know more than all of you. And they're like, well, like in that space, I did. 100%. I was an expert. So they were like, whoa. And I was like, well, there was this man. He was a great man. His name was Captain Leahy.

He was like the head captain of the school. All the captains that teach there, first of all, are handpicked to be the next leaders of the Marine Corps. Like, these dudes are going to be generals that, like, that's who they put there. They're going to be the next level of leadership. And they put them there to run the junior leaders. So I sat down with Captain Leigh. He was a big dude, big burly guy, fought Muay Thai. He was from Jersey.

He was actually in college. He played for the HAL. and he was a bruiser for the hockey team. He was like, I could barely skate. He's like, but I could fight on skates. So that's like, that's what he did. He was like just this big like man, super knowledgeable, super smart. And I sat down with him.

I'm like, hey, sir, I was like, have you ever been a squad leader? I was like, how about a machine gunner on top of a turret? Like, how about a team leader? And he's like, no. Like, you know, you know I have it. And I'm like, well, how the hell are you supposed to teach these officers? what that's supposed to look like exactly if you've never done it at a high level. And he was like, you know, you're right.

And I was like, who's a better example than me? And he was like, that makes sense. Let's do it. All right. And I was like, all right. You said yes. I was like, all right. Now what do I do?

So they brought me on the team. I was an instructor there. I had brought two other guys with me that were specialties and one was rockets. and another one was a machine gunner because we did a lot of crazy machine gun firing and stuff so it was nice to have like more than one of us there's a hundred officers at a time so like it's a lot of work to do with one guy um so it actually like they the next person that replaced me that was a be billet that was a specific like it built a billet in the marine corps because of like what i did there which was cool like i i affected change while i was there it was really neat because that's the

headquarters of the marine corps i hung out with general mattis i hung out with general like I was a part of like some like like using the ospreys figuring out how to use them like how to tactically employ them I rewrote doctrine for the Marine Corps for for RSO standards and for machine gun standards like I was at the headquarters that's the heart of the Marine Corps like you can affect change there so that's all I wanted to do before I got out I was like man I'm going to do as much as I can then it was time to get out you know so I didn't prepare myself. I didn't know how to prepare myself to get out.

I was so still focused on being a good Marine, and I just assumed that it would be okay. I assumed I would excel. I excelled at anything I did. You know, anything I had gotten myself into, I excelled. Honor graded advanced machine in course, did this, did that, like lead here. I was like, always stood out. I was like, civilian war would be easy.

Well. Again, little did I know. So I got out. It was like May 2014, I think is when I got out, moved home, moved to with my parents just for like an interim. Because like I didn't know what I was going to do. Didn't have a job. Didn't have any plans, really. Had a kid.

And started to try to, well, first of all, I took like three weeks and didn't do anything. I was like, I need to like. Do nothing. I need to detach. I need to re-center. I need to find this. I need to see what's going on. But I didn't do anything positive. I didn't know positive things back then. So what did I do? I drank, hung out at the bar, and sat around and didn't do anything. Worked out a little bit. But, you know, that then I started the job search. And I found out really quick that nobody gave a shit about my service. You know, I went on a lot of job interviews for like managerial positions. I was making like seven. $75,000 when I was in, like, with my benefits and everything. So I was like, if I could make like 60 in Pennsylvania, like, I'd be okay.

You know, I'd have the same quality of life. Dude, I was applying to like warehouse manager positions, managing like three dudes and like some stocking shelves. They wouldn't hire me because I didn't have a college degree. You know, I would go to these companies and sit down and like, they're like, well, do you have a bachelor's degree? I'm like, no, but I have four appointments in Iraq and Afghanistan. and I've been accountable for 30 dudes' lives.

Like, I think I can manage a warehouse dog. You know, I think I got it. And dude, so many times they'd be like, well, thank you for your service, but like, sorry. So, like, that term, that thank you for your service is bad words to me. I'd rather you swear at me than say that, you know. And like, I'm better now. You know, like, I'm in a better space. I'm in better.

So when people do and they say it and they mean it, it doesn't. But like for a while, man, you want to make me bitter say that to me. So just started like, I found a job digging holes, doing gas lines. I'm a really good, dude, put me in anything. I was the best hole digger. I made that dude so much money. I outworked the guy. It was meeting one other guy.

And he was like, dude, I've never seen somebody work like you. And I'm like, digging a hole dog. Like, give me dimensions and direction. Like, I'll do it. I loved it. You know, it was fun. It was physical. It was easy.

I didn't have to think. I dug a hole. And then I transitioned into plumbing to try to make a little bit more money. Were you an apprentice in that? Like, how does that work? Kind of. I always wonder about like blue-collar jobs like that. You know, they have apprenticeships and whatnot.

A lot of my buddies got in, you know, like electrical. They became linemen, you know. When I was retiring from after, what was retiring? After I retired and I had my son, I was looking at, and I was just working at a strip club, bouncing and bartending, I basically had the option of doing a pipeline inspector for big oil or trying a podcast and seeing how that worked. Yeah. You know, like a complete roll of the dice, but like pipeline inspector paid like 200 starting.

You could make 400 or 500 if you did overtime. And, you know, my heart was telling me I'd much rather podcast. I'd much rather get to know people and like continue to learn and absorb. and talk about what I learned. And what sealed it was my buddy who was taking me through that. Matt Hewitt, a great friend, a guy who was training in jiu-tzee. He said he had brought six people in to those companies that all had been incredibly successful on paper, right?

Like guys, they're making fucking bank doing right, but all six out of six were divorced. And I was like, oh, fuck. I was like, tell me why. And he's like, well, everyone says, if I just go hit this overtime now, we can stack chips now, you know, it will be able to retire early, that kind of thing. My wife can have whatever she needs, you know, but that time apart is time apart, right? And so these guys would be gone for six months in North Dakota or somewhere and just completely

grow apart in marriage. All the fucking money in the world doesn't matter then, you know? So like, fact that they were six for six, that was like, okay, I'm going to see what podcast thing leads me in. It's panned out. But yeah, that's a, I'm curious about jobs like that. seems like the pendulum swinging. A lot of people, even Grant Cardone, for whatever that guy's worth, you know,

says like the plumbers of the future will be as paid as much as doctors are now. Yeah. Pennsylvania, they're getting killed. They're killing it right now. Yeah. But, like, you can, they have a, like Pennsylvania, each state, each county is different. Okay. Like, they have different rules.

They have different regulations and laws and stuff. A lot of the times, like, you apprentice, you can apprentice in a program. And then you also have to go through some sort of schooling for a couple years. So there's like night school. So Pennsylvania has you go through like a, you work 40 hours a week. That's your apprenticeship for four years. Or it's, I think it's four years there for your apprenticeship. And then at night during the like school year, you go to two nights a week.

You go to like a schooling. But like you graduated as a, as a plumber. You get your plumbers like license and everything. did you make like then it was like $35 an hour to $40 an hour depending where you are like no college no anything and the whole time you're making money which is nice like into apprenticeship but I didn't want to do that I didn't want to do the apprentice thing because I didn't like I knew in my heart that that's not what I was going to do that's not what I was going to be my end safe I didn't know what it was but I was like I'm not not doing this so I just went there and dude I'm I picked up plumbing, like, immediately. It's mechanical. It's simple. You know, like, like water flows down, hot's on the left.

Like, that's, you know, like figure stuff out. Make it look nice. Ready, tidy, loosey. Right, like, make it look nice. So, like, I got there quickly and, like, quickly learned all this stuff, like, just observed, learn. Because I'm a learner. Same thing.

