How Golf Is Healing Heroes - Jonathan Sessa, Founder of Warrior Golf Academy

The ModGolf Podcast 00:56

Yes, well, the pleasure is absolutely mine to have you on, Jonathan. I know you and I have been connected for a couple of years now, been following what you've been doing with the Warrior Golf Academy. But I do want to start because I know you've put this out there on social media, especially on LinkedIn, and been very transparent, very raw, very vulnerable with your story and your struggles. So if we can, before we dig into conversation,

coming to the other side with the joy and the impact you're making with the warrior golf Academy. If we can start with your story that does not begin on a golf course, but in a place of profound darkness after your military service.

Jonathan Sessa 01:30

Thank you.

The ModGolf Podcast 01:33

And you have written very powerful about what you called the haze of isolation, alcohol and silence following a DUI. So for our listeners, can you please set the scene for us here? What was the weight of that period like the physical pain from your injuries? And I know also the grief of losing your foster children and your marriage. So if we can start there, Jonathan, please.

Jonathan Sessa 01:54

So a lot of things when you're in a military family and you're moving around so much, you rapidly deploy and other things and you're involved in that culture, right? There's a lot that kind of just wraps you up. So I was involved with getting after a post-deployment, coming back home, just wasn't the same. We came down on a rapid deployment. So I married my wife, my first wife, very quickly. And we started were happy, got back from deployment, seemed like everything was a little bit different. She started saying that you were different and acted different and seemed different.

And we went to therapies, tried to work it out, come to find out that I wasn't able to have children as well. So we were looking to do foster to adopt. And we had some foster children while I was stationed in Washington. And we were up there at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. It was fantastic. Had a great time with these foster children. Learned so much about helping people because we had that stable home.

Living on the military base, I had access. I had food. I had that stable life that I could provide without... and i can't have children of my own. That was a big thing. I was, I was really, really looking for that in my life at that point. And unfortunately ah I took a re-enlisted and moved to New York. And at that point we had our foster children for just over two years and their original parents decided to step up and somehow someone in the family and took the children back right right before the process was complete.

The ModGolf Podcast 03:34

wow

Jonathan Sessa 03:35

So not only did I have post-deployment stress with the family coming back, people talk about it too. There's nothing to talk about while you're there, trying to talk about what you did during the day or how your day was. I mean, you're not spending physical time with each other. So everything, it's just the same. Or I can't tell you what I did because we can't talk about it. So you go, well, I just went out on mission. It was okay. And that's kind of about it. So there's not a whole lot that you can, you can really forego there when it comes when you're on deployment, but coming back home and trying to assimilate back into a family that's gotten used to you being gone for nine months.

Now you want to help, but whatever you're doing is irritating because you're not a help anymore, right? You're just getting in the way.

The ModGolf Podcast 04:21

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 04:23

So it's very difficult to do all of that. And golf has just always been a passion. So I went through that. I was, In New York after my first deployment, I had broke my neck in two places. I was in a vehicle rollover, stemmed to some other things, and I was taking opioids. I was prescribed medicine for just pain management. I went through everything from deep needling to acupuncture to ah physical rehabilitation to chiro to everything that they offered, and pain management is the last step that the military kind of offers for you.

And at that point, it was okay, well, we're just gonna give you this and be well. Well, giving me that when I'm going through everything personally at home, plus, I've had so many soldiers that have taken their own life. And those haunting images that you see and memories, not even to speak of that, it's on top of everything. And so I was in New York, Got there, was tough. I was waiting for a family that never came.

i was waiting for friends that never showed up. I was living in a big house in Watertown, just a ton of snow, nothing else happening. had a friend come back from deployment, and he unfortunately tried to take his own life. And when he shot himself, ah they were still, you know, didn't kill him, bounced around, came out. and he was still holding parts of it together. So seeing things like that and being around it and saying there has to be more.

The ModGolf Podcast 05:53

oh

Jonathan Sessa 05:58

After I got to the bottom of all of mine, I could see why somebody would want to. I was in that darkness and my family had given up on me. I had given up on myself. The military had given up on me. I mean, I was a stellar soldier with the top record and ah They were coming after me for DUI at the point from opioids that they were prescribing me Right.

The ModGolf Podcast 06:22

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 06:25

tough pill to swallow if you want to use that.

The ModGolf Podcast 06:27

yes

Jonathan Sessa 06:27

But it was tough because I was coming back from a military ball going through the checkpoint because I lived off post and going out that way, I got stopped. And they were saying, well, that was it. You know you have a drink with all those opioids in your system and it's way too much. And that That was done. i had a new commanding general wanted to, you know, make an example and try to do some other stuff. But we went through and looked at service connected injuries and disabilities. And that's one big thing is, is making sure that you maintain everything that that's happened. And throughout that whole course,

there needs to be a better way, right? So when I processed out of the military, I was in a dark place.

