I Failed SEAL Screening—Here's Why Most Don't Make It

About this video

A former Navy SEAL recounts his experience failing SEAL team screening twice. He explains that his first screening failure was due to inexperience, while the second time he attributes to overconfidence in his CQC skills and an unusually competitive class. He also discusses being removed from an instructor role during a difficult divorce, struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, and ultimately finding support through therapy and fellow team members who helped him through his mental health crisis.

Key takeaways

• The speaker failed SEAL screening twice—first due to inexperience, and second because he was overconfident in his CQC abilities while his screening class had exceptionally high physical performance standards
• The speaker describes experiencing severe depression and suicidal thoughts during his divorce, stating he felt such crushing mental pain that he understood why people consider suicide, though he credits looking at pictures of his kids and eventually seeking therapy with helping him survive
• The speaker emphasizes that accepting help from others and being vulnerable with fellow service members, rather than trying to handle everything alone, was essential to his recovery and mental health

Episode details: published March 23, 2026 · 8.4K views · 20:22 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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