The Warriorside Podcast

Diego Ugalde
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Self-Improvement

Transformational storytelling from veterans and first responders. Tales of triumph, loss and perseverance. Every episode we dive deep into the minds and hearts of those who have faced their greatest challenges head on, revealing the secrets, struggles and strategies that have forged them into the people they are today.

Episodes

  1. Jun 10

    Sweeping Blood Under the Rug, the 4x4x48 Challenge, and the Cost of Numbness with Michael Giardina

    In this episode of the Warriorside Podcast, hosts Diego Ugalde and Noah Galloway sit down with Navy veteran and elite athlete Michael Giardina, who delivers a deeply vulnerable account of breaking a lifelong cycle of emotional numbness. Michael details growing up in an explosive, unpredictable household where he learned to bury his emotions—a pattern that led to early substance abuse, a protective enlistment in the Navy, and later coping by physically crushing his body in extreme endurance sports and competing in the CrossFit Games six times. He shares the raw trauma of discovering his father's suicide in 2009, manually cleaning the scene while sweeping his grief under the rug, only for history to tragically repeat itself in October 2023 when he received a call mid-endurance race that his beloved younger sister had also taken her own life. Unable to hide from the overwhelming pain, Michael recounts traveling to a veteran retreat in Mexico, where a intense psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT journey forced him to plunge straight through a dark personal hell, open his heart, and reconnect with a joyful memory of dancing with his sister. Finally, the group discusses the profound shift in Michael's relationship with fitness—moving away from a performative obsession with dominating leaderboards to earn love, and stepping into a softer, ongoing healing journey where he can openly communicate, show authentic emotion to his wife and children, and accept himself exactly as he is.

  2. Jun 10

    The Armor of Afghanistan, Plywood Chalk Maps, and the Medicine of the Desert with Sam Juan

    In this episode of the Warriorside Podcast, hosts Diego Ugalde and Noah Galloway sit down with Sam Juan, a former military Cultural Support Team leader attached to SEAL Team 6 Red Squadron in Afghanistan. Sam details the intense psychological toll of operating within a high-stakes combat environment, sharing a raw account of a night raid where she had to suppress her own humanity and empathy to follow orders during a devastating airstrike and a subsequent, heart-wrenching hospital interrogation of a grieving Afghan woman. She explains how this deep emotional disconnection forced her body into an automatic survival response that night, leading her to draw chaotic chalk patterns on her tent's plywood walls—a creative outlet that gave her repressed childhood trauma a voice and marked her first step back toward her authentic self through art. After transitioning out of the military, Sam details how she hid behind a high-achieving corporate facade and a curated online influencer persona to mask ongoing substance abuse and the pain of childhood sexual abuse. She recounts hitting a dangerous breaking point during the pandemic curfew that ultimately drove her to seek help and participate in her first traditional Peyote ceremony with a Mojave roadman, where she confronted the terrifying visage of her past abuser, purged decades of lingering trauma, and began a profound, honest journey toward genuine integration and healing.

  3. Jun 10

    The Speed of Sound, the War on Mental Health, and Original Medicine with Kegan Gill

    In this episode of the Warriorside Podcast, hosts Diego Ugalde and Noah Galloway recount an intense tech-plagued journey to finally sit down with Kegan Gill, a former Navy F-18 Super Hornet fighter pilot whose life changed violently during a near-fatal 2014 ejection at 695 miles per hour. After defying a grim medical prognosis to miraculously walk again and return to active-duty flying, Kegan details how severe subsequent traumatic brain injuries, a delayed-onset PTSD diagnosis, and an overmedicated military mental health protocol drove him into a profound existential void, severe psychotic breaks, and a 40-day stint in a lockup VA psychiatric facility. He shares a raw account of reaching a suicidal breaking point before finding a vital community lifeline through Jesse Gould and the Heroic Hearts Project, who sponsored his travel to Peru to experience traditional Shipibo Ayahuasca ceremonies. Through melting away his human physical limitations and journeying through a hellish personal darkness to reclaim a forgotten sense of deep internal love, Kegan explains how rigorous integration protocols focused on nutrition, meditation, and outdoor reconnection ultimately allowed him to completely heal his brain, restore his family, and step into his current purpose as a father, husband, and conscious storyteller.

