The Crackin' Backs Podcast

5 non-negotiables habits for better mental health- Alex Othmer, Ex-Navy SEAL

• Dr. Terry Weyman and Dr. Spencer Baron

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In this compelling episode of the Crackin' Backs Podcast, we delve into the remarkable journey of Alex Othmer, an ex-Navy SEAL, co-founder of Guardian Revival, and a passionate mental health advocate. Alex has openly discussed his personal struggles with mental health, including depression and anxiety, shaped by his intense experiences in the military. In this conversation, he offers a unique perspective on the transition from the rigid structure of military life to the often overwhelming civilian world, a challenge faced by many Special Forces members and veterans.

Alex shares his insights on maintaining mental and physical wellness, emphasizing the importance of self-determinism in overcoming life's obstacles. He provides practical steps for individuals feeling stuck, offering advice on changing habits and improving one's outlook on life. As someone who has worked extensively with veterans and first responders, Alex addresses the widespread issue of addiction, from substance abuse to the pervasive influence of social media. He discusses the effective strategies he's seen in helping individuals overcome these challenges.

Through his organization, Guardian Revival, Alex has found new purpose in helping others navigate their own transitions, highlighting the healing power of aiding those in need. He elaborates on the profound sense of fulfillment that comes from successfully supporting someone, a feeling he describes as intoxicating.

To listen to his past show, click HERE

We are two sports chiropractors, seeking knowledge from some of the best resources in the world of health. From our perspective, health is more than just “Crackin Backs” but a deep dive into physical, mental, and nutritional well-being philosophies.

Join us as we talk to some of the greatest minds and discover some of the most incredible gems you can use to maintain a higher level of health. Crackin Backs Podcast

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Alex, welcome to the cracking backs Podcast. Today, we're honored to have ex Navy SEAL Alex ochler with us. Alex has been open about his journey with mental health, sharing how his military experience has shaped his understanding and advocacy. We'll explore the challenges that he faced by Special Forces members transitioning to civilian life, and the importance of mental and physical wellness and those practical tips that those are seeking to change, including his five dances with the devil, those habits that you should break to have a better life. Alex will also discuss finding new purpose after service and the powerful impact of helping others through Guardian revival, tune in for an enlightening and inspiring conversation.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

All right, I am so excited we get back on for part two. Alex Othmer, you know, a Navy Seal, but a long time friend, part of a charity that I'm very passionate about, that we'll get into later on. But you know, for those who didn't listen to the first show, we got to set the stage, and I'm going to give you a bunch of loaded questions, you know, you let's take the time from not only the time when you saw the buildings come down with your father being a fireman, but the time you decided to join the Navy Seal, have you developed and maintained a positive attitude throughout all this stuff and these different phases your life, at the ups and downs? And you know, can we just kind of start off a little bit with your journey, to give a little background, certainly, certainly, it's

Alex Othmer:

good to see you again. Dr, Terry, Dr Barron. David, nice to meet you. So, you know, I grew up in upstate New York. I was an athlete. Growing up, I didn't really like school. I just somehow snuck my way into the Merchant Marine Academy, and I played football there and ran track, and then I graduated, commissioned into the Navy and went to buds, or basic underwater demolition School, which is the SEAL training, made it through that, thankfully, without any injuries or any issues. And then I became a seal and had a short career in the military and got out, and now I run Guardian revival, a nonprofit organization.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

That's great. I want to ask you about mental health. Alex, you know, there's been a lot of lot of challenges and on your own journey as well, dealing with depression, anxiety, things like that. I mean, how do you approach it now you know both yourself patience and as an advocate? Yeah.

Alex Othmer:

Great question. And adding what David or excuse me, adding what Terry brought up before about the like, how did I, how have I worked through my life filled with challenges and, you know, all the difficult things I've done, it's really embracing, embracing the suck, and embracing challenge and adversity and leaning into it and not backing down from it. I think that's just an important part. It's a it's a mindset thing. And just because you get punched in the face or fall off the horse, you just got to get back up. That's life. And when you when people, some people, have like victim mindsets, where they're like, oh, all these things are happening to me, and then they bury themselves into a dark hole, whereas something happens to me, I take it, I embrace it, I say, this is how the universe wants it to be, and I keep moving forward. And that's the mindset that's been a part of me for a long time that has allowed me to be successful, and then also, when I started going through my mental health issues, helped me be resilient and overcome those as well.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Is there any anything in particular that you do for yourself, you know, specific stuff, things you know, meditation, you know, go punch a punching bag. You know. What kind of things do you do?

Alex Othmer:

Yeah, that's a great question. So my big pillars that work really good for me is I don't drink alcohol, and I really focus on my diet. I eat only certain types of foods, and really minimize the amount of garbage that I put into my body. So that's a big staple for me that really has built a good foundation, and then I just know that I have to be moving to be healthy and to be happy, so I do everything I can to get outside and hike or run or do some type of exercise and just not be sedentary. So those are, like, my two big foundational things that I rely on to just get me to baseline, and then everything else for me is mindset based, and a lot of that's founded in stoicism, or, you know, just having good emotional control over yourself, over your life, understanding how you affect others around you, and just being very aware of who you are in the universe and and making sure you're okay with that and comfortable with that. So a little bit of philosophy, a little bit of, you know. Uh, hard, hard, uh, hard, ways to improve your health.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

I love it. But you know, I gotta ask you, man, when you know those are all great things, and we all have such, you know, important philosophies that help dig us out of the out of the dumps. But you know what, when you when, when you're on the edge, man, when, when, when, when you're thinking about when you wake up in the morning, maybe you feel good. Or maybe something you know, tips the scales and makes you feel like you could start to spiral out of the out of control, you know, What? What? What might something you do that stops everything, or kind of reverses that whole process?

