Mike Drop

Welcome to Part 2 of Episode 264 of the Mike Drop podcast, hosted by Mike Ritland, a former Navy SEAL and renowned dog trainer. In this gripping continuation, Mike sits down with Nico Kelly Nick O'Kelly, a former Green Beret who transitioned into an elite Night Stalker pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). Kelly is also the author of the book Stigma: Breaking the Stigma, which delves into his personal battles with mental health. Listeners will find an unfiltered, raw conversation covering Kelly's high-stakes military career—from his warm reception back in Savannah as a new 160th pilot, intense training trips across the U.S., and his first combat deployment in the CENTCOM region, to the adrenaline-fueled details of real-world missions like dusty landings and contingencies. The episode takes a deep dive into Kelly's ongoing struggles with anxiety, debilitating dizzy spells, depression, and fleeting suicidal thoughts, which persisted through his pipeline and deployments but were ofte