Nate Palin is the Director of Training for Sideline Soldiers and was introduced to the Military Veterans Organization as the closing keynote speaker, where he shared his personal story of his military experience and coaching background.
According to its website, Soldiers to Sidelines "offers veterans, military members and military spouses a new sense of becoming character-based trainers who serve their communities." They do so through the power of exercise and fitness and have a proven track record of success. Over 1,000 veterans have been trained to become coaches and over 50,000 young people have been positively impacted.
Nate Palin is the Director of Soldier Training and was introduced to them as the closing keynote speaker, in which he shared his personal story of his military experience and coaching background.
“They help military members transition into a coaching role, and that's what I've done in my lifetime. That's why they wanted me to share this journey.”
After another keynote event and webinar, Palin was working with another veterans organization, FItOps, at the time, but left that organization and joined Soldiers to Sidelines on Veterans Day 2022 in the role he now holds. This role suits him because it combines three of his greatest qualities: service, fitness and coaching.
“We take what comes naturally to military personnel and combine that with trainer skills. What we then create is a human good that supports the sporting activity of our country’s youth.”
Courtesy of Nate Palin
With his experience, Nate Palin brings a lot of wisdom
Having served as a US Army Ranger and tactical fitness specialist, Palin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role. Palin is a third generation military man. His paternal grandfather served as a mechanic during World War II. His father was drafted into the Vietnam War and he was stationed at Fort Irwin as an MP. He also had a great-uncle who served at the rmandy front during World War II. Despite this history, Palin said his family was "anti-war" and didn't even have guns in their home growing up in the woods of upstate New York.
"The Appalachian Trail was literally in my backyard," he recalls. We were one of those families who lived by the 'make sure you're home for dinner' motto. So my little brother and I just hung out in the woods and played army.”
Palin described himself as an active kid who plays multiple sports, with a focus on soccer. Being active and being physically active came naturally to him. Fast forward to high school, and Palin was preparing to graduate and attend Indiana University. He was considering joining ROTC when he found a copy of the book Black Hawk Down. He also saw a documentary about an Army Ranger, and the combination helped him make a life decision.
"I struggled to do my homework, and my mom told me that if I didn't do my homework, I wouldn't get into college. I told her, 'I'm not going to college. I'm going to be an Army Ranger.'”
Palin followed his decision and found himself in basic training at the end of his summer after graduating. After four years of service, Palin transferred to Butler University. However, he dropped out of college after his junior year and served in the army for three more years. Overall, his military career lasted almost seven and a half years. During his service he has been deployed five times - three times in Afghanistan and twice in Iraq. His skills played a big part in what he had to do while serving his country, but being in top form was also very important. While he wasn't exposed to structured strength and conditioning exercise before joining the military, fitness doesn't come naturally to him, nor is it assumed.
"Fitness was something I always valued."
Courtesy of Nate Palin
Nate Palin should train
He may have been introduced to this structure late, but he enjoyed it like a fish in water. Palin became a personal trainer after his second stint, but wanted to find a way to fill a gap he felt wasn't getting the attention it deserved.
"Once I figured out that training and coaching are one thing, I wanted to find a way to translate that to special operations."
Palin moved to Seattle, Washington to take personal training certification courses and also started a business called The Movement Project. Thanks to his experience of various forms of coaching and training, and his own experience, he ended up working with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) tactical program where he acted as the liaison for the organizations within the tactical coaching bodies he even has a book about written tactical fitness.
When asked about the role fitness plays in his personal life today, he said, "It's the foundation of everything." It's the only thing I have to fall back on. It is a common language between me and others.”
Courtesy of Nate Palin
Nate Palin also enjoys the entrepreneurial life
Palin also runs his own company, Any Given Day, and the purpose of this organization is to coach war fighters through training and education. Palin believes this service is not only vital for those he works with, but also his best way to continue making a difference.
"It's part of my livelihood," Palin said, referring to how he can help military professionals directly. These services may be provided through presentations, workshops, lectures, and web-based educational resources. This business gives him another opportunity to connect with and coach others, which is another passion of his.
“What I love about coaching is the transferability. I may have left the coaching floor, but I've never left coaching," he shared. He credited "Soldiers" to Sidelines founder Harrison Bernstein, a quote that particularly struck him.
"Coaching is about getting others to do what you want them to do, because they want to do it."
The Any Given Day website is in the final stages of launch, but you can learn more about this organization by following Palin on LinkedIn or @agd_ready on Instagram.