The ModGolf Podcast 07:08

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 07:13

I was ah looking at everybody else and blaming everybody else. And I was taking my opioids, started drinking heavily at that point. And one night I thought I would just, you know, call it quits. I took a ah nine millimetre and tried to pull the trigger on myself and it just clicked. So being a unit armorer that that doesn't just happen. You know, maybe there's something else that could go, but if the hammer falls and it hits, it should go.

The ModGolf Podcast 07:35

Right. Right.

Jonathan Sessa 07:42

But, God stepped in, and saved me and meant that there's gotta be for something more. So at that moment, I just looked at everything around me and said, there, there needs to be a reason, right? There needs to be something else that I can do to prevent this from happening to other people, Because it's crazy. It's crazy that I don't have the support that I need from those even closest to me.

The ModGolf Podcast 08:07

Yes.

Jonathan Sessa 08:07

Right. And thinking about it and talking with those that are even closest to you, you're like, well, what about your military buddies? Well, you don't want them to think there's anything wrong with you. Think if, me and you calling, in we were going to go and kick in this door and you were the first guy in and I was like, I got your back, but you know that like I got problems with the wife and the kids and I was thinking about just, you know, maybe, maybe ending it anyway.

Maybe you're like, well, this guy is not going to raise his weapon as fast as he needs to, right? And then you start to worry. And if you start to worry, the whole team is in trouble. And that's the thing with first responders and military is you don't have that moment. You don't have that luxury of talking to those closest to you about what's really going on, right?

The ModGolf Podcast 09:00

Right, right.

Jonathan Sessa 09:01

And unfortunately, that's where we're at. So if I could build a community around that, and that's kind of what i I found my mission to be, is that I need to be the one to reach out and say, it's okay, even if even if someone calls me, and just to talk about what they're going through, to never hear from them again is completely fine. Because maybe that's what you need to just make it all right. And that's what we're doing.

The ModGolf Podcast 09:27

Yeah. Yeah. Wow. wow Well, I need to take a bit of a breath here because that that was that was a lot.

Jonathan Sessa 09:31

yeah

The ModGolf Podcast 09:35

And thank you for being vulnerable and sharing that because that is lot. It is a lot. is a lot So you've called that moment an intervention as if God reached out or the universe refused to let you go. So how did you in the following hours and days shift from that plan of self-destruction to accepting that you were still here for a reason? I know you touched this a little bit already, but what was that first small step that you took That obviously it was a process to get to where you are with the Warrior Golf Academy.

But you know what how did you then step back, take a breath and then realize that perhaps this was a divine intervention and you're now here for a reason and a purpose and to serve that. So tell us about your initial thoughts and that first small step that you took.

Jonathan Sessa 10:23

So... I've always seen, i mean, most people, if you've been in the military or a first responder, you've seen things that a lot of people just can't explain. You just don't know how or why. And most people, you don't i mean, you don't have to be a believer, but I think things, they happen. And this was one of those things that happened, and it happened to me. And when that happened, it just changed my focus. I just couldn't believe that there must have been something else. So I searched for it. I took my time.

I processed out of the military. I did what I needed to do, went through the counselling there. I did the REM treatments with the eyes and the PTSD treatments and all this stuff. And none of it was very helpful. So I'm um'm experimenting with different ways to try to try to really help myself at the end of the day. So once I got through with the military, I got processed out. I saved up a little bit of money and I moved out to Costa Rica. So I lived in Costa Rica for three and a half years and I got a golf membership out there at Carriari Club.

The ModGolf Podcast 11:23

Okay.

Jonathan Sessa 11:32

Uh, and with that, I play golf every day. i holistically looked at myself better trying to wake up in the morning, read the Bible, start off on the right foot with some affirmations, play golf, hit the gym, eat a little bit cleaner, even, even just going anywhere there, the food is much cleaner because they're not cooking it and all the stuff that they do here.

The ModGolf Podcast 11:53

Yes.

Jonathan Sessa 11:53

So any mom and pop shop is like five bucks and you get, you know, great food that was just processed. It was amazing. And I ended up meeting my wife there as well, my current wife. So I started teaching English at a local language school. and that really really helped me to reconnect with what was important to me right so going out every day getting my mood right just playing golf and focusing on on that one skill because when i was young i was very very young my grandfather would take me out and he had a farm and he would just let me hit golf balls for hours until i couldn't swing anymore

The ModGolf Podcast 12:17

Yes.

