The Morning Formation (TMF) Podcast
The Morning Formation Podcast is your go-to source for in-depth discussions on modern tactics, hand-to-hand combat, leadership, lifestyle, and compelling storytelling. Hosted by KP Phillips, a combat military veteran and former first responder who served as an instructor in tactics, firearms, and combative techniques, the podcast delivers expert insights and real-life experiences that empower and educate listeners.
Whether you're a military professional, a martial arts enthusiast, or someone interested in leadership and personal growth, The Morning Formation Podcast offers valuable content that resonates. Join us as we explore the dynamic world of tactical training and leadership through engaging stories and expert interviews.
Additionally, the podcast features veteran and first responder-owned businesses and products, showcasing the entrepreneurial spirit and innovations within these communities.
The Morning Formation (TMF) Podcast
From Black Hawk Pilot to Yoga Advocate: Sarah Moore's Journey to Mental Health
Imagine the life of a former Army Black Hawk pilot who faced immense pressure and severe anxiety, leading to a life-altering panic attack. In this episode, we have the privilege of hearing from Sarah Moore, who poignantly shares her journey from post-9/11 enlistee to aviation officer, and how the intensity of military life steered her toward advocating for mental health. Sarah reveals the prevalent unhealthy coping mechanisms in the military, such as excessive drinking and lack of sleep, and explains how these experiences fueled her mission to support other veterans through her business, Blue Side Yoga.
As the only female service member in her family during wartime, Sarah offers a unique perspective on the emotional and physical struggles faced by military families. She discusses the challenges of transitioning back to civilian life, dealing with PTSD, and managing post-deployment pain, as well as her journey from military service to federal law enforcement. This profound realization of the need for mental health resources led to the creation of Blue Side Yoga, a program aimed at helping veterans scientifically understand and manage stress. Sarah emphasizes the importance of reintegrating into family life and finding a sense of home again.
We also explore the transformative power of yoga and meditation for veterans and first responders, with Sarah recounting how a neurosurgeon's recommendation sparked her personal journey with yoga. From overcoming common misconceptions to understanding the mind-body connection, Sarah highlights the mental and physical benefits of yoga.
We introduce innovative virtual training programs like the "Warrior Mindset" and "Mountain Athlete" courses, designed to prepare participants for mental and physical challenges. The episode culminates with an exciting 12-week program that includes a trek in Nepal, aimed at fostering mental fitness and holistic healing. Join us for an episode packed with invaluable insights and actionable advice on mental health and well-being.
All links and socials we discussed (includes links to the free warrior mindset workbook): https://www.bluesideyoga.com/links
Discounts available for 2024 Annapurna Base Camp Trek - $100 off for you and $100 off for a friend to come on our 2024 Annapurna Base Camp Trek. Join Team Annapurna here: https://sarah-moore-1bdc.mykajabi.com/annapurna-base-camp-trek-copy-1
Check out our website
Please Support & Donate to the Podcast: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/themorningform
USA Made socks with a Purpose. 20% off with code: TMF
https://www.solediersocks.com/tmf
Episode Powered By Act Now Education
Welcome to the Morning Formation. This episode is powered by Act. Now Education Warriors fall in. It's time for formation. Today, folks, I have a guest on here who is a former military Army Black Hawk pilot was also enlisted prior to that which a lot of times folks call those Mustangs right, which I myself went through the same progression in the military. So I have a lot of respect for that specific, I guess, journey or track when it comes to your career. And one of the things that my guest today, sarah Moore from Blue Side Yoga, discovered was the self-awareness to take care of her mental health. So I'm going to give an opportunity for Sarah to introduce herself and talk a little bit about her background and where she comes from, and then we'll get into talking about her business that helps veterans cope with mental health through the wilderness. Sarah, thank, you.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be here and I love the parallels that we have with our career. So a little bit about my background. 9-11 really shaped my entire life. So I didn't have a lot of aspirations for military or anything before 9-11 happened. It happened when I was in my freshman year in college and by the end of the week I was in the recruiter's office and I knew that was the path I was going to take. So from the start of age 19, I was living in that army world and took whatever job was available at that time and that happened to be a truck driver and I just rolled with it, no pun intended. So did the whole pre-Iraq war deal. Eventually got back to college and somehow enjoyed the army so much I knew I wanted to make it my career. So I went to, ended up going aviation and from there my flying career just kind of took off. So I was an air assault company commander deployed. A couple of times we were in Iraq, finished up in Kosovo. A couple of times we were in Iraq, finished up in Kosovo.
