After suffering devastating and life changing injuries to his legs, Army veteran Brian "Big Country" Conwell has been on a mission.  The mission he has his eyes on, has got him thinking big, like really big!  After years of surgeries, rehab and depression Big Country has found his passion again in the gym.  One step after another has led him to some amazing sponsorships and opportunities to compete at the highest levels.  With his eyes set on the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris he is proving that with hard work, dedication and the support of a loving family you can compete!

Battle Buddy Podcast Guest Links:

https://www.facebook.com/sgtbigcountry  - Contact, Info & Merchandise!

https://1stdetachmentnutrition.com/  -  Promo Code:  BigCountry10

https://www.planetfitness.com/

https://www.teamusa.org/team-usa-athlete-services/paralympic-sport-development

Battle Buddy Podcast Links:

https://linktr.ee/battlebuddypodcast 

Transcript from Episode 56 with Brian “Big Country” Conwell:

Keith McKeever 0:03

Welcome to the battle buddy podcast with Keith McKeever.

Keith McKeever 0:09

Welcome back to another episode of the battle buddy podcast. I have guy by the name of big country here. And this guy is a big guy with a big personality. And I'm so excited to have you. Welcome to the show, brother.

Big Country 0:20

I appreciate you having me. Oh, man. Helmet.

Keith McKeever 0:24

Yeah. So let's just kind of start the beginning. What was the motivator for you to join the military? Would you do? Share some of that story with us?

Big Country 0:35

Oh, man. Ah, I'm a little bit older than most people, man. It just my grandpa raised me. He was retired Navy. So we always had that like military structure in the house. Plus, I mean, you know, back in the 80s, where we actually went out and played in the woods and played outside. I don't know, man, it just just kind of grew on me. You know, my grandfather raised me and then, of course, got into ROTC and pretty much excelled in that my first year in I got a leadership metal metal from the governors, South Carolina. So I was like, Yeah, I think this is my path. So just kind of originated from that and just childhood stuff. Yeah.

Keith McKeever 1:21

I think that transition to be able to do that was a direct impact of your grandfather raising you and him being a veteran, that structure and a household and some of those like skills and stuff that, you know, we kind of have as veterans.

Big Country 1:33

Absolutely. You know, I think I think my generations the last generation that really, really got there, but what, when something happened around the house. You know, it wasn't, it was normal for you to hear your parents say, hey, go cut a lamb off that tree out there. I'm about to walk your ass, you know, and you got your butt whooped. You know, we didn't have a bunch of crying babies to where it's like, oh well, you sit and they want you to egg that house or you sit the toilet paper that tree or shit? What knocked on somebody's door and took off running? Um, he just stuff as we did his kids, man. But yeah, I mean, absolutely, man. I mean, you know, we're expected to get up at a certain time. You know, brush your face, brush, teeth, brush, wash your face, get ready for school, you know, come home, do your homework, each of who, you know, if you did what you're supposed to you had all the freedom in the world.

Keith McKeever 2:32

Absolutely. I know, I'm a little bit younger than you. But I very much had a childhood like that too. Like, just if you were expected to do certain things expect to act a certain way. I did never I never did have to cut a switch off a tree. That was just happened to be my parents. But they did have a paddle. They did have a belt. But I learned at a very young age, I associated the pain with don't ever freaking think about doing that again. So you know, like, if you're connected with me as a young kid, I'm like, No, that hurt wants. Definitely not doing that again. Yeah. And just kind of learn from there. My sister on the other hand, and sometimes she listens to my podcast, so she'll see if she ever reaches out to me about that. My sister didn't listen as well. She was kind of the rebel in some ways. But yeah, different times, right?

Big Country 3:23

Yeah, man, different times. I mean, my kids growing up, you know, they got the belt. I never took a Trillium to their bus. They got the belt when they were little. But it is, it's different times. I mean, you can't walk nobody without somebody having to do something. But yeah. Thanks to social media.

Keith McKeever 3:48

As I say, you know, social media is kind of bleeds into what I was gonna say. But you know, kids these days have so many more distractions, like the world around us system is so much faster these days, just our attention spans are shorter, all the stuff going on in the world around us, because of social media. What's the double things like that?

Big Country 4:05

There's social media can be used for great things. Like Like, like your podcast and so much other stuff. And then, you know, when whenever they came out with this smartphone thing, man, it just it did it opened, it literally opened up the world, to our young ones. And they're seeing other people do things that if they didn't have that, you didn't ever thought about it? You know, you wouldn't have so many people out here like, Oh, I just watched this woman what per kid Walmart. Let's call the cops for child abuse. It's not it's a double edged sword and you got to you got to take it. It is what it is.

Keith McKeever 4:45

Yeah. Yeah. For those younger listeners and viewers, there was a time before Google and Facebook. I've altered the Google short video clips off on, you know, on a mobile computer in your hands basically, that one was a much simpler time, where, you know, if you were gonna hop on and do a search, it was at school, maybe on the computer because I'm 37. So, you know, we had computers at school, we had computers at home, but we had dial up internet and back at a time where it seemed like compared to today, there was only like, 50 website. It was obviously far more than that. But you know, that's you back then you could actually probably, quantifiably count the number of websites. Now I think it's like literally in the billions. I mean, you can you can create one in 30 seconds but that's a different a different world we live in. So your your service, your service ended a little unexpectedly. Can you tell us a little bit about what happened there?

