Resilience, sleep mastery, and veteran transformation: 🇦🇺🎖️Former Australian Special Forces Commando Tim Thomas shares his journey from Afghanistan combat to global wellness work. This episode is packed with actionable breathwork lessons, combat insight, and strategies for overcoming PTSD and veteran isolation.

🎙️ In this powerful episode of The Strategic Veteran Podcast, host Adam Peters is joined by Tim Thomas, an Australian Special Forces Commando who transitioned from combat missions into global wellness advocacy. Tim shares his gripping story of surviving an ambush in Afghanistan, overcoming emotional and physical trauma, and channeling his battlefield experience into launching "Breathwork in Bed"—a first-of-its-kind sleep and recovery method for veterans and civilians alike.

His story delivers lessons in resilience, mindset, veteran mental health, breath regulation, combating PTSD, and navigating the post-military journey. If you're struggling with transition, sleep issues, or feeling disconnected from your purpose, this conversation is a must.

Tim’s journey from rugged Australian outback kid to elite warfighter and now a sleep and resilience coach offers perspective for any transitioning veteran looking to reclaim control over their life.

⏱️ CHAPTERS:

0:00 – Opening: PTSD, resilience & transformation

3:18 – Meet Tim Thomas: Growing up in rural South Australia

7:55 – Struggles with dyslexia and realizing intelligence

12:30 – Becoming a professional fighter & life before enlistment

16:04 – Joining Special Forces at 30: The DRSF program

20:26 – Combat doubts, the psychology of deployment

26:40 – Inside Afghanistan: Special Forces role vs. U.S. units

32:11 – Surviving the ambush: The power of breath under fire

43:03 – Recovering from PTSD and veteran suicide epidemic

53:50 – Sleep, brain pressure, and breaking isolation

1:07:17 – Founding Breathwork in Bed & the impact of healing breath

1:11:40 – Demonstration: 3-step tactical breathwork technique

1:18:58 – Final thoughts, bonus gift, sharing healing tools

🔑 KEY DISCUSSION POINTS:

• Tim’s mindset during a near-fatal ambush in Afghanistan

• How breathwork became a tool for survival and recovery

• The dangers of disconnection & trauma in combat veterans

• Understanding fatigue, healing, and the importance of sleep

• The veteran suicide crisis: breaking the cycle

• Launching Breathwork in Bed: helping others heal every night

🎖️ MILITARY EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS:

- Branch: 🇦🇺 Australian Army - Special Operations Command

- Role: Commando, Direct Recruitment Scheme for Special Forces

- Notable Deployment: Afghanistan

- Experience: Survived ambush under fire, veteran of combat ops

- Leadership: Trailblazer as one of the first civilians in Australia’s DRSF program

🏆 EXPERTISE / CIVILIAN SUCCESS:

- Founder of "Breathwork in Bed", an innovative breath-led sleep recovery method

- Over a decade working in PTSD recovery and veteran transition programs

- Spearheaded national veteran recovery programs in Australia

- Author of "Breathwork in Bed" and guest speaker on veteran wellness