Before joining the Royal Marines, Lee Drinkwater endured devastating personal loss — his son, his brother and his nana all passed away within a short period of time. The grief and confusion left him without identity, direction or purpose.

For four years he asked himself one question every night — “Have you been your best today” — and for four years the answer was no. He no longer recognised who he was.

Joining the Royal Marines Commandos changed everything. The Corps gave him identity, standards and belonging. Rising to Warrant Officer, Lee learned that leadership is not about authority but about compassion, empathy and strength under pressure.

Today, Lee is the founder of Solace International, working with leaders and organisations worldwide to build resilience and thrive through adversity. His work is built around the R.E.A.L.® Protocol — Resilience, Emotional Intelligence, Agility and Leadership.

This is a raw, emotional and deeply human conversation about loss, identity, leadership and the power of turning grief into purpose.

🌐 www.warriorwellnessmovement.com

Beyond the Battlefield is available on all major podcast platforms.

#LeeDrinkwater #BeyondTheBattlefield #Leadership #RoyalMarines #Resilience #Grief #SolaceInternational #REALProtocol #WarriorWellnessMovement 

⚠️ Warning: Contains discussion of extreme violence, sexual assault and trauma. Listener discretion advised.

At just 12 years old, Dave Pounds woke in the night to face the unimaginable. He witnessed the aftermath of his mother’s brutal murder — an experience that changed the course of his life forever.

The next morning, he went to school as if nothing had happened. For decades, he carried that trauma in silence, battling PTSD, alcohol dependence, and the weight of grief that no child should ever endure.

After more than 30 failed therapies, Dave reached breaking point before finally discovering that strength and recovery come from within.

Today, he is the founder of Design For Life, a speaker and coach teaching others what he calls true resilience — rebuilding your life from the inside out.

This episode of Beyond the Battlefield is one of the most powerful and emotional yet. It’s a story of trauma, survival and the power of the human spirit to rebuild after unimaginable loss.

🎧 Beyond the Battlefield gives veterans, leaders, and everyday people a voice to share stories of resilience, recovery and strength through adversity.

🌐 www.warriorwellnessmovement.com

The Holistic Approach to Health, Wellness & Performance.

 #DavePounds #BeyondTheBattlefield #Resilience #TraumaSurvivor #PTSD #MentalHealthAwareness #Healing #AddictionRecovery #TrueResilience #WarriorWellnessMovement 

When Helping Others Breaks You – Aaron Clark’s Burnout Story

Aaron Clark built something powerful a not-for-profit organisation called Mental Health Muscle that was changing lives across the UK.

What started as a mission to support others quickly exploded beyond anything Aaron imagined. At its peak, Mental Health Muscle was impacting tens of thousands of people and attracting thousands of messages every single week. But behind the scenes, Aaron was unravelling.

The pace was relentless. The responsibility was overwhelming.
And as the pressure mounted, Aaron’s own mental health collapsed. What began as passion turned into exhaustion, anxiety, and a complete burnout. It was a moment of truth: continue and risk everything, or step away and save his health.

In this raw and honest conversation, Aaron shares:

The rise of Mental Health Muscle and its powerful impact

The hidden cost of success and helping others

The signs of burnout he ignored and the consequences

How his breakdown changed his life and priorities

Why protecting your health is non-negotiable, no matter the mission

Aaron’s story is a cautionary tale for anyone driven by purpose and a powerful reminder that you cannot pour from an empty cup.

🎙 Beyond the Battlefield is now streaming on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.

📲 Subscribe now so not to miss any early releases or new episodes
🌐 www.warriorwellnessmovement.com

The Holistic Approach to Health, Wellness & Performance.

#AaronClark #MentalHealthMuscle #Burnout #BeyondTheBattlefield #MentalHealthAwareness #BurnoutRecovery #Leadership #HelpingOthers #Resilience #Wellness

Zane McCormack knows what it means to hit breaking point.

Raised in New Zealand, Zane moved to the UK to play rugby before joining the UK Police. For years he faced the relentless strain of frontline policing — trauma, stress, and pressure few outside the uniform ever see.

Eventually, it caught up with him. Zane suffered a severe health crash, blacking out for days at a time and losing all memory of what happened. What he now understands as burnout almost cost him everything.

In this conversation, Zane talks openly about:

• The hidden mental health toll of policing
• The experience of saving someone’s life, only to later question his own
• How constant stress and public criticism push officers to the edge
• His journey back to health and life after service

Today, Zane has turned his pain into purpose. He is now a Burnout Prevention Coach, helping others recognise the signs, prevent collapse, and rebuild resilience.

This is a story about service, sacrifice, and the silent battles behind the badge.

When former Royal Navy Wren Christine Nicholson left service in the 1990s, she found herself homeless—not once, but twice. She turned to hostels seeking safety, only to face sexual abuse on multiple occasions.

