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DJ Shipley & Andy Stumpf Unfiltered: What 17 Years in the SEAL Teams Actually Does to You

IRONCLAD

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On this week's episode of Change Agents, Andy Stumpf travels to the headquarters of GBRS Group in Virginia Beach to sit down with co-founder DJ Shipley.

He spent 17 in years in the SEAL teams where he served at SEAL Team 10 and Naval Special Warfare Development Group before medically retiring in 2019 due to injuries sustained in combat and training.

Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original.

Chapters
00:00:18 Introduction & DJ Shipley Background
00:02:25 Feeling Alone on the Island
00:06:14 Walking Around at a 10 for a Decade
00:10:46 Founding Tribe SK8Z & the getting Electrocuted
00:13:02 Building GBRS Group From Nothing
00:16:07 The Cost of Having No Balance in Life
00:20:36 Criticizing the Warfighter vs. the Decision Makers
00:24:47 Tour of GBRS Group HQ
00:30:06 What Would You Have Changed?
00:38:58 Supporting Gold Star Families
00:42:07 The Physical Toll - 15+ Surgeries and Counting
00:54:52 Recovery Room Tour
01:00:03 What Would You Do If You Lost It All
01:05:24 The Most Effective Way to Talk About Mental Health
01:11:44 The Veteran Suicide Epidemic - Is It Fixable?
01:19:38 Closing Thoughts & Where to Find DJ

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20 Comments

@markmadsen6828 2 months ago

Andy sounds like he is entering the wise old man faze of life. Glad he made it.

@ryancicci8561 2 months ago

So cool seeing two wildly different personality types who were both at the highest level of the Seal Teams

@juliamihajlovich 2 months ago (edited)

Andy needs to be a therapist for SEALs

@WiscoMike 2 months ago

DJ is experiencing the physical or mental effects of PTSD based on my experience with my dad who was a Vietnam veteran. He needs to step away from his "life" and find himself without the bravado. He's living in the past preparing for a battle that's not coming and deferring happiness because he can't let go. Andy, is like a big brother trying to put out the crumbs for DJ to follow.

@Duckyslides1447 2 months ago

ive been waiting for an Andy/DJ conversation for so fucking long

@Vaju44 2 months ago

probably best duo operators ive seen on a podcast. both well spoken, the intensiveness of DJ really pares well with laid back and chill vibes of Andy. Greetings from Romania guys. Keep popping on youtube and ill keep watching. i hope u get to enjoy your lives, u deserve it.

@serafin1352 2 months ago

You two gents have no idea how this chat is really helping certain guys and gals out here! So damn much respect💪

@Reynad-sm1kr 1 month ago

This conversation was incredibly insightful. DJ is normally more reserved, there is a level of humor, respect and openness here that only comes from knowing the person across from you has reached the same level.

Andy, great interview dude.

@jimrodriguez7418 2 months ago

That really sucks man that a guy took his life after completing his MBA. After I completed my MBA I was depressed because I spent an enormous amount of time devoting my life to my education. You have to recover. The one thing that got me through was the resilience I learned from being an NG soldier.

@DizzleMcsizzle 2 months ago (edited)

It was cool to see Andy in this capacity. I feel like his modesty typically prevents him from feeling he is in a position to offer anything more persuasive than a suggestion followed by a “but what do I know” caveat. I wonder if he saw this as an opportunity to try to carry a message to a brother he sees pushing through a season of life that he’s gotten to the other side of or if they just fell into that dynamic. Really powerful questions from Andy. You can tell that the intent of some of them was Socratic. He knows he can’t just tell DJ he has other solutions, he has to help lead him to them.

@bulletproofbiceps4809 2 months ago

You can tell DJ actually pays attention to what Andy says. There’s a lot of respect there. And also is it like a thing that all seals have to wear cool shoes??

@peterlaughlin930 4 days ago

This has been one of the most honest conversations I’ve ever heard great job guys

@LK-bz9sk 2 months ago (edited)

My late father said he finally knew he was very successful when regardless of which facility or factory he owned and showed up at, no one knew who he was. Great conversation gentlemen.

@37BigDodgeMotorVanOK 2 months ago

Dec. 09 had a car wreck, we were rear ended at a red light by a gal running 45-50mph. Came out with a torn labrum in my left shoulder, ball got chunks knocked out of it, surgery March 1 of ‘10. When the nerve block wore off at 2am March 2nd I was ready to cut my own arm off with a butter knife! Started PT on March 3rd, wanted to knock out the therapist as he started trying to get the arm unlocked from being immobilized for 48hrs. By the 3rd week I was building a porch on the front of our house! Did the PT appts 3x a week, did my homework therapy, but when I felt it getting tight and starting to hurt I’d do another half set of exercise reps and it would quit hurting and feel better. I preferred the PT over the Oxycodone time travel bs! Shoulders are no joke! I need my right one done, my left done again, 2 knees, and my neck fused! But I refuse to do it. 30yrs as a mechanic so I can’t imagine the bs yall have dealt with operating for decades!

@dylankatz6665 2 months ago

Out of all the DJ podcasts, the way DJ and Andy relate and open to eachother is like watching 2x tier 1 operators talking on a night during war time behind closed doors it feels that real and personal. Bravo

@ONTHEMTN. 3 weeks ago

Thank you for sharing so much here and in service.

@harlancorriveau3508 1 month ago

Another excellent episode. Listening to these shows can truly benefit anyone — they serve as a helpful reminder that everyone experiences difficult days, and it’s important to have consistent encouragement and perspective.

@WillTindal 2 months ago

Best DJ interview i've watched. Its awesome to see Andy's personality play a big role in making DJ crack a smile and let his guard down a bit with a brother thats been there and done that before. Also thought it was enlightening to see mental health being brought up in the context of operators and to watch the brainstorming occur of "how can we prevent this from happening" question. I'm just about to finish my masters in sport and performance psychology and I have a BS in Psych as well. I had two friends in my company in 2/75 commit suicide in the same month and they inspired me to get out and pursue psych because I felt like I would be able to empathize with the troops better than some nerd in a lab coat who has never been there and done that before. Debating whether to pursue Ph.D. psychology so I can support guys like you at the clinical level, or step into an agency role and stay in the fight chasing bad guys. any who I appreciate yall and applaud you on a great interview.

@mattfecteau8100 1 month ago (edited)

PLEASE speak up if you are having problems!!! Not only are you not alone….. by sharing your “problems” you could very well save someone’s life!!!

I have never served in the military. I am 58 years old and just quietly celebrated 35 years of sobriety. I don’t know what I would have done without my family in AA. There really is power in numbers!!!

When my 24 year old son was 6 he received a very bad health diagnosis. My AA family helped me through all of it! They loved me when I didn’t love myself!

@EricStamper-d8r 2 months ago

This didn’t feel like an interview. Instead, it felt like two men who had the ability to connect an understand each other. These two and Shrek are my top 3 Veterans who speak on today’s media platforms. i really enjoyed this, thank you.