Alex Othmer:

Yeah, that's a great question. I I've been there before so many times, and there's one point in time in my life where I was very much on that edge of really not wanting to exist anymore, right, and more or less wanting to kill myself. So in those moments in time where I lose, I have lost all that hope and desire to really live, the one thing that keeps me going is knowing that you have a choice, and that you can choose to give into those thoughts and to spiral yourself, or you can choose to stop and to change things and to continue to move forward and some people might call it divine intervention, a voice from somewhere or some type of stop mechanism that somehow embedded into our brain to when we're on that edge, we're able to take a step back and be like, I'm not ready yet. I'm gonna keep moving. And I don't know, I can't explain what it was, but it was a feeling, and it was a just decision and a choice that I made one specific day. But moving forward, I get those thoughts all the time. Still, I think it's normal, it's natural, and we all suffer from some type of depression or anxiety in some capacity. And don't forget, you have a choice. And if you're unsure and you're lost and you're in the darkness, you can still walk in the darkness. You might hit your head into a wall, but you can still walk. Nobody can stop you from making choice that is your full agency as a human being, and always express that and always remind yourself that you have a choice. Nobody can tell you that you don't have a choice.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

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Dr. Terry Weyman:

All right, Alex, I'm gonna ask you to go a little darker, a little deeper than I apologize, but I think you can handle this. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna bring this podcast real for a second. So yesterday, a friend of mine committed suicide and and it was the heat they got call, and the wife had to walk in the door, and her husband was hanging from a rope. And they called 911, and they say you have to cut this guy down, because if he's still breathing, so she couldn't lift him, so she had to call her sister over, who's my neighbor, and they had to go lift this man up and cut him down. So all day, we were hearing stuff like, well, suicide is a selfish act. Why did he do this? There's so much help out there. There's all this kind of stuff. Yet we've had guests that say, you get into this mindset and you think you're being you're helping the people around you by taking your life because you're too much a burden. How do you for those people? They're ready to put a noose around their neck, and they think they're actually helping people. Is there any advice you have since you've been close to that kind of stuff, being with the TBI stuff you've had? Is there any advice you can tell them, or even the people that are going through it, they have to cut their person down off of a off of a roof.

Alex Othmer:

I'm really sorry to hear that. Terry, so the first thing I will say, I'll talk about the some people have a perspective where they think individuals who die by suicide and make that decision. Are selfish, right? They're leaving people behind. And I think you said it best. Their mind is so twisted and so backwards at that point that they don't what's up is down and down is up, left is right, right is left. They can't understand that. So in their mind, they've come to a decision that they think is best for everybody around them. And from an outsider's perspective, it's easy to place judgment say that person's just being selfish and they're giving in. Have you ever thought about killing yourself? It's a hard thing to do, right? So think about it that way. We like to self, preserve ourselves and survive, and everything we do is to survive our lives. So think about how backwards your psych. Biology must be if you choose to take your life. So no, it's not a selfish act. It's just that that person is so twisted up inside that they think that's the right thing to do. So, you know, you brought up a good point there. Terry, that's my opinion of it, and that's also why, like, the language is so important around suicide, right? Because no fault of your own. But like, don't use the word commit suicide, right? Because commit is like criminals commit acts, right? So we need to, like, flush that out of our lexicon and use they killed themselves, or they died by suicide, right? So it's important to start using language like that to help you know the widows or the people that lost their loved ones to suicide. It's better to say they died by suicide, or they were they killed themselves, versus they committed an act. Yeah, so just something good, like it's it's nobody means to do it, right? But just a little tip, if you do talk more about suicide, it's better to say it that way. Your people will appreciate it, and if you're in that dark place, right? You know what I can say is, chances are you can't, if you're already going down that track, right? Chances are you're not going to be able to bail yourself out alone, right? So you're beyond the chant, the that, that hope, that I had to get myself out of it by myself. You're like, already headed down the track. That's where not isolating yourself and being around people that know you is so important, because they can help pull you out of that, right? And if you just talk and share what you're thinking and what you're experiencing, like, you know what? I think I might kill myself. I've come up with a plan. I think that people around me will be better off. I'm hurting too many people. I don't want to live anymore. If you just share that with somebody, they'll be able to tell you that, hey, that's actually the wrong thing to do. That's not the right thing to do, right? So that's why you need to rely on other people. And one of the biggest early indicators of suicidal ideation is, like, someone's isolation and like developing behaviors and hiding themselves from other people, and like people going internal, right? Because then they start feeding into those voices in their head and they're not working with other people. So that's where you know it could get bad. So if you have friends that you know are hurting and they start isolating really hard, and they stop talking to you, and they avoid you, that's a really, really serious sign that they're going down that path.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

What are some where are some length you said the language, like, don't use the word commit. What are some words that you can use to the person going down that that they will actually hear?

