Nate Boyer has never been one to wait for others to do work that he’s capable of doing now. Upon reading a magazine article about the tragedies happening in Darfur, at 23 years old, Boyer bought a plane ticket to the region and talked his way into helping out with the relief efforts in that area. A short time later, Boyer learned about the suffering that was happening in Fallujah, and read about how American Special Forces were working with indigenous forces there to help calm the tumult. He immediately decided that was a way that he could help on an international level with even greater significance.

A year and a half after that Boyer was a Green Beret performing the exact work that he had read about, engaging with local communities to help keep people safe and get them the help and supplies they needed.

While serving his country, Boyer got the idea that he’d like to pursue his life-long dream of playing football, and returned to the US as a walk-on at The University of Texas, earning a spot as a defensive back, and then a long snapper on the team. Upon graduating, Boyer concluded that he wouldn’t be content until he pursued the possibility of playing football in the NFL, and wound up getting drafted by the Seattle Seahawks as a long snapper.

While Boyer’s time in the NFL was relatively short lived, he’s now making an even bigger impact through his work supporting important causes like care for wounded veterans with The Adaptive Training Foundation, as well as providing clean water to impoverished communities though his work with The Chris Long Foundation. Boyer recognizes the incredible opportunities and freedoms that we possess as Americans to do good in this country and around the world, that’s why he wastes no time working to ensure that he does all that he can to provide support and care to those who need it.

It was a sincere privilege for the LALO Team to be able to sit down and chat with Boyer about what motivates him to give so much of his time and energy to these causes. We hope that you enjoy hearing all about it.

LISTEN TO NATE'S PODCAST HERE >>

The presence of Law Enforcement is something this world depends on. Although sometimes misunderstood, those who serve our cities, states and nation are usually some of the most well-rounded, hard working folks out there; and likely someone you’d want to call your friend.

Here at LALO, we do our best to shine a light on all service members of this country, and to do so in a positive, raw manner. Alicia Chudy is a local Chula Vista Police Officer who was gracious enough to give us an inside view of her profession; a profession many of us wonder about, but rarely have the opportunity to question. She shares why she loves her job, what motivates her to maintain her integrity and why she believes the gender gap that still remains in her profession is dwindling - and in her opinion, should perish forever.

LW: Being a police officer is serious work and extremely demanding, but you seem to love your job; what inspired you to become a police officer and how long have you been active?
AC:  I have been a police officer for 11 years.  I am currently assigned as an Agent in Patrol.  I cannot pin point any reason, person or experience that inspired me to be an officer.  I honestly believe it was what I always knew I was meant to do.

LW: Do you find that being a female in your line of work brings with it more challenges than the more common male officer might encounter? If so, what are some of those challenges you face and how do you combat them?
AC: I think any person coming into this job experiences challenges.  However, law enforcement is still considered a male dominated field.  I personally came into this job as a young, petite, bubbly female.  I know that being 4’10” and 110 pounds brought doubt to many of my co-workers.  It started when I went to the physical agility test and heard the murmurs behind me about me not being able to make it over the 6-foot wall.  I heard it in the academy because I was so bubbly and friendly.  I heard it when I was in field training if I would be able to hold my own in a fight.  However the longer I am in this field, I hear those same discussions about male officers.

Over the years, I’ve seen more and more strong woman step into supervisory roles and numerous females hired.  Currently, my shift of 20 officers consists of a female lieutenant, a female sergeant, a female agent (myself), and 3 more female officers.  It is one of the more empowering things to see.

LW: What is your favorite part of the job? Least favorite?
AC:  There are many things I love about this job.  The first being the people I work with.  Most of them are pretty amazing.  But I have to admit putting bad guys in jail, is one of my favorite things.  I think taking legitimately bad people off the streets truly makes the city safer for the community. My least favorite is any crimes involving a child victim.  It absolutely breaks my heart.   

LW: Can you share with us one of the most memorable experiences you’ve had on the job and why was it so memorable?
AC: My most memorable experience was graduating the academy and having my badge pinned on me.  My sister, who is a Sergeant at another agency, pinned my badge on me.  The badge that I wear symbolizes so much.  I am proud to put my uniform on wearing my badge when I come in to work.  It reminds me of all the hard work that I have put in to get where I am today.     

LW: When you have to work graveyard shifts, what keeps you motivated and awake through the night?
AC:  Right now I have a lot of fairly new officers that like to get out there and seriously work.  They contact anyone and anything that moves.  They keep me on my toes all night and I have no choice but to stay awake.  They remind me of why I started this job 11 years ago.  They remind me of myself when I was a young officer.  It makes working at night fun.

LW: We’ve noticed you are a fiery ball of energy and you dedicate a lot of your off time in the gym, active in local competitions with one of our gym partners, Fathom CrossFit. Have you always been a gym rat or is it just part of the job as you serve this nation?
AC:  I have been fairly active all my life despite struggling with asthma when I was younger.  I trained and competed in Judo in my younger years.  In college I was a coxswain on the SDSU rowing team, and was a cardio kickboxing and Zumba instructor for approximately 10 years.  A little less than 5 years ago a few of the officers I work with told me that I would LOVE CrossFit.  I reluctantly went to a free class.  I mean I did Zumba, what else did I need to do?  The coach (Melissa Abels) at the CrossFit gym I went to was amazing.  She made me want to come back for more.  Like many of the women I work with, she empowered me to want to be better.  I moved to Fathom CrossFit about a year ago.  I love the community, the coaches and the programming.   I found two amazing women that work out there that push me to be better and of course my main squeeze, Brandon Mclaughlin, works out there and pushes and supports me.  

