PICK UP THE SIX® Productions

Eric Vevang has a wild story to share. It's just your run of the mill mom was being sex trafficked, dad goes to prison, end up arrested for the first time at age 12. Set back after set back after set back, before ending up out of the military and in prison by the age of 20. And that’s just scratching the surface. Like any good comeback story, Eric’s has critical moments, including finally letting go and letting God, on his road to redemption. Let’s meet Eric Vevang on this episode of PICK UP THE SIX. -- Find Eric here --> https://www.instagram.com/ericvevang/ and here --> https://www.clikdone.com

Jerry Quickel is a big helmet guy. I came across Jerry on Twitter/X and was instantly drawn to his epic football helmet collection, now 572 helmets and counting. He's a great guy, with a passion for sports, football, and representing the smaller schools, because in addition to helmets from the Blue Bloods, he has some schools you've never heard of. We nerd out over football gear and helmets, including a few of my own, on this episode of PICK UP THE SIX.

Every day, men and women in law enforcement across this country leave their homes and families to answer the call of service to a greater mission. Tragically, this call to service can require a heavy sacrifice. This sacrifice is not only made up by the dangers that come with violent situations, but the cumulative stress from the burden of the badge. Caleb Cook and the End of Watch Foundation want to make sure that their sacrifice does not go unnoticed and that they have the support they need. Cook and the EOWF are gearing up for their annual memorial ruck event. During 2023, there were 138 Law Enforcement Officers all over the country who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Their lives. With the mission to honor those Officers, they will carry one pound of weight for every officer over a continuous 42-hour period representing the officer’s final 10-42 call. Today, we meet Caleb, hear his story and learn more about their work to honor their fallen brothers and sisters and support their families through: Honor: They honor the fallen with meaningful actions in the event and messaging. Support: They support the families of the fallen, officers injured in the line of duty, and assist where they can when struggling with mental health. Educate: Spread awareness to the public about other unknown aspects of law enforcement that may be misunderstood. They also lean in on strong core values to build better officers, units, friends and family members. Learn more about EOWF at https://www.eowf.org.

We are back with an archived episode of PICK UP THE SIX Podcast, as we take time to remember the events of September the 11th, 2001. You don't need a reminder of what happened to our nation on that fateful day. As we have done in years past, we set aside some intentional time to honor those who lost their lives on that day. Our national and our world changed forever. As did the life of today’s guest, Peter Blaich. We interviewed Peter a few years ago (Episode 63), and decided to play that episode for you again. Peter was a New York City firefighter on 9/11. He was there for every minute of it, and the days and months to follow. Please hit pause here, take a minute or so and send a prayer for Peter, his friends who went into those builds and came out with health issues, and his friends who went into those buildings and did not emerge, and for the lives lost in New York City, Shanksville, and at the Pentagon. We love you and we honor you. This is PICK UP THE SIX Podcast.

In 2015, Paul and Linda Johnson lost their son, Joseph, to suicide. It sent them into a fog, but when that fog began to clear one thing was certain for them, they would not let that moment define the memory of their son. From that tragedy comes their mission to educate, save and improve the lives of those suffering from mental health challenges and prior suicidal tendencies by providing highly trained service dogs as a vital lifeline. We introduce you to Paul and Linda Johnson of Service Dogs Saving Lives on this episode of PICK UP THE SIX.

Chief Chuck has become a friend, yet we've not met in person. Our paths first crossed on Twitter/X talking about F3 and how he was drawn to our organization of men worldwide. Today, he joins the show to talk about his 24-year career in the Navy, we we focus on two undeniable qualities that he looks for in a real leader, honor and integrity.

We met Eric Hohman a few years ago on PICK UP THE SIX, a former Air Force Combat Controller, Eric was on a journey that included running for Congress and leading a non-profit called the 1st There Foundation, an organization dedicated to his fallen brothers and their families. Today, Eric is back with Lumi and they're sharing how 1st There is now working through an effort called Operation Soul Rescue, a program that offers a sacred plant medicine that research suggests it may have antidepressants and anxiolytic properties, indicating its potential success in treating conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance abuse disorders. That plant medicine is called Ayahuasca, and we learn all about it on this episode of PICK UP THE SIX.

Mike, a Navy Veteran, and his wife Stacy have launched a new program through their therapeutic facility called OPTI VETS. Their goal is to augment Post Traumatic Syndrome efforts through a comprehensive integrative approach. They are putting in the work and serving those who have served. This is a couple that knows about picking up the six, their family of 11 includes six adopted children. We are pumped to introduce you to Mike and Stacy on this episode of PICK UP THE SIX.

