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The Playbook With David Meltzer

When Purpose Shows Up After Everything Falls Apart

The Playbook With David Meltzer

David Meltzer, Entrepreneur.com

Entrepreneurship, Business, Careers

4.91.9K Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2026

⏱️ 14 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today’s episode, I sit down with Tanner Courtney, founder of Ready & Forward, a veteran and spinal cord injury survivor who found purpose through service after losing everything he thought defined him. We talk about what it means to be called to something bigger than yourself, how faith shifts through doubt and loss, and why alignment often shows up after plans collapse. Tanner shares his journey from athletics and military service to paralysis, rebuilding through community, and founding Ready & Forward. We also discuss Camp Lockett, a historic San Diego site being reimagined as a space for healing, unity, and legacy shaped by timing, setbacks, and coincidence.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to Entrepreneurs the Playbook.

0:02.9

And every once in a while, I get sentimental about my guest because they're so extraordinary.

0:09.8

And when I met Tanner Courtney, the founder of Ready and Forward, I knew he was special.

0:15.7

I didn't understand why he was limping, but when I found out, I knew he was special. When I asked him what he did,

0:23.0

I knew he was special. When he told me that there is historic location in my hometown of San Diego

0:31.4

that could be the cornerstone for our country's history and involvement in so many impactful historical events.

0:41.0

I knew that God had assigned the right special person, and that special person is this gentleman,

0:48.9

Tanner Courtney. Welcome to the Playbook. Thank you, David. Thank you very much. That was a very kind introduction.

0:56.9

I'm very grateful.

0:58.4

Let's talk about callings.

1:00.6

You know, I'm not one who historically would have told you that God speaks to people.

1:06.0

In fact, I would have doubted it immensely and lessened your credibility if people tell me they were called by God to do something.

1:15.1

But that changed for me walking the beach at South Mission Beach in San Diego when God called on me and assigned me my capability of empowering over a billion people to be happy. And that's how our lives coincided

1:30.7

as well in San Diego so that you could align and allow and empower those billion, over a billion

1:39.5

people with me. Share with people what it's like to be called on in a purposeful way to do something

1:47.7

higher than yourself. Yeah, sure. So a calling is very real. And obviously, you are living that.

1:58.8

You've experienced that. But you also said how you shared a time that

2:03.3

maybe you wouldn't have necessarily resonated with that or believed in that. But so for me,

2:08.6

you know, I grew up very, very, very Christian church, very, very Christian. So God was always a

2:16.5

part of my life. And it was very forced

2:18.1

upon me at first, but then it became something I loved. And then just like all of us, we go through a

2:22.8

journey. And I definitely went through my time of research and becoming atheist, coming back,

...

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