LW: What is your favorite kind of workout and why?
AC:  My favorite workouts are longer chippers and OLY lifting - or long chippers with OLY lifting movements, maybe?  I like the longer WODS to get my blood flowing and I like OLY to remind myself that I am strong.  Any hard workout reminds me that no matter how much it hurts, I can keep going, I can finish.  I keep my job in my mind as I work out to keep that same mentality.

LW: What else do you like to do in your spare time?
AC: In my spare time I like to spend time with my amazing boyfriend, Brandon, paddleboard and travel.

LW: We can’t help but notice your love of tattoos and hear you have a plan to continue the artwork across your body. Can you share your ideas for this and what your “why” is for decorating your body?
AC: I do love tattoos!!!  I think it is a great way for someone to express him or herself.  I have mermaids on my right leg that remind me of a picture my Mom made, a Victorian woman with butterflies and orchids on my right side because it reminds me of figurines my Grandpa collected when I was a little girl, and Japanese art on my back as I am a quarter Japanese.  I plan on continuing with some more Japanese art.

LW: What would your response be to someone who insinuated that women are less qualified to do the job you’re doing than a man?
AC:  I would most likely laugh.  I’ve worked with numerous women and many are so amazing.  They work just as hard if not harder than the men. I think today in my profession, more women doubt themselves than men doubt them. Over the years, I have heard women give a million reasons why they cannot be an officer.  Women get into their own heads instead of just going for what they really want.  I’m lucky to work for an agency that is extremely supportive of its female officers.  

LW: We have to ask, is being a police officer really the way it seems in movies and television? What are some of the biggest misconceptions you hear about being a police officer?
AC:  It’s funny because so many people think they know the job because of television and movies.  They think that we can solve many crimes in a one-hour episode or a 2 hour movie which, yes can happen occasionally, but not always.  I think the biggest misconceptions of being a police officer actually come with negative media coverage.  A few bad apples tarnish every officer’s badge.      

LW: What words of advice or wisdom would you give a young woman who desires to become a police officer? Anything you would change in your experience?
AC:  If any young woman desires to be a police officer I say to go for it.  Law Enforcement needs people with many different personalities.  Women contribute different approaches then men do.  Don’t let anything or anyone hold you back.  Get your degree and stay in shape.

I do not think I would change anything in my experience.  It has made me who I am today.

LW: Given the risks associated with working in the field as an officer, do you see yourself making a lifelong career out of this honorable position? If not, what else would you like to accomplish in life?
AC: This is a lifelong career choice for me.  I hope to get into specialty positions and promoted along the way.

LW: Coffee or tea?
AC: Both, depending on how I feel.

LW: Favorite song to workout to?
AC: Any Major Lazer song……you can put ‘Lean On’ on repeat and I’d be happy.

LW: Sunrise or sunset?
AC: I get the pleasure of seeing both on the days that I am working.  But I must say, I love watching the sun come up at the end of my shift.

LW: Now for some fun, you don’t have to mention names, but we are curious - how many men in your unit can you out lift, out run, or out smart? And don’t be shy.
AC: HAHA!  I am lucky to work out with quite a few people who CrossFit.  However, on my shift of 19 other officers, there’s only one that would give me a run for my money when it comes to out lifting me, one that I know can outrun me……but outsmart me?  Nah.  ;)

Kevin wears many hats—err, helmets rather. A SWAT team member, sniper, law enforcement officer, founder of a non-profit, outdoor enthusiast, and a few other things we aren’t at liberty to tell you about — Kevin is not one to rest on his laurels. A man deeply committed to serving his country and community, he understands the idea of sacrificing for the greater good better than most, and takes every opportunity he can to improve the lives of those around him. His line of work requires an extremely high level of competence, focus, and an unyielding commitment to developing one’s skill set and capabilities—yet, when you talk to him, it becomes immediately clear that despite the high standards he holds himself to, Kevin’s work is truly the work of a man who cares for his country and his community deeply, and busts his ass because the safety and preservation of those things is his greatest priority.

We had the distinct privilege of talking with Kevin recently, and asked him about how he got into his line of work, how his non-profit, Operation 300 came to be, and how he continues to push his own boundaries and keep himself motivated. In true “Kevin Fashion” his only request was that we focus on Operation 300 more than himself. Did we mention the word "selfless?" We hope you enjoy learning about Kevin, and take some inspiration from the example he sets, just as we have. Enjoy!

LALO: When/how did you come to the conclusion that you wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement?
KK: I wish I had a poetic love story to tell, but the truth is, I don’t. I grew up playing cops and robbers but typically wasn’t on the ‘good guys’ team. At 18 years old, I would’ve laughed you out of the room if you told me where I would end up. At the time, I was a business major in college and I hated it. I wanted to serve my country but was too scared to disappoint my parents by pulling out of school. My best friend asked me to take a ride with him one day while he ran errands and the first stop was a Police Academy on the other side of town. As we pulled into the complex I asked what we were doing. To my surprise he replied “I’m submitting an application.” The facility housed a shooting range, driving pad, obstacle course and several classes of recruits which were quite obviously getting smoked by the Cadre. I couldn’t believe he was going to be shooting guns and driving cars while I was stuck studying for a degree I didn’t want. I submitted an application on the spot and a few weeks later, found myself calling my parents to update them on the change of plans. The rest is history.

