Security Halt!
Welcome to Security Halt! Podcast, the show dedicated to Veterans, Active Duty Service Members, and First Responders. Hosted by retired Green Beret Deny Caballero, this podcast dives deep into the stories of resilience, triumph, and the unique challenges faced by those who serve.
Through powerful interviews and candid discussions, Security Halt! Podcast highlights vital resources, celebrates success stories, and offers actionable tools to navigate mental health, career transitions, and personal growth.
Join us as we stand shoulder-to-shoulder, proving that even after the mission changes, the call to serve and thrive never ends.
Security Halt!
#235 Jason Smith’s Road to Recovery: How Catch a Lift Fund is Changing Lives
#235 Jason Smith’s Road to Recovery: How Catch a Lift Fund is Changing Lives
In this inspiring episode of Security Halt!, Jason Smith, a veteran and advocate, shares his incredible journey from military service to recovery after a life-changing injury. Jason opens up about the struggles he faced during deployment, adapting to his new life, and the role of fitness and community in his healing process. Highlighting the transformative impact of nonprofits like Catch a Lift Fund, Jason discusses how programs that combine fitness, mental health support, and community engagement have helped him and countless veterans regain purpose and resilience.
Through personal stories and actionable advice, Jason emphasizes the power of maintaining a positive mindset, finding strength in community, and redefining personal growth after service. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking inspiration, hope, and a roadmap for overcoming adversity.
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Chapters
00:00Introduction and Background
10:17Finding Hope and Resilience
15:56Understanding Self-Compassion and Addiction
21:51Advocacy and Helping Others
27:22Navigating Post-Military Life
32:41The Importance of Joy and Connection
40:43Resources for Transformation
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Produced by Security Halt Media
security hot podcast. Let's go with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best with guns, with knives, with his bare hands, a man who's been trained to ignore, ignore weather to live off the land. Job was disposed of enemy personnel to kill period with my attrition in the right place you want me to go?
Speaker 2:headphones, that's all I have for headphones are you good right now, man?
Speaker 1:I'm not hearing any feedback or anything, um so as long as you're comfortable with that, dude, let's kick it off. Man jason smith, welcome to Securepodcast, man.
Speaker 2:That's an honor to be here. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Absolutely dude. Going into the new year, we're just a few dude, we're almost. We're literally countdown days and the first thing everybody wants to do as soon as we get into the new year is put that new year's resolution of getting faster, getting back in the gym, getting fit and dude, why not start right now? And for our veterans listening, why not start right now by getting involved with an amazing nonprofit Catch a Lift Fund man. I found you guys online. I was like, holy shit, I have to have these people on. So, jason, thank you for being here.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, man. You know I found this program funny enough. When I retired I was going to the VA because, you know, at nobody's fault. We were always told the VA's there to help us, the VA will do everything right, but no one ever told me about nonprofits. So I went there because I have PTSD and anxiety and I was looking for medication. But I found like a four by six little black and white flyer and that changed the trajectory of my post career tremendously.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the universe working in mysterious ways, god coming in the play when we need him most, man. And you're right, when we get out, that first big shiny thing that says they're here to help you is the VA, and it's such a major organization. There are great people working there. There are some not so great people there, but the main thing they're going to provide you with is often something that can lead into doing more harm than good.
Speaker 1:Not saying that every medication is bad. I'm not saying that medication for pain is a horrible thing, but what I am saying is, more often than not, what they pump into us isn't always the best thing. It's a hard lesson learned by many of us that discomfort is good. We need to be in discomfort. I think that we forget about that when we get out, and you have a very unique personal story that is a personal testament of being able to get back after it and being able to say you know what? Life's kicked me down a lot, but I'm willing to get back up. So, jason man, tell us about your service. But first, how did you find yourself in the military man? What got you in the service?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. What got me into the military was that my mother and father both served and once my mother had me and my sister, she decided to step away from that, allow my father to continue his career. And that worked out well because as a storm kicked off and he was gone for a while, but she was there to raise us. So it was instilled in me at a very young age that I wanted to serve and there was no higher honor than to serve my country. I graduated high school in 2004. And the idea was to go straight in from high school, but I decided to live my life a little bit, go a little crazy, settled back down at around 22 and joined at 23. Nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's not always right off the bat. Uh, you know, whether you go into national guard first and realize you need to go active duty, that's a lot of us. But there's always that little bit of maybe I'll get crazy, maybe I'll go experience some things, but ultimately that calling comes in. And uh, what'd you enlist as I was an infantryman? Oh nice.
