The Permanent Mission: Lyubim Kogan on Resilience, Risk, and Reclaiming Purpose

There are conversations that feel reflective.

And then there are conversations that feel immediate.

This one is immediate.

Lyubim Kogan joins us with a story that spans Winter Olympics, 9/11, Wall Street, war zones, and ultimately a beach in Turkey where amputee Ukrainian veterans are relearning how to stand — and fly.

Not metaphorically.

Actually fly.

Lyubim is the founder of Wings for Heroes, a humanitarian mission helping combat veterans reclaim dignity, confidence, and independence through community, rehabilitation, and tandem paragliding.

This isn’t charity in the traditional sense.
It’s presence.
It’s action.
It’s staying longer than a photo op.

What Happens After the Applause?

One of the most striking threads in this conversation is what happens after catastrophic injury.

After the hospital discharge.
After the medals.
After the “thank you for your service.”

For many veterans, that’s when isolation begins.

Lyubim talks about “#1” — a young Ukrainian soldier who lost his leg in combat. What followed wasn’t just physical rehabilitation. It was depression, uncertainty, and the psychological collapse that can follow sudden identity loss.

What changed things?

Not a grant.
Not a policy.
Not a press conference.

Attention.

Time.

Showing up more than once.

The Power of One Decision

Lyubim’s leadership philosophy is simple and intense:

You decide, and you go. And you don’t stop.

There was no system waiting for him.
No funding pipeline.
No established roadmap.

He decided to act — and then took the next step.
And then the next one.

It’s a reminder that resilience is not built in theory. It’s built in motion.

Caregivers Carry the Invisible Weight

A powerful insight in this episode is the role of the “plus one” — the spouse, partner, or caregiver.

Often, they carry the heaviest psychological burden.

The veteran may appear strong. Determined. Silent.

But the caregiver is holding everything together.

Wings for Heroes intentionally brings both — veteran and caregiver — because healing is relational, not individual.

Ukraine: Not an Abstraction

We also step into the lived reality of Ukraine today.

Not headlines.
Not commentary.

But daily blackouts.
Air raid sirens.
Bomb shelters.
Psychological fatigue.

Lyubim speaks candidly about what four years of war does to a population — and why resilience isn’t optional when there is no Plan B.

It’s sobering.
And clarifying.

Paragliding as Equalizer

One of the most beautiful parts of the conversation is how Lyubim describes tandem paragliding.

No engine.
No machine.
Just air.

In flight, amputees are equal. The body’s limitations shift. The mind resets. For a moment, the world below becomes small.

And something inside recalibrates.

It’s not therapy in the clinical sense.
It’s something more elemental.

Action Over Abstraction

This episode ultimately asks a hard question:

If you know something needs to be done — why not start?

Not when it’s safe.
Not when it’s funded.
Not when it’s guaranteed.

Now.

Learn More

Wings for Heroes
https://wings4heroes.org/

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/wings4heroes

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/wings4heroes

🎧 Listen to Episode #234 wherever you get your podcasts.

And as always — thank you for riding with us.

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