Big Country 5:47

Wow, January 7 2014. For those who are military knows what a command inventory is. You know, we're third shot Fort Riley, Kansas first maintenance company. Got me and about 20 other guys doing a 250 man job. No, you work long hours. You're only required four hours asleep. But you know, after 18 hour days, for about a week, you get a little tired. And it's going to get my guys from lunch man something simple. And Fort Riley Cooper drive, there's a really big ravine going down it just hit some black ice man and just ran off of it. Caught I don't remember the wreck. That's that's some kind of pain. I don't want to have in my memory. But it's crushed. But my legs man ended up losing the left one above the knee and the right ones got 30 screws, four plates with 10 inch rod in it. I can't feel my foot. So, you know, they kind of cut my career short. At least they medically retired me before they let me go. So

Keith McKeever 6:58

yeah, that's that's a good thing. And yeah, the military could have definitely done your work on that. Yeah. So what what was that? That healing journey like for you? How long did that take to, to kind of heal up so you can get back home and try and go on with life.

Big Country 7:20

Man, I wasn't a hospital for an entire year. From January 7, until I think the second were second week of January 2015. I was in the hospital. My legs were busted up pretty bad. It just took time. You know, started off in K you made in Kansas City. That's where all the repairs and stuff were done. Amputation were done. On my birthday. In 2014, they sent me down to Audie Murphy VA. That's where I started my rehab. Going in getting back in exercise and stuff like that first tried out my prosthetic, you know, was a little bit of a downside. You know, doctors saying that I've really never walked and insisted again. Or even walk at all for that matter. Just because of how damaged my right leg was. It was bone out real bad. Can't Feel My foot. So I can't use my toes and balance. They I don't think no people really understand how much your toes are really important. Yeah,

Keith McKeever 8:41

I mean, I know it but I mean, I cannot imagine that. That weird feeling of not being able to feel it and not being able to balance when you know, it's there. Like is there like, you know, why is it not? I guess working? You know, it's gonna be frustrating as hell.

Big Country 8:57

But yeah, it took a year and I think it was right around September. I got to go home for a couple of weeks, which they had done transferred me to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. By then I got out went in had another knee surgery to where they kind of knocked money inside. So that way when I stood up, it was actually stable, instead of being battling it out. And then I went into a different rehab center, which was horrible. They, they literally put me in a rehab center that was for the elderly. And it's like you're not doing anything that's helping me so I finally just caught my attention command. I was like, I gotta get me out of this place.

Keith McKeever 9:49

A little odd. Because you are really big into fitness and working out and stuff we were in. So military. You're a big guy. I don't know. how tall you are, but I'm guessing you're like, probably around 6566. I mean, so somewhere in that like, and you think of like little elderly people, you know, with, with old fragile bones, who sounds bad to say that, but you would think, and I'm not medical person, but there's got to be some very big differences in how you would rehab.

Big Country 10:19

There is and and it was, it was, unfortunately, it was a glitch on the army side of things. Because that was already in touch with the Audie Murphy VA. They were supposed to send me back to that place where the rehab training there, it was just it was immaculate, they had freaking everything. But it just didn't work out that way. Everything happens for a reason. But yeah, called chain of command. They took me out, they actually started my mid board proceedings, the week before I got out. So went on for Sam Houston, which we had the CFI there's dinner for Intrepid, we're all you and for a lot of the amputations and people go, which they have a really upscale gym and stuff like that they're two men. But once again, downside, you that started my med board. So all these doctors are like, Hey, this guy takes to leave in six months. So you know, what's the point of putting in putting in the time and trying to improve these things when he's not gonna have enough time to really adapt or learn what we're trying to try to teach him. So the I've spent mid January till the last week of September 2015 on Fort Sam fired a couple of therapists because they just wanted me to go upstairs a walk and it's like, it hurt. Literally hurt. Like it feels like 1000 knives in the bottom of my foot and in my leg when I'm trying to walk and they finally gave me a therapist man that I forget her name, bless her heart. But within two days, she had been this idea of brace took the pain away from me whenever I started walking in and had me me doing some things. Yeah, I'm using one of these little bitty walkers just to keep my balance because once again, I can't feel my toes. So every time I've let go, I'm falling, left and right. So I ended up using crutches. Man after I finally got home home. After being retired out, I used crutches in my wheelchair for all the way up until October 2020.

Keith McKeever 12:44

Wow. So you kind of said some things there kind of wanted to ask some questions about you mentioned a therapist that was really helpful. And I think that's kind of goes on you taking charge of your health care and knowing that, hey, this is my body, and this is how I'm feeling and I'm not getting the resources and help I need. Because I know that there's got to be a lot of people out there every year that serve and they have an accident like yours, or they get injured in combat, or they've just got some medical issue that comes up in a you know, they're in the hospital for six months, a year, whatever. Like, what advice do you have for people have to take charge of your own healthcare? Be your own advocate?