Alex Othmer:

Yeah, that's great question. So you gotta call a spade a spade, right? And if somebody's trying to hurt themselves, that's another way to say it. Like, so if you have somebody, you can say, Hey, are you do? Like, do you want to hurt yourself, right? And you just got to be frank and forward, like, you know, have you thought about hurting yourself? Have you thought about killing yourself? Right? At this point in time? You're, you're going beyond the bounds of social awkwardness, and you're, you're throwing it all out there on the table for somebody, right? And stepping up and use that language, you have to be direct. Or you think like you're not going to tip somebody over. People think if you bring up the term, the idea of suicide, no, no, they've already been thinking it for a long time, you're not going to tip them over by asking them, right? So if you're really concerned about somebody, ask them, Hey, are you? If you think about hurting yourself, I'm seeing all these behaviors and actions that you're doing, and they might deny and be like, no, no, no, I'm good. I'm fine, right? And don't pry even harder, just let it go. And they might come back to you a day later. They might be like, You know what, man, I'm really happy you asked. I'm really having a hard time. And they might open up. So step up if you really think something's wrong, and have the courage to say something to that person. Do it in a private situation. Try to go to them first. Don't necessarily start working behind them, behind their back with other people, and asking their spouse if you have that access to them, Go directly to them and say, Hey, how you doing right? And then escalate as you need to, and try to really dig it out and see if they are having suicidal ideation. It's hard, no matter how you look at it.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

That's something else. I'll tell you. Thank you for giving us a better way to language that whole scary process. For those of us who you know, have you know, either experienced it personally or with a loved one, I've actually had a couple patients that have come to me with that, you know, concern or consideration, and I'm not qualified, but I am a comforting ear. So I have to ask you. May not have an answer to this question, but I would love either of you. You too, Terry, your thoughts on this. There was some speculation. And it just got confirmed this morning in a article that just came out that the Pentagon report, a Pentagon report, found that troops that work with around large weapon blasts have the highest suicide rate in the US military. So. Right? So you got your hands full, Alex, you know, it's a good thing you're doing what you're doing. But what does that mean to the military, and what does that mean to the personnel? This is, this is a, a huge part of of, you know, you know, fighting, you know, what, what? What? What are they going to do now at this point?

Alex Othmer:

So the first thing I'll say is that's the sacrifice that our service members make. You know, some some willingly and wittingly, some unwittingly, right? I don't think in any recruitment video you see, or any introduction that you have to the military, they tell you that you're going to be exposed to all these blast, you know, events, and that your brain's going to get rattled, right? Nobody tells you that, right? So you go in there, and some of us know that, hey, it's just part of the job. And they are finding out more and more that being around gunfire, being around explosions, just even in the sports world, getting hit those micro, those micro traumatic events are often the ones that are worse than just one major, you know, traumatic event, like getting your bell rung right, those small explosions and small blasts and gunfire. So it's no surprise that that data is coming out at the at the DoD level, and I'm happy that they're recognizing it, because once a blast event happens and you have a traumatic injury to your brain, it's, you know, there's not really prophylactics out there that you can ingest or take right now, as far as I know, that can reduce the effects and build resiliency in your your neurons, but I'm sure something will come out, but it's a big problem. It's a huge problem, and you will see that it's directly correlated with like some people will experience trauma in life, right? And then that will drive other mental illness and suicidal ideation, but some people might have their trauma processed well, and they might be okay with experiencing things on the battlefield, but it's actual those, those traumatic events that are just changing your brain chemistry for the worse. You

Dr. Spencer Baron:

brought up a good point with the fact that you know it's a given in the NFL and hockey and rugby and things like that, you know, you sign up for it because of the glory behind it, you know, and you take the risks. So it's a good that's a good example. I just, I think it's, it is very interesting to see that even now the the military is exposed to this, and they're embracing it, or they're, you know, actually making it public, and it's a good thing because, you know, I saw the the rumblings in the science world, and I was wondering what the military was going to do with something so, so obvious, and so, you know, that's practiced so often. You know, for those listeners who don't understand how that actually works, think of when you throw a rock or a pebble in a in a still body of water, and how the concentric rings move out to the periphery. But that's what a blast does to those bystanders. It reverberates and causes a a, you know, a trauma to the brain that doesn't require getting hit to the head, which is what we've always been used to. Thanks. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that. Alex,

Dr. Terry Weyman:

I mean, is it? Is it the worst position, pretty much, the Breacher, the guy that's like putting the the charges up against the wall and blowing stuff

