⚓️ FULLSEND FRIDAY: Navy SEAL Anthony Rivera on AI-Driven Transition, Cracking the VA Code, and the "Fog of Peace"
Release Date: 01/23/2026
No Zero Days Team (Part 3): Hallucinations, 16-Pound Packs, and the "Desert Shuffle" – The RLIAR Final Debrief
The Two-Promises Podcast
"You don't conquer the mountain—you conquer the next ten feet." In this final series of our 3-part debrief on the Two Promises Podcast, Brent wraps up his roundtable with the No Zero Days race team (Sam Piccolotti, Sean Pechon, Matthew Anderson, and Jon Habert) following their performance in the Ryan Larkin Invitational Adventure Race (RLIAR) in the Colorado Backcountry. The crew gets brutally honest about the extreme physiological breakdown caused by heat, dehydration, and heavy packs in the backcountry. Jon Habert shares how physical exhaustion led to "audible mirages" and hearing...
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No Zero Days Team (Part 2): Lessons from the Canyon – Injury, Gear Reality Checks, and the Power of the Crew
The Two-Promises Podcast
"If your only focus is to finish, be careful—you might just end up with a t-shirt. If you aren't open and aware during the process, you miss the whole journey." In Part 2 of our 3-part debrief with the No Zero Days race team (Sam Piccolotti, Sean Pechon, Matthew Anderson, and Jon Habert), the crew offers an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at their experience during the Ryan Larkin Invitational Adventure Race (RLIAR) in the Colorado Backcountry. The team opens up about the brutal physical realities of navigating 62 miles of unforgiving alpine terrain from Montrose to Telluride....
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No Zero Days Return: Lessons from the Trail, Survival, & Brotherhood | RLIAR 2026
The Two-Promises Podcast
"This is the first event where I've ever had a 'Did Not Finish'... but looking back, we learned more about each other in the suck than anywhere else." The No Zero Days race team—Sam Piccolotti, Sean Pechon, Matthew Anderson, and Jon Habert—returns to the show following their brutal experience in the inaugural Ryan Larkin Invitational Adventure Race (RLIAR) across the rugged Colorado Backcountry. In this raw and transparent debrief, the team breaks down what really happened during their 62-mile military escape-and-evasion simulation from Montrose to Telluride. From pyrotechnic starts...
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Full Send: Hard Targets – Navy SEAL Juan "Gonzo" Gonzalez on Situational Awareness, Slow Growth, and the Business of Security
The Two-Promises Podcast
What does it mean to build a life of service that seamlessly bridges the gap between elite military execution and global corporate entrepreneurship? On this Full Send we pull together the complete, uncut conversation with retired Navy SEAL, former Army Airborne medic, and founder of Eagle Eye Protection, Juan "Gonzo" Gonzalez. Gonzo walks us through his foundational upbringing as a diplomat's son traveling throughout South and Central America, a cross-cultural immersion that inadvertently gifted him with acute situational awareness and street smarts by age 15. We track his tactical...
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No Zero Days Team: Age vs. Altitude – Experience, Endurance, and the Spirit of Ryan Larkin
The Two-Promises Podcast
"When you see us old guys out there doing the same thing the young guys are doing, just know we do it in a lot more pain." In this special roundtable episode, host BD sits down with the No Zero Days race team—Sam Piccolotti, Sean Pechon, Matthew Anderson, and Jon Habert—who are currently leading the fundraising leaderboard for the upcoming Ryan Larkin Invitational Adventure Race (RLIAR) in the Colorado Backcountry. Running from June 12–14, 2026, this extreme 3-day military simulation challenge tests 10 elite teams across 62 brutal miles of untamed wilderness from Montrose to...
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Full Send: Unbreakable – Cheyenne Zoelle on Surviving Generational Trauma and Fighting a Broken System
The Two-Promises Podcast
How do you find your footing and protect your peace when you grow up in an environment where safety simply doesn't exist? On this powerful Full Send, we feature author, advocate, and future mental health therapist Cheyenne Zoelle for a complete, raw conversation about survival, systemic failure, and the ultimate triumph of human resilience. Cheyenne opens up about the chilling realities documented in her memoir, Unbreakable. She shares her unconventional path of teaching herself to read using subtitles and product labels after being abruptly pulled out of school by an addicted parent. We...
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Full Send: The Absolute Cosmic Mindset – Defeating the Supervillain Within (Feat. Joshua Salgado)
The Two-Promises Podcast
What happens when your biggest enemy isn't the high-stress environment of a combat zone, but the reflection looking back at you in the mirror? On this special Full Send Episode, us and the crew bring you the complete, uncut conversation with active-duty military loadmaster, entrepreneur, and creator of Cosmic Absolute, Joshua Salgado. Fresh off a high-tempo deployment to the Horn of Africa, Josh drops straight into the studio to unpack the psychological shift of transitioning from elite military operations back to civilian life. We explore his incredible journey overcoming severe congenital...
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Joshua Salgado (Part 3): The Inner Villain, Side Quests, and the 250-Page Milestone
The Two-Promises Podcast
"I think the supervillain attacking Joshua Salgado is Joshua Salgado." In the final chapter of our 3-part series, Air Force Loadmaster and creator Joshua Salgado gets raw about the internal battle of self-doubt and the high stakes of independent world-building. Fresh off his second deployment, Josh discusses the "Refining Fire" of military life and how it sharpened his business strategy from a broad "machine gunner" approach to a "sniper" focus. He details the massive achievement of publishing a 256-page graphic novel for free, the upcoming launch of his limited-edition indie action figures,...
