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...
May 27, 2022•57 min
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 h...
May 20, 2022•52 min
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 ser...
May 13, 2022•1 hr 6 min
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, hi...
May 06, 2022•53 min
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 ment...
Apr 29, 2022•51 min
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...
Apr 22, 2022•58 min
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 bef...
Apr 15, 20220
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 ...
Apr 08, 2022•1 hr 4 min
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 t...
Apr 01, 2022•59 min
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 wou...
Mar 24, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Coach Ryan, the champion head wrestling coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes and multi-time NCAA Head Coach of the Year, is no stranger to suffering, both chosen and unchosen. He was an elite-level collegiate wrestler himself under legendary coach Dan Gable, which took the kind of mental and physical endurance few people have. But, his greatest suffering came when he very suddenly lost his 5-year old son from an unknown heart condition. You’ll hear: How he initially got into wrestling What it was l...
Mar 18, 2022•1 hr 2 min
What does manhood really mean? When does someone go from being a boy to being a man? Adam French was forced to explore these questions when, as a teenager, his alcoholic father left and his mother struggled with heavy addiction. His own life spiraled out of control as he tried to find ways to cope with trauma wounds and numb the pain. Then, something happened that radically changed his life and put him on the road to recovery. Today, he speaks nationally to inspire men and counsel them toward he...
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Do you feel like you don't have the same advantages as everybody around you, but you really want to accomplish something great? Our guest, David, was born with cerebral palsy, and his family was told he would never live a normal life. It would have been easy for him to feel sorry for himself. Instead, he didn’t let it stop him from being an accomplished athlete and being the first in his family to graduate from college. You’ll hear: Exactly what cerebral palsy is About his struggles in early lif...
Mar 04, 2022•52 min
Adopting children is challenging and emotional in every situation. When children have special needs and are affected by substance abuse, the challenges multiply. Robbie Seale would describe herself as a regular person, but something she witnessed at age 19 changed her heart and the trajectory of her life so much that she later adopted 4 children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. You’ll learn: What she saw that haunted her and gave her a heart drawn to adoption How she and her husband navigat...
Feb 25, 2022•55 min
Who doesn’t love the Olympic and Paralympic Games? The competitions themselves are thrilling, but one of the best parts is the stories of what it took for athletes to get there in the first place. In this episode, you get a behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows of the life of 2-time, Multi-Sport Paralympic Athlete James Owen Roberts, who was born with a disability called femoral dysplasia. He competed for Great Britain at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing in adaptive rowing and at the 2012 ...
Feb 18, 2022•1 hr 4 min
It’s Super Bowl Week! So, we’re excited to have long-time NFL Sideline Reporter Laura Okmin as our guest. Laura has covered more than 10 Super Bowls, hosted Olympic coverage from the London, Sochi and Pyeongchang games, and reported from multiple World Series, NBA and NHL championships. She’s also interviewed Michael Jordan, Cal Ripkin, Tom Brady, and many more. But, one of her proudest accomplishments is a program she founded called GALAVANIZE, which trains and mentors young women entering the ...
Feb 11, 2022•52 min
Autism can be a mystery to people who haven’t been around it. Most are also unaware of the heavy toll it can take on family members. This week’s guest, Podcaster/Producer/Autism Inclusion Advocate Mishka Sibert, has spent most of her life caring for her brother, Samko, who was diagnosed with autism at age 2. Mishka knows first-hand how difficult and stressful the life of a sibling caregiver can be. But, she also knows that there is beauty and uniqueness in each person with autism, and she works ...
Feb 04, 2022•1 hr 4 min
How can one person juggle a husband being deployed, having toddler twin boys at home, and a demanding job that has her traveling 60% of the year? Award-winning Leadership and Sales Performance Coach Danielle Cobo tells listeners what it was like and gives first-hand insight into the lives of military families. You’ll hear: About her shocking childhood The journey of going from practically homeless as a teenager to leading a team for a Fortune 500 company as a young adult How she unexpectedly bec...
Jan 28, 2022•1 hr 2 min
All of us go through dark periods of loss and grief. Grief strikes us all differently, and we all cope in our own way. Sometimes your heart aches, and you feel like you can barely breathe. Or, sometimes you don’t truly process it until years later. Nashville singer/songwriter Shannon Labrie opens up about the painful losses in her life and the tough decisions she made that eventually helped her beat grief. You’ll hear: about her peaceful, musical childhood growing up on a farm, until tragedy str...
Jan 21, 2022•59 min
If you haven’t struggled with an eating disorder yourself, chances are, someone close to you has or is struggling right now. It can be hard to understand and even harder to know what to do about it. Kara is a registered nurse and holistic eating disorder recovery coach who, after trying and giving up several times, finally found the life-changing freedom from the addiction of her own eating disorder she had desperately wanted for over a decade. She’s even written a new book about it called Freed...