Jonathan Sessa 12:34

I don't know if I was doing it right or wrong, but I just did a lot of it. And i stopped playing for a long, long time, ever since probably 10 years old, all the way through the military until I got out. And i just got hooked again. That was something that was like being outside, being grounded, getting the sunlight, the trees. I get distracted by animals. I mean, I have a very short attention span, but just being there. felt amazing. And especially being field artillery, I used to, you know, dig my own hole to sleep in every night.

You know, I don't want to sleep outside.

The ModGolf Podcast 13:07

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 13:08

I want to go camping. I don't want to do any of that, but something about being on a golf course, just how pristine it is. It's amazing. Smells great all the time. Even when it's busy, it's not busy. I love it. I fell in love with it. And I was like, this is what I need to do to help other people. So I found that after I met my wife, we go three years is long enough here. Let's move to South Florida, where I'm at now.

I joined the PGA, started going through those levels. And while I was teaching, military veterans and first responders how to play golf, I wrote military style manuals to help guide them at the same time. So what I envision Warrior Golf Academy becoming is more of a technical school for the entire golf industry, if you will, right?

The ModGolf Podcast 13:58

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 13:59

So that way you can come in as a transitioning military veteran or first responder and learn the very basics and fundamentals about how to play golf. You can learn how to caddy. You can learn how to be an agronomy greenskeeper and working on just the outside crew. Not the top spray technician or anything like that, but just working the bottom where the super or the assistant doesn't have to show you how to cut a hole, right?

The ModGolf Podcast 14:23

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 14:24

It wastes that much time. So if we can make these jobs available for those personnel, we can help them transport into a ah golf industry that not only do they want to be in, but provides them with a stable community that is supportive of what they have done as well. Right. So um we're trying to turn it into something a little bit more, but it all starts as a community.

The ModGolf Podcast 14:44

Right, right.

Jonathan Sessa 14:49

And if I can ultimately just help by getting people out of the house, right. That's really what it is because the number one killer and we're trying to prevent suicide at the end of the day is just isolation. Isolation leads to depression. And just by that now, like you were talking about COVID is there. It's so easy to order online, food, drinks, everything else. You can, I'm sitting here with the golf simulator behind me. I could be playing golf at home.

it's so difficult to promote these interactive things.

The ModGolf Podcast 15:17

Yes. Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Sessa 15:23

ventures with people outside that I think we need more of it and especially getting veterans and our first responders. And I feel bad for our first responders because at least on deployment, my streets look different. Every day we have first responders driving down a street where they could have PTSD from any road they go down. They could say, you know, this was a house where this terrible fire happened and I saw this or this like,

I don't want to get very graphic, but some of the stories that these people say are sites you would never, never even unheard of.

The ModGolf Podcast 15:57

Right. Wow. So, okay. So before we kind of dig into the launch and the formation and let's say that aha moment with the Warrior Golf Academy, just want to touch on this or kind of dig into your mind a bit here. this The parallels of discipline, as I got to call it here. So you came from the world of extreme discipline in the army. So how did the discipline required for golf, that focus, the repetition, the pursuit of incremental improvement, things that I'm still struggling with, differ from the discipline of military service? And how did that new peaceful form of discipline that you started to manifest in Costa Rica there help rewire your mind?

Jonathan Sessa 16:42

So it's definitely a rewiring process, right? I've read some things and it says to rewire the brain synopsis and things could take anywhere from six months to a year. So there's a lot of work that you need to really do on yourself to be able to get to that point. So while I was working on myself in Costa Rica, I really was trying to be patient.

The ModGolf Podcast 17:02

Mm-mm.

Jonathan Sessa 17:02

So I was very disciplined. I had a routine, which helped me. I made sure that I did the same things all the time. i was eating clean. I was cooking dinners. I was doing the things that I would do that I enjoyed. And I think that was ah big, big plus for me. Of course, I wasn't working because I was utilizing my GI Bill. ah So I was getting a stipend and some other things. So that helped and creating Warrior Golf Academy at the same time and going through and creating these manuals gave me something to focus on. It gave me a purpose.

right And I like to say a lot of things that people are looking for in this life is belonging and purpose, right? Those are the two things you really need. You need to have a purpose for yourself and you need to feel like you truly belong where you are.

The ModGolf Podcast 17:55

he

Jonathan Sessa 17:55

If you don't have those, then you don't have that will to want to live. You need to change something. And if you don't change it, you're going to be just feeling terrible. So that's why i picked up left and extreme when Costa Rica, I mean, the country was fantastic.

The ModGolf Podcast 18:04

Yes.

