Team Never Quit

In a heart-wrenching testimony of tragedy and perseverance, country singer/songwriter Granger Smith recounts the horrific event that took his 3 year old son from this earthly life. He and his wife Amber used their life-changing experience to learn the hard way – the path to overcoming, endurance, and life-giving counsel and encouragement to others. Amber is the founder of Yee Yee, an American lifestyle brand of clothing.   In this episode you will hear:   • After being invited to appear on Granger’s first video, Amber didn’t know if they might take her out in the middle of nowhere and murder her.   • There’s more to the meaning of a tragedy than reason because reason doesn’t always make sense.   • What can we learn from [River’s] one thousand days?   • After facing death, it opens your eyes as to what truly matters.   • Another day forward is so valuable. What about today? Today is what we have. Even if you can deal with today, deal with this hour. If you can’t deal with this hour, deal with the next minute. If you can’t deal with this minute, deal with the next breath. Pretty soon, there comes a perspective, and your brain becomes more clear.   • I hate five year plans.   • When we came home, our kids had written on the driveway with chalk,     “Welcome Home River.”   • [Musically], I know there’ll be some River stuff comin’   • Rivers organ donations saved two adults.   • You gotta take care of yourself. Wake up at the same time every day, brush your teeth and comb your hair.   • You’re not gonna have these days forever.   • I try not to think about why because that mental slide show plays over and over.   • “One more kiss”   [Amber] • I can’t think of the future, I need to focus on the now.   [Melanie] • There is a purpose for disaster. It’s not ever going to be understandable. It’s never going to be logical. 

If ever there was a man who exemplified what a first-class police officer is, it’s this week’s guest, Sam Bonilla. It’s refreshing to hear Sam’s view of police work, and the measures he takes to teach new recruits the discipline and self-sacrifice it takes to be such an officer. In his 34 years’ experience as a police officer in the Chicago area, Sam has become the Program Director for the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy, a Master Firearms Instructor, and uses his extensive experience to benefit the relationship between civilians and police officers in his area of influence. Sam Bonilla also served as a U.S. Marine during the Gulf War and has been an attorney for over 16 years. It’s people like Sam that raise the bar in police work, community relations and raising the standard for new officers.   In this episode you will hear:   In our police department, we invite the community in our “home” to see exactly what we do, so it’s not a mystery. We introduce our police officers and the citizens learn we’re pretty normal. Our mission is to help. You don’t realize how bad an environment is when you grow up in that environment. Where you land is not necessarily where you’re going to end up. The Marine Corps is the first thing in my life I ever succeeded at. Never stop pushing for what you want, even if it sucks at the time. There are things you have to do to get to where you want to be. Your mission’s not over yet. You have to keep moving forward in your journey. Your experiences will eventually help you gravitate to the top. The only regret I have is not spending time with the family. Police officers are second-guessing themselves these days because of the way things are.   If we, as a profession, don’t adapt to society, we will never advance as a profession, and things will not get better. Police work is a profession that is self-sacrificing. You have to be willing to accept that. You can’t forget why you got into this profession. You don’t know how you’re changing someone’s life with just a smile. My calling is to focus on our civilians that are trying to learn more about the police and the recruits that are trying to be the police. Never stop serving. It’s your mission in life to keep going. 

In July 2018, 12 youth soccer players and their coach found themselves trapped 6 miles deep in a cave with no food or water and depleting oxygen. The rock formed maze became almost completely submerged as the water rose to levels nearly impossible for survival. There was no light and no way to communicate with the outside world. The first season of Wondery’s new original series Against the Odds takes you into the incredible events of when an adventurous group of teens found themselves fighting to save their lives, and the brave heroes that gave them their only chance at survival. Though you may know these stories, you’ve never heard them quite like this. With step by step recounts, experience for yourself what it was like to be in their shoes, and how they survived against the odds. Listen to Against the Odds at wondery.fm/teamneverquitATO. 