LALO: What’s the most challenging aspect of your work? What’s the most rewarding/most enjoyable?
KK: Both the most challenging and the most rewarding aspect of my job is the unpredictability. I haven’t worked a set schedule in over 7 years and most days schedule is usually figured out hours before we come in. It’s crazy and hectic at times but I love it. It’s the same quality that keeps it fun and fresh. I never know what I’m walking in to and it’s that unknown aspect that keeps most of us coming back for more.

LALO: What motivates you to get up and moving on the days that you don’t want to get out of bed?
KK: I work as part of a team and our work is bigger than any single member which means people depend on me. Every guy and every job matters. I’ve also made a commitment to the community I serve. If I stayed at home, I wouldn’t be keeping my end of the bargain. It’s the people I swore to protect and the people who stand at my side that keep me moving.

LALO: What made you want to serve?
KK: At 30 years old, I’ve come to realize my heart was built to serve others. Both at work and outside of it. Quite simply, I’m just happier that way. At 19 years old, I couldn’t ignore my calling any longer which left me with a single decision; serve my country abroad or serve my country here at home? I wanted to do both but felt like we have a lot of problems domestically and I wanted to affect change here where my friends and family live.

LALO: We hear that you’re a bit of a surfer; is that your preferred past time? How did you get into it?
KK: Haha, yes…it sounds like there is a leak at LALO Headquarters! Surfing is just part of life where I live. Being born and raised around the water I’ve probably spent more hours in a boat than in a car. I guess I just took to the ocean at a very young age and surfing came with the territory. It’s just one of the rare things in my life that truly drowns out the white noise. When I’m in the water, the world stops and my brain can truly let go of everything else. It’s something that allows me to live purely in the moment and I think that’s because the ocean has a funny way of humbling people and constantly reminding us that it doesn’t care about your timing or your problems. It can be very unforgiving and requires a certain level of focus and determination which is what draws me to it.

It also helps that I’ve got a lifetime of fond memories sharing waves with my brother and some of my closest friends. For me, surfing isn’t about technical turns or cranking out impressive combos, it’s all about getting away from the craziness and making memories with good people.



LALO: How did you come to the conclusion that SWAT was something that you wanted to pursue?
KK: Before submitting my first job application I knew I wanted to join a SWAT Team. Not because it was glamorous, but because it was a chance to serve in the worst environments possible. It was a chance to challenge myself and make a difference. The kind of difference that could change the course of a life and even preserve it.

I had a unique experience at a young age where I have a very distinct memory from my 6th grade year of schooling. I was made fun of in front of all my friends for walking with my butt out like a duck and it really affected me. For the next 6 months, I forcibly walked with my hips uncomfortably and very unnaturally forward until the awkward and unnatural feeling became normal. This was a revelation at a young age. I could control the outcome of my life and through meticulous positive training get desirable results. It has been a reflection point and reminder still to this day.

Compound that with the fact that at this stage in my life I have been educated enough to understand the professional Sniper community is filled with like-minded individuals. People who work to the point of being obsessive over their craft and even to the point of ridicule by others. It’s a place where men who are unflinchingly willing to sacrifice themselves and a comfortable life for the one rare opportunity to save another. It’s a place where failure isn’t an option. I was never interested in becoming a Sniper because it’s sexy… it isn’t. I have simply gotten to a point in my career where it would be reckless or just plain lazy to ignore what I’ve been built to do. I clearly recognize that I have many flaws, but I also have many talents and among them are the desire to be a warrior, an athlete, a strategist and a servant.

LALO: What’s it like working on a SWAT Team?
KK: It’s like working with a team full of men who are just a bunch of goof balls. You have to really be on your game around these guys because if you don’t they always have some crafty way of saying “we love you, but don’t take yourself too serious.” Let your guard down and you’re liable to catch a prank from somebody. There’s never a dull moment on the team.

No, in reality it’s amazing. I get to serve alongside men who are more than just friends or co-workers, they are family. It’s an environment which truly tempers the best of the best in this business and I feel fortunate for getting to be a part of that process. My team is filled with all different personality types from all different walks of life, but we all share one common goal and one common passion. To fight people who are prepared to do bad things and make sure each other go home safe.

LALO: For our followers that may be curious, what does it take to become a SWAT team member? What advice could you give to someone who wants to be SWAT someday?
KK: Determination and perseverance. I’ve watched guys come through all kinds of personal struggle and sacrifice to make it on the team. Everyone is different and life has some funny curve balls. If there is one thing that separates the men I work alongside from the pack, it’s their determination to succeed. To never quit and to always get better. I’ve watched guys fight through all kinds of adversity. From the one’s who were told they would never make it to the one’s who were told they were too old; men who lost best friends to this work and men who gave up extremely comfortable lives. The common thread amongst us is a will to succeed no matter what the cost. It’s a conscious awareness that you are not special and your circumstance is not unique. If you want to join a team, keep your eyes forward don’t accept defeat. Setbacks will come and go in life, but successful people find a way to make it work.

