EPISODE · Aug 24, 2026 · 58 MIN
#122 - Sweat Dries, Blood Clots, and Broken Bones Heal - How Determination, Community, and Hope Transform Our Lives with Jay Setchell
from State Of Mind Mental Health Podcast
I sit down with Jay Setchell — Marine Corps veteran, serial entrepreneur, and author — who has died and been brought back more than once. At nineteen, Jay was declared dead in Vietnam. Seventeen months and twelve days into his service. He spent the next year in a hospital, then fought seventeen more years for the disability rating he'd already been promised. In 1973, a drunk driver hit him nearly head on; he describes watching the scene from outside his own body. Then on the Fourth of July, 1981, he jumped into three and a half feet of water, broke his neck in four places, and drowned. He was under for eight minutes. He's seventy-six now, uses a power wheelchair, and is still building companies. What stayed with me wasn't the survival. It was that Jay says he never once asked "why me" — with one exception, and his mother's answer to it stopped me cold. We get into what he actually does when things get hard, why he thinks community and discipline are the two things we've quietly lost, and the story of the sculptor who taps the same spot ten thousand times before it finally breaks. I also push back on him a little, because "suck it up" doesn't reach everyone — and his answer to that is better than the phrase. His line is simple and he means it literally: it's always too soon to quit. Learn more about Jay: https://neverquittrying.com/ Chapters [00:00:00] Intro "I broke my neck in four places and drowned" [00:04:34] Why the Marine Corps — and the 17-year fight that followed [00:10:05] Three deaths: the auger, the drunk driver, and the pool [00:17:05] "Sweat dries, blood clots, and broken bones heal" [00:21:18] Some people won't take help — triage it and move [00:26:39] Community, casseroles, and the people you'll never repay [00:31:20] The burn, the betadine, and a little bit at a time [00:35:55] The sculptor, the sail to Paris, and why you need a target [00:42:18] What he actually does when it gets hard [00:47:16] Five lanes of traffic and a cut on his leg [00:51:26] Discipline, consistency, and what's actually in church [00:55:34] The 88-year-old who's planning her 95th birthday Free 1-month of the Meditation App - Waking Up https://dynamic.wakingup.com/guestpass/SC58BD912 Please Subscribe to my YouTube - YouTube Subscription Link Disclaimer Professional medical care and psychotherapeutic services are not offered on this Youtube channel. It is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such condition. Seeking professional support is encouraged if you think you have an issue and that you want help.
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#122 - Sweat Dries, Blood Clots, and Broken Bones Heal - How Determination, Community, and Hope Transform Our Lives with Jay Setchell
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