Big Country 13:23

I mean, as I mean, you saying that right there man pretty much says it all. Don't take don't take no shit up. Nobody. I mean, people will people can say, oh, go do this or go do that if you don't feel that it's working. Step up. Yeah, that's one thing that, you know, in some instances in life nowadays, man, people are scared to say anything. You know, oh, I don't want to offend this person, or I don't want to make this person feel bad or whatnot, when it comes to your health, who cares? You know, if it's not working, I'm not doing it. I'm gonna, and I'm gonna try it for a little bit. But if it's not going to work, I'm not going to continue it is just like all my VA doctors, you know, a lot of the people that, you know, I've tried to try to help with their VA stuff. That's the one thing that they're scared of, is to step up and tell their doctor dude, this doesn't work. I'm not doing this no more. You're not gonna stay here and continue to put me through this kind of therapy or have me on this kind of medication or have me this kind of therapist is not doing shit. So why am I going to continue it? You know, but then again, I mean, thank God for the internet. Do your research. I mean, look for other different types of therapies and therapist and you know me I'm, I'm not real big medication person. But if you're looking for a different kind of medication, there's stuff out there free to read. Make yourself knowledgeable of what's out there. Before you just go up and say, Hey, man, this ain't gonna work. Well, what do you wanna do? I don't know. Well, if you don't have any Do what you want to do, then I'm going to continue to do this, you got to have your, you got to have your firepower. If you're going to tell your doctor, no, everybody at the VA knows that, you know, if I'm coming up and telling you that this ain't working, then there's something else that I've already got in my truck.

Keith McKeever 15:16

That's a good piece of advice for like, just life in general, like, you know, do your research, learn, and, you know, have some sort of a solution or an idea of something to try next. And it does help to have you got to have good conversations with your doctor too, because I've had, I got 10 and a half years ago, right? I've had five doctors at the VA. And they have been wildly different doctors. I have had one that was like, and I'm not a big drinker, but it was like no drinking, like none, like do not drink. I've had one that was just like, you know, oh, we're not going to do medicine for this. And then two weeks later, medicine shows up in my door, and then I call and he's like, Yeah, to change your mind after you left. Like just like, just whatever way the wind was blowing. They were all nice doctors. I had one that was in his 80s and still practicing. I thought he was first time I met him, I thought he was a World War Two guy got lost in the VA. guy comes in and puts his cane around the door. And I'm like, is this kind of lost, and he just sticks his hand up and says, Hey, I'm your doctor. I was like thinking in my head, like, no shit really? Still working for? But you know, you got to you got to have conversations, you got to build those relationships. You got to let them know, like, you know what, something's wrong. So that helps. You know, and that's one of the reasons I don't think I've had too many problems at the VA. A because I go, I go to my doctor, but be I have conversations with them. And just be open with them. Yeah,

Big Country 16:43

you can't not go and expect them to be like, Okay, well, we're just gonna do what you want to. Yeah, that's a big problem that I see is just people just don't go. Oh, I don't want to. I don't don't want to deal with politics. Well, you need health care, right? Yeah, they need to take your ass to the doctor.

Keith McKeever 17:01

Yeah, well, I'm not feeling that bad. I haven't been to the doctor in six years, but I'm not feeling that bad. I mean, I got this weird growth here. And I got or whatever, like, you know, it's like, maybe you should go talk to your doctor about that. Like, talk to him about how you're feeling, get those checkups, you know, get the bloodwork done. And all those things. It's important. But speaking of doctors and nurses, and I I'm curious what your what your answer is on this, because you were in the hospital for such a long time. How did you get through that period? of, you know, was there? like video games or activities or things that the hospital did? Like? I mean, how do you get how do you get through sitting there for months on end? Sitting in a hospital room and keep your sanity? I guess is what I'm asking. Well, you

Big Country 17:48

know, my man was not gonna lie. I had an idea in my heart. And I had a morphine drip the entire time I was there because how beat up I was when they got me down to San Antonio, down to Audie Murphy VA. Within a week, my recreational therapist came up because I don't know I guess I just made a good impression on like, you say, have conversations with people talk to people you know, be friendly or whatnot, they got my paycheck and they rolled me out to a van and took me to the mall and man, I bought a brand new bought a Yeah, I got my Assassin's Creed games and my Madden games and man, I was getting movies and I had fat heads I ordered I made my hospital room in the VA, my own little apartment. After after about a month of being there. If I didn't have anything going on, I didn't give a damn that I roamed the hospital or went outside and rolled out. Just went outside and sat down or whatnot. I mean, they they entrust responsibility to you. And if you keep that responsibility, and you keep your trust and you keep your nose clean to stay out of trouble. You don't have to sit in there 24/7 Saying you wake up, eat breakfast, you got to PT and then you got your recreational therapist and then you eat then you got some more PT and after that mean it's just you do what you want to do. I mean, now there are some people of course that are not able to do that. Yeah, they got some people in there's got injuries, they just can't leave their rooms. Yeah. You know, call them their buddies down the road. Hey, man, bring me a drink and they want you to roll back into some alcohol. You're not going back outside. Don't abuse it. But yeah, man. I really didn't. It was just like another day in a little apartment for me.

Keith McKeever 19:58

Yeah, you don't want it Don't abuse that and piston nurses off because I'm sure you had the same pretty much the same nurses you know, kind of silly and you know nurses nurses don't play around if you're on their good side and that gets you it lets you get away with things if you're not they won't

Big Country 20:14

let it was granted and yeah, I didn't even have to eat the hospital food buddy. I wanted let me order shit.

Keith McKeever 20:22

I got another piece that got delivered

Big Country 20:26

to being announced, like I kinda want to go home, I'm enjoying it. But it wasn't a bad time, I made the best out of the situation. You know, I mean, I talk to my doctors, about nurses, you know, we giggle we laughed and stuff like that, man, it, it worked out the way it was supposed to.

Keith McKeever 20:45

That's awesome. I kind of figured based on the previous conversation we had, you know, and you kind of have a net positive mentality. You know, like, just trying to make the best things right, you know, being ungrateful and all that stuff. I kind of figured you probably had something like, you know, movie addiction or, or video games or, or messing around playing some jokes on people, you know, just you know, you got to have a time, right? Like you got to do got to do something.