Speaker 2:But throughout that time it was about eight years into my career where the stress and everything just started building up and so I think that's kind of about the time where I see my peers start to get burnout as well. So it's like that eight-year mark where things just start to kind of pile up. But we can talk about a little bit of that later. But as I was going through my career, I started picking up these bits and pieces of mental health and realizing that the lifestyle that we live, which mainly is the suck it up and drive on, and these really poor coping mechanisms that are normal for us in the military aren't helpful overall for your whole system and you're going to burn out really quickly. So, mid-career, I started recognizing that and then from there got more into peer support, learning about neuroscience, learning about the nervous system and trying to that into daily life and encouraging others that, hey, your mental health has to be a priority.
Speaker 1:And I saw part of the replay from the presentation that you put on last week and you talked about when it dawned on you that you need to focus more on your mental health, and I think it happened during a training exercise. Is that correct?
Speaker 2:It did so the time that I had so I actually had such a huge anxiety attack that I got sent to the ER and leading up to that I had no idea what was going on in my mind and body and no idea that it was that severe that I was just kind of waiting for that next really stressful moment to just snap my whole nervous system. And so that happened about it was about six months post-Iraq deployment. I was in the aviation captain's career course, which ended up being my reward for deploying, which you kind of see it in the surge. That's kind of a downtime to go to a school because you're not deploying. I was in the midst of dealing with a lot of post-deployment issues. So I was having severe neck and back pain, my arm was going numb, but it was also stuff that I was ignoring, thinking that like, well, it's just life. I had no idea that that was related to the stressors that I had just gone through or the physical injuries of carrying the amount of armor and weight and stuff that we had to do while flying, on my size frame which I'm not a big person so a lot of that was really messing with my back.
Speaker 2:I came home from Iraq.
Speaker 2:I didn't really have anywhere to live.
Speaker 2:I was in an abusive marriage, verbally and physically, and so the cumulative of all of that stuff what an addition to the you know unhealthy coping mechanisms that we all have, which is drinking too much over caffeinating, not getting enough sleep, all that stuff.
Speaker 2:So in the middle of the dunker exercise, which is the helicopter egress training that we do for pilots, I had such a panic attack that it was just unrecoverable for me and it was terrifying because I didn't know I was having that. It was like tunnel vision. I couldn't stop physically shaking and then it was getting pulled from the pool in front of the rest of my fellow captains going through the school. That was super, super embarrassing and at that point it was like, well, I haven't dealt with all this other stuff. Now my flying career is in danger, which was the only thing I cared about at that time, and that's really when I had to hit pause on my career and everything else to focus on my mental health and get back in the game. So that kind of story is what I don't want to see other people go through, because we're ignoring these mental health issues.
Speaker 1:It's interesting that that hit you during a training exercise and not during your deployment. Did you ever, at any point in your deployment, have a moment where you might've had a tactical pause and you thought to yourself that this isn't normal?
Speaker 2:I don't think at that point I was correlating trauma and stress, trauma and stress and it was just.
Speaker 2:Things were so busy then that it was just the day-to-day life, and it wasn't until I got home where everything was just amplified where you kind of realized, okay, that wasn't normal and that wasn't okay.
Speaker 2:It was stuff where at home where, like the tiniest things I would get so upset over, and then the hypervigilance and not being able to calm down and not being able to sleep, and then, you know, I would have these, these nightmares that were I don't I don't know like how to categorize them as nightmares, but it was these, like I call them, stress streams, and I don't know if that's a technical term or not, but it was a thing where it's like I can't get my weapon out, I can't get my sights focused.
Speaker 2:That was part of the dream, where it was this internal panic of something that I can't do to save myself or others. But that was all post-deployment stuff, and so I think that, like I say, suck it up and drive on can't be a lifestyle, but it kind of had to be when we were deployed. But we're not taught how to shut it off, because our nervous systems cannot live stuck on high, and that's exactly what happens when we're in those types of environments, because we're always on. So it was post for me when everything started to kind of fall apart.
Speaker 1:Yeah, looking back at everything, I guess I didn't realize it at the time, but everything hit me once I came back from deployment as well. You know, I found out that a bulge disc and my L5, um, when I came back, I was walking to PT formation one day and I literally my legs just folded out from underneath me and I just sat on the ground and it was so embarrassing because two of my soldiers had to pick me up and put me in a vehicle and take me to sick call and like as a first lieutenant at that time that was really really embarrassing. You know, and I can understand what you're talking about with the helicopter training incident where you're right there in front of your beers and you're like suck it up and drive on and I was telling myself mentally get up. Like what's wrong legs, why can't you get up? So I did. I definitely identify with you on that for sure. And I was just curious, sarah, why did you choose aviation? That?