Alex Othmer:

that that's one of them, right? And if you look across the all the different jobs that the military has, that's definitely one of them. In the Special Operations community, like the community that I come from, there's a much higher prevalence of TBI, because we work around explosions, we carry them with us, right? We're very like if you go to a bigger, conventional unit, a separate of artillery, right? They have, they use different things, like, whereas we show up at the front of somebody's house and we have all of our charges right there in our face, and we use it, and we just turn around, blow the door, and we're right in. So it's like very it's a lot more of violent type warfare, the Special Operations world. And then we also, again, like, because we are in that capacity as a Special Operations service member, we also use, like big guns and like extremely violent weapons, like pilots that fly for the 1/60 Special Operations regiment, the Night Stalkers. They have helicopters that are not designed for putting heavy weaponry on, and they they rig those helicopters some very smart engineers, and they have miniguns and missiles and all different types of cruise served weapons. And the PI. Pilots are sitting there and miniguns are going off in their head for minutes on end during a single flight, and just rattling and shaking their brains. So like some helicopter pilots deal with it, right? Some. So aviators, people on the ground deal with it, of course, people that are shooting mortars and firing, you know, in tanks. So it's all over the place. It's spread across the board. You know,

Dr. Terry Weyman:

I didn't think about PILOTs. You know, the other thing I was thinking about while you were talking about, what do you think about these military movies? Because these stuntmen are, you know, they're playing you, and they're, they're still, there's still special effects charges going off and to to do this stuff. I mean, would you ever look at some of these movies and go, Wow. Because there's, even though they're blanks, there's still explosions.

Alex Othmer:

Yeah, I don't know if how they compare, like, with the actual percussion of like a live round, but I'm sure there's something there. And I'm sure they're still experiencing some of it. You know, hopefully they use more, like GCI and other types of technology so they don't have to have these crazy explosions. But that's a good point. Terry,

Dr. Terry Weyman:

let me, let me ask you something. So when you're a team member, and you're because I know this is another part of mental health, and you're with your team, and you're have a job, and you get up every morning and you know what you're supposed to do, and then you come home on leave, or you're maybe done, and you wake up in the morning and your wife goes, we have a birthday party today, and you're just like, I'm not feeling it. How do you go from that structure of a team where everybody around you is going through the same stuff to civilian life where they have no idea what you've gone through and understanding and make that work? Because that's got mental health stress too.

Alex Othmer:

The transition, the military transition, roughly 200,000 service members transition off of active duty every single year, and the Department of Labor is largely responsible for facilitating that transition, 200,000 so whether or not you've been in combat or not, or you've been exposed to traumatic brain injuries or not, that transition is hard for everybody, and can be the genesis of any type of mental health issues. So if you think about joining the military right, arguably one of the biggest bureaucratic, hierarchical constructs the world has to offer, and you have this very fortified identity and purpose and mission, going, you know, training and going to war and going overseas and returning and doing that right for an extended period of time, and then you all of a sudden leave that environment and go to the civilian world. It's a huge shock, right? You lose your identity, like, imagine if I pulled you guys both from your practices, and you're no longer doctors, and you can no longer work in the physiology, kinesiology space, and you're now like, you're selling hot dogs or doing something, you're going to be like, What the You know, you're you're going to be like, who am I? What am I doing? You're going to start questioning everything, right? And then you're not going to be around the people that you're comfortable with after years of working with them, and you're not going to have, you know, Terry, and you're not going to have Spence, and you guys are going to be like, meeting new people, and you're not going to trust people, and there's going to be trust issues and identity issues and, like, think about that, right? So you're getting plucked from this very intense, structured environment to just loosey, goosey corporate civilian world with no no structure, and it's a problem, and then it can really kick off some bad things for people.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

So on that note, wait, hey, on that note, Alex, are you hiring hiker guides? Because, you know, we'll come and work with you.

Alex Othmer:

We're going to be expanding to the west coast here shortly, so I'll hit you up on that. But we definitely are. So you guys have been so gracious, offering up services, and, you know, wellness support, and I appreciate it. We'll head into that soon.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

Well, I could be instead being Dr Terry, I could be the hiker guy. So what's some so you talked about that transition, but what's some advice you have for the people at home that just go, you know, you are only gone for eight months. You know, come on, snap out of it. I need you to do this. I need you to do that. What's the advice you have for the people at home listening with their loved ones away and and all they want them to do is come back into their life that they've been waiting for them for eight months to get

Alex Othmer:

home as much patience and compassion and empathy as you can give. We just recently, Guardian revival opened up a family program, because family members are often forgotten about, and it's really the veteran or the first responders the centrifuge for all the attention and all the support, family members are direct recipients of the trauma they experience. You know, growing up in a household from my father, who suffered from PTSD from 911 as a firefighter. You know, I was affected by that as a child like, think about children, right? You bring all that shit with you when you come home, right? Whether you like it or not, and the people around you are the ones that are going to be experiencing the worst of you and the and the manifestations of what you're dealing with internally. So. So you know, consider that, but if you're a loved one, just show compassion and support as best as you can, and try to find your own resources and recognize that you're also you also need to get help yourself, because you're carrying a lot on your shoulders. I can't imagine having a family when I was in the military, I was a single, bachelor, and I just had to worry about myself. And I remember guys going through divorces and custody battles while they're leaving out the door to go and deployment. And i My heart, my heart melts, and I want to cry thinking about how hard it was for them. And you know, I thought I had it hard, so someone always has it worse.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

And for those that aren't in the military, they don't have that structure. They don't maybe have the team members to lean on, and they're listening to this show right now going, Okay, I don't have that. I'm not military trained. I never served, but I am stuck in a rut, and I have depression. I lost my job yesterday. I can't feed my family. What are some advice that you've learned from the military that is, across the board, good for everything?

