Our Origin
A PURPOSE-DRIVEN MISSION
FitOps was born out of a collective desire to empower veterans to find purpose after their time in service through the power of fitness and community.
Our story begins in 2016. After finding success in life, our Founder felt a calling back to the very place he began his career: the United States Military. This time, however, his new calling was not to put the uniform on again; it was to help those in service take the uniform off. He recognized the profound loss of purpose, community, and camaraderie that veterans experience after their time in the military as the fundamental reason fueling the epidemic of suicide and suffering. He identified purpose and empowerment as the solution.
He then set out to reinvent the story of giving back to the veteran community by creating opportunities for them to succeed while paying it forward, and founded FitOps in 2016. From 2016 to 2022, we have achieved incredible growth and success, celebrating hundreds of veteran graduates, nearly all of which gainfully employed and successful in their own lives, with thousands more signed up to join our community. The journey is only just beginning.
OUR ADVISORS
John Wayne Troxell, Advisory Board Chairman
John Troxell served for 37 years before his retirement in December 2019. He was advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of Defense for four years on all matters involving joint and combined total force integration, utilization, health of the force and joint development for enlisted personnel. Troxell enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1982.
John Troxell joined forces with FitOps to lead the Foundation’s strategic advisory board, working closely with Matt Hesse and the team to help prevent and end veteran suicide in 2020. Troxell’s primary focus will be helping FitOps reach service members who plan to separate from the military and equip them with training prior, so that when they hit the ground as a civilian, they are equipped to immediately serve their communities again, this time as personal trainers and coaches.
“Too many veterans have lost their reason for being, to serve others, and struggled to transition to civilian life. Ending the veteran suicide epidemic is my new mission, and few organizations have had the impact FitOps has had in saving lives.” — John Troxell
