In addition to being an O2X Lead Instructor, Erik continues to serve on active duty in the United States Marine Corps as an intelligence officer. Erik has spent the majority of his career in the special operations community, deploying in support of combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. Erik was a division 1 rugby player for Norwich University, where he also played lacrosse and club hockey. After years of CrossFit, and attaining his CrossFit Level 1 certification, he was introduced to human performance while serving in Marine Special Operations Command. From that point forward, human performance and the role of the tactical athlete have been a staple in Erik’s life.In August of 2020 after returning from Afghanistan, Erik suffered a traumatic injury that left him paralyzed below the knee in his left leg. Erik’s doctors, surgeons, and rehabilitation team credit Erik’s physical and mental conditioning as the main reason he has been able to remain on active duty, and recover to the level he has from his limb salvage injury. It was during his time at Walter Reed that Erik’s passion for helping fellow injured and wounded individuals rehabilitate their body and mind really took off. Erik is a huge proponent of the mental health aspect of human performance, and looks for every opportunity to break the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health and substance abuse issues.Erik, his wife Haley, their two sons Callan & Bodie, and their labradors Maverick and Rooster reside in Frederick, Maryland. Erik holds graduate certificates in leadership from Wharton and Harvard Law, a MA in Military Studies from Marine Corps University, and is finishing up his MA in Global Policy from Johns Hopkins University. In addition to his passion of helping others recover physically and mentally, Erik spends the majority of his free time as a youth hockey coach, and he and his family can usually be found in a hockey rink up and down the east coast. Erik also plays hockey for the USA Warriors, a wounded and injured veteran/service member hockey team that plays games against similar teams across the United States.