Alex Othmer:

So that's a good question. Um, I would say, Well, if you don't mind, right? I want to, I want to bring something up with this, right? Because I have a very dogmatic view on on mental health, and like, there's so many ways to look at it and so many good ways to look at it, but I feel like, if I can take a stand and like, be hard on one way of doing it, maybe that will help some people, that will work for them. But my opinion on mental health and and trauma is that trauma is trauma. And no matter whether you're in the military or not, you've been to combat and been shot at or not, or you've just seen a bad car accident, or you just had an abusive childhood growing up, trauma is trauma, right? I think we have all, we all have the capacity to deal with trauma and process trauma as human beings. We've been around warfare and violence and gore for since mankind was mankind. So it's not the trauma that's causing the issues. I would even argue it's not always the TBI that's quoting causing the issues. It's the society that we live in today that I believe accelerates mental health issues you could deal with. Some people deal with trauma, and they're able to process it effectively, and they don't develop depression anxiety. Just because you've seen some shit doesn't mean you're going to get sick. And I think if we draw our attention towards after and what I like to call accelerators of mental health, I think we can learn a lot more. And when I said I was dogmatic about it, I truly have, you know, a list of things that I say are, there's no way it's good for you, it's bad for you, and you can't tell yourself otherwise. And so dogmatic view. But, you know, I'll share those with you, right? I think, number one, I think alcohol is horrible for us on every single level. And if you're trying to convince yourself otherwise, you're just lying to yourself, alcohol is a neurotoxin. It it rots your body and your mind, period, you know. And if you, and some people listening to me white be like, Yeah, this guy's just like, black and white, and that's okay, but I I'm just sharing my opinion. There's no other way to look at it. I had been sober for three years, and I can tell you that the people that I love and what means most of the world to me is so much better off than it was three years ago when I was drinking alcohol. And I would bet a lot of money that it's the same for everybody else, but they're just lying to themselves and just saying, Well, you know, I just have a drink. I control it, I manage it. Well, why are you even drinking alcohol in the first place? And I could go down a line of questioning and really dig deep into your consciousness, is like, do you really need alcohol? Do you not right? Why do you need that social, that social, you know, lubrication to talk to people? Well, there's something else going on there. So alcohol, I'm a firm believer that it's just bad for you, period. And if you stop drinking alcohol, your life will progressively get better before your before your eyes, period. Second thing is something people don't like talk about it, but porn, it's it's the awkward thing, and nobody wants to say anything, and it's personable and and it's really weird. But especially for men, I think porn is destroying relationships. It's abusing the circuitry in our brain, the pleasure reward system. It's an addiction. I think it's horrible for us, almost just as bad, if not worse than substance. And I think more people have to say stuff about it. I think porn is destroying us. I think alcohol is destroying us. Sedentation, right? I think we are more and more sedentary every single year that we live. You need to get up and move period and you need to get outside. We spent roughly 90% of our life indoors or commuting in a vehicle. As the average American, you need to get outside. We were born under the stars. There's a clear indication between mental health and. And being outside in nature and being immersed in nature, isolation, so socializing with people, right? Some of like truly socializing with people, not going out and drinking and just pretending and like, you know, like actually socializing with people and experiencing that real, visceral relationship with somebody for the better and for the worse. You have to do that, right? You want to build real, authentic relationships in your life, because those are the ones you'll lean on when things get really hard. And the last thing that I like to bring up is social media. And it's hard for me to say that to some people that you know their life is dependent on social media, and they have a business, and, you know, we have this podcast, and you want to so, like, it's not social media in it of itself. It's uncontrolled, undisciplined use of social media and letting it run your life and using it as a means of of a dopamine fix, right? So you know that stuff as we know you guys are, are smart professionals, and you understand what drives Facebook and what drives Instagram to build those algorithms? It's literally for dopamine. So anyways, those are, like, the things I'm hard and fast about. And if you're somebody that's not in the military, to your point, Terry, and you don't have any formal training, and you don't really know who to go to, stop doing those things. Or, you know, exercise more, get outside more. Stop washing porn, stop drinking alcohol, have real, authentic relationships with people and socialize with people. Those things will help you get out of the funk you're in. I guarantee I will throw money on it.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Love the passion. Love the passion. Love the cook. I Alex, you are definitely a shining star in this arena. Now, you know, they are starting to attribute the idea of longevity. You know, there's all this buzz about Anti Aging and Longevity, and the two things that stand out the most now is building muscle and relationships are the two easiest things that actually can add years to your life. So thank you for sharing that. And you can't build a quality relationship when you're drunk. So that's a you know. So I want to, I want to, I want to go a little, if you can imagine, going a little bit deeper. I'm going to ask you about addictions and abuses and some of the strategies and challenges not like what you stated was absolutely perfect. Let's go one step further. You know, a person's been clean, or they've been they've been away from porn, they've been away from any of the abuses, spousal abuse, their their you know, drugs, gambling, whatever it is that gives them that dopamine response when they're right on the edge, even after they've been able to practice refraining from all that. What can they do? What can they say to themselves? What can they change the course of that moment.

