THE 8,600FT PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENT
WHERE THE MOUNTAIN IS THE MEDICINE AND THE MISSION IS YOU.
163 ACRES OF HIGH-ALTITUDE STEWARDSHIP
The Golden Forge Method
We don’t offer escape; we offer evolution. The mountain is the method—altitude, terrain, and weather become a mirror to the self. Here, the environment provides the friction required for a true reckoning. You don’t come here to hide from life; you come here to prepare for what comes next.
A New Standard for Those Who Serve
Most programs ask you to sit with what's broken. We ask something different. At 8,600 feet on a working ranch in the Colorado Rockies, we've watched people who'd been told they were damaged discover they were just dormant. Golden Forge offers a constellation of support—physical training, restorative therapies, and care calibrated to the real costs of service. The goal isn't to return to who you were. It's to find out who you are now.
Real Strength Starts Here
Real strength is found in contribution, not consumption. The nervous system doesn't recover through rest alone—it recovers through safe challenge. Tending to animals, maintaining land, training at altitude: when the body is fully engaged, the nervous system settles. When the nervous system settles, the mind clears. The ranch isn't a backdrop. It's the treatment. And in that clearing, something returns that service often takes first—curiosity about the possible, and a willingness to find out.
Where You Go From Here
The silence up here is louder than people expect. Room, finally, to hear yourself. Someone who arrives exhausted and armored leaves knowing what they're building toward ,with the strength to build it. Golden Forge doesn't end at the gate. You leave as part of a tribe that saw you, heard you, and walked beside you—and now you walk beside others. The constellation grows because you carry it forward. That's how this works. That's how it endures.
Meet Our Founder
Suzi McKinley is a Marine Corps veteran, endurance athlete, and mission-driven builder. Her path has spanned combat zones, wildland fires, classrooms, and boardrooms. But it’s the crucible of trauma—and the climb back to purpose—that forged the vision behind Golden Forge.
After three combat deployments and over a decade leading the development and implementation of mission-critical tech at Palantir, Suzi committed her own capital—because waiting for permission wasn’t an option—to create what she couldn’t find when she needed it most: a place where strength, healing, and regenerative living converge to help people come back to life.
Golden Forge began as a personal reckoning—then became a mission. Suzi walked through the invisible aftermath of service, through the kind of darkness that buries people—twice, she almost didn’t come back. It wasn’t therapy alone that pulled her back—it was movement, silence, and a mission worth staying alive for. That recovery was supported by nontraditional medicine—including psychedelic-assisted therapy and a stellate ganglion block—treatments that reached her nervous system when nothing else could. Golden Forge is the embodiment of that path—where innovation meets lived truth. It exists because she chose to live.
That belief now lives on a 163-acre high-altitude ranch in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains—where Golden Forge offers a grounded, intensive path forward for those who serve and seek to rise again.
Suzi blends tactical execution with unshakable conviction. She’s built and scaled teams under pressure, led high-impact initiatives in complex environments, and carries the lived empathy of someone who knows what’s at stake. Her leadership is grounded in grit, discernment, and the belief that strength is not the absence of struggle—but what rises from it.
Meet Our Team
Joey Fennell
Founding Member | Golden Forge Board of Directors
Joey Fennell is a founding board member of Golden Forge, where he helps set the strategic vision, lead fundraising initiatives, and cultivate key partnerships. Joey, a former Marine who deployed twice to Afghanistan between 2007 and 2012, deeply understands the demands placed on service members. As the son of a D.C. firefighter, his profound respect extends equally to first responders. Though no longer in uniform, his commitment to giving back to those who serve and sacrifice remains his driving force.
Professionally, Joey has dedicated his post-military career to mission-oriented problem sets, consistently pushing technological boundaries to better serve operators in the field. He spent over a decade at Palantir Technologies, meeting customers in their environments: on Naval ships, in Afghanistan, and at training ranges across the world. Currently, he builds innovative technical products at a natural disaster response company, using creative approaches to solve complex, high-stakes challenges.
