Searching For Heroes With Benjamin Hall

As a former NASA astronaut, engineer, and F-14 fighter jet pilot, Scott Kelly's story is out of this world in more ways than one. Between the groundbreaking missions he's been a part of with his identical twin brother, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and spending over 500 days in space, Scott has inevitably learned a thing or two about staying mentally strong, striving for greatness, and remaining cur...

On this special episode, Benjamin is answering a few of your questions!   From discussing his mental and physical recovery, his thoughts on forgiveness after experiencing the horrific reality of war to what it was like attending the Paris 2024 Olympics last weekend. He also shares how his opinion on resilience, one of the essential themes of the podcast, continues to change and grow as he speaks t...

August 7th marked National Purple Heart Day — a day where we honor the men and women who were wounded or lost lives their lives while valiantly serving in the military. For retired Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Gade, two-time Purple Heart Medal recipient, it's a day to remember his brothers and sisters in combat who didn't make it back from overseas and emphasize how important proper support is for ve...

Howie Sanborn's life, in many ways, was defined by movement — from his 15 years as a U.S. Airborne Ranger and his spot on the U.S. Army Parachute Team to his love for competing in triathlons. Then came September 2012.  After being struck by a distracted driver while cycling with a friend left him paralyzed from the waist down, Howie knew his life would drastically change — but he refused to let th...

Close to 400,000 children in the United States are in foster care, many are being moved from home to home in need of a bag to hold all their belongings. Cara Finger saw firsthand how many of the children she was fostering were bringing their belongings to her house in a garbage bag, she knew that there needed to be a solution.   Founder of My Bag, My Story Cara Finger joins Ben for an important co...

On March 11, 2013, Nick Lavery's life was transformed forever when on active duty in Afghanistan his detachment was attacked, and he lost his leg. Miraculously, he recovered and went on to do the unthinkable, becoming the first Special Forces operator to return to combat as an above-the-knee amputee. Since then, Nick has gone on to find power in his pain and dedicated his life to enabling others t...

Roughly three million Americans live with a stutter, with many suffering in silence -- fearing potential judgement, being told it 'isn't a big deal,' or not knowing where to go for resources. Former NBA Basketball Player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist knows this suffering all too well, especially after being thrown in the limelight of professional sports. So now, he's made it his mission to provide resour...

Dr. Joseph Alderete was one of the first faces Benjamin saw when he landed on American soil after being rescued from Ukraine in 2022. From that moment, Dr. Alderete played an integral role in Benjamin’s recovery, not only rebuilding his strength but spirit.   Benjamin shares his conversation with Head of Orthopedic Oncology at the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Joseph Alderet...

Fifteen years ago, Dr. Lucy Hone set off on an academic journey to study the science behind resilience psychology. Little did she know, her grief would one day become her biggest research subject.   After tragically losing her twelve-year-old daughter Abi in a car accident, Dr. Hone had to take everything she studied about the science of resilience, healing, and the human brain to relearn how to l...

Growing up in Detroit, Khali Sweeney struggled with dyslexia, not truly learning how to read or write until his 20s after his learning disability was written off as a lack of effort from a “problem child.” However, when he began shadowboxing, he discovered an outlet for reaching young people he wished was available to him as a child. As a result, Khali started a boxing gym of his own — one dedicat...

Shamayim Harris, lovingly known as 'Mama Shu,' watched with sorrow as Highland Park, the neighborhood where she grew up in Detroit, Michigan slowly became blighted with crime, vacant buildings, and trash flooding the streets. It would be in this same neighborhood that Mama Shu tragically lost her two sons, decades part, due to violence in their community.   Mama Shu took her heart wrenching grief...

"If I can't go through the front door, I'm going to go around the back. If the back door's locked, I'm going to go through a window. And if that is locked, let's just go on top of the roof and just remove the roof and go through it. That's how I see life."   Growing up as the youngest of 12 children, becoming pregnancy at 15, and being raped at 17, Dr. Sonja Stribling became a fighter at an incred...

As graduates across the globe receive degrees and celebrate huge accomplishments, they're simultaneously stepping into unchartered waters; a season of life where words of encouragement are never taken for granted. That's why Benjamin was so honored to give a commencement speech for the graduates of The Institute of World Politics -- where they're training the next generation of national security,...