Speaker 2:Where'd you go? I went to Benning for training, obviously, and then I went to Korea for my first duty station, and then I got sent to Washington State, fort Lewis.
Speaker 1:Nice, yeah, that's quite the change going from Korea to Fort Lewis.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you. What really blew my mind was uh, in Korea, it was old army, yeah, you were marching everywhere you went. It was, it was doctrine, it was everything I get. Uh, uh, for Lewis. I'm like, hey man, don't walk too close to me, We've got to march. I'm like, what do you mean? He's like get away from me. I'm like, oh man, so completely laxed stateside.
Speaker 1:Right, right, but overseas it's like a machine. Yeah, dude, it's. Um. I had the pleasure of going to korea, but as a as a green beret. I went there in 20s whenever the olympics were there. And, yeah, you're right, dude, like the, the conventional military mindset in korea is so different. It was absolutely like just insane. I was like, holy shit, did we just transport back like the 1990s?
Speaker 2:and 80s. Yeah, I don't know if you saw that my son just came in here. All good man that's life, dude yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:So you um you find yourself in fort louis. Did you deploy out of there?
Speaker 2:I did, yeah so I uh my in korea. I was there from 09 to 10 and then I got to uh fort lewis 10 to 12 and I deployed in 2012 march oh nice dude, yeah, we're at uh, we're rc south near panguay, nice.
Speaker 2:yeah, uh, and I remember asking an older guy he was e7. I was like you think we're gonna be good and he started laughing at me and he's like you know what pang E7. I was like you think we're going to be good and he started laughing at me and he's like, do you know what Pantois is? I was like no, no, no idea man, it's like the birthplace of the Taliban. I was like, oh okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a common misconception. Everybody thinks that every service member, every soldier on the ground is like well-read to have infinite knowledge of the subject matter of everywhere they're going. And that's that. Couldn't be further from the truth. Man, the, the common guy, the common boots on the ground, infantry paratrooper, the grunt, as they would say, uh, doesn't have this robust knowledge of the history of the region and everything. They're just everybody just knows.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm going to this outstation, and if you're higher up, you obviously know why you're there. It's not my job to ask why I'm there. It's my job to execute and that's how I lived my career so true.
Speaker 1:It's like I remember being a young paratrooper in iraq. Same thing. It's like, all right, we're going to iraq. And it's like, yeah, do you know any provinces? Oh, my provinces, dog.
Speaker 2:I know cities, towns, states yeah, that's how I felt, and you know, what I found too, is like the graphics never aligned right, the graphics you had. I'd look at it and I'd look up and I'd look down. I'm like this this isn't right none of this makes sense.
Speaker 1:I am due north, there are mountains does not show and reflect on this map. Yeah, yeah, being in, in, uh, on the ground as a conventional infantryman is, it's what. It's an experience, man. It's hard to explain to people because they see the movies and there's so much tech which, when you make it in the soft world, like you have your ATAC, you have all all the resources to know everything in the study, but you don't have that as a line infantry guy.
Speaker 2:I get pointed to go in a direction, and that's where I go.
Speaker 1:So you make it on the ground. How did that deployment pan out for you guys? What were some of the sticking points you experienced?
Speaker 2:So it was an eight month rotation and, um, you know, I anticipated something entirely different. I thought I was going over there to uh, protect locals and fight farmers. Uh, that couldn't be further from the truth. I didn't respect my enemy until it was too late and I had to come to a realization that we serve every eight months, we do eight months on 14, I think 14 months off, and they do 12 months year-round, 365, right. And once you grasp that concept, you understand that this is in fact a dangerous enemy.
Speaker 2:So, one of our first movements, we actually lost a soldier and that was the only casualty. But halfway through the eight months, I stepped on an IED, a 15, 15 pound explosive, while doing a bda, and um, that that was just insane. Um, that's. You know, I was trained as a valent, I did valent over there, I was the head valent guy and I was trained to, to find things, find the dimensions, call the od, and uh, one just alluded me and it just really, um, you know it was, it was pretty wild yeah, like absolutely life-changing moment from that point on um.
Speaker 1:But you were here with us and that obviously speaks volumes to the guys that you served with, everybody that was able to react and do their job, yes, and get you back to the rear and experiencing something as catastrophic as that sort of injury, how did you start moving forward? What was the recovery like? And give us that understanding of what it was like waking up that next day and it's like, immediately, life has changed.
