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C4 Foundation "Our operators are realizing that they need more than just the camaraderie that comes naturally from being in the team." When Charles Keating IV, or C4, would come home from deployment as a Navy SEAL, what his family noticed was that he just wasn't himself. e joyful spirit that he was known for his entire life was replaced by a desire for solitude, and only after he'd spent time alone, out in nature and away from other people, did he return to being his usual, gregarious self. When C4 was killed in action in May of 2016, his family knew that they wanted his legacy to be related to the healing properties of nature, and the struggle that members of the Navy's SEAL teams experience in balancing the demands of their work with their personal lives. ey created the C4 Foundation to support active-duty SEALs and their families, and when a 560-acre parcel of land in Santa Ysabel became available, about 90 minutes from the Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, the C4 Foundation found its home. "For so many of these guys, it's like they don't understand that you can be a great operator and a great husband, a great father," says Kristen Hayes, C4's Chief Impact Officer and herself a 20-year SEAL spouse. "It's not an either/or, and sometimes, by the nature of the job, they think that they can only pick one." At the C4 Ranch, which operates with full approval of the Department of Defense, SEALs and their families find a sanctuary where they can be together, decompress, and engage in programs and activities to reinforce their family bonds and strengthen their resilience, at no cost to them. "What the foundation is trying to do is give these guys tools to have a happier home life, which really equals, when they head out on deployment, a more successful deployment, and the ability to stay in longer if you have a family that's happy and supporting you from home," says Hayes. "e guys are able to take time for themselves and for their families, and they see that it doesn't [negatively] affect their ability as an operator. It actually improves it." Families can register to take part in a variety of programs, called F.R.O.G. (Families building Resilience through Optimism and Gratitude) Programs, which include mind/body therapies created with experts in behavioral neuroscience combined with other healing methods including meditation, cold plunges, and acupuncture, plus spouse, child, and family workshops and retreats that acknowledge the sacrifices and contributions of not only C4 Foundation's C4 Ranch in Santa Ysabel Charles Keating IV @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2025 49 >> C4 FOUNDATION: COURTESY PHOTOGRAPHY