LALO: Tell us about your non-profit, Operation 300. How did that get started?
KK: Operation 300 was started to honor Special Operations Chief Aaron C. Vaughn (SEAL) who was killed August 6, 2011 when a Chinook helicopter carrying 30 American troops was shot down in Afghanistan. Aaron had just celebrated his 30th birthday and left behind a son who wasn’t yet 2 years old and a daughter, still a baby.

In the months following Aaron’s death, his sister Tara really struggled with who would do the adventurous things Aaron would have done with his children. This is where Operation 300 was birthed. We are a registered, not-for-profit 501c(3) which provides adventure camps for children who have lost their fathers as a result of military service. Our mission is to honor the families of the fallen by forging the heart of a warrior in their children.

We really just try to have a good time with kids. While they are with us, we take the kids fishing, sailing, trail riding, shooting and through a range of other activities. The camps are completely expense free to the families and in addition to flying the children to us from anywhere in the country, we also bring the moms too. Operation 300 is just an all around good group of people who have vowed to give back by serving families who have gave it all for our country.

LALO: How’d you come to hear about LALO? What do you appreciate about your LALOs?
KK: I was introduced to LALO through other people wearing them. They stood out and immediately grabbed my attention. It wasn’t long after that I was on the phone with your team working out the details to secure a set of Shadow Boots.

What I appreciate most about my LALOs is that they provide uncompromising support in some pretty rough conditions. The last thing I want to think about when I’m on an operation is my feet so having a shoe or boot that lets me focus on the rest of the mission is critical. My LALOs have performed flawlessly and much like the men I work with, the harder I push them, the better they perform.

Beyond the shoe, the team of men and women behind the product is amazing and having relationships with people like this has been awesome. I can’t tell you how much it means to know the people we commit to serving have our back as well.

LALO: You’re an incredibly busy guy; what do you do to ensure you stay in shape to meet the incredible and unpredictable demands of your job?
KK: No doubt I’m in the busiest season of my life to date and it can get a bit hectic if I let it. I think the key for me is to not make excuses. Sometimes the call comes in the final hour of my day and carries through the middle of the night. In those moments, I think you can take one of two roads. I can kick my heals up and say “today was a long one and I earned some much needed rest” or I can roll the sleeves up and get my workout in at 0200 hours because I’m not special and if I don’t, people who depend on me might suffer.

As far as the routine goes, I try to just keep it mixed up. I think the human body thrives most when you keep it confused so training for me ranges from running (which yes, I hate with a passion) to crossfit to laps in the pool. I try to focus on movements and training which applies to the real world so the emphasis for me is always on functional fitness with practical workouts. Going through shooting drills while my lungs are screaming for air or doing an endurance circuit in full kit are just a few of the things that keep my mind entertained while strength training.



LALO: When you get some down time, how do you prefer to spend it?
KK: Out of cell phone range and somewhere far from pavement. I love being out in the woods or in the water. Finding powder in Colorado’s Ten Mile Range, fishing off the Bahamas’ West End or hunting the backwoods of West Virginia are all things that get my blood pumping. It doesn’t take much to make me happy though, I’m a pretty simple guys with pretty simple needs.

LALO: What is your personal “secret to success?”
KK: Refusing to accept defeat. That’s different than refusing to accept failure. My brother taught me an important lesson early in life. “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent.” Failure will come, nobody is perfect. Winners look at those failures as training opportunities and turn them into lessons. Keep a big picture mentality and don’t consume yourself with a single stumble, reset and run it again.

LALO: If you could pass on one piece of advice, what would you say?
KK: Life is short and unexpected. Don’t waste it. Train hard and act on the things you are truly passionate about.

LALO: If you weren’t pursuing the career that you are today, what else do you think you would do instead?
KK: I could probably be a ski bum somewhere with stormy winters and good trout fishing but I can’t imagine not getting to serve my country in some capacity. If I wasn’t where I am, I’m sure I would find a home in the military.

LALO: If you could be remembered for one thing, what would you want that to be?
KK: I want to be the type of person who doesn’t work to make my presence known but instead makes my absence felt. I would hope people remember me as a guy who put others before himself and never had too many things on his schedule to stop and talk. I hope that my life is honoring to God and also to the people I love.

Learn more about Operation 300 >>

Time…

Time is unrelenting. It doesn't care what you do or how you do things. It doesn't care who you are, how much money you have, where you live or what you do. It could care less about your emotional state or what you have to do tomorrow. It's something that passes at cocktail parties.

 It's agnostic.

Time also has an amazing way of revealing character, truth and motive. It gives us a way to measure victories and accomplishments, defeats and failures by seconds, minutes, hours, days and or months. Generally, we use it as a yardstick as there is little else to do with it. It's not a currency we can trade or barter with, nor does time have an implicit value except to those whom are short of it.

In the past months we have had the good fortune to meet with a few individuals completing MBA programs. They are working on various projects and were in different stages of their programs and the conversations with them all revolved around similar themes. What does it take to get a brand off the ground? How much time does it take? What are the key success factors? Three relatively easy questions, right?...

