In this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus brings to the table Special Forces Officer Bryan Ray, who has both a lengthy, positive military career as well as a “dark side” military experience that shook him to his core. Bryan & Marcus take a deep dive into Bryan’s experiences which include serving in the war in Afghanistan and running the Mountain Warfare School in Colorado.

It took a friend’s similar mental struggles and professional help to finally get past the emotional impact of his horrific experience. His healing journey includes working with a health and wellness company – Health Via Modern Nutrition (HVMN) – who developed a ketone supplement, Keytone IQ, which is proven to improve cognitive and physical performance to soldiers. Bryan brings hope to veterans who have kept their mental struggles to themselves, and reveals the benefits of getting help without embarrassment or shame.
 
In this episode you will hear:
• One of the most rewarding parts of war is seeing the culture of the people who live there.
• People have it a lot harder than we do in this country.
• Even in places torn by war, you can still be happy with what minimal things you have.
• I’m finding myself driving around in a Toyota Corolla - man jammies on, with a freaking gun and a backpack, hoping I don’t get killed by a U.S. Army guy.
• [War] is like taking an Oxford grad, and taking him to the deepest swamp in Louisiana and having a conversation. That was what my formal Arabic training was like.
• I’ve now been to two combat zones where our President is on TV saying we have now stopped and all combat troops are going home - right before we go out to do a hit.
• Have I seen an MRack Turbo turned into a jet for a hot tub? Yes, I have.
• Mountain shit is stressful.
• [With Keytone IQ] You can dual fuel now. You can take the most efficient fuel which is ketones and you can also have carbs on board for when you need it. So you get the mental clarity - all the stuff you need from the keytones, and you don’t have to have a restrictive diet.
• [It’s a] Super application for the ground guys.
• I want people to try it [Keytone IQ]. I want people to say it’s the real deal.
• You only buy Oakley’s for so long before they show up in the supply room.
• The man behind the weapons systems is always gonna be more important, and the more effective he is, the better.
• Stop wasting money on shit that works a little bit and phases out immediately and invest a tenth of that into the man – make a better soldier.
• There’s a lot more guys that have [mental] issues than are willing to say they have issues.
• I had an event in Afghanistan that challenged me morally. I was directly responsible for the deaths of young children. Of all the things I’ve done overseas – that was really rough.
• It wasn’t until somebody I trusted that told me they were feeling what I was feeling that I was willing to go get help.

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