Speaker 2:Well, I was coherent the whole time, so I remember stepping on it. I remember what happened. I remember doing a backflip, landing on my chest, and then my saw gunner and my my squad leader bound up to me and they applied the tourniquets and they took me to try and run IVs and every appendage was messed up my arms, my hands, and the only way you can do it it's like a fast one right there through the chest that broke. So I was, and the only way you can do it is like a fast one right there through the chest that broke.
Speaker 2:Oh, no, yeah, I was given a fentanyl lollipop and the medic said some choice words. I was like oh, this is it. I remember being in shock, but I was up for a promotion and I remember yelling at my platoon sergeant it's like you better promote me. I swear to God.
Speaker 1:I'm pointing.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you can see my hands but they're pretty banged up and I was like fingers hanging down. I'm like, oh, you better do it. Eventually they got me on the bird. They saved me by drilling into my shoulder and that's how they ran the IVs. After that I woke up in Germany in an incubation chamber. My lungs were at 15% capacity and there was just. I was delirious. I didn't know what was going on. It was just a wild ride. I just had to rely on what people were telling me. To make that my truth. From Germany they took me to Fort Sam Houston. That's really when my journey started.
Speaker 2:I started my rehab and I really put off walking for a long time. I didn't really want to do it. I remember getting my legs in November and didn't walk until March or April. My thought process was I want to be who I used to be and I couldn't be that right. But I also couldn't grow as a person without letting go of who I was and focus on who I can be. So it took a while to figure that out, but once I did, I put my legs on and never took them off.
Speaker 1:Dude, I want to reflect on that and pause on that for a second. That is a powerful frigging statement, man. That is, you see these prosthetics, you see these legs that are bringing you and it's like no fuck that I want what I used to have. And like that mentality, like fuck man, like what finally got you to understand that Like I can be me, I can still be me. Like this is a chance to get back to who I was.
Speaker 2:So when, when I was in rehab, I was get back to who I was. So when, when I was in rehab, I was, I was big into fitness. Before I got hurt I was six foot two, 20. And, um, I remember the doctors always telling me, like my right hand will never work again. The only thing that works is my thumb and index. Uh, the knuckles are missing the bone and it's from my hip. It's smaller than my left hand. Now no extender or flexor tendons. And, uh, I was a big bench press guy and I started going to the gym again. I think I started with just the bar. Then I got to like 135. And when I started hitting about 250 pounds, I was like, you know, I realized that I don't have to live the life they told me I would live. I set my limits, I pushed through them and I'll live the life I want. And I mean now man. And I mean now man. Um, I push over 430 pounds, you know.
Speaker 2:And that's uh, but I've never stopped right yeah uh, as you know, man, we have to find our our healthy de-stressors, yes, or it gets dark very quickly, and for me, luckily, it was the gym dude and anybody, anybody that's been injured, knows that feeling of wanting to just settle for the what you have and just seek comfort.
Speaker 1:Like, how did you navigate? You obviously must have been on regiment for for painkillers to keep you in comfort, to keep I mean, there's so many surgeries are involved. Um, I've been blessed to meet a lot of guys that have had similar journeys and they'll they'll tell you, man, like that drip gets really addictive, those pills get really gets easier and easier. How did you navigate that path of saying like, hey, like this feels good, but I, I might need to taper off this so when I got hurt, they first put me on uh, I think it was fentanyl, uh, then they put me on morphine.
Speaker 2:Then they put me on oxy with percocet and I was a shell of my former self. I was rude and mean to people and um, at around that same time, before I started walking, probably a month prior, I decided enough is is enough. I took myself off medication, not in the smartest way, I think I was at 120 milligrams of Oxy a day and the first day went to 80. And then I was like I'm okay. Next day I went to 40. I'm like I'm all right, then I'll do half a pill. And at that point my shoulder blades were ripping out of my back. I was crying for no reason, but I never came back to the medication because I knew what I wanted and I couldn't do what I wanted to do living on those meds. So I mean, there's still some residual pain daily, but, like you said, it reminds me that I'm still here and I just I'd much rather find a holistic approach to pain management rather than just shoving pills down my throat, dude it's so important for us to echo this message as much as we can.
Speaker 1:We have to understand that, yes, there is such a thing as, like dude, when you're injured I remember always hearing that and you probably heard the same thing from platoon sergeants or squad leaders like hey, is this pain or are you, are you injured? It's understanding that like I don't want you to be suffering to the point where you can't get out of bed and like that's not the message we want to say. But could you? Could you maybe take tylenol and set instead of a super strong addictive substance? Can you learn how to do yoga? Can you learn how to do yoga? Can you learn how to do you know functional movement in order to help this inflammation? Because that's the thing that we don't understand Sometimes the pain will increase when we start doing these workouts and start doing gentle movement, but eventually it actually helps.
