S.O.S. (Stories of Service) - Ordinary people who do extraordinary work
From the little league coach to the former addict helping those still struggling, hear from people from all walks of life how they show up as a vessel for service and drive for transformational change. Hosted by Theresa Carpenter, a 29-year active duty U.S. naval officer who found service was the path to unlocking trauma and unleashing your inner potential.
S.O.S. (Stories of Service) - Ordinary people who do extraordinary work
Finding Purpose in Adversity with Daniel O’Dell & The Fluffy Poodle | S.O.S. #236
The story starts where most stay quiet: a violent childhood, a foster system built on survival, and a hunger to belong somewhere that demanded excellence. Daniel Odell found that place in the Army—even in a role many dismiss. As a cook in Iraq, he saw how a hot meal and a few kind words could calm fear. Volunteering for flights, he witnessed medevac shock up close, carrying home images that didn’t fade when the war quieted.
Back in the States, ambition collided with injury. A fall during advanced training damaged his spine, and he hid the pain to avoid letting others down. A leader’s blunt warning—that someone could die picking up his slack—reset his view of duty. Recovery was slow and dark: therapies, heavy meds, and a mind searching for escape. A surgeon offered only a small chance of improvement, but that tiny gain broke the spiral. Then came a partner with paws—a white standard poodle with a green “hat,” trained to help and impossible to ignore—who pushed Daniel back into the world.
What finally stopped the noose was a fellow veteran’s line: taking his life would dishonor those who never made it home. That truth anchors Daniel’s mission now. We explore how he built Motafate (motivate.com), turned recovery into purposeful content, and scaled service through social media. From PTSD tools and service-dog training to adapting life around chronic pain, this episode guides veterans and civilians through trauma and transition. We also share the Today Show surprise and the communities—American Legion, VFW, church groups—where healing grows.
If you’ve ever felt alone after trauma, this conversation offers practical steps, not slogans. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what small action will you choose today?
The stories and opinions shared on Stories of Service are told in each guest’s own words. They reflect personal experiences, memories, and perspectives. While every effort is made to present these stories respectfully and authentically, Stories of Service does not verify the accuracy or completeness of every statement. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the host, producers, or affiliates.
Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
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There aren't that many people in life that I can say from my quirky side that I am very like-minded with. But one of those people, as you will see today, is the amazing and honestly wonderfully kind and inspiring Daniel Odell and the fluffy poodle. Daniel, how are you doing today?
SPEAKER_01:I'm wonderful. The fluffy poodle and I are doing amazing. It is a beautiful day. We had a little bit of rain outside, but I tell you what, the biggest blessing is waking up and everything else is extra, especially when we just get to experience life, like a lot of us do on a daily basis.
SPEAKER_02:I agree. I agree. And welcome everyone, as I always say, to the Stories of Service podcast, ordinary people who do extraordinary work. I am the host of Stories of Service, Teresa Carpenter. And today we are going to have an inspiring conversation about veterans, about struggle. We'll be talking about some harder issues too, about service, service uh to others after the uniform comes off, all kinds of topics. But before we get started, as we always do, an intro from my father, Charlie Pickard.
SPEAKER_00:From the moment we're born and lock eyes with our parents, we are inspiring others. By showing up as a vessel of service, we not only help others, we help ourselves. Welcome to SOS Stories of Service, hosted by Teresa Carpenter, here from ordinary people from all walks of life who have transformed their communities by performing extraordinary work.
SPEAKER_02:And Daniel Odell is a disabled veteran. You see where I get kind of my little quirkiness too from, and my father has always inspired me for many, many years. Daniel Odell is a disabled veteran, a motivational speaker, and founder of motivate.com, Mota Fate, a platform built to inspire resilience and purpose through life's toughest challenges. And always by his side, as you guys see uh here today, I will put him on full screen as I read this, is his well-known and loyal service dog, the Fluffy Poodle, whose presence has become a beacon of hope for thousands online. His journey is one of recovery, rediscovery, and relentless optimism. From battling through hardship after military service to finding new purpose and helping others, he shows how strength is often forged in our most difficult moments. Together, he and the fluffy poodle have taken their message from local communities to national stages, including, and congratulations, a feature most recently on the Today Show and recognition from U.S. Veterans Magazine and a book in the work. I saw that too. You have a book in the work. We discussed today how Daniel uses storytelling, social media, and advocacy to bridge the gap between military and civilian life, champion disability awareness, and promote adaptive living. And today we're going to talk about the simple and profound message, which is that motivation and fate work hand in hand to guide us toward our purpose. Welcome again, Daniel. All right. First off, I always ask my guests, uh, especially those who have served in the military, where were you born and raised and what made you decide to raise your right hand?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, you know, that's a very great question. First and foremost, thank you for allowing me to be on the SOS podcast. And it was great to meet up with you during the military influencer conference, you know, the last uh couple of years and everything, and continue to add value to the world. Now, to answer that question that you had is where am where is Daniel Odell from and the fluffy poodle? Well, first and foremost, I am from Bloomington, Illinois, a small town in the middle of Illinois, which is actually the home of state farm insurance. So whenever you see state farm insurance, you know, it's not a plug or anything at all, but you know, that's that's where I'm from. And uh, you know, what influenced me? Well, let me let me add the fluffy poodle, he's actually was born in Chicago, Illinois. So we're both from Illinois, but we reside in Kentucky. But what influenced me to join the military is with all the challenges and pain that I went through as a child, I always had some great leaders that tried to mentor me. And each one of those mentors either was a first responder or they served in the military. So I knew that I always wanted to be just like them.
SPEAKER_02:So let's uh back up a little bit and tell me a little bit about where you did you grow up with your mom and dad at home or were you raised? I I did see the thing about foster homes and as an adoptee myself that that piqued my interest. So can you tell me just a little bit about that?
SPEAKER_01:You know, so I grew up at a very young age, you know, from when I was born all the way up until I believe about six, around six years old. I grew up with my mother and father. Um we lived in we lived in subsidized housing, very, very poor. And um next to the Woodhill Towers in Bloomington, Illinois, in those apartments there, um, where a lot of gunshots happened on a nightly basis, and we were very, very poor. And my my father, he was actually a drug addict and an alcoholic. And my mom just tried to do the best she could with the circumstances that she had. Now, um uh shortly after that time, my mother got divorced from my father, and she went off and married another feller, another man, and that individual sexually abused me for multiple years, sexually, mentally, and physically. And I struggled severely um trying to adapt. Um, to make a long story short, with that, is when I was struggling at a young age, all under the age of 13 years old, and for many years of all that type of abuse, I was a survivor. Sure, I acted I acted out severely as a young child. I didn't know how to cope, and a lot of my family didn't know what was really truly going on.
SPEAKER_02:So were you able to share any of this with your mother or not?
