From War Zones to Broadcasting at the Olympics, lessons in Resilience - JJ Chalmers

This episode of the Be Braver podcast features a man with a remarkable story to tell, the broadcaster JJ Chalmers.JJ is a regular face now for BBC Sport at the Olympics and has had a life journey that is full of resilience and courage. As a teenager he wanted to be a Royal Marine Commando and achieved this at 18.He went on to enjoy his time as a Commando, learning that his body and mind were both more capable than he ever imagined. JJ talks openly about joining this crack military team and the process of preparing and going to war.All was well until an horrific incident in Afghanistan which led to a huge explosion and left him with 5 years worth of recovery from substantial life-altering injuries.JJ talks about the resilience and mental fortitude he was taught in the Marines and how that helped him survive, along with the remarkable team of medics.His transition back in to civilian life included competing at the Invictus Games where he won a gold medal. But more importantly, it saw him back in a team environment and gave him a mental focus. And for JJ, the post-event interview led to a curiosity about the media and eventually getting a role working at the Paralympics for Channel 4, followed by BBC work at the Olympics.We hope you find this a fascinating chat.Thanks for listening. Please follow us on insta @bebraverpod