I love learning. Like, I love, like, pursuing learning and developing them, the more skills and more tools in your toolbox. So I picked it up quickly. He was doing really well, selling. They paid me decent. Like even though I wasn't a plumber, like they paid me pretty well because I could do it. I would plumb whole stuff and do gas.

I did all their gas signs because I was gas certified. But dude, I hated it. And I found myself, I would go to work. I would go home. I would lift weights and I would drink. And that was it. Like, that was all I was doing. Were you together with the mother of your son?

At that time. Okay. So I spent, that was about a year, period, right? And so I had this, I was just doing it, man, going to work, drinking, doing this, like, miserable. Didn't like anything about my life, you know? And I kept thinking, like, man, is this what? I did all this stuff for this country. And like, I've accomplished all these things and I've done all this.

And this is who I am now. Like, this is my calling. Like, this is what I meant for. I'm like, man. Like, it just didn't feel right. It didn't sit with me. Didn't sit right. And then so I've drowned those feelings with alcohol.

You know, I'd find my joy in booze. Never got in trouble really with it, but it wasn't good. So within a year of getting. out, I got divorced. We just, like, grew apart. I was gone for nine years. The whole time I was in the Marine Corps, I was gone. She was growing up. I was growing up. We didn't like each other, the reality of it. Like, had a kid together and like, I just, I was like, I don't like this. I can't do this. I can't live completely not happy. So that ended. And I gave all of my possessions away all of the things i bought for the last 10 years TVs and couches and all my nice shit

i walked away from it completely car like everything i was like i don't you keep it all i don't want any i don't even want to talk about it go take everything you can take my mind like i don't care i just need away from this you know and uh so i did that um was basically living out of my car like drinking about a fifth a day i was the depression was really good at that point and And I really like booze. So, um, uh, was very embarrassed with who I was, very ashamed of like who I was turning out to be. I was divorced. I had a kid.

I'm drinking a lot. Like, who the hell are you? You know, um, my parents were ashamed to me because I got divorced. Like, there was a lot of stuff to want with that, man. And, but I just couldn't be miserable. I couldn't live like that. I knew it. Like, I couldn't.

So in that time, I had another kid. Same woman? Different woman. Yep. So in that time, I had another kid. It was a, I didn't know who I was. I didn't know what to do. I was basically a freaking hobo.

I was working. I was still plumbing, given my ex-all. all the money because I didn't care as long as I could drink. But then I like, you know, I was like, well, I got two kids now and I was either room. Like I need a house. At least need a house. I need a home base. Like my kids need a home base.

It's my responsibility as a man. So I was like, all right, I can use the VA alone, bought a house. Right? I got a house. I didn't have any furniture in it. I had like one pot, one pan, one cup, one pull, one. eight, a couple silverware. That's a pad. Yeah, food on, TV sitting on the floor.

So, but it was a place for my kids to come. Like, there was a safe place they could come. So I was living like that. And I was, dude, I was lost. I was, I was completely lost. And I was just, the only reason that was keeping me alive is because it was keep me doing anything was like I owed it to my children to like be here right I wasn't present but I like did the right thing for them you know and that was like it was the only thing that

like kept me like I have to do this this is what I'm responsible for these for these humans so then I hit a point it was February Pennsylvania you had a really bad snow that year. And we were fixing a broken plumbing line on the side of a college that was geysering shit out. Every time they'd flushed the toilets, it would geyser.

And it's a 45-degree slope, like covered in snow. Just catching off the shit on the way down? And there's a manhole cover, literally, bursted the cap off of it. And the dude I was working with was a Marine, too. We were friends growing up in high school. He got me the job because he married into the company.

And so me and him are working together. We would do like the real bad jobs because we were idiots and we would do anything. So we're trying to figure out how to fix this. Well, do you know what a grinder pump is? Do you ever hear of a grinder pump? So when that happens, you have to like, there's material that you have to move. Like out of this, so you can drain it so you can get the problem. So it's a giant pump that chops up all the shit and material and it pumps it out of fire hoses so that you can get it out of this.

So we are slipping and sliding carrying these fire hoses filled with frozen shit down a hillside, right, for three days in like negative 15 degree temperature. Every time we'd turn the pump off, the shit would freeze in these hoses and we'd have to melt it with torches and beat it with hammers. as we're like falling and like like it was absurd it was an absurd situation we're doing it for three days and i'm just like every time i'm like i cannot believe that i've done all of this for this like this is my life man like this is not it like i just couldn't get out of my head and we're we're we're getting the truck to drive back the last day after we fixed it and i look at my friend paul he has this big beard and he has dip spit frozen in his beard because he's just dipping and spitting and it was literally fro he had a frozen dip spit beard and i look at him and i'm like

i'm not doing this anymore and he was like what do you mean i was like i'm meant for greater things man i was like this is not my this is not my path i appreciate the opportunity i love you like this was you you help me i cannot do this anymore he's like you quitting right now i said no i was like but i'm saying it so it's real and he's like he's like like, what are you going to do? I was like, figure it out, dog. Like, you know. And so I'd barbered a little bit when I was in the Marine Court.

I went to this like little school, this dude would teach it for free. I cut all the officers I worked with. And I was decent. I just didn't think I could make money doing it to support, like to make some decent money to pay the bills. You know, it's $20 at a time. Yeah, especially with two kids in the house. Yeah.

So I wandered into a barbershop that my brother used to go to. like the only old school, like white dude, like barbershop in our area. And I went and sat there every day after work with my box of tools. And I had all the right equipment. And I would just sit there after work. And I was like, I can cut hair guys. One of the dudes was the Marines. So like we related.

And I kind of knew them, all the guys a little bit. I would just sit there and drink and bullshit and make fun of all of them. I feel like, let me cut hair. Give me a chance, dog. Like, let's go. I did it for like three months. Finally, they were real busy one day. and one of the barbers had to leave.

And I was like, do you guys want to get out of here, don't you? Like, let me do it. So they were like, you can ask. You can ask one of these guys if they'll let an apprentice cut your hair. And I asked one of them, they're like, yeah, instead of waiting. And it was a high and tight. I was right in my lane, you know? So I cut his hair.

And they're all like staring at me, you know? They never saw me cut, never like at. And they stare at me. And I do it. They're like, hey, you're not bad. And I was like, I've been telling you for months, man. I wouldn't say that. And so then I actually use my plumbing skills, which is cool.

You know, God gives you these little, like, these little tools along the way, stepping stones to build it. So he gave me these tools to, I did all the plumbing. And they were remodeling their shop at that time. So I did all the plumbing to actually plumb my own station to give me a new start. Cool. You know, so like I was able to, like, do it all for them so that I could actually build myself a new start in the shop, you know, and like start this transition out of, out of where

I was. So did that, started barbering, did it like on weekends and then weeknights, and then I finally made a jump. I was like, this is what I'm doing, you know. And then it made me start talking to people, you know, because I was isolated, dude. I would not tell people I was in the Marine Corps. I did not. I didn't.

Nobody cared, really. So why would I talk about it? Why would I tell people what I did? they were like uh like people like were you in the were you you did you serve and i was like yeah i was in the military and like what'd you do i was like i was infantry and like that would i i wouldn't tell him anything you know in the barber chair though it's where my healing started is i would have guys come in first responders dudes just dealing with stuff that were having a hard time and i found like i can get them out of it if i tell my story i can relate to them

I can break those barriers down. And so that's what I started doing. Like guys would come in, veterans or a lot of veterans or first responders. And they would like like all shut down. I saw it. I could like I had this skill set now. I was there. So I saw it.