What an emotional and incredible visit we have in store this week with special guest, Taya Kyle, widow of US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. She is an author, political commentator, mother, and military veteran's family activist.   Taya speaks openly about her life with Chris Kyle, her heart-wrenching experiences, powerful dreams, and a strong faith which has helped keep her moving forward in life with positivity since Chris’s death. She is nothing shy of an astonishing woman – an inspiration to all.   In this episode you will hear:   I’m really been surprised at how horrible some things have been along the way, yet I realize that I’m happy that I got to experience them and get them out of the way. Now I am who I am and I’ve learned a lot. The joy with [Chris] and the way he was able to love is extraordinary to me still. I don’t know of another man who loves the way [Chris] loved. [Chris] was a game-changer, and he was the person I changed for. There’s nobody else that is the right mix of things to make me see how it could be better. It’s different when you really love somebody and you’re ready to have your soul forged. [Chris] had an all-encompassing gentleness. It was like a spirit that wraps you up and says “you are cared for.” Even after [Chris] died I could feel that he was still lifting me up. Tragedy becomes part of your story. We have the opportunity to turn losing friends into an appreciation of every minute we do have. I feel good to have absorbed as much as I did, but when they go, it’s never enough. Some people have a need to put their feelings into anger because when you’re angry you don’t have to feel hurt. It says more about them than you. I’ll be a lifelong learner. I’ve changed in that [Chris’s] death doesn’t define me or take me out of the game. God will heal me in time.

What an incredible couple we have in the studio this week. Mike Sauers - Navy SEAL, combat veteran who fought alongside Marcus Luttrell in Ramadi, philanthropist, and owner of Forged Apparel. In selfless fashion, Forged has raised millions of dollars to assist the families of fallen heroes. Mike is an exceptional story-teller, and his stories about military life, extensive travel experiences, and his subsequent entrepreneur life, are authentic and entertaining.   Sam Bonilla is an amazing soul in her own right. As a marine with a Master’s Degree in Homeland Security and a certificate in intelligence, marketing manager and concept producer for Forged, social media influencer, model, and Instagram celebrity, Sam is as down-to-earth as they come. She is a joy to listen to as she shares her experiences and perspectives, and a humble servant of people alongside Mike.   In this episode you will hear:   Ideas can be birthed in any setting; they’re limited to the imagination. You should always take pride in your country. Follow through. America was forged – Everything great was forged. It’s too bad that some establishments that have existed for over 100 years, are probably not going to make through this pandemic. Never question an order from a marine [in battle]. If you don’t have pride in your country, then what do you really have? Just like great team guys, we busted out some bungie cords and tied a karaoke machine to our golf cart. Every great nation, has to have pride. You have your real life, and then you have your social media life. Being a marine is not as sexy as it looks on TV. There are criteria for what is considered a dive bar: Mainly whiskey selections A picture of Burt Reynolds Christmas Lights Smokey & the Bandit memorabilia A Juke Box Spilled Beer Stains on the pool table Huge “mints” in the urinals No separation between the urinal & the toilet 

What an amazing story of the relentless pursuit of a dream by this week’s guest, “Cat” Zingano. Beginning with a love of wrestling at age 12, she developed into a 4-time All-American and national wrestling champion. She is currently a mixed martial artist (MMA) and has won a world championship title and the Rio de Janeiro State Championships in Brazil. She also became the first mom to compete in a UFC fight and the first woman to win a UFC fight by technical knockout. Listen in and be inspired by Cat’s non-stop life adventures along her path to success.   In this episode you will hear:   Like the military, we all sign up for it. It’s a risk, but it’s a choice. As a kid, I often felt misguided and what always brought me back was sports – being part of a team. I didn’t look for people to pick on, but I’d put a target on people who were being mean to other people. When you have a goal and it doesn’t mean to you what it once meant to you - it’s so defeating. I want to finish in a way I can be proud of. Your kids are challenging sometimes, and while you love your kids, you still have to have your own outlet. I don’t ever want to ever forget how much it sucks to regret that I didn’t finish wrestling the way that I wanted. I want to walk away having checked all the boxes. I don’t want the hard times to dictate what I do with my goals. The 15-20 minute fight is nothing, compared to the training camps. I’d never had to pick a song to beat someone’s ass. If the beginning of the fight hadn’t gone the way it had, it wouldn’t have been so interesting. They got to see everything. They got to see a comeback. To still be struggling for money when you’re one of the top 5 in the world is tough. I’m supposed to take my losses and learn something from it.  I accept my losses, but I want to know and learn what I can change - what can I do to make myself a different version of that person that maybe wouldn’t have lost. How many times do you have to suck at something before you’re good at it?

