Leaving the Green Berets: My Med Board, 3 Surgeries, and Losing Who I Was | Ep 3

A former Green Beret and his wife sit down to talk about the part of military life nobody puts on a recruiting poster: getting out. In this episode of Beyond The Beret, Spencer Lewis and his wife MJ go deep on Spencer's transition from Special Forces to civilian life — the Med Board process, three major surgeries (ankle, SI joint fusion, hip), losing 45 pounds bedridden, the identity crisis of "who am I now," and the mental framework that pulled him through: one day at a time.This isn't another war story podcast. Spencer skips the kill stories and Afghanistan highlight reels other veterans lean on, and instead goes deep on what most operators won't talk about: fighting Army PAs and physical therapists to get a real diagnosis, learning to advocate for your own medical care, navigating military retirement at 26, walking through a 3.5-year custody battle, and rebuilding a life and identity after the only career he'd ever known was gone. MJ brings the spouse's side of the story — what it looks like from the home front when your husband is medically retiring, in pain, and figuring out who he is again.If you're a veteran transitioning out, a military spouse, a service member staring down a Med Board, a first responder leaving the badge, an athlete walking away from the sport, or anyone who has poured years into something and is now asking "what comes next" — this episode is for you.Topics covered:Special Forces medical retirement and the Med Board processSI joint fusion, hip surgery, and ankle surgery recoveryAdvocating for yourself in military healthcareIdentity loss after leaving the militaryThe "one day at a time" mindset for hard transitionsSetting down the backpack: letting go of your old chapterCustody battles, fatherhood, and starting overBecoming an ultramarathon runner during recoveryMarriage through medical retirement and transitionMental health and choosing to move forwardHosted by Spencer Lewis — former Green Beret, ultra runner, founder of Alpha Country — and his wife MJ. New episodes weekly. Already Decided.