My Story — How Unauthorized Gains Was Born

People see the brand now — the products, the design, the message — but few know where it came from. It didn’t start with business. It started with a mistake. And a lesson that changed everything.

Why I Started Lifting

When I first joined the Navy, I didn’t lift to impress anyone. I lifted to survive. I’d seen and experienced things most people can’t imagine. Long hours, constant pressure, personal losses that I didn’t have time to process. The gym was the only place that made sense — the one space where effort equaled outcome.

No rank, no politics, no noise. Just me and the weight.

Over time, lifting became therapy. It gave me focus and purpose to be a better Sailor. But somewhere along the line, that drive turned into obsession. I wanted to be the best version of myself — stronger, faster, sharper. And that’s when I started reaching for supplements to push further.

The Wrong Supplements, for the Wrong Reasons

The supplement world is a trap — and I walked straight into it.

I bought from trusted stores. The same ones everyone on base used. The tubs looked clean, the labels looked professional, and the influencers selling them said the products were “military safe.”

They weren’t.

I didn’t know that behind those flashy designs were banned or mislabeled ingredients — chemicals that could trigger a positive test or wreck your hormones. It didn’t make sense. How could something be sold in a U.S. store be “unauthorized” for someone serving the country?

That moment broke me — and woke me up.

From Rock Bottom to Purpose

Getting in trouble over those supplements felt like betrayal. Not just from the system, but from the industry itself. I wasn’t trying to cheat. I was trying to better myself — the same way thousands of service members do every day. But the system wasn’t built to protect us. It was built to profit off us.

So instead of quitting, I made a decision:

If no one else was going to fix it, I would.

Building the Brand

I spent years studying how supplements are made, how regulations work, and how labels are manipulated. I connected with developers, researchers, and other veterans who had gone through the same thing. Then I built Unauthorized Gains — a company made for people like us.

Our mission is simple:

To give service members, first responders, and hard-working athletes access to supplements that are clean, safe, and effective — no banned ingredients, no false claims, no games.

Because lifting saved me.

And now, it’s my turn to return the favor — to protect the people who protect others.

What We Stand For

Every product we make represents the lessons that cost me everything to learn:

• Safety: DoD-safe and verified for use in uniform.

• Performance: Built for real-world results, not marketing hype.

We don’t just make supplements.

We make sure your effort never becomes your downfall. This brand was built from experience — not theory. Because I’ve been there.