Overview of Shawn Ryan Show #326 with Kegan Gill
This episode follows the extraordinary life of Kegan Gill, a former U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot who survived a catastrophic high-speed ejection into the Atlantic, spent nearly two hours in freezing water with a broken neck and severe injuries, and then fought through surgeries, PTSD, addiction, psychosis, and a broken medical system to rebuild his life. The conversation also goes deep on psychedelic healing, meditation, veteran mental health, the VA, UAPs, and purpose after trauma.
From Outdoors Kid to Fighter Pilot
Kegan grew up in a family that valued the outdoors, self-reliance, and physical grit.
- Born in Oklahoma, raised in Colorado and later Traverse City, Michigan
- Spent childhood outdoors hunting, fishing, skiing, and climbing
- Struggled with school, bullying, and anger
- Learned to defend himself early from his father, who emphasized:
- self-defense only
- protecting weaker people
- humility and discipline
He later discovered flying through a college flight program and quickly advanced from civilian aviation into military pilot training.
Navy Aviation and Life in the Fighter Jet
Kegan described the intense pipeline to becoming an F/A-18 pilot:
- Officer Candidate School
- Primary flight training
- Tailhook selection
- Advanced jet training in the T-45
- Carrier landing training, including the brutal learning curve of night landings
He emphasized that fighter aviation is a team sport:
- success depends on humility and collaboration
- the fighter community screens for personality and teamwork, not just raw skill
- the job demands constant study, precision, and pressure tolerance
The Ejection: Fastest Survived in Naval Aviation History
The centerpiece of the episode is the 2014 training accident that changed his life.
What happened
During a dogfighting training sortie off Virginia Beach:
- he entered a high-G maneuver
- the aircraft accelerated into the transonic region
- the jet’s flight system overrode his input
- the aircraft pointed straight at the ocean
- he ejected about two seconds before impact
- he was traveling roughly 695 mph
Injuries sustained
The ejection and impact caused catastrophic trauma:
- broken neck, including C1
- traumatic brain injury
- broken shoulder/scapula
- bilateral arm fractures
- severe nerve damage
- open fractures in both legs
- internal bleeding and major soft tissue damage
He described the ejection as so violent that it should have been unsurvivable.
Survival in the Atlantic
After the ejection:
- his parachute and gear malfunctioned
- he drifted in freezing water for nearly two hours
- he was repeatedly pulled under by the parachute
- a flight lead marked his position and helped coordinate rescue
- a rescue swimmer finally cut him free and got him to a helicopter
He was:
- severely hypothermic
- repeatedly coding en route to the hospital
- revived and treated at a trauma center
- placed in a coma
- underwent dozens of surgeries
Recovery, VA Care, and the Mental Health Crisis
Kegan was blunt about what he believes is broken in the military and VA healthcare system.
His critique of the system
He argued that:
- TBI is often under-acknowledged
- PTSD becomes the default label too quickly
- the system leans heavily toward medication rather than root-cause treatment
- nutrition, sleep, and recovery are badly neglected
- pharmaceutical interests heavily shape care
What he experienced
He was treated with a large stack of medications, including:
- opioids
- gabapentin/Neurontin
- sleep meds
- antipsychotics like Seroquel
He said the medication regime made him worse over time, contributing to:
- confusion
- sleep deprivation
- paranoia
- psychosis
- suicidal ideation
At one point, he nearly killed himself with a Glock while his wife and infant son were in bed next to him.
He also described a disturbing psychiatric hospitalization where he felt:
- dehumanized
- overmedicated
- sleep-deprived
- trapped in a system that punished rather than healed
The Turning Point: Holistic Recovery
Kegan’s recovery began when he started rejecting the narrow medical model and pursued a broader, whole-person approach.
Major healing tools
He credited a mix of:
- mountain biking and physical activity
- cleaner nutrition
- time in nature
- sobriety
- meditation
- breathwork
- psychedelic-assisted therapy
Psychedelics
He said these experiences were transformational:
- Ibogaine/Iboga helped him confront deep trauma and reconnect with childhood memories
- Ayahuasca opened his heart and gave him a renewed sense of connection
- MDMA-assisted therapy helped him and his wife process resentment and trauma together
He framed psychedelics not as a cure-all, but as a powerful catalyst that helped him reorient toward healing.
Meditation, Integration, and Rebuilding Purpose
A major theme was learning that healing requires integration, not just breakthrough experiences.
Kegan discussed:
- working with Moose and the Wisdom Dojo
- breathwork and Wim Hof-style practices
- long silent meditation retreats
- learning to quiet the ego and settle the nervous system
He said meditation gave him a way to access peace, clarity, and connection without substances.
He now works in:
- integration coaching
- public speaking
- veteran support and advocacy
- Sharp Performance
- a new online coaching platform to make help more affordable
Marriage, Family, and the Cost of Trauma
Kegan repeatedly credited his wife as the person who saved him.
- she stayed with him through psychosis and hospitalization
- she helped advocate for his care
- she carried enormous emotional burden while raising their children
- she later sought her own healing through the Hope Project and related programs
He said their relationship is still healing, but has become stronger and more loving over time.
UAPs, Secrecy, and His View of Reality
Toward the end, Shawn and Kegan discussed UAPs and unexplained encounters.
Kegan said he had seen:
- a strange bright object near his bedroom window during recovery
- reports from others in the wing about unidentified objects in training airspace
- a small spherical object on FLIR during a flight that caused the sortie to be terminated
His view:
- some sightings are real and unexplained
- the narrative may be partly classified, partly politicized, and possibly spiritually framed
- he believes the public is often distracted while real decisions happen behind closed doors
Key Takeaways
- Kegan’s survival was a near-impossible chain of events, from high-speed ejection to rescue in the Atlantic.
- His biggest battle came after the crash: TBI, PTSD, addiction, psychosis, and institutional failure.
- He believes the medical system often treats symptoms with pills instead of addressing root causes like brain injury, trauma, sleep, nutrition, and nervous system regulation.
- Psychedelics, meditation, community, and service helped him rebuild his life.
- His message is that healing is possible, but it usually requires honesty, discipline, and the courage to try unconventional paths.
Notable Insight
“Find that little spark of light in the darkness and feed that fire.”
That idea captures the whole conversation: survival is only the beginning; rebuilding takes purpose, community, and daily commitment.