AJH is built by athletes, researchers, and advocates who understand this problem from the inside. Meet the people behind the mission.

We’re proud of where we’ve been and even more excited for what’s ahead.

What sets us apart isn’t just our process—it’s the intention behind it.

We take time to understand, explore, and create with purpose at every turn.

ian mccall

Founder and CEO

Ian McCall is a former UFC title contender, lifelong martial artist, and founder of Athletes Journey Home — an organization born from his personal experience navigating the highs of elite competition and the difficult transition that follows when identity, purpose, and structure suddenly change.

Competing at the highest levels of mixed martial arts, Ian built his career on discipline, resilience, and relentless pursuit of excellence. Known for his technical skill, creativity, and warrior mindset inside the cage, he achieved international recognition as one of the world’s top flyweight fighters. But like many elite athletes, the greatest challenges began not during competition, but afterward.

Years of physical strain, injuries, and the psychological weight of performance exposed a reality rarely discussed in professional sports: when competition ends, many athletes are left without the systems, community, or identity that once defined their lives. The transition away from high-performance environments can bring isolation, loss of direction, and struggles with mental health — experiences Ian faced firsthand.

Rather than allowing those challenges to define his next chapter, Ian began a deeper journey focused on recovery, self-awareness, and rebuilding purpose beyond achievement. Through mentorship, personal development, movement practices, and community connection, he discovered that healing and growth require more than physical recovery — they require belonging, honest conversation, and intentional support.

Athletes Journey Home was created from that realization.

Ian founded AJH to provide a space where athletes, veterans, and high-performing individuals can reconnect with themselves after periods of intense performance or life transition. The organization focuses on mental clarity, identity rebuilding, and sustainable personal growth, helping individuals move from survival mode into a renewed sense of purpose.

As Founder and CEO, Ian leads with vulnerability and lived experience. His approach rejects the traditional “tough it out alone” mentality often found in performance cultures, replacing it with accountability, connection, and long-term wellness. He believes strength is not only measured by endurance in competition, but by the courage to evolve afterward.

Today, Ian continues to advocate for athlete mental health, transitional support systems, and community-driven recovery models. Through Athletes Journey Home, he works to ensure that no athlete or high performer feels lost once the spotlight fades — and that every individual has a path back to clarity, purpose, and home.

A man with a mustache and short dark hair wearing black glasses and a black sweatshirt with orange text and graphics, standing outdoors near a boxing ring with ropes and a wooden barrier, surrounded by green foliage and string lights.

Meet the Team

  • A man with a shaved head, wearing a gray shirt and a smartwatch, stands with hands clasped, looking down, in front of a blurred wall with three framed pictures.

    Andy Walshe

    Chief Performance Officer

    A globally recognized leader and expert in the field of elite human performance, his experience runs the gamut of human performance - the research and training of all aspects of human performance for individuals, teams, and large organizations in sport, culture, military, and business settings. His work to demystify talent has led him on a mission to hack human performance and to share his learnings for the betterment of society.

    Andy’s passion is anything to do with the ocean, in particular surfing. That, and chasing his twin girls about. Preferably in and around the sea.

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    Joe Vaughan

    Global Head of Media & Partnerships

    Joe Vaughan leads global media strategy and partnerships for Athletes Journey Home, helping expand the organization’s reach and amplify its mission worldwide. With a background in media development, storytelling, and strategic collaboration, Joe focuses on building meaningful partnerships that connect athletes and communities to resources that support long-term well-being.

    Joe believes storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for healing and awareness. Through partnerships, content initiatives, and global outreach, he works to ensure the stories of recovery, resilience, and transformation reach those who need them most.

  • A man with a beard and short hair holding a bottle, standing outdoors near a vehicle, with a person wearing a yellow safety vest in the background.

    Nige Netzband

    Program Support & Scientific Coordinator

    Nige Netzband supports program development and scientific initiatives for Athletes Journey Home. Passionate about creating welcoming environments for growth and connection, Nige helps facilitate experiences that encourage individuals to step into recovery with confidence and support.

