#84 Being Part of a New Team After the Military - Nate Boyer, Merging Vets and Players(MVP)

After high school, Nate Boyer was really "lost", and pretty much drifted, literally. He worked a fishing boat in San Diego but then finagled his way to a refugee camp in Chad and volunteering gave him a sense of purpose. While in the camp, he heard a BBC report of the war in Fallujah and decided right there he wanted to fight for the oppressed. Coming back to the US, he decided on special operations in the Army, Green Beret. He went all in on the program and made it happen and in a few months, his life changed completely and he had absolute purpose in life. The intricacies, challenges and understanding of a complete life and death experience in a combat zone was a huge impact on Nate, but the good part of the experience was the solid bond that Nate and his brothers built for each other and the desire to keep each other safe. There's a downside too. That shield of armor that keeps you alive in combat doesn't work so well in civilian life. A common situation with most military personnel, Nate had to work on allowing himself to be vulnerable to a degree, letting people "in" and still feeling safe. Nate has had an amazing life after military. He was a walk-on at the University of Texas football team, never having played football before. Making the team as a long snapper, Nate even played in a preseason NFL game with the Seattle Seahawks as a 34-year old rookie. So his athletic/fitness drive, his military background and struggles made MVP a natural mission for him. The locker room and team mentality translated so easily to Vets and he and partner Jay Glazer have turned this dream into five locations currently to serve Vets who are making that transition into civilian life and doing it successfully. Veteran Founder Podcast with your hosts Josh Carter and Cynthia Kao We record the Veteran Founder Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland. Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main Website was designed by Cameron Grimes Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster Theme music: Artist: Tipsy Track: Kadonka Album: Buzzz Courtesy of Ipecac Records 10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes Listen to the Veteran Founder Podcast every Friday at 1:00pm pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com