So I would start telling my story to start running my mouth. And they would start opening up. You know? And it happened more and more and more. And I'm like, man, I'm helping people. Like this is cool. Like this is changing people. people. My story, my testimony is helping people. And then the whole time I'm healing. I'm talking

about it. I'm talking through traumas. I'm talking to things I went through. I talked to mynest stuff. I didn't even know that. But it was just happening, you know? So, um, six months into barboring. Um, this dude used to come in. Little guy, about 150 pounds, messed up ears, squatting posture. Everything's forward. You can't tell if he's been in front of a keyboard his whole life. If he does jiu-jitsu. Yeah. Like kind of awkward, kind of like, you know, isolated, like, didn't really like people a lot, you know, like talking. And he'd just be like, hey, you're a big tough guy.

I was like 220. I was powerlifting still. Like, I was a strong guy. And he's like, you're a big tough Marine. Why don't you come try jihitsu? And I'm like, man, that's gay. Like, why would I want to roll around and sweat on each other? Like, that doesn't like, I don't want to do that.

And he just kept trying and kept trying. And two of the other barbers actually tried it. And so that's what encouraged me to do it. He kept coming in and kept talking to me and just was being a cool dude. The other two barbers tried it. And I was like, dude, you guys are pussies. I will beat both of you up. And they're like, yeah, right.

And I was like, I'm coming to the gym just to beat you two up. And then I'll go home. You know, like, but in the past, like the Marine Corps infantry back then, like we fought. We would just go out, work out really hard and we'd fight each other. I was a black belt of McMap when I was in. So, like, I had a little bit about some training, yeah. Some, you know. And it's well-rounded at least, right?

You guys do some stuff on the ground. It's not just like hands, you know? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, a little bit of everything. Yeah. You know, and then I fought a lot. Like, my unit love fighting.

We love fighting each other. So we did it a lot. So I had that, like, I had that understanding of grappling, you know? So I went in, and I did okay against, like, white belts, early blue belts. but there was a couple guys that like smoked me that day this this little air force dude with red hair and real long arms he was like 170 pounds held me on my back and i was like you know i'd 50 pounds on him and he's going come on keep moving keep moving come on big guy use his muscles and i'm like you know like that day i like puked in my mouth like had to quit

couldn't finish training. And I sat in my car after that. And I'm like, man, I don't ever want to feel like that again. I've never felt like that. I've never felt powerless. I was like, and the options come up, right? I'm either going to never show up to a jiu-jitsu gym again. And hopefully somebody doesn't do it to me in the street.

That is an option. That's an option a lot of people take. Or I'm going to show up and train until somebody can't do it. And so I made the latter decision, right? And I started, I went like two days a week. And then I was like, I was only doing no ghee at first because like, I was like, geez are stupid. Why would I put that on?

I thought the same thing for a while. Yeah. And then I like, I went like three days a week. And then I tried a geek class and 140 pound dude choked me out. Like I went to sleep my first key class. Totally out. Didn't even know what happened. You didn't know you were in a choke.

No idea. Until I woke up. And this little like nerdy guys like, hey, you're all right, buddy. me show me that yeah um and then so then i i actually just went and did ghee i like kind of stopped doing no gee and i just like i was like this ghee is different you know it's it's like real in your brain it's learning it's like really tactical it's mechanical like a little slower pace yeah like this this is cool um and so i really dug in to gey and i was doing i went from like three days to like five days and then for like four years i was

doing like like 10 to 12 times a week because I just I started getting better and I saw that that was it and so I committed to it but crazy man six months after I started jiu-jitsu everything changed my entire perspective who I was changed it was like a light switch went on I remember one day like getting up and I was a little hungover and I was looking myself in the mirror And I was like, what the hell was wrong with you? You know, my whole perspective on life changed. I was being a better dad. Within six months, I found my wife.

She led me to faith. I started being a better father. I started wanting to be present for my kids. And I founded a business. Like, within six months, I went from, like, just, like, hanging out, like, drinking at the barbershop, like, whatever, to, like, I was like, my life's ignited again. like ignited, you know, and I'm like, I'm burning now. Like, let's go. I just wasted five years, four years in my life, you know.

And so I go to the barbershop and, you know, God puts people in your way and, like, puts the right people in your life at the right time. And I'm like, man, I want to show veterans jiu-jitsu. I want to show men jiu-jitsu, not just veterans. I want to show people jiu-jitsu. I didn't know what this was. and it changed my life. How can I show it to as many people as possible, right?

So that day in my barbershop, I had a dude that was just opening a gun shop. And I'm like, man, I need to show people jih Tzu. I think I'm going to run an event. I'm like, how did you do a gun bash? And he's like, you buy guns off of me and we raffle him. And we give him away. I was like, that's it?

And he's like, yep. He's like, I have a license. Like, and I was like, let's do that. and in the chair while I was cutting his hair, he picked out four guns. And that's, and like, that was it. Next guy that comes in, owns a restaurant, best Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh. Hand makes all the noodles. Like, if you ever come to Pittsburgh, you got to go there.

Guy sits in my chair and I'm like, man, I'm going to run this event. Like, it's going to be cool. We're doing guns. I'm going to have guns there. I'm going to buy some beer. And then we'll do jiu-jitsu to show people jiu-jitsu. I'm going to get the veterans and the men there with the, beer and the guns and we'll have the DJ and we'll just do Jiu-Jitsu in the parking lot, right,

in my barber shop parking lot. And he's like, what are you going to do for food? Like, I don't know, hot dogs. This dude's like a, like a super high-end chef, right? Like this. Fuck hot dogs. Yeah, he was like, I got your food. And I was like, well, I don't know if I can afford it. He's like, I got your food, dog. He's like, don't worry about it. Don't even think about it. And I was like, all right. You know, they're restaurants, $60 a plate, you know, like for pasta, you know, and he's like, I got your food. And I'm like, well, that's, thank you, you know. And so that's how it's how it started. I ran my first event like three months later.

And the whole idea was to show people jiu-jitsu. We had four competitors on mismatch hodgepodgepodge matts in my parking lot. We had a keg of beer and an amazing amount of food and some cool guns. and, you know, like 50 people showed up, and it raised $2,500. I didn't even know I was going to make money. Like, I didn't even think about it. I was like, I'm just going to do this to show people this. We had a guy that year came.

He was one of my customer, Marine. He joined the gym after it. And I was like, it worked. I was like, this worked, you know? So that's, that was the origin story of the veteran Bishudo. that's what got the mission started. But dude, Jiu-Jitsu legitimately changed my whole life. Like it initiated that spark in my life to like to change everything.

Yeah. Yeah. I love like certain martial arts and jihitsu for people that don't know. It's kind of in a league of its own because of the fact that you're tested every practice. You know, it's not like you're tested for your technique on a heavy bag. You're tested via sparring. Yeah. And what's nice is you don't take a lot of brain damage that some of the other martial arts can take on,

even though I love striking and Muay Thai and boxing. But it's the fact that you're sharpening your sword and realistically. You know, like it works or it doesn't for you on a particular day with a particular opponent. And it's those reps that are so developing on a personal level. But they also hold you to a certain standard. Like, you know, I could drink like a fish when I played football in college. As soon as I got an MMA, I was like, oh, I can't do any of this shit during camp. Like, it'll fuck me up.

