Atomic Rambo - My Life Isn't Amazing All The Time

About Atomic Rambo - My Life Isn't Amazing All The Time

The place for inspirational stories from real people and lessons we can all learn from. Hosted by Dan Holder, a decorated former Royal Marines Commando, mountaineer, climber, endurance athlete, 2x IronMan, Positive Psychology Coach. In February 2026 Dan became the 7th person to complete the 293 mile Montane Arctic Spine Race. Dan will be joined on the Atomic Rambo Podcast by a broad range of guests from mountaineering legends, hardcore endurance athletes, elite military personnel, world class therapists and coaches as well as other more unique inspiring relatable people. You can expect honest, unfiltered conversations with fantastic people sharing their own experiences, their challenges, transformations, triumphs and losses. This will be a tool for Dan's clients who he works with at Atomic Rambo Coaching (ARC) to lead people to personal freedom through awareness, resilience, and commitment. Sharing these conversations publicly will allow listeners and insight into the ARC method.

Publisher

Dan Holder

Category

education · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

24 Apr 2026

Latest episode

1 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Nov 2026

   From Hunting IEDs in Sangin to Choosing Gratitude | Danny Bourne

   A former Royal Engineers commando and IED searcher on Afghanistan, mental health after the military, and building a veterans' clothing brand with a mission to prevent suicide. Danny Bourne served on Herrick 9 in Sangin, one of the most dangerous places British troops have deployed. He spent his tour on search patrols where the threat from IEDs was constant. In this episode of the Atomic Rambo Podcast, Dan sits down with Danny to talk about the reality of that tour, what it left behind, and how he turned it into In the Dead Ground: merch with a message, built to get people talking about their mental health. Danny grew up on the Wirral, never fitted at school, and found his direction through gym work before joining the Army four years after 9/11. He started in the RLC, transferred to the Royal Engineers, and earned his green beret on the All Arms Commando Course despite injury. He was put on search almost by accident. Within five days of landing in Afghanistan, he was on patrol in Sangin. He talks openly about what search in Helmand actually involved: a bomb maker breaching the cordon, a spider device, a plastic mine sitting under a Jackal, and an IED found on the track rather than in the compound. He explains arming lights, remote triggers and ECM. He also describes how his fear turned into switching on, and why the conventional soldiers of Herrick carried a huge risk that no one saw. He reflects on the tour with gratitude rather than anger. The conversation then moves to what came after. Danny talks about loneliness during COVID, going to therapy, health anxiety, and the pressure of a family health crisis. He explains why being a PTI and training recruits shaped him more than combat did, and what it taught him about leadership, accountability and reading people. That path took him into coaching and Mental Health First Aid training, and then to In the Dead Ground. Danny uses it as a metaphor for the threats in our own lives that we can't yet see. He explains how the brand uses clothing and message cards to open up mental health conversations with people who would never go near therapy language. He also covers why the brand is for robust people and not only veterans, and how the ring-fenced veterans' therapy fund works. He is also honest about running a small business: cash flow, VAT, product cycles, why so many veteran brands fail, and why he is cutting back the range in order to grow. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Herrick 9 vs being a PTI 01:00 COVID loneliness, therapy and health anxiety 05:05 Growing up on the Wirral 17:44 The All Arms Commando Course 21:33 How he ended up on search 24:29 On patrol in Sangin from day five 32:41 The bomb maker and the spider device 41:51 Pharmacy Road and the plastic mine near miss 52:48 Looking back with gratitude, not anger 57:38 PTI work, leadership and accountability 65:42 How In the Dead Ground began 76:37 The veterans' therapy fund 79:29 The reality of running a small business 91:10 Family pressure and emotional honesty 97:01 The biggest life change: stop moaning Keep in Touch: Follow Dan Keep in Touch: Follow Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dutyhappybloke/ (https://www.instagram.com/dutyhappybloke/) Follow the pod on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atomicrambopodcast/ (https://www.instagram.com/atomicrambopodcast/) ARC website: https://www.atomicrambo.com (https://www.atomicrambo.com) Take the free ARC assessment: https://arcassesment.lovable.app/ (https://arcassesment.lovable.app/) Follow Danny on Instagram: http://www.instagram (http://www.instagram).com/inthedeadground/In the Dead Ground: https://www.inthedeadground.co.uk (https://www.inthedeadground.co.uk)

2. 

   27 Sept 2026

   “Cocaine Made My Brain Go Quiet" - The Truth About ADHD & Addiction | Sam Beresford

