#219: Marine Corps Birthday w/ Chad Robichaux, Bellator/Strikeforce MMA Fighter, Mighty Oaks Foundation

This week’s Marine Corps Birthday episode of Borne the Battle features Marine Corps Veteran, former police officer, MMA champion, bestselling author and founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, Chad Robichaux. He turned his passion and greatest struggles into a foundation that helps his fellow Veterans who suffer from PTSD.

Robichaux grew up in a dysfunctional home and turned to the Marine Corps to escape it. By 15, he was living alone. He entered the Corps without graduating high school and earned his GED while he served. As a Force Recon Marine, he served eight deployments in Afghanistan as part of a Joint Special Operations Command Task Force. Now, he is a board-certified pastoral counselor with an MBA.

When PTSD ended his military career, Robichaux fell back on his skills as a martial artist. He fought in Strikeforce and Bellator, won HDNet’s Legacy FC belt and became a world champion MMA fighter. However, his fighting career consumed him, worsening his PTSD and delivering a reckoning to face his serious issues.

At the height of his MMA career, Robichaux was on the verge of suicide. After realizing that he needed a holistic approach to self-care instead of drowning himself in fights, he made the choice to seek help from his wife and found support in faith. Now, he strives to help other Veterans discover the strength of a multifaceted approach to treating PTSD before they become statistics.
In this episode, Robichaux discusses:

His life-altering experience as a police officer.His struggles with PTSD, self-esteem, and family issues during and after his military service.His MMA career and how it helped and harmed him.How family, faith, martial arts and counseling help him in his daily battle with PTSD.What the Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs are and how they help soldiers and Veterans learn to take care of their minds, bodies, souls, and spirits.

Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:

Marine Corps Veteran Foster L. Harrington

Mentioned in this Episode:

Chad Robichaux – White Chair Film – I Am SecondBtB #42: Brian StannBtB #154: Conrad Washington, VA Center of Faith and Opportunities InitiativeBtB #170: Dale Dye, Marine Corps Birthday Episode