Jason: From Service to Brotherhood: A Veteran’s Path to Healing

Some heroes don't wear capes—they open their garage doors. 

Jason’s bimonthly poker nights have become a sanctuary for military personnel and first responders seeking more than cards: genuine brotherhood.

Haunted by trauma from Coast Guard and Army service, PTSD, and injuries, Jason struggled to ask for help—until a life-saving call to a friend sparked a new mission. Now CEO of Alpha Ready, he builds stigma-free spaces for healing. As a Christian, husband, father, and podcaster, he proves that true strength lies in connection, and purpose can rise from pain—even around a garage poker table.

Connect with Jason: 

Instagram:  alpha_ready_com

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@alphareadyco

Website:  https://alphareadyco.com/

Order your Alpha Ready t-shirt today! 🇺🇸
Proudly Donating 25% of Monthly Earnings to
Military, Veteran & First Responder Charities 

Connect with Jen:

I Need Blue  now has a new home at The Healing in Sharing! Visit thehealinginsharing.com  to explore Round Chair Conversations, all relevant I Need Blue content, and ways to support the mission of sharing stories that inspire hope and resilience.

By sharing the hidden lines of our stories, we remind each other we are not alone — together, we step out of hiding and into healing. 

Instagram: @ineedbluepodcast
YouTube:     https://www.youtube.com/@ineedblue

Apple Podcasts: Listen & Subscribe
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHealingInSharing11

Memoir: Why I Survived, by Jennifer Lee on Amazon

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Twice a month, a garage in his neighborhood
transforms into something sacred.
It's not just about poker chipsor the cards on the table.
It's about connection.
Jason opens his doors to fellowmilitary personnel and first
responders, offering themsomething many don't even

(00:23):
realize they're missingBrotherhood.
What began with just four menseeking a safe space has now
grown to 15 regulars, with overa hundred more waiting to pull
up a chair.
Men from across the UnitedStates are drawn to what Jason
has created.
They feel the heart behind it.

(00:46):
That heart comes from livedexperience.
At just 17, jason joined theCoast Guard.
He thought he was signing up tosave lives, and he did.
But no training could have everprepared him for the
soul-shattering weight ofpulling suicide victims from the

(01:06):
waters beneath the Golden GateBridge.
It wasn't a rare tragedy.
It was daily.
Those images never left.
They found their way into hisdreams and the deepest parts of
his memory.
Ptsd wasn't just a diagnosis.
It became his silent shadow.

(01:28):
Still, jason pushed forward.
He later joined the army, wherehe sustained multiple injuries
that forced him into anunfamiliar territory asking for
help For those who serve.
Being the one in need can feellike weakness.
A year into recovery,overwhelmed and spiraling into

(01:51):
darkness.
He stood at a crossroads.
Suicide felt like the onlyescape, but he picked up the
phone.
Instead, he called a friend.
Instead he called a friend.
That single brave act ofreaching out became the turning
point, not just in his life butfor so many others.

(02:11):
It was in that moment herealized men need community, a
space where they can just showup.
No pressure, no expectations,just themselves, messy,
imperfect, healing, human.
Today, jason is a Christian, adevoted husband and father to a

(02:36):
beautiful daughter.
He serves with HomelandSecurity, continuing his
lifelong mission of protectingothers, and security, continuing
his lifelong mission ofprotecting others.
He's also the founder and CEOof Alpha Ready Company.
He's a podcaster, a clothingbrand creator and a proud Coast
Guard and Army veteran.
Jason, your courage doesn't endon the battlefield or the front

(03:01):
lines battlefield or the frontlines.
It lives on in how you chooseto lead to love and to create
space for others.
Your story is a lifeline.
It's proof that purpose canrise from pain, and it's my
honor to call you a friend.
Thank you for your service, notjust to this country, but to

(03:23):
every man whose life you touch.
Your journey is far from overand I can't wait to see how it
continues to unfold.
With that, jason, welcome tothe I Need Blue podcast.