Dear Leah, I wanted to provide you with a small note to reflect on my experiences training with you as the impact on my wellbeing has been profound. As you know I spent 23 years in the Australian Army which included deployments to East Timor, Afghanistan, and Iraq as well operational postings to Special Forces as part of the Tactical Assault Group East. My Service came to an end in February 2022 when I was medically discharged because of a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Since the diagnosis I have been engaged with a wide array of activities to support my own recovery and wellbeing as well as supporting the Veteran and First Responder communities through my two projects: Voices of Veterans and Rogue Brazilian Jiujitsu. In March this year I began a serious exploration into the use of cold exposure and breathwork to support both mine and my community’s health. The impact of these two modalities under your guidance has been profound. My mental clarity, pain levels, mood, fatigue, and many other wellbeing markers have all drastically improved. My capacity to manage the stressors in my life and to know that I have the tools to employ to bring myself back to a place of equilibrium. On behalf of myself, my family, and the communities I support, I thank you for the work you are doing. I spent a year in the rehab pipeline when I was an officer cadet, as well as being medically downgraded and upgraded for several significant injuries throughout my career prior to my eventual medical discharge. On reflection I can also see the signs of PTSD, depression and anxiety marking my journey in defence throughout many of my deployments, battles with injuries and during high stress roles. I firmly believe that the skills you teach within the range of Wild Things Anatomy workshops would have provided me with the tools to manage, recover and address those issues throughout my defence journey. Perhaps allowing me to continue my service. The tools you provide would actively support the military chain-of-command in building resilience and supporting recovery and wellbeing. My hope is that the use of these tools only continues to grow and we can support a reduction in the unnecessary suffering of our veteran community. I look forward to working with you again in the future and continuing our support of those in need.

SINCERELY, MIKE.

Good morning Sir, Ma’am, et al, Recently the Trainee Rehabilitation Wing, out of Holsworthy Barracks in NSW, participated in a 3 day Wim Hof Method (WHM) workshop which was facilitated by certified WHM instructor, Leah Scott. Leah is based out of the Snowy Mountains and has led and mentored many groups and individuals over many years through a self-development program of sorts, that results in a shift in perspective that ultimately allows individuals to conquer fear, and face adversity with courage. She incorporates the three pillars of the WHM (ice, breath and mind) in order to guide participants through a transformational journey which ultimately creates a soldier better equipped to deal with the adversities of service, as well as the challenges that everyday life throws our way. My intent is to facilitate the continued development of our soldiers, through this training. I believe SRC’s would benefit from this exponentially as a start point, but eventually the combat brigades going through the “Readying” cycle.

If you need any further details please reach out, I would be more than happy to answer any questions or provide depth as to the reasoning. Kind regards,

Saxon Stannard