SPEAKER_01:I did at one time, uh I I know I'll never forget that time. Um, so it was at a moment where that individual and my mother got into a major argument, and I came out and was like, Hey, this is what was going on. And looking back at it now, I truly understand why she didn't believe me because it was more like you just don't want them around, and because we didn't get along because of what was going on. So it's kind of like I was just adding fuel to the fire. So she was like, Yeah, don't just say that and everything. Well, that little bit of don't just say that ultimately made me clam up and never say anything to any of my family for multiple years.
SPEAKER_02:Wow. Wow. How old were you when you when you when you had that conversation?
SPEAKER_01:So I believe it was around I was about 10 years old, and uh the abuse started when I was about eight years old and lasted until I was 13. Um, I got taken away though when I was about 12 years old. Um, because me and that individual, the abuser, we got into a physical altercation, and I ultimately had a very extreme bad nosebleed at a young age, at you know, 11, 11, 12 years old. I didn't know what to do. So I called 911 and I go, Hey, what do I do? Next thing you know, they took me away, they took him away, and then I was bounced around the foster home and shelters and group homes, and it was a very, very difficult time. Um, and then shortly after the the group home was the last place that I was at, um, I begged them to just let me go home, you know. Um, after everybody went to classes and everything, I I was hoping that it would never happen again, but so when I went back home, it happened one last time, and then I uh yeah, crazy, crazy story. But after that one last time that it happened at age 13 years old, and that's when the great lord up above said it's time for you to link up with your biological father again. I didn't understand at the moment. My mother told me, I said, she said, Hey, your grandmother's trying to get a hold of you, but you cannot call. And I was like, What why can't I call my father? You know, and they're like, Well, we'll let you know what's going on. And I was like, I don't understand, I'm 13 years old. So the next thing you know, we were with uh the big or I was a part of the big brother, big sister program, and Jim Strauss is his name. I still talk to him to this day, my big brother, great mentor. Um, him and my mother sat me down at the hospital in the basement of where my mother worked, and they decided that it was time to tell me that my father um had HIV. And at that age, and back then in the early 2000s, late 1990s, not a lot of you know, evidence and uh good medical um equipment and medicine was out there for somebody with HIV. So, yeah, I'm okay, buddy. I'm good. But uh, so ultimately I picked up that phone after I found out that and I called my dad, and I wanted a relationship with my biological father, and I ended up going to live with him. And uh until I was about 18 years old, I bounced around living with him, and then my mother back and forth until I decided to join the army.
SPEAKER_02:Wow. So what was it like? First off, what's it like being in a group home for people that have never had had that kind of life? Like, what is it like just like you're just around all these kids that you don't know and that you have to suddenly get along with? And what what is that like?
SPEAKER_01:That is a very uh the group home that I was at was a Webster Cantrell group home in Decatur, Illinois. And when I was there, um I want every all the listeners and everybody watching to understand that group homes, you don't just have regular children and youth attend these. They're either survivors or they've been through some some sort of traumatic event, they just didn't get to leave their house for no reason. Um, so for example, with everything that I was going through, I was there. So you're around a lot of individuals who are troubled. There's a lot of fights that go on. You can have your best friend one day, and then you're literally fighting for your life the next day. Um, they had padded rooms in there that they would lock people in for just you know little bitty things. Um, staff would you know wrap you up and get physical sometimes, um, as in restraints. Um, they it it was I'm not saying it was kind of like a jail or prison, but that group home there I was troubled and I got in trouble a lot, so I didn't get to do a lot of the extracurricular curricular activities such as bowling and all of this. But if you were good and you were perfect and did what you were supposed to, you got to go on all these wonderful trips. Now, the good thing is, is after some time that I learned how to actually cope with what I was going through instead of just going through the system, I was actually getting some little bit of decent help towards the end. Um, they taught me some really good coping mechanisms, and I got to experience a lot of those fun activities. And uh Frank Mathis is one of the directors who was there that I'll never forget him taking us over to the lake and going camping and stuff. So, and all these mentors, again, were either first responders or somebody who served, and that's what ultimately led me to serving.
SPEAKER_02:That's so cool, and I mean that's really the the good takeaway that you can have about a lot of these things. I mean, I feel the same way about my girlfriends growing up whose parents really helped to mother me because unfortunately, as much as I I love my father, I I sometimes my mother was was not so nice to me and uh not so consistent uh in her uh ways of acting. And so I kind of never knew what what kind of mom I had from day to day. And so it was amazing sometimes the ways in which some of my friends' mothers would see what was going on and then do their best to try to be that parent that that that that may I may not have had at that time because my mother unfortunately was unable to get past some things in her life uh to to be really be the mother that I had hoped or wished that she could have been. However, with that said, now here's another difficult question. What is your relationship like with your mother now, or how through the years have you been able to integrate what happened and and make sense of it and and and piece this together as an adult?
SPEAKER_01:You know, as a for the longest time, I had a lot of resentment for um towards my mother. Um I did for years as well. I felt like her choosing the abuser, which she didn't know. So I I it was it was her and my other siblings I felt like were more important, but at the same time I was damaged. So I looked at, you know, for the longest time, I I didn't want to talk to my mom, and I just was kind of going through the motions, but ultimately the what I've learned growing as an adult is she was honestly just doing the best she could with the circumstances that she was given. Yeah, um, it's very difficult to be a parent. I'm a parent too, and uh, there's no manual to raising children, and even if there was, every child is different, everybody learns things differently over time. Yeah, so my mom was going through things, she was she's a survivor of different types of abuse as well. And she, you know, was going through she was going through so much stuff, and I do know that every single night I always had something to eat, and I always had the love from her. Now we may have never, you know, agreed on some things, and I wish that again, like I like you said, I wish that she was there maybe a little bit more, but looking back, I know that she did the best she could.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and I think that for me, I I integrate mine a little differently. I don't think that my mom necessarily did the best she could, but she did the best, she she did the best that she thinks that she could. If that makes sense, like absolutely like I know she could have done better, but at the same time, like with what she understands about herself and where she is, she did do the best she could. And I know she loves me. And so that's the way I've been able to kind of and I and humor helps a lot too. I mean, with my mom and dad, just being able to accept and love them where they're at, not where I wanted them to be, not what I wish they could have been. And uh it's a it's a real big step in your adult life to do that and to take on that uh mindset because I think you're like you said, I was very bitter, very rebellious. I acted out a lot. And after a while, I just realized that the only person that I can change and that I can I can improve upon is myself. And when I improve upon me, I can be a better person and bring a better self to the organizations and the things that I'm passionate about. And it sounds like you just did the same thing. So, where was that? Now there's another question: where was that turning point where you went from being angry and upset and bitter and I hate the world because I did it too, to oh gosh, what is it that I'm doing to cause some of these issues?
