Jason Fox "Foxy": Rebuilding After Special Forces

From The Hard Way With Joe De Sena · 26:15

Show by Joe De Sena

Jason Fox "Foxy" spent 20 years in the UK military: 10 in the Royal Marines, 10 in the Special Boat Service, Britain's tier-one special forces. He deployed year after year through the post-9/11 era, working alongside US and allied forces in some of the most intense operations of that period. Then in the middle of a firefight, pinned in a ditch under heavy enemy fire, something broke. His mind defaulted to the last safe place he had ever known: being a boy at home with his mum. Joe De Sena sits down with "Foxy" to talk about what happened next: losing his mojo for the job he loved, getting medically discharged for PTSD, standing on a cliff considering ending it, and the moment he realized he had never quit anything before and was not going to start now. He shares the psychological timeline and the daily habits that keep him stable today: conscious check-ins, non-negotiable exercise, and living in the present like a toddler who does not carry yesterday's weight. His book Embrace the Chaos puts the practical framework around everything he learned the hard way. Things You Will Learn: The psychological timeline: a simple diagram that reveals where stress stacks up before it breaks you, and why "Foxy" wishes he had drawn it at 28. Why an elite operator who never quit anything lost his drive for the job he loved, and what it took to find a new reason to keep going. Three daily habits "Foxy" uses to stay stable after PTSD: conscious emotional check-ins, non-negotiable exercise, and present-moment awareness. Tools & Frameworks Covered: The Psychological Timeline: Draw your lifeline from birth to now. Add lines for career stress, relationships, finances, health, major events. Where the lines stack thickest is where the damage started. That is where you need to pay attention. The Monday Check-In: When you feel off, stop before you ruin the day. Sit down. Ask why. Identify the specific source. Name it. Manage it. Cut yourself some slack before it compounds. Toddler Mindset: Children live in the present. They do not carry what just happened or worry about what is next. Adults who can recover that presence stop feeding the cycle of rumination that drives psychological breakdown. Chapters: 0:00 Intro: Jason Fox, former UK Special Forces, still training for life 5:21 How the SAS and SBS were born 10:26 Why Spartan was built on chaos 13:20 Growing up in Luton 16:10 Twenty years in the military 18:27 The firefight that broke something 22:27 Losing his mojo 24:48 Therapy, denial, and the question that pissed him off 26:22 Standing on a cliff, and the one thought that made him turn around 27:38 The diagram that finally showed him where it all stacked up 32:24 Told never to mention mental health 34:13 Three books, one arc 36:37 Live like a toddler Jason Fox served 20 years in the British military: 10 in the Royal Marines and 10 in the Special Boat Service, the UK's tier-one maritime special forces unit. He deployed repeatedly through the post-9/11 era alongside US, Canadian, and Australian forces. After a tour defined by heavy combat, he came home and felt nothing: he lost his drive, got medically discharged for PTSD, and found himself standing on a cliff before deciding he had never quit anything and was not about to start. He has written three books: Battle Scars, Life Under Fire, and Embrace the Chaos. He is also known as Foxy on the show Special Forces: World's Toughest Test. Connect to Jason: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason_carl_fox/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jason_carl_fox Embrace the Chaos: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKL3W9LZ?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

More episodes of The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

More episodes

PodSearch is a free, independent podcast search engine. Read about PodSearch, the privacy policy or contact us.