   ADHD, cocaine, and alcohol addiction - how a late ADHD diagnosis became the turning point for ADHD coach Sam Beresford's recovery, relationships, and sobriety. Real, unfiltered mental health conversation on the Atomic Rambo Podcast. Sam Beresford is an ADHD coach from Derby who has lived through cocaine use, alcohol misuse, and full sobriety - and now uses that lived experience to help other neurodivergent people build awareness and rebuild their lives. In this episode, Dan sits down with Sam for a raw conversation about what happens when ADHD goes undiagnosed for years, and how understanding it changed everything. We go deep into Sam's school years - being labelled the "naughty kid," excluded in primary school, and placed in a behaviour clinic that never actually fit who he was. From there, Sam explains how cocaine affected him differently to most people: instead of hyping him up, it quietened a busy ADHD brain, functioning as a form of self-medication long before he understood what was actually going on. Alcohol became the second half of that coping pattern, and the two fed off each other until addiction took hold. This episode doesn't stop at substance use. Sam opens up about rejection sensitivity dysphoria, emotional regulation, and how ADHD shaped his relationships - missed red flags, delayed communication, and intense reactions that pushed people away. Dan and Sam talk honestly about rock bottom, the relationship collapse that forced change, and the friends who pulled him back from a dangerous spiral. From there, it's about rebuilding: therapy that uncovered the real issues beneath the addiction, fitness and structure that gave him new dopamine sources, and a physical transformation that took him from 95kg down to around 72kg. Sam explains why sobriety often feels like grief and identity change, why hyperfocus can become a genuine strength when it's channelled right, and how his own diagnosis became the foundation of his coaching work today. If you or someone you know is dealing with ADHD, addiction, self-medication, or late diagnosis, this conversation offers clarity without judgement - and proof that awareness really can be the starting point for lasting change. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro 02:14 Sam's background & late diagnosis 06:43 Cocaine as "silence" 08:39 School struggles 22:21 Alcohol & coping 26:17 Relationships & RSD 30:07 Rock bottom 36:46 Therapy 44:28 New dopamine sources 62:43 95kg to 72kg 69:18 Where to find Sam Keep in Touch: Follow Dan Keep in Touch: Follow Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dutyhappybloke/ (https://www.instagram.com/dutyhappybloke/) Follow the pod on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atomicrambopodcast/ (https://www.instagram.com/atomicrambopodcast/) ARC website: https://www.atomicrambo.com (https://www.atomicrambo.com) Take the free ARC assessment: https://arcassesment.lovable.app/ (https://arcassesment.lovable.app/) Follow Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samberesford_coaching/ (https://www.instagram.com/samberesford_coaching/)

3. 

   20 Sept 2026

   He Died Capturing Pegasus Bridge - His Grandson Became a Cop | Steve Jackson, Cop Coach

   His grandfather died capturing Pegasus Bridge the night before D-Day. Steve Jackson carried that legacy through the Army Cadet Force, Germany, two tours in the Falklands, and peacekeeping under Op Grapple in the former Yugoslavia - before a heart tumour and open-heart surgery forced him to face everything he'd buried. Steve Jackson is a former City of London Police detective, military veteran, and founder of Cop Coach. In this episode he traces his family's military lineage, his own path through operational deployments, the drinking culture baked into forces and policing life, and the health crisis that became a full mental reset. He talks candidly about PTSD, identity loss, burnout, and how writing and dark humour became tools for recovery - eventually leading to a stage show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Now, through Cop Coach, he works with people in blue-light services preparing for promotion, rebuilding purpose, and processing trauma most never talk about. This is a conversation about military service, Police service, mental resilience, tactical mindset under pressure, sobriety, burnout recovery, and personal transformation after trauma. Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction to Steve Jackson 00:54 – Granddad's role in Pegasus Bridge and D-Day minus one 03:50 – Killed in action and the impact on the family 06:14 – Cadets, belonging, and early discipline on the Isle of Wight 10:59 – Harrogate, Army training, and first posting in Germany 12:19 – Military initiation culture 15:11 – Two tours in the Falklands and logistics at Mount Pleasant 19:25 – Op Grapple in former Yugoslavia and peacekeeping under pressure 23:17 – Bishopsgate bombing and the decision to leave the Army 31:23 – Joining City of London Police and training at Ashford 38:33 – The push into promotion and detective leadership 48:55 – Drinking culture in the forces, police, and recovery 52:48 – Collapse, hospital admission, and discovering the heart tumour 56:51 – Open-heart surgery and the shock of recovery 61:31 – Letters home, emotional processing, and the mental aftermath 66:19 – Writing with a friend and turning trauma into a Fringe show 73:01 – Drinking after surgery, rebuilding health and routine 75:26 – Finding purpose after retirement and moving into coaching 76:51 – Building Police Now's frontline leadership programme 85:47 – Creating Cop Coach: promotion and assessment support 90:36 – How people can work with Steve and what Cop Coach offers 93:24 – Why his work is about the real issue, not just alcohol 97:41 – Identity, endurance, and returning to long-distance running 101:59 – Charity run for the CSNK Foundation 103:24 – Closing reflections: three tips for his younger self Keep in Touch: Follow Dan Keep in Touch: Follow Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dutyhappybloke/ (https://www.instagram.com/dutyhappybloke/) Follow the pod on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atomicrambopodcast/ (https://www.instagram.com/atomicrambopodcast/) ARC website: https://www.atomicrambo.com (https://www.atomicrambo.com) Take the free ARC assessment: https://arcassesment.lovable.app/ (https://arcassesment.lovable.app/) Follow Steve - www.copcoach.co.uk (http://www.copcoach.co.uk) Email Steve- Steve@copcoach.co.uk (mailto:Steve@copcoach.co.uk) Linked in - Steve Jackson or CopCoach

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

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