The Real Cost of Military Transition

He gave the Army 20 years, 8 months, and 8 days, nearly all of it in special operations. From Ranger Regiment to Green Beret team sergeant, Joshua Daniel lived and breathed the mission. But when the wars ended, so did the mission, and he felt it in every bone, every memory, every unfinished story.

Rather than fade out, he built something bigger than himself.

In this episode, Joshua opens up about the pain of stepping away, the harsh words that forced him to rethink his exit, and how he turned guilt into leadership with Hero Games Charity and Counterculture Solutions. From one-on-one mentoring to purpose-driven events honoring Gold Star families, he's proving there's still work worth doing, and it starts with refusing to settle for half a life.

Timestamps:

• 00:00:30 - From 134 pounds to Green Beret: Building grit through the suck
• 00:06:00 - The moment a younger soldier called him out-and why it changed his path
• 00:10:00 - Starting over with Hero Games and finding new purpose
• 00:19:45 - Why honoring one family a year matters more than doing it all
• 00:38:00 - The hard truth about veterans wasting their lives post-military

Links & Resources

• Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1
• Website: https://www.counterculturesolutions.com/
• https://herogamescharity.com/
• Follow Joshua Daniel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JDxHGCxCCS
• Follow Joshua Daniel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdxhgcxccs/

Transcript

View the transcript for this episode.