I joined the Air Force just before my 18th birthday and I volunteered for Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Just a few days short of a year I graduated as a basic EOD technician. I've been stationed in South Carolina, Germany, Louisiana, Florida, and New Mexico. However, I have traveled all over the world in those 20 years and had some great adventures. From working missions with the Secret Service to combat deployments with the best men and women there are. Looking back it was the perfect path for me. No regrets, except for that one trip to Octoberfest in Munich with the guys.
Retiring in 2010 my wife and I started, built up, and sold a custom woodworking company. I then started into the government contracting world working first for DTRA Defense Threat Reduction Agency at their Nuclear Weapons University. During that time I also moonlighted managing and teaching defensive firearms courses at the NRA Whittington Center. After a few years at DTRA I was offered a position at the Nuclear Weapons Center working on the weapons design management team for our newest cruise missile warhead and later on the new ICBM warhead. In 2019 I called it quits and walked away from the golden handcuffs of government contracting.
Retirement was peaceful for a while in Montana but I soon realized I can't sit still and needed to keep myself busy with something I enjoy. I have taught firearms courses, readiness classes, survival skillsets, and everything else I could think of and then I started Burgeon Defense. I figured why teach a few dozen families locally when I can help hundreds across the nation. So here it is ladies and gents, Burgeon Defense.
I am a fitness and nutrition enthusiast who has not only been affected by health issues during my life, but have found a way to help myself and others from study and trials with different products, methods, and nutritional choices for physical fitness and food knowledge and preparation to help heal the body. My journey had been longer than I realized but during the time I didn’t know what was the problem…no-one did. Doctors didn’t know, most still don’t know. Thank goodness for the natural path, eastern medicine physicians I have met over the years. I have read, studied, tried almost everything. I have gained some knowledge along the way that I hope to help you and share with your loved ones.
As a type A myself, I tend to get bored quickly and have covered a lot of topics of study in my lifetime. I have been able to do many different careers and hobbies while picking up tidbits of knowledge in each. What is that? This so-called “jack of all trades” or Jill in my case… was in fact William Shakespeare. The full phrase is “ a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” I love it that way, It’s raw, it’s me, and I have so much information to share with my clients daily, we always have something to talk about!
January 2000 I became a massage therapist. I fell in love with anatomy and physiology. How the body works and what to do to help heal it naturally! In 2007 I began working with pageant girls in the Miss America system, then the USA, and United States, Mrs., and even the Miss World. I have taught stage work, fitness, directed, judged, even competed (taking the title with swimsuit of course.)
A few years later I also moved into the fitness industry working with Fitness America, and Musclemania. I started because of my experience in pageants as a judge, from there moved into the fitness coaching and stage work. Of course, I know what you’re asking…yes, yes I competed too. In a large division I took 4th at Nationals in Las Vegas in bikini at the age of 38. I was not expecting it but I worked hard and loved every minute of the journey.
During all of this I learned so much about the body, my body, and how to treat it, heal it, and also what NOT to do.
Fast forward to today, I am writing these articles because I believe in being prepared, being healthy so I can do what needs to be done in not only personal defense, but for my community too!
My hope is that this information I share will help at least one person. Hearing that someone was able to see someone I recommended or tried a product that worked for them too makes my heart happy. If you have questions send me an email. I look forward to seeing what we can do together.
