Founder Story
THE HERO PROTOCOL
By Jacek Waliszewski
Special Forces Warrant Officer 3 | Founder, The Hero Protocol, LLC
Personal Story*
After nearly two decades in Special Operations—including 20 deployments around the world, training over 2,500 partner forces, working with and leading some of the best and brightest soldiers on the planet—I thought I knew what to expect from the battlefield.
But in 2021, as part of the last Special Forces team out of Afghanistan, an explosion hit me harder than any I’d experienced before. The next morning, I sat down to eat oatmeal, but the oatmeal kept falling out of my mouth. I got angry at the oatmeal—until I realized something chilling: I was unable to use my tongue to eat. It was as if it had become disconnceted from my brain, and for the next several days, I watched as everything fell out of my mouth—food, water, toothpaste... even words.
As a ten-year Special Forces Medic, then a Special Forces Warrant Officer, I’d treated traumas on four continents. I'd also learned that every Operator secretly wonders what their ending will be. A bullet? A bomb? A crash? But my ending—not being able to chew or speak without intentional effort—wasn’t something I had expected, or knew how to stitch or splint back together. There was something going on in my brain, that was for sure, and it wasn’t going away like my prior Traumatic Brain Injuries.
This time, it was getting worse.
THE QUIET COLLAPSE
What followed was a slow multi-year unraveling: I returned home with Brain fog. Memory loss. Mood swings. A stutter I'd never had. I couldn’t find my car keys. I forgot how to do laundry. I lost track of what I’d said mid-sentence. Sometimes, one day felt like a month, and other times, one month felt like a day. My work performance cratered, and I was moved to a desk.
Inevitably, my marriage ended, and my ex-wife told me more than once:
“You came back a different man. Angrier. Lost.”
But I denied it, in truth, becuase I was terrified of what it meant.
Eventually, the Army sat me down as well. Even though I had been moved to a low-stress desk, I had stopped coming to work, I stared blankly at the computer when I did show up, I forgot to shave, I didn't even know where my uniform was. I was told to go to the TBI clinic, and after extensive testing, I was shown where my cognitive function had declined below operational levels. These were my test results for my balance test, and my scores suggested vestibular challenges [VEST], which lined up with why I often felt unsteady, dizzy, and had fallen down multiple stairs and regularly walked into doorways, instead of through them.*
Vestibular Balance Test October 2023*:
*
[Grey = national average. Red are my results. Composite = Average. VEST = Vestibular]
*Disclaimer:
The statements, test results, and experiences described above reflect my personal journey and are anecdotal in nature. They were not part of a controlled clinical study and should not be interpreted as medical claims or scientific evidence. Individual results will vary. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.*
But the treatments at the TBI clinic weren’t working, so early medical retirement was recommended. I was conflicted. I had given the best years of my life to the Army, and now I was facing the worst kind of exit: silently injured, unseen, and mentally fractured.
"And what do I do when I get out?" I asked. "My brain will still be damaged."
Their advice?
“Carry a notebook so you don't forget things, talk slower, and make sure to hold the handrail. Oh.. and don't worry, we'll get it documented in your VA claim.”
It felt like a white flag. But I was a Green Beret, and Green Beret's don’t surrender—we complete the mission or die trying. I didn’t want a VA claim… I wanted to feel like myself again. So my new mission became clear: I had to find what worked for me.
THE REAL FIGHT
Special Forces training taught me to improvise, adapt, and solve problems behind enemy lines. So I started my new fight in the same way. But there was nothing in the civilian world that could help me. After all, my situation was very unique. I'd deployed more than twenty times, spent half my life working in high stress environments, fueled by caffeine and adrenaline and often after midnight, had jumped out of airplanes and helicopters (and fallen out of a few), driven snowmobiles up mountains, ATVs across ranges, lived with Inuits in Alaska in the winter, and Kenyans in Africa in the summer, and had multiple adventures, injuries, and surgeries to show for it. I also had more concussions, TBIs, and micro-TBIs than I could count—I had once stood in front of my house for five minutes 'beeping' my car FOB to open the front house door, and got annoyed that the car was honking before I realized what was happening.
But those injuries had gone away or been fixed with surgery. This time, I was struggling beyond measure, and I was too embarrased to tell anyone.