Jonathan Sessa 18:11

It, did everything i needed it to for my wellness when i looked at myself and said i needed a reset just like a computer needs a reset when your cash gets too full you're like i just can't take it anymore ah gotta get out of here and i was just blessed that i was there and able to find golf at the same time and golf golf was really what what did it i mean having the discipline

The ModGolf Podcast 18:23

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 18:38

to go out there and play ah around, count all of my strokes, no matter how bad it was. And, but it's, it's really just that focus for the few seconds it takes of extreme focus of high focus to hit the golf ball.

The ModGolf Podcast 18:44

Yes. Yes.

Jonathan Sessa 18:56

And then after that, you don't have to think about anything.

The ModGolf Podcast 18:58

yes

Jonathan Sessa 18:58

You can just let your brain go. i just like wander. And it's, it's, I don't know what it is, but it is very therapeutic that I can just let my brain wander about something else. And then I can't think about anything else besides my one swing thought or focusing on that one spot of the golf ball, right? When I'm going to hit it And then I hit it and then i can think about something else. And it just helps me get out of my own way, if you will, right?

The ModGolf Podcast 19:25

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 19:27

You don't get stuck in those, ah they call them ah thought traps in the military is what they call them.

The ModGolf Podcast 19:31

okay

Jonathan Sessa 19:32

So I'm sure it happens everywhere else, but you don't want to get yourself in that thought trap like, it was my fault or I shouldn't have done this, or I could have done that, or it's all those other things. and you don't want any of that. I mean, there's not much you can do about the past and you can only move forward. And i think that's huge in golf is don't think about the last shot. You got to think about the next shot and only focus on that one. And it's been helping me I guess, uh, structure my life, the same type of a way looking at the next step instead of if I have a failed step through warrior golf Academy and it didn't work out well back to the drawing board, you know, I'm going to find a way to make this work.

The ModGolf Podcast 20:02

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 20:12

I'm not going to just accept defeat. Right.

The ModGolf Podcast 20:14

Right. Right. Wow. Okay, so from your personal rebirth, I'm going to call it in Costa Rica, it sounds like the kind of the idea of the Warrior Golf Academy was born. So was there a single aha moment when you knew you had to build this for others? Or was it more of a slower dawning realization that your purpose was to lead others out of their own darkness?

Jonathan Sessa 20:39

I was looking, there weren't many programs available when I was ETSing or getting out of the military. i was, they always offer, there's this, there's this, there's this, but golf was not one of the industries that somebody said you could get into. And with my previous history of loving golf when I was very little, that could have been something maybe I would have been interested in I don't know, but, At the end of the day, what I came to find out is there is PGA HOPE.

So I became a PGA HOPE certified instructor.

The ModGolf Podcast 21:07

Yes.

Jonathan Sessa 21:10

And there's some other programs that are out there. But these other programs that are out there are limited, right? And what they are limited at, even going, I went through a university program, I'll say it, but you go through there and you don't get any certifications to do anything. Like you can't go get a job at a clubhouse. even though I went to college for it.

The ModGolf Podcast 21:29

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 21:31

So what's the point of going to college for it? So I was thinking once I moved here, I started working at some of these different locations, picked up different jobs and got into the PGA, learning how to coach. And I just saw I couldn't affect the people that I wanted to affect in the ways that I wanted to, because people were saying either PNLs, it's too much work. Why do that? And you know if it's not broken, don't change it. right

The ModGolf Podcast 21:57

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 21:57

A lot of the PGA stuff that I found out too is dependent on your section. Found out that no matter what national might want, you know, it's up to the your PGA section. So go find people that want to work with you. It's so difficult. And I go, it shouldn't be that difficult. So I'll just create my own nonprofit to make it easy. So that's what I did was form the paperwork, created my own nonprofit and said, I'm going to just start introducing myself to every single nonprofit.

golf professional. I joined obviously the PGA. I joined, uh, the GC SAA. I joined the, i golf club manager association of America as well. I joined all these others and I've just started adding as many people and as many friends as I could. I started talking as many people. I just, just, out there, right? As much as I could to let people know that this is our mission. I'm not here to overstep or pound on anybody, but what we are doing is significantly different than anybody else into the space.

The ModGolf Podcast 22:57

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 22:58

Not only are we providing a holistic and a therapeutic way for people to enjoy the game of golf, but we're also providing a community that brings everybody together. My biggest question is you have the PGA, the GCSAA, and the CMA, and you have all these others, but nobody talks to each other. Why? i just put them all in one spot. and Now, all of a sudden, if someone's looking for a job, they know where to go. Well, I don't understand why it has to be so split up, so difficult between everybody in the industry when it should just be all centralized in one location, but that's okay because we can do that.