Speaker 1:And then finding things like different modalities, like mindfulness and meditation and yoga these things can be powerful allies in helping combat pain. What were some of the things? Like obviously, you got back in the gym, which is your, your bed, to 225, and you're still in treatment. That's fucking insane. But what?
Speaker 2:what else did you find was helping you in those early stages but what I found was helping me the most was just the mindset once I really realized what, uh what my goal. I found that was helpful to me the most was just the mindset Once I really realized what, uh what my goal was, and that was to be the best version of myself. I was not willing to settle for anything less. Right, we all have a standard and we are notoriously hard on ourselves. Right, I'm sure you still kick yourself every day because there's something that you want to accomplish. But if you look around you, how many people have done what you've done? Right, but we don't see that. We just see the things that we haven't got yet. So once I really grasped that, I just kept pushing forward and there was a lot of stuff in front of me.
Speaker 2:When I started walking again, we talk about pushing through the suck. Right, I had everything in front of me to fail. I started walking at night. I was heavy. I started walking at night. I was heavy. I started walking at night. I got ran over in a crosswalk for Sam Houston Fuck yeah but I was okay, I was okay, yeah, it was funny, man.
Speaker 2:I probably shouldn't say this, but I'm going to say it anyways. My buddy's from New York. He saw me get hit and I tried to stand up. He's like like stay down, and I'm like, ah, I'm up, man, I'm good, you know, we'll blur that out yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, um, but yeah, I got up man and the next I took on therapeutic kayaking uh nobody taught me how to get out of the uh, I forget what it's called.
Speaker 2:There's like a bib on top yeah yeah, they taught me how to get in, but I had to get out, so the canoe flipped. I, like I said I can't grab stuff. They taught us how to flip with the paddle. What fell out of my hand. I was under long enough to be like I'm good, this is, I'm done. You know, they flipped me over. I picked up water, um, and then that was it for kayaking. Yeah, so like all these things, man, in a calendar year, it was horrible. Then I got.
Speaker 2:I got robbed by my caretaker, which was my sister, so they pay us a lump sum of money, uh, sgli and um, she took all of it and but you know, at that moment, I mean, like I said, everything was knocking me to act down, back down and back down, but I continued to crawl up, yeah, right, uh, because I wasn't going to just sink myself into that. You just have to find that light and just keep focusing on it.
Speaker 1:My, my light was just um succeeding being being me, you know absolutely, man, like that's those are. Yeah, that's a lot to unpack, that's that's a lot of.
Speaker 2:That's a lot of betrayal and this happened all within a span of 12 months yeah, this was before july of 13, so I got hit in july of 12 and I started walking in march and it's just like one after another, boom, boom, boom, boom, um. But I think that that built character right. That showed me that I was resilient. I could continue to push forward and dude the the.
Speaker 1:it blows my mind that throughout this, you didn't turn towards our call did? Did you find yourself having any sort? Did you have any vices? I mean, in that journey, with everything that you just shared, like it is so common for our, our demographic, our community, our warriors, that you know they're being resilient, they're doing great, but one thing knocks them down and it's like okay, maybe I'll reach for the bottle, I'll reach for this. Did you find yourself at all being tempted by any of these things or did you stay resilient, stay in your resolve of like?
Speaker 2:fuck this. I'm gonna continue going forward there there. Obviously, yeah, there was some temptation there, um, and I would go out and drink occasionally with some of my buddies that have been through the same thing that I've been through, but uh, and I haven't had a drop of alcohol all year. I never fell into alcohol. It wasn't my thing. My thing was fitness and, uh, video games, that, and uh, copious amounts of Milk Duds and Red Bulls. So that was what. At the height, you know, talk about depression. At the height of my depression, I would have this computer I'd sit in front of, I'd line out my Milk Duds and I'd have like two Red Bulls on each side and I think I was watching Prison Break, and I'd just be like, oh, mmm, and drink, and my sister would be like, what are you doing? I'm like I I don't know. So that's like a wake up call that I was like maybe I'm a little, a little far left.