Like, I'll notice a drop in cardio for weeks. When I'd hear guys like John Jones drinking and doing blow before a fight, I'm just like, I already thought he was the best in the world, but like, that's fucking absurd to me. I would fall flat on my face if I did that shit. Yeah. But I like the fact that you have to hold yourself to a different standard and you want to because of it. You know, but it is really unique. It's the only, it's one of the music and jiu-sitsu are the only two mandatories I have for my kids. Yeah.

That's it. You know, you don't have to play the same instrument your whole life if you don't want, but you have to play music until you're 18. Pick whichever one you want. Yeah. And you must do jiu-jitsu, hopefully until you're black belt, but at least until you're 18. Yeah. You know, and hopefully if that's done correctly, they'll want to continue. And I assume they will.

You know, my son loves it. And our little girl loves it. She's not ready. She's five years old. You know, like we've taken her in and out of classes. We did the same with my son when he was three, four, five at seven when he got in the ghee, then he was like, this is it. Yeah.

And he loves that and loves football. Those are his two loves and sports. And they're great. You know, they work together. You know, they compliment each other big time. But there's something that happens in the trajectory from white to black belt. And you can notice it when you hang out with other. black belts, you know, that have like a certain, there's just a certain presence with them.

It's not an arrogance. And I've met, you know, again, there's exceptions to every rule. I've met plenty of arrogant black belts. But most of them have a calmness and a certainty about who they are because they've been fucking battle tested so many times. They've also been humbled, you know, countless times. Countless, countless, countless times, they're humbled. And I think it's incredibly unique, you know, there's no real other martial art that gets you there. Like, wrestling's fantastic. It can teach you that next level.

It can burst through you through the glass ceiling by how demanding and challenging it is. It's a fucking really great sport. It's a great martial art. But, you know, Jiu-Jitsu, it builds character. And it makes you a better person in that way. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

And that's like, so the thing that I didn't realize, and I was talking to a, he's a couple striped black belt from Crown Jiu-Jitsu. And I believe that's Utah. We were just talking on the phone, right? And he's a veteran. And he, like, so, we're talking he goes i was talking about the bonds and relationships because like that's why i started the veteran bashoos like the bonds and relationships and it gets you reconnected in a community right like

that's the thing that people in this world lack is like this connection to community like a real organic not bullshit not social media connection like a real connection with people jihitsu provides that for you and he was saying the psychology of it because that's what he is he's a psychologist he goes when me and you enter combat, like a combat sport, we are both agreeing that we're not going to kill each other and we're not going to break each other. And in jiu-jitsu specifically training for it, we are agreeing upon that without ever actually saying it.

And so I have to trust you. I have to trust you with my life. I have to trust you with my well-being. And so that's why, like, it's crazy. I didn't talk to anybody at jiu-jitsu initially. you know but then for some reason i really like them you know like this dude's my friend never talked to him before like i'll invite him to my house you know like i i and it's weird and that's what he was saying he's like the psychology breakdown of it is that it's like you are trusting these

people with your life so like you have to trust them now now you're going to like them you're going to love them for no reason other than that they didn't kill you they didn't kill you today they didn't break your arm you know and that that was cool so that's so like the veteran man like we are in the way that i viewed is we are in cycles right we are in either a positive or a negative cycle and when we're in a negative cycle like the small choices that we make the micro decisions that we make every day they are all negative you know like i stayed up late i drank so then i got up late so i'm running late for work so i'm stressed i ate something sugary and then at work i'm misperforming so then probably when i get home i'm not going to be the person that i should be for

my wife and then she's not going to act right to me because I didn't treat her right you know I don't even deserve it and my kids I'm acting bad for my kids so then what does that do it drives you to depression and more drinking and then it's just this freaking circle right and when you get stuck in the circle and then you don't have a community to hold you accountable and this is where you're stuck it is so impossibly hard to even see your way out and you need something to break that that chain that cycle to initiate a positive cycle, right? And jujitsu forces it upon you or fitness. Any fitness can really do it.

But jujitsu forces it upon you. Because when I drink at night and then I go to jujitsu, I feel terrible. And I get beat by somebody that shouldn't beat me and I don't want that. Yeah. You know, the guy submits me that like, even if he passes my guard and I don't think that he should,

I'm like, man, like, I better do something, you know? And so then it forces me to, make better decisions. And I'm around positive people that are making better decisions. So, Jiu-Jitsu China changes that mindset and makes me make better micro-decision so that I'm going to go to sleep a little bit earlier. I'm going to drink water more and I'm going to get up earlier and I'm probably going to stretch because I really need to.

And I'm going to work out maybe because I don't want to get injured. And it causes that chemical change in your mind because now you're doing positive things. You have a dopamine release. You have all these like, innate positive things. that are happening when you had this negative cycle, and now you're making better micro-decision, which is changing your whole life and you don't even know it. You know, it changes your day now into a positive day instead of a negative one. That compounds into a better week. You start performing better at work. You perform better at homes. Your wife treats you better. Now that's better.

Like your whole existence rises, right? And then you're helping your community. And when you start serving and giving back, it changes everything. It changes your entire life in a short period of time. You go from a dark place to sometimes you do make bad decisions still, right? They pop up, but you have this positive influence in this positive direction that is in your life and people holding you accountable to stick to that. And you've built momentum. Yeah. That momentum carries you forward in the positive route.

Yeah. Yes. Yeah. And like that's the power of jiu-jitsu that like I don't even, I don't like to discuss that with people that don't understand it. It's too big. what it does for you is too big. So the veteran Bishuto, you know, after a couple years of running events and raising more money and I was donating to other places.

And when I needed help, I got denied because I didn't have a rating, but I did four appointments to Iraq and Afghanistan and fought. I held a dude's hand as he passed away, you know, and I didn't have a rating because I didn't go to the VA. So I didn't qualify for these programs. And I didn't, you know. And so when I needed help, nobody would help me. And so I was donating the nonprofits and looking at numbers and like, you know,

people know the bad numbers and the bad statistics on like all these organizations. It sucks. And so I didn't, I was doing a lot of work to raise this money and I didn't want to give it to a place that sucks and waste my money. So I was giving it to the VA Emergency Relief Fund. COVID came. The dude wouldn't meet me to take my check. And it made me violently angry.

That year was our biggest event. We raised over $8,500, which was cool. When I called him and I said, hey, can you meet me? And he's a veteran. I said, I got $8,500 for you. I would love the news to come. Let's let people know that they're not isolated, that people still care about them.

We are in isolation right now during COVID. I guarantee suicide rates are up. Isolation kills. We need to let veterans know that there are still a community that cares about them. They are not alone. And the guy goes, well, I can't really meet you at the office. You know, COVID and blah.

And I was like, I was like, people are dying. They need to know that we give a shit still. And he's like, well, you can mail it. And you could, don't you know the news? You can call them. And I was like, so I hung up the phone and I started punching my windshield. And I was freaking out. Like, I was so angry because I had friends that died.

because of suicide and overdose, you know? And nobody fucking cares another time. Nobody cares, man. And it's like, it was so frustrating for me. I'm literally, I'm surprised I didn't break the windshield. I'm freaking out. I don't know how to react. I'm just so mad because, like, that's the feeling that I have.

Like, even the VA, like, this, this official that is supposed to care. Well, regulations. like, dude, it's people's lives. And so I'm screaming, yelling in my car, my 2010 Subaru. I actually might have a key of minivan at that time. I love minivans. I do too. I love them.

