“Guardian Grange is my vision to reintegrate and reinspire veterans with the purpose of healing through doing work in nature and building communities.”

Welcome everyone and thanks for tuning in to episode 39 of the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that celebrates the random through 1-on-1 conversations with people and the passions they pursue.

21 years ago today, most of us witnessed live the horrors of 2 Boeing 767 airplanes crash into the Twin Towers in New York City and then moments later, we watched those same structures collapse into the street below.

That day, that turning point in our country’s history, eventually led to 2 overseas wars lasting years longer than we ever imagined and laid witness to a generation of young Americans fighting in those wars.

With me today is one such individual, Mark Matzeldelaflor, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and founder of the organization helping veterans reintegrate while also protecting natural resources and strengthening communities.

Born and raised in New Hampshire, Mark joined the military just out of high school. And after making it through BUD/S, one of the many, many steps to becoming a Navy SEAL, joined the SEAL teams as America was still absorbing the shock of those terrorist attacks and going on the offensive to hold those responsible accountable.

We start things out by talking about his experiences in training and the subsequent combat deployments he went on afterwards.

After that, we get into his own reintegration process once he left the military and the SEAL teams and how he benefited from plant-based medicines, or as he refers to them, earth-based sacraments, during that transition.

We then round things out by talking the work Guardian Grange is currently doing and the importance it has in helping Veterans journey into the next phase of their lives, whatever that may be.

Not a conversation for the faint of heart but one that I was truly honored to have.

So let’s dive right in, here’s my talk with Mark Matzeldelaflor

Additional Links

Guarding Grange Website:

https://www.guardiangrange.org/

Mark’s LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matzeldelaflor

It Matters To Me (Instagram):

https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/

It Matters To Me (Website):

https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/

It Matters To Me (Twitter):

https://twitter.com/CelebrateRandom

Major General Smedley Butler:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket