Built in the Dark with Aaron Hale

Description

What if the worst thing that ever happened to you turned out to be the very thing that made you unstoppable?

In this episode, Aaron Hale, retired Army Staff Sergeant, EOD Team Leader, speaker, podcaster, real estate investor, and small business owner, shares one of the most extraordinary stories of resilience you will ever hear. In 2011, an IED blast in Afghanistan took his eyes. Four years later, bacterial meningitis took what was left of his hearing. He is now both blind and deaf, and he just ran 205 miles across Kenya and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, believed to be the first blind-deaf person to ever accomplish that feat.

Aaron doesn't call himself a victim. He calls his injuries divine direction. And through his podcast, speaking, and the way he shows up every single day, he is busy proving that the story of your struggle can become the blueprint for someone else's survival.

[00:04:20] Just Back from Africa: The Seed to Summit Trek

Ran 205 miles from Mombasa, Kenya to the base of Mount Kilimanjaro over nine days
Climbed the tallest peak in Africa, completing a full seed to summit expedition
Believes he is the first blind-deaf person to ever accomplish this
Fulfilled a plan made 11 years earlier, interrupted by the meningitis that stole his hearing

[00:06:20] What He Does Now

Speaker, podcaster, real estate investor, and co-owner of Extra Ordinary Delights, an artisan chocolate company
Calls himself an excuse killer; uses adversity as fuel, not an anchor
Hosts the Point of Impact podcast to show people how to become their best selves

[00:09:00] Blind, Deaf, and Still Showing Up

Lost his eyes in an IED blast in 2011 while serving as an Army EOD technician
Bacterial meningitis in 2015 took the rest of his hearing and destroyed his inner ear balance
Uses a cochlear implant connected directly to his auditory nerve to communicate

[00:12:20] How He Got Here: From Navy Chef to Army Bomb Technician

Got asked to leave college, joined the Navy, and became a chef to a three-star admiral in Italy
Left cooking, joined the Army, and became an EOD bomb technician
Was on his third deployment when the IED blast happened, just days after seeing his firstborn son turn one

[00:14:40] The Relationship That Changed Everything: Kyle

Kyle, a fellow EOD team leader, was injured two weeks before Aaron and was already at Walter Reed when Aaron arrived
He wheeled into Aaron's room, made him feel the beard he had grown out of defiance, and cracked jokes about his condition
He was at full spirit just two weeks after losing a leg
That moment showed Aaron he had no excuse to quit; warriors up and down those halls were all still fighting

[00:19:20] What Inspires Him: The Gift of a Story

In the military, relationships mean survival; you trust the people on your left and right with your life
After his injury, he felt like he lost that brotherhood, but it transformed into something new
He was given the gift of a story and the ability to flick the light switch on for others
Getting to help someone see their situation differently is both altruistic and deeply personally rewarding

[00:22:40] The Relationships That Opened the World: Eric Weihenmayer and Lonnie Bedwell

Began searching online for blind people living actively: blind plus outdoors, blind plus fitness, blind plus anything
Found Eric Weihenmayer, the first blind person to climb all seven summits; went climbing with him in the Peruvian Andes at 19,000 feet
Found Lonnie Bedwell, the first blind person to kayak the entire Grand Canyon solo; went kayaking with him too
These men took his thinking from a peephole to a bay window; he had been thinking far too small

[00:26:00] What That Perspective Unlocked

Registered for four marathons before ever running longer than a 10K
Three of those qualified him for the Boston Marathon, which he ran in 2015
In 2023 became the first blind-deaf person to finish Badwater 135, the toughest foot race on Earth

[00:29:40] The Impact He Got to Make: Kilimanjaro with 25 Friends

When he arrived at Kilimanjaro, 25 friends, family, and associates had come to be part of the climb
Many had never done anything like it; his story inspired them to say yes
A close friend from his military real estate mastermind, someone he had spoken with weekly for years, climbed it right alongside him

[00:31:00] Aaron's Marathon Training Day

Reached out to Team Red, White and Blue for help training for his first marathon
They organized a weekly Sunday run called Aaron's Marathon Training Day, open to anyone at any pace
Week after week more people showed up; it outgrew him and became a full community movement
He got to be the catalyst; it kept snowballing long after it needed him to carry it