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What do you do when you've lost everything—your family, your future, your will to live? For Matt Kuiper, founder of Desert Plunge, the answer came in the form of 38-degree water. This is the story of a man who went from two DUIs and jail time to building one of the fastest-growing cold plunge companies in America—and how he discovered that our darkest moments can become our greatest purpose.

Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
4:00 - Early Childhood & Christian Reform Upbringing
15:10 - First Antidepressants at 15
17:20 - First Drink: "I Cannot Wait to Do This Again"
30:50 - First DUI at 16, Second at 21
37:40 - The Day I Almost Died: 220 BPM Heart Rate
47:30 - Green Oaks Ranch: 6-Month Rehab
53:00 - Meeting My Wife in Rehab
1:09:00 - Relapse: Wife Kicks Me Out
1:17:00 - Rock Bottom & 90 Meetings in 90 Days
1:27:00 - Why Marriage is Worth Fighting For
1:37:00 - Becoming an Electrician: The Trades vs College
1:48:00 - 2019 Mental Health Crisis in Ecuador
2:01:00 - Cold Plunge Changed Everything
2:07:00 - Building Desert Plunge from Garage to Business
2:34:00 - Customer Service & Business Philosophy
2:51:00 - Plant Medicine: 5-MEO, Kambo, Ketamine
3:04:00 - Faith, Fatherhood & Breaking Cycles
3:19:00 - SSRIs, Big Pharma & Alternative Medicine
3:27:00 - Final Message: You Can Change Your Story

🎯 FOLLOW Matt Kupier:
Instagram: @Matt_Kuiper, @desertplunge
Website:
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#MattKuiper #DesertPlunge #ColdPlungeTherapy #AddictionRecovery #MentalHealthAwareness #SobrietyJourney #EntrepreneurStory #WimHofMethod #RecoveryIsPossible

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Bob Porras served 20 years in Delta Force before joining the CIA's Global Response Staff, where he spent another decade protecting intelligence operations in the world's most dangerous places. In this conversation, Bob shares the reality behind the headlines—from the Benghazi aftermath to evacuating the Tripoli embassy in 2014, earning the CIA's highest medal in the process.

This interview covers the sacrifices that come with a life in service, the broken training pipelines that put operators at risk, and what it takes to lead teams when failure isn't an option. Bob discusses his transition out of the CIA, why he started teaching tactical skills, and the personal costs of three decades at the tip of the spear.

Topics include: CIA Global Response Staff operations, leadership under fire, the Khost Bombings, Benghazi Attacks, faith and family through adversity, and building resilience after service.

Content Advisory: This conversation contains discussions of combat operations, wartime casualties, and the psychological toll of sustained operational tempo. Presented in documentary/educational context.

🎯 FOLLOW Bob “Ninja” Porras:
Instagram: @Ninjabobsolutions
Tik Tok: ninjabobsolutions7
Facebook: Ninjabobsolutions
Website:
https://ninjabobsolutions

This Episode is sponsored by

Dr Taylor Bosley
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Because true strength starts from within — and optimal health is the edge you deserve. 

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Few operators earn the right to walk away from Delta Force on their own terms. Bob "Ninja" Porras did exactly that—after building a legendary career from nothing.

This episode covers Bob's journey from Los Angeles to becoming one of Delta Force's most respected operators. Starting as an Army engineer, he battled bureaucracy, survived Panama combat operations, earned his Green Beret, and fought his way into the Unit—the most selective special operations force in the world.

Bob shares what Delta selection really tests, the truth about peacetime military life in the 1980s, and the leadership lessons that carried him through two decades of combat rotations. From hostage rescue training to the opening chapters of the War on Terror, this is the story of a warrior who never stopped evolving.

Content Advisory: This episode contains discussion of military combat operations, wartime experiences, and deployment stress. All content is presented in historical/educational context.

If you're interested in military history, special operations, or leadership under pressure, this conversation delivers truth without the Hollywood filter.

🎯 FOLLOW Bob “Ninja” Porras:

Instagram: @Ninjabobsolutions

Tik Tok: ninjabobsolutions7

Facebook: Ninjabobsolutions

Website:

https://ninjabobsolutions

This Episode is sponsored by

Dr Taylor Bosley
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Because true strength starts from within — and optimal health is the edge you deserve. 

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🔔 Subscribe for more stories from America's quiet professionals
👍 Like if you want to see Part 2 (CIA GRS career)
💬 Comment your questions for Bob

#DeltaForce #SpecialOperations #BobPorras #MilitaryHistory #ArmyRanger #GreenBeret #Panama #DesertStorm #CombatVeteran #Leadership #MilitaryPodcast #TheVanguardWall

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From a 12-year-old kid in Montana wearing hand-me-downs to Command Sergeant Major—this is the story of what happens when you almost lose everything, and the fallen hero who saved you one last time.

