#214 Brady Russell | A Veteran's Story: From Self Punishment to Purpose

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Content note: this episode includes an open discussion of mental health struggles and suicide. Please take care while listening, and know that support is available if you need it.

Kristian sits down with Brady Russell, a 14 year veteran of the Royal Australian Navy, for a conversation that isn't about fast times, but about finding joy again after some of the hardest years of his life.

Brady shares how leaving the military left him without structure or purpose, and how he first turned to running as a form of self punishment, using pain to distract himself from what he was struggling with internally. He opens up honestly about reaching his lowest point and the mental health facility stay that changed everything, and how meeting his wife gave him a reason to let his guard down for the first time. The conversation traces how running slowly transformed from an unhealthy coping mechanism into a genuine source of joy, connection, and purpose, one he now shares directly with his wife on their runs together. He closes by sharing his why: running for the people in his life who were lost to suicide and never got the chance he did.

In this episode:

- Leaving the Navy after 14 years and losing his sense of purpose

- Turning to running as a form of self punishment

- Reaching his lowest point and a stay in a mental health facility

- How meeting his wife gave him a reason to open up

- Turning an unhealthy coping mechanism into a genuine passion

- Finding joy in running together with his wife

- Being open about his story on social media

- Running for the people in his life lost to suicide

- Looking ahead to the Melbourne Marathon with his wife

Timestamps

00:00 A content note before this episode

00:27 Welcome and introducing this episode with Brady Russell

02:10 Announcing the podcast's sponsorship with SaySky Copenhagen

03:16 An update: his wife's first half marathon

10:53 Introducing Brady: 14 years in the Royal Australian Navy

11:44 Turning to running as a form of self punishment

16:44 What leaving the military actually took away

17:15 Why he chose to become open about his struggles

18:21 Reaching his lowest point and a mental health facility stay

20:39 How meeting his wife changed everything

22:13 How running turned from self harm into healthy obsession

23:37 Finding joy in running together with his wife

27:08 Going through therapy and what recovery looked like

45:40 How his mental health journey changed his outlook

59:15 Running for the people in his life lost to suicide

1:00:01 Looking ahead to the Melbourne Marathon with his wife

1:02:15 Closing thoughts and a thank you to his wife

1:03:37 Kristian's own training week: Ironman prep begins

1:04:28 Signing up for a swim coach and bringing in an Olympian

1:04:54 A full breakdown of the week, day by day

1:08:04 Resting when the week calls for it

1:09:52 A final word on training in SaySky gear

1:11:08 Closing thoughts and thank you for listening

Brady on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brady.showingup/

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Full episodes + the Boston 2025 documentary: https://www.youtube.com/@Warwickruns

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