TRIGGER WARNING We do talk about suicide in this episode. For support go to samaritains.org

Danielle spoke to Ben Gallagher. Ben is a veteran, athlete, explorer and keynote speaker. Ben suffered life changing injuries while serving in the British Army and now shares his experiences and how he's overcome lots of challenges, to help others.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Ben served in the British Army and had a very successful military career. He was deployed worldwide on operational tours and exercises and embraced all of the opportunities that the military gives you. 

In 2019 while serving in the British Army on active duty, Ben was involved in an incident where he received multiple gunshot wounds to his upper torso and blast and fragmentation injuries to both arms.

After a long period of rehabilitation Ben tried to be the soldier he was before the injuries but, unfortunately couldn’t cope physically or mentally. The effect of his injuries and having to leave a career he loved took him to a very dark place.

Ben has gone from that incredible low to competing in the Invictus Games, becoming a keynote speaker, a mentor to the next generation and has hopes of competing at the paralympics.

KEY MOMENTS

‘...Fortunately for me, I woke up the next morning, and I woke up because I was that broken and that committed to taking the pain away, that I drank a bottle of whiskey too quickly and it knocked me out’

‘In terms of the Invictus Games itself, it allows you to test yourself again, it allows you to be around like minded people. We all lost that connection when we were medically discharged from the military. So we all lost that comradeship, that humour and humility, the banter that flows through the military environment, you get all that back again. But you also get the sporting element as well’

‘I wanna prove to myself and my family, my kids, my loved ones, that I'm capable of pushing forward and continuing to be Ben. And be the person that I was in the military and so successful through my military career, that I can still be successful even though now I've got a disability and an impairment’

On the message in his talks: ‘The word failure is something that comes up every time I talk and that's both with kids, the younger community and in corporate companies. If we're not failing, we're not trying. Failure is about learning and developing as human beings’

ABOUT THE HOST - DANIELLE CLARKE

Danielle Clarke is a Brand Strategist and University Lecturer. She spends her time consulting and working with health and wellness business owners to help them attract and retain their ideal customers.

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