founder's story

RYAN "BIRDMAN" PARROTT

I grew up in Michigan with sports, seasons, and a simple life that felt full of energy. I trained hard as a kid, yet I never learned correct movement, clean nutrition, recovery, or long-term strength. Most people never gain that knowledge, and our country pays the price for it.

A teacher who served in Vietnam introduced me to the Navy SEALs, and his words set my path in motion. After 9/11, I enlisted and moved into a life of extreme training and high-stakes work. BUD/S pushed my limits. Deployments delivered pressure, speed, and responsibility. I loved my time in service and carried pride in every mission.

Here is the truth. I completed one of the hardest pipelines on earth without a clear understanding of how to train my body for longevity. I received no education in real nutrition, quality sleep, or sustainable recovery. Many operators lived the same way. We held the line with grit, not systems, and it created long-term cost.

Years later, my body started to show the impact. Energy dropped. Sleep shifted. Focus faded. My wife, Vlada, introduced me to proper nutrition, recovery, and movement, and for the first time I saw what real human performance looked like.

Then came the call on January 2nd, 2019. My sniper partner, David R. Metcalf, took his own life. He was my true North. That loss forced a question that changed everything. What are we missing? Why do people who serve carry wounds that never heal? Why do so many struggle in silence?

Every answer pointed back to the human system itself. Physical. Mental. Emotional. Spiritual. All connected. All under strain. All without a unified playbook.

This became the foundation for The 7X Project for Human Performance.

I built a team of experts across exercise science, physiology, psychology, psychiatry, dietetics, and rehabilitation, and we paired them with operators who lived through real trauma and real pressure. Together we created a system. A blueprint built from lived experience and grounded in science. A path that helps young people grow with strength from the start. A path that helps long-serving operators, firefighters, police officers, and trauma survivors reboot a system worn down by years of service.

We document everything on film. We build simple tools and clear education. We give people direction instead of noise.

The 7X Project for Human Performance exists to strengthen the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual layers of life. It exists for the next generation. It exists for those who serve. It exists for anyone who aims to live strong, think clear, and move forward with purpose.

This mission began long before me and will continue long after I am gone.