Command Sergeant Major Michael Burke (Ret.) served 14 deployments, completed 1,000+ combat operations, and rose from struggling private to the top enlisted ranks. But on October 22, 2015, when he learned his mentor MSG Joshua Wheeler was killed in action, everything came crashing down.

WHO WAS MSG JOSHUA WHEELER? Master Sergeant Joshua Wheeler was a Delta Force operator and Ranger Regiment legend with 11 deployments. On October 22, 2015, he was killed during a hostage rescue in Hawija, Iraq—the first American KIA against ISIS. Wheeler charged enemy positions to protect his team and 70 hostages, earning the Silver Star posthumously.

For Burke, Wheeler was the man who believed in him when no one else did. The man who made him feel like he belonged. Because of Josh Wheeler, Burke served 22 more years. When Wheeler died, Burke reached his breaking point.

THIS EPISODE:

• "I don't want to be on this earth anymore"—Burke's darkest moment
• The therapy session that broke the dam
• "I kind of broke my brain"—TBI, trauma, and childhood wounds
• What would Josh do? The question that saved his life
• "There's people who need you that haven't met you yet"
• "I quit in my mind a million times. Just not today."
• The Focus Framework: Leading with 3 priorities
• From lacking empathy to making it your superpower
• Veterans got veterans: Why peer support saves lives
• Message to 12-year-old Mike in Montana: "Everything is worth it"

⚠️ Recorded on the 10-year anniversary of MSG Wheeler's death. Contains discussion of suicide ideation, PTSD, and trauma. Burke shares to save lives.

🆘 IF YOU'RE IN CRISIS:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (Call/Text)
• Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255, Press 1

🔗 Michael Burke: @mike_s._burke or www.legendsofthe75th.com

"There's people that need you that don't even know you yet. You never go on a target alone. This is just a new mission—and we need you." — CSM Michael Burke

This interview will save lives. Share it.

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A 16-year-old mom. No father. A troubled Montana kid who didn't fit anywhere. Three days after graduation, he shipped out to become an Army Ranger—and almost quit before the war even started.

Retired Command Sergeant Major Mike Burke takes us inside the pre-9/11 Ranger Regiment—when money was tight, morale was low, and the mission wasn't clear. He shares the brutal truth about toxic leadership, nearly throwing his rifle at his platoon leader, and the moment Delta Force legend Josh Wheeler kicked down his door at 4:30 AM and changed his trajectory forever.

From that first chaotic Afghanistan deployment in 2002 to watching the Takur Ghar footage before shipping out, Mike pulls no punches about the fog of early GWOT operations, the Rangers who didn't want war, and what it really took to become the leader who would go on to command thousands across 14 deployments.This is the raw, unfiltered origin story of a warrior who survived bad leadership to become great leadership.

🎙️ Subscribe for untold special operations stories, leadership lessons, and the real cost of 24 years at war.

⚠️ Viewer discretion: Discussions of combat, trauma, profanity, and the realities of military service.#MichaelBurke 

🎯 FOLLOW CSM(r) Michael Burke:
Instagram @michael_s._burke @legendsofthe75th
Website:
https://legendsofthe75th.com

This Episode is sponsored by

Dr Taylor Bosley
Grab your FREE Top 5 from Doctor Bosley PDF here → https://www.precisionwellnessgroup.com/ad-the-vanguard-wall-podcast
🌐 Fuel Your Momentum and Get started Now → www.precisionwellnessgroup.com 
📲 Follow → @precisionwellnessgroup 
Because true strength starts from within — and optimal health is the edge you deserve. 

🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast 

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The Vanguard Wall Podcast Presents: The Quiet Professional - The MSG Gregory Trent Series (Final Episode)

In this emotional series finale, Command Sergeant Major Kevin Robbins (ODA 3422) shares his perspective as a member of the sister team that fought alongside MSG Gregory Trent's ODA 3424 during their 2012 deployment to Afghanistan's Herat Province.

The Sister Team's Story:
While MSG Trent's ODA 3424 conducted Village Stability Operations, Kevin Robbins' ODA 3422 ran Afghan Commando missions from the same area. These two teams from 3rd Special Forces Group weren't just co-located - they were brothers who trained together, laughed together, and ultimately faced the worst day of their lives together.