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Joshua Salgado (Part 2): The Sniper Mindset – IP World-Building, Military Waivers, and Facing the Inner Villain
The Two-Promises Podcast
How do you go from a kid born with bilateral club feet to an Air Force Loadmaster and independent comic book creator? In Part 2 of this series, Joshua Salgado, host of the Absolutely Cosmic Podcast, shares his journey of relentless persistence against administrative roadblocks and his strategic pivot from "machine gunner" to "sniper" in business. Josh discusses the origin story of his 256-page graphic novel, Tales of the Galactic Wanderer, and how he uses science fiction as an allegory to process high-level military intelligence briefs and personal trauma. We dive deep into the "radioactive...
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Joshua Salgado (Part 1): The Absolutely Cosmic Hierarchy – Sharpening the Axe and the Nerd-to-Operator Pipeline
The Two-Promises Podcast
"Taking time to sharpen the axe leads to more trees cut in the long run." In Part 1 of this 3-part series, Joshua Salgado, a C-130H Loadmaster and host of the Absolutely Cosmic Podcast, joins the show fresh off a high-op-tempo deployment to the Horn of Africa. Josh pulls back the curtain on the life of a Loadmaster—from flying medevacs in Somalia to supporting "snake eaters" (Special Forces) on the ground. We explore the fascinating intersection of "Nerd Culture" and elite military units, discussing why comic books and gaming are essential decompression tools for high-intensity operators....
info_outlineWhat happens when the “Fog of War” turns into the “Fog of Peace”? In this comprehensive Full Send episode, Navy SEAL veteran and Vetivize CEO Anthony Rivera joins his BUD/S Class 267 classmate to discuss the tactical and psychological blueprint for a successful military transition.
Anthony pulls back the curtain on the elite selection process, sharing raw stories from BUD/S Pool Comp and hallucinatory nights in Iraq’s Al Anbar province. He then reveals the “cheat code” he discovered in the CFR 38 that allowed him to turn around a VA disability claim in just 11 days. We explore the future of veteran healthcare through Agentic AI, why “emotionally flat” medications are often prescribed without baselines, and the tactical SOS Protocol for managing life’s overwhelming waves. This is a masterclass in identity reinvention and systemic reform.
Key Topics & SEO Insights
• The 11-Day VA Claim Blueprint
How understanding the CFR 38 Rating Schedule can bypass the national 181-day average wait time for benefits
• Mastery of Chaos
Lessons from Navy SEAL training (Pool Comp and the Tread) that apply to high-stakes civilian entrepreneurship
• The Future of Veteran Tech
Implementing Agentic AI to handle mundane bureaucratic tasks, allowing veterans to focus on spirituality and community service
• The ROI of Veteran Benefits
How the average Vetivize user increases their annual tax-free income by $14,400 and how this saves corporate America millions in healthcare premiums
• The Suicide Antidote
Why “Service to Others” is the most effective prescription for the identity crisis and post-service emotional flatness
• The SOS Protocol
Stop, Seek Center, Orient, Signal — a tactical framework for navigating mental overwhelm and high-stress transitions
Episode Timestamps
01:32 Class 267 Reunion — Reliving the cold, miserable days in the Coronado surf zone
04:34 Pool Comp Failures — Overconfidence under a “chill” instructor
10:10 The Lawn Dart Injury — Breaking a shoulder and collarbone two weeks before graduation
14:54 Iraq Hallucinations — Dancing dragons after two weeks of combat sleep deprivation
24:22 Lord of the Flies — Burning the Ubaidi base during closure
32:28 Hypercapnia Blackout — Passing out during the BUD/S Tread
36:37 Entering the Fog of Peace — Transitioning out after 11.5 years and the identity crisis
38:52 Cracking CFR 38 — Ignoring peer advice and reading the source regulations
41:14 The Birth of Vetivize — Using AI to connect veterans and nonprofits
49:19 The BDD Program — The six-month pre-separation claims window
54:40 Migraines and IBS — Symptoms veterans normalize but shouldn’t
64:13 The $14,400 Raise — Financial impact of correct benefits integration
68:51 Startup Hell Week — Daily fires of entrepreneurship with a SEAL mindset
75:06 Community as the Antidote — Spirituality and service as suicide prevention
81:55 The Identity Trap — Letting go of rank-based self-definition
89:26 Diabetes vs Mental Health — VA medication critique without baselines
93:27 Safety Brief Humor — The joke that broke the platoon
100:32 Burn the Boats — Going all-in on the next mission
About the Guest
Anthony Rivera is a retired Navy SEAL and founder of Vetivize. After navigating his own high-speed transition, Anthony dedicated his career to helping over 7,000 veterans access their earned benefits. Vetivize uses proprietary AI to centralize the fragmented veteran nonprofit ecosystem and provides a secure Health Vault for service members.
Connect with Anthony Rivera:
Website: https://vetavize.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyriveraexecutiveleader
Success isn’t about never failing. It’s about the grit to re-engage.
If you’re navigating the VA black hole or wrestling with who you are after service, remember this, If it’s not alright, it’s not the end.
Call a buddy. Re-enter the arena.
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