The first question has an easy answer. Getting a brand off the ground is simple – you just have to be too dumb to fail (this is also a key concept related to overall success factors).  This answer normally is met with a blank stare, nervous laugh, the person on the other side of the conversation looking at me like I have rocks in my head, and or a follow up of “what are you talking about?” To get a brand off the ground you inherently know it's risky. One in 20 make it to market and from there it's a war of attrition.

If you knew all of the trials and tribulations you would go through, you would likely never start. Anyone who is smart enough to assess all of the the risk factors would never start. This is where I think entrepreneurs see risk differently…like we are somewhat blind to it. We take a measured amount of time to asses the idea and then launch the business. There is no time like the present…right? And there is never a right time.

The key success factors are:

1. Be too dumb to fail, and if you do, fail fast and fix it.

2. Assemble a team that is clear on the mission, goals and values of the company. Most importantly they share the same work ethic and values you do. If you don't, it will be an endless source of frustration and tension. Everyone has to be all in all the time. If they aren’t they should move on.

3. If you don't have the stomach for risk, don’t start. Risk should be embraced, rewarded, championed. Without it the world would be a boring place.

All day every day is how much time it takes to get a brand to market. You had better be prepared to work more hours than you thought you ever should for far less money (none) than you think you deserve to make. If you believe your time has any real monetary value in a startup you are mistaken. Weekends are not optional work days, they are mandatory. 5pm is just the beginning of the evening shift for you and the start of someone else’s day across the world. Friends and family will think you are manic about your business and will get ready to send you to a 12 step program…ignore them, it’s mission critical to stay on task.

It’s one thing to bring a product to market. You can put it on a shelf or an e-commerce store and hope for the best. If it sells it sells. There is certainly an argument to be made for taking this path, it happens to be far less complicated. Its an entirely different thing to build a brand, create a community of people that believe in what you do and the message you deliver. The audience always has a choice to disengage. The product, messaging and brand positioning always have to be authentic otherwise you are done.

The key success factors are:

1. Be brutally honest with your audience, they will see through it if you aren’t. Stay true to who you are and what you do despite the temptation to take the easier path.

2. Be self aware and incredibly self critical about your business; in the end it pays to.

3. Focus on what you do and how you do it. Succeed and repeat relentlessly. Do the work. Grind. Make it happen.

If you do it right the money takes care of itself. You do it wrong and the money also takes care of itself…it’s gone.

One of the challenges we have in a startup footwear business is to get all of the components of the business aligned at the same time, and it's not easy. Oftentimes marketing is ahead of sales which is ahead of development and the factory production. The calendar doesn't care if you have your act together or not, the days pass anyway…and they pass quickly.

LALO has good systems, great people and amazing partners. All of us have some form of footwear design, manufacturing, and go to market experience.  Most importantly, we have relationships in the footwear and apparel trade. Even with all of these assets, it's no layup to get things working well. It takes a little time to get things working the way we want them to, but it gets closer each day.

As the business starts to run more efficiently it allows us to spend more time focusing on the core mission of our business, collaborating with elite end users and then building innovative products. There is no question it's a luxury to be based in San Diego and close to Camp Pendleton and the Naval Special Warfare base. Being close to the Operators allows us to drill down on the needs they have and work on delivering a purpose driven solution.

Over the past couple of years our team at LALO has had the good fortune to meet an amazingly diverse group of individuals. Some we have met at events, tradeshows, or at their “shops”. Others while travelling or in the local San Diego neighborhoods.

The vast majority of the individuals we have been fortunate enough to meet have one thing in common, they aren’t afraid to do the pushups. They do the work, plain and simple. They confront failure openly and work hard to find a solution. They don't waste their time. They are productive citizens in their respective communities and It's a pleasure to interact with them. Those that don't, aren’t and they are weeded out quickly.  

I can speak for all of us at LALO – we are incredibly humbled that you choose to spend your time interacting with us and the LALO community. This is something we will never take for granted and we will always be respectful of. We owe you our best in every single interaction, and work hard everyday to deliver. There are no easy days and doing the pushups is pretty common around here.

If you know, you know.

Until next time...

V/r
Jay


About LALO Tactical:
LALO was founded to serve the needs of Special Forces Operators. LALO uses top tier materials to create some of the best and hardest working tactical boots and athletic footwear for those that rise to the toughest occasions. The LALO Shadow, the ultimate Special Forces tactical boot, features a unique patent including a drainage system, a composite forefoot plate, a fast-dry component and the lightest weight materials on the market. The LALO Athletic line is a direct result of briefings received from Special Forces Operators. The need was to build a lightweight, packable, breathable shoe they could cross train and run in – a shoe they could count on, whether training or deployed. LALO’s designs put an emphasis on noise reduction, support and game day performance; gear that hits the mark time after time. Whether your path leads you to a career in the military, competing in an adventure race, cross training, tackling an urban athletic workout, or running a 5K, LALO has the shoe for you. www.lalotactical.com

LALO TACTICAL is privately held by LALO LLC, a California LLC.

David Vobora knows a little bit about overcoming adversity. He was the very last player to be drafted in the 2008 NFL draft, earning him the not-so-coveted title of “Mr. Irrelevant,” the unofficial name given to the player that the league figures will have zero impact going forward. Vobora didn’t let the label slow him down though, as he began working his way up to starting linebacker for the St. Louis Rams, and then the Seattle Seahawks 3 years later. He achieved many personal goals during his time in the NFL, and got to play against his childhood hero, Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. By the time he was 28 however, the regular pummeling that comes along with being a professional football player had taken its toll on Vobora, and he decided to retire from the game.