Speaker 1:I need to you know, fuck yeah, dude, good for you. And and this is again pause right now, dude, if you're listening to this and you're in your own fight, you know you're in your own journey to whatever it is you're going through, they borrow some strength and some courage and motivation from this story like this is, fuck man, absolutely phenomenal. Nobody, nobody expects their family to do them like that. And having your caretaker take all your money and then leave, I would imagine then just bounced right Like yeah, she put answering calls after that.
Speaker 2:But, um, you know, I have two children now. I have a wife that met me after my injuries and, um, you know that money is just a number and it's a small price to pay to see the true character of somebody. And and I'm very blessed that I don't have to explain to my children why their aunt can't come over anymore Right, she didn't build a bond with them because they weren't born at that time. So, 10 years down the road, it's actually one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Speaker 1:Absolutely and being able to continue moving forward. Yeah, did you. What was it like moving forward? Yeah, did you? What was it like Cause you? Were you immediately going through the Medbor process at this point, or are you trying to continue and stay serving?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I wanted to stay in. My dream was to be a drill sergeant and I was like double amputee drill sergeant That'd be badass That'd light a fire. Yeah, I had visions of throwing my leg at privates that wanted to give up.
Speaker 2:But then they were talking like S-shops and stuff and I'm just a firm believer that once you've hit a certain high, you can't just go in there and key away at a computer. It's not the same. The passion, the drive is not there. Now you're just going to work for a paycheck. And they broke it down of what I would get paid if I stayed in versus what I got paid if I got out. And just because I couldn't do drill sergeant, I decided to take the retirement.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, it's important to have your, your passions, in line with what you're doing. And you're right, man like not to knock anybody. It's an s shop. That was the worst, the worst time of my life yeah, you were in one yeah, when I was getting out, uh, that was my, that was my last stop and and that's where, that's where dreams go to die.
Speaker 2:I I agree because every time I'd go in there and ask them for stuff. You could just tell they're just like. I don't want you here, I don't want to be here.
Speaker 1:But I learned. I learned the importance of being a positive voice in that environment. I was going through a lot when I was leaving and I saw a lot of people. And I saw a lot of people I mean the strongest worker in that shop, everything hinged on an E5, just a sergeant, a young sergeant, and he was responsible for moving mountains, and you've got all sorts of officers and senior NCOs. I'm just like man, you can't work these people to death and you can't walk in here and just be constantly negative.
Speaker 1:And I realized the importance of being a positive voice, being able to find, even though I was going through my own journey, my own fucking nightmare. I realized the importance of being willing to smile and be positive, because you never know what somebody's going through and I would imagine when you were going through your journey of healing, did you find yourself having to really say you know what, like? I can choose to be angry, I can choose to be bitter or I can choose to be happy and be positive, like developing, cultivating that voice, no matter how hard some days must have been, to just be like fuck it, dude, I'm going to be happy.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Yeah. My mentality is that anybody can quit, anybody can say I'm done, this is stupid, right, uh. But it takes a lot of grit to kind of pull yourself and rise from those ashes. Um, and that's exactly what I.
Speaker 2:What I did, I was driven by what I could become Right. And you know, here I am 10 years removed from my military career and I'm still striving to do bigger, better things, be a better version of myself than I was yesterday or last year. That's what keeps me going and the fact that my children they're eight and 10 now they see that I continue to push forward. Dad's putting his legs on every day, dad's going out there.
Speaker 2:We live on a 60-acre farm, so I do farm, I have livestock, so I have horses and donkeys and stuff like that and I go out there and tend to them and I hope that that instills something subconsciously into them that they know when times get tough when they go to college, it's the first true test as a young adult going up there and mom and dad are there to help them. I hope that that instills something into them that deep down they can say I got this, I don't need to freak out, this is just a paper, um, and that's that's what I hope to leave as a legacy for my children.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, man. How did you find yourself going into farming? How did that become part of your life?
Speaker 2:Uh, so I grew up in Montana and Georgia. So, uh, in Missoula in the 90s we had horses, and in Georgia from 94 to now I mean I'm still on the tri-state line we had horses and pigs and chickens and stuff. And it just kind of fell into my lap and we moved here. Last year we live in northern Alabama now Wait a second what part of Alabama? Bryant Alabama. Okay, I'm in Bradville, right outside of Scottsboro.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, a second. What part of alabama, bryant alabama? Okay, I'm in scott's bro. Okay, yeah, I just moved to alabama, myself.
Speaker 2:Um oh, very cool. Yeah, pratville, alabama, is that south or north?