Speaker 2:for sure. And I was just curious, sarah, why did you choose aviation? So that's a great question. I am a third generation pilot in my family. So my grandfather flew in the Army Air Corps and then turned into the Air Force and then my father is a fixed wing pilot. He did not go military, he's corporate, but it just is one of those things that's in my blood. So it was just that goal my whole life to fly something. And the way that life kind of led, you know, like I said, 9-11 kind of paved my future. Army aviation was the way I ended up going and I always had this love for the air assault mission and so that was my goal to make sure that I ended up in that type of unit and being an air assault pilot. And thankfully the stars aligned and I was a company commander, so that was really awesome for heading that sort of helicopter flight direction.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we have a lot in common actually. Flight direction yeah, we have a lot in common actually. That's really interesting too, because you know, my dad was in the military as well for 20 years, and so I was. Were you a military brat growing up?
Speaker 2:Nope. So I was the only one in my immediate family that went military.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, yeah, so what? So what was that like, especially during war? What was that like?
Speaker 2:yeah, especially during war, there was a lot of concern. Well, the only thing, the thing too, is I'm the only female in my immediate family, so I've got two brothers and they never went military, which is kind of funny, um, but it was really concerning and it was really new for my parents. Because here I am at 19, leaving college, and this inevitable war is starting and I'm a fuel truck driver and we like, looking back at the start of the war. That was such a horrible place to be in a convoy, um, and so the stress of, you know, my family watching me go from you know college to enlisted and just pouring my heart into wanting to serve my country was nerve wracking and I was thankful. You know, my mom got involved with the family readiness group and all the you know all the things so that she knew what was going on.
Speaker 2:But it still was a really difficult and stressful time of, you know, being that that only daughter in the family that raised her hand to go go off and fight a war. So, and then continue when I got back and then, you know, dealing with all the the you know post-deployment issues of the physical back pain and then all you know PTSD and all that kind of stuff. No one really knows how to deal with it. And was really tough, you know, especially in the early parts of of uh, operation iraqi freedom of like. You know, how are we going to come back? How do we integrate? How do we, you know, is who am I again in this family? And it's it's. It's hard to just step right back into that because you have to merge who you were before with who you are now and that's very two different people.
Speaker 1:I think that's one of the more difficult parts. That's not spoken about when it comes to PTS is the assimilation back to the dinner table to people who have never served before and having conversations with them. It changes and sometimes you're not heard. Sometimes people form very strong opinions about certain things and they've never walked a mile in your boots before. And it's interesting too, because I was actually a transportation platoon leader when I was down range. What year were you in Iraq? What year was your first?
Speaker 2:time deploying.
Speaker 2:Well, so the first time this is really funny we enlisted and we were supposed to be on the initial invasion. So we were supposed to go with the fourth ID down through Turkey and they closed the doors to that. So, us being attached to the fourth ID, we got mobilized, we were ready to go. We were literally on the plane three times and then they got us off the plane and we never set foot in country when I was enlisted. So the time I was over there was when, after I became a pilot and we were doing a lot of troop movement throughout the country, but we were sitting there with the first group ready to be in the invasion and it just never happened. And the funny it's not funny, it's, it's actually actually kind of horrible that people didn't realize the difference. But when the whole jessica lynch thing happened, my mom got so many calls and be like is that sarah, is she over there?
Speaker 1:she's like no, it's a different blonde female, but she's okay, yeah and so you get out of the military and then you get a job working federal law enforcement. So you sign back up for a job where you're back on the line again really an alpha profession that you get into. And at what point did you decide to step off and quit doing that but pursue blue side yoga?
