#326 Kegan Gill - F-18 Pilot Survives Two Hours in the Atlantic With a Broken Neck

**Shawn Ryan** (0:03)
If you have a dog that gets picky about food, you know how frustrating that can be. You put the bowl down, they sniff it, walk away, and now you're trying to figure out if they're bored, if they don't like it, or if they're just holding out for something better. Sunday's just launched a brand new fish recipe designed for dogs with sensitivities, picky eating habits, or parents looking to add more variety to the bowl. It's made with 80% whole and minced fish, including eco-friendly invasive carp sourced from American rivers. And it's packed with omega-3 fatty acids to help support healthy skin, shiny coats, joints, and brain function. Like every Sunday's recipe, it's human-grade, vet-developed, and gently air-dried instead of heavily processed. No synthetic additives, no meat meals, no artificial flavors, and no fillers. Stanley's been loving it, too. What do you think, Stanley?
You like Sundays? For dog owners, it's simple, too. No fridge, no thawing, no prep. Just scoop and serve. Make the switch to Sundays. Go right now to sundaysfordogs.com/srs50 and get 50% off your first order. Or you can use code SRS 50 at checkout. That's 50% off your first order at sundaysfordogs.com/srs50.
sundaysfordogs.com/srs50 or use code SRS 50 at checkout.
Kegan, welcome to the show, man.

**Kegan Gill** (1:43)
Thanks for having me on, Shawn. It's an honor.

**Shawn Ryan** (1:45)
Likewise, likewise. Dude, holy shit.

**Kegan Gill** (1:52)
Dude, we got so much good stuff to talk about. Wow.

**Shawn Ryan** (1:57)
Wow. Like, wow.
But let me start you off with an introduction. All right.
Kegan Smurf Gill, you served as a US. Navy F-18E Super Hornet pilot, flying high-performance combat aircraft in one of the most demanding professions in the military. In 2014, during a dogfighting training exercise, you survived the fastest ejection in naval aviation history, ejecting from your aircraft at nearly 700 miles an hour. The crash left you with catastrophic injuries, multiple surgeries, a traumatic brain injury, and a long battle with PTSD, addiction, and the unseen wounds of war. Against overwhelming odds, you fought your way back, returning to the cockpit and later becoming an advocate for veteran mental health. In Phoenix Revival, you recount your journey of survival, recovery, and finding purpose after unimaginable adversity. Once again, welcome to the show, man.

**Kegan Gill** (3:00)
Thank you so much.

**Shawn Ryan** (3:03)
Yeah, we found, we saw a podcast you were on in some reels, and we were like, holy shit, dude, we gotta get this dude in here. So, thank you for coming.

**Kegan Gill** (3:15)
Dude, it's really exciting to be here and get to share this story to such a massive audience, man, because as you know, like you're sharing some incredible information with the world right now and waking people up, and it's much needed.

**Shawn Ryan** (3:29)
I'm trying, I'm trying. Yeah, and it sounds like psychedelics is a huge part of your recovery journey.

**Kegan Gill** (3:37)
It was, it was a transformational experience, a spiritual awakening.

**Shawn Ryan** (3:42)
Yeah.

**Kegan Gill** (3:43)
And just a connection to something greater than myself and a deep love that I found within. And dude, it's changed everything in my life for the better.

**Shawn Ryan** (3:51)
Right on, man. Yeah, it's, I did, I began a little over four years ago, and regardless of how much booze is in the studio here, I haven't had a drop to drink since-

**Kegan Gill** (4:05)
Good for you.

**Shawn Ryan** (4:05)
Since right after that.

**Kegan Gill** (4:07)
Yeah.

**Shawn Ryan** (4:07)
It was pretty effortless.

**Kegan Gill** (4:08)
Don't need to poison yourself. Don't need to numb yourself or poison yourself from, you know, from that hole we all had before it. Yeah.

**Shawn Ryan** (4:17)
I keep it all up here as a reminder that this shit doesn't have control over me anymore. It's pretty fucking cool. But I get a lot of shit for having it too.

**Kegan Gill** (4:26)
It looks really cool. That's what I think.

**Shawn Ryan** (4:29)
That's what I think.
All right. So a couple of things to knock out real quick before we get into your life story. So I have a Patreon account and they've been with us since the beginning and they're the reason that we both get to sit down here today. So this is from Christian Francis. What main components of TBI treatment do you feel need to be changed? What parts of living with a TBI and recovery from injury are currently being impeded by the medical system? And how can treatment of those would TBI be changed to better understanding the patient?

**Kegan Gill** (5:06)
That's a great question. There's almost a disregard for the TBI. And through my experience, it was almost unacknowledged that I could even possibly have a TBI or what that was.