The Mightiest Warriors

Send a text What if the trail from a small town by the river leads all the way to the top of the world—and back to your kitchen table? We sit down with nutrition scientist and mountaineer Dr. John Bagnulo to explore how rural roots, nature’s patterns, and hard-won lessons from failure can transform health and mindset. From a high school biology spark to ostrich studies that foreshadowed the microb...

Send a text A battlefield doesn’t always look like a map with lines and targets. Sometimes it’s a living room at 2 a.m., a mind replaying scenes on a loop, or a rehearsal hall where a single monologue finally cracks something open. We sit down with actor, veteran, and advocate Chris Loverro to trace a life shaped by service—Army Civil Affairs, a decade in Berkeley law enforcement, a brutal line‑of...

Send a text Juan Whiting's vision bridges worlds that rarely intersect: military service and regenerative agriculture. As president and co-founder of the Hinterland Institute, he's created a powerful model that places veterans as stewards of America's federal and private lands. This conversation reveals how former service members, particularly those from special operations backgroun...

Send a text What if everything you've been told about your health destiny being determined by genetics is wrong? In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Mark Pettus and Ashley Sheridan challenge conventional wisdom about our ability to transform our health at any age through whole foods nutrition. Ashley shares her personal motivation for embarking on what she calls the "EP Challenge"...

Send a text What happens when you challenge the belief that your energy levels, mental clarity, and weight are simply "fixed" parts of who you are? In this captivating follow-up conversation with Ashley Sheridan, we explore how small, sustainable lifestyle shifts created remarkable, lasting change. Ashley shares her experience with the Essential Provisions challenge—replacing just one me...

Send a text Potter Wonderland wasn't always the free-spirited rock climber known as "The Cadillac Dirtbag." Growing up in Kansas, he followed society's prescribed path—college, steady employment, material pursuits—yet found himself profoundly unhappy until age 24. Everything changed when an algorithm-suggested documentary about rock climbing appeared on his screen after watchin...

Send a text What if the key to brain health isn't found in a pill bottle but in how we live each day? Dr. Joseph Maroon, neurosurgeon and former medical director for the Pittsburgh Steelers, brings forty years of experience to this profound conversation about transforming our approach to brain health. Dr. Maroon's journey begins with a breakthrough moment in sports medicine. When legenda...

Send a text What happens when a tennis prodigy hits rock bottom at 19, only to discover an inner strength that transforms not just his game, but eventually the science of nutrition, fitness and human performance? Dr. Paul Arciero takes us on his remarkable journey from struggling student to pioneering protein metabolism researcher whose work is changing how we think about nutrition and exercise. G...

Send a text Dr. Allison Brager lives at the fascinating intersection of elite athletics, military service, and cutting-edge neuroscience. As one of the Army's "71 Foxes" - a small, specialized group of uniformed neuroscientists and neuropsychologists- she's revolutionizing how we understand human performance in extreme conditions. This conversation reveals how Brager's jou...

Send a text When the mountains meet the sea in Kodiak, Alaska, something transformative happens to those who embrace its challenges. Retired Navy SEAL Captain Casey Harver discovered this power during military training and never looked back, eventually establishing Kodiak Big Timber and the Kodiak Survival School to share these life-changing experiences with others. Casey's story begins with...

Send a text Michael "Rod" Rodriguez's life reads like an epic American saga—a generational story of service spanning from his grandfathers to his son. As a Green Beret with ten combat deployments behind him, Rod now leads the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation with the same fierce dedication that characterized his military career. When Rod shares the origin of his different...

Send a text The debut episode of The Mightiest Warriors podcast takes listeners on a deeply personal journey through host Dr. Mark Pettus' remarkable life story—one that embodies the podcast's mission of highlighting how ordinary people transform profound adversity into extraordinary service. Dr. Pettus, Medical Director of Essential Provisions, shares how growing up in a blue-collar Mas...