Every loss feels like it becomes part of who you are. The tab you didn't earn. The relationship that ended. The business decision that cost you $20,000. The thing you didn't do when you should have. Most people carry those quietly for years and let them shape how they see themselves.

In this episode of Beyond The Beret, former Green Beret Spencer Lewis and his wife MJ get into what real failure recovery actually looks like — not the highlight reel, not the "everything happens for a reason" version, but the honest version from people who've lost real things and had to figure out how to get back in the arena.

Spencer opens up about a bad supplement formulation that cost the company thousands of dollars and had to be pulled before it ever launched, a moment on the range in Special Forces where a teammate shot 7 rounds in the wrong direction with senior leadership watching, and the difference between the guys who got knocked down and picked themselves back up versus the ones who never came back mentally. MJ talks through her own approach as a coach and a parent — including the moment their 7-year-old daughter Reagan had a scary moment in the pool during swim lessons and had to decide whether to get back in.

The episode also gets direct: most people don't actually get "screwed over" the way they say they did. Most people had every opportunity everybody else had and didn't take it. Owning that is where growth actually starts.

There's also an honest opening conversation about the Bangalore pre-workout — what it actually feels like, why it doesn't hit as hard for people who've been taking pre-workout for years, and why Spencer had to retire the pump formula after the first production run failed on delivery.

If you're sitting with a loss right now, running from a mistake you made, watching a kid struggle to bounce back from something, or trying to figure out what actually separates the people who come back from the ones who don't — this episode is for you.

Everyone has goals. Physique goals, business goals, school selection, a certain kind of life. But somewhere between the goal and the day-to-day, most people quietly stop doing the things that get them there — and then get frustrated that they're not where they said they wanted to be.

In this episode of Beyond The Beret, former Green Beret Spencer Lewis and his wife MJ talk about the disconnect between what people say they want and what they actually do — and why closing that gap is the whole game.

Spencer walks through what obsession actually looked like when he was preparing for Ranger School, SFAS, and life on an ODA — not 8 hours of training a day, not overtraining, but every waking thought pointed at the next thing. He reframes obsession as a healthy state (not a red flag), explains why balance looks different in different seasons, and gets into why most people are only "motivated" for a couple of weeks before they drop off.

The episode also gets into the practical layer — the Alpha Country app's habit tracker, the 1790 method Spencer built to solve the problem of trying to be obsessed with everything at once, and why the accountability of not letting a coach down is more powerful than any workout program.

And Spencer gets direct: everybody has the same opportunity. You have the same opportunity as him. He has the same opportunity as you. The person who wins is the one who seizes it — not the one with the best genetics, the best backstory, or the most content.

If you keep starting and stopping, feel like your goals and your daily life are on different planets, or you're tired of watching people accomplish things you keep saying you want — this episode is for you.

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TOPICS COVERED
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▪ Why extraordinary goals actually do require obsession
▪ What Spencer's day-to-day looked like preparing for Ranger School and SFAS
▪ Why obsession isn't a red flag — and what makes it become one
▪ Why balance looks different in different seasons
▪ The gap between what people say they want and what they actually do
▪ Why most people are only motivated for 1-2 weeks
▪ Why coaching clients hire coaches for accountability, not information
▪ What the Alpha Country app's habit tracker actually solves
▪ The 1790 method — the framework for focused obsession
▪ Why the real high-performers on the teams don't look like the guys on Instagram
▪ Why you have no idea what "capable" actually looks like
▪ Following through on what you say — for yourself, your family, your goals
▪ Why everybody has the same opportunity — and who actually uses it

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RELATED EPISODES
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Episode 7 — Obsession Is the Only Thing That Wins
Episode 12 — Why Most "Leaders" You Follow Have Never Actually Led Anything

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
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Alpha Country App — habit tracker, 1-7-90 method, 9 training programs (7-day free trial, $30/month)

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Hosted by Spencer Lewis — former Green Beret, ultra runner, founder of Alpha Country — and his wife MJ.

New episodes weekly. Already Decided.

Shop: https://thealphacountry.com

Spencer and MJ Lewis aren't sober. They're not in recovery. They're not here to preach. In fact, both of them say they'll probably drink again at some point. What they are here to do is have an honest conversation about what alcohol was actually costing them in the years they didn't see it — and what changed once they stopped.