They're my favorite. But, and I'm like yelling and like just looking to the sky. And I don't know God yet at that point. but he had been chasing after me for years. And I'm just, I'm like, what am I going to do? And it clear his day. Well, it's time to start your own. And I was like, I like stopped y'all.

And I was like, what's that mean? Like, I was like, I don't even know what to name it. And the name immediately came, veteran Bushido. I'd never said those words together. Like, never. And I was like, that's kind of nice. I was like, I do kind of like that. I was like, but what are we going to do?

And it was like, show people group fitness. Like show people the community through fitness. Keep it simple. Get them connected in a community. And I know like it takes 90 days to get reset into a new pattern to establish new habits. So that's what we provide a three-month scholarship for any veteran to get into group fitness, to get them reconnected in a community outside of the military. It's a lifeline back to life.

You know? And I was like, I got $8,000. Like, let's do it. Like, maybe I can help a couple of dudes here locally. And I was like, maybe I can help people here in Greensburg. There's a lot of veterans. My county has 18,000 veterans out of 300,000, out of 370,000 people, 18,000 veterans.

The county next to me is 1.2 million people, 60,000 veterans. Those are good places to be if shit hits the fan. Yep. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, they, the blue-collar stuff, man, it attracts veterans, especially Marines. Like 25% of the Marine Corps comes from Ohio and Pennsylvania. So, like, we're stacked up in those areas. So I was like, man, I can just help some people here. This is a start. It's better than most places they're doing, you know. So that's where it started, man. And I was like, I can help a couple. Barbershop, man. Barbershop. One of my dudes was a lawyer. And I'm like, hey, I want to start a nonprofit. I was like, I have no clue what to do. I said, but I need to do this. And he goes, okay, I'll follow your paperwork for you.

Don't worry about it. It'll be in the mail. And I was like, well, that was easy. You know, like, that was easy. And then that day, a dude comes in my barbershop, who's an accountant, used to be in the Army. He's a CPA. He said, man, I think I'm going to do that. And he's like, all right, I got you, man.

He's like, I'll take care of it. Don't worry about it. And I was like, man, like, when you lean into, like, later on, I learned that, like, when you lean into God's will and you're calling things are easier, you're in the flow. Click, click, click. Yep, you're in the flow. It's just like, all right. You can call it synchronicity.

I'd like to call it God nods. Yeah. You know, you're just like, ah, of course. It worked. Yeah. You know? But so that's, we started locally, man, and I like that, I think it was May. Actually, that's interesting.

May 2021 is when it was actually established. Like, before that, we ran events for five years, and we're just donating the money. And so, like, now this became a real thing. I was like, this is a real thing. I got a logo. My brother's a tattoo artist, so he had drawn the logo up for me. And so we started helping people. And that year, we helped, like, six dudes locally, like in Pittsburgh.

And I was like, this is, and a woman, actually, five guys. as a woman. And I was like, that's pretty neat. Like, this is more than I thought. You know, and then the event that year was even bigger because now, like, I was out there, like, doing stuff. We're a new, we're a real nonprofit. Like, I'm putting out post. Hey, I sponsored this dude. Check out this guy. This guy's in your gym. So now, like, we started growing in all the gyms in Pittsburgh. Because I pay the gyms directly a three-month scholarship. I don't handhold. They're men and women. We don't need handheld. That makes you not want to do it.

You know, we pay them directly for a three-month scholarship. I hold the veterans accountable to let me know if something happens. I ask the gyms directly. I talk to every gym. I say, if they don't show up, call me. Just let me know. I want to make sure he's okay. I want to make sure that everything's all right.

I tell the veterans the same thing. I've never had a problem with it, you know, because I hold people to a standard that they should be. You know, people want to be treated like adults. They don't want to be handheld. They don't want to, I don't have any crazy requirements. I don't have anything. Any veteran that served honorably, because I didn't have any benefits. So any veteran that served honorably, I don't ask for VA ratings.

I don't ask for any of that stuff. As long as you have an honorable discharge, I will help you. If you can't do jihitsu, we'll do CrossFit. If you can't do, if you don't want to do that, you're a woman. There's that big barrier for combat sports and stuff. with women a lot of times in gyms, do yoga. I don't care. If it's group fitness, if there's people coming together to be healthy, to do something to push in community, that's what we want you to do. All right, guys, quick break to tell you about my brand new community, the kingdom within

15 months in the making. I've really been dialing this in. We're on school. If you want to learn about the body, the mind, connection, family, psychedelics, all the things. This is your place to do that. This is about bringing people together who want to grow, who want to learn and are willing to make changes, but don't know how or maybe don't think they have enough time. We're going to reframe that. We're going to reframe that through the wealth of knowledge that I've had 30 years as an athlete and training under the best coaches in the world, the best mentors in the world and putting that all together. The last seven years I've been coaching people in fit for service. And now I get to be directly the coach with you guys. And I'm inviting in people that really want to work and people that are willing to make changes.

and we're going to get that done. There's no two ways about it. You will make changes. It will change your life for the better. I can assure you that all you got to do is show up. We meet twice a month once for a lecture where I have a deep dive on a particular topic with some Q&A. And then again, two weeks later, just for a pure Q&A to make sure everyone's integrating and practicing and getting this stuff down. And then it asks me anything.

You know, that's all going to be in there too. But we're also posting in between you guys are privy to special emails and things that I'm not sending out to my regular group. So detox pathways, all the different things that you'd want to know. The questions I get on Instagram, I'm writing detailed reports for the people in this community to be able to get a hold of. And it's only $150 a month. It is the cheapest way to work with me possible. I hope to see you there.

Click the link in the show notes for the Kingdom Within. And now back to the podcast. I like that. How many people, you know, are most of the signups doing jiu-jitsu from this, I imagine? Yeah. I think so because it's just your path and trajectory. three and what jih Tutsu does. And I think, you know, with what I spoke to earlier,

jih Tjitsu is unique in that. You know, like you could have your best friend as your workout partner and there's some accountability to showing up at the exact time you're supposed to lift three days a week, you know, don't be late, that kind of thing. And, you know, your guy's helping you with your sets and reps so you don't get crushed by the bar. But that's not the same as rolling with people and actually put in some degree of, there's some sense of I'm putting my body on the line.

Maybe not my life on the line, but I'm putting my body on the line. And if I don't tap, I may need stem cells on my knee and six months off, which has happened. So, you know, there's a realness to that that doesn't really come from other things and consequences, you know, very real consequences. But I feel like that because the stakes are raised, the bonding is so much greater. Yeah. You know. Yeah. And that's, I just don't want to bottleneck it because it just disqualifies people.

Yeah. Well, yoga is fantastic too, but I still think jiu-jitsu is king in that regard. Yeah, 100%. I don't care if I want my. kids to be mobile. My wife's yoga teacher training and 200 hours and naturally gifted yogi. And I'll do like a lot of Kelly Strette stuff, some yoga stuff to open the body. It's necessary for me. But I don't care if they become master yogis. But I do care that they go to jit-tutu. Yeah, absolutely. I like that it's open though because of that. There's no real excuse out.

