Silouan Green
Speaker  Trainer  Guide

To find life I would have to stare down the barrel of a gun, survive a tragic jet crash as a US Marine, suffer bullying and abuse, fight off hallucinations and worse, and lay down every night to lucid dreams that seemed more real than life itself.

Writing helped exorcise my own demons. It became Who Am I? — told from the point of view of the child inside me who wanted to live when I wanted to die. I call him Samuel. His journey is mine, and it is probably a lot like yours.

During my service as a US Marine, the jet I was flying in crashed during training. I survived the ejection, but I broke my back and lost a fellow instructor in the accident. The physical injuries were serious, but the invisible injuries followed me much longer. I struggled with trauma, grief, anger, PTSD, and the loss of the future I thought I was building.

Like many strong people, I tried to push through it. I learned that determination alone is not always enough. Eventually, I reached a point where something had to change.

What followed was a long process of rebuilding. That journey included nearly two years traveling more than 20,000 miles by motorcycle, confronting the pain I had avoided, rediscovering faith, and slowly rebuilding a life rooted in connection, responsibility, purpose, and hope.

I did not emerge with a perfect life. I emerged with a deeper understanding of what helps people endure, recover, grow, and become useful again. This understanding became the foundation of my work.

My audiences have included military units, law enforcement agencies, fire and EMS departments, government organizations, corporate leaders, peer-support teams, churches, schools, families, and people rebuilding after trauma and loss.

I have had the privilege of working with organizations such as:

We usually remain stuck because the fear of the unknown is greater than the fear we are living. What I found on the other side was purpose, hope, and a life of peace and joy — and for more than twenty years since, I have spent my working life helping others find the same, in all fifty states, with thousands of people who carry heavy responsibility every day.

That work became The Ladder UPP, a data-driven life-skills program used by mental health organizations, peer support groups, hospitals, the Marine Corps, the Army, the Red Cross, the National Guard and the Veterans Administration.

I am an Orthodox Christian, a husband, and a father of nine. My faith shapes how I understand suffering, responsibility, healing, forgiveness, service, and hope. It has taught me that human beings are not problems to be managed. They are people worthy of dignity, truth, patience, and love.

My family has also taught me that the most important lessons are rarely learned on a stage. They are learned in ordinary life through showing up when you are tired, asking forgiveness when you are wrong, keeping your promises, remaining present during difficulty, and continuing to love people when life becomes complicated.

I do not teach from a place of having mastered every part of life. I teach as someone who has been broken, helped, challenged, forgiven, strengthened, and called to help others do the same.