Speaker 2:So as I got into the federal law enforcement job, I started to see so many similar things, with people being burnt out and not addressing the amount of stress that we go through and dealing, coping with these really unhealthy mechanisms, particularly in our life alcohol and then really trying to push to make a difference. Because the resources are out there, there's programs that can teach us how to be mentally resilient and teach it on a scientific level, because our community is a really skeptical community. So we need to learn the why behind everything. Before I just tell you like, hey, if you meditate, this is going to really help calm you down, like the average person in our community is like don't tell me to meditate, what is that? That's for hippies, I'm not doing that. But if I tell you, hey, when you meditate and you calm your breathing, you're going to engage your parasympathetic nervous system. That calms your nervous system down, that takes you off of the fight or flight and therefore it starts to regulate your nervous system and therefore your mental health. And so when you start to explain things scientifically, we could have a huge buy-in from our community, because the elite, elite, elite operators know this and they're trained in this and they do it. So where's the disconnect between that and what we do when we're still living every day in this stress and going through the training and being one of the people that was in the Army we call it casualty assistance officer.
Speaker 2:There's not really equivalent in the agency that I was in, but that's the work that I was doing with a officer suicide and that point I realized. The agency isn't responding to this mental health crisis. I was told that I can't say the word crisis and from that point on I kind of knew that my life path was going to be through blue side yoga and helping people scientifically understand what is happening in the nervous system and then be able to address it. And that is the basis. And it's funny, we talked about how hard it is to come back home, but that's what I've named.
Speaker 2:My program is back home because you need to learn how do I integrate back home, how do I leave the stress behind? How do I deal with the stress? How do I deal with triggers? How do I talk to my family now about this? And that is all the stuff that we cover in our back home program. That should be given to us in the military and our agencies. It really should, but it's not, and so that's why I really felt strongly, so strongly enough that I left my full-time law enforcement job to pursue blue side yoga and help people through this process.
Speaker 1:And I was just curious why yoga For the non-believers out there in yoga? Why yoga?
Speaker 2:I love that you asked this question because I've actually had people tell me like you need to change your name because no one's going to want to work with you, but yoga was the first thing that saved my life. So after my anxiety attack in 2009, the VA's answer not the VA, the army, the military's answer was to give me a ton of pain pills and muscle relaxers, and I wasn't willing to do that. I was personally terrified that I was going to be become addicted to the painkillers and, plus, like the only joy I had in my life at that time was my flying career and I was not about to let that go. So I researched and I went out on my own and I went to a neurosurgeon actually cause my back pain was so bad and he said, well, he's like you should naturally try yoga and then get into like deep tissue massage and on chiropractic work and all that stuff. But yoga was the first thing that he recommended and as soon as I started going to yoga, it took probably about a month like really going three times a week and living it.
Speaker 2:But then my arm so I had really bad numbness in my arm. My arm started to come back to life and I was like, whoa, there's something here. And then it wasn't just the physical, like getting all of our muscles to release, because we hold stress in our muscles, especially our hips, back, neck, all of the areas. So finally, when I was able to get those muscles to release, the mental aspect started feeling better too. I was like, oh, I'm actually sleeping better and I'm concentrating better and my mind isn't going through this constant hypervigilant state, and so I really credit yoga as the first step to saving my life. And I don't say those words lightly. I really think I was going down a very scary path lightly, like I really think I was going down a very scary path. And so that's why yoga is so important to me, because it was the first step in getting me on the right path to understanding what happened in my mind and body and understand what happens in others, as they've gone through very similar situations.
Speaker 1:The only time in my life that I ever felt 100% like mentally and physically was when next to my gym there was a hot yoga place and I I was always concerned about being injured. That was my biggest concern. I got to go to work. I can't be injured, so let me try this yoga thing so I can stay flexible and, and you know, that prevents injuries, and so I go in there.
Speaker 1:The best part about it was that it was an hour out of my day when I started going like two, three times a week, uh, where my phone was not with me and it was just, it was a hot yoga, so you had to focus on your breathing and and I felt so good after just like two months of doing it and, uh, I was really sad when I moved away from that place because it was so convenient to get to, and so I'm a believer in it. I suggest yoga to everybody, but at the end of the day it's like who's actually going to go do it? You know that's the biggest challenge of it all. Do you find a lot of difficulty in convincing folks to give it a shot?
Speaker 2:I do, so I get a lot of excuse. So it's the usual excuses that I'm not flexible, the all that kind of stuff which you can easily like if you're not flexible. That's why you should go to yoga. It would be like telling you like, hey, I don't speak Spanish so I can't go to Spanish class. Like, no, you go to Spanish class to learn how to speak Spanish, so you go to yoga to be more flexible and more calm and controlling the mind and all that, the mind-body connection.