At his lowest moments in life, Chris Fontana was a 300-pound alcoholic. But, life told him that was enough and he faced his challenges head on, with a primal mindset. Chris is the owner of Go Primal an the host of The Primal Mindset show, and he's become a friend and brother over the last year. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did, on this episode of PICK UP THE SIX.

Craig Hannum is a retired Army soldier and Military Police who continues his service through The Toughest Topic, a program that offers tangible tools to combat the one preventable death, suicide. He's become a friend and a brother in this battle, and we are honored to introduce you to him on this episode of PICK UP THE SIX. Show sponsors are Mudgear.com code PUT6 and LiveMomentous.com code BRIANJ.

Greg Archbold was headed in the wrong direction, until a mentor stepped in and spoke some quick truth into him. He turned a life of trouble around, joined the Army, lead security and prison operations, and now is on a mission to produce positivity everywhere he goes. We crank up the passion and energy on this episode of PICK UP THE SIX.

Mike Sullivan, aka Sully, is a 30+ year Army Veteran and a Green Beret. He has six combat tours in Afghanistan, all stemming from a rich military family history. He's staying active and on-mission through an expanded role with Team RWB and he joined the show to share his story and their important work to connect the Veteran community through physical and mental fitness. Show sponsors: Mudgear.com code PUT6 and LiveMomentous.com code BRIANJ

It is Holy Week and for my christian brothers and sisters this week marks the culmination of our faith, the days in which Jesus Christ died and rose again. One year ago we released a pair of PICK UP THE SIX episodes, one with Catholic Priest (and Air Force chaplain) James Hamel, and the other with my friends Rob Renzi and Dom Raso, a former Navy SEAL. Our conversations centered around a man thrust into the story as Christ took his final steps. That man’s name was Simon, and he in that moment had to pick up the six and help Jesus carry the weight of that cross. Here are both of those conversations. God bless, happy Holy Week, and happy Easter.

#179: Sutton Howard, the Pickleball Phoenix by PICK UP THE SIX

Late last year, PICK UP THE SIX Productions hit the road for Northwest Arkansas with our friends from Mudgear to meet Mark Jones and create a commercial for the new Mudgear Speed Ruck shoe. Through that, we got to learn more about Mudgear's purpose, founded by Alex Thrasher, and their connection to one of their Mudgear athletes, Mark Jones, a hard charger if there ever was one. Today, we introduce you to Alex and Mark, and talk to them about their missions in life, and how that has intersected with a one-of-a-kind shoe built to equip the outdoor athlete to crush the next step, mile, or even world record attempt. Mudgear.com to shop for the Speed Ruck and other great great, use code PUT6 to save 15% Also, LiveMomentous.com with code BRIANJ to save 15% on great supplements like creatine, whey protein, and more!

Our guest today is Dr. Karla Steingraber, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a certified Mental Game Coach. As a certified Mental Game Coach (IMGCA), Dr. Steingraber teaches clients to identify mental barriers. She provides a proven mental skills system to improve performance in competition and to help build confidence and maximize performance. She is going incredible work, across the board, with organizations like the Generation Next Project, and she’s the author of What’s Your Everest? How to win in Sports, Career and Life.

Today’s guest is Chris Cathers of Brother’s Keeper Veteran Foundation. Chris is a Green Beret and was one of the first 10 agency contractors into Iraq in the first days of the Global War on Terror. After his service Chris was feeling it, in the form of PTSD and he contemplated suicide. He battled through it and was later diagnosed with Stage-4 bone cancer. But that is not slowing him down at all, so let’s meet my friend Chris Cathers.

Evan Slaughter left the Army, after receiving a Purple Heart, and felt directionless. He ended up in rehab fighting to kick an opioid addiction, and in the meantime found himself drastically falling out of both physical and mental shape. Today, he's battling back, while creating comedy and motivational content as Fit2Serve. We have an incredible conversation, including the first content Brian saw of Evan's, and where his journey to stronger physical and mental health is taking him.

We first met Dan Skidmore back on Episode 93 of PICK UP THE SIX Podcast and we’ve been overdue to sit down with him again. 
Dan was a special operator in the Air Force and he has a passion for doing hard things while living life to the fullest. He recently teamed up with three other buddies for the Morocco Monkey Run, an adventure that he shares with us, plus his views on training, fitness, and building a bulletproof version of yourself. I’m Brian Jodice and this is PICK UP THE SIX.

On this episode of PICK UP THE SIX Podcast we meet Julia Watson-Carlson who was a champion marksman in the United States Marines and who on deployment was heavily involved in women's engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan. She is truly a peaceful warrior. Show sponsors: NGBN: www.ngbn.tv Mudgear: www.mudgear.com code PUT6 to save 15% Amino-Vita: www.amino-vital.com code PUT6 to save 20%