If you need help, you can find a place for you. Yeah. And like we've had situations, right, where like, you know, a guy came to me and said that he wanted to do jiu-jitsu, right? And so I just, I talked to every person. Like, they all, every single person I've sponsored that I've helped in any means, they have my cell phone number. I encourage them to save it and call me whenever they need it, right? Um, but so like, I've had somebody come to me and they're like, I want to do jihitsu and I'm talking to them. They're like, well, I got medically retired from the military. And I'm like, all right, what happened to you? You know, I know the questions asked. I, I've been doing it for long enough. And they're like, well, I felt,

on some steps and I have four vertebrae that are fake. And I'm like, that might be a problem. I don't think that you should do jiu-jitsu. And he was like, what do you mean? He's like, the doctor said I'm 100% clear to do anything. And I was like, do me a favor. I was like, go to your doctor and ask them if you can fight people.

If you can wrestle and grapple people. And he goes, why? And I was like, do it. If he says okay, then I'll do it. fine, right? He calls me two days later and he's like, he told me that I should never do that. That is a terrible idea. And I was like, I figured. I was like, let's get you in CrossFit. I was like, let's get you in a CrossFit gym. Still a community. Like the CrossFit thing has like that like that same pushing and driving and like, you're not physically touching each other, but it's

that that high tempo and that pushes you, you know. There was another guy that had this disease from the military actually that every time. So they had held some. some smoke, his whole squad did. And every time that he would eat, he would vomit for years. Whoa. Yeah. Never heard of it before. He got medically retired.

They just gave him out and gave him some pills. So this dude was sitting at home smoking weed every day and like just miserable. He would puke sometimes so bad he would dislocate his jaw. Damn. Because he was so like just decayed. So he called me and fortunately I looked at his heightened weight because I get everybody's height and weight so I can order gear. second. And I was like, man, you're six foot one, like 1 30. I was like, you're being pull

huh? And he's like, well, and then he told me the story. And I'm like, thank God I asked. So what I did for him is I found him a personal trainer. Right. So I found this guy that he's a Marine in the area that knows jiu-jitsu and I got him into personal training. I called this dude. I've never done it before. But I'm not going to say no. You know, I'm like, I'm going to help you. We're going to figure it out, man. So I call this guy. I'm like, hey, this situation where you work with this guy. When you clear him to do jih Tzu, if you ever do, call me. We'll get him in the gym then. Yeah, the cost is much higher and all of that on our side, but like, I don't care. It doesn't matter. It's about helping people. So that's, dude, he went two months. Train was killing

it, right? This trainer called and was like, this dude is so inspired. Like, he is killing it. Like, he is like getting a job. He went and started apprenticing barboring, actually, which was really interesting um like started like working on his house and hiking with this kid and like dude like like this guy was on the couch smoking weed every day because he was miserable and it flipped his whole like dramatically flipped this dude's life um for the positive and like two months after he's now training he's doing m-m-a and shit and like he's killing it right that's awesome kids are training like like he's full in now just because like i could have said no right he doesn't qualify You don't qualify for our program.

You don't fit our mold. But the veteran bashoito is looking to qualify, not this qualify. Like, I want to help everybody. The only limitation now is money, right? Like, I'm a small organization. Everything that we have, I have a good board, but everything that's been brought in has basically been brought in by me grinding. Talk about that.

You guys do, you still do live events and things like that for fundraising? And then I imagine as a nonprofit, you guys accept donations online. Yeah, absolutely. So we do our annual event, The Throwdown, which started it, you know, and it's bigger. We had like over 2,000 people there this year. It's really cool. It's a jiu-jitsu event, gun bash, food, beer, all kinds of raffles. We had live artists last year and, like, all kinds of stuff.

Just a big community, like, festival. I just want people to see Jiu-Jitsu. We have, like, three world champions there the one year. Like, it is cool. The main prize, right? So last year, we added a ramp. So it was on a half-pice. You know, like the pit?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I wanted to be able to have viewership, and the pit kind of limits it, and we do it on a stage outdoor. So I built a half pipe. So all the jiu-jitsu is on a half-pipe. And we have, like, divisions just advance and an adult or intermediate in advance and, like, three-way classes. But then the main division, we call it the Bear Cape Division. So it's like 205 and under, and it's a thousand-dollar cash price. and you win a bear cape for the year.

So you get to take home a bear cape to your gym or whatever and you keep it for a year. But it's like the Stanley Cup. You got to bring it back. You got to win it every year. So it's actually like people want it. You know, like the dudes. And the competition has turned crazy. Like the guys that come out for this thing, because like, I mean, Jiu-Jitsu, if you can win

money anywhere, like it brings names. Like most competitions we pay to do, you know. Right. So to pay money. Like to get paid potentially for something is cool. But then people want the bear cape. You know, like that's the thing that they hang in their gym and they keep around. And this is like, this is our, I think this is our seventh year with the bear cape.

Cool. You know, so like some dudes have had it and like keep it and like they'll post pictures throughout the year sometimes like wearing it at events and stuff. Like it's a cool thing. It's just like a fun, like different. It keeps the hype and stuff. So that that's our main fundraiser. is the throw down it's september 12th this year in pittsburgh well east of pittsburgh um and uh that brings in the majority of our money last year we did a i don't even like to talk about

this because somebody's going to steal the idea uh so last year we did a gala um so gala's are boring right like i've been to home for like other nonprofits and stuff and like wow these are boring right Like this is a people talk that you don't care to hear about and you know like eat some okay food. So I rented like a really high and classy place in Pittsburgh that like they do like nice. It was like a 1900s carriage house. And with two stories. And I brought in the best sushi in the area like the best food like I'm talking like best food and drinks in Pittsburgh. We brought them into the venue.

We did some live auctions and like half-faced blades donated a knife and strob nice. Like we had some cool stuff. We had a pair of toehold flip-flops, you know, AG with toehold. Uh-uh. Oh, you got to check them out. That's like a, they do like elephant and like stingray and like elk flip-flops. Whoa. They're sick.

They're all handmade. He's a jiu-tube black belt too from Vegas. But they're like, you know, so we had a pair of stingray flip flops that we gave away. They're sick. They were auctioned off. But we had jiu-jitsu matches, super fights, in the middle of this super high-end black tie event. Right? So like there's everybody around in ties and black tie with like this amazing food and like ambiance and like DJ.

And you had dudes fighting in the middle of this bar. Do you ever watch Lionheart growing up? So it's called the Lionheart Gala. Let's go. Even the half pipe, it reminds me because he had the fight with the guy in the leotard in the singlet inside the empty pool. Yeah. And then they've got the Scottish guy in the kilt and all the cars are lined up with the headlights pointed in.

That was such a whoever made that movie is brilliant. Yeah. It was brilliant. It was like a video game of which level you're getting to next. But just here in between the half pipe and the gala event, it's like that very much is Lionheart style. Yep. And that's it.

We call it the Lionheart guy. And that was our first year. And it was, dude, it was a blast. What a cool event, uh, getting people there to see jiu jitsu. Everybody had fun. Um, it kind of opened it up. Like we, I spoke and I had Aaron Love who is a, he's a podcaster. He runs ones ready. Um, he's one of our board members. He did 22 years in the PJs. Um, yeah, he's a savage. He's, he does jiu jitsu as well. Um, he came out and was like announcing and stuff for us. He's, he's an awesome dude. Um, but, Everybody just socialized and had like a beautiful night. Like it was just like, dude, and I've never seen it before.

