In honor of Memorial Day, we’ve invited back one of our favorite guests, who joined the Army soon after 9/11 and barely survived 5 bullet wounds in Afghanistan. In our first conversation (Episode 17 of Unbeatable), we heard a vivid description of that life-changing day. This time, Veteran Michael (CQ) Carrasquillo is back to dive deep into healing from the emotional and psychological wounds of combat.

You’ll hear:

• a recap of the events that led to his many injuries requiring 44 surgeries

• why it took a while to recognize his own symptoms of PTSD

• the thing he wants all veterans and trauma survivors to hear about how to get out of a dark emotional place

• how he uses his comedy skills and his Pop Culture Warrior show to help others

**PLUS, Jeff and CQ take a quick critical look at the best and worst superhero movies of all time!

Catch Pop Culture Warrior and connect with CQ here:

https://linktr.ee/popculturewarrior

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-Don’t let fear win. Get your FREE copy of the Unbeatable Army Survival Guide HERE

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Imagine being held captive behind enemy lines for 11 days in Somalia. Our guest, Mike Durant, doesn’t have to imagine it, because he lived it. A 22-years Army veteran who served 16 years with the greatest helicopter unit on earth, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers), Mike flew in some of the most dangerous missions. Today, he and Jeff talk about Mike’s military career and why he chose to leave his highly successful business to run for a seat in the US Senate.

You’ll hear:

• What exactly the Night Stalkers do and what makes them so elite

• Mike vividly describe Black Hawk Down from his perspective

• How he was able to survive being a prisoner of war, even with a broken back and leg

• What drove him to run for Congress and what he stands for

• About his book, In the Company of Heroes

*Plus, Mike and Jeff give their top 5 craziest things they’ve ever done in a helicopter.

Learn more about Mike HERE

Purchase his book HERE

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-Don’t let fear win. Get your FREE copy of the Unbeatable Army Survival Guide HERE

-Get your UNBEATABLE Army T-shirt HERE

Christopher Prieto is truly at the top of the barbecue world. Born and raised in Texas, he learned how to perfect the science and art of barbecue, going on to appear on Food Network’s Chopped, Destination America’s BBQ Pitmasters, and the Cooking Channel’s Meat Masters, AND write a cookbook with Southern Living Magazine! But, after 5 years of planning a restaurant, the world shut down right before the grand opening. Hear how he navigated that heartbreak and what has led to his passion for serving wounded warriors.

You’ll hear:

• how he fell in love with barbecue at an early age

• what it was like to be on the professional bbq circuit and compete on some of the biggest stages

• how it felt to open a restaurant at one of the worst times in history for restaurants

• the sudden explosion that helped him connect instantly with wounded veterans

• his secret sauce for what fuels his passion for barbeque and people

**Plus, since Christopher has a love for both soccer AND food, he and Jeff list their top 5 weird food traditions around that world that go hand-in-hand with soccer.

Learn more about Christopher and Prime Barbecue HERE

Follow him on Instagram HERE

Leave a review of this podcast on your favorite platform; it helps us get these stories out to more people who need to hear them! To give specific feedback directly to us on what you like about the podcast and what you don’t, fill out this 5-minute survey.

Don’t let fear win. Get your FREE copy of the Unbeatable Army Survival Guide HERE

Get your UNBEATABLE Army T-shirt HERE

Diana Gremillion: Transforming Life’s Most Rotten Ingredients

More than 50% of workers feel burned out right now. As a former NY investment banker, a master chef who cooked a Michelin-star meal for former President Obama, owner of multiple other businesses, and an adviser to Fortune 500 companies, Diana Gremillion faced SEVERE burnout, showing up in chronic pain, disease, and hair loss.

Something had to change. Hear how she picked up, moved to Hawaii, and learned how to transform her no-stop, high-stress pattern into a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

You’ll hear:

• about her experience as a 9/11 survivor and how she had to face that trauma years later

• how burnout sneaks up on you and the crippling effects

• the #1 thing high performs must do to avoid the worst kinds of burnout

• how this chef takes the rotten ingredients life throws at her and embraces the good inside them

• how she now helps people work smarter, not harder, and have the life they really want instead of the life that society or the business sector tells them they're supposed to live

**PLUS, Diana and Jeff share their top 5 quotes for savoring the simple moments in life.

Learn more about Diana, her journal, and podcast HERE

Connect with her on Instagram HERE

Check out the brand new Unbeatable Army T-Shirt here!

https://jeffstruecker.com/product/unbeatable-t-shirt/

Leave a review of this podcast on your favorite platfocific feedback directly to us on what you like about the podcast and what you don’t, fill out this 5-minute survey.

Don’t let fear win. Get your FREE copy of the Unbeatable Army Survival Guide HERE

Colby Smith: From Elite-Level Baseball to Special Forces

We can’t control what happens to us in life; we can only control how we react. Colby Smith always dreamed of playing pro baseball. He ALMOST got that chance… but God had other plans. Hear how this West Point grad instead found himself fighting for his life in Afghanistan.

You’ll hear

• About his childhood with 3 pillars of baseball, academics, and faith

• How an opportunity to play with the New York Yankees slipped through his fingers

• The mentality that has carried him through life, no matter what happens

• The details of a sudden, major firefight in Afghanistan that he barely survived

• How he went on to serve in Special Forces and earn an MBA from the prestigious MIT

**PLUS, Jeff and Colby give their TOP 5 things that distinguish Special Forces from the rest of Special Operations.

Connect with Colby on LinkedIn

Learn more about Home Run Dugout

Leave a review of this podcast on your favorite platform; it helps us get these stories out to more people who need to hear them! To give specific feedback directly to us on what you like about the podcast and what you don’t, fill out this 5-minute survey.