His work with Golden Forge is deeply personal. Joey is passionate about fostering a "tribe"; a supportive community that gives veterans and frontline workers the resources they need to recover from trauma and chronic stress. Inspired by his wife, a mental health professional, he is a staunch advocate for comprehensive mental health care and alternative treatments, firmly believing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healing.
A true outdoor enthusiast, Joey finds his greatest peace and grounding in nature, ideally with his family and dog by his side.
Joe Black
Founding Member | Golden Forge Board of Directors
Joe is a member of the board of directors focusing on Strategic Advisory and Governance for Golden Forge. A former Marine Corps Intelligence Officer, Joe served as a Radio Reconnaissance Platoon Commander and partner force advisor on a deployment to Afghanistan. He brings over a decade of critical expertise from his civilian career at where he has continued to serve his fellow service members.
After his Marine Corps service, Joe joined Palantir Technologies, where he has spent 11 years focused on implementing the world’s most advanced software across Department of Defense and international organizations. This work has allowed him to scale his personal impact from supporting individuals and small units, to influencing institutional growth and the cultural adoption of technology designed to save lives.
Joe’s journey to Golden Forge is fundamentally driven by a deep desire to help others, a purpose forged during his foundational years of service and leadership in the Marine Corps. While his civilian career has successfully scaled his impact, he views Golden Forge as the "full circle." It is a place where his experience can bridge the gap and reconnect him with the core sense of mission he has been actively seeking.
David A. Houle, CFA
Treasurer | Golden Forge Board of Directors
David Houle is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Season Investments, where he oversees the firm’s Wealth Management services. As a CFA Charterholder, his work is grounded in analytical rigor, disciplined risk management, and long-term strategic thinking. He brings a practical, steady approach to financial leadership in support of mission-driven organizations.
In his professional career, Houle has built and led investment strategies focused on long-term performance, capital preservation, and responsible growth. His work centers on helping individuals and organizations make informed, disciplined financial decisions in complex environments. In addition to his professional work, he brings nearly a decade of experience serving on nonprofit boards, contributing to governance, financial oversight, and organizational development.
Houle grew up in a military family, giving him firsthand exposure to the realities and demands of service. His pre-existing professional relationship with Founder Suzi McKinley led to his involvement with Golden Forge. He understands the importance of rebuilding identity, stability, and purpose after service, and is committed to supporting those navigating that transition.
As Treasurer, Houle provides financial oversight and supports the organization’s long-term financial health in a volunteer capacity. He brings a disciplined approach to resource management and decision-making, helping lay the foundation for sustainable growth and responsible stewardship.
Outside of his professional work, Houle is active in his community, supporting two additional Colorado Springs-based nonprofits. He spends his time with his wife and three children and enjoys skiing, golf, and staying physically active.
Hugh Jones
Legal Counsel | Golden Forge Board of Advisors
Hugh Jones is an attorney focused exclusively on serving tax-exempt organizations, with nearly 20 years of experience advising nonprofits on legal and regulatory matters. He brings deep expertise in nonprofit law and a practical approach to helping organizations operate with clarity and compliance.
Hugh is the founder of Charity Counsel, which he established in 2012 after several years in the nonprofit practice group at a large international law firm. His work centers on advising tax-exempt organizations across formation, governance, and ongoing compliance. In addition to his legal practice, he is a frequent author, speaker, and adjunct professor, contributing to the broader nonprofit sector through education and thought leadership. He earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 2007.
Hugh’s career has been dedicated to supporting mission-driven organizations. His work with nonprofits gives him a clear understanding of the importance of strong legal foundations in enabling long-term impact and responsible growth.
As Legal Counsel, Hugh supports Golden Forge by providing legal guidance across governance, compliance, and organizational structure. His involvement helps ensure the organization is built on a sound legal foundation as it grows.