Big Country 21:11

I'm not a big gamer, but I will say that I went through Assassin's Creed Black Flag in Unity while I was in the hospital. Yeah, went through, went through that years and met Madden football too. So I mean, I kept myself busy. But you know, I got out and I didn't really ever test the video games again. That was just the past of time, I guess.

Keith McKeever 21:33

Absolutely. I mean, you got plates. You got plenty of time, like you said, you know, if you got three or four appointments throughout the day, yes, you know, 3456 hours, whatever comes to and meals in his sleep time, you still left with a handful of hours. Nobody wants to stare at a wall. That's awesome. So moving forward after that, you find yourself at home. And at some point in time you surprised the heck out of your son, Wisconsin can share that story with us.

Big Country 22:02

Yeah. So you know, after coming home and you know, it's everybody's got their ways of dealing with their stuff. Mom was actually trying to help people. You know, the tattoo therapy program, I had my own little podcast, Radio Network, whatever you want to call it a dangerous grounds that weren't that I did some motivational speaking man. And it was it was trying to help other people to hide what the hell I was going through. It 2020 hit. It was a bad year for everybody. Everybody went through some shit and 2020 but a man i i literally whenever I moved in this house was May 9 2020. And then I fell in the biggest fucking depression I've ever been. Like, I literally sat back, you know, family wasn't around, except for my kids. And you know, friends were very scarce and whatnot do so I did a barricaded myself in this house. One day, I just got pissed off at myself. And I'm, like, you know, better than this, you know, goes to these light shades. Like it was dark in here. There wasn't this light coming in this house. So Dave and I, about First we can have in September. I started I was like, You know what the hell it is. I got out of my chair. And I would bounce myself off the walls in my house. Like, tell me I'm not gonna walk. And finally I got to the point where I could get up. And I could take a few steps beforehand, on to something and my son's birthday is 12th of October. And he was over here he was, he was cooking and stuff, you know, he's gonna have something for his birthday. And I went into the room, I got in my chair, put my leg and stuff on and I stood up and I come walk around the corner and he's just boom, he's like, Oh, just shocked. You know, he's seen his dad up again. Without anything underneath his arms holding him up or me all hunched over on crutches or rolling around in a freaking wheelchair. He's actually able to stand up and hug his dad for you know, the real time for the first time in years. You know, to see them happy tears come out from him. And, and he's he's best those supportive and motivating for me. My son is my rock. Yeah, I love all my kids. Yeah, I'm a father of six. My son is my rock. That boy stood beside me. Every step of the way, you know, even even even with some family members would just be dad, he makes sure that the dads Okay, and I hear rustling around now he's probably just getting up

Keith McKeever 25:13

the back of his mind intuition you're talking about right now.

Big Country 25:17

He was outside, he was out fishing all night, last night with his buddies, but um, you know, man, it's that was worth it when I seen that I was like I kept going, you know, for the next two months, that's what I did it was I got used to walking again to quiet quite a few spills, and whatnot. But by the person, these timber, got back in the gym. Wasn't using my crutches, I could go from the parking lot into the gym and walk around the gym and be able to work out. And I lost a shit ton of weight, you know, started gaining my muscles back and made it easier for me to walk. I guess this is working.

Keith McKeever 26:05

The compound effect, right? Like, you know, hey, I did a few more steps today than I did yesterday and now losing weight and I'm feeling better and moving faster. And that's gonna be incredibly like rewarding,

Big Country 26:16

then it just is done nothing but explode from there, man.

Keith McKeever 26:22

Well, exploding is definitely something that just describes kind of your journey right now. Because you need your muscles to explode when you're when you're doing some of your sports. And so you are you've gotten into not only you know, back into the gym of weightlifting, but you've gotten gotten into multiple sports. And I'll let you kind of tell some that story. But like that's, that's got to be incredibly cool to be on this journey just to be better for yourself, and then all of a sudden get involved with some sports and some potentially really awesome stuff in the future. But what, tell us a little about that, that journey.

Big Country 27:03

Yeah, awesome. So okay, so December 1. You go fast forward a couple of months, I'm like, I wonder what it would take to make it to the Paralympics. So started bugging, like I started looking up information and stuff like that. And I finally got somebody from the Paralympic Committee told me just the initial information will was where my injuries were sustained from, you know, stuff like that, and nothing like really, really promising. But so I was telling my case manager about it, to be heard from these people, and they, you know, took my information down and said that, you know, that they would have some people on the lookout for me. So my case manager got me a hold of the adaptive sports coordinator at my VA. And we signed up for the National Wheelchair Games. To pick my supports, when we did the shot, put in parallel then nothing but bust my ass ever since me and it's, it's up at three o'clock in the morning. So I can get my food intake in, cut out all the fast food, the soda water is my best friend. You know, just, you know, re educating myself back into fitness because it's, you know, here we are, you know, 2021. And it's been, you know, six plus years since I've picked up a weight or played basketball or whatnot. Planet Fitness, walked in one day, and the general manager walked up. And she's like, you know, tell me a little bit about your story and told her what was going on. And next thing I know, Planet Fitness is a sponsor? I'm like

Big Country 29:10

no, you know, it's like, yeah, don't worry about your membership fees. You know, I mean, the cooler is the cooler. You're just like, Take whatever you want out of there. You know, you can bring a guest with you anytime you want. I mean, black card privileges, but, you know, then next thing I know, you know, what gets a real while I'm training. I want to eventually try to make Team USA, I'm fixing to go to New York City to compete the national Wheelchair Games. You know, it's not seeing a person with a disability like mine, or somebody that doesn't have an arm or something is not something that is seen in the civilian community that much. When you get around military bases or something like that, then yes, a little bit more common. A lot of people do end up staying around that area because it's that lifestyle they like to be around. And their health, you know, as far as health goes. So the spectrum News and Fox News came out and did a little story on me last Memorial Day and went to New York and meddled in the shotput disc. Got to silver, bronze, no training, no means walked out there and through it got two medals and my coach was like, That's pretty

Keith McKeever 30:38

impressive. You never picked one up before.