The ModGolf Podcast 23:33

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 23:33

so So I can come in, fill that gap, and then I can also provide the trainings through the manuals. And then we use social media to extend on those trainings. So that way we can offer you video proof. And then with technology these days, we can utilize simulators and ai swing pass and all this to help you not only become a better player, if that's what you're looking for, but with the connections we have, we can help you become a tour caddy or caddy at a resort, if that's what you want it to be.

Or we could help you work at a clubhouse or I can help you through level one. Level one PGA has an 80% failure rate. And they're not teaching it in colleges. They're not teaching it anywhere else. But I wrote a manual on that. I can help you get through PGA level one, no problem, and then get you a job somewhere that will help you get through the rest of the way. And that's exactly what I think. a technical school should be doing so if i could provide that type of work and that type of community and offer military discounts and offer professionals that want to work with military pros to help them out a little bit even beyond pga hope if there's anybody that's looking to service into this type of a way this is the community that we're building and it's just going to take people to do it.

And that's it.

The ModGolf Podcast 24:51

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 24:52

So the more people we get to join, i have the online community up and running already. It's through circle. And I have all of my programs listed on there. There's a job board on there. And I think there's like 75 members already in there. But I mean, if that goes up to a thousand, then all of a sudden you have a thousand members in there that are all talking. And, you know, I got people that are members at Sawgrass, all the way to people that are members at TPC down in ah Las Vegas.

So then now you could be setting up games and you could be playing at places you never thought you would be playing. You'd be interacting with people you never thought you would. It's just a way to create a little bit of camaraderie amongst people within the sport that are all like-minded, right? Because I found... Not only is it military and first responders that miss that, that tight knit group. That's what I found by going to a lot of these private clubs is professional players miss that too.

A lot of these guys that play football or NBA and stuff, when they get out, you miss that locker room camaraderie, right?

The ModGolf Podcast 25:51

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 25:51

You miss that that having all these same guys. and So what do you do? You join one of these private clubs, you play in your game every week with your same guys, maybe even play three times a week with them. And that's your group. So now if we can incorporate a couple of military veterans or first responders from the community in there, I think everybody would be more than supportive of that.

The ModGolf Podcast 26:16

Yes. Yes. it We usually wait till the end of the show to to say this is how they can connect with you. But I do want to mention to you, all of our listeners here that you can find out more at the warrior golf Academy website at very simple warrior golf academy.com as I always do in the show notes. I'll include a link to that to make it nice and easy to connect with both Jonathan and the warrior golf Academy.

So i love the storytelling piece of you know success with the program. So if you could share with us, Jonathan, maybe one or two stories of a participant in the Academy whose transformation has particularly moved you or reaffirmed your why and the reason that you do this work in the first place.

Jonathan Sessa 27:05

so I did have I have one gentleman, a chaplain who reached out to me and I wish that I could have helped him even more. Right. But he did reach out to me saying that he wants to be a a member of warrior golf Academy. I sent him some materials, but he has a W double amputee missing both of his legs. And he has 11 was an army ranger. Chaplain has 11 combat deployment jumps, which is crazy. And as a chaplain, you don't carry a weapon. So,

The ModGolf Podcast 27:35

Right, wow.

Jonathan Sessa 27:36

I can only imagine the things that he's been through and what he's seen. And after all of this, and he's telling me these stories and he's telling me about the extreme things he's done and done and how he was in this dark space and they were taking him back into surgery again to remove another three inches of his leg because it wasn't healing right. So, I mean, it's just multiple, multiple surgeries on even the legs that weren't even are still gone so it's it's a very difficult time for him and to be able to let him know that there was a charity golf tournament that he went to to support the ranger battalion nearby to him and he said as soon as he went everybody there he saw old friends people that supported him everybody was so nice they were cheering for him and and

The ModGolf Podcast 28:04

Right, right.

Jonathan Sessa 28:27

that camaraderie piece, that welcome home, that brotherhood piece that you can feel, that is something that just like, it makes my hair stand up and brings a tear to my eye that somebody that was feeling that way can get that joy by being back into it and then reaches out to me and says, how can I be more involved? How can I really start helping the community and let people know that what we're doing is helping because he was in the same spot. And even though you don't even play golf, just being there and helping and watching and being that morale piece for the others was huge.

The ModGolf Podcast 29:07

Yes.

