Jesse McQueen: It Gets Better From HereJesse McQueen: It Gets Better From Here
Struggle Well Podcast
Army veteran Jesse McQueen reflects on pre- and post-9/11 service, deployments, hidden turmoil after leaving the military, and finding Posttraumatic Growth through Warrior PATHH. His story highlights the power of vulnerability, community, and everyday habits in building a healthier life for himself and his family.
1:05:45•12 Aug 2026
From Plane Crash to Posttraumatic Growth: Jesse McQueen’s Journey to Struggle Well
Episode Overview
- Struggle is common, but trying to handle it completely alone can deepen despair and delay healing.
- Vulnerability is not weakness; it can become a powerful strength that draws genuine connection and support.
- Training-focused programmes like Warrior PATHH can offer practical tools beyond medication and traditional appointments.
- Daily habits such as movement, meditation and being fully present in conversations can support both mental and physical health.
- Staying curious about "new possibilities" helps keep growth going long after the initial crisis has passed.
“"It's okay to struggle, but it's not okay to do it alone."”
What drives someone to seek a life beyond endless survival mode? This conversation with Army veteran and dad Jesse McQueen offers a raw and human answer. Jesse shares how he joined the U.S.
Army just days before 9/11, standing in line for uniforms as the attacks unfolded and realising, "Okay, this is really real – not just going for an adventure." From a plane crash en route to airborne school to broken bones, cancelled dreams of Ranger school, and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, his early adulthood was shaped by war, loss, and relentless pressure to perform.
There’s also tenderness and humour here: meeting his future wife Kelly in the barracks, sitting on a "donut" cushion after a bad jump, and promising her in a trailer in Baghdad, "I promise you it's only going to get better from here." Yet behind the jokes, Jesse admits he was "functioning, but a mess" — outwardly successful in a high-tempo counterterrorism role while quietly spiralling inside. For anyone wrestling with trauma, the turning point is likely to stand out.
Unable to sleep, Jesse read a veteran’s story about Warrior PATHH at Boulder Crest and filled out the application. The next morning, guide Dusty rang and said, "I went over your application. You're pretty fucked up. I want you in the next class." That blunt, veteran-to-veteran honesty opened the door to Posttraumatic Growth, training instead of just pills, and a space where vulnerability was modelled as strength.
Jesse talks about learning to be present, to show his children meditation and daily habits that support mental health, and to live by the belief that "it's okay to struggle, but it's not okay to do it alone." If you’ve ever felt capable yet lost, this story might nudge you to ask: what new possibilities are still waiting if you finally ask for help?
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