Carrying the Weight That Wasn’t Ours
/Carrying the Weight That Wasn’t Ours
By: Adam Boyd
A young warrior once set off on a long journey across the mountains. Before he left, the village elders handed him a heavy pack filled with gear—flint, rope, dried food, even a cast-iron pot. It was tradition, and no one questioned it.
As he walked, he collected more tools. A friend gave him extra rope, another insisted he carry stones “for strength.” He never questioned what he was carrying. He just kept moving.
The higher he climbed, the more the weight began to hurt, first his shoulders, then his back, then his spirit. But he pushed on. That’s what warriors do.
When he finally reached the summit, he collapsed. Exhausted, aching, and broken. Curious, he opened the pack to see what had worn him down. That’s when he saw the truth: he hadn’t needed most of it. He had been carrying weight that wasn’t his to carry.
This story may feel familiar to a lot of us — especially in law enforcement, fire service and the military.
We’re trained to carry stress, trauma, pressure and responsibility like it’s just part of the job. And while some of it is ... much of what we carry, we’ve never been shown how to process or release. We just pack it in and keep going. Until we break down.
But resilience isn’t about enduring. It’s about being able to recover faster from those hardships. To help us do that, we need to learn when to carry, when to set down, and how to recover for the next climb.
True resilience is a skill. A system. A choice.
After over a decade in law enforcement and years of working with first responders and tactical athletes, I’ve seen firsthand what makes someone thrive and what slowly takes them out of the fight.
Resilience comes down to three key pillars:
1. Control the Physiology
Your breath, heart rate and nervous system dictate how you show up. If your body is constantly in fight-or-flight, performance drops, relationships suffer, and decisions falter.
Tools like breath work, ice exposure and movement retrain the body to respond, not just react.
2. Master the Mind
We’re never taught how to manage our thoughts. Mental toughness isn’t born, it’s built. Techniques like visualization, stress inoculation and internal dialogue help keep clarity when the chaos hits.
3. Optimize Recovery
You don’t grow in the stress, you grow in the recovery. Prioritizing quality sleep, deliberate rest and mindful habits restores your capacity. Otherwise, you’re pouring from an empty cup.
These pillars aren’t theories, they're part of a system we’ve developed and delivered in departments, training rooms and retreats across the country.
At Soleful Training, we’ve built a 3-step system specifically for those who serve. The Soleful Warrior Program helps first responders develop practical, sustainable resilience through workshops and a 12-week immersive experience. We don’t preach. We train. We guide warriors through tools that strengthen the body, focus the mind and rebuild recovery without adding extra weight to their lives.
This isn’t just another wellness talk. It's strength. It’s breath. It’s mindset. It’s action.
Departments need more than an outside voice, they need internal leaders who carry the torch. That’s why we offer a Train-the-Trainer track, equipping select staff to bring the Soleful Warrior principles in-house.
With it, the program becomes part of the culture — not just another training. And when wellness lives in the culture, it impacts the team, the family, and the community.
Set It Down
So here’s the question, what are you carrying right now that you no longer need?
Old expectations? Past trauma? Shame for struggling? The pressure to be everything to everyone?
You don’t have to carry it all. You’re allowed to set some of it down.
Resilience is not about being tougher. It’s about being smarter, lighter and more prepared for the journey ahead.
If you or your department is ready to take that step, we’re here to walk it with you.
Let’s build warriors who know the strength of letting go.
Adam Boyd is a former SWAT operator, detective, and ultra runner with over a decade in law enforcement. After losing his father to cancer at 33 and two fellow officers to early heart attacks, he dedicated his life to building first responder resilience. Adam holds multiple wellness certifications, including Wim Hof Method and T-SAC, and has trained SWAT and first responders around the nation. He now leads holistic programs focused on performance, recovery, and mental toughness. He is the founder of Soleful Training www.solefultraining.com