Alex Othmer:

Yeah, I would say the first thing is start small and pick one thing at a time, pick one addiction, one bad habit that you have, and focus on that one thing, right? Science shows you can read any book that that that New Year's resolution mindset fails us time and time again. I'm gonna January 1. I'm gonna, you know, run five miles, do 1000 push ups, bench press 400 pounds, go to the gym, drink this protein powder, eat this that's all bullshit. That's you're just lying yourself and feeding into your own shit. Start small. Send realistic goals. Little incremental changes will lead to larger lifestyle improvements or larger improvements over life, over time. So start small. Don't load your plate up too much and just take little bite sized pieces. Build that momentum, and you'll be on to the next thing before you know it. The second thing that I always bring up, and I'm kind of on a kick now, is like the idea of breaking promises with yourself. And imagine if you broke promises with others in your life that you had relationships with, like you break promises with yourself, like I broke a promise of myself this morning. I said I was going to get up at 4am and I freaking hit the sleep button right when I went to bed. We do it all the time, right? I broke a promise of myself, right? And if you do that over and over and over again, you yourself, your self worth, your confidence in yourself, your identity will dissolve before your very eyes. And imagine if you did that with others. You're like, Hey, honey, I'm gonna wake up before AM, and I'll meet you in the gym. She wakes up. You don't wake up. You sleep in that's the idea behind an accountability buddy and a workout buddy, right? We're more likely to fulfill promises for others than we are ourselves, right? How do you think that balances out? So imagine doing that over. Over again to somebody in your life that you have a relationship with, they're going to want nothing to do with you. So some people want nothing to do with themselves. They hate themselves, right? Talk about self love and being comfortable with who you are and dissolving your ego. That's the opposite. So be very aware of how many promises you're making with yourself on a daily basis, and how many of those promises you're fulfilling and following through with. Make less promises. Be more specific with your promises, and start small, right? Don't throw these crazy things out. I'm going to stop doing this. I'm going to stop doing that. If you do say that, that's okay, but you better do it, you know. Or if you keep breaking that same promise over and over, I'm going to eat healthier this time around. I'm going to do this. And you don't do it. You have to change your game.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

You know, I always tell I always tell patients. Never lie to yourself, which is what you're telling them. Yeah, right now I do have a quick question, a personal question. If I say I'm gonna get before o'clock, good morning and I should get up, but I go pee and then I go back to sleep, does that count? I love it. Love that mindset.

Alex Othmer:

That's why you have to have specific goals, specific

Dr. Spencer Baron:

unless he said, the night before, I'm gonna get up at four o'clock in the morning, I'm gonna pee, then you're successful. You didn't lie to you,

Dr. Terry Weyman:

no, Alex, that's why, that's why I'm successful. Because I'm a generalist. I just go, I'm gonna get before o'clock. I'll say, why?

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Deception? It's great, man. Alex, there's so many veterans that you know, guys that leave the military, that are done with their service, and then even the first responders that may may quit or or retire. How do you help them? How does you know you Guardian revival, navigate that transition, and how do you how do you find their genius in an area that they can be excited about, can you repeat the question, yeah, you know, when they're done, when they're done in the military, and they're looking for, you know, a new life, and unfortunately, it may be going off in to the wrong direction. How do you help them cultivate their their genius, or their their area of new interest so they feel that they're worthy of maybe a new job, a new a new hobby, or something like that? Do you, you know? Yeah. How would you help them?

Alex Othmer:

Don't use money as a a currency of success and happiness, be very careful with money. And I mean, society had like, like, don't be make sure you have a good relationship with money. And you know it's important to, you know, take care of yourself and your family and your loved ones and have comfort and be able to do things you want to do, but don't only look at money as a means of success and happiness. We know that is that fails us over and over and over again and sends people down the wrong path. So another way to say that is just understand truly what your values are, and when you leave the military, or when you leave, when you guys retire, you know, arguably you'll never retire, right? You always keep doing the things we do, but when you make that next big transition into life, stop and spend time making sure you truly understand what makes you tick and what you truly value in life. Don't let anyone else tell you what you should value in life. Don't let any influencer or any trend in society tell you how you should feel about you know what's really good for you. You need to do some there's no other way around it, other than self discovery. And take time to learn about yourself. Ask others how you're perceived and what makes you happy. Start some inflection and make sure that that next journey or that next ridge line that you you pursue is true to your core values, and that you're not sacrificing those

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Thank you. So I would consider you a healer. Whether you went to school for it or not, there's a certain level of emotional euphoria in helping people. Obviously, that's why you started, you know, Guardian revival. Can you? Can you tell us what it feels like when you can move someone to a higher ground and help them feel you know better about themselves, or maybe even save them from, Doomsday.

Alex Othmer:

It's the greatest feeling in the world. It's addicting, and it's one thing I'm okay with. Being addicted to is helping others, and it comes with its sacrifice. You know, you take a lot on, but there's no other place I'd rather be. Um, making a modest, a modest living, and dealing with the stresses and angst of running a business. It's all it's all worth it in the end, because at the end of the day, all the material that we accumulate in life goes away, and what's left is relationships and love. And when I'm 90 years old, I want to be sitting with my grandkids, and I want to be at peace with what I what I did in this world, and the impact that I've made. And money will not be a part of that. The car I have will not be a part of that. All that shit goes away, doesn't come with you, with the next life.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

All right, I want to transition to the OG shirt that I'm wearing. And, yeah, we're guardians revival came from. And can you give us a little background on the journey of how you started this and where it's going and what you've created? Sure?