In this episode of Beyond The Beret, Spencer opens up about starting to drink at 13, using it to numb the pressure of high school sports, and then walking straight into a military culture where drinking wasn't just accepted, it was expected. He talks about the 3.5 years he leaned on alcohol to get through the hardest stretch of his life, the constant inflammation and puffiness he thought was normal, and the lie he kept telling himself: "5 good days, 2 bad days — if I just keep doing that, I'll be fine."

MJ walks through her own version — the drinks that turned into snacks that turned into skipped mornings, the recovery hangovers that stole three days out of every week, and the moment they both realized the workouts, the clean eating, and the discipline weren't going to override what they were doing on Friday and Saturday nights.

The episode also gets into the client conversations Spencer and MJ have every week — the guys who complain about their body composition while still drinking through the weekend, the wives who can't figure out why they're inflamed, and the honest math on how much progress alcohol quietly steals from people who are otherwise doing everything right.

If you drink and are starting to wonder if it's holding you back, you've tried to cut down and it hasn't stuck, you're a coach or trainer working with clients who aren't seeing results, or you're just tired of feeling puffy and don't know why — this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• Why Spencer started drinking at 13 (and how his older brother's drinking normalized it)
• Using alcohol to numb the pressure of high school sports
• Military drinking culture and why it felt like a perfect fit
• The 3.5 years alcohol got them through — and the price they paid for it
• Why "eating clean but drinking on weekends" doesn't work
• The "5 good days, 2 bad days" delusion
• What inflammation really looks like in your face (and how you convince yourself it's normal)
• Why alcohol is the most reliable numbing tool available — and why that's the problem
• The domino effect: alcohol leads to snacking, bad sleep, skipped workouts, missed mornings
• Why coaching clients who won't quit drinking never see their body composition change
• The peer pressure of not drinking — and why saying "no" makes other people insecure
• Spencer's addictive personality and why he had to go cold turkey
• MJ's take: not sober, not judging, still open to a drink someday
• Why they don't put themselves in drinking situations anymore (even though they're technically fine)
• Ultra marathons, bodybuilding prep, and what you can accomplish sober
• Why we're not the alcohol-is-the-devil podcast — and why we still want you to look at what it's costing you

Related episodes:

• Episode 12 — TRT, Peptides, and Men's Hormones (also touches on why alcohol is the most socially acceptable poison)
• Episode 13 — What Nobody Told Me About My Own Body (nutrition and accountability)

Hosted by Spencer Lewis — former Green Beret, ultra runner, founder of Alpha Country — and his wife MJ. New episodes weekly. Already Decided.

Every week, Spencer Lewis gets messages from guys asking the same set of questions. How do I prepare for SFAS? How do I train for selection while active duty? What physical standard should I hit before I show up? Should I take an 18X contract? What if I'm still in basic training and don't know where to start?

In this episode of Beyond The Beret, former Green Beret Spencer Lewis and his wife MJ run a rapid-fire Q&A covering the most common questions Spencer gets from active-duty soldiers, prospective candidates, and civilians thinking about enlisting. This is the tactical, no-BS version — what to do, how to train, what standards to hit, and what most people get wrong.

Spencer doesn't sugarcoat. If you're stressed about the PT test, you probably shouldn't be going to selection. If you're a combat arms soldier who can't Max the APFT on any given day, that's a problem. If you signed up to be a hard motherfucker, you don't get to complain when it gets hard.

This episode also gets into the philosophy behind Spencer's coaching — why he only takes a small number of one-on-one clients, why every program is custom (not cookie-cutter), and why you can pay $30/month for the app and run the same phase-one program Spencer ran the 42 days before he left for selection.

If you're prepping for SFAS, Ranger School, or any military selection course, considering an 18X contract, active duty and trying to level up your PT test, a civilian thinking about enlisting, or just curious what a Green Beret's actual advice sounds like — this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• What physical standard you should hit before showing up to SFAS
• Why "stressed about the PT test" is a red flag for selection candidates
• Custom coaching vs. cookie-cutter programs — and why it matters
• The 42-day Operation Alpha Phase 1 program Spencer actually ran before selection
• Ruck training: what "train how you fight" actually means (and doesn't)
• Fueling during selection vs. fueling during an ultramarathon
• Why cold showers before BUDS don't do what people think they do
• APFT / PT test coaching — why 90% should be the standard for combat arms
• 18X contract advice: get through basic first
• Why every combat arms soldier should be a "walking billboard of what right looks like"
• How to balance military life with home life: when you're home, be home
• Why ultra marathons are the best mental prep for hard things
• Spencer's life motto: "I didn't fold like a little bitch"