If ever you wanted to hear a true story of the relentless pursuit of truth, this is the one you need to listen to. This Navy SEAL and highly decorated combat veteran Eddie Gallagher, with 20 years of service to our country and 9 deployments in Africa, Afghanistan, and Iraq was accused of war crimes while being innocent all the while. At the end of his 2017 deployment, accusations escalated to a point beyond ridiculous and was imprisoned for 9 months without ever being charged. His wife, Andrea, spearheaded the “Free Eddie” Campaign effort to prove his innocence and fought tooth and nail to do so. After an unbelievable series of events, including terrorism against his family and young children, Eddie’s innocence was proven. Eddie and Andrea have written the book The Man in the Arena to tell Eddie’s almost unbelievable story.    In this episode you will hear:   None of the accusations against Eddie were about war crimes. “They locked me up in solitary, and nothing was explained to me.” There’s no bail system in the military. The UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) makes it possible to put people in jail without charges. The level of terrorizing inflicted on our family shocked me to the core. I thought: “No one’s coming to help us.” The truth will prevail no matter what happens. “I truly feel that God called us to this. He let us go through this for a purpose, and that purpose is way bigger than us.” Eddie’s story can be paralleled with the story of Joseph in the bible. That story was a guiding light for us. If they can do this to us, they can do this to anyone – and these guys are heroes. Failure to protect one of their warfighters that served 20 years, is the biggest black eye, but we're gonna use it to make an impact on a larger scale to bring change to the UCMJ, and the way that we treat our military service members. “She’s [Andrea's] the true hero of the story.” They held machine guns and assault rifles to our children’s heads. [Eddie] was being restricted from legal counsel, contrary to what we, as Americans, constitutionally have. “Take failures and learn from them.” “We’re gonna stand up for what’s right.” “If we had quit, they would have taken him out for the remainder of his life.” Special New Year Deal! Every purchase of a 2-year plan will get you 1 additional month free. Go to ​https://nordvpn.com/TNQ ​and use the coupon TNQ at checkout.

Living in a world of risk sums up the life of this week’s incredible guest, Jason Van Camp. As a West Point graduate, Jason is anything but faint-hearted in his experience as a decorated Green Beret in the U.S. Special Forces, in his business endeavors, and his dedication in helping other veterans unlock their potential and start their own business. He has authored the book: Deliberate Discomfort: How US Special Forces Overcome Fear and Dare to Win by Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable. Jason’s will to win and his heart of service to others makes him an epic model of a successful human being.   In this episode you will hear:   If you never quit, you never fail. That journey you’re on – it’s not about trophies – it’s about people, and the journeys you take with those people. The worse experience it is for you, the funnier story it is for everybody else. We put ourselves in deliberately uncomfortable situations so we can get out of our comfort zone and grow. My motivation is to collect as many stories as I possibly can. My mindset has shifted from being selfish to being selfless. It’s hard to find your purpose. I want to help people, I want to make money, I want to do epic shit. Our non-profit – Warrior Rising – helps veterans start their own business. I’m a life-long student – always wearing my white belt. Go do something. Everyone can be a collaborator. Cooperate and graduate. I turned the military decision-making process into a business model.  Choose hard things before hard things choose you.

