Curt Bean is an Army veteran and the Executive Director of the Art of War project based out of Denver, CO.  Curt served two tours in Iraq, each lasting more than a year.  After leaving the service he spent time traveling but soon started to wonder what was next for him.  He moved to Florida and started to work towards becoming a firefighter and EMT.  He passed all the training with flying colors but his PTSD was flagged as a disqualifying factor.  Curt had moved to Denver to start his firefighting career and after finding that this would not be the path he would take signed into a PTSD in-patient clinic at the local VA Hospital.

While at the VA Hospital he saw that art was not being included into the program as much as he thought it could.  With the help of some of his mentors he brought an art therapy program to the in-patient clinic and then expanded it into the community, eventually starting his own non-profit based out of downtown Denver.  Curt has an amazing story to tell and a lot of hope to share with his fellow veterans.

During the show you'll hear:

How Curt created his program while in treatment in the VA and how he turned it into a thriving non-profit in Denver.

The importance of being the best version of yourself each day.

Why acting like or calling yourself a disgruntled veteran is hurting more than just yourself.

How opening up to the civilians around you and helping them undertand your service can help bridge gaps in your social and professional life.

Show Links:

The Art of War - http://www.artofwarproject.com/ 

Intro Links:

Inkfidel: www.inkfidel.com

Don't forget to use coupon code Veteranology at checkout for 10% off your order!

Veteranology survey: http://goo.gl/forms/s79vY9BBGJ 

Another great episode is here!  I am joined by Command Sergeant Major Wayne Robinson (Ret.) and he shares his amazing post-service journey.  There is a lot of wisdom and good advice all over this episode so make sure you have time to listen to the whole thing!

Wayne attended grad school after 26 years of service in the United States Army.  He graduated from The University of Chicago - Booth school of business with his MBA in finance and entrepreneurship.  Against the odds other threw at him he found a job on Wall Street, eventually becoming a partner at Drexel Hamilton Investment Partners.

While working on Wall Street Wayne realized that the problem solving skills veterans developed while serving in the military were precisely the skills companies needed in the private sector.  Seeing that the Student Veterans of America needed a CEO, he interviewed and took the position.  He now serves as a VA Secretary appointed advisor for the Committee on Education at the the Department of Veterans Affairs and is the Senior Strategic Fellow at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Things to listen for in this episode:

Wayne's most important advise for transitioning veterans, especially enlisted service members.

The 10 things he would tell himself about transitioning and success knowing what he knows now.

His work on improving the GI Bill

And a whole lot more...

Show links:

GI Bill Accepting Coding Bootcamp: http://skilldistillery.com/

Upward Bound Veterans : http://www2.ed.gov/programs/triovub/index.html 

Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America: http://iava.org/

Student Veterans of America: http://studentveterans.org/ 

Intro Links:

Inkfidel: www.inkfidel.com

Don't forget to use coupon code Veteranology at checkout for 10% off your order!

Veteranology survey: http://goo.gl/forms/s79vY9BBGJ