I've never, somebody's going to steal it. Somebody's going to steal it and replicate it and put more money into it, whatever. But dude, and so that was our other fundraiser. And then we do like, I'm constantly out, man. I just actually recently was asking God to like show me discernment. Like give me discernment, give me direction. Is this my calling? I had an opportunity, I had a business opportunity,

with the partner and it was that we were running a really good functional gym to help people get back to health and had a partner with it and it was growing and it was it was going to get really busy with the model that we were like using and it was going to have to take all of my time and so it was going to make a bunch of money but it was going to take all of my time and so I was looking at it And I said, I was like, God, just like, give me the direction, man. Like, is this my calling? Is the veteran Bishuto actually my calling? I think it is.

Jerich thinks it is. I want it to be. But like, is it? Or should I focus on money because it supports my family? Like, it should, and that's not where my heart is ever. But like, I was like, tell me. You know? And like, I had four the same.

day, like four major opportunities and different things all blast in front of me. Like some weird conversations about the gym, they're like, I never thought I would have, some opportunities opened up with the veteran Boshuto and with a new gym that I'm opening with a partner because I'm opening a 10th Planet Gym in my like Murraysville right now. That's right. Very cool. Yeah. And literally the same day, man, I was asked to go speak.

at a at a retiree village it's a trailer park with all these retirees in it right I had agreed to it months ago it was this lady that I was training and I was trying to think as many ways as I could that day to get out of it you know it was they had a veteran breakfast there was going to be like nine people there I'm like like I've got a trillion things on my plate right now like I shouldn't do this. And I was like, you have to. Like, like, who knows you're going to, who you're going to talk to. And so I like, I like, I like, stop my day, like, stopped all this stuff I had going on and go and do it. And I'm like, I'm like meditating on the way there. And I'm just like, just give me the words. Like, I didn't plan anything to write. Like, when I go speak, I speak, I do like leadership talks. I have an LSC to do leadership. And like, I just, uh, was working. And, uh, was working. can I deal with AFLAC and stuff, like doing leadership conversation, military leadership for companies. So I speak a lot, but like, man, I get in the flow, like God uses me as a mouthpiece.

Like, I get in the flow open up and I have conversations and they're genuine and there are things I know. I don't speak about stuff I don't know. I speak. I tell stories, things that I lived, right? So it's easy. It's easy, man. So I asked for like, I'm like just, I don't know what to tell these people. They're like 80 year old retirees. Like, they're here for the free breakfast. You know, I'm like, I'm like, God, just like, just give me direction, man. Like, use me as a mouthpiece. Let me, let me, let me find somebody. Let me help somebody here today with whatever they need help with. Like, give me it. So I go to that breakfast. And I'm like, this is exactly what I thought it was, right? Like, I'm like, all right, like, shake hands. Like, have a little bit

like breakfast and they're like all right like no order like all right this is jerrick he's here to talk stand up next the intro all right so i just get up no mike no like little room and uh i talked about didn't even think about it you're calling and serving your purpose no matter where you're at in life and no matter what phase of life you're in that you're in that you're you're in that you're you're in that you're You have a calling and you can serve. And if you focus on serving, you won't focus on yourself. And when you're down and you're feeling out and you don't feel like you could do anything, that you can still do so.

Like you have a purpose. There is a calling for you on your life until your last day. And you can't forget that. And that's just what came out. And I just talked about it. And I was like, you know, and like the one guy was 88 years old. He served in Vietnam. He was an old guy, and I sat at the table with him that he wouldn't talk to me.

I didn't know if he could talk. He was just, like, sitting there. But his wife was this nice little lady next to me on the other side. She was chatting and talking to me and asking me about what I do in the nonprofit, and she was real pleasant. He was just like, I would ask him a question. He was like, meh. Not his head, correct.

So I gave this, and I sat down, and they were like, oh, everybody's like, wow, that was amazing. Like, that was so good. Like, that was so like that. And I'm like, that wasn't me. Like, I'm just, I'm a mouthpiece, man. I'm a vessel. And they're like, wow, that was like, that really hit. This whole man looks at me. And he goes, he goes, a couple years ago, I was diagnosed with the disorder that my body is decaying. He's like, my muscles are going away. He was like, five years ago, I was big and strong and I would lift every day. He goes, it's hard for me to, like, stand up now he goes a year ago he's like he's like i have three kids they're all doing well one's a doctor one's a lawyer he's like i lived a good life he's like i had a private jet and i transported

stuff all over the country he goes i accomplished more than most people do in their entire life he's like i lived a good life because a year ago i decided i was done living and i was like like like, and I, like, looked at his wife sitting next to me. And she's like, yeah, he did. And he goes, I've changed my mind today. And I was like, who, like, like, like, what? And I was like, man, I was like, you still serve, man, you still serve a purpose here. Like, you still, he's like, I'm going to keep going.

And his wife was like, like, pat him on the back. I was like, thank you. Like, he needed to hear that. like he needed to change his mind and i was like and like that day i like sat in my car you know like afterwards i was like trying to collect myself i sit my car and i'm like i hear you you know like like i'm doing the right thing i'm on the right path like this clearly my calling you know and like so i said i i went all in you know like um i was like i got to figure out however i means to pay my bills because I don't take any money from the non-profit.

It might pay for like travel to go somewhere to speak or something, but it doesn't like, I don't take a paycheck from it. I won't. The goal is to build other things around it that I'm doing, like my speaking and my other businesses that I have to fund my family so that like I can do it for free, you know, because like that's where my heart is. But, you know, my, I quit my job, walked away from that, like came home, told my wife, and I was like, she's like, well, you mean we like don't really make money right now?

And I was like, nope. She's like, are we going to be all right? And I was like, yeah. I was like, this is, I was called to lean in on my faith. Like, I felt like God's calling my bullshit. You know, like I've been saying this is my calling. I've been like, I feel like it's my calling. I feel, but, like, I won't go all in on it because, like, I have those fears, those uncertainties.

Like, how am I going to pay my bills? I got five kids. You know, but, like, like, the things that happened that day and the way that they fell, like, I was like, all right. Like, I'm listening, man. Like, like, I'm here. I'm going to do it. It's lean in. And opportunities started to open up. You know, this was just a couple, it was like two months ago.

You know, I still haven't figured out the finance stuff for myself a little bit. But I'm not worried about it. I don't have, I don't, like God will provide, he keeps doing it, the bills will get paid, the things that need to happen, need to get happened, but we need to reach more people because, you know, the 150,000 veterans that have committed suicide since 2001, that's too many. You know, and I, uh, there's not enough people. doing it the right way, I think. You know, if there was, like, I was hoping I could just find somebody to work for.

Somebody, like, doing it the right way. Like, I could just go work for him and do it. But, like, that's not my calling. I had to break the mold, you know, and that's what the better than Boshito is, man. We're changing. We're going to change the country. I love it, brother. I have no doubt.

And I think one of the things that you're doing recently, you know, Trump passed the executive order, I think on on a state side legal use for Ibegene, right, for veterans. And a lot of people in the psychedelic community are like, oh, you know, this is bullshit. It's the chemical version in a clinical setting. And it's not Iboga, the traditional plant that's used. And it's done in a very, you know, big pharma way, not in the traditional indigenous sense. And while all those things are true, Ibogaine is fan fucking-tastic. for clearing post-traumatic stress,

helping people deal with it, move through it, and it has a track record already since it's been around. But many of the clinics in Mexico and Costa Rica and Colombia do great work with veterans. But there's still a big missing piece in that, in that they can go and maybe confront some of the dark things they didn't want to look at and heal and move through that, but they still lack the piece that you're delivering,

which is community. It's a new start. It's something to try. for to work towards with other people. And I think that's such a huge key. And it's the foundation of it. I love plant medicines. I think there should be a part of the mix.