This Final Episode Reveals:

🎖️ The unique perspective from the sister ODA during that fateful July 31, 2012
🎖️ Kevin's journey from Detroit poverty to Special Forces leadership
🎖️ The 24-hour retribution operation - what happens when you attack America's elite
🎖️ Why Greg could "defuse any situation" even during 18-hour training days
🎖️ The crushing weight of continuing the mission for months after loss
🎖️ Kevin's heartbreaking answer: What he'd say if he could sit with Greg one more time
Most Powerful Moment:

"I couldn't talk about myself. If I had any time with Greg, I'd want to hear everything that he used to say. I don't think I could ever look him in the face and say anything that's prideful to me, knowing that it's something that was taken away from him." - CSM Kevin Robbins
The Complete Series Has Featured:

Episode 1: Dave Coloumbe ODA 3424  Team Captain
Episode 2: Tim Bostion ODA 3424 18C
Episode 3: Karl Hoover ODA 3424 Team Sgt and Senior 18D
Episode 4: CSM David Waldo, 1st Special Forces Command CSM
Episode 5: Dovid Berg ODA 3424 18E
Episode 6: Mike Swenson ODA 3424 Tm Warrant Officer

Kevin's Final Thoughts on Greg:

"He was everything you would expect from a Green Beret... but then there was so much more. A thirst for knowledge, sense of humor, approachable, easy to talk to. He was the guy who could get everybody to lighten up and relax when they were stressed out."
MSG Gregory Trent made the ultimate sacrifice on August 8, 2012, succumbing to wounds received while protecting his brothers in Herat Province. His team and their sister ODA stayed in country until November, carrying his memory through every mission.

This series celebrates not just how warriors die, but how they lived.

🎗️ Forever Remember: MSG Gregory Trent's legacy lives on through his daughter, his widow Beth, and every Green Beret who carries his example forward.

⏰ Watch the Complete Series:

The Vanguard Wall Podcast has brought together the men of ODA 3424 and 3422 to ensure Greg's story - and the story of all quiet professionals - is never forgotten.

This concludes The Quiet Professional: The MSG Gregory Trent Series. Thank you to all the warriors who shared their stories to honor their fallen brother.

This Episode is sponsored by 

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🎯 THE UNTOLD STORY FROM THE BATTLEFIELD
Former Green Beret Warrant Officer Mike Swenson breaks his silence about one of the most devastating days in Special Operations history. On July 31st, 2012, his team leader and brother-in-arms Master Sergeant Gregory Trent was shot in Afghanistan.

💥 WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER:

The moment everything changed on that July day in 2012
What it's really like to call in a medevac for your wounded brother
How elite warriors cope with losing someone in combat
The weight of command when split-second decisions mean life or death
Why even training for Special Forces can be deadly

🔥 EXCLUSIVE INSIGHTS:

Behind-the-scenes of ODA 3424's final mission
The reality of IED warfare in Afghanistan
How 9/11 shaped a generation of warriors
What happens when Special Forces teams get split up
The brotherhood that lasts beyond the battlefield

⚡ MIKE SWENSON'S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY:
From Long Island kid to combat engineer to Green Beret warrant officer - Mike's path to becoming one of America's elite warriors is nothing short of extraordinary. Ranger School, Sapper School, multiple deployments, and the kind of technical expertise that saves lives on the battlefield.
But this isn't just another war story. This is about the moment when everything you've trained for becomes brutally real. When the helicopter with the red cross is coming in, rotor wash is blowing down, and you're carrying a real person - your brother - to that bird.

🎖️ HONORING MASTER SERGEANT GREGORY TRENT
This episode is part of our special series celebrating the life of Master Sergeant Gregory Trent, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. Greg was known for his razor-sharp wit, unflappable demeanor, and the kind of leadership that inspires men to follow you into hell.

📍 TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Mike's Background: From Engineer to Green Beret
12:50 - Taking Command of ODA 3424
25:30 - The Moment 9/11 Changed Everything
45:15 - Working Relationship with MSgt Gregory Trent
58:20 - The Day Everything Changed: July 31st, 2012
1:23:00 - The Image Burned Into Memory Forever
1:24:11 - Life After the Battlefield: Hunting, Fishing, and Finding Peace

🔔 SUBSCRIBE if you want more untold stories from America's elite warriors
💬 COMMENT below with your thoughts and questions for Mike
👍 LIKE this video to honor Master Sergeant Gregory Trent's memory

#GreenBeret #SpecialForces #Afghanistan #Military #Veterans #Brotherhood #WarStories #VanguardWall #MasterSergeantGregoryTrent #ODA3424 #Honor #Sacrifice #NeverForget
This episode contains mature themes related to combat and loss. Viewer discretion is advised.

