Andy Stumpf: From Team Six to Cleared Hot Podcast & The Jump That Raised $700K | AJ Buckley Show

What happens when a kid from Santa Cruz, California hears about Navy SEALs at 11 years old and never looks back? This week on The AJ Buckley Show, AJ sits down with Andy Stumpf, the former SEAL Team Six operator who jumped from 36,500 feet, raised $700,000 for charity, became a professional BASE jumper, and built one of the biggest podcasts in the world, Cleared Hot. This conversation is raw, hilarious, and packed with wisdom about identity, fatherhood, discipline, and what it means to be defined by who you are, not what you did. Andy opens up about growing up in a Navy family, his dad being a machine gunner on patrol boats in Vietnam, and the moment he first heard about Navy SEALs. He shares the story of bringing a Navy recruiter home when he was a junior in high school, sitting her down with his parents who signed the paperwork when he was 17, and heading off to boot camp in the Chicago area right after graduation. Andy talks about the attrition rate at BUDS, the injury rate that most people don't realize until they go back as instructors, and why he made it through on his first attempt by focusing on the micro adversities instead of the macro goal. AJ and Andy dive deep into what it was like growing up on a construction site with his mason father, moving pallets of bricks at 11 years old, learning how to compartmentalize pain and focus on the one trip instead of the thousands ahead, and why those micro challenges on a job site prepared him for Hell Week more than any class at SEAL training ever could. Andy reflects on the reality that mental toughness and resilience are both born and trained, the importance of challenging yourself at a micro level before the world does at a macro level, and why setting an alarm and making your bed is just as powerful as a cold plunge if you're starting from scratch. Then comes the story of getting shot in 2005 while deployed with a SEAL Team Six squadron, being on the other side of the door from Tyler Gray on the same target, and the long road of nerve damage recovery that made him a BUDS instructor while he rehabbed. Andy opens up about doctors telling him I don't know more times than he could count, the frustration of not having a definitive answer, and why he ultimately became the last determining factor in whether or not he was ready to return to the teams. Andy also shares the story of the world record wingsuit jump from 36,500 feet, going 18 miles in the air while wearing shorts and a t-shirt under his gear because it was negative 50 at altitude and 100 degrees on the ground. He talks about raising $700,000 for the Navy SEAL Foundation, the sequential steps he took to make it happen, finding mentors with immense experience, and why by the time you get to the day, if you've done the requisite training, it's not that big of a deal. Andy also opens up about his years as a professional BASE jumper, flying wingsuits through canyons in Switzerland, the behind the scenes work that never makes it to YouTube, and why Tom Cruise is next level because of the months of training he does before every stunt. Andy also opens up about his divorce, the most alone he's ever felt in his life, the questions he had about himself as a man and a father, and why it was harder than going through SEAL training multiple times. He talks about the importance of asking for help, the strength it takes to admit when you need it, and why he has never been turned down or judged when he's asked for it. Andy also shares his North Star, his wife's ability to see the best in people, and the quote he lives by: what you allow in your presence is your standard. Follow Andy Stumpf Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/andystumpf212/?hl=en) Cleared Hot Podcast: https://www.clearedhotpodcast.com/ Cleared Hot Podcast - Powered By BRCC - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@ClearedHotPodcast) Follow AJ Buckley IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbuckley/ Fb: https://www.facebook.com/AJBuckleyOfficialPage TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajbuckleyofficial Follow AJ Buckley Show IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbuckleyshow/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/ajbuckleyshow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajbuckleyofficial Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aj-buckley-show/id1885802753 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Em0btYFt8QNKJPX2tFJhq https://www.ajbuckley.com Sponsors: http://www.ghostbed.com/buckley Code word Buckley for 10% off http://aj.purerx.co write "Time to shine" In notes http://www.bornofdiscipline.com http://www.coretrex.com