SPEAKER_01:You know, the biggest turning point was graduation um during basic training, um, to have my mother and my father, my father before he passed away, um, you know, to have them there and to truly see it in their face to how proud they are for me to accomplish something so you know, so dramatic and so rare, you know, only one percent.
SPEAKER_02:Especially with your circumstance, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, even outside of that, only one percent of the population gets to the United States military. So it's one of these, you know, to continue that legacy, you know. Like my grandfather, um, one of my my great-grandfathers spent over five years in World War II consistently, you know, in combat. And then he came back, like continue that legacy and to see them and that smile, that was ultimately the time where I I had to man up and understand that maybe times were different, and I truly do not know what they were going through at the time. I truly do not. I don't so I just need to accept the past and know that we can work together um and to grow our relationship, hopefully better in the future.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I hear you. I totally hear you, Daniel. So, what did you do? You joined the army, and what did you join as? Like, what was your MOS?
SPEAKER_01:So I joined as a food service specialist at 92 golf, and we call a 92 get down. See, I love to cook, and but it's more than cooking. Um, everybody knows I love to talk, I love to smile. I'm all about boosting move boosting the morale of everybody. And when I realized yeah, you know, I could take my cooking experience um that I always had before I joined the military, I can take that and give it to soldiers. I said, Oh, you know, this is gonna be some sweet stuff that I'm gonna be cooking up. So uh I ultimately joined, you know, as a young enlisted private in the military in E1 and went over to Fort Lee, Virginia to do advanced culinary arts training. Um, instead of you doing the regular program, since I had some experience, I went through the advanced program and graduated in a very, very short amount of time.
SPEAKER_02:Love it, love it. And then when was your first duty station and how did your career progress?
SPEAKER_01:You know, my first duty station was upstate Fort Drum, New York. Look, I don't think I was there not even a couple months, and I met my wonderful, beautiful wife, Miss Leslie Odell. She's also a soldier, and um I was aviation. I spent time with the General Support Aviation Brigade, and then my wife was in 3rd Brigade. Um, a little bit different type of uh situations there and mission uh missions that we did, but ultimately I was preparing to go to Iraq. Um, when I was there at Fort Drum, I was there for about a year and a half, working extremely hard, preparing to go to Iraq, where I ultimately deployed in 2000 um 2008. Yes, 2008, October 2008 is when I deployed to Iraq for a whole year, two weeks after my son was born.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, wow, where did um and then what did you do in Iraq?
SPEAKER_01:You know, oh when I was in Iraq, I was lucky enough to my whole company was lucky enough that they didn't have to leave the wire. We were at Cobb Spiker, Iraq, and we were again an aviation uh support, so we just supported uh the aviation. Now, being a cook, I actually didn't get to cook much food in Iraq. I actually had to drive a uh distance away, miles away, pick up mermite containers. And the people who don't know what that is, those are warming containers that keep your food warm, and I had to drive them back and feed the soldiers in a hidden um dining facility inside of a hangar because we you didn't want the enemy to know where you know a lot of people are going at a consistent time every day. So, um, oh yeah, it's very that's that's the number one spots that get mortared and so on is the because it's it's can it's it's always congested. Um, so uh ultimately I started to get bored and not really bored, but I wanted to know what the soldiers were going through a little bit more because my job is to boost morale, not just with food, but when the soldiers come through the line, I'm talking to you, I'm joking with you. I want to know everything about you because that's your only downtime, and this may be your last meal when you go out on missions. And I want you to know that I'm here for you, and if you can just relax, crack a joke, smile that five minutes of eating the 30 and whatever it is, is your downtime, and I took it seriously. So, uh the next thing you know, um, the next thing you know, I went over to my command and I said, I'm gonna go and volunteer on missions on any downtime that I have. And I was lucky enough to fly all around Iraq to southern Baghdad all the way up to northern Iraq next to Turkey. Um, but my company didn't like me doing that. Um, they me being a cook, they always said, Well, we don't want to be responsible for this guy going outside the wire. How did you get on these flights?
SPEAKER_02:Did you just have friends that would be like, Hey, yeah, you can have a ride with me?
SPEAKER_01:And and you would just Well, literally, well, literally, it was just like this. Our company, or like who I fed, was literally on the flight line, so I had access to every single pilot, Schnook pilot, Blackhawk pilot, the Medeback, all of those ate with me, and so I, you know, after talking to them for months and building a relationship, I just asked. I literally just asked.
SPEAKER_02:That's all it takes sometimes, Daniel. That's all it's yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So I was like, Hey, can I go on a flight with you guys one time? And they were like, Oh, yeah, you can sit in the jump seat. And the next thing you know, I go on that flight, and we come back. That flight was good. The next time we go on another flight, and I'm sitting in the back, and then I'm sitting in the middle, and then I'm sitting in all different places, and you're experiencing more of what the groups are doing than just what you see in the chow hall.
SPEAKER_02:That's awesome.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, and what bothered me though a little bit to this day is looking back, I don't know how this happened, but I every time I left the wire, I only left with one 30-round magazine and my body armor.
SPEAKER_04:Hmm. Wow.
SPEAKER_01:Because I was a cook and they didn't want to be responsible. And I'll never forget that last time when our when our bird was leaking oil, we were all the way up next to turkey, and um, we had we our bird was leaking oil. When I say bird bird, the schnook was leaking oil or hydraulic fluid, something, and we had to stay there an extra day. And um my command was so upset and everything. That was the last time that I actually went on mission um outside the wire. Um, so I I struggle, you know, with some of the things that I seen when we flew around. And then when I was in Iraq, I had some medical issues and got Medavaxed over to Anaconda. Um, when I was in Anaconda, as soon as they flew me in on the Medevact, uh, there was a lot of stuff going on um inside that tent and inside that building. Um, I'll never forget those screams, those loud noises, those visuals that I seen of not just soldiers but locals as well.
SPEAKER_02:Um people who are injured in in ground combat.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, and it really bothered me, and it still bothers me to this day where sometimes when I simply get any medical thing done at the hospital, I sometimes go into shock and or a slight PTSD episode. Um, it was very difficult there in Anaconda. Um, but going back, I understood what people were truly going through and why the day they were experiencing and why my job was so important. So uh that was my experience in Iraq was literally volunteering on my downtime to go and understand the soldiers just so I can uh boost their morale a little bit more and then uh taking care of them, taking care of them with some food.
