Special Operations, Jiu-Jitsu, and Humanitarian Relief (Mark Turner)

The Dream Vocation Podcast with Tony Bellagamba

In this episode we talk to Mark Turner. As I was thinking about how to describe Mark and his career for this intro, only one word kept coming to mind: BADASS! If you took only Mark’s first career, which was as a special operations soldier in the Marines, he already qualifies for that title. But after a storied career in the Marines, Mark wasn’t content to just do the 9 to 5. He continued to pursue purpose and passion by first competing in jiu-jitsu and then opening what has become a world-renowned jiu-jitsu academy. On top of all that, Mark later started the Overwatch Foundation, an organization of United States military veterans providing critical natural disaster relief and urgent humanitarian response to those in need. This guy has been to Israel, Ukraine, Hurricane affected areas. If it’s bad news Mark is there with his team.

How did Mark accomplish all of this? He just started, he took action. He built a thriving jiu-jitsu academy by teaching just a handful of guys at a local gym. He built a global non-profit by hearing about a hurricane, calling up some buddies, and driving south to go help. He had a friend who wanted to go help his family in Ukraine and within 24 hours Mark was there with him, in the war zone. In short, Mark has accomplished what most don’t accomplish in a lifetime by putting one foot in front of the other and taking action.

This is an amazing story and a great inspiration for those who need a bit of a spark to just get started.