CHAPTERS
- 0:02 – 2:40
Buffalo Trace surprise: gifting Joe a custom single-barrel pick
Justin opens with a surprise thank-you: Buffalo Trace and Fight for the Forgotten are letting Joe select a single barrel that will become custom JRE-labeled bottles. They explain how single-barrel whiskey differs from blended batches and why barrels create unique flavor profiles.
- 2:40 – 8:40
Whiskey tasting chaos: Joe picks barrel #3 (mostly on vibes)
Joe samples multiple barrels, jokes about “whiskey nerd” rituals, and admits he can barely tell them apart. After re-tasting, he ultimately chooses sample/barrel number three—partly because “three is a magic number.”
- 8:40 – 10:46
Raffle announcement: Buffalo Trace VIP distillery trip to raise $100K+
Justin explains a public raffle on FightForTheForgotten.org offering a whiskey-lover’s “Disney World” experience at Buffalo Trace for the winner and guests. They discuss ticket tiers, the VIP tour, barrel tasting, and the fundraising goal—possibly scaling to far more if the audience participates.
- 10:46 – 11:34
Impact update: 73 wells, Uganda expansion, and land secured for displaced Pygmies
The conversation shifts to Fight for the Forgotten’s on-the-ground results: dozens of wells and clean water access for tens of thousands. Justin details moving focus toward Uganda’s Batwa/Pygmy communities, including land purchases and infrastructure projects driven by major donor moments.
- 11:34 – 14:53
Why they were forced out: politics, slums, and living on top of a cemetery
Justin describes the Ugandan authorities removing forest people from their ancestral lands under conservation claims, then confining them to about an acre near sewage runoff. He recounts the shocking reality of overcrowding, poor sanitation, and the community’s inability to bury their dead with dignity.
- 14:53 – 20:21
Congo wildlife and brutality: okapi poaching, rebels, and witnessing mob violence
Joe and Justin discuss unique Congo wildlife (duiker, okapi) before turning to the region’s dangers. Justin recounts rebels slaughtering endangered animals and describes traumatic experiences, including seeing a body dragged and witnessing a man beaten to death by a mob.
- 20:21 – 24:16
PTSD, grief, and the emotional toll of humanitarian work
Justin explains returning from the Congo with guilt and insomnia, including feeling undeserving of comfort. He recounts burying children, medical evacuations, and exposure to sexual violence cases—describing how these experiences contributed to PTSD and a crushing 2020.
- 24:16 – 44:22
Relapse and recovery: oxy addiction, rehab ‘fight camp,’ and Stone Gate’s hard approach
Justin details relapse dynamics—starting with injury and pain meds, escalating through divorce, and culminating in rehab and sober living. He describes Stone Gate’s strict, confrontational structure, the rationale behind harsh accountability, and how he reframed sobriety as training for the biggest fight of his life.
- 44:22 – 46:34
Root cause story: bullying at 13 and the ‘worthless’ script that fueled self-hate
Justin shares a formative trauma: being humiliated at a middle-school party in costume and told he was worthless and should kill himself. Joe probes how that memory remained a benchmark for self-worth despite Justin’s later achievements, and Justin connects it to relapse spirals and suicidal ideation.
- 46:34 – 54:24
Mexico spiral and near-fatal overdose: cartel scene, meth mix-up, and the sunrise ‘reset’
Justin recounts fleeing to Mexico during COVID in a suicidal, shame-driven state, falling into heavy drug use with a veteran, and mixing substances in a way that nearly stopped his heart. A moment in the ocean—gratitude for breath and heartbeat—becomes a turning point, yet he still uses again before finally returning for treatment.
- 54:24 – 1:47:19
Tools that helped: meditation, breathwork, tribe/community, and learning boundaries
Justin explains how daily meditation and breathwork became core practices for stability, and how finding supportive community (Fit for Service, friends in Austin) changed his trajectory. Joe challenges Justin’s tendency to overload himself; Justin agrees and describes building routines, saying no, and protecting his mornings from reactive phone use.
- 1:47:19 – 2:43:16
Physical collapse and recovery plan: parasites, malaria, inflammation, and regenerative medicine
They connect Justin’s relapse vulnerability to years of serious illness: schistosomiasis, cerebral malaria, dengue, blackwater fever, gut dysbiosis, and heavy antibiotic effects. The discussion moves into functional medicine tracking, inflammation reduction, CBD, stem-cell/amnio therapies, and the risk/reward of returning to Africa while rebuilding immunity.