SPEAKER_02:I love it, I love it, and I and I have to say that there are so few people that really understand the experiences of of being um on the ground, and and that is something that I think all of us veterans have to keep in mind, and that there is trauma in in so many different arenas. It isn't just on the ground in combat either. It's sometimes due to a particular working environment that somebody's in that isn't healthy. It's because we don't often have the same uh due process protections as our as our friends in the civilian world. So there's there's a lot of ways in which I think that the military, as wonderful as it is, as a great opportunity that it is, it also does come with many downsides and ways in which we have to cope. But I've also have a theory, and Dan, you can tell me what you think of this one. I've always felt that the people who have had traumatic upbringings or adverse childhood experiences, I didn't think this before, but I do think this now, are some of the people that are the most well suited to survive in combat and to thrive in the worst kinds of situations. And the reason I think that is because if you've been able to survive a traumatic childhood or a childhood where you didn't feel wanted, you didn't feel loved, you felt abandoned, and you still pushed through, you still joined the military, you still accomplished all these things within your career, you still worked on a team, you still sacrificed. I think that that sets you apart and it allows you to continue to keep on going when other people give up.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I 100% agree. You know, you you it's hard to compare, but it's one of those statistically, and a lot of people that I've met as well, um, especially uh oh, what's his name? He uh he got shot um in the face. Oh uh Jason Redman. Yeah, Redman, you know, he has a very, very interesting childhood as well. Um, yeah, me and him were hanging out one day and talking about it. And yeah, a lot of a lot of Navy SEAL special forces.
SPEAKER_02:I was gonna say Eddie Gallagher also, I think, had a um hard upbringing as well. And I think that, like I said, I think that's what makes them such fighters and such survivors. I mean, if somebody had had the full force of the justice system bearing down you on you the way that Eddie Gallagher did, and for him to fight back the way that he did and to show us that there is a way to fight the system uh and and prevail. I mean, I think that's really inspiring. And I've always felt that those people, uh, there's some real success stories in in our struggles and using our scars uh to tell those stories and to be stronger, uh not not in spite of them, but because of them. And I think that you're a testament uh to that, Daniel. So you get hurt, and then what happens next?
SPEAKER_01:Well, so um when I didn't get hurt, I just had some medical issues that allowed me to fly in. So I come back home from Iraq and and then we uh I got orders to go over to Fort Carson, Colorado. So I take my family, we go over to Fort Carson, and we're having fun there with the MPs. I was attached with the military police and just experiencing their workload and what they do, and their training was awesome. We were getting ready to go to Afghanistan, preparing, do an awesome training. Um, I'll never forget this day. Um, walking down one of the MP hallways in the company, and I look over, and what I thought were some raggedy soldiers or civilians, whatever, wearing a half uniform and the bottom, a shirt up top, long hair and everything. I wasn't putting two and two together, you know, being a cook. Um, but I ran my mouth, was like, Yeah, look at these guys that you know their crappy uniform or whatever. I just I said something rude, and you know, probably more extreme than that. But uh they said, Who was that? And the commander goes, That's our cook, and they go, Get him back here. All I heard was, Odell, come back now. So I come back and I go, Who are you? And they go, No, who are you? And I go, I'm the cook. You want to eat good, then um you you might want to be a little bit nicer. And they go, You're coming with us. And I go, Who are you? And they go, We're special forces, and um, we are preparing some of you guys to go to Afghanistan for the mission that you guys are going to be doing. And I go, Oh, I kind of like this. A cook going and hanging out with special forces? Absolutely. So I also picked up another one of my cooks and a bunch of us MPs. We went to Montana and did some training, some training that number one, a cook like me, it's very rare to do what I did. I mean, I was shooting different types of mortars, 50 caliber sniper rifles, different weapons, AKs, you name it. I was doing it, we were having fun. But when we were training a certain type of mission um with some agencies, we flew in on some on into some sh um or we flew in on schnooks, and I was in charge of my squad. Um, me being the highest rank from a lot of the the lot of the individuals around and with more experience and being a little bit of uh in combat, they said, Hey, we're gonna give you a try. Well, next thing you know, when we came off there and we're um bounding up to the objective, my squad was supposed to uh attack it first. Well, none of my people were listening, and I didn't understand what was going on. Um, me being a new leader and trying to, you know, do combat stuff that I'm not used to. I'm used to flipping flapjacks, you know what I mean? Like, so uh the first squad, the first squad, they go and they attack it. My squad isn't listening. One of the team members comes up to me and he's like, Hey, you got to get things squared away. Um, next thing you know, we got into it a little bit and I fell on the side of a major hillside and I broke my neck. Um the adrenaline dump that I had after I broke my neck, I was in and out of consciousness the rest of the mission until we flew back out. As soon as we landed um out of that training mission, um, I went to the uh the team member, the Medevac, and was like, Hey, there's something seriously wrong with me. Um, he injected me with a whole bunch of stuff, and I didn't I felt good the rest of the day until the
SPEAKER_02:Arrow shot or no?
SPEAKER_01:No, I didn't even ask. Um, I was in that much pain and was just like, do something.
SPEAKER_02:Do something take the pain away.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And he was like, Oh no, we're we're good, we're good, you know. Like, you know how us soldiers are back then. Like, drink water, drive on, you know, take some ocean or you know, whatever. We're just gonna push through it, right? And um, so I take I take everything I can then the next morning, um, during PT, you know, I'm jogging a little bit, my neck's hurting extremely bad. I take up and pick up a kettlebell in the middle, and I immediately collapse. I collapse on the ground and I come back to and I'm like, what is going on? My arms are numb. I can't even wear a helmet. Uh, I couldn't even look left and right barely. Um, it was very difficult. Um, and I didn't understand what was going on. So, again, give me more medicine, give me more medicine. We go out and we try to do more um training missions to go to Afghanistan to prepare us. And on the way back, on again, I'm sitting in a turret on a vehicle. The pain is so much, me just trying to hold up my helmet and getting yelled at because I keep taking my helmet off because I wouldn't wear it because all that pressure on my on my broken neck, it was just too much. Well, I'm in the turret on the way back, or no, we're going to um a range to go do some things, and next thing you know, I pass out, and when I pass out from all the pain, I wake up and my whole lower back is in severe pain, and that's how I broke my lower back. To make a long story short, with that, we get back to um back to base back at Fort Carson, Colorado, and I go to the medic, and the media or the medic looks at me and he goes, You know, if I document this, it's career ending. And I go, I was never in here, I don't know what you're talking about. And I walked out the office. Wow, and I tried to hide my injuries for multiple months because how was I gonna prepare my soldiers to go to Afghanistan and I not go with them?
SPEAKER_02:That's insane. So basically, at that point, you probably probably had a broken back.
