From his days working as a kid on a rural Ontario dairy farm to over two decades of elite service in the Canadian and U.S. Militaries, Phil Kornachuk understands what it means to rely on your inner grit to get through life’s most challenging times.

After serving in the Canadian Military, Phil gained dual citizenship status in the United States and started a career in the U.S. Army that would take him around the world. From peacekeeping operations in eastern Europe to active combat in multiple hotspots, Phil risked his life to serve others as a Special Operations soldier in the Rangers, Green Berets and other units. After retiring with honors from the U.S. Military, Phil began the next chapter of his career by starting StoneWater Training to help others to forge purpose-driven, principle-based elite performance in multiple arenas.

Phil’s approach to mental toughness meshes perfectly with MTNTOUGH’s. He is also a certified trainer specializing in functional fitness, executive health programs, tactical group fitness and the overlap between physical well-being, outdoors and leadership. He is an ideal partner for our groundbreaking new program — MTNTOUGH MINDSET: a 10-day Mental Toughness Program — launching in MTNTOUGH+ on November 10th.  

While Phil understands we are all on our own journey and face our own challenges, he is a believer in doubling down on actively choosing what mindset you will face every day of your life with: “No shortcuts. Do the right thing and don’t quit.”

It’s a super inspiring story, and Phil generously shared over an hour of his time to talk with MTNTOUGH about his journey and our new partnership.