Speaker 2:But the other one that I found was really interesting, and I was a PT instructor for the federal agency that I was with, and so I was always offering yoga and stretching. And I had one guy come up to me and he's like I can't do yoga because it's too boring for me. And so I was like, okay, I totally understand where you're coming from, because our minds are so busy that when we finally have a time where we have to sit still or have to that, when we finally have a time where we have to sit still or have to hold a pose or hold a stretch, we as military and first responders, have trained our minds and bodies to feel like work. Being feminine is uncomfortable, and so our bodies have learned that to be a threat. So we react to it like I can't do this, I don't want to do this, this isn't comfortable for me, and they're going to fight that tendency to do it.
Speaker 2:So when I come across someone like that, I try to explain scientifically, like this is why it's boring for you, or this is why you're uncomfortable doing it.
Speaker 2:It's because your mind is constantly activated and constantly on. So you need to come back and be centered and start to train the mind to not be going every which way and to focus on the task at hand, and so it's interesting to see that perspective. So I don't think I made him a complete believer, but at least had the light bulb of like, wow, they're okay. So there is more going on than me just thinking that this is a a boring workout, or you know something that I don't like. And if you take away the mindset of it being boring and put it into the, the mindset like oh no, I am training my mind and body because our western society has made those two things separate and they really aren't when you can combine the two and know that, okay, I need to do both of these things, then you can, you know, get the the full benefit from that yoga practice oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Just shutting off the noise in this Western society is difficult, right? That's why I love podcasting so much, is, you can actually get two to three tiers deep into a conversation, versus the short form video that everyone's fallen in love with here in the last few years. I hope that we come back to a society where we actually stop and listen to each other, um other and take the time to fully understand one another, but also understand ourselves too, and that's why I really like what you're doing, because it involves a lot of self-awareness and a lot of accountability. So talk about what you offer. As far as the trips for the first responders and the veterans to the Himalayas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so my goal. So I have to give you a little backstory on why, particularly I fell in love with the Himalayas. So it was always a goal for me to hike to Everest Base Camp and for some reason, ever since I was a little kid, I was always obsessed with Mount Everest. I had the picture in my room like no idea why. Uh. So when I graduated from uh, georgetown with my master's degree, I was like, finally, this is my gift to myself and I'm going to do this. And I had just gone through all of the neuroscience training and understanding the mind and body and really starting to think of like, okay, I need to start to focus back on myself and give myself this quiet gift.
Speaker 2:So I went over and did the Everest Base Camp Trek and it was about day seven, maybe six, two, it doesn't matter Anyways, two days before I actually get to base camp and we're really high altitude and it's just this gorgeous Alpine hiking and I'm walking alone and I'm just listening to nothing. I'm enjoying the quietness and I felt like I had this like bugs, exoskeleton that I was wearing and and it felt like it was just cracking away and as I'm feeling this, I could feel, I felt like it was like the weight of my service, the weight of PTSD, the weight of the physical pain, the weight of just trauma, and it felt like it was just breaking away and like I felt so free and I knew scientifically about seven days like something like that may happen, because that's about the time where it takes for the body to calm down. So I had no cell service. It was just me. I'm eating healthy, I'm not drinking like all of these like this, like a perfect storm in the most positive sense to like finally come back to who. I started to feel like being me again.
Speaker 2:And so as I finished that that little walk and I felt like completely enlightened afterwards, I was like I want others to feel this, because when I came back from Iraq and I came back from Kosovo and dealing with everything else, I didn't think that I could feel peace ever again because I always had that stress and that just kind of like heavy anger looming over me and I was like it's possible, it's possible, I have to share this with others. So that was the start of why I wanted to do blue side yoga and not just teach people about the nervous system and science and stress and how to heal. But it's a tough journey and you know this. Just keeping up with yoga like God, I know it's good, but how do I keep up with it? So if I start working with you and our end goal is to do this amazing trek in Nepal that you have to physically and mentally prepare yourself for, and we're doing it with a group of others that are in the same boat, that's where I'm like, that's where healing happens.
Speaker 2:And so we spend about 12 weeks prior 12 to 14, 16 weeks prior to the trek, spend about 12 weeks prior 12 to 14, 16 weeks prior to the trek working on this stuff together. We do yoga virtually. We do a whole program on neuroscience. I teach you the effects of meditation and how to meditate, so that it's a brain exercise and not some wooey, you know, kind of hippie exercise. And then we come together as a group and we're physically in Nepal together and we're doing this trek.
