Surviving 2.5 Hell Weeks and 6 BUD/S Attempts | Ep. 251

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews Johnny Collins, a former Navy SEAL who shares his unconventional path to earning his Trident after attempting BUD/S six times. Collins recounts his troubled youth in Maryland, the pivotal moment that drove him to enlist, and the grueling multi-year journey through repeated BUD/S classes, performance rolls for swim times, a pool comp failure, and a detour to Guantanamo Bay. He attributes his persistence to refusing to quit despite setbacks, learning from mistakes, and maintaining focus on his goal.

Key takeaways

• Collins attributes his anger and fighting in youth partly to his parents’ divorce and strict upbringing; he explains how freedom after the split led him to ‘go rogue’ before 9/11 and a friend’s Army enlistment refocused him on his childhood dream of becoming a SEAL.
• Collins recounts failing BUD/S multiple times—rolled for swim times, injured neck from back-to-back first phases, and dropped for pool comp after not training adequately—emphasizing personal accountability and respect for the standard that removed him.
• After his pool comp failure, Collins accepted a billet to Guantanamo Bay as the fastest route back to BUD/S, where he describes dealing with difficult detainees and an unsupportive chain of command while training relentlessly to earn a second chance.

Episode details: published August 5, 2025 · 124.3K views · 2:51:14 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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