Adam Peters shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Adam, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day are about rhythm and discipline. I roll out of bed, wake up a bit, pull on my socks and shoes, and leash up my dog, Apollo. We head out for a 4.1-mile walk that takes just under an hour. That walk is nonnegotiable. It’s how I clear my head and set the tone for the day.
When we get back, I’ve earned the right to make my coffee. I brew a pour-over in the Chemex with a single-origin light roast, sit down at the kitchen table, and open my laptop. That’s when I check and respond to emails. Then I read a page out of the Bible, just one, to ground myself before the rest of the world wakes up.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Adam Peters, founder of The Strategic Veteran and a partner at Amakaya, a plant medicine retreat in the Peruvian Amazon that serves veterans, first responders, and their families through deep healing with ayahuasca and Shipibo traditions.
My work bridges three worlds: AI, plant medicine, and veteran transition. I help people and businesses reclaim their time, purpose, and sovereignty. On the AI side, I’m developing my own app, building a fractional Chief AI Officer offering, and helping companies adopt AI the right way; intelligently and sustainably.
Through The Strategic Veteran, I share stories of transition and transformation that strip away the bullshit and remind veterans that they’re not broken. They just need a new mission. I also spend a lot of time on stages, panels, and at events, using both AI and plant medicine as lenses to talk about what real freedom looks like after service.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I joined the military young, so for most of my life I was exactly who the world told me to be. The uniform defined everything—how I talked, thought, and moved. My challenge came after the military, when there was no longer a script. That’s when I had to figure out who I actually was without the rank, the mission, or the external structure.
The real work wasn’t about becoming someone new. It was about unlearning who I was told to be and remembering who I actually am.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain when I realized pretending I was fine was killing me. For years I carried it like a rucksack I couldn’t set down; trying to outwork it, outdrink it, or outthink it. None of it worked.
The turning point came when I sat with the pain instead of running from it. Plant medicine cracked me open, but discipline kept me grounded. That’s when the pain stopped being a burden and started being fuel.
Now I use it to help others face their own, because if I can turn mine into power, so can they.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yeah, what you see is what you get. The public version of me is the same guy you’d meet off camera or in person. I spent too many years performing for the world, and I’m done with that.
Authenticity is the new digital currency. People can feel when you’re real, and they can feel when you’re not. Everything I’ve built, The Strategic Veteran, the podcast, the talks, the community, comes from being unapologetically myself. I don’t dress it up or hide the rough edges.
The reason I’ve had success is that I stopped trying to impress people and started telling the truth. That’s what people actually connect with.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I understand that freedom isn’t comfort. Most people chase stability, but stability can become a cage if you’re not careful. Absolute freedom costs something. It demands that you face yourself, strip away the lies, and rebuild from the truth out.
I’ve learned that pain, loss, and failure aren’t punishments. They’re teachers. The faster you stop resisting them, the quicker you grow. Most people spend their lives avoiding discomfort, but everything they say they want is sitting right on the other side of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thestrategicveteran.com
- Instagram: @adamp3t3rs
- Linkedin: @thestrategicveteran
- Twitter: @thestrategicvet
- Facebook: The Strategic Veteran
- Youtube: @thestrategicveteran
- Other: Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd?si=3ba0d06c52d144b3
Image Credits
I own all these images
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