Jan 14, 2022•1 hr 8 min
9/11 fundamentally changed America. Soon after, wanting to defend his country, New Yorker Michael Carrasquillo (CQ) signed up for the Army as a teenager. During one of his combat deployments, he was severely wounded from the impact of 5 bullets. His life was spared, but the road to recovery was long and difficult. Today, Michael serves as a mentor to veterans, helping them through PTSD. You’ll hear: About his early life in Spanish Harlem and what made him choose the Army How he quickly went from...
Jan 07, 2022•1 hr 22 min
More than half of all children experience trauma before the age of 17. Dianne Maroney is an expert in childhood trauma, not just because of studying it, but she’s lived it in multiple ways. She grew up in a home plagued with abuse and the early death of her mother. Her daughter experienced major trauma as a baby, and she was directly impacted by the Columbine High School tragedy. But, Dianne has refused to let her past define her. She used what life has taught her to found a successful organizat...
Dec 31, 2021•57 min
Imagine being a happy kid, but at 8-years old, you suddenly lose all hearing in one ear. As a young woman, you wake up, and you can’t hear anything out of the other ear, not knowing if it will ever come back. My guest, Zoë Nutt opens up about her life as a musician and songwriter, despite the daily struggles and uncertainty with her hearing. You’ll hear: Where her love of music and songwriting began How she felt when her hearing was suddenly and inexplicably gone How she confidently moves forwar...
Dec 24, 2021•47 min
Life on the road in the entertainment industry might sound glamorous, but often, there are parts of it that are an absolute nightmare. This week’s guest, musician and former tour manager for Larry the Cable Guy, Jeremy McComb, had an unusual childhood and in his 20s, found himself battling depression and various addictions. They nearly destroyed his life, but Jeremy didn’t stay there. He decided to fight it. Now, his career and personal life are better than ever. In this episode, we talk about w...
Dec 17, 2021•1 hr 15 min
No one wants to hear the dreaded “C” word. Renowned singer-songwriter Kelly Lang was not only diagnosed with cancer, but she was young at the time. She faced all of the ‘what ifs’ and grueling treatment. But, she refused to let cancer define her and has even written a book that gives hope and light to others in the darkest moments in their lives. You’ll hear: How she was born into the music industry and the thing that caused her agent to quit on her What cancer treatment was like and how it chan...
Dec 10, 2021•52 min
From humble beginnings to a Grammy award: How country star John Berry beat major health setbacks along the way. No matter how much fame or success you achieve, no one is immune to the possibility of a career-ending health crisis. John Berry experienced not one, but TWO major setbacks. Yet, he found the strength to keep going, which ultimately has led to amazing achievements in the country music industry. You’ll hear: How he got started in country music and just how long it took to have a breakth...
Dec 03, 2021•56 min
She had every reason not to succeed- wrong side of the tracks, wrong color of skin, wrong gender, and plenty of people telling her that she’ll never achieve her dreams. That’s the childhood of my guest for this special Thanksgiving episode of UNBEATABLE. Crystal Harrell was 1 of 10 siblings who lived in a single-parent home after her father passed away. She overcame these obstacles to become a #1 best selling author, Les Brown-trained speaker, and certified coach. She left government housing ...
Nov 26, 2021•1 hr 1 min
The story behind an incredible viral video Jason McKenzie is an award-winning adventure biker and bike shop co-owner (awards like the prestigious “40 Under 40” award in Georgia). He serves his community in countless ways, has donated thousands of bikes to charity, and is well-known as being a quintessential “people person”, full of joy and laughter. But, a little more than 10 years ago, his life took a shocking turn as he experienced the greatest tragedy of his life. Nothing can prepare someone ...
Nov 19, 2021•1 hr 18 min
Unbeatable Episode 9 — Veterans Day: The compelling story of two of the unsung heroes of Black Hawk Down "If it wasn't for these two guys, I wouldn't be alive today. But, I didn't have the opportunity to meet them until almost 20 years after the battle." Episode 9 of Unbeatable features two warriors: Army Veterans Mark Hollis and J.T. Cooper, who served in the 2nd Battalion, 14th (2/14) Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division. These men fought next to Jeff during the intense battle that ...
Nov 12, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Imagine you’d just spent 8 years getting intense academic training and real-world experience in the medical field. You’re about to launch your dream clinic to serve the poor, and the day before launching, you learn that someone has been stealing money from you. -not just a little, but A LOT of money. And the next day, you're supposed to have an open house to introduce this incredible new clinic to a community. How do you become unbeatable in a circumstance like that? How do you get up, dust your...
Nov 05, 2021•1 hr 2 min
