BY TAYLOR OWENS

Frank Kancir hadn’t even unpacked his bags before he found himself standing at the creek at Quiet Waters Ranch with a fly rod in hand. Fresh off the plane from Pennsylvania, he was welcomed not with small talk or fanfare, but with the gentle rush of water and the steady tempo of casting line.

He was focused only on the rhythm—cast, drift, breathe.

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to change in the way that I have,” said Kancir, a Marine Corps veteran and Built for More Warrior. “If you would have told me how much I’ve changed at the beginning of all of this, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

This lasting change came during his experience with Warriors & Quiet Waters, a Montana-based nonprofit that serves post-9/11 combat veterans through outdoor immersion and evidence-based programming. Founded in 2007, WQW began as a way to introduce veterans to the therapeutic power of Montana’s rivers and landscapes. Since then, it has grown into a comprehensive reintegration program—one that doesn’t just offer respite, but a reimagined path forward.

“We’ve evolved from a week-long fly fishing program into a nine-month program designed to drive meaningful, long-term change,” Brian Gilman, WQW CEO and retired Marine Corps
Colonel, said.

That blueprint for meaningful change is embodied in WQW’s flagship initiative, the Built for More program.

For many veterans, the transition to civilian life is marked by a profound loss of structure, purpose and connection. The Built for More program directly addresses these challenges by offering an immersive, multi-phase experience that includes peak experiences in nature, expert curriculum facilitation, peer mentorship, and the creation of each Warrior’s personal roadmap forward.

The program offers three specialized tracks—fly fishing, archery and photography—each designed to help veterans dive deeply into an activity that fosters personal growth and aligns with the program’s therapeutic goals. Whether learning the art of fly fishing on Montana’s rivers, engaging in the rigorous challenge of backcountry archery hunting, or exploring nature photography, these tracks provide veterans with meaningful ways to reconnect with themselves and nature. They also equip participants with skills to carry forward after they return home.

Built for More answers a fundamental question many veterans face: “What now?” “When veterans leave the military, they feel a sense of loss—loss of identity, loss of purpose, loss of community,” Gilman said. “That’s the picture we’re looking at.”

Participants are selected from a national pool and guided through a journey that spans months, not days. The goal: to help them uncover their new identity and embrace the idea that their story doesn’t end when their service does. Participants move from healing to growth, from being recipients of service to becoming leaders in their families and communities.

An essential part of the Built for More experience is the ongoing community and support available to veterans long after their initial involvement. WQW’s Alumni Engagement Program has regional cohorts across the United States, providing veterans with a network of peers who understand their journey and continue to participate in group activities and provide a lifelong sense of community long after their capstone experience in the Built for More program.

“We built the program to strengthen each of the pillars of a thriving life,” Gilman said. “So veterans are empowered not just to heal from trauma, but to grow beyond it.”

“When I came here, I was suffering from a lot of survivor’s guilt,” Sean Gifford, a “Marine Corps veteran, WQW Alum, and professional guide, said. “I was angry. I’d go out into town. I’d wish people would start something. I couldn’t, I can’t really articulate. It was just a shame and a guilt and an anger, and I found an outlet through fly fishing. I keep [the rod] in my truck. See a body of water, I need to take a deep breath—fish.”

For Kancir, the Built for More program came at a pivotal time. After years of physical and psychological recovery, he found himself questioning what came next.

“That’s been a big shift in myself mentally during this process,” he said. “It’s that I can be a different way and consistently making those changes daily.”

Today, Kancir is not only thriving personally, he’s also stayed deeply connected to the WQW community through the bonds formed in his cohort. His story, like so many others, is proof that healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It grows in the presence of shared experience, trust and belonging.

“It’s just been really amazing to have that camaraderie with the group, to talk about those experiences that we’re all going through, and to know that we’re not alone in it,” Kancir said.

That sense of brotherhood doesn’t happen by accident—it’s intentionally cultivated by WQW’s team of veterans, military spouses and civilians who understand that healing is neither linear nor solitary.