SPEAKER_01:I'm just trying to understand what you had wrong with you and we're not getting treated for bulging, herniated, and pinched nerves in my neck and my lower back, and ultimately every time that we were doing anything training, so us cooks, I could always get away with not going out on training or just go and not have to do the missions because we have to cook the food and we would just kind of hang out, you know, everybody's doing other things. Um, but then when I did have to go, I'll never forget we were we were um doing some uh uh some training, you know, assaulting buildings and everything, and I had the helmet on and I would put up my neck armor up just enough to push it up and everything, going like this, going and I looked horrible. Oh I would do anything not to wear my helmet until it took that time, okay. After we did that training, one of the leaders pulls me to the side, and this is where things change. He goes, Odell, think about this. If a soldier had to pick up your slack in Afghanistan or any type of war zone, and they died because they had to pick up your slack, you would never live the rest of your life the same. That hit home. That hit home for me quite a bit, and uh that's the moment that I understand that there's a reason why there's a culture in the military that they only want the best of the best. And if you're a little bit injured, I'm sorry, but you we do not want you around one bad apple or ruin a whole bunch, and there's that culture is very important because you're talking about defending your nation, you're talking about uh you know, keeping your brother and sister alive next to you. They can't pick up your slack and they shouldn't be. So that was that was that time that I had to realize it was my time to go, and that's when I got orders to go to South Korea, and where I spent a year waiting on a wounded warrior battalion to open up, and then when one opened up, I got right here at Kentucky. Um, literally, my property borders um a Fort Knox tank range, and uh I retired a medically retired out of Fort Knox military installation at the Wounded Warrior Battalion.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, so you would they sent you all the way to Korea to wait on a battalion on a wounded uh tra uh war. I think those they're called in an army warrior transition battalions, I believe. I'm not as as as well versed on how it works for the army.
SPEAKER_01:So back then it was called a wounded warrior battalion. Now I think like a year or two, or maybe shortly after I got out, they they transitioned over a warrior transition something. Um, you know what?
SPEAKER_02:They're always yeah, I was gonna say, I think in the Navy we just used to call it med hold. You were on med, you were on your or light limited duty, I think.
SPEAKER_01:And but this was also during a lot of time where a lot of soldiers were getting injured in combat, so this is why they had to open up a big battalion, right?
SPEAKER_02:And army's different than navy, yep. Yeah, gotcha. Okay, so you go over to Korea for and you wait for one to open, but you have. So you were basically having a herniated disc, you were having a neck injury, you had a neck injury and a back injury. How did you cope during that time just waiting to be seen and waiting to put for treatment?
SPEAKER_01:You know, just like with anything in the military, we just drive on, you know, mission first. Now, when I was when I was in Korea, I was very, very lucky to have an amazing company, amazing commander as well. So when I went over there, they knew I was injured, and I worked at the dining facility just a short amount of time, and then they were like, Yeah, we just don't we don't even want you at the dining facility anymore. So they sent me to the company, and the the company commander goes, Look, you've done enough, you're injured, just report to me once a week and just relax. So I literally relaxed and did a lot of things I shouldn't have in South Korea because you're supposed to have a battle buddy, and let me just say that uh we used to hide in a lot of taxis leaving and coming back to base.
SPEAKER_02:So you just you just kind of just recovered, you just kind of took it easy for a little while, and then you finally get to the uh wounded warrior uh battalion in uh where you are now in Kentucky. And is that where you start getting treated for your injuries?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I started getting treated, but ultimately the treatment was not the best. Um like I tried acupuncture, physical therapy. Um, they used to dote me up on so much medicine that I ultimately started having a lot of suicidal thoughts, and I became a zombie who wasn't there for my family, constantly sleeping throughout the day. Um, it was just so much medicine that I it was just camouflaging the pain until the last resort was surgery. But the army, the army didn't want to do that, so you know, wait until the VA when you get out and let the VA deal with you pretty much.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I will say now that I know Ferris, I don't know if you know the Ferris, you probably do because I know you're well versed on legislation, but with the Ferris doctor, and I'm I'm I had shoulder surgery while I was in, and it's the only surgery I ever had in my nearly 30 years of service, and it went well. I'm very fortunate for that. But I don't think knowing what I know now about Ferris, I would ever get any surgeries in the military if I could avoid it. I mean, obviously, not everyone can make that choice, but just because of the fact that you have no redress if if something happens, um, because you you have there's and and to say that there's probably red dress in the civilian world, maybe there's not that much either. I don't know. But uh so they were basically like, nope, we're not gonna operate on you, we're gonna let the VA handle it. So now you're transitioning out. Did you get the surgery? Did you get operated on?
SPEAKER_01:Well, it took many, many years, to be honest. After I got out the military, is going through the VA healthcare system. I was taken care of extremely well. And when I say it like that, there's many programs and many resources in the state of Kentucky and at the local VA hospitals. But let me explain that it's a very long process. When I've are when, like I said, I already did the acupuncture, the physical therapy, I already did everything. Well, the VA wanted me to do all of that all over again and make sure that we make sure that we utilize all resources until the last one, which was surgery. Now I'll never forget, I'll never ever forget. There's three things that changed my life, okay. Um, and when I say changed my life all the way up to my surgery, I thought about suicide every single day, not just once or twice throughout the day. I'm talking about every single second because I didn't know how to cope with my feelings of survivor's guilt, PTSD, to all the things that happened and all the pain that I was in on a daily basis. I looked at the surgeon right before my surgery, and it was a University of Kentucky graduates um last surgery before he graduated. Um, him and the professor and everything. If most people don't know, a lot of the surgeries at the VA hospitals are paralleled with universities. But um, I looked right at him and I said, If if I wake up and you don't change me, one grain of sand, one tiny percent, I promise you I'm gonna kill myself.
SPEAKER_02:He said that to him.
SPEAKER_01:Wow, 100%. I was in that much pain physically and mentally that I did not want to live anymore.
SPEAKER_02:Wow, and how was your family through all this? Like, because at this point you're married, and I and I know you've probably you've had your kids by now. How were they handling all this?
SPEAKER_01:You know, I I laughed uh laughed at that moment because uh I tried to hide it, but realistically, my wife is the biggest survivor there is, and so are my children. My wife and my kids have seen me tie nooses, step on ledges, climb ladders, tying ropes to trees. My talking about suicide, literally, you name it, and they've seen it and experienced it.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I can tell you, I see the pictures now. I mean, you've got a beautiful son, you've I think you have a daughter as well. Oh, yes, and and then I've met your wife, and I mean, I it's you you have a you have a beautiful family, and uh that's something it's such a blessing. And at that moment, when you told that doctor what you told him, what did he how did he react to that? That's such a heavy thing, I think, for a doctor to hear.
SPEAKER_01:He looked right at me and he says, You know that I can't fix you fully, but I promise you that you're gonna wake up a tiny bit better than what you're gonna go to sleep with. And he goes, I don't know what's gonna be better, but I guarantee that like before I literally couldn't move my neck a centimeter left, right, up, down, anything. My arms were constantly going numb after about five, 10 seconds of being up. And uh Daniel, the the pain that I was constantly in every single day in my neck and back. Um, it was just way too much. It seriously was. And I'll I looked at him right before he injected me and I said, Please change my life. And tears just rolled down. Tears were rolling as I laid down. And he goes, I got you. And I fade out and I wake up, and I don't remember this, but uh, I still get a little bit teary-eyed when I say this. But uh after after I actually come to and he, you know, comes back in and he goes, Do you realize what you said to me when you first woke up? And I go, No, what did I say? And he goes, immediately you open your eyes and go like this. I can feel my fingertips, and I can already move my neck more. I'm not killing myself. Thank you.
