#49 After Dark - The Story of Jeff Nichols: Inside The Mind of A Navy SEAL

Welcome back to the Iron Sights Podcast! In this episode, I sat down with Jeff Nichols, former Navy SEAL and founder of Performance First.  Nichols has been a strength coach for over 20 years working with athletes of all ages in amateur and professional athletics. Jeff is certified through the NSCA as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Facilitator both with distinction.

Jeff began his career as a graduate assistant at Troy University under Richard Schaughnessy CSCS*D and later as an assistant managing 14 Varsity sports. After earning a double major in Kinesiology and Chemistry in 2002, Jeff joined the navy and spent eleven years as a Navy SEAL. Aside from serving as a SEAL while on active duty, he also worked at a Navel Special Warfare command as the active duty Department Head within the Human Performance Department. Jeff oversaw product development, product assessment, program assessment, and operator delegate within Special Operations Command (SOCOM) for Human Performance.

After honorable discharge from Naval service Jeff became the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Virginia High Performance LLC in Virginia Beach. Jeff oversaw the programming and training within VHP that focused on youth athletic teams, wounded veterans, and numerous national and international tactical organizations.

Jeff now owns Performance First, a private business, specializing in optimizing human performance for the special forces branches of the military, fire, police, and federal agencies.

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:27 Jeff's Story
06:21 War Background
13:04 Dropout Rates
17:40 Adapting In This World
21:49 Surviving Post-War
27:45 Performance First
31:53 Passion To Serve
33:50 Working with Operators
38:39 Winning In Business
48:03  Online Programs/Offers
49:31 S&C Programs
57:26 Business Is Business
59:28 Programming
1:05:04 Mistakes Athletes Make
1:14:22 Phasing Programs
1:23:51 Mentorship
1:31:15 The Stigma
1:34:10 The Next War
1:44:50 Knowing When To Get Out
1:50:28 Healing Treatments
1:59:55 Seeking Safety
2:05:17 Jeff's Seminar
2:09:51 Health From The Top Down
2:16:55 Performance Identity
2:24:07 Social Media & Contact

Red Dot Fitness Training Programs: https://www.rdftrainonline.com

Online membership (Full Access To All Programs & Virtual Coaching):
https://www.reddotfitness.net/online-membership

Virtual Coaching:
https://www.reddotfitness.net/virtual-coaching

Self-Guided Programs:
https://www.reddotfitness.net/Self-Guided-Programs1

Connect With Us:
Website - https://ironsightspodcast.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ironsightspodcast/
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@ironsightspodcast

Follow Jeff Nichols:
Website: https://www.performancefirstus.com/
Instagram: @jeffcscs