The Hero's Journey

Dr. Chris Frueh is a clinical psychologist and researcher who has worked with veterans for more than 35 years. He worked as a frontline clinician in a VA PTSD clinic, treating combat veterans while simultaneously conducting clinical research. He later held academic and leadership roles at the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, Baylor College of Medicine, and t...

Steve Milgazo spent nearly 30 years in two branches of the U.S. military. He began as an Air Force Pararescueman (PJ) and later became a Navy SEAL. He chased purpose, leadership, and combat across two elite communities, but the cumulative toll eventually followed him home. In this episode, Steven Bunting traces that journey with him: why he left one special operations pipeline to start over in ano...

Justin Crocker spent two decades in the U.S. Army, starting in the infantry as a paratrooper before commissioning as an officer and completing Special Forces selection. He deployed to Iraq during the surge as a platoon leader and later commanded a Special Forces detachment in Afghanistan. In this episode, he walks through the lessons learned across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. He explains what c...

Former Navy SEAL and firefighter paramedic Guy McDermott shares his unfiltered story of service, struggle, and redemption. Over the course of 24 years in the Navy, he experienced unbreakable brotherhood and the physical toll of training, including surviving BUD/S with pneumonia and fractured ribs. When his military career ended, Guy faced the painful loss of identity that so many warriors encounte...

In this episode of The Hero’s Journey, Jared Cheselske shares his path from a military household in San Diego to the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, and eventually the fire service. He recalls serving in Panama on security operations and deploying to Kuwait and Iraq during Desert Storm. After leaving the Army, he completed three different fire academies and spent nearly 30 years on the job in Salt...

Max Bush grew up in small-town Illinois chasing football dreams before finding his way into the Navy SEALs. The Teams gave him purpose and belonging, but leaving that world brought isolation, injuries, and struggles he never expected. In this conversation, Max talks about the failures that pushed him toward the Navy, the lessons that carried him through BUD/S, and the dark transition that followed...

Steven Bunting’s life has been shaped by adversity. From growing up in an Alabama trailer park to serving as an Independent Duty Corpsman in the Navy, his story is one of grit, loss, and redemption. In this episode of The Hero’s Journey, Steven shares how a tough childhood and a pact with his little brother led him to Special Operations, deployments around the world, and years as a medic on the fr...

In the first episode of The Hero’s Journey podcast, Sharp Performance co-founder Andrew Sakmar shares how 15 years in the Army, concluded by career-ending injuries, led him to build a new approach to performance coaching for demanding professions. Hosted by Navy SEAL veteran Max Bush, this episode traces Andrew’s path from childhood inspiration through the Citadel, infantry leadership, and Special...