Jonathan Sessa 29:07

And that was right before the Army's 250th birthday. So it was a pretty significant thing. We were able to help out with that piece. And i would say one other moving moment was helping out a gentleman when you might see it as well. There was a ah video that I saw online from a long time ago, and I think it emulates a lot of success stories that happen when you get those Verticats, right? and you get those mobility units where somebody can actually stand up for the first time.

The ModGolf Podcast 29:36

yes

Jonathan Sessa 29:40

And I've seen it live in person as well. When someone gets a chance to stand up and actually hug their loved one, right? You go, it might be, Could have been 10, 15 years that this person hasn't been able to stand up on their own. And now you put them in a mobility machine that allows them to not only move, but stand up and play golf. But they don't use it for golf. The first thing they do is use it to love their hugged one. Like if that doesn't get to you, then I don't know what does, but technology moving forward.

I think is going to be a huge key piece. And that's why we decided to go with the indoor location because I can make it so accessible and easy for anybody to come here. And I can teach you how to play golf here and transition to a green grass location where the real therapeutic benefits take place. Right.

The ModGolf Podcast 30:28

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 30:29

So that's where, where I really think over the next couple of years, we're going to have huge successes in this. Um, cause at the point now, like, uh, drive box is amazing. I wish I had one of those that I could just pull up to VA clinics and roll people out there with their IVs and everything. but at the moment I can only go out there with my putting mats. So we're trying, we're getting close.

The ModGolf Podcast 30:52

Right. Well, you had mentioned and I saw on your website, it's exciting and fun that you managed to, let me do that again, that you are now able to create that sense of community through a location. I'm going to do that one more time. Hold on.

Jonathan Sessa 31:15

Sure.

The ModGolf Podcast 31:16

All right, here we go. Well, I have noticed on your website, Jonathan, that you do hold indoor events, community gathering golf events in a simulator in a place in your town. So tell us about that. So that seems like something that you've only been doing for the last little while here as you start to expand what you offer. So so tell us about that experience and what you're doing. i don't know if that's weekly or monthly or what you're doing. So yeah, tell us a bit about that.

Jonathan Sessa 31:45

Of course. We got lucky enough to partner with an indoor golf location that was opening here in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

The ModGolf Podcast 31:54

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 31:54

So we are here at 115 Northwest 6th Street in Fort Lauderdale. Feel free, look us up, come by anytime. But we have three simulator bays here and some of the proceeds go towards our nonprofit, which is huge. So with that, I'm able to run any type of events, clinics, trainings, lessons. All of that is ran through Warrior Golf Academy, whereas the location is just the location.

The ModGolf Podcast 32:23

right

Jonathan Sessa 32:23

So any outreach is philanthropic, which is amazing. So not only for the business partners here, but also for us, as I get to incorporate with the community much, much more. So I'm looking to go out and create, we're running leagues for children. We're running leagues for adults. We're running um monthly tournaments, and we're also running Red Fridays. I do military Mondays and Tuesdays where I offer free lessons for the military community. You just have to get a hold of me. And so everybody else in the area knows, since we're newish here, I do offer $25 initial lessons, and I call it Just Pay for the Bay.

The ModGolf Podcast 33:04

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 33:06

And I will provide my coaching for a half hour for free for everybody in the area to come experience what we have going on, get into the game of golf and just learn a little bit about warrior golf Academy, right? Tell people that this is, doesn't have to be hard to come and play. Most people don't understand that, you know, it's a tough game, but if you just choke up on a driver and you just hit it a little ways, like you're good enough to be in any scramble I've seen, you know, right?

The ModGolf Podcast 33:32

Yes.

Jonathan Sessa 33:34

So ah you only need to do one thing good. You can putt good, you can hit the ball good, or you can chip good. If you do one of those, hey, someone's going to take you on the team and you're going to have a great time. And that's what it's about. It's about the community. Once you get involved in it and you show up and you see, even if you just volunteer, whatever it takes, if you're looking for something to do, reach out and we can help you because this might be it.

The ModGolf Podcast 33:48

Hmm.

Jonathan Sessa 34:00

You might you might find your niche in life.

The ModGolf Podcast 34:05

Wow. Wow. You're doing amazing work. Amazing work. Very proud of what you're doing here, Jonathan. So want to ask you this. So the work that you do with the Warrior Golf Academy, it seems to me it doesn't just heal the individual veteran or first responder. it has this ripple effect on their families and the communities, just like it's had with you personally, with what you had to go through in your life to get to where you are. So what have you seen in terms of that broader impact when a veteran finds this new sense of purpose and connection through golf?

Jonathan Sessa 34:39

I've found that a lot of the times veterans find that once they go through the program, they become a little bit less irritable, if you will.