Alex Othmer:

So when I was in my lowest point, when I got out of the military, and I was in those dark days, I used a couple things to pull myself a hole. One was getting a dog. Two was spending time in nature and being outside. Three was playing music, learning music and listening to music on a whole nother level. And then four was connecting with other people in my network to talk to and to socialize with and start building authentic relationships. And those are all the foundational elements of the programs and services that we offer. Guardian revival. So I took what I learned and what benefited with me and scaled it and built an organization around it to administer to a large population of people in need. And you know, that's where we are today, and you know, we have a promising future. And you know, there's a lot of people that have to help. We'll never will never run out of people to help us, for sure. So

Dr. Terry Weyman:

can you go into some of the programs, and then you have a challenge coming up in October, which I actually did last year. And so can you talk about the different programs? Of course, there's one that's my favorite that I just did a whole thing for but can you talk about the your different programs?

Alex Othmer:

Sure. So boots and paws is our canine program. We provide companion dogs and therapy dogs to guardians. We deploy therapy dogs to fire houses, police departments and military military installations for canine therapy and then the companion dogs get awarded to individual guardians with a care package. We have a music program called encore, where we provide therapeutic music experiences for guardians. We have a music studio. We get them vocal lessons, instrumental lessons. Get them into our studio where they can professionally record their music and put it out on our Spotify, Apple, Amazon, music label, and what? What a cathartic experience that is. Music's been around for 1000s of years. It's, it's encoded into our DNA on so many levels, and it's a really ultra accessible element to healing. I like to say, like, there's no better. Like, what other other than drugs, what else can you get immediate dopamine released by listening to your favorite song on the radio and how you can access parts of your brain that you haven't touched in years from just listening to a simple song, there's something to say there. We have another summit, which is our therapeutic outdoor adventure program, so leveraging nature as a way to heal and getting people outside in a team environment, accomplishing tasks and having responsibility. Just, you know, a win win all around. Spend a couple days in the woods and come out, and I guarantee you, you'll be feeling better. We have peer services, which we have trained and certified peer leaders that are former military service members and first responders that provide confidential peer support in individual and group settings to guardians in need. And we just opened up a family program as well that focuses on providing support for families. Lastly, we have a program called RISE that will come out later this year, that's focused on nutrition, sleep, exercise and mindfulness and kind of putting those things together as a foundational element for someone's healing journey.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

So can you define, you keep saying, guardians. Can you define what guardians means to you?

Alex Othmer:

Active duty, military, National Guard, military veterans, firefighters, police officers, EMS, corrections, federal agencies, those are all Guardians. They're the people in society that we rely on to be comfortable and secure in where we are today, both domestically and abroad. That's

Dr. Terry Weyman:

fantastic. All right, before we go into our favorite program, which I know you love, is the rapid fire. I got one more question you have you didn't mention it. You have a challenge coming up from October, a big fundraiser. So tell everybody about and how they can sign up for it.

Alex Othmer:

So the one mile challenge, we're doing it for the third year in a row during the month of September, which is suicide awareness and prevention month, and it costs $50 to sign up. You can build a team. You can do it as an individual. And the challenge. Just to walk one mile a day for 30 days during the month of September, and you'll raise money and awareness on suicide prevention and mental illness. But what's more powerful is that you, as the individual participant, will truly benefit from it if you follow through with it. And we've talked about little habits. We've talked about breaking promises and committing to ourselves to do certain things, and that's what the one mile challenge is. It's a fresh start. It's an opportunity for people to commit to doing something that's not that challenging when you look at it day by day, but over the course of 30 days, committing to something and doing it consistently is a challenge. So you do that. Some people carry weight, they climb up mountains, they throw on rocks, they run it, they sprint it. They do different things. They stack no drinking, no alcohol, you know, no junk food on it. And some people just walk there one mile. And that's your decision and your choice on what type of journey and what type of promises that you want to make with yourself. But it's it's up to you to follow through with the challenge. So that's what it is. You get a participant, participating completion kit at the end of it that's got a t shirt, magnet, stickers, bracelets, things like that at the end of it. And you're off to the races to continue your wellness journey. So you can visit our website and sign up through that way. And it's, it's, it's worthwhile. I promise you you won't regret it. I'll

Dr. Terry Weyman:

tell you from a participant last year. I don't regret any of it. And for those listening, I'm going to put a challenge out there to everybody listening, do this challenge and do it for cracking backs. And let's get a dog for somebody, because boots and paws is my favorite program. So, so let's get a dog for somebody who needs it, because I know you have one. I know our other dear buddy, Monty Heap has one. So let's, uh, let's, let's get a dog for somebody, because it's a great challenge.

Alex Othmer:

Oh, that's awesome. You guys have such good stuff with us now,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Alex, it's time for our rapid fire questions. You're pretty quick on your feet and quite sharp, so I'm sure you'll have some good answers for each one of these questions. Are you ready?