David didn’t slow down at all however, and in 2012 he opened Performance Vault Inc., an elite training facility in Dallas, Texas. He didn’t stop there either; in 2014, Vobora opened Adaptive Training Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to empower and redefine the limitations facing individuals with disabilities. ATF also features free training for wounded veterans, and goes to great lengths to help restore a sense of community and purpose through training. The organization provides a much-needed support system and sense of accountability to the wounded warriors that enter the program, and the resulting empowerment and sense of self that they are able to reclaim through the program is invaluable to all parties involved.

We were lucky enough to be able to hop on a call with David recently, and talked with him about the program he runs for wounded veterans at Adaptive Training Foundation, as well as what gets him out of bed in the morning and how he stays motivated even when the going gets tough. We hope you enjoy learning about David and the incredible work he and his team are doing as much as we enjoyed talking with him!

LALO: For those of our followers who don’t know, could you summarize in a sentence or two what the Adaptive Training Foundation’s mission is?
DV: Our mission is to empower the human athlete, restore hope through movement and redefine the limits of individuals with disabilities. Our goal through the Adaptive Training Foundation is to offer optimization for people with physical impairment through our customized physical training programs. We believe that any person can seek to become a better version of themselves physically and mentally through our program. We serve the adaptive athlete, both veteran and civilian; primarily, but not limited to amputees and spinal cord injuries.

LALO: How do you choose to take people in to train at Adaptive Training Foundation?
DV: We have an application process that’s about 13 or 14 pages.  It goes through a wide variety of questions, from medical questions down to some motivation and quality of life questions. We ask people how much pain they’re in, we talk to them about how motivated are they to attain goals both physically and emotionally and mentally; how ready are they to take that next step?  Again, we roll 10 new applicants—10 new adaptive athletes—through our program, every 9 weeks. So that application process, I have a stack of applications of people that want to get into our program. This upcoming class that starts this Monday will be our first time bringing athletes nationally, housing them and then bringing them through our 9-week redefine program. The application can be found online through our athlete tab on our website, and people can come to the gym physically here in Dallas and pick one up as well.

I go present to my board of directors and to my team, explaining whom it is that I think really needs that last push. If someone can go to a typical gym and workout, they may not be a really great fit for our program—that’s not to say we wouldn’t allow them to come in if their application is such that we felt that they’d be a really good fit, and they are ready for that next step though. The goal then, as we grow, is to offer potential parallel classes. We like the idea of keeping classes at no more than ten people per-class; that really creates that tribal community. It creates the opportunity for them to know everyone that they’re training alongside during group sessions, or with everyone that they see during that nine-week period. It gives the ability for really strong relationships to form, which is absolutely critical to the success of our program.

LALO: Playing in front of tens of thousands of people every week like you did in the NFL must’ve been quite a rush! Not to compare apples and oranges, but is there an aspect of what you’re doing now that brings a similar sense of excitement or enthusiasm?
DV: Well, you nailed it, there’s no rush quite like running out in front of 80,000 screaming people. The feeling that what you’re doing on the field echoes—not only in the physical sense right in front of you when you make those plays—but kind of in eternity as well, is special, and I don’t think you can replicate that feeling. All of that said, my dream was to play in the NFL, and I fulfilled that, but I lacked the [feeling of] fulfillment because I had to have such tunnel vision to get there and to have success, that I got kind of near-sighted. I was robbed of some of the joy along the way. What I mean is, it’s not that I didn’t care about people during that journey, because I think I was still the same David, but I think the way that I export who I am now, the fulfillment and the excitement that I get to see when I utilize my gifts to help our adaptive athletes, these wounded warriors, when I see them get that breakthrough, when they hit that goal, whether it’s something as seemingly insignificant as someone standing up again on their own, taking their first steps unassisted, being able to push up a wheelchair ramp by themselves, I mean these are all goals that our athletes have had and have attained—all the way up to athletes that are competing in the Paralympics,  they’re making the U.S. Team, they’re competing in Ironman races, they’re going and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and doing these massive feats. I get immeasurable amounts of joy from that. It’s truly rewarding.

Although the “Grid Iron” isn’t where I’m seeking that same type of excitement anymore, I definitely still get the rush from when I see them break through, and that’s truly incredible for me. So what we do is we recalibrate these competitors, offer them the opportunity to compete again, and through that they find a way to come alive, and those milestones, when they reach them, are just as significant for me.

LALO: Do you ever have any days when you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning? What keeps you motivated?
DV: Anyone that tells you that they don’t have mornings where they wake up and they want to hit that snooze button is lying! I’m a morning person, I wake up really early and I’ve always just sort of been wired that way. I remember being a little kid and waking up early to steal Pop-Tarts out of the pantry to go curl up and watch cartoons even before my parents got up, so I think part of that is just innate. You know, for me, with my football career especially, I formed this habit of getting up and getting my work in before my competitor, because I always felt like I had to be the first one to say that I made that deposit at the bank; that no one was going to beat me to it and that no one was going to work harder than me. So I think that hard work factor has always played a big key role in my motivation. Working hard is easy, but for me, I think you’ve got to work smarter, and that’s where I’m looking for balance at this point in my life.  I’m looking to not have to just “white knuckle” it and bleed for what I do on a daily basis anymore. You know in football, it was a very easy kind of “X+Y=Z”, and in this non-profit space in the business world, kind of as an entrepreneur and someone that is developing the different facets of business and in his life, it’s really easy for me to kind of go all in and recognize that it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way.