Speaker 2:And so that's why, as a group, and we're physically in Nepal together and we're doing this trek, and so that's that's why I fell in love with Nepal, and you know the whole journey to the other side of the world for such a positive thing, um was just. I was like I have to figure out how to actually make this happen and I've done it. So we're in year two of bringing our folks over to Nepal and it just keeps growing and it's just been an amazing opportunity and I just am so proud of everyone that's decided to do the work and then show up and just have a fabulous time on the trail.
Speaker 1:So how many folks did you have travel with you last year?
Speaker 2:So last year we had a group of 10 for our Everest, so we call it the Everest Panorama Trek, so we don't go all the way up to Everest Base Camp on this one, and so that one is that was 12 days of trekking and it was certainly challenging and we all had our moments. Yeah, so that was last year, and then I just kept getting more asks for more trucks, and so this year we've got three going on. I still have room If there's any of your listeners that are interested in heading out this year. I do have spots left. And then now I'm looking at 2025, which is going to be even bigger. So it's, it's taken off, which is a nice thing.
Speaker 1:And all the training that you're talking about that leads up to it. I mean, this is available for folks that live all across the US. This is virtual.
Speaker 2:That's correct. Yeah, so the lead up training so we do a warrior mindset course and it's a 12 week course, and there's these minor tasks that you do every day, because mind fitness and really healing from this is not something that you can be like. Well, maybe every other week I'll do an hour Like it's. It's the repetitive brain training of keeping yourself present and keeping focused, and it also teaches you that this healthy lifestyle and to keep on track doesn't take that long every day. So you give yourself about five minutes a day and you'll really start to see some turnaround.
Speaker 2:So that's our 12-week course. And then I have a 16-week mountain athlete course that everybody gets, no matter what kind of physical shape that you're in, and that's designed to take somebody that isn't used to trekking at all and it'll prepare them to do a 10 mile trek, which is definitely the longest that we would do any day in Nepal. So if you can do that trek at the end, then you're you're set to go. So, yeah, we set you up for success with this and you're never alone. So that's the, that's the big benefit of this you up for success with this and you're never alone.
Speaker 1:So that's the, that's the big benefit of this. And, sarah, what is, what would you say, is your ultimate goal at the end of all this? I know one of your goals is to help others out with their own mental health, but where would you like to see this go in five to 10 years from now?
Speaker 2:I want this training not be something that is outside of our organizations. So even though that's what has to be provided now because our agencies have not bought into this but this sort of training and this sort of mental health awareness needs to start from day one to let you know, like, hey, when you join the military you got to go hard through training, you got to go hard through combat, but when you're not in those scenarios, there's got to be something that teaches us to come back down to our normal baseline, back down to our normal baseline. So my goal would be to have this like, have so much awareness about this that it's a normal conversation within units, it's normal training within units and you don't have to break before you get to learn about this stuff. It should be like preventative medicine out there. So that's my goal is to get this a normal, a normal conversation, a normal practice in everything that we do.
Speaker 1:Sarah, my last question to you is this, and it's probably a pretty difficult question how do you get a veteran to to understand self-awareness and accountability? The reason I ask this question is because I had a Marine veteran call me this week just crying. I was literally in the middle of jujitsu class and I'm watching my daughter do jujitsu and he calls me up crying because he's going through a divorce, he hasn't seen his kids in forever and I've told him over and over again hey, you need to go seek therapy, you need to find some positive influence, you need to. I mean, in today's day and age there's really no excuse because they have like meet me apps. You know where you can meet folks in groups that will do physical training and things like that.
Speaker 1:And, being from the military, physical fitness is kind of a base, a foundation for everything. So I was suggesting that to him and at the end of it all it was just like, well, I don't, I don't that, it doesn't work for me, it's everything was like just negative and no accountability at all. And it's kind of one of those situations where your own you are your own worst enemy, because there is no accountability and there is no self-awareness. Own. You are your own worst enemy because there is no accountability and there is no self-awareness. Do you have any suggestions on how to get folks to come around to considering something like what with what you're doing, uh, or to just take that accountability and take their own mental health awareness in their own hands?
Speaker 2:God, I wish I had an answer for this, because I would have multiple sold out treks if that was the case, I think, the biggest impact that I've been able to see and to get people to open up and realize this. So there's two ways, unfortunately. Unfortunately, one way is where it's like the individual you're just talking about you break so badly that you have no other choice than to take a timeout, and that's what happened to me in the middle of dunker training. Like I, my nervous system broke so badly that I had to stop flying. I had to go. I was forced to go see a psychiatrist, I was forced into, you know, taking a break and taking a step back, and it doesn't have to be like that.