Big Country 30:43

So then the Secretary of the VA came up. They heard that there's really big giant guy who likes to scream when he throws do whenever I go to compete, it's the light switch. I go from being nice and calm to I am very, very loud. I won't inside your head screw with your head because I'm about to out throw. Well, my second round of throws that we didn't, you know, it didn't count for us metals. was really really, I shocked myself. My discus throw was almost 100 feet sitting down yeah, it just we go back and we look at some of the records from the last Paralympics and it was good enough to metal there. So through in front of the right people the right time, man, I get back home and I message jokin on Instagram. That's the Panthers all strength coach. I'm like, Hey, man, I was like, This is who I am. This is what I'm doing blah, blah, blah. It's like you mind helping me out? How much does it cost and work with you? So I started talking to Joe Ken about strength training. And, you know, he just he paints me workouts here and there. You know, Here, try this out, you know, see if this works for you. Increase your strength and whatnot for your powerlifting and then he sends me over to this lady named Adrian Wilson. She's a five time world Women's Champion in the Highlander games. She has a battle this little video of him is well we'll throw some of the heaviest things you've ever carried further than you and I've been training up underneath hurt me and just been I've been I've been added you know eaten anywhere between three to 4000 calories a day drink of water I just now over the last month and a half introduced cardio pretty regularly back into my routine to shave off some some of the fat from you know, eating so much. Yeah, that's one thing I guess people need to realize when you're eating all those calories and build muscle you are still going to retain some fat. Yeah, I was just getting ready man getting ready for competition season. Just had the army trials a couple of weeks ago. Still, not everything's been done yet because some of the judges were out of out in the Netherlands for the Invictus Games. If you don't know what those are, we do have a team us and that so the coaches are just now getting into like the schoolroom thing. Taking off on the 16th to Mesa, Arizona to the desert challenge 2020 To get my international classification and ranking out there my first Paralympic event or put on by the Paralympic Committee, let me rephrase that. I was recruited to attend the camp beforehand. There was like eight of us out of 1000s Wow. We were being why were awesome radars. And we got some people you know, big thanks to a guy named Joe height. He's a skier in the 2014 Paralympics contacted me one day man and just gave me some amazing information. You know, Robert Garcia from Facebook. He's been kind of following my journey here lately. He's the one that introduced me to Joe. And you know, man, I got my International Paralympic license

Keith McKeever 34:48

worldwide last couple of months for you and aiming towards

Big Country 34:50

the 2024 games man. This year is kind of like my, my freebie year or it is asked for the athletes. just trying to make Team USA. This is our freebie year, everything starts counting in 2023. But we got the desert challenge to go to and then we'll come back home for a month and then we'll be back out in Tempe, Arizona for the National Wheelchair Games again, man. You know, trying to help other people with disabilities get to the point where I'm at. I want to help people get their get their licenses and stuff like that to men. It's gotta be willing to work hard, and really, really put forth the effort. You know? It's, it's hard work. But it's such an amazing feeling. You know, to get these accomplishments. You know, some days it's just like, how when I got to bed, I'm sore muscles eight from working my ass off the previous day, but it's like, yeah, I get up. Bed get rolling. Yeah, my son to kiss me on the couch knocked out every once in a while. But hey, you taking a nap. So it's

Keith McKeever 36:04

perfectly timed Matt. Three, three, energize and wreck muscles.

Big Country 36:10

The next half an hour, I'm gonna sleep 65 minutes

Keith McKeever 36:14

relaxed. This was strategically done on purpose. You know, I love that I wanted to back up to that I'm curious on because the first time you pick those up and competed, it was the first time what was it? Like, when you had somebody kind of actually training you on, you know, maybe the right form and how to do do the throws? Like did you just like have a moment? Almost like golfing? Right? Like, I'm not a great golfer, but every now and then you hit one and you're like, Damn, that was good. You know? You're like, wow, okay, I learned something. So like, do you have one of those moments where you're like, Okay, this this is a game changer for me. Yeah, I know, I got strength, but like this, this changes things.

Big Country 36:56

It was the first time that I rode down to see coach Wilson is about an hour, hour and a half draft for me. Load little chilly that day, kind of cloudy. Didn't have my throne frame at the time. So we used a plastic chair. plastic chair, I strapped myself to the chair, man, but we were just working on for me anyway, I wasn't trying to throw for this. And yeah, the thing, the little things that she was teaching me she was like, you know, she's seen the videos, and we throw it. And she's like, Oh, yeah. We just need to tweak this here and tweak that they're like holding on, hold it onto the disk. I was like trying to grab up underneath it with my finger so I can hold it. And that's not the way you hold. It's not the way you hold it on me. I mean, your fingertips are barely touching. And it's all the saw the body motions. I mean, even the way I was throwing was wrong. But I was still chunking it out there. So it's just you know, correcting this forms and whatnot. And it's like, damn, I wish I knew this. But you know, trial and error you do good the wrong way you're gonna do something great the right way.