Related episodes:

• Episode 4 — SFAS Explained: What Special Forces Selection Is Really Like
• Episode 8 — What Ranger School Is Actually Like (From a Green Beret Who Recycled)
• Episode 12 — Why Most "Leaders" You Follow Have Never Actually Led Anything

Mentioned in this episode:

• Alpha Country App — Operation Alpha Phase 1 (7-day free trial, $30/month) — the exact program Spencer ran before selection

Hosted by Spencer Lewis — former Green Beret, ultra runner, founder of Alpha Country — and his wife MJ. New episodes weekly. Already Decided.

The part of the body the military never trains you to protect — and the part former Green Beret Spencer Lewis ignored the longest. Spencer and his wife MJ on why almost everything you feel every day traces back to one system nobody warned him about.

Somewhere in the last 10 years, leadership stopped being about action and became a content genre. Podcasts about leadership from people who've never led a team. Instagram life coaches with a million followers who have never coached anyone through anything. YouTube gurus quoting Jocko while sitting in a rented office.

In this episode of Beyond The Beret, former Green Beret Spencer Lewis and his wife MJ have an unfiltered conversation about what real leadership actually looks like, why most of the "leaders" people follow have never actually led anything, and what Spencer's own path through the 82nd Airborne, Ranger School, SFAS, the Q Course, an ODA, and now running Alpha Country has taught him about the difference.

Spencer breaks down the misconception most people have about military leadership — the movie version where the leader yells on the battlefield — and contrasts it with the reality: calm in chaos, action first, competence over volume. He talks openly about his own evolution, including the years he tried to lead by carrying everyone's gear and being everyone's friend (which didn't work), and the moment in Ranger School after recycling when it clicked that leadership is about competence and standard, not popularity.

The episode also gets into the hard parts: why he thinks a huge percentage of what gets called "leadership content" online is coming from people who have never done anything, why he thinks that's actively harmful to the people consuming it, and why insecurity — not laziness — is what stops most people from becoming what they're capable of.

If you're in a leadership role, trying to grow into one, running a business, in the military or coming out of it, in first response, or just tired of watching people pretend on the internet — this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• The one-sentence definition of a leader Spencer lives by
• Why leading by action always beats leading by talking
• The movie version of military leadership vs. the real version
• Why the best leaders in high-stress situations are the calmest ones
• The social media life coach epidemic — and what it's actually doing to people
• Spencer's early experience in the 82nd Airborne and the shift he watched happen
• Why the GWOT-era guys started leaving and what that did to leadership standards
• Ranger School: why trying to be everyone's friend was the wrong move
• The moment after recycling mountain phase when leadership clicked
• SFAS and why yelling at people doesn't work by week three
• Andy Frisella on leading by example — "not the best way, the only way"
• Leadership on an ODA vs. leadership in a business
• Running Alpha Country: fulfillment, hiring, and why "sexy jobs" aren't the point
• Why most people self-sabotage instead of pursuing what they're capable of
• The hard truth about who actually knows you (hint: it's not your Instagram followers)

Related episodes:

• Episode 4 — SFAS Explained: What Special Forces Selection Is Really Like
• Episode 8 — What Ranger School Is Actually Like (From a Green Beret Who Recycled)
• Episode 10 — Starting a Business After the Military: How I Built Alpha Country From Nothing

Hosted by Spencer Lewis — former Green Beret, ultra runner, founder of Alpha Country — and his wife MJ. New episodes weekly. Already Decided.

Most of what's online about TRT, peptides, and men's hormones is either AI-generated influencer slop trying to sell you a stack, or it's academic research papers that don't translate to real life. In this episode of Beyond The Beret, Spencer Lewis and his wife MJ have an honest, first-person conversation about what they've each learned over the last several years of getting blood work done, getting on hormone replacement therapy, experimenting with peptides, working with a clinic, and figuring out what actually matters versus what's just noise.

