Rising Above: From Runaway Kid to Green Beret, Cop, and Creator
This week’s Team Never Quit episode brings you a raw, unfiltered, and deeply inspiring conversation with Sean Rogers - a man who has lived several lifetimes’ worth of adversity, discipline, transformation, and impact.
From a desert town to the global stage, Rogers’ story is one of resilience forged under pressure. Born in California and raised in Phelan, his early years were marked by chaos and instability. After running away from home as a teenager, he refused to let hardship dictate his future. He finished high school on his own terms and made the bold choice to enlist in the military, setting into motion a journey that would change everything.
While on active duty, Sean began his formal education and pushed himself academically with the same intensity he brought to training. He earned a master’s degree in organizational leadership—all while pursuing the grueling path to become a U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret. Two deployments later, he transitioned to a new mission: serving his community as a police officer. What he witnessed on the streets during the riots following the death of George Floyd would reshape his understanding of leadership, culture, communication, and human behavior.
But Sean’s story didn’t stop there.
Driven to help the next generation of warriors, he founded The FNG Academy, an online platform designed to prepare aspiring Special Forces candidates for the mental, physical, and emotional challenges of selection. What started as a simple resource has grown into a thriving YouTube community, a robust online store, and a dedicated team committed to equipping others to step into their potential with confidence.
He later chronicled his incredible life journey in his autobiography, Rising Above, a book that captures the honesty, grit, and self-discovery that have shaped his path.
Sean Rogers embodies what it means to overcome circumstances, own your story, and turn pain into purpose. Whether you’re chasing personal growth, preparing for a demanding path, or simply looking for motivation to push through your own challenges, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

In this episode you will hear:
• Recently, I finally figured out that God is what I needed to be chasing. (5:27)
• I got a Master’s Degree. I ran marathons. I ran ultra marathons. Trying to fill that void. I got Special Forces; I went police officer. Everything I thought would help – none of it helped. (6:49)
• They develop this fear in you that if you get found out by CPS, you’re gonna get separated from your siblings. So, you start learning how to hide what’s going on at home. (11:06)
• I used to run away constantly – to all my family member’s houses, and the cops would go get me and bring me back. (18:03)
• [I wanted to die] I had one of two directions to go: either get worse, and then she’s gonna look back one day and say she made the right decision, or I can get better and I can look back one day and say that was the best thing that ever happened to me. (38:59)
• I had to make a decision. I don’t want this to define me that someone got to choose my fate. (39:53)
• If I can’t get my act together enough to follow through on a plan, maybe the Army will be the place where they will let me be kinda wild and refine me a little bit. (44:56)
• At 67:12 to 70:30, Sean speaks about an awful mistake he made in a gunfight.
• Writing books. Of all the things I’ve done, I’ve hated that the worst. (78:00)
• I trust people that talk about God now. A lot of SF guys idolize. We say “Look at me.” (78:06)
• What stoked my fire with God was the show “Chosen.” (80:29)
• I’m claiming to be Christian, and I don’t even know how cool Jesus is. (80:57)
• At some point you have to say. “I’m buckling down, this is where God wants me. I’m here – thick or thin, and we’re gonna get through this.” (104:52)
• [Marcus] from 0-40 it’s an opinion; 40-60 it’s perspective; and 60+ is wisdom.
• Self-help books are broken people talking to broken people to give you some temporary encouragement. Treat them as what they are. (109:16)

Support Sean:
- IG: seanbuckrogers
- Website - https://www.thefngacademy.com/
- Link to his book "Rising Above" --> https://amzn.to/48FTGpF
- Link to his book "Better Broken" --> https://amzn.to/48OHkff

Support TNQ
- IG: team_neverquit , marcusluttrell , melanieluttrell , huntero13
- https://www.patreon.com/teamneverquit

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Sean Rogers: The Green Beret Who Escaped Chaos, Earned His Place in Special Forces, & Now Serves His Community