So, I definitely have days where I have to find that motivation and dig deep, and it’s really easy for me; I have two little girls and I don’t have to look any further than them, my wife, these warriors that I work with, you know they all motivate me. For me, it’s an easy, easy response when I recognize that I have something to offer daily. And I want people to be encouraged to recognize that, even when they’re down to nothing, God is up to something. And if they’re willing to just take a step out, step out in faith—and whether you have a really active faith in religion, spirituality, or not, there’s a saying, “Don’t be so worried about doing the right thing next, just do the next thing right.” There’s been times in my life where it has not been clear what my path was, but I’ve just put one foot in front of the other, and when the fog cleared I recognized that I had gained ground. Definitely look for motivation. Find someone that has something that you want in their life, and learn from them. Be able to walk alongside them and gain knowledge around why they have something special—not tangible things, you know, I don’t mean cars and money—I mean someone that has a “Why.” Even if you lack your “Why”, you can come along people that are passionate about something in their life, and that can make all the difference.

LALO: You clearly have a strong respect and appreciation for our country’s servicemen and women; when did that develop?
DV: I come from 3 generations of Marines, so it’s in my blood to a certain extent. My grandfather was my hero, and I would make him tell me war stories all the time. So yeah, it’s kind of in my blood. But back when I was playing for the St. Louis Rams, we would go to Scott Air Force base, where we would play with the kids for the NFL’s “Play 60” program. One of the servicemen I ran into while we were out there, he said “thank you,” which really took me by surprise; I thought it was ridiculous that he was thanking me, given the service he’s done for our country. But he told me, he said, “When we’re on deployment, for the 3 hours we’re watching the game, we’re home.” I had never thought of it that way before, and I thought that was so cool. That was a light bulb moment for me; that mutual respect and appreciation that we had for each other, it showed me that there was a real commonality between our warriors and athletes.

I think humans were built for connectedness, we’re built for community. Even though those service members are over there doing the real job, they’re the true heroes, what we’re doing here matters. There’s a ripple effect, and that’s powerful. So the commonality between the warriors and athletes is this idea that we had to have this tunnel vision when we were going out there to put it on the line. Suddenly now when you’re removed from that, that opportunity, whether it’s football or whether it’s retiring from the service, you lack the next ridgeline, and you also miss the brother next to you. So that’s why it’s so critical for us to pick the pack back up and get back in the fight in some capacity at the community and local level. You need a call, and that call is built into the human experience I think. The ability to create ways to export that is everything; being honest to recognize when you need help and how to ask for help is such a critical piece. I just love what our flag stands for man; I’m as patriotic as anybody, and I love to celebrate the ones who put it all on the line to protect our freedom.

LALO: Without trying to state the obvious, Adaptive Training Foundation—and you specifically—are known for coming up with innovative ways to rehabilitate and train veterans that may not be able to perform more traditional exercises; what is your philosophy when it comes to training, especially when it comes to altering more traditional training to meet the needs of the individual you’re working with at any given time?
DV: I’ve always thought that creativity is clever rearrangement. For me, creativity and being able to improvise has always been important, back from the days when I was still “Mr. Irrelevant,” and I had to prove myself every day. If you were a business, you’d reinvest to grow— so I got faster, stronger. I had always wanted to know the “how and the why” of training, and I have a knack for understanding and learning quickly. What I found was that a lot of traditional methods were putting athletes at high risk, so I began to look for better ways to train.

People ask all the time, “How did you get into this? What did you study? Etc.” I say look, human performance is what I had to know to give my career longevity in the NFL. When people ask how did I get into training these guys and what are my philosophies, I tell them I train them like a pro-athlete. Why not? Who cares if their bodies look a little bit different, if it’s missing some limbs or if it’s missing the capability to lift a leg or move out of a wheelchair. I really think that they come alive when they see the fact that I’m not going to give them sympathy.

And I’ve had some incredible mentors along the way; Gavin McMillan from Sports Science Labs in California absolutely taught me about training through such a different lens. It wasn’t about just “pain and gain” and sweating without purpose, it was about being intentional and finding creative ways so that training builds towards what you want to perform at. What a novel idea, right? There’s no twenty-fifth hour in the day, but you can create your own by integrating what you’re doing and what you’re practicing, as long as it directly correlates to what you’re going out to test yourself in. I don’t care if it’s tactically speaking or if it’s sport or if it’s in the fine arts. I’m sort of an engineer’s mind when it comes to training, but I’m definitely not [an engineer], aside from maybe changing the oil on my car, I couldn’t tell you anything about modern engineering. But I could tell you, when someone says, “hey look, here’s what we want to get to fire,” I could come up with maybe 20-50 ways to tell you how I would get it to do it, and then find innovative ways to approach it so that it doesn’t feel like rehab.