Spencer goes all the way back to age 19 in the Army, when he first started experimenting with testosterone on his own without guidance — and walks through what he's learned since, including the difference between abusing testosterone and using it responsibly under medical supervision. He's currently off TRT while he and MJ are trying to conceive after a vasectomy reversal, and he's open about what coming off feels like versus being on it. MJ shares her own first experience with blood work during her 2024 bikini competition prep, finding out her testosterone was extremely low even though it fell inside the "normal" range, and what HRT has done for her since.

This is not a stack-of-the-week episode. There is no "buy this peptide using my code" pitch. The whole point is: get blood work done, talk to an actual specialist (not your primary care doctor, who probably isn't a hormone specialist), and build the foundation before you stack anything on top.

If you're a man feeling off and wondering if it's hormonal, a woman who's been told your levels are "in range" but you still feel terrible, an athlete trying to optimize, a veteran or first responder whose body has been through it, or anyone tired of getting recommendations from influencers who get paid per click — this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• The difference between "in range" and actually optimized
• Why your primary care doctor probably isn't a hormone specialist
• Spencer's first experience with testosterone at 19 in the Army
• What being in the 200s vs. the 1200s actually feels like
• The misconception about "roid rage" and TRT
• Why TRT is a need and peptides are a want
• MJ's first blood panel during bikini prep — and finding out she was severely low while "in range"
• Coming off TRT for fertility — what that actually feels like
• The vasectomy reversal and trying to conceive
• HCG, Enclomiphene, and what each one actually does
• BPC-157 after the 100-mile ultra and recovery from leg damage
• Why the military won't let combat arms guys be on TRT — but will let them drink themselves stupid in the team room
• The honest truth about black market and research-grade peptides
• Why alcohol is the most socially acceptable poison and what it actually does
• The tiered system for optimization: foundation first, blood work second, peptides last
• Why most people skip the foundation and go straight to the stack

Medical disclaimer: Spencer and MJ are not doctors. Nothing in this episode is medical advice. Everything discussed is personal experience. If you're considering hormone replacement therapy or peptides, work with a licensed medical provider who specializes in this area.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Telegenix — the clinic Spencer and MJ use and partner with personally
• Telegenix Home Page - https://www.telegenix.com/ref/SPELEW-HV5X
• Testosterone Replacement Therapy - https://www.telegenix.com/ref/SPELEW-HV5X?page=testosterone
• Peptides - https://www.telegenix.com/ref/SPELEW-HV5X?page=peptide
• Tri NAD+ - https://www.telegenix.com/ref/SPELEW-HV5X?page=nad-plus
• Weight Loss - https://www.telegenix.com/ref/SPELEW-HV5X?page=weight-loss

Hosted by Spencer Lewis — former Green Beret, ultra runner, founder of Alpha Country — and his wife MJ. New episodes weekly. Already Decided.

Most veteran-to-entrepreneur stories skip the actual origin. The couch. The surgeries. The $25,000 you just sent to a manufacturer with no guarantee any of it works. The hours sewing patches onto hats one at a time in your living room because the orders are coming in and you don't have a manufacturer yet.

In this episode of Beyond The Beret, former Green Beret Spencer Lewis and his wife MJ go all the way back to the start of Alpha Country — the supplement, apparel, and coaching brand he built from nothing while medically retiring out of Special Forces. Spencer was sitting on the couch recovering from SI joint fusion, hip, and ankle surgeries with no plan, no social media, no product, and no idea what he was doing. This episode is the real story of how it all got built.

Spencer breaks down every part of the journey: the first time he sold a training program as a PDF in the DMs, the brand deal that took advantage of him and made him go all-in on Alpha Country, how he found a supplement manufacturer with zero connections, the $50,000 first production order that was every dollar he had, the 16-to-20-week supplement production timeline nobody warns you about, sourcing apparel on Alibaba and losing money learning, the years of late nights packing orders out of his house, and the standards he holds for every single touchpoint with the customer.