Keith McKeever 38:16

That's what I was thinking. I'm like, I mean, you got no no experience of this. You just picked it up and chucked it with for what would have been a metal you know, and another another time another place, but to because I wouldn't know either. Like, I would have thought the same thing like Okay, throw this like okay, I probably would have done the same thing with the fingers. You know, you wouldn't think that like your fingertips are barely on it like you'd even be able to have a grip but you know that little intricacies that real champions get you know through the form and through the artwork like guys was Kobe was Kobe, I think it was famous for shooting like an extra 1000 shots after after practice. Like just just work on form, just repetitive. Just work, work, work and grind at it, you know, makes all the difference.

Big Country 39:01

It does, you know? And I'm not the one that come up with this. But I've said it quite a few times, because I believe it. You have to be at odds with what you're doing. If you're playing golf or playing basketball or thrown on desk or an eight pound ball or, you know if you're fishing, you have to be obsessed with what you're doing to be great at it. You can't just be good and be like okay, I practice a little bit here today. I practice a little bit here today. I'm doing pretty good. I'm beaten. You know, half the people I know but I'm not shooting everybody. Why? You know she gets up at four o'clock in the morning anyway to get ready for work. But you know, I'm up an hour before her just so I can wake up. Yeah, I drink I'd first thing I'd do within 30 minutes is drink a whole bottle of water. And I got a little thing that I make of oats and protein powder and a little bit of Greek yogurt just to get my system going to get that fat burning process going. And every on the organs running 45 minutes later, you know, I mean 250 grams of egg whites and a whole cup of oatmeal. And I'll do the same thing two and a half hours later. And then I'm at the gym, working out for two and a half hours and I come home and it's starting out as a ground turkey split into three meals. I mean, and then it's research, you know, what are other athletes out there that are doing the same thing I Scout other athletes, I want to know what they're throwing, how they're throwing it, how far they're throwing, you know, to tweak my skills. And then you get coached, you know, it's, it's constantly, it's constantly, you can't be the greatest in the world in half acid. It's not gonna happen.

Keith McKeever 41:00

It's 100% not gonna happen. Guarantee Mosman guarantee that's not gonna happen. Yeah, well, you kind of hit on something your wife because I knew from our previous conversation, your wife and your son were so huge to you throughout the process, lately, and I'm sure they're going to be huge for you in the future. how impactful have they been in your life to motivate you to keep keep going? almost immeasurable.

Big Country 41:40

Man. You know, when two people truly love each other, truly love each other, they connect on all levels. You think the same, you do things the same. You know, you don't care about kissing that person in the morning. And with that morning breath, you don't give a shit. Because you literally love that person. And my wife is the luckiest man to work. To have that woman. She is definitely my other half and pushes me and lets me know how proud she is of me. Even when I'm not doing my best. You know, there's not a day that doesn't go by that she tells me she loves me more than I know. We're waiting on our second oldest son Hunter to graduate high school. They're down in Florida at the moment. But, you know, they move up here on the first June. And, you know, I've been spending the first half of the month in Florida for quite some time. Now. This is actually the first month in about five or six months I have a bit because I'm getting ready for Arizona next month. You know, it's there's not a night goes by that we don't have FaceTime on when we go to bed. Like if we want to get up and say hey, are you okay? That we can hear each other? They've had that kind of support before me. I've been married a couple of times. And just never been like that. As far as it Oh, my kids, man, you know, my daughters and my sons. They're all you know, gung ho with with what I'm doing. And I'm playing I'm glad they are because that's, you know, yes, I enjoy doing what I do. I enjoy pushing beyond my limits and showing that I can do stuff for myself. But it's the point of seeing my kids. It doesn't matter what life throws. You want it. You're gonna make it. You have to dig in. And you have to fucking work. You have to sweat, you have to bleed. You have to fight through the pain and you can't quit. You have to push. That's why I was talking to my daughter. Julia. She's 18 I have two daughters named Julia the oldest. I will tell her and this kind of came up with one of my new quotes I've been putting on some of my posts. Pain is temporary and quitting forever. Fight through the pain and never quit. I remember when that first came out to her and she's like, I understand that she goes a really really do my daughter's and inspiring to be a really good artist. And she blows my mind with some of the stuff that she sends me. I'm just like, coming from your hand. My girl use the damn art.

Keith McKeever 45:11

I'm gonna guess you're not a very artistic person that

Big Country 45:15

that girl can draw. She really can only manage what when you're doing something and your kids are proud of it, and they're seeing that that something was killing me and dragging me down into the dumps to where just nobody wants to be around. Now it's you know, life's great again. Yeah, with its happy the skies and bright food tastes good water tastes good. I'm coming to wolf. Everybody's asking. Thanks. Yeah.

Keith McKeever 45:49

You don't want to get when it comes to kids or kids just soak up everything. You know, you kind of mentioned earlier with your pet your grandfather, right? Like, how much you learned from him? How much that helped you in ROTC joining the military, like it just like clicked right? Because of him being in your life are no my parents were that way other people, other grown ups in my life, like you learn so much from them as a kid that you don't even begin to realize, probably till you're in your late 20s 30s. Like, you start figuring out adult life to some degree and you're like, Man, I learned that from so and so other and if my dad, my mom, my grandparents, whatever it is, like, you know, as a parent, like are you like, made a kid soak up everything? You know, and then I've definitely seen you go through all kinds of shit and come out on the other side, like, there to dominate. Just trying to dominate, like, you don't matter what the hell is in front of you. You will kick kick, kick that obstacle down and keep on truckin.

