Miguel Zeran, aka Z, is a retired Marine Master Sergeant, PhD candidate, and a coach at Building the Elite.

He’s a former Force Recon Marine who holds a bachelor’s in Health & Wellness, a master’s in Kinesiology, and is in his third year of doctoral pursuits in Human & Sport Performance. He is a CSCS, CPT, SFG1, and trained Health Coach sitting for the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC) board exam this year.

He has spent over 14 years teaching, coaching, and training military and first responder populations in Marine Reconnaissance, the US Air National Guard, the Naval Special Warfare component of the Chilean Navy, Wildland Firefighters in the BLM and US Forest Service, Municipal/Structure Firefighters, and Law Enforcement.

His operational experience across multiple countries and conflicts, alongside his educational pursuits and training, has afforded him a unique perspective on what it takes to gain and maintain health, wellness, and fitness sufficient to succeed in any clime and place.

If you want to work with Miguel, you can see our coaching options on our website and learn more about him and his approach to performance health coaching here. 

You can also reach him directly at [email protected]

Timestamps:

00:00:22 Intro to Miguel Zeran

00:01:45 Cliff Notes of Miguel’s History

00:04:38 Difference Between Recon & Force Recon

00:06:59 How was the Transition from Reconnaissance Marines to MARSOC Perceived?

00:09:45 Selection Course Differences in Recon and Force Recon 

00:12:31 Where Do The 3 Communities Stand Now? (Recon, Force Recon, MARSOC)

00:14:08 What It’s Like Watching People Go Through What You Went Through

00:15:26 What Did You Learn About People in Selection?

00:17:00 Advice For Preparing For Recon Marines

00:20:03 Swimming Requirements in Recon

00:22:07 Later Phases of Training

00:23:06 Living in Chile With Family While Serving

00:24:20 Transitioning from the United States to Chile

00:28:56 Level of Professionalism and Quality Control In Central/South American SOF 

00:31:24 Budgetary Contrast For Food, Equipment, etc.

00:34:35 Working on Your PHD After Retirement

00:36:53 Miguel’s Take on Higher Education for Marines

00:40:40 Education as a Tool to Reintegrate Into Society

00:42:10 Outro