I literally had to create something new and unique for myself, because it turns out I was like no other patient any doctor knew how to help. I was also motivated by the fact that I was trying to save my own life, and my two sons were depending on me to be there for them, so I had no other choice but to double down and never take "no" for an answer. Because the alternative was worse.*
I researched everything I could on cognitive decline, inflammation, neuroplasticity, and nutrient gaps. I read slow, and often three times over, because I couldn't remember anything, and I took notes on a whiteboard in my living room—it did me no good to write things down in a notebook because I couldn't remember what I had written down. My symptoms felt similar to patterns I’d read about in age-related or neurological conditions, adrenaline cascades, mood imbalance, and physical cognitive imbalance — but I never had an official diagnosis. What I experienced was unique to me.*
I reached out to professionals around the world who could answer questions in each category—doctors, nutritionists, scientists, some that I had worked with, others who I introduced myself to—and I drew on my own Special Forces Medic training, rooted in the theory that if you solve the problem, then the symptoms go away on their own—because the body naturally wants to return to balance.
And when I was done mapping my symptoms, I had a huge Venn diagram on the whiteboard, and a new target to get after. And get after it I did.
I EXPERIMENTED. I TESTED. I TRACKED. I REFINED.
I apologized for the stutters, for missing appointments I didn't remember having, and for failing at work day after day after day. I spent thousands of dollars in self-discovery and research.... and learned some amazing things.
I found out that a brain is literally built from fat, and a huge chunk of that fat is made of phospholipids that depend on omega-3s like DHA to stay strong and flexible. The problem is, the average American barely gets any DHA, about 100mg a day, while some studies suggest higher intake may better support brain health. On top of that, I learned that a lot of cheap fish supplements don’t actually absorb well, or have high purity, and rely on small technical font to hide key facts, like serving sizes, so the numbers on the label didn’t always match what I thought I was getting. That means I was probably walking around with low omega-3 levels with an already damaged brain.
What surprised me most is that new research shows high-dose DHA reaches the brain in meaningful amounts and has been studied for its role in supporting cognitive health, and, a study of U.S. soldiers found that those with the lowest levels of DHA, were more likely to die by suicide than those with higher levels (1) and Researchers in the U.K. found that women with Alzheimer’s had lower levels of omega-3 fats compared to healthy women (2). This suggests omega-3s may play a role in supporting brain health.* (More studies are needed to know if boosting omega-3 intake can directly help, but keeping levels up is considered part of overall healthy living.)
I aimed these studies at my "Venn diagram whiteboard target." I then set out to find supplements that might help each category. A month later, I had created a multi-pill Protocol—with high quality DHA focused Omega-3s, specifically focused vitamins (Like D, K, and others), a mushroom medley (not psilocybin), and a NAD mix. (I don’t recommend others copy this without speaking to a professional.)
MY APPROACH
Most recommended daily intakes are designed for the average healthy adult, but I and my life experience has been far from average. I was a 40 year old male, 5'10" and 195 pounds, I could bench press 250lbs, squat 350lbs, and dead lift 450lbs while still running 14-minute 2 miles. I could go without food for weeks (thank you SERE school.) I had known 5 languages at one point (but those had faded after the TBI), and I had operated at peak performance in some of the world's most demanding environments for years. In fact, I had been selected by the Army specifically for my ability to do these things. That already placed me in less than 0.01% of the U.S. military — and when you expand that to the regular civilian population, I represented about 1 in a million Americans, or roughly 0.0001%. In other words, I was skeptical the ‘recommended dose' for the general population had practical application for me, so I approached myself as a test subject and the dosing as a reference point.
But more importantly, what did I have to lose? My brain was already fading, I was about to get kicked out of the Army, treatements at the TBI center weren't working, I was tired of falling down stairs, and I had run out of options.
So I focused on the Omegas based on what I already knew about their benefits. When I interned at Tampa General as a Special Forces Medic-to-be, I had a conversation with a doctor that stayed with me. He told me that although he couldn’t prescribe it—because it wasn’t FDA-studied—he sometimes encouraged families of coma patients to ask about Omega-3s. He mentioned doses as high as 10 grams a day for a week, but emphasized this was simply his personal observation, not a medical treatment.