Christine’s powerful account shines a light on female veteran homelessness, the trauma of unsafe accommodation, and the resilience required to rebuild when support for women leaving the military was virtually non-existent.

Today, Christine is a multi-award-winning business mentor, bestselling author, and keynote speaker—recognised for her expertise in performance strategies and exit planning. Her story reminds us of the human cost behind the uniform and the need to ensure every veteran is supported when they transition back to civilian life.

Andy Gallie shares his raw, unfiltered story of living with a 33-year gambling addiction that began at age 9 and eventually led to prison. A former Royal Navy serviceman, Andy speaks openly about how military culture fuelled his destructive habits, the emotional toll on his family, and his powerful journey through addiction recovery. Now a leading voice in veteran support through the Battling the Odds campaign and Beacon Counselling Trust, Andy helps others escape the same darkness.

A vital listen for anyone affected by addiction, military mental health issues, or the unseen struggles of veterans.

What does it cost to give your entire life to service?

In Episode 15 of Beyond the Battlefield, I sit down with Dai Charles — a man who dedicated nearly 40 years to protecting his country.

Dai joined the Royal Navy in 1978 before transferring to the Royal Marines Commandos in the thick of the Falklands War. From there, he deployed to nearly every major conflict over the last four decades: Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan — and more.

After a lifetime in uniform, Dai didn’t stop serving. Today, he works with Border Force, guarding the UK’s borders, fighting smuggling and immigration crime, and keeping the nation safe behind the scenes.

But this conversation isn’t just about medals and deployments.
It’s about the real human cost. The guilt that never goes away when men under your command take their own lives.
It’s about the weight of leaving the Corps after nearly 40 years and the struggles that follow when the brotherhood is gone.

Dai also talks about founding the RMA Riders — a motorcycle group for former Royal Marines who still crave that sense of belonging, camaraderie, and shared humour only the Corps understands.

His story is about loyalty, loss, pride, and the silent battles veterans still fight long after the battlefield is behind them.

🎙 Beyond the Battlefield gives veterans a voice. Real stories. Raw truth. Shared to inspire and remind us all that strength isn’t just about what you survive — it’s about who you stand beside.

🔎 Topics Covered:
Royal Navy and Royal Marines career

Operational deployments: Falklands, Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Northern Ireland

The hidden world of Border Force

Veteran suicide and survivor’s guilt

Brotherhood and the power of staying connected

Founding the RMA Riders

Transitioning out of the military after nearly 40 years

Parenting the next generation of Royal Marines

Purpose and resilience after service

🎙 Beyond the Battlefield is streaming now on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.
📲 Subscribe now so not to miss any early releases or new episodes.

🌐 www.warriorwellnessmovement.com
The Holistic Approach to Health, Wellness & Performance.

#DaiCharles #RoyalMarines #RoyalNavy #BeyondTheBattlefield #VeteranStories #FalklandsWar #AfghanistanVeteran #BosniaConflict #NorthernIreland #BorderForce #RMA #RMA Riders #MilitaryBrotherhood #LifeAfterService #VeteranCommunity #WarriorWellness #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranMentalHealth #SuicideAwareness #BrotherhoodForever #CombatStories

In Episode 14 of Beyond the Battlefield, I sit down with Steve Martindale — a former Royal Marine Commando and Close Protection Officer in Iraq and Afghanistan — who’s now co-founded CS22 Veteran Expeditions CIC (Cockleshell22) to help veterans rediscover purpose.

Formed in 2022, CS22 takes inspiration from historic Commando raids—like Operation Frankton and Heroes of Telemark—and retraces them in the UK and overseas (France, Norway, Falklands). These aren’t charity walks—they’re UK-based training weekends and overseas expeditions led with precision by military veterans, offering ground-breaking mentoring, team bonding, and a holistic boost to physical and mental wellbeing.

Through high-challenge adventure and history-driven missions, CS22 gives veterans a renewed sense of mission, camaraderie, and belonging . Their vision? To deliver purpose, peer support, and personal transformation through adventure, history, and community.

Topics Covered:

Royal Marine & Close Protection Service in Afghanistan

CS22 Veteran Expeditions: mission and method

Training weekends in the UK (e.g., Lake District, Anglesey)

Overseas expeditions retracing Commando missions

Mentorship, team-building, and peer support

Mental and physical health transformations

Honouring military history while creating future purpose

Leadership, resilience, and reclaiming identity

🎙 Beyond the Battlefield gives veterans a platform to share real stories of adversity, recovery, and renewed purpose—designed to inspire others.

👉 Learn more or join CS22 Veteran Expeditions:
🌐 https://cockleshell22.com

🎙 Now streaming on all major podcast platforms and YouTube

📲 Subscribe now so not to miss any early releases or new episodes
🌐 www.warriorwellnessmovement.com

The Holistic Approach to Health, Wellness & Performance.

