Chris Irwin

Chris Irwin is a retired Navy SEAL Commander who suffered from severe mental and physical chronic illness after the military. Through an extensive journey of self-discovery, he overcame these conditions and now teaches mental training through his brand RARE SENSE | Mind Fitness. This includes a Substack newsletter, podcast, and speaking engagements. His work is changing the stigma and paradigm around mental health and saving lives.

Chris graduated 6th in his class of 932 midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1997 with a 3.9 GPA and a Bachelor of Science in Oceanography with a French Minor. He was the only member of his class to be named a Distinguished Graduate and a Trident Scholar while also receiving a Varsity Letter in a sport (lightweight crew). Chris then attended the University of Cambridge in the U.K., earning a Master of Philosophy degree in International Relations and competing in Modern Pentathlon.

Chris finished Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in 1999 as Class Leader with orders to SEAL Team FIVE, where he completed three tours to the Pacific Theater. In 2004, he reported to Naval Special Warfare Development Group, deploying to Afghanistan three times, serving in various leadership positions on multiple Joint Task Forces supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. His final assignments were as the Executive Officer for Naval Special Warfare Units TWO and TEN in Germany, supporting special operations forces in Europe and Africa, respectively. Chris then served six years in the Naval Reserve, retiring in 2017 with twenty years of federal service. His military awards include two Bronze Stars with Combat “V” Distinguishing Device for Valor.

Following his Naval service, Chris became an entrepreneur focused on giving back. In 2011, he co-founded the first CrossFit gym in the Virgin Islands, building a passionate community of over 150 members that still thrives. In 2013, Chris became the President of Kill Cliff Inc., a healthy sports drink company and the fastest-growing beverage brand in the U.S. on the Inc. 500 in 2015. He led the direct B2B team to a 6X performance improvement and tripled Amazon sales in one year, becoming the #1 selling sports drink on Prime Day 2017. He also helped establish the first corporate Official Partnership with the Navy SEAL Foundation. Through his tenure, Kill Cliff raised and donated nearly $600,000 in cash, event sponsorships, and product equivalencies for the members of Naval Special Warfare and their families. In 2018, Chris joined the Navy SEAL Foundation as their Partnerships and Communications Director.

Chris is also a singer/songwriter whose original works include the score and song “Sacrifice” from the film Murph: The Protector about Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient Michael Murphy. Both made the shortlist for the 86th (2013) Annual Academy Awards in the categories of “Best Original Score” and “Best Original Song,” respectively.

Chris has worked and lived in over 40 countries and now resides in Montana with his wife Jennifer (also a retired U.S. Navy Commander) and their three sons.