[00:00:00] Scott DeLuzio: You know that feeling when you just take off the uniform and all the stuff that you leaned on is gone. The, the paycheck, the housing, the crew that you always had your back. You know, one day you’re in the next day it’s like you’re just on an island all by yourself. Robert Wheeler went through all that.

[00:00:17] He left the Navy, thought he had all the things lined up, and then the bottom fell out from under him. He blew up to over 300 pounds. He battled depression and felt like he didn’t even want to be a vet claim to be a veteran anymore. And what turned it around for him was pretty simple, but not always the easiest thing to do.

[00:00:38] Uh, he focused on his fitness, his mindset, and discipline. In this episode, he’s gonna talk about why he tells himself to shut up when the spiral starts in his head. How, uh, chapter 31, uh, vocational rehab, uh, and employment benefits from the VA gave him the time and freedom to [00:01:00] reset, and how pain can actually be the thing that pushes you forward.

[00:01:06] Before we get into this episode, though, I wanna take a moment to raise awareness for something that I think is deeply important to our community. The Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation. This organization is working to build a permanent national memorial in Washington DC to honor the service members, families, and civilians impacted by the global war on terrorism.

[00:01:26] This memorial will serve as both a tribute to those who served and way to ensure that their sacrifices are recognized and remembered for generations to come. So if you want to learn more or find out how you can support their mission, visit GWOT memorial foundation.org. Now, let’s get in today’s episode.

[00:01:58] Scott DeLuzio: Hey, Robert, welcome to the [00:02:00] show. Really glad to have you here.

[00:02:01] Robert Wheeler: you here. Thank you. It’s good to be here.

[00:02:03] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, absolutely. So, before we get into kind of your, your whole story and everything give us a little rundown of your, your background, kind of your, your military service and, and kind of, what led you to where you are today.

[00:02:14] Robert Wheeler: That’s a loaded question, brother. I don’t

[00:02:15] Scott DeLuzio: It might be, yeah,

[00:02:16] Robert Wheeler: that might take like three to to five episodes over a course of a couple months.

[00:02:20] Scott DeLuzio: A couple drinks and.

[00:02:21] Robert Wheeler: Born and raised in California for, for 21 years. Kind of was the guy that didn’t have a goal or a vision or a dream. Just, I literally probably thought I was gonna live with my parents till the day they died, and I kind of took over their stuff, which really wasn’t, I guess, the best attitude, but.

[00:02:41] So after I got kicked out of college for Academics and lost my scholarships, my sports scholarships, my dad wasn’t too happy with me. So, he was a business owner, entrepreneur. And every day, literally every day for six months before he went to work at 5:00 AM he would kick open my door. I think literally my door was destroyed by [00:03:00] the end of the day and he’d be like, join the Navy.

[00:03:03] Well, me thinking that, haha, dad, I’m gonna join the Navy and I’m gonna piss you off and you’re not gonna even know h...