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