Speaker 2:yeah, south, yeah, okay, yeah the pretty spot, yeah, yeah, I have the tennessee mountains in my background, but I also have central time and six minutes down the roads it's eastern, so it's like people call it slow and fast time here. Just go off eastern. Yeah, but I mean honestly like I live in a farm community and the people here are amazing. They're so nice. Uh, there's no stressors. I'm far enough away from everything if I don't want to deal with it, but close enough if I want to go somewhere I can. Um, and that's what we really want when we get out.
Speaker 1:We want that, that peace and quiet, that, yeah, that that sense of just just peace and tranquility did you hit on something that's super important, that we don't stress enough being part of the community, reintegrating once you get out the ability to bring your strengths and your professionalism from your service and yeah, I get it, infantry guys, you have professionalism, trust me, you have things you can offer, but how do you have you found yourself being able to integrate with your local community?
Speaker 2:yeah, and it really took me to uh, really learn new skills, right, um, the skills that I have from the military isn't something that a lot of these guys want to do. You know, let's go blow stuff up, let's go shoot things, right, uh. But but what we did find is, when we enrolled our children in a four H um, there was a group of of gentlemen and, uh, they go to auctions, so we would go to auctions. We made a lot of connections there. We've got some animals. I've learned how to do fencing now and, yes, it's important to stand out and be true to yourself while connecting, right, but also be open to learning new things, right? I?
Speaker 2:don't think you are. Did you want to do a podcast when you were active?
Speaker 1:No, not. That was the. I didn't find it as appealing until I was going through my own like issues and it was like three of us were struggling and then our weekly like cause. You find yourself and you probably you probably realize this as well when you're, when you're being challenged and you're going through something, nothing helps you more than your community or your friends group, the guys that you know that you can lean on. And that's what this started out as just a text thread and a call between three friends that were like why don't we just record this? We're talking about a lot of the same things that people are probably doing, but it was always just a hobby. You picked it up and you let it down, but then when you get out, you're like wait, this is passionate. I have passion for this. This is like it helps people. I'm going to lean into this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you found your purpose right and that's something too like a lot of people that understand in the veteran community. If you've served with somebody, it doesn't matter if we haven't talked in 20 years. If he hits me up, it's like no time has passed and they're there on the drop of a hat. You can't really say that about no, not to him, but civilians, right, they haven't been through the same things that we have been through, right, and you bond through trauma and tragedy and that's kind of you know the brotherhood in itself and that you know. That's something I noticed. My wife went through something last this year and the number of people that said that were her friends that dropped off because she no longer provided a purpose for them it was. It was eyeopening, right. But I can call the guys I served with in Korea 15 years ago and they're like, oh man, how you been, what's up? We need to get together, let's do it, man, I'm like you know it's crazy.
Speaker 1:Yep, it's so. True, man, I've experienced it myself. But I feel that if you bring enough civilian friends into that mixed inner circle, you can help bridge that understanding of like. If you're close enough for us to talk and text and and meet up to do things together, especially hard things. Meeting up and doing things that are hard, like doing a run, doing a hike, things that really challenge you, that helps build that bond within the community and and I think that's something that you are now able to do with catch a lift, like being able to give somebody, because it's something that it's not really unique to the military. But at the same time, when you wake up and you lift and work out with a platoon, with your team, every day, all the friggin time, and when, especially on deployment, when it's like that's the only thing you can do for fun, like that becomes a part of your core, like central self man and being able to share that with other people, like doing something difficult together.
Speaker 1:that's fucking amazing. How is being able to like coach and do you find yourself re-energized when you're able to introduce somebody into fitness?
Speaker 2:Absolutely yeah. So we talked about purpose momentarily. It's about how you found yours and that was what happened when I found Catch and Lift. You know Catch and Lift is a community of like-minded veterans that want to be the best versions of themselves, right and as coaching, I'm an adaptive coach, so anybody that comes in with missing appendages, knee damage, back damage I teach them how to continually push their body and still activate the muscle groups that they think they can't hit anymore. And what is so impactful is one, I've seen a lot of growth in myself since I've been in the program. But two, the growth I've seen from others that drives and motivates me to continue to push on and help my brothers and sisters through recovery.
