An Air Force veteran's mission to get others back on their feet. A self-leadership program called Uplift Your Damn Self is guiding vets through some of life's toughest battles.
WATCH: Veteran creates AI coaching program to help other vets through tough battles
Xavier Bruce, who has a doctorate in business administration in global supply chain, knows what it means to serve. The Air Force veteran spent 24 years moving between combat communications, air medical evacuations, and even medical intelligence.
"I am the CEO and founder of Uplift Resilience Academy. Tagline: Uplift your damn self," Bruce said.
That tagline was born in a bunker in Kandahar, Afghanistan after a bomb exploded just steps away from where he had been walking moments earlier.
"I have all these different emotions. And I'm not sure if I now have some type of shock or PTSD or what have you, but I wasn't really comfortable going to get military medical care, and this is where the term uplift your damn self was born," Bruce said.
That phrase became a mission. Now, a self-leadership program for veterans built not just with coaching, but with AI.
"I'm Dr. X and this is Professor X. Professor X is the AI clone of me, and he's gonna help you uplift your damn self. Ain't that right, Professor X?" Bruce said.
"Damn straight, Dr. X. Together we're here to help folks get squared away and uplift their damn selves. Let's make it happen. What's the mission today?" Professor X responded.
Using AI, Bruce offers veterans access to real-time support through phone, text, video chat, and even an Oculus headset. It's a digital version of himself that never sleeps, trained on his own knowledge, his experiences, even his dissertation.
The Uplift Resilience Academy teaches 3 pillars: self-leadership, interaction management, and resilience, or as Bruce calls it, SIR.
"What do you do in the moment? What do you do on site? Because that therapy session, guess what? That could have been on Tuesday and today is Wednesday, so you have to wait until next Tuesday to go to that therapy session. So, what do you do in the moment?" Bruce said.
This isn't therapy, it's coaching. Bruce calls himself a sideline guide for those still in the game.
"You're telling me what you're seeing. And I'm telling you what I'm seeing, but you have to make the play," Bruce said.
Since launching in 2018, Uplift Your Damn Self has helped veterans transition into civilian life, deal with trauma, and even build businesses of their own.
The program is accessible online with confidentiality, and if AI is not your thing, Bruce is still just a phone call away.
"If you don't learn how to lead yourself. You're not going to be able to be of service to others, so you have to uplift yourself so that you can uplift others," Bruce said.
If you would like to learn more or connect with Uplift Your Damn Self, we've got a link on our website.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.