Don’t let fear win. Get your FREE copy of the Unbeatable Army Survival Guide HERE

David Dusek knows what it’s like to have a volatile relationship with his father AND what it’s like to try to make a blended family work. 40% of families in the United States are blended and face unique challenges. As the founder of Rough Cut Men Ministries, the author of the book The Battle, and a frequent keynote speaker for well-known men’s conferences, David works tirelessly to engage and encourage men in their important roles in family and society.

You’ll hear:

• about his rocky relationship with his father

• how a terrifying act of humility led to the restoration of that relationship

• how his family became blended and his experience with divorce, re-marriage, and stepchildren

• his secret sauce for helping blended families thrive or when a parent is gone frequently for work

• all about his Who Has Your Six video series for men who have many acquaintances but few real friends

**PLUS, Jeff and David give their top five qualities to look for in a wingman, battle buddy or good friend.

Learn more about David or buy his books HERE

Watch his Who Has Your Six video series HERE

Many of us have never been homeless and don’t really know what it’s like. Marla Bautista found herself homeless at the age of 18, through no fault of her own. Now, she is a successful writer, TedX speaker, and military wife who uses her incredible talent of painting pictures with words to create awareness on what homelessness actually looks, misconceptions, causes, and tangible ways we can really help someone who is homeless.

You’ll hear:

• Her heartbreaking story of losing both of her parents before her 10th birthday

• A true description of homelessness

• How her military family experiences have shaped and strengthened her

• Why she founded the Bautista Project and its unique, individual-focused approach to ending homelessness

• Her one, key piece of advice for those facing deep life struggles

  **PLUS, Marla and Jeff share the top 5 mistakes people make with money.

Watch Marla’s 14-min TedX Talk HERE

Connect with Marla and purchase her books HERE

Learn about the Bautista Project HERE

Learn more about the Belonging Blanket Program HERE

Leave a review of this podcast on your favorite platform; it helps us get these stories out to more people who need to hear them! To give specific feedback directly to us on what you like about the podcast and what you don’t, fill out this 5-minute survey.

Don’t let fear win. Get your FREE copy of the Unbeatable Army Survival Guide HERE

Every year, the best of the best in the Army Ranger community descend on Fort Benning, GA to compete in a grueling 2.5-day competition that pushes soldiers to their mental and physical limits. In this episode, the Executive Director for the National Ranger Association, Travis Pheanis, and Jeff, one of the Best Ranger Competition’s past winners, sit down to talk about why they love this incredibly intense event so much.

You’ll hear

• about Travis’ distinguished 20-year career in the US Army

• why he is completely committed to serving the tight-knit Ranger community

• how he and others work hard to make this world’s toughest competition better and better

• details of the brutal challenges competitors face during those 2.5 days

• Travis’ and Jeff’s TOP FIVE things they absolutely love about the Best Ranger Competition.

For more info, a schedule, videos, photos and more, go HERE.

Leave a review of this podcast on your favorite platform; it helps us get these stories out to more people who need to hear them! To give specific feedback directly to us on what you like about the podcast and what you don’t, fill out this 5-minute survey.

Don’t let fear win. Get your FREE copy of the Unbeatable Army Survival Guide HERE

There are a lot of dangerous jobs in the Army, but one of the most dangerous is to serve as a combat engineer, finding and disarming roadside bombs.

Eric Herrera risked his life for years as a combat engineer in the US Army, and his unit found and disarmed 126 bombs during his first tour. But, on Christmas Day 2006, his unit also suffered heavy losses, which he vividly writes about in his new book, A Bomb Hunter’s Story: My Life Clearing the Roads of Iraq

You’ll hear:

• Why he joined the Army in the first place, particularly working with explosives

• Why he had to quickly be combat-ready

• What the job of a combat engineer is like and how they identify IEDs

• What exactly happened on a Christmas night mission in 2006 that changed his life and has stuck with him for 15 years

• What has helped him process emotions and how he helps other veterans do the same

*Plus, Jeff gives the top five things he learned about explosives as a breacher in the Ranger Regiment.

Get a copy of Eric’s book, A Bomb Hunter’s Story, HERE

Follow Eric on TikTok

Leave a review of this podcast on your favorite platform; it helps us get these stories out to more people who need to hear them!

To give specific feedback directly to us on what you like about the podcast and what you don’t, fill out this 5-minute survey.

Don’t let fear win. Get your FREE copy of the Unbeatable Army Survival Guide HERE

Men and women who return from combat may or may not have external, physical scars, but they always carry internal scars. Donovan Chapman served for 11 years in the US Air Force, much of the time as an elite Pararescueman.

PJ’s are the most highly-trained Special Operations Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) operators in all environments, and Chapman served in some of the harshest conditions imaginable. When he completed his service, he had healed many others, but then he realized he had his own wounds to recover from.

You’ll hear:

• How his Louisiana farm upbringing prepared him for a career in the military

• Vivid stories of training and rescue missions

• About his professional music career that took off after his military service

• When he discovered he was suffering from PTSD and needed help

• His “Three S’s” of advice for all servicemen and women struggling to recover

Plus, you’ll hear him sing a song dedicated to brothers who have served in Special Operations.

**AND on a lighter note, Jeff and Donovan share the top five most ridiculous pieces of medical advice they ever heard in the military.

Find out more about Donovan, his story, and his music HERE

Follow him HERE

Leave a review of this podcast on your favorite platform; it helps us get these stories out to more people who need to hear them!

To give specific feedback directly to us on what you like about the podcast and what you don’t, fill out this 5-minute survey.

Don’t let fear win. Get your FREE copy of the Unbeatable Army Survival Guide HERE