The ModGolf Podcast 34:48

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 34:48

and And I find that end up spending more time with their significant others or their families and end up doing more with them going out, spending more time outside, going to more events, and even trying to get them in. I've had people asking me if we do family lessons, if they could bring the wife in and places like that to try it out. And I think that would be an amazing idea as well. Trying to get golf as a post-deployment activity through the MWRs on the military posts. There's already plenty of golf courses there. There's plenty of equipment. There's already the supplies.

But being able to work together as a family in a therapeutic, stress-free environment like a scramble or something fun day like that would be would be awesome. But there's a lot of different things I think you have to look at from just a different light, right? If you're not looking at it from the view of somebody else, then you could miss it. And I think that's why people have arguments and other things is because you just don't see eye to eye, right?

But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

The ModGolf Podcast 35:56

Yes.

Jonathan Sessa 35:57

It's just different perspectives. So we miss things all over the world because we see what we want to see. But at the same time, if I can help someone with a little bit of joy, I might not see that ripple effect on the back end, but I know that it's doing them good. I know when they're stepping out onto the tee box their first ball doesn't go into the water, they're doing They're starting out much better. You're having a good day already.

The ModGolf Podcast 36:20

Right. Absolutely.

Jonathan Sessa 36:22

So and we went out with a couple of gentlemen who played their first nine holes that they ever played before. We got to experience that with them on the golf course. I get to go and play scrambles with a couple other veterans once in a while at some of the private courses that they would never get a chance to experience around here. And bring them in to see it. And, you know, we play scramble so you don't feel bad if you can't hit the ball as far as everybody else. And by having a good time with everybody there, you're not singling anybody out for being better or worse or this or that.

It's just about being a part of the team, right?

The ModGolf Podcast 36:56

Right, right. All right. So you are the founder of a nonprofit startup in the golf space here with incredible social impact. So I want to talk about that, the future and the vision for growth of what you see. So looking forward, what is the vision for the Warrior Golf Academy and how do you scale hope and what are the biggest challenges and opportunities you see ahead?

Jonathan Sessa 37:23

A lot in that question there, but my vision for Warrior Golf Academy is to reach at least one person and save their life, right?

The ModGolf Podcast 37:25

Yeah, yeah, I know.

Jonathan Sessa 37:35

And that's the bare minimum. If I could do that, then everything that I've done is worth it. Over the next coming years, I've started from literally nothing, and now I'm in an indoor location and I'm running events, and I'm actually making change in the community. I never thought that I would be where I am. Some of these events, I was next to some of these top-name people like looking at them. I don't know what to do, man. So it's incredible. But given that opportunity, I want to make sure that I'm affecting as many people as I can and in a personal way.

I don't want to lose out on that just because we scale or get larger or because you get bigger. So as I had said earlier, i would like us to become that that close technical college where people could come. It doesn't need to be for a long time. they could Two week classes is plenty of time to come and learn just the basics about the different job opportunities within the golf industry and where they could go get certified for that and then help them with job employment.

So not only are we helping the golf industry, we're providing therapeutic means and skills for our veterans and first responders to help cope with whatever they're dealing with in a healthy way.

The ModGolf Podcast 38:42

Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Sessa 38:55

And we're also providing them with skills to obtain a job into the workforce. And i think with the golf industry, industry it being one of those turning rotating doors of employment especially having people that don't stay there a long time or the agronomy teams that don't take advantage of even playing the golf course or the right that's half of the benefit of working there but so i would i would like to see more of our civil servants working at the golf course to be a part of these clubs that they would never be able to be a part of because they chose service over being a doctor or a lawyer or something else. I mean, I don't have the opportunity to make $2 million dollars a year because I went and became a field artillery man.

And that's because for some reason i yearned for that over yearning for fixing people's insides.

The ModGolf Podcast 39:45

yes Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Sessa 39:55

And just because of that, now I put my life on the line and you're saying there's a piece of grass I can't step on. So just for that little reason, I think the P&Ls, and running events like member veteran guests would be huge. I think there's many different ways that we could incorporate those in the community. And by hiring these personnel with these specialties, you you're also hiring people that are one, know how to follow directions to are running towards the problem instead of away from it if something ever happens.

The ModGolf Podcast 40:35

Right.

Jonathan Sessa 40:35

And I think that's huge in a lot of these communities of golf where Heat stroke is prevalent. There's problems coming up all the time. And you want someone who's going to be able to solve that and not necessarily someone who's just going to look the other way.

The ModGolf Podcast 40:51

Right, right. Well, you mentioned that was not your life's mission to fix people from the inside. But I think whether you acknowledge this or not, ironically, through the Warrior Golf Academy, you are helping fix people from the inside with the work that you do.