In the studio this week, we have Monty Heath, a decorated veteran from Navy SEAL Team 2 and Red Squadron, a former supervisor for the U.S. Navy SEAL mentorship program and BUD/S preparatory program, helping veterans develop their entrepreneur goals, a father who has endured the harrowing, near-death experience of his eleven-year-old son, and who has successfully undergone supervised psychedelic treatments to facilitate psychological introspection. Monty brings a myriad of life lessons and incredible experiences to the table in this week’s TNQP episode. In this episode you will hear: If I want something, I have to put 100% into it. I can’t just half-ass what I want. I’ve learned a lot from failure. When I started working as a Special Olympics skiing instructor, that’s where humanity entered into my life. I wanted to be a corpsman, but I didn’t want to help people. I wanted to hurt people. That’s why I got out of it. All my friends were SEALS; all my friends were cool; all my friends were good-looking; we live these privileged, bad-ass lives, but what about someone who’s born with Down Syndrome? [Special Olympics] It chipped away at my arrogance, and it installed humility. As a self-punishment, I didn’t want to go work for the super cool guy organizations. I want to be with common people and common soldiers. We have to be uncomfortable to grow and evolve. Monty’s 11-year-old son, George, had what started as a bad headache. That quickly developed into his spine hurting, then continuing to degrade, until it was determined in the hospital that he had contracted Bacterial Meningitis He slipped into a coma and “coded” as he lay in Monty’s arms dying. He slowly began to recover, but spent 51 days in the hospital & was paralyzed. Yet, some of the first words he spelled out for his mom were: “you and dad complete each other.” The idea of waking up and writing down what you’re grateful for can be a life-changer. Gratitude & attitude and gratitude is like a see-saw. If your gratitude is high you can’t have a bad attitude. I started to understand the power of being vulnerable. It’s disarming. Ibogaine therapy will make you go through your trauma, and make you come out on the other side better. I suggest every human being on the planet experience it. Communication & relationships to me is like new. Empathy is an important thing in life. Special Christmas Deal! Every purchase of a 2-year plan will get you 4 additional months free. Go to ​https://nordvpn.com/TNQ ​and use the coupon TNQ at checkout.

In this week’s podcast, we bring you an amazing guest – Lt. Colonel Dan Rooney – an Air Force F-16 fighter pilot with 3 combat tours in Iraq under his belt, two Top Gun awards, and countless military decorations. Dan recounts his life dreams as a 12 year-old boy, which have now come to fruition – to be a fighter pilot and a PGA golf professional. He also founded “Folds of Honor”, whose mission is to provide educational scholarships to the spouses and children of wounded or killed military service members. Folds of Honor has provided 30,000 life changing scholarships totaling over $140 million dollars. Dan, a man of great faith, speaks of the importance of God in his life and the daily motivation it brings.   In this episode you will hear: I had an unlikely dream for a 12 year old kid, but ultimately God would put those two together for a much higher purpose. I felt the hand of god on my shoulder. He picks the least of us to do something significant. Just grow up and do what you love. Don’t be a prisoner of common assumption. The most successful people in the world, are the people that are the best in handling life when things aren’t going their way. We are defined on a daily basis when it doesn’t go our way. When you meet the families that you help and you see the impact that you have – that’s what keeps you leaning into the wind. Engineer a code of resilience in your life. Use your talents to make a difference – to be fulfilled. As a pilot, we need resistance to ascend – Our lives aren’t any different. Be the best version of yourself regardless of the chaos around you. If we have one skill, it’s being able to take in copious amounts of information at high speed, and prioritizing what matters. If you want more blessings, you’ve got to bring God with you every day. Every interaction I have - I will bring my faith to it. My 3 “never quit” motivations: I’ve never quit praying; I’ve never quit showing up at the gym and; I’ve never quit on my marriage.