    His role focuses on strengthening the community aspect of AJH—ensuring participants feel seen, supported, and connected throughout their journey. Nige believes meaningful change happens through shared experience and authentic human connection.

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    Meghan Afonkin

    Integration Coach & Movement Specialist

    Meghan Afonkin specializes in helping individuals reconnect with their bodies through intentional movement, nervous system regulation, and integrative coaching practices. Her work bridges physical training and emotional recovery, supporting athletes and clients as they transition from high-stress performance environments into balanced, sustainable lifestyles.

    At Athletes Journey Home, Meghan guides participants through movement-based practices designed to restore confidence, improve mental clarity, and rebuild trust between mind and body. Her approach emphasizes awareness, resilience, and long-term wellness rather than short-term performance outcomes.

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    Mark "The Shark" irwin

    Operations Support

    Mark "The Shark" Irwin is a former Bare Knuckle Boxing world champion who built his reputation on grit, discipline, and a relentless fighting style.

    After his competitive career, Mark turned toward the athletes living with the long-term effects of head trauma. At Athletes Journey Home, he helps advance research into psychedelic-assisted therapies for traumatic brain injury and post-concussion symptoms — work that includes brain imaging and blood analysis before and after treatment so that neurological change can be measured rather than assumed.

    Today, Mark is known as much for his advocacy as his championship: a leader in brain injury research and a driving force behind giving athletes a path to recovery and purpose beyond competition.

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    Clinton Foshee

    Operations Support

    Clinton Foshee is a former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World and Pan American Champion and amateur MMA fighter. Today, he is an integration coach, entrepreneur, father of five, Realtor, and host of The Front Porch Chronicles, where he has honest conversations about healing, resilience, purpose, and personal growth.

    After navigating childhood trauma, profound loss, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury, Clinton found himself searching for something deeper than simply surviving. Athletes Journey Home became a pivotal part of that journey, providing the support, community, and space to reconnect with himself, process years of unresolved pain, and begin transforming his experiences into a sense of purpose.

    Today, Clinton combines his lived experience, athletic background, and training in integration coaching to support others on their own healing journeys. He believes healing isn’t about erasing the past—it’s about learning to carry it differently. His mission is to help people reconnect with themselves, discover meaning in their struggles, and realize that our greatest wounds can become our greatest source of strength and service.

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    Jason "Hendo" Henderson

    Advisor

    Master Chief Jason "Hendo" Henderson (U.S. Navy SEAL, Ret.) spent more than 30 years as a Tier One operator, completing 16 combat deployments and leading elite teams through complex, high-risk missions worldwide.

    Since retiring in 2020, he has redirected those lessons toward leadership formation. He is the CEO of North Star Group, a Catholic ministry serving combat veterans, and the founder of The Wintermen. He also advises leaders and organizations, first responders, and professional athletes on physical security, de-escalation, and self-regulation through Henderson Security Consultancy and Four Pillars Collective.

  • A man with a beard smiling, wearing a black shirt with 'MAREK HEALTH' printed on it, in a gym with blurred weights in the background.

    Mike Stratton

    Athlete Coordinator

    Mike Stratton is a founder, entrepreneur, and advocate for advancing innovative approaches to brain health, mental wellness, and human performance. As a founding supporter of Athlete's Journey Home, he is dedicated to helping former athletes access emerging therapies and contributing to research focused on traumatic brain injury (TBI), mental health, and long-term quality of life.

    Through Athlete's Journey Home, Mike supports initiatives that explore the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapies and other novel interventions for former professional athletes facing the lasting effects of concussion, TBI, depression, anxiety, and related challenges.