SPEAKER_04:Wow. So that way forward.
SPEAKER_02:Amazing, amazing, and it's an amazing thing that you had a doctor that was so kind and so helpful. I mean, that's the success story right there. And that's interesting about the partnering with the universities. I didn't know that about the VA. I'm I'm just now getting into the VA system. I have my first PCM appointment in December, so I'm excited to see what they have to offer, see how it differs from TRICARE, and uh go down that journey. But so you have the surgery, and tell me a little bit about the recovery from that surgery.
SPEAKER_01:The recovery was very, very difficult. Um I was still in a lot of pain. Um again, my uh he he promised me something, and I I said what I said if you change me one tiny percent, so he gave me more mobility in my neck. My arms, they don't go as weak as quick, they still go weak and they go numb all the time, and I'm in a lot of pain. Like I I I constantly wish like I had a neck brace on just to hold my neck up, but um it's it's one of those during that recovery. I just learn how to adapt life and understand that I'm not gonna be able to do everything, I'm truly not as much as I want to, and as much as all of us grow and we get older, you know, there's some people who can ride that roller coaster at a hundred years old, I just can't anymore. But there's other things I can do, so that's what I struggled with so severely is during that recovery is truly accepting my injuries. So I did say that you know, I wouldn't kill myself, but I still attempted multiple times after that surgery until the other two things, because I told you there were three things that happened to me, right? Shortly after my surgery, this service dog comes into my life. Literally months after my surgery, he comes into my life. And uh, for the all the ones who are only listening, um, I have a service dog next to me who's a standard poodle, white with green hair on top. And ultimately, with all my struggling, somebody, another veteran recommended. They said, Hey, you know, service dogs help veterans. And I go, Okay. So I started Googling and everything, and I found an organization in Chicago, Illinois, Canines for Veterans, and Michael Telleroni. I would send him videos and pictures and phone calls constantly of me begging him, screaming, and hey, I'm struggling, crying, like I don't want to feel like this anymore. Please help me and help me. And then finally he gave me that call and said, We have a dog ready for you. Wow. I went up to I went up to Chicago, Illinois, and I walk in and the first dog comes running out, and I'm like, Oh no, I hope my dog isn't this dog. I mean, this dog was hyper, um didn't focus on me, and then I realized that that's not the right dog. So another dog comes running out, and it's kind of the same. It would it was doing things to help me with my disability, but our personality didn't link up. Now, the next dog before it came out, Michael, the CEO, the founder, goes, You know, we're not sure if you'll like this next dog, but we're gonna try. Next thing you know, this big old fluffy white poodle comes running out, comes to my side, sits next to me, looks up at me, and he says, I'm yours and you're mine. And I go, What are you talking about? You know, like this fluffy white dog, it's not a manly, a standard poodle is not a manly dog. No, it's not. No, especially not for a veteran, okay? Like, I'm supposed to walk around as a veteran with a poodle as a service dog. You know how many questions I'm gonna get? So immediately I tested this dog, and he did everything perfect. And I'm talking everything. He was picking up pens, my phone, my hat, my shoes, and everything. But when I dropped my hat that one time and he picked it up, I was like, Hold up, hold up. We need to put a hat on this dog. So I put my hat on the dog, but it kept falling off. So I grabbed my phone and I started searching the internet, and I go, how else can we get a hat on this dog that will stay there? And it just so happened to be for fate happened, where dog hair die popped up, dog safe, only made for dogs, made of plants, and this is permanent dog herodice. So I made a permanent army green hat on top of my dog to make him a little more manly or that's awesome.
SPEAKER_02:I love it, you know. And that must have just also been like this real turning point in your recovery, too. Cause now it's like, okay, I'm not by myself anymore doing these this recovery. I've got this dog by my side that's helping with so many things.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. So it was it like I said, everything happened back to back to back, these three instances, and it just so happened to be right after I got him, I was going through a troubled time, and he was helping me, but I was still having this thoughts, and I was tying a noose, and I was getting ready to step up on a ladder and tie it to a tree. Um no, I'm gonna back up. It was earlier that day I heard a speech from Mr. Rod Rodriguez, the he's the president of the Global War on Terrorism Foundation, where we're building the monument for all the global war on terrorism in Washington, DC. Yeah, he's one of my best friends. Um he uh he mentioned in one of his speeches, he said it would be a disservice if you ended your life because all the ones who aren't here anymore would love to have the opportunity that we have. Now that sentence hit home for me. I didn't realize how much it hit home for me again when I was saying just a second ago when that last time when I was stepping up on that ledge, tying that noose onto that tree, right before I was getting ready to put it around my neck. I remembered that sentence that Mr. Rod Rodriguez said, Michael Rodriguez, he said, it would be a disservice if I would end my life for anybody to end their life because the ones who aren't here anymore would love to have the opportunity that we have, and that seriously hit home for me. All those soldiers who sacrificed, you see, the real heroes are the ones who aren't here anymore. All those real heroes would love the opportunity that I have each and every day that all of us have. So I need to live my life to its fullest. So that hit home for me, and I I honestly to that day never ever thought about uh making any nooses, putting guns to my head, stepping on ledges, anything. Yeah, I I owe it to myself and to everybody all around the world who made that ultimate sacrifice to live my life fully, not just for them, but to for all those future veterans, those future soldiers. And that's why I ultimately tell my story to let everybody know that they are not alone. And there's plenty of resources out there to help you because there was one time where I truly felt alone and without help.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, there really are. There are so many resources, and there are so many ways to get involved. I mean, yeah, if you're looking for a way to get involved, find your local VFW, find your local American Legion, find a self-help group, go to your church, even if you're not that religious. A lot of these churches have self-help and support groups. There are so many resources out there. When I was at my lowest of low, I went to anonymous groups, I went to sex addicts anonymous, I went to sex and love addicts anonymous, I went to Alcoholics Anonymous, I went to Codependence Anonymous, and I met some of the most interesting people, people who were not in the military, people I would have never interacted with just because we wouldn't have been in the same circles or we wouldn't have been in the same line of work or we didn't live near one another or whatever. And it really opened my eyes to the fact that struggling is so universal. And if you think you really have problems, go and talk to some other people out there, and you'll see that there are plenty of problems to go around. And we're not alone. There are there are always people to talk to. And I think that sometimes with the internet and social media, we forget that there are people right outside in our neighborhood, right around us, that we could be talking to if we just took the time to do so. And absolutely. I love I love what your friend told you. I think that is just so beautiful. And what a testament to the strength and the and the camaraderie of other veterans to be there for one another.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. I want to add on what you said is, you know, um, I say this in a lot of my speeches and a lot of you know podcasts that I do as well. Is you know, all listeners, all the viewers right now, I want you to look around. And I truly want you to look around. And if you don't have anybody next to you or anything, I know that there's pitchers or think about somebody, but uh I want you to know that everybody struggles, everybody struggles in some way, shape, or fashion. Most people just hide it better than others or just don't talk about it. But if we can talk about it with, you know, a mentor, with a brother, sister, with a friend, you know, we can continue to add value to each other and work on whatever we're going through and making sure that everybody knows that they are not alone.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I agree. I 100% agree. So you have the service dog, and now this is now going to be your new life. How did all this come with the online stuff? I mean, were you always active online for years? Or tell me about how all that happened.