Speaker 2:So part of it is you're going to break yourself and then you're going to learn the hard way, or you can learn from people like me and my story to not end up that way, because all the signs are there and when I look back at it, yeah, now that I know what I know, of course I freaking, had a breakdown. I had so much on my plate and trying to handle so much on my own. Our bodies aren't designed to do this. It's not a sign of weakness, and it's not that I wasn't mentally tough enough. There's a point where things just snap. So I think the training and the scientific aspect of what goes on behind the body to learn that like hey, listen, man, you are going through a divorce, you're going through XYZ, you're probably not dealing with this. Well, I'm going to guess that you're not sleeping. Well, I'm going to guess that you're using alcohol and you're probably over-caffeinating during the day. And then you're probably compartmentalizing and not dealing with stuff which now we've got unresolved trauma that's just going to live within the body.
Speaker 2:So when we can start to show people that we got to unpack this stuff, guys, and we got to start intervening, and when we we can, we should be able to see it in ourselves. But when we train more people about this, we can see it in others. So like you can see in him that they're you know, going back to your example like there's something going on. Or you know, there's plenty of areas where I was able to deescalate a situation which is our huge buzzword in law enforcement. But when you can see somebody with their nervous system is so active, and so when you understand what's going on there, you can take a break and take a step back and deescalate the situation instead of ramping up and matching their level.
Speaker 2:So I think I don't know. I unfortunately think we're still at the point where people are breaking until they realize that they actually need help. But I hope, by conversations that we're having, showing that like, hey, you know what, you can heal yourself and guess what. There's nothing wrong with this. You're learning about the mind and body. And then, oh, by the way, we're going to go have a fantastic vacation in Nepal. At the end, that reward to be like, yeah, let me actually put the work in and give these 12 weeks to myself and see how this is going to work.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I definitely think that putting it out there and marketing it, I mean, sometimes people have to come around on their own, but it kind of has to be offered and it has to be there. So, even if you and I are having this conversation, maybe it's in their ear and maybe it's their time and they say, yeah, you know what? That sounds really cool. Let me give this a shot, because I've hit rock bottom at this point, and sometimes people do need to hit rock bottom. Self-awareness is very, very difficult and, as I always say, it's hard for folks to see themselves dancing on stage. And that's kind of how this life is. It's a stage and you can't see your performance, but people around you are giving you feedback and telling you hey, you need to get help, you need to consider doing this or doing that, and we need to listen to that sometimes, because we can be our own worst enemies. Now the trek that you're talking about.
Speaker 2:It does come at a cost, right, and how much is that? So the one that we have open right now for this year is uh, the cost of this is 2,400. And I do run a special right now for, uh, if you bring a friend, you get 100 off and your friend gets 100 off. So that's the base cost of it. But it's two weeks on the trail, everything is covered. So you get meals, lodging the guides, like everything is paid for once you arrive in Kathmandu. So there's not many places that you can go on a two plus week vacation for for about $2,300. Um, and then get the mind fitness training and all the education that you get on top of all that, that breaks down to about $170, $171 a day, right For 14 days.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, $171 a day, I mean, that's pretty much what it would cost you to stay at a hotel room for one night.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, it's not it's not a bad investment when you're thinking about, you know, the, the camaraderie that you get and then all of the mental health training and, you know, physical fitness training that you get leading up to it, cause that that program is all included. Um, so, like you can't get therapy and I'm not saying that it is therapy, but I'm saying like you can't get this kind of education and camaraderie and all that kind of stuff for that sort of price. But, um, yeah, so we have about six spots left for this year, so things are going pretty quickly. But it's our um, our Annapurna base camp trek, and nobody knows what Annapurna is, but it's the 10th highest mountain in the world, it's in the Himalayas.
Speaker 2:Um, we go to Kathmandu, we look cool sites and then, yeah, we go to that mountain and we go all the way to the base camp. Um, and it's one of the most beautiful treks, the base camp and it's one of the most beautiful treks. Like everyone loves Everest because it's Mount Everest and I get it. But I think Annapurna is where it's going to be this year because there's you got to follow me on social media. I'm going to post some pictures about it coming up soon, but it's just the scenery there is out of this world.
Speaker 1:Now, is this specifically just for first responders and military veterans, or do you also take other people on these treks as well?