This Episode is sponsored by 

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🎖️ BROTHERHOOD BEYOND DEATH 🎖️

When Master Sergeant Gregory Trent was shot in Afghanistan in 2012, his teammate Dovid risked everything to save him. What happened next will restore your faith in American heroes.

This is the untold story of ODA 3424 - the Special Forces team that epitomized what it means to be a "quiet professional." For over a decade, these Green Berets carried the weight of July 31st, 2012 in silence... until now.
In this episode:

How Dovid ran back into enemy fire to save his teammate
Why Greg's picture still sits on Dovid's desk 12 years later
The moment that haunts Dovid most from that day
How one fallen hero's legacy continues to inspire warriors today
The retribution mission that eliminated 200+ enemy fighters

"Greg could find the silver lining in any cloud and get everyone else to see it too." - David
These men didn't just serve together - they bled together, fought together, and created bonds stronger than blood. This is more than a war story. This is a testament to the brotherhood that makes America's military the most lethal fighting force on earth.

#GreenBeret #SpecialForces #Afghanistan #Military #Heroes #Brotherhood #VanguardWall #NeverForgotten #MSGGregoryTrent

This Episode is sponsored by 

Alpha Country Training + Nutrition
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This Episode is sponsored by

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Full Hormone Optimization
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Mention Vanguard20 for 20% off initial consultation

A British kid lands in America 24 hours before 9/11. One month later, he's enlisting in the US Army. This is Kevin Garrad's story. Born in London, Kevin arrived in the United States just one day before the towers fell. While most foreign nationals were fleeing America, he ran toward the fight—joining the US Army as a British citizen and beginning a 14-year journey that would take him from the invasion of Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division to earning his Green Beret with 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group.

Kevin was there at the very beginning—breaching the berms into Iraq, watching Special Operations teams flow through, surviving deployments that lasted 12-16 months (not the 4-6 month SOF rotations). He became a Master Breacher, served in Afghanistan, trained NATO forces, and witnessed the raw, grinding reality of conventional warfare that most people never see.
But Kevin's story doesn't end with retirement. After leaving the Army in 2016, he crashed hard in Savannah, Georgia—dealing with TBI, PTSD, and the soul-crushing work of recruiting young Americans for wars he'd stopped believing in. His solution seemed crazy: sell everything and move to South Africa during COVID to become a wildlife conservationist.

🦁 Today, Kevin lives in the shadows of Kruger National Park, where the morning soundtrack is lion roars instead of reveille. He's traded IEDs for rhino poachers, urban combat for bush warfare, and founded Wild Works—a revolutionary program combining wilderness therapy with psychedelic treatment to heal combat veterans in the African wilderness.

The same hypervigilance that kept him alive in Iraq and Afghanistan now serves him when a six-ton bull elephant decides to inspect his morning coffee. He's tracking armed poachers through territory where leopards hunt. And he's discovered that sometimes the greatest mission begins after you take off the uniform.

🎙️ Subscribe for authentic warrior stories, mental health breakthroughs, and perspectives you won't find anywhere else. We're bringing you untold stories from the warriors who lived them.

🎯 FOLLOW Kevin Garrad:
Instagram @wildwerx

Website:
https://wild-werx.com/
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🎖️ The voice you've heard across the internet. The heart you've never seen.
Command Sergeant Major David Waldo - the top enlisted leader overseeing ALL five active duty Green Beret groups and two National Guard groups - delivers his most powerful interview yet in honor of Master Sergeant Gregory Trent, KIA Afghanistan 2012.

What CSM Waldo reveals:

His viral definition: "You're brilliant and you're compassionate. And you're lethal. But above all you love deeply... Sometimes you won't even notice that warrior love until there's chaos and 7.62 rounds ripping past breaking the sound barrier next to you."

Raw truth about the Q-Course: "We don't build character throughout our SFAS or our Q course. We don't build character, but we sure as hell define it."
His message to struggling warriors: "Stop looking at the damn tree. Look where you want to go. If you can't see it, let's figure out what that is and take a chance on you."

The lighthouse promise to Gold Star families: "We owe it to the Gold Stars to be the lighthouse - there if you need us, there when you want us."
Why Greg Trent was the "quintessential Green Beret" - focused on the task without expectation of credit

His heartbreaking story about a combat diver he tried to save who mentored younger soldiers even while battling addiction

"There are folks that focus on the task without the expectation of credit. That was Greg Trent." - CSM David Waldo
Part of The Vanguard Wall's special series honoring Master Sergeant Gregory Trent and ODA 3424

⚠️ Heavy content warning: Mental health, addiction, loss of brothers
#GreenBeret #SpecialForces #CSMWaldo #QuietProfessional #GregTrent #VanguardWall #MasterSergeantTrent
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This Episode is sponsored by 

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