Unknown:

I'm ready. I

Dr. Spencer Baron:

was going to say, are you ready to go under fire, but I don't think that's a good way to Sorry. All right. Question number one, what do you want to be remembered for? Have a good idea what that would be. But what do you say

Alex Othmer:

bringing light to people that are in the dark.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Oh, that's a fantastic question. Number two, what is something you do or a talent you have that most people don't know you have that would surprise a whole lot of people.

Alex Othmer:

I'm pretty creative and artistic. Yeah, I can. I'm I have a creative brain that I don't really often exercise, but I I can create some shit,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

artistic, wise music, wise

Alex Othmer:

ideas, ideas, yeah, like, I'm not an expert at anything, but I can, like, take a bunch of different things and cross them to each other to make some, like, hybrid thing. So, you know, you found your superpower, huh? All right, kind of not a polymath. I don't give myself that title that's like, you know, a Leonardo da Vinci type person, but I can, I can bring things together that are from total opposite ends of the earth, and, like, bring them together for something cool and unique. So very cool,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

very good question number three, Alex, what do you not take for granted anymore? Love. Oh. Good answer. Good question number four seals are known to be tough and rugged. What is your soft spot?

Alex Othmer:

My soft spot? Well, I think I'm just like a generally, like a soft person. I really have, I've trained myself to be very empathetic, so I feel very deeply for people that are hurting. So like, if you tell me somebody's hurting, I'll just melt and try to figure out a way to help that person. So I'm just soft for other people that are going through hard shit, yeah,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

well, you pick the right the right occupation. Man, that's great. Thank you. And it's great to hear question number five and last favorite place you've visited that you want to go back to.

Alex Othmer:

I really liked Switzerland. I've been to Switzerland before, and I wish I, you know, it was for work. So I wish I could go back and explore more of that country. Beautiful.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Very good, very good. Great.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

Summer or winter? Do you want to go Switzerland? The summer? Winter? Oh, Summer. Summer.

Alex Othmer:

I get, I get my dose of winter in New York. So I'm good. I.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

Yeah, but, but the winter you have the Swiss Alps, the ski, so it's kind of nice, yeah,

Alex Othmer:

I know I had to pick one. I had to pick one of the right, right, right.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

I get it. I get it, yeah. But you New Yorkers, you know winter and summer is like humidity and dreary. So, Lisa, yeah. Lisa swisha, especially beautiful, yeah,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

he's got east coasters, man, I listen. I'd rather be in forest fires, right? Yeah,

Dr. Terry Weyman:

we got few of those going on right now. We

Dr. Spencer Baron:

got, yeah, like your whole state. Well, no, it's

Dr. Terry Weyman:

not. I got blue sky outside. However, there is, we're going up to the mountains. You showed me

Dr. Spencer Baron:

a photograph right off your balcony. There were smoke coming out.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

Come on now, yeah, that was out in the day. So there is, we are going up to the mountains. And there's 4000 fires right now in California. 4000 Yeah, oh my God. You know, we laugh because, you know, fire season is just one of our four seasons, because we don't have the four seasons of the East Coast. We have we have sun, we have wind, we have fire and we shake. You know, that's our four seasons, and

Dr. Spencer Baron:

a lot of homeless people.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

Yeah, that's true too. Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to find something nice. We have a nice beach. Now you have nice beaches, yeah, I don't know. We have mountains.

Unknown:

He's really trying, man,

Dr. Terry Weyman:

he's trying so hard. We have good weather, good topography and no bugs. There we go. You know, Alex, hey, thank you so much for for being on our show. And when you reached out to me, I was like, I was giddy, because, you know, I am a civilian that always looked up to the special forces. And the more I've gotten to know, my friends, you're in Special Forces, and I see what you go through behind the scenes. It's obviously not what the movies portray. And the movies portray the heroes. And I the more I get to know you, the more of a hero you actually are for what you go through. The movies show the 10% getting to know the 90% behind it makes that hero even bigger. And you know, I never served. My family did that. I never served. And but knowing what you guys go through, and then the way, sometimes, the way civilians treat you when you come home is is horrible and and I just want the world to know how much I respect and love you guys, and would do anything for the sacrifices you guys have made. And so I just want to be that some of the last things that the people here, that I'm just we need to look at our military a lot different. You know, people argue on social media, people argue about politics, people argue about this. And it's because of you guys we have the ability to do that. You know, there's some countries you can't argue, you can't go on social media, you can't talk. So say what you want. We have a freedom in this country that that allows people to argue, and that's all because of you guys. So thank you for your service.

Alex Othmer:

Thank you, Terry, that means a lot.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

Spence, you got anything? No, no, no,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

I'm just waiting for David. Alright.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

So on that note, everybody signed up for the challenge in September. Let's get a dog for somebody and donate. Help out. Sign on for guardians revival. Check him out. The link will be in his description, and and let's help this man, help other people

Dr. Spencer Baron:

go. Alex,

Alex Othmer:

thank you all.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The cracking backs podcast. We hope you enjoyed it. Make sure you follow us on Instagram at cracking backs podcast, catch new episodes every Monday. See you next time you.