Jonathan Sessa 41:08

It is.

The ModGolf Podcast 41:08

So to finish up here. So you have used the tagline of 22 a day is 22 too many. So for listeners that are struggling out there, a person listening right now or might be in their own cold, empty house, as you would refer to it as feeling that no one is coming to help them or support them. What is one thing that you would want them to hear from someone yourself who has been there?

Jonathan Sessa 41:39

I want people to know that it's not a terminal illness, right?

The ModGolf Podcast 41:43

Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Sessa 41:44

This is not cancer that you have. You are sick. There is something wrong, but it's treatable. And we have the cure. And it's just being nice to people, right? Reach out to somebody. I encourage everybody to reach out to someone. If you're feeling like you're down or you're feeling bad, you can reach out to me. Check me out on the website. Hit me on my socials. I will definitely reach back out to you. My phone number is out there everywhere for everybody to use. I don't hide it.

So get a hold of me and I'll even talk you through it. But 988, I always put that out there, is a huge, huge resource. If you ever feel like you're going to hurt yourself or do anything, please right away call 988- I am not a healthcare professional. I'm not somebody that is able to get that deep with somebody, but I have been there. And I know that I have spoken with those professionals and they have helped me.

So do know that you're not in this alone. Other people have been there and it's scary. It's scary, but you're meant to feel that way. The darkness is meant to try to take you over and win and don't let it.

The ModGolf Podcast 43:00

Wow. Wow. Okay. To finish up here for all of our listeners, the golfers, the course operators, the recreational players and industry folks who are inspired by your story here today and want to support this mission of the Warrior Golf Academy, what is the best way for them to get involved or contribute?

Jonathan Sessa 43:22

just come to the website and see what we have to offer. We got a lot going on there and helping out in tons of ways. I would love to attend any type of tournaments. I would love to set up any type of outreach events that people are interested in. We're always looking for sponsorships as well, so we can attend even more. And we're not looking to turn anybody really into a professional golfer. We're more looking to turn... all the military and all the first responders that don't play golf into golfers.

So we're really that first step between getting people to playing long-term golf. So with that being said, use us as a resource, please.

The ModGolf Podcast 44:00

Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Sessa 44:00

I know a lot of people look at PGA hope and you're raising a lot of good money there.

The ModGolf Podcast 44:00

Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Sessa 44:04

I recommend sending people to PGA hope first to learn the basics. And then we're like a quote unquote after hope. right? You send them to us and we will make sure that there's a community to take care of them. We'll make sure that they get a introduced to the clubhouse and the club manager and the the pro so they don't feel that they're not welcomed at the location and they don't have that anxiety and stress upon ah approaching.

And we can make sure that they get hooked up into the leagues that are there inside of the sections already. So we're not adversaries at all to the PGA, but somebody that's helping connect the barriers and connect the dots over the line. So please reach out and utilize us for any type of resourcing that we can help you with.

The ModGolf Podcast 44:54

Absolutely. And as I mentioned earlier in the show, in the show notes, I will include the contact information for the Warrior Golf Academy and also for Jonathan in his bio page. So you can reach out directly to him. And also you and I now are going to jump over for a video call for the ModGolf YouTube channel, where we're going to pull up the website.

Jonathan Sessa 45:09

All right.

The ModGolf Podcast 45:16

look through a few things there. So a different conversation that we're going to have to build on what we have spoken about here today on the ModGolf podcast. So I do encourage you, the listener, to join Jonathan and I over on the ModGolf YouTube channel. I will also include that link in the show notes for that. So with that, Jonathan, your story is a devastatingly powerful testament to the fact that our deepest wounds can become the source of our greatest purpose. and what I can gather, you've looked into the abyss and instead of letting it consume you, you have turned and are now building a lighthouse for that metaphor for others.

So thank you for your service, both in uniform and the incredible mission that you lead with the Warrior Golf Academy. The work that you're doing, it literally does save lives.

Jonathan Sessa 46:09

I want to say thank you, Colin, for having me and allowing me to kind of share my story with you. And thank you to all the listeners for staying this long and listening ah to my whole journey. This is something that I never thought would happen to me and it can happen. to quite literally anybody. So your darkest feeling day is equatable to my darkest feeling day. So don't look at my story as being any different than anybody else's story.

Just people, these are the feelings. Take an extra moment and maybe that smile that you glance somebody's way will will shine their day up.

The ModGolf Podcast 46:49

That was Jonathan Sessa, founder and CEO of the Warrior Golf Academy. You can learn more and support their mission at warriorgolfacademy.com.

Jonathan Sessa 47:02

Awesome. Sure.