Speaker 2:Post-career. It gets very dark, very quickly, very isolating, if you don't have these healthy de-stressors, and that's what Catch a Lift provides. I, you know I could have done a number of things, but to be here speaking with you, you know, representing the 14,000 plus veterans that have gone through Catch a Lift right as a singular voice, it resonates and it moves me and I'm very proud to do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man. So tell us, how does Catch a Lift Fund work, how do people get involved and where are you guys at?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we are based in Baltimore, but we're everywhere, we all work remotely and what happens is the veteran applies. But we're everywhere, we all work remotely and what happens is the veteran applies Right and then they get put into an eight week one on one coaches program. So every veteran that joins actually has a veteran coach. Every coach served and they have a rating. It's 50 or higher. To be to be approved, you had to have deployed. We have a big thing about helping the deployed veterans. It's very hard to fight back when you feel like you've lost something right and we strive to bring that back to them. But after the eight-week the wellness groups, what we call them then you get sent out with either a gym membership or a grant for gym equipment and home. So whatever best suits your needs, if you're more of a home body and you feel more protected than your house, we we facilitate that through gym equipment. Or if you'd like to be part of the community in a gym or a CrossFit gym, we facilitate that as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, I, I've done both and I got to tell you, man, uh, for a long time I was all about the, uh, the home gym. Yeah, it was convenient, it was easy, but now that I I'm back into a local gym, I I can't tell you how much I prefer it a lot more.
Speaker 2:Now, like I, it's being able to connect even as much, as little as the head nod from the regulars, you know and for me, like I'm not a crossfit guy, I just have too many missing things when I try and do any moves like some things fly out of my hands. But I will boast that community up there is not a more positive and supportive community than the crossfit gym. But, like at your local gym of meat, heads are just like yo, what's up, buddy?
Speaker 2:exactly the gaps and it's like, yeah, you know you like that too, but then you know, you're over here sucking trying to do this crossfit. Everyone's like you got that, you've got this, bro. They're screaming at you and you're like I think I think I do. You know, yeah, dude, hugging each other.
Speaker 1:It's like man, that's crazy it's like being back in an infantry platoon man. It is so it's, and it's the thing that we all need. We don't and if you're listening and you haven't been back into the gym or your, you know, your fitness journey has been on a pause for a while be willing to pick back up. Man, there's nothing wrong with picking it back up. Our it's human nature to want to start something and instantly see the progress right off the bat. Oh oh yeah. But it doesn't work that way. You just have to fall in love with the process. Just fall in love with waking up early and going to the gym, just waking up early and going for a run.
Speaker 1:And, man, I got to tell you I hated running in the military. I hated it. And then, when I went through and had my surgeries on both of my feet, I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't run, I couldn't do what I ultimately hated doing and I was like fuck, like I kind of miss this. I kind of miss this fucking discomfort. And let me tell you, there's millions of us out there that have this hate, this love-hate relationship with running. And I'm telling you right now just start, just start a walk, just start riding your bike, doing something that you absolutely hate. Go for the thing you don't like, and the reason why I say that is you'll fall in love with it. I promise you. Fucking hated running, I hated rowing and my favorite thing to do now is my row machine workouts at home and doing my my runs, like I'm not going to be an ultra fucking marathoner but I'm able to do something that I used to hate. But now I have learned to love and I still get to do my meathead workouts because I've got a great personal coach. Shameless plug. If you're looking for a coach Terry Wilson you'll see the link in the episode description. That's my coach. That's my Green Beret coach. Oddly enough, he was my company sergeant major when I was a warrant officer, so that's a cool connection. I found myself in that slump that we all find ourselves in Like fuck, I need to get back. But I realized and this is why, again, this is why Catch and Live Fun is so important.
Speaker 1:Guys, check it out you never did anything by yourself in the military. Very rarely did you do anything by yourself. You always had a teammate. You always had a team member with you. You always had a platoon or squad. Be willing to get back into your fitness journey with somebody that can help you, that can be there for you. You're Mr Miyagi, you're sidekick. That's why I got a personal trainer and I'm telling you it's a great, the greatest choice I ever did. Yes, I have a personal connection. We serve together but at the end of the day, it's having somebody that's just a little bit above you in that fitness realm, that can recommend the things to do. That's a great part about it. Like you can read all the books you can read and develop your own plan. But let me tell you it's a lot harder trying to do it by yourself versus have somebody in your ring, like having your own veteran mentor through catch a live fund, bro.
Speaker 2:And you know that's just like the tip of the iceberg. Honestly, you know I said it earlier we've helped 14,000 veterans. The fitness is great, but also we have an internal social media that only the veterans of Catch a Lift can get on. It's very similar to Facebook was back in the day, or MySpace, and it's just being in a group again, being with veterans that have been through something very similar but extremely different.