SPEAKER_01:So, as soon as I got my service dog and I heard that speech from Mr. Rod Rodriguez, and that kind of changed my life. The trainers in Chicago, Illinois said, Hey, you don't need to be driving five hours multiple times a week from Kentucky all the way up to Chicago and back. I was doing this multiple times a week just because I needed him this much in my life, and that was the requirement, and that's the commitment I had. They realized that I was dedicated and they said, Why don't you just film a couple of those videos? We'll give you some tasks, film them, and you upload them for us to see. And the next thing you know, it kind of snowballed. They said, I think somebody else's will benefit from this. You should maybe start a YouTube channel. So if you look at our very first YouTube channel, he's a little bitty fluff bowl in my backyard. I do not know how to speak in front of a camera, and this is six years ago. Um, that we just started uploading our training document uh our training schedules, and uh you know, just documenting our life and our journey. And the next thing you know, we would get a message saying, Thank you for uploading and telling your story, thank you for making this training video. Oh, can you help me out on this one? And it it just one thing led to another and led to another, but I never took it seriously. I never took YouTube seriously until about a year and a half, two years ago. Um, about I'd say two, two and maybe two and a half years ago. I'm a little off the older I get, right? But uh so about two and a half years ago, I started taking it very seriously as in um actually having an upload schedule and content plan and everything. And uh about a about two years ago, I challenged myself to upload every single day and see how long I can go on. Um, so I literally went 415 consecutive days filming, editing, uploading everything on YouTube. Oh, it was it was a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_02:I remember, I mean, you were everywhere because I met you two years ago, and I remember like afterwards, I was like looking at your YouTube's and I'm like, oh my god, this guy's consistent. I mean, I'm consistent now with my podcast, don't get me wrong, but I remember just thinking that just takes so much to like do this every single day, and to always have how did you how did you come up with what to think about and what to post about and what to write about and what to what to do a clip about? How did you think of those things?
SPEAKER_01:Ultimately, I just wanted to film my life. There's some days that so those videos were probably boring. I ultimately did it though. So I'm gonna back up to the reason why I was doing it. Um, I only wanted to do it to help me articulate words better in front of a camera, build that confidence, understanding editing a little bit better. And if I didn't have much else to do in my life, um and struggled so severely with finding employment, I figured I need to turn this into a real, real, you know, company and grow. So, what's one way to do it is go full force, head on in. So that's what I did. Um, and ultimately there's some days I'd wake up and it's like a daily vlog, or it was what were we doing that day? And I would make a story with it. So there's some days it's going to sporting events, there's other days where we were flying around the country going to conferences, or you know, telling our story at a nursing home or working with the American Legion, like you said, the VFW, Operation Home Front. I would always just volunteer in the community and be there and just film. I never asked um when I first started, it was ask questions later, you know, or for and permission later. I just filmed absolutely everything that I could just to help me better my skills.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I'm actually trying to share the screen now. Can you see the screen that I just shared?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yes, that's us the fluffy poodle open. There you are.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So for the listening audience, I've pulled him up. It's uh youtube.com at the fluffy poodle. I mean, you really, it's real easy to find, and you can see like just oh my gosh, what a library of videos. And I just remember, like I said, after I met you, I went on this thing and I'm like, oh my god, this guy can post and post and post, and he just doesn't give up. And that's what I saw. Like, you're relentless, Daniel. Relentless in a good way, like just so disciplined about keeping this going, keeping these stories, just documenting what's going on, documenting your life. How was your what was your family thinking about all this at the time? Like as you were doing this, were they just like, is this like my dad's like crazy hobby? Or like were they like cheering it on? Like, tell me about like their reaction to this.
SPEAKER_01:So at the beginning of my YouTube journey six years ago when it started, my family wanted nothing to do with it, to be honest. Um they still they still you still don't see them in that many videos at all.
SPEAKER_02:You'll never see my wife in videos because I had no idea you had a family either until like I'd say, like, like, like I'd say maybe just most recently. I didn't know you were you were married and you had you know kids that were almost grown. And uh I just knew you had this crazy YouTube channel that was just funny and inspirational and a little quirky and everything. And uh I just remember I identified with it. I was like, this really kind of taps into like my my different side. I mean, you're just you're not afraid to be yourself, Daniel. And that's such a unique gift in today's world of fakery and let's pretend we're something we're not on social media. You just went with it, and I mean that's why I'm just kind of scrolling and scrolling. I mean, there's just so many clips. So, okay, back to you. Sorry.
SPEAKER_01:Uh six years ago, they were just like, Yeah, we don't yeah, they didn't want nothing, they didn't want nothing to do with it, they still roughly don't, but they they understand that this is this is what I do, and this is what truly makes me happy is telling my story to audiences all around the world. Now, when you watch some of my videos, if I can just make you laugh or inspire you, or just help you live your life another day, then ultimately that's what my videos do is you know, some of them are gonna be cringe, cringey completely, and then there's others, you're gonna be like, This guy really just climbed a mountain, or this guy really just you know had him and his dog jumping out of a helicopter. Um, like we've we literally do it all to be in Washington, DC. We were in the Pentagon about two weeks ago. We climbed a mountain in Arizona, we've been to the beaches, we've literally been everywhere, and I just want everybody to know that you know, pain is pain, challenge is a challenge, and if I can get through all of my challenges and my pain in the past, so can each and every one of you. So that's why we tell our story each and every single day. Now, our upload schedule is not the same as consecutive every day, but ultimately, no matter what, we upload every single Tuesday at 5 05 um p.m. Eastern Standard Time on YouTube. Now we're we're we may be doing a little more than that, but no matter what, we always upload once a week on Tuesdays at 5 05 p.m. Um five? Well, that's uh to be honest, I've never told anybody this, okay. Oh no, so I'm getting an exclusive, yes, and this may be a weird way to think it, but growing up, when I got out of school, I would run home, do my homework, and immediately at five o'clock was a time that all of my family would sit down together and watch Full House.
SPEAKER_02:I remember that show.