If you're a veteran thinking about starting a business after the military, a service member with a brand idea, an entrepreneur trying to bootstrap a real product company, or someone curious about how Alpha Country actually got built — this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• Why Spencer started Alpha Country while still medically out-processing the Army
• Bare Performance Nutrition (BPN) as the brand he studied to learn the playbook
• Selling training programs as PDFs in Instagram DMs to make first revenue
• The brand deal that taught him to never give his work away again
• Building the first supplement formula (Bangalore pre-workout) without white-labeling
• The $50,000 first production order and what it actually buys you
• The 16-to-20-week supplement production timeline nobody talks about
• 40/60 payment structures with overseas apparel manufacturers
• Sewing hats in the living room: 20 minutes per hat, then 10
• Building relationships with USPS and UPS when nobody at the counter wants to help
• The standard for fulfillment, packaging, and the customer experience
• Why the last physical touchpoint with the customer matters more than anything
• Hiring, the three-strike rule, and why "sexy" jobs are the wrong goal

Previous episode (Ep. 9): Spencer covers losing his identity after the military and how to build a new one. That episode is the why. This one is the how.

Hosted by Spencer Lewis — former Green Beret, ultra runner, founder of Alpha Country — and his wife MJ. New episodes weekly. Already Decided.

This episode of Beyond The Beret started with a listener email asking exactly that: how do you find your identity and purpose after leaving the military? Former Green Beret Spencer Lewis and his wife MJ break it down without sugar coating it. Spencer goes back to the first time he lost himself — when high school sports ended and he turned to drugs and partying — and traces it all the way through his medical retirement from Special Forces, the years it took to set the old rucksack down, and the identity he's built since: husband, father, Christian, coach, founder.

The hard truth Spencer keeps coming back to: nobody is coming to save you. No one is going to hand you purpose, structure, or a new chapter. You have to build it yourself, one day at a time, starting from wherever you are right now.

If you're medically retiring, getting close to your ETS date, recently out and feeling lost, a military spouse watching your partner struggle through this, or anyone facing a major life transition where the thing that used to define you is gone — this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• Why identity loss hits harder after the military than almost any other transition
• The parallel between leaving sports and leaving the service
• The "rucksack" you have to set down to move forward
• Why the military's structure is something you can keep (and should)
• Getting bitter at the organization vs. still loving the job
• What no one tells you about the exit process
• Why nobody is coming to save you — and why that's actually good news
• How Spencer rebuilt purpose through Alpha Country, coaching, and helping others
• The difference between chasing what you want and helping others get what they want
• Practical advice for guys who feel completely lost right now

Next episode (Ep. 10): The origin story of Alpha Country — how Spencer turned post-military purpose into a brand. Drop your questions in the comments and we'll answer them on the next one.

Hosted by Spencer Lewis — former Green Beret, ultra runner, founder of Alpha Country — and his wife MJ. New episodes weekly. Already Decided.

Ranger School is the most asked-about school in the U.S. Army, and most of the content out there is either polished recruiter talk or guys who went straight through and skipped the hard parts of the story. In this episode of Beyond The Beret, former Green Beret Spencer Lewis sits down with his wife MJ for a full, unfiltered breakdown of what Ranger School is actually like — from a guy who got pre-Ranger honor grad, recycled mountain phase, found out about his ex-wife's miscarriage between phases, and still walked out with the tab.

Spencer covers all three phases (Darby, Mountains, Florida), the pre-Ranger course at 82nd Airborne, the 12-mile ruck that smoked the whole class, what platoon tactics actually look like at the squad and platoon level, how you really get graded, what the food and sleep cycle does to you (one MRE at 5 a.m., another at 2 a.m., repeat), peer evaluations, the truth about recycling, and the moment he knew he'd recycled mountains before the mission even ended. He also breaks down the mindset shift between his first and second look at mountain phase — and why trying to be everybody's friend doesn't get you a Ranger tab.

If you're getting ready for Ranger School, just got your slot, recycled and trying to come back, or you're an NCO trying to prep your guys — this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• Pre-Ranger course at 82nd Airborne (and why it was harder than first phase)
• All three phases: Darby, Mountains, Florida
• What a typical day looks like (5 a.m. MRE, planning, patrols, 2 a.m. dinner)
• The 12-mile ruck and what really cuts the class down
• Land nav and the golden compass award
• Platoon-level tactics vs. squad-level tactics
• Getting recycled in mountain phase and what the 10-day reset looks like
• Peer evaluations and integrity violations
• Sleep deprivation and food deprivation
• Why Ranger School is a leadership course, not a tactics course
• The mindset shift between first and second look
• Why every combat arms soldier should be chasing the tab

Hosted by Spencer Lewis — former Green Beret, ultra runner, founder of Alpha Country — and his wife MJ. New episodes weekly. Already Decided.