Imagine spending close to 250 days away from your family every year, under the constant pressure of grueling training and extended deployments, then suddenly returning home to family life. The transition is jarring and puts extraordinary stress on SEAL families. To help them reconnect, build fortitude and heal, the C4 Foundation created the F.R.O.G. Program (Families building Resilience through Optimism and Gratitude), a nature-based, neuroscience-backed solution that includes six categories.
Warrior Reset Program
Whether a SEAL/SWCC is in the training pipeline to deployment, just returning from deployment, or at a training command, they decompress during this three-day program. Warriors focus on rejuvenating both mind and body as they learn new tools to manage stress on the battlefield and at home. We enlist clinical specialists in the fields of behavioral neuroscience, performance breathwork, and physical therapy to work hands on with SEAL/SWCC participants. The program also includes several restorative activities such as yoga, meditation, cold plunge, sound therapy and neuromuscular massage. This coupled with ample time to explore the beautiful and tranquil setting of the C4 Ranch, is helping the high performing members of Naval Special Warfare return to their families as improved versions of themselves.
Spouse Reset Program
Mirroring many of the activities of the Warrior Reset Program, the Spouse Reset Program provides tools to help manage the particular stressors faced by the SEAL family. Beginning with an intention-setting exercise focused on healing, the program progresses with a workshop that centers on the practice and application of optimism and gratitude amidst the chaos of a busy and stress-filled life. This three-day schedule also includes access to clinical specialists in the fields of behavioral neuroscience, recovery breathwork, neuromuscular massage, yoga, meditation, nutrition, and fitness. This program all takes place within the serene and restorative natural setting of the C4 Ranch. As our warriors undergo continuous training and deployment cycles, this program serves to empower and support their spouses, helping them to maintain resilience and strength.
Couples Reset Program
SEAL/SWCC families experience a high rate of separation, all while enduring the stressful lifestyle of the Navy Special Operations Community. Aside from seeing their loved ones deploy to the most dangerous parts of the world, SEAL families experience training cycles that require operators to be away for over 250 days a year. This cycle can create anxiety, tension, and a lack of connection in the household leading up to deployment; all are feelings that only fester from the rigors of deployment. Supporting the mental and physical well-being of SEAL families is of paramount importance to the C4 Foundation. The SEAL couple must also be strong to persist through these complicated transitions. This is why the Couples Reset Program is an integral part of the F.R.O.G. Program. The carefully selected activities held at the Couples Reset Program are chosen to strengthen the connection and communication between SEAL couples, so that they leave the C4 Ranch with a renewed sense of closeness. This three-day program includes relationship gratitude roundtable discussions, couples massage, couples yoga and meditation, fostering communication workshops, and the opportunity to walk hand-in-hand in unparalleled scenery all without the pressure of the unceasing NSW schedule.
Family Retreat Program
At The C4 Foundation, our mission is to support active-duty Navy SEAL/SWCC families by fostering family resilience, family unity, and family communication through our F.R.O.G. Programs hosted at the spectacular C4 Ranch. A secluded cabin for a long weekend… hiking, fishing, horseback riding. Engaging with nature, reconnecting with family, the meaningful moments that create lasting memories and stronger bonds. This is the foundation of the Family Retreat Program. In this private three-day, two-night experience NSW families can take the kids on a treasure hunt with our geocache, roast marshmallows by the fire and look at the stars, play games by the fireplace, and explore the C4 Ranch and its numerous animals via side-by-side. The Family Retreat provides an uninterrupted space for forging connection that is often missing in the hectic lives of SEAL/SWCC Families.
Command Offsites
As a mission critical aspect of high-stakes training and deployment, Naval Special Warfare Commands and SEALs come together to solidify relationships and to discuss leadership and management strategies. These remote, private and confidential events are approved by Naval Special Warfare.
Speciality Workshops
At the C4 Foundation we pay close attention to the particular needs of the SEAL/SWCC community, and we are always striving to meet those needs. In addition to our traditional F.R.O.G. Program, and set in the wonderful landscape of the C4 Ranch, we offer numerous workshops and specialty programs to our SEAL families:
- NSW Kids Wilderness Survival Weekend
- C4 Fight Club with UFC Hall of Fame legend Bas Rutten
- Spiritual Retreats
- Family Planning Retreats
- Outdoor Survival and Archery Retreats
- Nutrition and Fitness Workshops
- Makers Workshops (woodworking, art, mechanical, gardening etc…)
- Animal Husbandry and Nature Conservancy
- New workshops are continuously being added
98%
SEALs reporting their visit to the C4 Ranch was meaningful
613
Number of Navy SEALs served through our F.R.O.G. Program in 2023
97%
SEALs saying they feel more connected to their families
The F.R.O.G. Program is conducted at the C4 Ranch, a private 560-acre sanctuary where SEAL families build fortitude against the stressors of the SEAL operator lifestyle. These decompression programs teach participants to practice mindfulness with optimism and gratitude. Integrating mind and body wellness, the F.R.O.G Program’s functional and rehabilitative exercises include sound therapy, neuromuscular massage, physical therapy, breathing classes, outdoor therapies, nutrition and more.
These decompression programs provide SEAL families with the tools to alleviate stress, immerse themselves in the healing properties of breathtaking natural surroundings, foster family communication and connection, recover and reset both mentally and physically, and practice the art of mindfulness with optimism and gratitude. The C4 Foundation F.R.O.G. Program promotes complete physiological wellness through functional and rehabilitative exercises and activities.
why your donation matters
Neuroscience tells us that nature is the heart of healing, accelerating the healthy transition and decompression from combat to home by 10x. We rely solely on donations like yours to fund the C4 Foundation, C4 Ranch and our F.R.O.G. Program (Families building Resilience through Optimism and Gratitude).