Speaker 2:So the initial, so whoever signs up initially needs to be a military veteran or first responder, and then from there, if you want to bring a friend or adult family member, then I'm always supportive of somebody coming along that helps you in your healing journey, because they get the whole mindfulness program as well.
Speaker 2:So I really feel like for us that healing takes a community, and so if you have someone a special friend, significant other, spouse that is going to support you on that, then they absolutely need to be able to come and do that. I keep it to adults only. I have had questions in the past if kids can come and just because of the nature of who we are as veterans and first responders and the conversations that we have are not always, not always children friendly, and then you know the fact that too, like we are there healing and it's such, you know, sometimes it gets to be a pretty big emotional rollercoaster when we're talking about deep stuff, and so just the comfort of having, you know, your own peers around and not having children exposed to that is why we really keep it to just adults only.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that makes sense. If anything, that would probably cause more stress to have your have your kids there as well. As well, you know you're not able to get that peace and quiet uh, sometimes, but uh, with that being said, sarah, I really appreciate you going through and explaining, uh, the organization that you put together. I really appreciate, you know, at the end of the day, like I said, 171 a day uh, to be around like-minded folks who are looking for that healing element is really not a bad price. Like I said, that's really how much it would cost for you to stay at a hotel domestically here, I know, here in Southern California, that's that's like $200 a night for a Marriott or whatever. But, um, is there anything that I didn't mention, sarah, that you'd like to talk about before we finish up the podcast that I failed to ask or failed to bring up?
Speaker 2:No, I don't have anything huge to add. I just I'm so thankful that we are able to have this conversation and we come from similar worlds and the more people that I talk to about this mindfulness and the stress and what we go through, the more people are like yeah, me too. So I'm like, okay, so why don't work with me? Let's do something about this? You know we have, we have resources like you don't have to live a life that is just stressed during the day and hypervigilant and having the nightmares. Like neuroplasticity, reshaping the brain, it's a thing and it's proven and we can do it.
Speaker 2:So the last thing that I want to add is I have a free warrior mindset workbook and so if there's a way that we could include the link or get that out to your folks and it's just a way to start kind of assessing your life and where you're at. So it's not really diving into the mind fitness stuff yet, but it just makes you look and think of like, all right, these are my goals, this is where I am, where do I maybe need to be focusing more? And it kind of helps you balance your life a bit instead of. You know, a lot of us are all career and we kind of let everything else go, and that's what I see a lot in our community. So it just kind of makes you think a little bit about the whole wheel of life sort of thing, and where our spokes are and where we need to maybe be concentrating a little bit more in our lives. So I would love to offer that to your listeners, and then, of course, I would love to see that on any of our trips.
Speaker 1:Coming up Hell yeah, I'll definitely put that in the show notes. Uh, your website. You want to plug that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, bluesideyogacom. And then um, if you want to catch that, the workbook um, it's just bluesideyogacom slash workbook, but I'll get all those links to you and you can put them in the notes. But I'm on the same thing on Instagram and Facebook with blue side yoga and if you want to check some of my workouts out, I've got a YouTube page as well, so you can start to get some yoga in your life.
Speaker 1:You're lucky you got the blue side yoga and all those social media outlets, cause nothing's more frustrating than trying to get it and it's like already taken up by someone and it's not even being used. So blue side yoga, it is already taken up by someone and it's not even being used. So blue side yoga it is, and I will definitely put that in all the show notes, um for this, as well as the uh, the, the blog, um that that I put up as well. So, sarah, I really appreciate the conversation today. It was great getting to know you a little bit more and then getting to know the organization a little bit more. Um, I'm looking forward to staying in contact with you and maybe doing a follow-up after the trek that you do to find out. You know, hey, you know what happened, what did you learn? What happened? You know any cool events you know and just overall interested to hear what type of success you get out of it. So thank you so much for being part of the podcast today. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I appreciate it too.
Speaker 1:All right, folks. For everyone else out there, check out the show notes, go to bluesideyogacom, follow her on Instagram as well as all of her social media profiles. And for everyone else out there, as always, I want you to stay tuned, stay focused and stay motivated. Warriors fall out. Stay focused and stay motivated. Warriors fall out. Thank you for joining us on TMF podcast. We hope you found today's episode insightful and inspiring. Our mission is to help you strive, thrive and survive in all aspects of life. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe. Please leave us a review and share it with your network. Stay connected with us on social media as well, and visit our website for more resources. Until next time, I want you to stay tuned, stay focused and stay motivated. Warriors fall out.