Meet Josh Sager | Program Director – Adaptive Training Foundation

We had the good fortune of connecting with Josh Sager and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Josh, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I am currently the Program Coordinator for a Carrollton-based non-profit called The Adaptive Training Foundation. Our mission is to provide access & inclusion to individuals living with physical or traumatic impairments by empowering them through exercise and community. We began by helping disabled veterans, and have since expanded our reach to the civilian population as well. There are over 60 million people living with a disability in the US alone, our goal is to help as many of those individuals as possible with our programs.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I began my career in the US Army at the age of 18, where I spent 8 years as a paratrooper. Then, in 2015 I suffered a catastrophic parachute collapse while on deployment. This resulted in me free falling 40 feet to the ground and shattering my lower body, leading to the reconstruction of both my hips and my right leg. Due to the injuries sustained, I was medically retired from the Army.

After my retirement, I attended school, where I earned both my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Business Management. While in school, I continued my recovery through a non-profit gym in Carrollton called The Adaptive Training Foundation (ATF). After my injuries, I felt that I was put into a box with certain limitations, told I would never run or workout the same again. ATF helped me to break those limitations down and define new limits for myself, both physically and mentally. Overcoming the challenges of my injuries was not easy, and still something I work at every single day. However, these days I feel right back to where I was as an active-duty paratrooper, and that is something I am very thankful for.

Adaptive Training Foundation offers an inclusive gym atmosphere for disabled Veterans and others who have suffered traumatic injuries, pairing them up with a personalized program designed for them and their goals. ATF’s flagship Redefine program is 9 weeks long, with a culminating “redeploy trip” at the end of it, putting to practice all the work from the gym in an active environment (ie: surfing, snowboarding, climbing in the mountains, etc). After attending a nine-week training program with the organization, I quickly found every opportunity I could to volunteer my time, giving back to the same organization that had given so much back to me. This place is truly something special, and anyone lucky enough to be a part of it would tell you the same thing.

After graduating with my MBA last year, I was offered the full-time staff role of Programs Coordinator for ATF. I am now doing what I love for a living, helping others who have suffered traumatic injuries overcome obstacles and set new goals for themselves. I have seen this organization grow from being in a small garage space in Dallas, to now being in the 20,000 sq ft facility we now work out of in Carrollton. We have an awesome team of individuals who pour their heart and soul into everything we do. I could not be more grateful. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone take their first steps post injury, have the first dance with their Wife, or reach competitive goals such as the Paralympics.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First thing I take people to when they visit me in Dallas is the JFK museum. It’s an incredible museum with a lot interesting history. As someone who is enamored with history, this is a must-see.

My favorite neighborhood in Dallas is definitely Bishop Arts. I love being down there for afternoon drinks, or just walking around taking in the atmosphere. After that, I would definitely suggest dinner downtown at Sky Blossom, with some awesome Vietnamese food and a great view from their outdoor patio.

The next morning I would head north to Arbor Hills nature center for a hike, and stop by the Star in Frisco to catch a Cowboys practice. This is Texas after all! I would finish with dinner in the area at Legacy Hall to catch some live music and get some diverse grub!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout is to the rest of our awesome staff at Adaptive Training Foundation. We have a greta group of individuals who are always willing to put the mission first.

Website: https://www.adaptivetrainingfoundation.org/about-us

Instagram: @sagerbombs, @adaptivetrainingfoundation

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1hAgsJgl08VZdhPERiR_jg

Image Credits
Campbell Mccrea