At ATF we don’t use words like “recover,” or “heal,” and that’s really intentional, because we come in post-rehabilitation; it’s like, sure, we’re creating psycho-social healing that is definitely rehabilitating these men and women, but it’s not from the stance of being soft about it, or being touchy about it. It’s just about saying, “Hey look man, we can use good pain to push out bad pain.” Through sweating together we can galvanize relationships and then people will open up. I think there’s a brilliance in people that are willing to share their scars, whether they’re physical or emotional or however you look at it. There’s this saying that I say quite often, that I don’t trust an “unbroken man.” I don’t want to be standing next to somebody who says that they’ve got it all put together, because those who are willing to share their scars are proof that they’re moving beyond them—and that’s a message for all people.

LALO: Adaptive Training Foundation is unique, in that you connect two pretty different worlds, that of the wounded veteran, and the aspiring professional athlete. Have you noticed either of those two cultures influencing the other? Do you see any similarities between the work ethic or goals of the up-and-coming athletes and the veterans you work with?
DV: I think the brilliance of the opportunity to train Travis Mills, a quadruple amputee, was the first time I saw that our NFL athletes could no longer complain about their pinky toe being sore.  It was just a paradigm shift in perspective. We get certain perspective shifts in life, maybe because of some tragic news to you or to someone you know, maybe it’s because of a certain circumstance or situation that abruptly happens, and if those happen, it offers you some type of a revelation; that is typically what motivates people to change action. So what Travis became was a catalyst; he became this catalyst for a paradigm shift and a perspective awakening for so many of my “able-bodied” athletes. So even though you’ve got two groups of people who may look different from the outside, they’ve got a whole lot of will and a whole lot of grit and a bunch of spirit of people that are saying, “hey look, I have my individual goals that I’m working towards, but collectively as part of this tribe that trains inside of these four walls, I can find a gear that’s greater than my known capacity.” When you step into my facility it doesn’t feel like a gym. There’s no mirrors, and that’s intentional; we do have one mirror that we use that’s on wheels that we pull around to use as feedback for coaching, but it doesn’t feel like a gym, it feels like you’re coming to get some work in. It’s not pretentious, it doesn’t feel polished, and that’s very intentional. That’s that common thread again of the soldier and the athlete. There’s a lot of similar mindsets and common respect for being able to push past where you’re comfortable, and that’s what we embody between the Adaptive Training Foundation and then my Performance Vault lead athletes.

LALO: If you could train anyone—or train WITH anyone—whom would you train?
DV: Chuck Norris. Enough said.

LALO: Do you have a favorite game that you ever played in? Which was it and why?
DV: That’s a tough one… But my rookie year, the first-ever snap I had at linebacker in the NFL, that was pretty great. Then the first game I ever got to play against Brett Favre, my hero; that was tremendous. My first game beating my old team, the Seattle Seahawks, when I was playing with the Rams, that was definitely a highlight—you know, because you always want to go back and beat the team that traded you. I made a big sack against the Seahawks, which felt great. But I’d have to go with my first snap at line backer against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.

LALO: Who were your biggest supporters/mentors growing up? Are there any lessons of theirs that you still carry with you to this day?
DV: It’s got to be my parents and all the lessons they taught me. I’m a lot like my mom personality wise, but I’m more like my dad psychologically. They both taught me about the inherent worth of others. They taught me that when I commit, I need to see it through to the end. Sometimes you face mass adversity and it gets tough, but the understanding that I committed and need to persevere, there’re lessons to learn there.

My parents also taught me that all people deserve to be treated equally, and that all people have worth; you see people as whole people, you talk to people, you look them in the eye, you shake their hand, and so on. When you approach life that way, your eyes are constantly open to the brilliance of all that’s around you. That’s how you recognize that you’ve got this awareness, this ability of how to champion other people; how to make other people feel special. I’ve had plenty of people that taught me so much, my parents, my high school coach—a coach of mine that taught me so much in the weight room at 6am in the morning before high school, where I was learning the lessons of what it was going to take for me to be successful, all the way down to, you know, finding Gavin McMillan and what he’s done now for helping me with what I do for my vocation training people, there’s definitely been some pivotal moments.

LALO: What is your favorite professional sports team? Do you have a favorite player(s)?
DV: It’s interesting, because when you’ve played in the NFL, it’s tough to just watch the game as a spectator anymore; it’s difficult to take it for entertainment value. But I grew up a huge Niners fan, and then I became a Green Bay fan because of Brett Favre. I’ll put it this way; when I’m watching the NFL, I root for the teams my buddies are on. Other than that, I always love to root for the underdog. Then across all pro sports, team sports, nobody roots harder for the USA in international sports that I do. I yell and jump up and down and get totally into it! As far as Individual professionals that I respect, I like Steph Curry; I love how he handles himself in public, in his interviews, and with the fans, as well as how he puts his family first.

LALO: What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for?
DV: I’d like to be remembered for being the type of guy who walks into a room and says, “There you are.” A lot of guys like to say, “Here I am;” I want to say there you are. I don’t care who you are, or what you see yourself as, I believe there’s capability in all of us. People tend to put leadership just outside of arms reach for themselves, but they could all build others up. I want to be the guy who recognizes the potential and the capability in the people that I meet, not the one who tries to impress on others how great I am.