Michael Swaggerty
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Michael Swaggerty grew up in a town of a hundred people in Cantrell, Illinois, learning early what it meant to show up and finish the work. He enlisted at seventeen as an M60A3 tank crewman, following his father, a Vietnam M48 crewman, and later returned to service at thirty-eight. He completed three combat deployments with the 101st Airborne Division, serving as a cook supporting infantry companies on small patrol bases. After losing his father to suicide and multiple brothers to combat and post-service suicide—including six killed in a VBIED attack on 12 December 2010—he carried heavy survivor’s guilt. Out of that darkness he founded Blackheart Fellowship Ranch and Retreat in Green Country, Oklahoma.
Blackheart is a hybrid model: a for-profit ranch generating revenue through weddings, cabins, and you-pick operations that fully funds a nonprofit retreat. The healing programs for veterans and sex-trafficking survivors remain completely free to those who need them. Built from lived experience, the ranch is designed so the land, animals, and quiet community can help people find peace and a path forward. Michael is currently in the foundation phase, with land acquisition targeted for 2027 and full operations planned for 2028.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
- How Michael Swaggerty transformed profound personal loss into a fully engineered ranch mission serving others.
- Why the hybrid model uses a for-profit ranch to fully fund a nonprofit healing retreat.
- How weddings, cabins, and you-pick operations create sustainable revenue that keeps healing programs free forever.
- That land, animals, and quiet work can be powerful tools for real restoration and peace.
- How contracted midweek programs for law enforcement and first responders help carry the mission’s financial load.
- Why the darkest chapters don't have to be the end of your story but a new beginning.
- That survivor’s guilt and combat loss can be channeled into a mission that actually serves other people.
- How Michael wrote complete business plans, five-year financial projections, and a dual-use scheduling system before land acquisition.
- Why a grant strategy, staffing model, and insurance framework are critical to building a lasting hybrid ranch.
- That early interest, offered horse-drawn carriages, and livestock connections show the mission is already attracting support.
about the show
Operation CEO is an entrepreneur TV series dedicated to veterans who have served their country and are now building businesses, leading teams, and creating impact in their next chapter.
The series highlights former military service members who have transitioned into entrepreneurship, using the same discipline, leadership, grit, and mission-driven mindset that shaped their time in service.
Each episode takes viewers inside the real journey behind the business. Guests share what they learned in the military, how those lessons shaped their leadership style, and what it took to move from service into business ownership.
From early-stage companies to established brands, Operation CEO showcases veteran entrepreneurs who continue to lead with purpose, resilience, and a commitment to something bigger than themselves.
In a crowded business world, many veteran founders have powerful stories that deserve more recognition. Operation CEO gives these leaders a platform to share their mission, build authority, and inspire others through the next chapter of their journey.
