who we are

empowering post-9/11 combat veterans to thrive since 2007

Warriors & Quiet Waters empowers post-9/11 combat veterans and their loved ones to thrive and live purpose-driven lives through peak experiences in nature and evidence-based programs that foster growth, discovery, connection, and community.

Built for More: A 9-Month Journey

Phase 1: Initial Experience

Veterans travel to Montana for their first immersive week in nature

Introduction to WQW's community, guided discovery, and immersion in nature

Learn a new skill: Fly fishing, archery hunting, or photography

Phase 2: Discovery Phase

Virtual support and continued engagement from home

Goal-setting, growth challenges, and ongoing connection with cohort

Sustained relationship with WQW staff and fellow veterans

Phase 3: Capstone Experience

Cohort reunites for a culminating week

Celebrate growth, deepen skills, and solidify community bonds and solidify bonds with their new tribe

Warriors complete Built for More with their own Purpose Statement and Roadmap as their new North Star

Phase 4: engagement for life

Regional events engage Warriors and their loved ones close to home

Virtual fly-tying and rod-building courses help alumni build new skills and connection with others

Volunteer opportunities provide Alumni with a chance to serve their peers

The Warriors & Quiet Waters podcast reinforces Built for More concepts

Built for More Track Options

Three Paths, One Mission

FLY FISHING TRACK

With stunning nature and the thrill of a new skillset, fly fishing offers the ideal outlet and a proven path to peace.

The Initial Experience of our Fishing Track takes place at Quiet Waters Ranch in Montana, including a week of learning to fly-fish, connecting with their cohort, and the beginning of their Built for More journey.
The Fishing Track culminates in a Capstone Experience, where veterans will reunite in-person with their cohort for another week-long immersion in nature to share and celebrate personal and collective growth.
We go where the fishing is good.
We mostly fish the legendary waters of Southwest Montana, but some cohorts hit Everglades salt water, North Dakota ice, and new locations yet to come.

People boating on a lake with snow-capped mountains in the background.

hunting track

A robust challenge, archery hunting provides a deeper difficulty and rigorous but achievable physical demands - just what a small subset of participants need.

The Hunting Track consists of three separate weeks in Montana with the cohort.
During the first week, veterans receive all hunting gear and get started on the physical, mental, and spiritual journey of becoming an archery hunter.
On the second visit, participants will enter an intensive “boot camp” designed to reconnect with their cohort and dial in archery, hunting, and field-craft skills.
For the third and final week in the Fall, participants reunite with part of their cohort for a week-long hunt in Montana.
Throughout this entire journey, veterans forge deep connections with their cohort and complete their personal growth journey online.
We go where the hunting is good.
We owe our hunting locations to the generosity of donors who share their land.
Currently, most hunts launch from Montana, but we’re open to new locations.

Close-up of archery equipment and a woman with sunglasses holding a bow and arrow outdoors on grass.

PHOTOGRAPHY track

A way to give back, the photography track allows warriors to capture the journey - and inspire future participation.

The Built for More Photography Track is powered by the Wounded Warrior Project®.

Participants learn photography from the best in the business while being immersed in nature and the start of their journey of self-discovery.
The Photography Track also involves an additional third week in-person, where veterans will return to Montana to photograph other Warriors’ experiences in the program prior to returning for your Capstone Photography Experience.
Participants work directly under Mike MacLeod, one of the most published military photographers of the last 20 years. From 2009–2013, he served as a combat correspondent with the 82nd Airborne Division, with tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2013, Mike and his wife, Barbara, have photographed almost every Warrior nature experience.

Our Differentiators

- Staff and volunteers include post-9/11 combat veterans and military spouses
- Dedicated team with an ethic of service and volunteerism
- Evidence-based, 9-month transformational journey and alumni engagement for life
- Not just a good week—lasting change through sustained engagement
- Rocky Mountain West setting is integral to the experience
- Nature-based healing in rivers, mountains, and wide-open spaces
- Results independently verified by Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF)
- Real data proving lasting transformation

evidence-based impact

Built for More outcomes are independently measured by Syracuse University's D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF).

3x

increase in Warriors' sense of purpose and thriving

2x

increase in feeling supported and encouraged

10x

increase in life coherence

10x

reduction in sugar intake

view full report

A Lifelong Community

The Built for More journey doesn't end at Capstone. Warriors become part of a lifelong alumni network—staying connected, supporting each other, and returning to mentor future cohorts. WQW isn't a program veterans pass through; it's a community they belong to.