"I WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE A SEAL" - FROM COUNTY JAIL TO BUD/S

About this video

A former Navy SEAL recounts his unconventional path to the teams, which included time in county jail immediately after high school graduation. He describes serving four months in Santa Cruz County jail to commute his probation, being rejected by the Marines and Army due to his criminal record and tattoos, and ultimately being accepted by the Navy. After nine months of intense preparation and weekly PST tests, he received his SEAL challenge contract at age 24.

Key takeaways

• The guest spent four months in county jail right after high school graduation to commute his probation before pursuing military service
• Despite childhood dreams of becoming a SEAL, the guest initially avoided the Navy out of fear of failing BUD/S training, first attempting to join the Marines and Army
• The guest trained intensively for nine months, taking PSTs weekly and losing 40 pounds in six weeks, before receiving his SEAL challenge contract; only nine of the hundred in his boot camp division made it through training

Episode details: published July 30, 2025 · 5.6K views · 7:42 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.

← Previous: Everything Changed After My First MARSOC Deployment: Inside Marine Special Operations | Ep. 250 · Next: They HATED Me in MARSOC Assessment & Selection… But THIS Saved Me →

All Mike Ritland videos · Mike Ritland profile · Mike Drop (official site)