    His work is driven by a belief that science, compassion, and innovation can create meaningful pathways for healing, resilience, and transformation. oes here

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    Taylor Shupe

    Business Strategy Support

    Taylor Shupe is a serial entrepreneur and manufacturing innovator. In 2009, he co-founded Stance Inc., serving as Chief Product Officer, and launched FutureStitch Inc., a knitting company built to challenge exploitative practices in the fashion industry. Its China facility holds the highest ecological LEED certification of any kni Officer for nearly a decade, ald.

    FutureStitch's mission is to end the incarceration cycle — most of its workers are women who have served time and are supported through meaningful wages, education, and empowerment programs. Its workers are women who have served time, and Taylor is fluent in Mandarin, holds a B.S. in Chinese from Brigham Young University, and serves on boards, according to the incarceration cycle — most of which are in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, including The Thirst Project.

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    Ryan Gibbs

    Graphic Design

    Ryan Gibbs is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Major whose service included operations leadership and foreign advisory work. He was medically retired following traumatic brain injuries sustained during his time in service. After transitioning out of the military, he moved into design and education, and now leads brand and digital design for Athletes Journey Home, where he assisted in building the organization's website, visual identity, and communications materials. He also serves as a Senior Marine Instructor, mentoring high school cadets in leadership and character development.

    A lifelong fan of combat sports, Ryan grew up wrestling and is an unapologetic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu nerd — drawn to the sport as much for what it teaches off the mat as on it.

    His work at AJH is personal. Having lived the transition out of a high-performance career and the long tail of brain injury, he's invested in an organization pursuing new approaches to TBI and PTSD — and in making sure the way AJH presents itself earns the trust of the people it's trying to reach.

  • Matthew Morton

    Matthew Morton

    Coach

    Matthew Morton is a 30-year-old professional bare-knuckle boxer from the UK and a coach with Athletes Journey Home, specializing in integration and coaching.

    "For a long time, my life was a fight—but not just in the ring. I battled addiction, chaos, and a mind that never felt still. On the outside, I looked tough, but inside, I was searching for purpose, peace, and a reason to keep moving forward.

    Recently, I traveled to Colombia with Athletes Journey Home and took part in the LaWayra ayahuasca retreat. It became one of the most pivotal moments of my life. Working with psychedelic medicine in a safe, supported environment, something shifted in me. It wasn't about escaping reality—it was about finally facing it with honesty, courage, and faith. I was able to look at my past, understand it, and release a lot of the weight I'd carried for years.

    Since returning, I feel mentally healthier than I have in a long time. I live with more clarity, more purpose, and a deeper connection to God and to the path I'm meant to walk. What LaWayra and Athletes Journey Home gave me is more than an experience—it's a second chance at life, and a community that feels like family.

    Because of this journey, I've decided to dedicate my future to helping others. This September I'll begin studying natural medicine and training to become a psychedelic integration coach through the College of Natural Medicine. My fight now isn't just in the ring—it's about healing, growth, and helping other people find their way home too.

  • A woman with braided hair, tattoos on her arms, wearing a baseball cap and a black t-shirt, standing in front of a black chain-link fence and smiling.

    Daria Albers

    Coach

    Daria Albers is a mental performance coach, former professional fighter, and expert in psychology, mindfulness, and peak performance. She works globally with UFC fighters, Special Operations Forces, elite athletes, and high-level executives — helping them stay calm under pressure, sharpen focus, and perform with clarity when it matters most.

    With a background in physical therapy, psychology, MBSR, MBCT, and systemic theory, she integrates science, embodiment, and awareness into a deeply practical approach to mental training. Her work is grounded in values, personal responsibility, and presence, with a strong focus on attention training, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation.

    Daria guides her clients to break limiting patterns, develop self-mastery, and build a mind that is stable, adaptable, and resilient under pressure.

    Known for working side by side with those she coaches, she brings her experience not only as a mental performance coach but also as an MMA coach — walking with her clients through adversity, growth, and the pursuit of excellence. Her journey from fighter to coach reflects the essence of her work: discipline, humility, transformation, and heart.