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Mike Drop

Night Stalker's Raw Journey: High-Stakes Missions, Panic Disorder Grounding, and Breaking Stigma Post-Army | Ep. 264 | Pt. 2

Mike Drop

Mike Ritland

Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Documentary, Politics, News

4.96.3K Ratings

🗓️ 6 November 2025

⏱️ 78 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to Part 2 of Episode 264 of the Mike Drop podcast, hosted by Mike Ritland, a former Navy SEAL and renowned dog trainer. In this gripping continuation, Mike sits down with Nico Kelly Nick O'Kelly, a former Green Beret who transitioned into an elite Night Stalker pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). Kelly is also the author of the book Stigma: Breaking the Stigma, which delves into his personal battles with mental health. Listeners will find an unfiltered, raw conversation covering Kelly's high-stakes military career—from his warm reception back in Savannah as a new 160th pilot, intense training trips across the U.S., and his first combat deployment in the CENTCOM region, to the adrenaline-fueled details of real-world missions like dusty landings and contingencies. The episode takes a deep dive into Kelly's ongoing struggles with anxiety, debilitating dizzy spells, depression, and fleeting suicidal thoughts, which persisted through his pipeline and deployments but were often masked by adrenaline and focus. You'll hear about his post-deployment knee surgery that grounded him, leading to a misdiagnosis of narcolepsy, eventual identification of panic disorder, and his journey tapering off medications like Effexor while incorporating natural protocols like cold plunging and neurofeedback. Kelly shares his transition to civilian life as a financial planner specializing in veterans, insights on breaking mental health stigmas in elite units, and optimistic views on crypto and long-term investing. This episode is a powerful blend of military grit, vulnerability, and practical advice on resilience, making it essential for veterans, first responders, and anyone navigating mental health challenges or career pivots. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:28.6

All right, so you find yourself back in Savannah. What's the next part of that pipeline?

0:34.6

So then I'm a 160th pilot. It's called when you get there, you're a basic mission qualified pilot. Is there a ceremony that's like a welcome to the club? Here's your patch. No, but one cool thing was like, I didn't know how I was going to be received as a new guy, right? I was expecting, I don't know, hazing, something. And I get out of my car at the parking lot and I'm walking into the hangar and there's a there's a guy walking towards me, boots unbloused, you know, no headgear, like, you know what I mean? I'm like, fuck yeah, I'm back, you know. But I didn't know how he was going to respond. You know, I didn't know if he was just going to walk by didn't be like, who the hell is this guy? And I get closer and he's a chief one officer

1:13.8

four, so pretty significant rank for a company guy. And he, when he reads my name tape, big

1:21.4

smile on his face and he just goes, CW2 O'Kelly or actually I think he said it my first

1:26.6

name. I think he's like, Nick O'Kelly, we've been he said it my first name I think he's like Nick O'Kelly

1:27.7

we've been waiting for you we're so glad to have you and I'm like what the fuck you know like

1:31.4

you know I'm a new guy right like yeah so it's just totally different atmosphere man like well so if we can

1:38.9

I guess condense the entire pipeline that you just talked about, all lots of positive experiences, memories, et cetera.

1:47.4

Throughout that entire thing, are you still struggling

1:49.8

with your-

1:50.5

The anxiety and dizzy spells, yes,

1:53.1

but the depression and suicidal thoughts were there,

1:57.6

but not scary, to be honest.

2:00.1

They were just, they were fleeting when they happened

2:03.4

But the dizzy spells were there the entire time like if I was in front of every time I had to give a brief

2:09.0

I had to make sure like tactically make sure I had a podium that I could hold my hands on because like I just it was weird

2:15.7

It was like it felt like you know like the

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