After Maddie Smith quit drinking, she just didn’t know what to do with her hands... until she discovered CrossFit and built her epic physique!
Now the Army spouse is a top contender for “Ms. Health and Fitness 2026,” and she’s doing it all for a veteran nonprofit.
On this week's Eye on Veterans Podcast, we talked about how she overcame alcoholism, an eating disorder, and endured recovery groups that didn’t understand her trauma.
Now, in peak physical condition, she shared advice on conquering your addictions and helping veterans through a partnership with Shields & Stripes, a veteran support program founded by Steve Nesbit, fellow athlete and Air Force Pararescue veteran.
Nesbit described the life of an elite “PJ,” conducting casualty evac missions in combat zones, the tragic death of a fellow PJ, the Army's betrayal and the emotional toll of service.
But he powered through the pain and used his physical training expertise to create the acclaimed Shields and Stripes veteran support program.
The program draws from the type of sports therapy used by pro athletes and Special Operations teams and combines it with customized nutrition plans and therapy from experienced psychologists.
Nesbit described the incredible results attendees experienced at recent programs in Arizona and Florida, and shared stories of vets who no longer need medications they were told they couldn’t live without.
Smith also shares her shared love of using fitness as medicine and what she will do if crowned the contest winner, “If I win, I’m donating the $20,000 prize to the Shields & Stripes Foundation. I’m competing to break the stigma around recovery and mental health, not to win money. Giving the prize to a nonprofit founded by someone who rebuilt his life after tragedy and now helps others find their strength, means more than anything $20,000 could buy me.”
Vote for Maddie Smith, fitness pro and Army spouse, here.
Check out the innovative, healing programs for vets at Shields & Stripes, here.
Contact Phil Briggs, the host of CBS Eye on Veterans at phil@connectingvets.com.