From Edinburgh to Invictus: JJ Chalmers on resilience, recovery & life after the Marines
JJ Chalmers’ remarkable journey began right here in Edinburgh. Born and raised in the Scottish capital, the former Royal Marine Commando has become a symbol of resilience, determination and transformation.
Since his military service, JJ has competed in the Invictus Games, become a popular BBC broadcaster, and shared powerful stories of recovery, service and identity with audiences around the world. His journey from the battlefield to the television screen has made him one of the UK’s most compelling voices on perseverance and mental strength.
In this exclusive interview with Champions Speakers Agency, JJ opens up about the personal challenges behind his recovery, the lasting impact of the Invictus Games, and why open conversations around mental health and purpose are more important than ever.
Q: Mental health is an ongoing conversation in society. How did you personally manage your emotional and psychological wellbeing through recovery?
JJ Chalmers: “Amazingly, with my mental health, I just happened, I think, to do the right things.
“When I look at the points in my recovery where things could have gone terribly wrong with my mental health, I think by accident I did the right things — and that was mainly through my openness and my honesty.
“My ability to vocalise what I was seeing, how I was struggling — not even necessarily ask for help, but just say it to people in a manner where they could offer help or they could at least just listen. And that burden was taken off of me.
“Again, no one really told me to do that. And it wasn’t even that I was doing it necessarily with a trained professional. It was more that — just not letting things build up within myself, being open, being honest with others and therefore being honest with myself.
“That, when I look back at it, was what has steered me away from some of the catastrophic outcomes that, sadly, some of my friends have suffered from — are suffering with.
“But it's not to say that I always get it right, and it's not to say that it was easy. But I do count myself lucky. Not that it didn’t happen to me, but rather that I just managed to avert it — through unintentional means, essentially.”
Q: The Invictus Games have become a powerful platform for veterans. How did taking part influence your journey and future direction?
JJ Chalmers: “The Invictus Games were the most sort of critical catalyst point in my recovery.
“In some ways, it was where all began to — I think — make sense or come good. And suddenly it was being able to gauge the fact that in the last — God, it had been three or four years up to that point — I had made tremendous progress.
“But because I was starting from so low, and more crucially, I was starting from a place that was well below what I was used to experiencing, it was always sort of “I want to get back to normal, I want to get back to feeling like myself, I want to get back to having the ability that I had before.”
“But time had passed. Actually, what you want is to progress within that time. And so the Invictus Games is the first moment where I actually felt like I had begun to surpass my expectations of myself.
“And that was actually more like what it used to be — I used to go out and challenge myself and really push myself. That's what the Marines was. And so the opportunity to pull in a uniform and represent my country, win medals — that was me suddenly achieving something which I never really thought possible, even before my injuries. So that was an amazing thing.
“But I suppose the other part of it was it gave me a real understanding and an appreciation of the world I was living in — the veteran recovery space — and just how powerful it was.
“I’d taken for granted this incredible inspiration I had around me. Invictus was branding that up. It was trying its best to basically bottle that so that you could give it to others.
“And of course, that was the thing that really excited me and drew me to wanting to be a broadcaster and work in TV and radio — because that was the opportunity to tell people stories who were otherwise overlooked, but I knew had an amazing story to tell and an amazing purpose.
“I used to be a teacher once upon a time, and in some ways as a TV presenter, I still see myself as a teacher.
“Because you're imparting knowledge and information on people, you're telling stories — so that's what I'm doing with a much bigger platform. But none of that would have been possible without the Invictus Games, because it just supercharged my recovery and, I suppose, my ambition with it. It really motivated me to think that something extraordinary could be possible.”
Q: Your military service with the Royal Marines began in 2005. How did that experience influence the values you live by today?
JJ Chalmers: “It’s funny because it's kind of chicken and egg in the sense that it absolutely shaped so many of my values and standards, but the ones I already had. So I went to the Marines because I had those things. I had that sense of service and I was quietly determined. I looked for positivity and cheerfulness in the face of adversity. Those are the things that drew me to the Marines.
“But then what the Marines do is put you in situations where you really develop that, and that's getting thrown in puddles, being cold, wet and miserable, and all the way to Afghanistan facing the hardest circumstances you can imagine.
“And obviously, my injuries in amongst that — those were situations where I had been drawn to because of the values that I had, but they aligned with the Marines. And then, what I guess what I'm saying is, those things have stayed with me well beyond that and that heightened amount of it.
“So yeah, my day-to-day life now — it is that sense of looking for the positive, looking for the silver lining in any situation, having that sort of positive drive, that relentless pursuit of excellence, determination, never giving up — because you know it's worth it in the end.”
Q: In facing life-changing injuries, what proved to be the most significant challenge during your recovery?
JJ Chalmers: “It is hard to tell because there were a lot of hurdles and you had to clear some of them more than once. But the biggest thing is wrapping your head around the enormity of what you're facing, I suppose.
“The doctors told me my recovery would take a year and a half to two years. The reality is it took more like five to six years — and actually, ten years later, you realise you're never recovered. I will never have the physical ability that I used to. It's not to say that I can't be fit, it's not to say that I can't challenge myself, but I will never do things in the way that I used to.
“And so you'll never be fully recovered. And that is both a physical challenge but also a mental challenge to be able to adjust and accept that. And accepting things like going from being fiercely independent in the Marines to now being quite dependent on others.
“And that's not a bad thing. There's a positive to be learned about appreciating the support networks you have and having people to rely on. But it was — losing your independence is a terrifying thing and it's a really hard thing to adjust to.
“So I think the biggest thing was just trying to adjust to the enormity of the challenge and the fact that the repercussions of what I sustained will live with me forever.”
This exclusive interview with JJ Chalmers was conducted by Sophia Hayes.