Forrest Lang survived childhood abuse, foster care, homelessness, addiction, and war. The work he does today grew out of what he learned surviving all of it—and what he learned rebuilding his life afterward.
Forrest is a full-time tattoo artist in La Jolla, California, a U.S. Navy veteran who served as a hospital corpsman in Iraq, the founder of SPARTA Peer Support, and a speaker and mentor with FOCUS Marines Foundation. He is also the author of Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption, a memoir about trauma, survival, recovery, and the long road home.
Tattooing. Recovery. Advocacy. Mentorship. Storytelling.
They may look like different things. To Forrest, they are all part of the same work: helping people heal, reclaim their lives, and move forward without being defined by what happened to them.
Why he does it
Childhood sexual abuse is common, but its effects can follow people throughout their lives.
Forrest speaks about trauma, recovery, foster care, addiction, military service, and the experiences that shaped his life.
His work focuses on what happens after trauma, how people rebuild, and how individuals and communities can better support those who have survived it.
How he got here
Forrest grew up in the Southern California foster care system after experiencing severe abuse and abandonment as a child. By sixteen, he was homeless and largely on his own.
As a young man, he joined the U.S. Navy and became a hospital corpsman. His early adulthood also included addiction, recovery, profound loss, and experiences that would shape the rest of his life.
After September 11, Forrest returned to military service and later deployed to Iraq as a line corpsman with Lima Company, 3/24.
Forrest deployed to Iraq as a line corpsman with Lima Company, 3/24.
The life he has today was built over decades. Tattooing became a career. Recovery became a way of life. His experiences in foster care, addiction, the military, and the years that followed eventually became the foundation for his work in advocacy, peer support, mentorship, and writing.
His memoir, Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption, tells that story in full. Forrest has described writing Angel Blue as the hardest thing he has ever done.
Tattooing
Forrest started tattooing in 2004 while deployed in Iraq and went on to build a career he absolutely loves.
Tattooing gives him complete focus. It is also fun, creative, demanding, and deeply satisfying.
Over the years, the tattoo chair has given Forrest the chance to meet people from every walk of life, make art for them, and hear their stories.
In his TEDx talk, Forrest tells the story of a survivor whose tattoo covered the physical evidence of violence. He describes tattoos like these as crime scenes because the body can carry evidence of what happened long after the event itself is over.
Tattooing cannot erase the past. It can, however, give someone the opportunity to reclaim a part of their body and choose what they want to carry forward.
A few tattoos from the studio
SPARTA Peer Support
Forrest founded SPARTA Peer Support to give veterans a place to come together, meditate, and share with one another.
Each meeting includes meditation and time for veterans to share and connect with other veterans.
SPARTA is built around veterans supporting veterans through meditation, shared experience, and community.
FOCUS Marines Foundation
Forrest serves as an instructor, speaker, and mentor with FOCUS Marines Foundation, helping post-9/11 veterans navigate the difficult transition from military service to civilian life. Based near St. Louis, the nonprofit provides a free residential program for veterans from every branch of the military.
Forrest with veterans and instructors at FOCUS Marines Foundation.
FOCUS Marines Foundation addresses the isolation, anxiety, depression, and disconnection that many veterans experience after service. Through structured support, shared experiences, and a strong peer community, the program helps veterans begin rebuilding their relationships, confidence, and sense of purpose.
As an instructor, Forrest helps guide participants through the program and contributes to a supportive learning environment. He draws on his own experiences with trauma, recovery, military service, and rebuilding his life. He speaks openly with participants, listens to their experiences, and offers peer support grounded in understanding and shared experience.
His work with FOCUS Marines Foundation reflects his continued commitment to supporting veterans and strengthening the community that helped shape his own recovery.
Healthy Discomfort
Healthy Discomfort is Forrest’s podcast about the conversations people often avoid and the growth that can come from facing them.
The show explores trauma, recovery, relationships, mental health, personal responsibility, and what it means to move beyond the places where we feel comfortable. The conversations are direct, open, and grounded in real experience.
Away from the work
Forrest spends time with his family, travels, rides, and makes visual art.
Forrest’s bike.
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If you are struggling right now
You are not alone, and you are not broken. Our resources page lists survivor, recovery, and crisis support organizations.
Based in La Jolla, California. Forrest takes speaking engagements nationwide and internationally, or you can get in touch.