I never forgot that, and I later ran the numbers on my whiteboard. I then learned that the human brain contains on the order of ~70 grams of Omega-3 fatty acids. To me, that felt symbolic—almost like the idea of giving my brain a steady monthly refresh roughly equal to what it naturally holds. It wasn’t a prescription or a protocol handed down from a doctor—it was just the way I personally chose to frame my own nutrition.*
I looked at the numbers like an oil change. Instead of waiting every 3 months or 5,000 miles, I wanted to give my brain fresh building blocks every night so things had the chance to run more smoothly, so I went with 2,250mg of Omega's a night, to achieve ~70 grams in a month (any more a day gave me an upset stomach.) That was just how I made sense of it for myself, and I adjusted my other supplements in the same way, and in those cases, I found the recommended doses worked well for me.*
There have since been early case reports and small clinical series where researchers explored the use of high-dose Omega-3s after severe brain injury. (They observed some encouraging outcomes, but these reports are not proof of benefit, and Omega-3s are not an approved treatment for comas or TBIs. I mention them only because they show that others have been curious about the same connection that caught my attention years ago.*)
In short order, I created a 6-pill Protocol, with a high dose of Omega-3s, and I took them all in the morning. And while I felt a little better, I found myself having a hard time taking the protocol regularly (opening up all the bottles, taking them, closing them up, remembering to order new ones—it was tedious and my mind couldn't manage it.) So I got a 30-day pill calendar, and pre-loaded each day. I then had to go on TDY, so I needed something that could travel with me, so I found a 7-Day travel calendar. These helped me keep track of my needs and progress. But, I was also tired of the vitamin making me feel sick in the mornings (that nauseous feeling when taking a vitamin on an empty stomach), so I switched to taking the Protocol at night, right before bed, figuring if I was going to feel nauseous, I might as well be asleep so it wouldn't matter.
The next morning I felt better for five minutes. The morning after that was sharper still. By the end of the week, I noticed small changes, and over time, I felt steadier on my feet and more clear-headed, and by the end of the month, I noticed the stutter I’d developed from the TBI had started to fade.* (These were just my experiences, and results will vary.*)
And then it hit me. A true Eureka moment.
TIMING WAS THE MISSING COMPONENT.
Marathon runners don't carb load the morning of the run... they do it in the days leading up to it. So why would someone take supplements in the morning, when their brain is expected to run a marathon every day? And here I was, trying to run with a broken brain... which made running a marathon, even for a mile or a minute, theoretically impossible.*
THE BRAIN'S VERY OWN CLEANING SYSTEM
So I did more research—it didn't hurt that my sister was completing her PhD—and she told me scientists had only recently discovered that the brain has its own unique waste-clearance pathway, called the glymphatic system (identified in 2012 by researchers at the University of Rochester). This system helps wash away byproducts that build up during the day, and it’s most active when you’re in deep sleep. Think of it as the brain’s natural "garbage men" or "night shift janitors" tidying up so the streets or offices can be clean and more functional in the daytime.*
After further research, I learned that the glymphatic system had been studied in stroke and head injury patients. Some scientists have suggested that dysfunction in this system could potentially contribute to symptoms like brain fog, imbalance, low mood, poor sleep, and difficulty focusing. As someone with a lifetime of TBIs, that idea resonated with me. I also realized I wasn’t even giving my glymphatic system a fair chance, since I was only getting a few hours of broken sleep at night.
In my personal journey, I decided to take my Protocol specifically an hour before going to bed. The next day, I felt better—and I even remembered having a dream for the first time in nearly five years. (This was simply my own experience. Everyone’s body is different, and what worked for me may not work the same way for anyone else.*)
NEW TESTS. NEW HOPE.
A few months later, I rushed back to the clinic and I asked them to re-run all my tests because I had stopped falling down stairs.*
[Gray = national average. Red and Green = me. Composite = Average. VEST = Vestibular]*
*Disclaimer:
The statements, test results, and experiences described above reflect my personal journey and are anecdotal in nature. They were not part of a controlled clinical study and should not be interpreted as medical claims or scientific evidence. Individual results will vary. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.*
In my balance tests, my composite score increased by 50%—from 48 to 72—and my Vestibular score improved by 130%, rising from 30 to 69.* During that period, it should be noted that I wasn’t attending balance therapy due to the adverse reactions I experienced in October (nausea, migraines, anger, confusion.)
But that's not all. These are my cognitive processing speeds in the similar time window.