Speaker 2:If I saw you, for instance, if I saw you in a bar, right and the off chance I was in a bar and I knew you were a veteran, I would immediately connect with you. I would not connect with the 18 people that have never been through what we've been through between you and I. Right, their bad week is a flat tire. My bad week is picking up my buddy from the battlefield, and that's what this catch a lift provides, right, it provides you purpose. It provides you community again. Um, you know we this, the war. You know we pulled out, right, the war in Afghanistan is over, but you know the need is still great. As you know, like, as we get older I'm 40 now uh, as we get older, uh, there's other things that are starting to rear their ugly head as we get older. There's other things that are starting to rear their ugly head, like arthritis and other things we didn't know we had. Tbi is more prevalent now, like I see it now.
Speaker 1:Bro, tbi is the signature injury of the G1 era. I say it all the time. I'll echo it again. For this episode We'll start a tracker. Next episode I'll put a tracker on how many times I've said this. But I live this. I not only advocate for this on this podcast, a lot of the other podcasts that I work with and produce. It's centric to the veteran issues and you're right, man, things are going to continue to show up. Arthritis. That's a big one.
Speaker 1:But, it's understanding that, like dude, these things don't have to rule your life. Discomfort and pain are things that eventually dissipate If you have problems, and here's a great thing that I always go back to mindfulness, and what it's done for me is mindfulness has been proven to help reduce your pain. It's very, very difficult to be disciplined in it, but once you figure it out, I am telling you it will change your life and be willing to do everything you can to mitigate that pain, without going towards the addictive substances that can ruin your life and derail you, and fitness is one of those things.
Speaker 2:I know it.
Speaker 1:The moment you get your body moving again, that inflammation, that pain will go down again.
Speaker 2:that inflammation, that pain will go down. Yeah, you know, it's the older generation of workers too that'll even say the moment they retire from their corporate job or what they do and they slow down, that's when they fall apart.
Speaker 2:You have to keep moving and you know we're very proud that even even you know, after Afghanistan, right, we, we, we put eight. After Afghanistan, right, we put 800 veterans through our program this year alone. 800, right, I mean, there's still so many more out there that need help. So if you're out here and you're listening and you're looking for a family and a community that understands ups and downs, then Catch a Lift is for you Absolutely, brother.
Speaker 1:And if we want to sign up today, where do we go?
Speaker 2:Catchaliftfundorg. Absolutely there. It is, brother, and if we want to sign, up today.
Speaker 1:Where do we go? Catchaliftfundorg? Absolutely, there it is, folks, and if we're going to find you on social media, what are your handles?
Speaker 2:Catchaliftfund on Instagram. That's all we have.
Speaker 1:Perfect man. That's actually the best one to have, jason. Thank you so much for being here, man. Thank you for sharing your story and for being a amazing advocate for our veterans. Uh, and I can't thank you enough for being vulnerable enough to share your story, because it's going to resonate with so many people, and it's just amazing to see you out there leading the way and still crushing the gym.
Speaker 2:You're absolute fucking unit, that's how I try to be man well, you said you're a big rower, right? Oh yeah, yeah. So I got a concept 2. Hat on I. I too dabble a little bit in the road, yeah dude, it's, it's one of the.
Speaker 1:I've got my concept 2 bike and my rower. Uh, dude, great. There's nothing, nothing more powerful than being able to see yourself, uh, get fit, get better and climb that fitness ladder. He was like look, I'm telling you guys, if you're listening and you're off your journey, if you haven't gone to the gym, if it's been a minute, it's the best. Right now is the best time to start. You're going to start right now. Take a picture, the progress pics are the things that blow me away, man. You can get back to to where you are. You can get back to being able to feel good, look good. But it's not just about the looking good, it's about the feeling good, man. It's about being able to wake up with a little less pain, a little more energy to freaking crush a workout, because, as much as I like the adaptive stuff and being able to be a functional athlete, nothing beats a fucking gym bro workout I agree, yeah, I, I have a.
Speaker 2:I honestly my neighbor. So we, I live in it in like the deep south, right? Yeah, uh, and my neighbor will come over in the morning and lift with me and I told him today. So for him it's, it's great, because he's never really been in a gym setting. But I, I told him yesterday I'm like man, you're helping me, you're making me lift heavier, I have more drive when you are here. Yep, right, because it's a connection yeah, hell yeah, jason.
Speaker 1:Thank you again so much, and to everybody listening, thank you for tuning in and we'll see y'all next time. Till then, take care, if you like what we're doing and you enjoying the show, don't forget to share us, like us, subscribe, thank you.