  4. Jun 10

    Redefining Vulnerability, Mentorship, and Healing Outside the Rig with Tim Houweling

    In this episode of the Warriorside Podcast, hosts Diego Ugalde and Noah Galloway sit down with firefighter, paramedic, and fire captain Tim Houweling, who shares a raw account of his career trauma—including a deeply impactful attempted suicide call involving a 13-year-old girl—and details how a subsequent back injury in 2022 stripped away his routine, sending him into a spiral of isolation, coping mechanisms, and suicidal ideation . He recounts how his friend Jimmy, a retired Navy SEAL, stepped in to introduce him to traditional plant medicine ceremonies in Mexico, leading to a profound personal transformation . The conversation expands into how Tim and his wife Angela founded the Siren Project to provide first responders with access to indigenous medicine lineages in Mexico, emphasizing the crucial roles of long-term integration, preparation, and humility over commercialized alternatives . Finally, the group discusses the unique psychological burdens placed on firefighters, paramedics, and police officers, examining how mentorship, deliberate peer decompression, and reframing vulnerability as an authentic strength are essential keys to processing trauma and ending the suicide crisis within the first responder community .

  5. Jun 10

    The Villain Within - Transforming Vulnerability Into a New Mission with Rob Newson

    In this episode we welcome in retired Navy SEAL Rob Newson. Our conversation focuses on Newson's journey with cancer and the therapeutic power of transformational storytelling . Rob shares how his battle with late-stage cancer—a diagnosis shared by over 525,000 post-9/11 service members—shifted his perspective from being a 30-year "warrior" to becoming a mission-driven advocate for early detection through the Soteria Precision Medicine Foundation . The dialogue explores a pivotal moment in his Warriorside training where he moved beyond blaming a callous doctor to a profound self-realization about his own past moments of emotional disconnection . Ultimately, the episode emphasizes that healing requires both internal introspection and the release of negative energy through forgiveness and community connection.

  6. Jun 10

    Why Your Greatest Failure is Your Biggest Strength - The Science of Connection with John K. Bates

    We're excited to bring you this interview with Warrioride team member and renowned public speaker, Mr. John K. Bates, the storytelling expert behind much of the Warriorside methodology when it comes to kicking ass on stage. John shares his professional trajectory from a high-stakes failure in the early dot-com era to becoming a world-renowned communications coach for TED speakers and organizations like NASA. The discussion focuses on the science of human connection, explaining why vulnerability is a "leadership superpower" and how sharing the "messy" parts of a story creates biological trust through oxytocin. John and Diego reflect on how combining elite military principles with expert performance coaching allows veterans to move past their "functional masks" to find true healing and influence, ultimately describing the program as "The Moth Radio Hour meets the Navy SEALs."

  7. Jun 10

    Why First Responders Struggle to Ask for Help with Rob Poynter

    In Episode 2 of The Warriorside Podcast, we welcome retired Deputy Sheriff Rob Poynter for a deep dive into the silent epidemic of trauma within the first responder community. Together we deconstruct the cultural "shield" that prevents officers and firefighters from acknowledging their own struggles, highlighting the critical difference between being a professional and being "invincible". By sharing raw personal accounts and the science of cumulative stress, this episode serves as a powerful call to action for those on the frontlines to trade isolation for connection and reclaim their lives beyond the uniform.

  8. Jun 10

    Warriorside: Healing the Disconnection in the Veteran & First Responder Community

    In the premiere episode of The Warriorside Podcast, retired Navy SEAL Diego Ugalde and co-host Noah Galloway, US Army Veteran, challenge the traditional "warrior" narrative to address the lethal crisis of disconnection facing today's veterans and first responders. Drawing from Diego's 20-year career and his ten-year journey to earn his Trident, the duo explores how the stories we tell ourselves can either become "teaspoons of poison" or a profound source of healing and resilience. This episode introduces the "Warriorside" mission of transmuting trauma into a legacy of connection through conscious storytelling, proving that the most powerful tool for recovery isn't a medication—it's the courage to face your own darkness and find your community.

  • 8 Episodes

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Transformational storytelling from veterans and first responders. Tales of triumph, loss and perseverance. Every episode we dive deep into the minds and hearts of those who have faced their greatest challenges head on, revealing the secrets, struggles and strategies that have forged them into the people they are today.

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