These results reflect my individual performance on standardized cognitive tests… before and after a period of Integrated Metronome Training (IMT). During that same period, I was also taking The Hero Protocol. My scores improved beyond the average gains, though I can’t attribute the changes to any single factor. Many variables were at play.*
My cognitive improvements:
- Processing Speed (WAIS-IV): 114 → 129 (+15 points, +13.2%, 82nd → 97th percentile)*
- Visual Response Control (IVA-2): 57 → 99 (+42 points, +74%)*
- Auditory Attention (IVA-2): 79 → 109 (+30 points, +38%)*
When I asked for clarity, the doctors shook their heads—they couldn’t explain why my results had improved across so many areas, especially in the areas I had struggled with so much; balance and cognition speed. In my personal experience, it felt like parts of my brain were reconnecting, and my processing speeds across several key functions seemed to improve. Despite not knowing why things had improved so drastically, I was ecstatic. And while I can’t claim that The Protocol treated or influenced any of my injuries or symptoms, what I can say is that it was the only supplement system I consistently took between October 2023 and April 2024, during the same period that I personally noticed these changes.*
WHY I MADE THIS PUBLIC
Let me be clear: I didn’t invent the Protocol to sell it. I built it to stay alive and keep myself from fading into the shadows any more that I already was. But when I realized what I had created might help others in my Special Operations community (many have similar deployment cycles and injury patterns as I had experienced, and I had a few military friends commit suicide) my Special Forces Medic training kicked in and I knew I had to share it with my brothers in arms. So I filed for patent protection and sent a few protocols to other Special Operators, so long as they promised not to tell anyone about it, because I was still skeptical.
FROM ONE OPERATOR TO ANOTHER
Some were overseas. Some stateside. But those who tried it shared their own personal stories — things like feeling clearer, lower stress and yelling at their kids less, or noticing they weren’t word-searching as much in conversation. (These were their personal anecdotes, and they may not reflect typical results.*)
And then they asked if they could get another round of the Protocol.
PROTOCOL FOR ALL
I originally designed the Protocol for myself, then as a need-to-know system for Special Operators. But I soon realized I might be able to help more people—Firefighters, First responders, football players, MMA fighters, entrepreneurs, even executives and overworked parents—anyone who relies on their brains to perform under pressure... and win. In a moment of introspection, I recognized that while I'd been extremely fortunate to have the Special Forces community and doctors behind me in my time of need, many people face their fights alone, and often, in silence. So I named my Protocol "The Hero Protocol" because if someone depends on another person to perform at their best—a team, a patient, or a family member, then they are the Hero.
THE HERO PROTOCOL's MISSION
The Hero Protocol's Mission became very clear:*
1. To help someone be more present with their family—because I had lost mine.*
2. To help someone regain clarity and peace—because I had suffered in silence for far too long.*
3. To help someone remember an event, birthday, or important anniversary before they're told it has passed, and before they beat themselves up for missing it—because I had forgotten too many of them on far too many occasions.*
4. And to help someone reclaim a piece of themselves—because I know what it feels like when you’re disappearing and no one can help you. I also know what it feels like to be told you'll never get better—because I was told that, too, and it was terrifying.*
If I can do that, then Mission Complete. Even if I never meet them, or you.*
INGREDIENTS
The Hero Protocol is a specific blend of targeted nutrients to be taken at a specific time, and is safe to travel with because it is a nutritional supplement (treated like any other vitamin, no prescription needed). It is also tailored to be easy to use and keep track of with calendars, dry powdered to make it easier for transport and storage (TDY and deployments), and designed to be user-useful (because there's so much else going on in life, and I didn't want riddles, I wanted easy to follow instructions.) In doing all these things, The Hero Protocol may support healthy brain function, a healthy inflammatory response, and overall mental resilience.*
It is comprised of:
- High-dose Omega-3s with an emphasis on supporting neurological function and overall cognitive wellness, with +2 grams in a daily serving (to achieve ~70g a month)*
- A unique Mushroom Medley (not psilocybin a.k.a. "magic mushrooms") selected to support restful sleep and cognitive well-being.*
- NAD-support ingredients, designed to help maintain healthy cellular energy and metabolic function*
- A robust Multivitamin blend to help cover daily nutritional gaps.*
- A practical Dry-powder format, designed to reduce the risk of spoilage or leaking and make it easier to take consistently.*
- An easy to use App to measure your progress and play brain games (pending).*
But again, as with all things in life, there are no guarantees and no promises, nor are there with The Hero Protocol. None at all. The Hero Protocol is not a miracle pill and it’s not a treatment—when I’m inconsistent with it, or don't load my calendar, I noticed some of my old issues creeping back, but when I take it consistently, I feel more like myself.