But that foundation piece is community. And it's treating yourself right and learning how to come back into meaning and right relation with your own body. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And I think it all leads to. And it took me a long time and a lot of conversations to like come to the realization of like, because I learn people.

I like psychology. I read psychology books. I like people, you know. I got into when I was teaching in the IOC. It's identity. So, like, I talk to, like, I have a relationship with Ryan Malone through, like, I help his warrior hockey academy. I have, you know, I've talked to a lot of, like, high-level pro athletes and stuff. And even high-level college athletes, high-level wrestlers have a hard time with this a lot, too, you know, because after college, what do you do?

Yeah. When you're excellent at something, when you're at the highest. level of something you identify as that that's who you are when that ends who are you know and so so that's i think that's the big problem we identify as things that are fleeing and going away you know so when they're gone now you're left with i don't know who i am i don't have a community i don't have a purpose I don't have a mission. Nobody really gives a shit. And so you're isolated.

And so, like, of course. And, like, we turn to substances. The military is big on drinking. Right? Like, it's a drinking culture. Blue color America's big on drinking. You know? I mean, even not talking crap on, like, medical marijuana or anything, but, like,

if you're real depressed and you're isolated and you smoke weed and you sit at home and smoke more weed and you don't get out, you don't do anything, like, you're not fixing anything. Yeah. It's still a crutch. You're perpetuating this problem, you know, even if you're taking the, like, and the VA loves giving pills out, you know, they give them out like candy to solve this problem. But 85% of the veterans that have killed themselves, something like that, have been on antidepressants.

It's like 80, like, it's seriously like this crazy number that, like, if you did anything else that poorly, like if somebody came to work on your house like we were talking about and they were like 15% of the time I do a good job. you wouldn't have that guy here you know um but we continue to do that you know and and um what i see and how it transformed me is like jujitsu gave me a way back like jesus has the fundamentals of he went to where you were he didn't expect you to come to where he was he hung out in the ghettos and then in the bad places and like following that message of like i'll meet you where you are like veterans it's approachable It's simple to get you back in the gym.

That's a simple, tangible thing that will help. If I can get you back in the gym and get you connected, the rest of the shit can come. You can work through it. But you need a start. We need that starting point. And I found, like, the jiu-jitsu, like, started me. It started that more healthy thing. I was still dealing with stuff.

I didn't even realize I had PTSD. Like, it wasn't even. I still don't even like to say it. I wrote a book called F-PTSD, you know, because I don't even like to give it power. Yeah. But so, like, it starts you on that positive path. And then what I found is I stumbled upon psychedelics down the road. I was probably like a purple boat.

I think I was about a purple belt. Did 10th Planet have anything to do with the? No, man. No, man, I've got a really cool community in my area. some dudes that are open one of them's like a like a doctor like a like that side uh and we had some conversations and and i tried it you know because i stopped drinking a couple years ago because it's just toxic what it was a psilocybin yeah i just tried some psilocybin um just for fun honestly because i didn't drink and i didn't do this and i was like i'll try it you know i don't

really care for weed a lot it makes me time of sleepy I smoke weed and I go to sleep. But so I just tried it for fun. And the next day, I like was looking at the clouds. And I was like looking at plants. And I was like nicer to my family. And I was just happy. And man,

I was walking around in this like gray cloud all the time. That like I was doing the right thing. And like I was, I only really found happiness doing Jiu-Jitsu. Like I only found that like, excitement and that joy like doing jiu-suitzun directly after training you know but that's that ends quick you know um and so like man i like didn't i i was just talking to dustin about it the other day and like talking to people um the realization that like i didn't have joy like whether it was just like

me adapting to the military and being like i had to be on point and just like no emotions and and forward. So then I tried the psychedella, the psilocybin, and the next day, like, I was just happier. And I was like, so then I talked to my friend that was into him. And he's like, yeah. It's like, when you do that, do you feel better for the next couple days? And I was like, why in the world would nobody ever tell me this? You know?

I was like, why in the world would this not be told to me? you know like this makes me feel better afterwards i was like that's crazy it leaves you more the experience leaves you more hold than when you started yeah like that's not paying for fun or or positivity on credit where that's going to be you know you got to pay that back at some point you know yeah and then alcohol you're paying for a good time on credit yeah the checks do yeah the next morning yeah for sure and like i was like this is that's wow you know like that's why so then i started looking into, like listen to Joe Rogan and like, it just started researching, you know, because I'm a learner. I'm like, man, this works. Like, jiu-jitsu, I see a move that works and I dive into it.

I'm like, how does this work? Why does it work? Where does it come from? You know, like, and I want to know if I'm going to talk about her, if I'm going to do it. So I really started to dive into like the benefits of like, you know, fixing neuropassways in your brain and like removing dead spots that like, you know, were caused by trauma or depression and like opening up your neuroplasticity so then you can then you can use that same mindset of training like you do jih Tzu to build your neuro pathways because I already understood neuro connection of like your muscles right like we don't really get stronger in jiu jitsu we get more capable of using our muscles because our our nerve connections are firing better right so the same thing with our brain we can

we get these dead spots just like addiction does you know and i remember i recall looking at like a brain that had PTSD and a brain that had meth usage and they look the same. They have the same dead spots. And then somebody did a, then they took the same brain and they gave him psilocybin and those spots were now alive.

And I was like, well, that's science. Like, that's simple. Like, oh, why do we not know this you know and so i just started um i just started like like microdosing right and i was very intentional about like man i'm training like i'm in training so like i would i would microdose not even like most of the time i wouldn't even like feel it you know but i'm like reading the bible and i'm meditating and i'm praying and i'm listening to i was super conscious about the music I listen to and the people that I'm consuming and who I'm around and what I'm reading

and what I'm doing. And like I did that for like quite a while. And then like I realized that like, you know, I would go a week and I would still like check out the flowers. And like I was still like having more joy towards my children and like understanding love. Like I didn't understand real love of my kids. I had a duty and a purpose. But like, like that opened up my pathway to understanding like God's love for me, which then let me understood how I should be with my kids. You know, like your father loves you for no reason. You know, and that's how I should,

that's the type of love that you should have for people and your children, you know. But it all started because of jiu-jitsu opened up the doors for me to grow. you know and now it's like man like do you talk to people that knew me nine years ago to who i am now like i'm a different human i'm i'm unrecognizable you know so it's it's been a wild past it's a fucking incredible story brother thank you i appreciate you and dustin again thank you brother for for serving up another great one where can people find you online follow you and contribute to what you're doing yeah uh Our main platform is Instagram.

So veteran, Basuto, if you type in Veteran B.U, it'll pop right up. It's our logo. It's like the samurai with the snake. Our website is vetbushuto.org. All the information, everything, donation links are in both. And, you know, I keep it simple. I'm not a, I was an infantry guy. I'm not real smart.

But yeah, I mean, all the support on, just spread the word. You know, we are taking over. are going to make a significant change in this country it is going to change everything because if we can if we can have the impact that's out there like if we i can fact 25% of the post 9-11 war veterans that's like 2 million people that's 2 million families you know that that's that's millions upon million yes you know probably 10 12 million people it'll it'll literally change the future of our country Yeah, generations that come because of that. So that is what we're doing.

That is the calling. It seems too big, but... You're doing it, brother. Thank you. Thank you, brother.