Big Country 46:45

Absolutely. I mean, man, it's like, like the last couple of weeks. First attachment nutrition, you know, big shout out to them. Better known company, man, this this nutrition company. You know, I know a lot of people's like, oh, you know, this company's not you know, I don't really know what's in their stuff. And I'm not really saying they go through videos to explain what's in their stuff. How it helps. How's it gonna help? They just brung me on as a sponsored athlete a buddy of mine named Tom he's a bodybuilder up or Vermont. They call him a unit on tic tac big to Air Force that he got picked up a little bit before I did man. You know, just people seeing your worth and your dedication to things you know, they want to be there they want to help you out. You know, Planet fit me and Planet Fitness just talking about some bigger things now. Since I got my International Paralympic license, you have to have that to compete internationally, especially in the Paralympics. So it's never in bigger talks with them was like okay, so I have this now. What do you want to do? And that wasn't even my that was like the GMs things just like okay, you need to you need to email corporate. They need to do a little bit more for you. But I mean, we're in talks about some things. Fox News is going to be coming back out on Monday to do another story on me kind of like a follow up. Somehow this has gotten back around to them. So we'll be doing a segment from Planet Fitness and Belmont. And then there'll be follow me out to the park I'll be sitting on my throne frame doing a couple throws for him. and whatnot. Yeah, big shout outs to to chick sandwiches and scoops and Belmont man awesome little place to eat man. They they kind of helped me out with my supplement stuff here and there. Yeah, both my coaches do this just amazing. Just to see the inspiration just come across a lot of people's face, man, there's not a day that goes by that I'm in the gym. If somebody doesn't walk up and say, Hey, what's up, and we sit there and have conversations. I actually went to go get a little bit of cardio in before the show. And you know, talk to a couple guys while I was there. It's also led me into my next journey with all this. I just signed up for my Master Trainer Courses. I've taken with NS CF getting my personal trainer, my nutrition and my strength coach certificate to be a master Master personal trainer.

Keith McKeever 49:44

That's awesome. Yeah, that's a perfect fit for you. You know, really, it really is.

Big Country 49:50

It's we've been helping so many people out man I even you know tic TOCs become a big reach out for me here lately and you know a couple of Most people I've reached out. So I was like, You know what? It's time to turn this into a job. I love I love helping people and getting helping them regain their life back through fitness. Because, yes, it sucks. Sometimes they're the work through the pain, but your mental state gets better. Your sleep better, you eat better. If you're stressed out, if you pissed off, go to the freaking gym, take it out on the damn weight. And when you come out, you feel better. So I'm starting up and some people may?

Keith McKeever 50:35

Well, there's no doubt about it, that you're helping people. Just your story, man, he was just talking about inspiring people. Like, that's why I was so excited because you mentioned Rob Darcy earlier, it was actually his post where he tagged you and Joel, that that made me reach out to you. Because I knew immediately I'm like, Oh, alright, army that whatever little thing that he put in there about your story. I was like, I got to have you on this podcast, like, absolutely slam dunk. Because this is all about educating and inspiring people. You know, that's why I asked him those questions about the hospital and stuff earlier. And like, how did you get through it? Because service members or veterans, you never know, when you might end up in a hospital for six months or a year? Right? You know? And what are you going to have to do to try and get through that shit? But what is your rehab going to be like? What is your family structure going to be like, you know, a lot of ways you probably got really, really, really lucky with some of this stuff, right? advocating for yourself, having a supportive family, some extremely supportive wife, I know you guys just got got married not too long ago, you know, to like, to have that around you is just huge, you know, and then for you to turn that around and inspire others and push others and, you know, kind of like, hey, look, you can do this too. You can do this, it just takes work

Big Country 51:49

it. I'm not gonna mention the name of the person, but they're going through something that I went through right now, this very moment. They're on their weight loss journey. But they're expecting things to happen like that. Yeah, they want that attention from certain females, and they want to be able to do certain things, and they have to understand that it's a process. This shit don't happen overnight. You know, Robert, reaching out to me and introducing me to Joel, what had never happened. If I wasn't busting my ass, you know, one of the big things that Joe asked me when we are on the telephone is would you pay the sport itself fucking literally. You know, if I, you know, I've put it out in a couple of things. You know, if you're disabled and the same thing, we're here, if you're disabled, and you're wanting to get into sports, and fitness, and you're willing to bust your ass, I will help you get to where I'm at right now. I want to see people reach that goal. You know, it's you got to put the work you're gonna have to it whenever you're putting in the work in and you find that self love and that self confidence that we are so easy to lose. Man, it's when everything falls together. You love yourself and you're confident in yourself. Life is fucking

Keith McKeever 53:18

Yeah, Lhasa has good timing to throw your your link up there. facebook.com/gtb Country I'll spell it out there for for those that listen. But stars big country on Facebook, you find you there. But yeah, it Something just hit me. As you're saying it like a compound effect. Turn remember the guy who wrote the book, there was Darren Hardy was his name. He was founder of like Success magazine or something like that, and wrote a book called The compound effect, something along those lines. I'll try and find a link and put in the shownotes to but really, really good book. And it just talks about like, Look, if it's the daily habits, it's the little things. It's not going to happen today. Not going to happen tomorrow. Maybe not even next month. But if you make the permanent changes to whatever you're trying to do, today's little victory adds on to tomorrow's and the next day and the day after that. And then you're just gonna wake up one day, basically, if you put in the hard work, and you're gonna look back and be like, Damn, look where I'm at now. Like it just it just compounded effect. It just it just is this year.