#CS22 #VeteranExpeditions #SteveMartindale #RoyalMarines #CloseProtection #OperationFrankton #HeroesOfTelemark #VeteranPurpose #BeyondTheBattlefield #MentalResilience #OutdoorMentoring #AdventureTherapy #VeteranSupport #HolisticHealth #WarriorWellness #LifeAfterService #MilitaryPodcast #Camaraderie #ReconnectionThroughChallenge #PeerSupport

What happens when the silence of the deep becomes the noise in your head?

In Episode 13 of Beyond the Battlefield, we sit down with Danny Keating, a former Royal Navy Submariner whose story is unlike anything we’ve heard so far.

Danny spent months at a time submerged underwater—confined, claustrophobic, and disconnected from daylight and the outside world. It was elite service, but it came at a heavy cost.
He left the Navy and, like many veterans, fell into the next battle: mental health decline, identity loss, and addiction.

Thrown into the high-speed world of London’s executive culture, Danny relied on cocaine and adrenaline to keep pace. The grind. The performance. The mask. But underneath? He was falling apart.

Then something shifted.

Danny discovered Buddhism, and through meditation, mindfulness, and movement, he rebuilt from the inside out. He redefined strength—not as suppression, but as awareness. Not as speed, but stillness.

Today, he’s thriving. He’s healthy. He’s completed an Ironman. And he’s a powerful example of how men can reclaim peace and purpose—no matter how far gone they feel.

This episode is about identity, addiction, transformation, and healing. It’s real. It’s raw. And it’s exactly what someone out there needs to hear today.

🔎 Topics Covered:
Royal Navy Submarine Service

Mental health in the military

Addiction and high-performance culture

Cocaine abuse in executive life

Mindfulness and meditation for veterans

Buddhist practice after service

Ironman training and recovery

Rebuilding identity and inner peace

Leadership through vulnerability

Life after military darkness

🎙 Beyond the Battlefield is a platform giving veterans a voice.
Stories of adversity. Stories of resilience.
Shared to inspire others.

#RoyalNavy #SubmarineService #VeteranMentalHealth #AddictionRecovery #BeyondTheBattlefield #BuddhismForVeterans #CocaineRecovery #Mindfulness #IronmanJourney #WarriorWellness #MilitaryPodcast #MentalResilience #VeteranStories #MeditationForMen #PostMilitaryLife #HealingThroughMindfulness #ExecutiveBurnout #VeteranTransformation #LeadershipThroughAdversity

Mental health, military life, trauma, and leadership under fire — this is the untold reality of life in the Royal Marines.

In this powerful episode of Beyond the Battlefield, I sit down with Tip Cullen, a man who’s spent 30 years in service with the Royal Marines, from the harshest frontlines to the highest levels of leadership. A battle-hardened veteran, Tip has completed countless operational tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other war zones, rising through the ranks to become a Royal Marines officer.

This isn’t just a conversation about military service — it’s a raw and unfiltered look at the brutality of modern warfare, the mental health battles that follow, and the strength it takes to survive and lead in one of the UK’s most elite fighting forces.

Tip shares what it’s really like to operate at the pinnacle of performance in the Royal Marines, the harsh realities of combat, and the tough mindset required to endure relentless physical and mental pressure. He breaks down the sacrifices, the brotherhood, and the emotional cost that’s rarely spoken about outside military circles.

We also dive into his latest project - Sunray: Fallen Soldier, a film he stars in and helped bring to life. This film is more than a story - it's a tribute to 'our people', as Tip calls them: Royal Marines, soldiers, and veterans who’ve seen and experienced the darkest parts of war. The film was created to raise awareness around PTSD, trauma, and mental health - topics often ignored but deeply embedded in the lives of those who serve.

Tip opens up about life after service, the challenge of finding purpose outside the military, and why storytelling through film became his next mission. Sunray isn’t just entertainment - it’s a message, a warning, and a memorial to the struggles we carry long after the battle ends.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who’s served, is serving, or wants to understand the real cost of leadership, combat, and survival.

Topics Covered:

Royal Marines life and leadership.
Combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Military mental health and PTSD.
Veteran transition and life after service.
Brotherhood and loss.
Creating Sunray: Fallen Soldier.
Trauma, resilience, and the healing power of storytelling.

#RoyalMarines #MilitaryLife #MentalHealth #PTSD #AfghanistanVeteran #IraqWar #SunrayFallenSoldier #VeteranStories #Leadership #TraumaRecovery #BeyondTheBattlefield #CombatVeteran #MilitaryBrotherhood #VeteranSupport #LifeAfterService #MilitaryTrauma #BritishArmedForces #WarFilm #FunctionalHealth #Resilience #WarriorWellness #MilitaryMindset