Zack Ferguson is a former Navy SEAL Team 7 veteran with multiple deployments to Iraq, Yemen, Africa, and the UAE. He served as his platoon's Lead Sniper and Pointman and was a JTAC, Combatives Instructor, and Weapons Ordnance Specialist.
He is currently a competitive 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu purple belt and an amateur MMA fighter.
He is also an instructor for the Graceful Warrior Project, a non-profit organization that aims to equip in-duress women in central Africa with self-defense skills.
Zack has a degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of Charleston. At his day job, he is an instructor for Defense Strategies Group, an organization of special operations veterans that provides defensive training and security solutions.
In this episode, we talk with Zack about his decision to join the Navy and volunteer for BUD/S, the mental preparation that he did for that, his experiences in training, and his transition out of the SEAL teams.
More about Zack:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zackkferg/
Personal Site: https://zackkferg.com/pages/about-zack-ferguson
Defense Strategies Group: https://www.defensestrategies.us/instructors
Timestamps:
00:00:23 Intro
00:01:14 Zack Ferguson Introduction
00:05:19 Hard Commitment to SEAL Teams
00:08:01 Commitment Tested
00:11:02 Reality of the Course
00:14:03 Being Fit Enough Isn’t Enough
00:19:19 Quick Note
00:19:40 Laughing at Absurdity
00:22:12 Illness is Part of the Course
00:25:16 Biggest Mistakes Made
00:27:32 Balancing Commitments
00:29:06 Getting Out of the Navy
00:35:49 Guided Psychedelic Therapy
00:37:05 Seal Team to Civilian
00:39:47 MMA and SEAL Teams Similarities
00:40:56 Differences
00:41:32 Defense Strategies Group
00:43:15 Best and Worst Advice
00:45:36 Learn More About Zack Ferguson
00:46:15 Outro