Big Country 54:27

Exactly. That was something. That was something I was explaining my son. Yeah, as I was getting up and getting my coffee, he was coming home from fishing. And I was like I said that exact same. So I was like, remember where we was at this time last year? Because I was like, Man, I can't wait to one. I wonder what we're gonna be at this time next year. I said those exact words. It's funny.

Keith McKeever 54:53

You think about a year what you've done in the last year, what will you do in the next 10 years? What did you do in the next 20 years? Will you really start thinking about like, really long term payoff? Because there's things like, you know, for my business for me personally, like, I don't put those, I don't put those pressures on, like, it's got to happen right now. It's like, it's okay. This thing is a long term thing, right? It can grow as small increments, and it'd be fine. You know, and we just kind of sometimes that social media in the fast paced, short attention span world we live in, does not help that where everybody wants everything now, like everything's fast food convenient. Like, get it now, like, stream, whatever you want on TV, we don't have to wait till next Monday night at 6pm. To watch that show anymore. Like we used to.

Big Country 55:41

One of the I will say this one a long term goals that me and my wife talked about is opening up our own gym. We want to make it to where it's able bodied and disabled body capable. So that way, even if you're in a wheelchair, confined to a wheelchair, you can come in and work out. And what what I'm learning with all these sports, I will eventually start a league here in Gaston County, to where even if it's just something small man for people to enjoy and have fun in like a field day or something like that, man, I'm gonna bring I'm gonna bring some people into it. You know, one thing that I did pass up over last year was playing basketball for the Roland Hornets, which is a WNBA team, there is a professional wheelchair basketball league. I didn't know if our team won the national championship this year. But I turned him down. I was like, Man, I can't dedicate the time to you like you deserve. But uh, I mean, people like that. And you know, I coached little league basketball at the YMCA. Go Bulldogs. My team went eight, no, this past season, so proud of my boys. Man, it's just the people that we've met through this entire thing. And we're planning on putting something together for the community. You we're setting up my personal trainer business, to train people in health and fitness. But we're gonna put on some pretty, pretty cool sporting events along the way.

Keith McKeever 57:17

You know, the health and fitness thing, I just thought of this, maybe just an idea for you something to think about? Because I know you're not, you know, I have no problem being on video and stuff. Maybe put some videos out there because I don't know if there's videos on this. But if somebody is missing an arm or a leg or has something that makes them have to work out in a different way, some sort of adaptation or whatever to do some video series is on some things for them, like, hey, this may be your problem or something similar to that. But here's what you can do to work out this muscle in a different way. Like, you know, I can't imagine like being in that boat. Like, oh, I just can't work out because I can't do X, Y and Z. Like you can. But I got a pinched nerve in my elbow right? My neurologist has like no repetitive motion, like, you know, he loved it's getting better, like you know, eventually. But it's like I couldn't imagine like, not having my left arm and not work out. There's a guy on Tik Tok that I've seen it's got a contraction, it goes around his shoulders. And you know, he just, I think it's amputated, like right here. And he just puts like a strap around it. And that's how he's lifting weights. And it's like, genius,

Big Country 58:24

is I'll say this great minds think alike. I have a very big notebook in the kitchen that has lots of notes.

Keith McKeever 58:35

Awesome, lots, man. I can't wait to see what you what you roll out with and see where your journey goes. I highly encourage and I say this translate remember this on every episode to go follow like and subscribe to my followers. But please, you got to go to the website there. It's in the show notes. You gotta gotta go follow Big Country and watch your journey, man because I know you're inspiring me. You know, not only doing what you're doing, but because you're a veteran as well. Like I can't I can't help but not through for you.

Big Country 59:09

I mean, I do. And before we cut off, I have to give shout outs to a couple people. First attachment nutrition.com Go check them out. promo code Big Country 10 gets you a percentage off an amazing business amazing supplements, checkouts Planet Fitness, you know, I'm saying, you know, big shout outs to Joe Ken and Adrian Wilson, my coaches, to my wife and my family. For you, brother, appreciate you bringing me on. Robert Garcia. Big Joe. I mean, I just thank you for all the blessings for everything and we're paying it forward and big things are gonna happen. Thank you. Absolutely.

Keith McKeever 59:57

wearing your shirt.

Big Country 59:58

Yeah, gasps so we just came out with a merch line. It's some big country there's sleeveless shirts, regular T shirts, dog tags, tumblers keychains. If you go to my public figure page was the sergeant big country on Facebook, the logos on the picture, if you'll just message this there, say, Hey, I would like some merch, my merch manager will get to you. She'll take your order. They make everything per order. So it takes them like a day to make everything and then they'll usually it takes them a couple of days to turn around and mill it out. And so, you know, everything that everybody buys just helps go right back into the sports man.

Keith McKeever 1:00:41

Awesome. All right. Well, man, I appreciate you being here. I can't wait to have you on sometime in the future. To share some updates. See how things are going. And you know, maybe maybe someday after maybe you'll have a set of a necklace on maybe you'll have a metal around your neck. I hope to go we're working for it. All right, man. Take it easy. All right, brother.