Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Sager.
Hi Josh, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I enlisted in the Army as a paratrooper at the age of 18, expecting to spend a 20-year career there. Unbeknownst to me, God had other plans. On July 5, 2015, during an international training operation, I suffered a catastrophic parachute collapse. The collapse resulted in me falling 4 stories and shattering the majority of my lower body. This led to my retirement at the age of 27. After that, my Wife and I decided to move to DFW while we figured out what was next in our lives.
I attended school, where I earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Management. While in school, I continued my recovery through a non-profit gym in Carrollton called The Adaptive Training Foundation (ATF). This truly changed the course of direction in my life.
Adaptive Training Foundation offers an inclusive gym atmosphere for disabled Veterans and others who have suffered traumatic injuries, pairing them up with a personalized program designed for them and their goals. ATF’s flagship Redefine program is 9 weeks long, with a culminating “redeploy trip” at the end of it, putting to practice all the work from the gym in an active environment (i.e.: surfing, snowboarding, climbing in the mountains, etc.). After attending a nine-week Redefine program with the organization, I quickly found every opportunity I could to volunteer my time, giving back to the same organization that had given so much back to me. ATF helped me recover both mentally and physically, and I wanted to bring that same healing to others.
After graduating with my MBA last year, I was offered the full-time staff role of Program Director at ATF. This is truly where I feel God has called me to be, and I could not imagine myself doing anything else.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It certainly has not been a smooth road, and there have been many challenges and trials along the way. The first coming during the recovery of my accident. After being medically retired from the Army, I felt lost, and I felt broken. After my injuries, I felt that doctors put me into a box with certain limitations, told me I would never run or be able to work out the same again.
The Adaptive Training Foundation’s programs helped me break those limitations down and define new limits for myself, both physically and mentally. I went from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane. Now I walk completely unassisted, and you would have no idea I had ever been injured unless I told you something I am very proud of.
Working full-time as Program Director now, there is definitely plenty of long nights and weekends, but an awesome team in the rest of the staff and the mission make it worth it all in the end. Helping individuals discover, or rediscover, that fire inside of them is the greatest endorphine in the world. No one on our staff is here for a 9-5 job; we’re here because we believe in what we do. At the end of the day, ATF is truly a family, and we are here to wade through the water of self-doubt and fear together because on the other side of that is freedom and independence, no matter what struggle you’ve been through.
We’ve been impressed with Adaptive Training Foundation, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Adaptive Training Foundation’s (ATF) is a DFW-based non-profit gym whose mission is to empower the human athlete, restore hope through movement, and redefine the limits of individuals with disabilities.
ATF works with both disabled veterans and civilians who have sustained a traumatic injury. In addition, we welcome those who were born with an impairment and/or have a degenerative disease to apply to the program as well.
ATF’s programs provide adaptive individuals with customized training paired with a community of other individuals experiencing similar struggles. Not only do athletes receive physical training, but they receive tools to redefine their sense of self through mindfulness and mental training.
There truly is no other place like it in the world.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I’ll just leave you with one of my favorite quotes: “We may not be able to change the world, but we can make our corner of it nice.” – Dave Chappelle
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.adaptivetrainingfoundation.org/
- Instagram: @sagerbombs
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-sager-5880
Image Credits
Campbell Mccrea