Without Sarah Verardo, Benjamin wouldn't be alive. Through the relentless and heroic work of Sarah’s organization, Save Our Allies, along with the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Benjamin was successful evacuated from Ukraine in March of 2022. On this Memorial Day, Sarah Verardo joins to discuss how her husband, retired Sgt. Michael Verardo, inspires her every day and the significance...

When her daughter Audrey was diagnosed with microcephaly, a rare brain condition, at just three months old, doctors told Tara McCarton and her husband Jimmy that Audrey would never be able to walk. With faith and a commitment to support Audrey unconditionally, Tara knew her daughter would defy the expectations for her life.   Now, 12 years later, not only is Audrey walking, but she's also riding h...

What if you or someone you love was told they only had a 1% chance of survival?   In July of 2018, Mike Honeyman was in a severe car accident that left him clinging to life with doctors giving him a 1% chance of coming out alive. His injuries, namely a critical traumatic brain injury, left him in a coma for weeks. Mike woke up to a new reality, he could no longer walk, talk, or even swallow. Altho...

Krista Simpson Anderson still remembers the day she got the call her husband, the loud and proud Green Beret Michael H. Simpson, had been severely injured while deployed in Afghanistan. Five days later, she received the news he wouldn't be coming back home. If it wasn't for the various organizations and families that picked Krista up after this news left her and her two young children absolutely d...

After an admirable 30-year career in law enforcement, David Colegrove appeared ready for retirement. Yet, less than three months after turning in his badge, David tragically committed suicide after battling with the emotional toll his job took on his mental health.   Determined to understand her husband’s mental state, David’s wife Kim Colegrove began a deep dive into the psychology of first respo...

In the last episode, Benjamin shared how an interview with Maya Regev had deeply impacted him and his view of human resilience. This week, we're sharing that intimate interview Benjamin had with Maya -- a young woman attending the Nova Music Festival with her brother Itai on October 7th when unthinkable chaos broke loose.   Benjamin sits down with Maya as she retells the story of that day - from b...

In today's episode, Benjamin sits down to reflect on the idea that’s been a guiding force in his search for heroes; is resilience learned or ingrained?   He sheds light on how his answer to this question has evolved after hearing the stories of his podcast guests, as well as reflecting on his own journey of resilience. Benjamin also details how his experience filming his new Fox Nation series, 'Su...

Serving as a U.S. Diplomat from 1993 until 2016, Beth Payne had witnessed a lot. However, it would be a day in October 2003 that would change her life forever. While in Iraq, opening the Office of the U.S. Consul in Baghdad, Beth was awoken by a rocket slamming into her hotel room. Stunned and unable to speak, she launched into action -- leading dozens of injured colleagues to safety. After that d...

When Kevin Briggs began his career as a highway patrol officer over 20 years ago, he never envisioned the life-changing impact his service would have on the Bay Area community and his own life. Today, Kevin is highly regarded as the “Guardian of the Golden Gate,” for convincing people their lives were worth living moments before they attempted suicide at the Golden Gate Bridge. Kevin joins Benjami...

In the fall of 2012, Diane Foley’s life was instantaneously altered when she received word that her beloved son Jim Foley had been abducted while on assignment in Syria. Jim was a freelance war correspondent with an immense passion for storytelling and reporting, but he never anticipated that his life would soon make national headlines. Diane Foley, author of American Mother and founder of the Jam...

In March of 2022, after hearing that a team of Fox News journalists were attacked while on assignment in Ukraine, Jennifer Griffin immediately sprang into action. Her instincts and relentless commitment played an integral role in Benjamin’s mission to make it home. FOX News National Security Correspondent, Jennifer Griffin joins Benjamin to recount how she worked tirelessly from the Pentagon to en...

Thursday, March 14th marks two years since Benjamin Hall almost lost his life while on assignment in Ukraine. On that day, Benjamin lost two of his cherished colleagues and endured hours of unthinkable pain — unsure if he would survive. In the time since, he's not only had to grieve those he lost and learn how to walk again, but how to adjust to life after nearly losing it. On this anniversary epi...