“Being a veteran and a fly fishing guide, I can bridge that gap immediately,” Gifford said. “I can find out what unit they’re from, what they did in the military, and then I can find some common ground and we can build off of that.”

Built for More gives people a new mission—and a new team to accomplish it with. That team aspect is crucial. From shared meals and immersive nature experiences to guided group discussions, journaling and goal setting, Built for More is designed to rebuild the sense of community that military life once provided.

But it’s not just about looking inward. Participants are also challenged to contribute outward—to their families, their communities and even the next cohort of veterans.

“It’s not a one-and-done, and it’s not a fly-fishing trip,” Gilman said. “It’s not a hunting trip. It’s about driving real change and sustaining that change.”

Renata Nichols is another ripple in that expanding current. A former police officer, lifelong volunteer, and “mom” at WQW, Nichols has dedicated herself to supporting the veterans who come through the program. After discovering Warriors & Quiet Waters, she knew right away she wanted to contribute.

“I would do anything and everything I can do for soldiers, veterans, anybody involved in this service for our country,” she said. “I stumbled somehow over Warriors & Quiet Waters, and I read a little about the background… and I’m like, I’m in. I can do the dishes.”

Her involvement with WQW quickly grew, and she became an integral volunteer within the community, offering her warmth and hands-on support. Whether helping with meals or making sure veterans feel at home, Nichols has always been there for those in need of camaraderie and comfort.

“You really make sure you welcome them like when your kid comes home after a long vacation… but always very cautiously, not be overwhelming—just be here for them with whatever they need,” Nichols explained.

As someone who has lived a colorful and diverse life— working as a police officer in Switzerland, herding cows, working at a KOA, and cooking for the Warriors—Nichols understands the importance of giving back in any form.

“When you hear the first really heartfelt laughter and smiles, you can just tell: now they are like, I like it here,” she said. “That is just so beautiful.”

Her role at WQW is built around making veterans feel seen, heard, and appreciated, providing a sense of comfort and belonging. But the support doesn’t stop once the week at the Quiet Waters Ranch ends. In fact, that’s just the beginning of a much larger journey. Participants return home with new tools: mindfulness practices, communication strategies, and a network of peers and mentors they can lean on.

“Our programs are built around lasting impact,” Gilman said. “We don’t want to give someone a great memory—we want to give them a better future.”

The success of the Built for More program is measurable, with impressive results in areas critical to veterans’ reintegration. According to the latest program evaluation, over 90% of participants report significant improvements in their mental health and overall life satisfaction. Additionally, a large percentage of veterans cite a renewed sense of purpose, with many going on to pursue new careers, volunteer work or leadership roles within their communities.

“We know that Built For More is accomplishing what we designed it to do because we measure what we do,” Gilman said. “They’re coming out of the program with a much stronger sense of purpose. They’re coming out of the program with a much stronger sense of thriving.”

But the most powerful metrics are often found in the stories.

Veterans like Kancir who are now business owners, community leaders, and changemakers across industries. Men and women who once may have felt unsure of a path forward, now mentoring the next group of veterans.

“If it wasn’t for Warriors & Quiet Waters, I would most likely be a statistic at this point in my life,” he said. “I wouldn’t be doing nearly as well as I am right now.”

The land itself is part of the medicine. Big Sky country— with its wide-open spaces, cold rivers and quiet trails—offers a stark contrast to the hyper-vigilant environments many veterans are used to.

“There’s something about this place,” Nichols said. “It allows you to breathe differently. To imagine differently.”

And that’s the heart of WQW’s mission: to create space—for stillness, for growth, for a different kind of strength.

“Combat veterans come to us looking for purpose and direction,” Gilman said. “We help them realize they’re built for more. And that realization can change everything.”

Learn more about Warriors & Quiet Waters and their Built for More program online.

Taylor Owens is the content marketing director at Outlaw Partners.