It know it helped me. And it helped my friends. And when I told them I wanted to provide it to the greater population, they all echoed the same thing:
“Make a company, and let me know when it launches. I’ll be your first customer.”
But now, knowing my friends and family were going to use The Hero Protocol, I doubled down and focused on quality. I had been happy to experiment on myself, but now I had the responsibility of "doing no harm" to others. So I refined the data, studied the ingredients, and imported the DHA Omega-3s from France because of the higher purity and bio availability (4). Once those things were set, I made sure that each batch would be manufactured in the U.S., and every ingredient tested with a robust QAQC. I even took the extra step of partnering with StrongScience to ensure 3rd party compliance and verification because in a world of imports and profit seekers, some companies and suppliers cut corners. There were simply too many low end products on the market with fancy marketing, or hoping you won't do the math on the serving sizes to realize how little benefit you might actually be getting—I refused to use any of those ingredients or play those marketing games, because my primary metrics were quality, trust, and clarity—not profit.
And in the fall of 2025, The Hero Protocol was officially released...
IN CLOSING
I take The Hero Protocol nightly because I personally feel it supports me (it’s actually the only supplement I take because the Omega-3, vitamin, mushroom, and NAD blend supports my needs as an "all-in-one."). I also travel everywhere with it. In my personal experience, the Protocol was one of the factors that gave me enough steadiness to stay in my career in Special Operations, but a few years later, I feel it also helped me write a few books, graduate from Oxford University, and reconnect with my friends and family in a way I hadn’t before— with a sense of calm and intentional presence. The contrast is amazing if you think about it, since just a few years earlier, I couldn’t manage my own grocery shopping, keep up with my kids’ soccer schedules, safely walk down stairs, or remember what was being said in a meeting, let alone what I had been tasked with doing.*
Whether The Hero Protocol will help you is unknown—everyone’s body and journey is different. If it does, great. If it doesn’t, then I accept that I wasn’t able to improve your situation. Just promise not to quit on yourself until you’ve found something that works for you, because every path is unique, and what works for one person might not work for another. I know this firsthand—I spent years searching for answers that didn’t seem to exist until I found what worked for me.*
Sincerely,
Jacek
*Disclaimer:
The statements, test results, and experiences described above reflect my personal journey and are anecdotal in nature. They were not part of a controlled clinical study and should not be interpreted as medical claims or scientific evidence. Individual results will vary. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.*
Copyright & Usage Clause – The Hero Protocol
Copyright © 2025 Jacek Waliszewski / The Hero Protocol, LLC. All rights reserved. The Hero Protocol name, brand, product materials, founder’s story, and all related written, visual, and digital content are the exclusive intellectual property of Jacek Waliszewski and The Hero Protocol, LLC.
No part of this story, branding, product descriptions, marketing copy, or associated materials may be reproduced, adapted, distributed, transmitted, or used in any form without the express written permission of the copyright holder. Unauthorized use, including replication for commercial, promotional, or derivative purposes, is strictly prohibited and will be subject to enforcement under applicable law
References/Citations:
1. Lewis MD, Hibbeln JR, Johnson JE, et al. Suicide deaths of active-duty US military and omega-3 fatty-acid status: a case-control comparison. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, December 2011. Epub ahead of print August 23, 2011. Findings: each standard deviation decrease in serum DHA was associated with a 14 % increase in suicide risk (adjusted OR 1.14; 95 % CI 1.02–1.27; P < .03); notably, among men, those with DHA < 1.75 % had a 62 % greater risk compared to those with DHA ≥ 1.75 % (adjusted OR 1.62; 95 % CI 1.12–2.34; P < .01)
2. Edison P, Kalafati M, et al. Plasma lipidomics identifies sex-specific lipid alterations in Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Published August 2024. Study reported by King’s College London and Fox News: Fox News Health.
3. Nelson, Lonnie A., et al. “Effects of Interactive Metronome Therapy on Cognitive Functioning After Blast-Related Brain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. Neuropsychology, 23 Sept. 2013, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034117) And while my results were higher, individual outcomes will vary.
4. AvailOm Omega-3, studies available through ChemPoint.