{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Service Beyond War: Combat, Kidney Donation, and Endurance with Matt Cavanaugh","description":"In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Matt Cavanaugh, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, combat veteran, strategist, endurance athlete, and living kidney donor, for a conversation about what service really looks like when nobody\u2019s watching. Matt is the author of Best Scar Wins: How You Can Be More Than You Were Before, and his story goes far beyond combat. We start with his experiences in Iraq and the weight of leadership under pressure, then move into the harder-to-talk-about parts of life after war: grief, identity, responsibility, and the quiet choices that shape who we become. Matt shares why he decided to become a non-directed living kidney donor, donating to a stranger and helping spark a chain that saved eight lives, including a fellow service member. Not long after surgery, he took on an endurance challenge called 1K4D (One Kidney, Four Deserts) \u2014 nearly 1,000 kilometers of self-supported racing across Namibia, Georgia, Chile, and Antarctica, including moments where the heat hit 131\u00b0F and the margin for error disappeared. This episode isn\u2019t about highlight reels. It\u2019s about follow-through. It\u2019s about choosing discomfort for the sake of others, and what it takes to keep going when the \u201cwhy\u201d has to be bigger than you. If you\u2019re interested in combat leadership, post-traumatic growth, endurance mindset, or service beyond the battlefield, this conversation will stick with you.     \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f Guest Information \u2014 Matt Cavanaugh | Best Scar Wins Matt Cavanaugh, PhD, is a West Point graduate and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel\/Strategist who deployed to Iraq with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, earning two Bronze Stars and the Combat Action Badge. After the military, he became a living kidney donor who sparked an eight-life donor chain and has gone on to test his limits as an elite endurance athlete, including winning an ultramarathon across Antarctica. \ud83d\udd17 Find Matt Online: \ud83d\udc26 X (Twitter): https:\/\/x.com\/mlcavanaugh \ud83d\udcd8 Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mlcavanaugh1 \ud83d\udcd6 Book \u2014 Best Scar Wins: https:\/\/www.simonandschuster.com\/books\/Best-Scar-Wins\/ML-Cavanaugh\/9781637747742 \ud83c\udf10 Book Website: https:\/\/bestscarwins.com \ud83d\udd17 Personal Website: https:\/\/mlcavanaugh.com   \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f Host Information \u2014 AJ Pasciuti | Combat Story | Darkhorse AJ Pasciuti is a retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Infantry Weapons Officer (Marine Gunner), author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of the Combat Story Podcast, where veterans share honest, unfiltered stories of service, leadership, and life after combat.   \ud83d\udd17 Find AJ Online: \ud83d\udcd5 Book (Darkhorse): https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Darkhorse-Harnessing-Hidden-Potential-Life\/dp\/1400254973 \ud83d\udcf8 Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ajpasciuti\/  \ud83d\udcd8 LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/angelo-pasciuti\/ \ud83d\udd17 Website: https:\/\/www.ajpasciuti.com\/   \ud83c\udfa7 Featured Combat Story Episodes with AJ \ud83d\udc49 Combat Story Podcast \u2013 Part 1 (USMC Sniper & Force Recon) - Battle of Fallujah | Shooting w\/ Chris Kyle | American Sniper | AJ Pasciuti  https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=T4QI-5sNeCs  \ud83d\udc49 Combat Story Podcast \u2013 Part 2 (Sniper vs Sniper Battle) - Killing the Enemy\u2019s Most Lethal Sniper | Force Recon | AJ Pasciuti  https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p5Ggly1TGAU      Learn a new Language and get up to 55% off your subscription at www.Babbel.com\/COMBATSTORY   ","author_name":"Combat Story","author_url":"https:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/435765","html":"