Episode 56: What Connects Olympic Ski Jumping, Wall Street, and Healing War Veterans with Lyubim Kogan
- Author
- Brandon Held
- Published
- Tue 22 Jul 2025
- Episode Link
- None
Lyubim Kogan shares his remarkable journey from Soviet-era Ukraine to becoming an Olympic ski jumper, financial executive, and founder of Wings for Heroes, a non-profit that helps amputee veterans through paragliding experiences. His story reveals how personal challenges—including immigration with just the clothes on his back, homelessness, and career setbacks—shaped his mission to serve veterans.
• Escaped Soviet Union at 17 with only hours to pack, bringing just his ski jumping equipment
• Received a scholarship to National Sports Academy in Lake Placid while learning English
• Balanced NYU education with Olympic training, traveling 600 miles weekly to continue ski jumping
• Witnessed 9/11 firsthand, deeply moved by firefighters running toward danger
• Experienced homelessness while building his financial planning business
• Spoke at Steve Forbes' symposium and contributed to a bestselling book
• Created Wings for Heroes after seeing the struggles of amputee veterans
• Takes veterans paragliding to help them momentarily forget their disabilities
• Operates through wingsforheroes.org with a volunteer-based model
To learn more about Wings for Heroes or to support their mission helping veterans, visit https://wings4heroes.org/
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