SPEAKER_01:So, and I figured if I upload every single day at 5 p.m. on YouTube, that's what a lot of people upload. They always upload uh right on the top of the hour. So I wanted it to be a little bit different, so mine is more relevant on the you know, on the on the algorithm, on the algorithm. So I did 505, and also that's a prime time that a lot of people are at home or getting off of school when you look at all time zones going across. So I I I just figured that's a good peak time.
SPEAKER_02:I love it.
SPEAKER_01:And a lot of families watch my uh watch our content together.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, oh wow, that's so cool! And I will say too, Daniel, you have grown grown significantly since uh we became uh friends. Uh you've done a today show appearance where they gave you a car that was just so incredible, so amazing. And and did you you did did you have any idea? Like, was that a surprise, or how did you how did that come about even?
SPEAKER_01:So I got a phone call from uh the NBC's Today Show, and they said, Hey, we heard that you have a very interesting story. Actually, hold on, I'm gonna back up. Literally, the producer called me and goes, Hey, is this Mr. Odell? And I go, This is how I might help you. And they go, um, I'm with the NBC's Today Show, I'm the director. We were told that you are a very interesting character. And I and I immediately just started laughing. Oh, that's hilarious. That's me right here. And how can I help you today? And next thing you know, um, they really wanted me that I was told that I was gonna be able to tell my story on national television to let all veterans know that they are not alone with what they are going through, and all individuals with whatever. And I I was just so ecstatic. Um, I was kind of blinded by everything else because of me out of all the things that we talked about today, I just truly want all veterans to know that they're not alone, and every survivor and anybody who's going through whatever they're going through, they're they're truly not alone. You know, you can reach out to me at my company Motivate. That's a shameless plug right there, but you can reach out to me, anybody who's listening, and just just talk and we can make a plan. Um, so for me to be able to do that on national television, I was just ecstatic. Now I showed up, they came to my house, we filmed, and uh, we went to the American Legion to film, you know, some more, you know, in-depth of my story. The next thing you know, we come out of the American Legion and I turned the corner. Next thing you know, they had Simmons University marching band there just going to town. Oh, and it was incredible, it was awesome. And then they had the color guard, and then I I saluted the color guard, thank them, and they turned my body and then they go, This brand new Ford Expedition Max. And I'm like, it's it's not processing in my head because I'm very humble and I don't make much money. I I I live on a fixed income, even though I run my own business, I just put all that back in and I take care of everybody else. And I really realistically, I don't take care of myself, I truly don't. I I had a very old truck that I still use, it's falling apart, duct tape on a steering wheel, all this. So when they said, Hey, this brand new, you know, many thousand dollar vehicle is mine, I didn't believe it at first, you know. It's just like, really? Like me, why me? But the reason why me is because all the sacrifices and the service I continue to do, and they explain that. But what really hit home, right, is I stepped around the vehicle and they hand me the keys, and they you know, they're like, All right, get ready to open it up and everything. And next thing you know, Mr. Rod Rodriguez from the Global War on Terrorism steps out the backseat, and I just break down in tears because oh, he's he's my best friend, and he he truly helped shape and change my life. And we just hug it out and we continue to tell our story on national television. And it's it's I need to get him on the show.
SPEAKER_02:I really do. I love his mission, and you're reminding me that I need to reach out to him and and and get him on the podcast because he's a he's so inspirational and just powerful and a true example, just like yourself, of somebody who is relentless and is going to go the extra mile to get things done and to make things happen. And those are my kind of people.
SPEAKER_01:So I just want to oh, go ahead. I just you know can't stress it enough. Like Rob, you everybody we continue to just serve others and make things happen. That's that's our military mindset and our background and our training. It's not like some civilians, you know. When you sometimes we ask some people to get things done, the military don't ask how we got them done sometimes, but mission complete, okay. Right, we're gonna find a way to know and then civilian they want to know who, what, when, where, why. And it's like, hold on, I I I completed a mission, let's move on to the next task. So yeah, it's awesome, it's awesome.
SPEAKER_02:Well, I know I know how you feel. Like when I was told to get something done or find a way to make something happen when I served, I I would find a way to make something happen. I I don't care if it would kill my kill myself while doing it. I would, I would make it happen just because I I believed in what I was doing, I believed in the teams I worked on with. I mean, even if I was having problems with those people, I didn't care. I was still gonna do what I could when I could uh to get the mission done. And it's just it's such a pleasure to talk to you, Daniel. I I I am so inspired by you. I'm a huge fan. We will stay in touch, we will stay friends. It's I mean, it's like I I'm so grateful. Like after all these years, I can give back and still meet these amazing people through this podcast that I started. And you're a perfect example of one of those people that I like. My path would have never crossed yours if I hadn't gotten into this whole content creator stuff. So thank you so much. Is there anything that I didn't cover down on, or anything else you'd like to tell the audience before uh we close out the call?
SPEAKER_01:You know, the um I can't stress this enough. Um, every listener, everybody all around, you're not alone with what you're going through. Literally, there's people all around the world who may have experienced what you've gone through, or may have may have experienced something similar. Um, but let's all continue to work together. Know that you're not alone, know that there's no perfect manual to life, otherwise, everybody would have that perfect life. Just do the best you can each and every day. And when you lay your head down at night time, if you didn't do good that day, it's okay. It truly is okay if you didn't do good that day. But what we're gonna do the next day is do a little bit better than the day before. Do just a little bit better, and again, you are ultimately not alone.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely, I love it, I love it. All right, I will meet you backstage to say goodbye. I'm gonna go full screen, but thank you so much for sharing these uh sharing on the stories of service podcast, and I will be with you in just one minute. Thank you, Daniel.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you guys, and thank you, all the viewers. Don't forget to hit that thumbs up button, subscribe, and make sure you're following the SOS podcast.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you, thank you. Yeah, shameless plug for my show too. But they can also find you at motivate.com. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, motivate.com and the fluffy poodle, those three words, the fluffy poodle on all social media platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and all of them the fluffy poodle.
SPEAKER_02:Awesome, awesome. All right, guys, I will go full screen now. I want to thank you all for joining me uh on another episode of the Stories of Service Podcast. I will be back uh this Thursday to do another topic, a little bit of a somber topic. We're gonna go dive deep into VA disability benefits. Guys have seen all the articles, all the recent Senate hearing and the VFW. A lot of those organizations are talking about this issue. Well, we're gonna talk about it too. And I do have the author of the book, Wounding Warriors, uh, Daniel Gade. He wrote that with a co-author, I believe, with the Wall Street Journal. And we're gonna talk about why he wrote the book and what he wants to see in terms of VA reform going forward. All right, guys, gonna be a good one. So I hope you can join us. Please ask your questions live. Uh, we will try to get as many of those in as we can, as I always end these calls. Uh, please take care of yourselves. Thanks for watching. Take care of each other and enjoy the rest of your evening. Bye bye now.