In this episode I'm joined by two veterans: 1) Nate Boyer, a US Army veteran and Special Forces soldier followed a path through football, playing for the Texas Longhorns and then a single pre-season game with the Seattle Seahawks, and 2) Denver Morris, a fellow Marine infantry veteran from 2/7 and Program Coordinator for the Los Angeles branch of Merging Vets with Players (MVP).
Nate, along with his co-founder Jay Glazer, started MVP with a mission "designed to address challenges that many combat veterans and professional athletes face when transitioning their service/professional life towards a new mission in their civilian life." They do this by challenging its members with group fitness classes and fostering peer-to-peer support among the team. Denver, MVP's first success story, joined them very early on and was their first employee.
In the interview we discuss:
Our guest today is Army veteran Dan Helmer. Dan began his Army career at West Point and after receiving his commission was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division, 1st Battalion 68th Armor Regiment, right after they had just invaded Iraq. A lot of his service story will come up early in the interview so I don’t want to spoil anything, but I do want to highlight that he was instrumental in creating the Counter Insurgency Academy that would then change our strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dan is now living in Virginia, where he continued his service in the Army reserves, and on top of it all is now running as the democratic candidate for Virginia’s 10th congressional district.
Two topics Dan made sure we hit during his interview were why it's important for veterans to run for office, and why we need a new set o veteran democrats in congress.
We get to spend a good time listening to his ideas on leadership, problem solving in the military and how it translates elsewhere, and what he's planning on bringing to congress.
Dan's Book Recommendation: Cicero
If you'd like to learn more about Dan's campaign and or would like to help him our with a campaign contribution, you can do so at HelmerforCongress.com.
Today’s guest is Jeff Fowler, a Marine veteran, machine gunner, and former squad leader from 2/7 Weapons Company. Jeff wanted to share some valuable insights on our VA education benefits with the Veteranology audience, as well as speak about his own challenges and triumphs after leaving the Marine Corps for a new path. Jeff currently works for the Social Security Administration and has found it to be an incredibly rewarding career.
We cover using your Voc. Rehab and GI Bill benefits to their full potentional, what it's like to hike the Appalachian Trail, and the mindset shift a veteran must make from making a difference on the battlefield to making a difference in your local community.
Today’s guest is Alex Pedersen, an Air Force Academy graduate and veteran who is now the Chief Operating Officer at Polco, a civic engagement and analytics company. Its primary product is a web-based platform for local governments to get input from their communities and then use that data to drive decisions.
Alex and I met at VETCON 2017 in March, where he competed against several other veteran entrepreneurs for $10,000 in funding. It was his first "official" pitch but he's be informally promoting Polco for a few years now.
Alex graduated high school in 2004 and driven by the events of 9/11 decided he wanted to serve his country. After hearing about the Air Force academy from a friend he decided it would be the best place to challenge himself, not just physically but academically as well. Once he graduated and was pinned a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force he was accepted to grad school. He attended Harvard's Kennedy School of Government where he earned his Masters in Public Policy, focusing on International and Global Affairs.
He spent his operational time in the Air Force deployed to Germany where he acted in an advisory role to the Joint Terminal Attack Controllers stationed there within the US Army. He later returned to the Air Force Academy as an instructor in Political Science. It's here that he meets Nick Mastronardi, a fellow Air Force officer and instructor. From their discussions while teaching at the academy the groundwork would be laid for developing the idea that turns into Polco.
I'll let you listen to the rest of his story in the interview. Some of the main topics we cover are:
Links from the show:
The Polco website - find out more, reach out, and try out a demo!
Alex's book recommendation: Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
We continue and conclude our interview with retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Duane France, discussing his transition out of the army and into mental health counseling. In the second half of the interview we dive into:
By far though, my favorite portion of part 2 is discussing the importance of finding both meaning and purpose. These two ideas come together and without one or the other we hamper our feeling of hope. Duane breaks down the distinction between the two and gives examples of what life is like when you have one, but not the other.
Important Links:
In episode 25 I'm joined in the studio by Duane France, a retired Sgt. 1st Class who has built a career as a mental health professional after leaving the service. Duane has continued to serve the veteran community in a myriad of ways. He's currently a mental health professional working at a private practice in Colorado Springs. Second, he's the Director of Veteran Services at The Family Care Center where he specializes in caring for veterans and their families. Third, he manages a program that provides counseling to his local veteran court. Finally, he writes the Headspace and Timing blog featured on VeteranMentalHealth.com.
In part 1, Duane and I discuss is time in service and how that experience pushed him towards a career in mental health counseling, while touching on the following topics:
There's a lot of great storytelling in Part 1 and Part 2. I hope you enjoy!
Important Links:
Redmond Ramos revisits Veteranology to give an update on what he's accomplished since our last chat during Veteranology #18. Besides working on a Macy's athletic wear campaign and booking more motivational speaking gigs, Red landed an opportunity that has me quite jealous. He is one of the contestants on this season of The Amazing Race.
In this quick 20 minute episode Red shares a bit of what's going on behind the scenes of the race, his partnership with fellow racer Matt Ladley, and how they used smiling to hide their true thoughts while competing against the other teams.
The 29th season of The Amazing Race launched on CBS March 30th, and new episodes premiere every Thursday at 10/9 central.
The Amazing Race's website.
Our guest today is Torie Fisher, a veteran of both the US Army and National Guard.
Torie is now the founder of Backward Flag Brewing, a craft brewery and taproom located in Forked River New Jersey. She started her business nearly 2 year ago with two other partners, and after they both quickly dropped out she carried on and moved forward on her own. Now she has a staff of about 8, made up almost entirely of veteran volunteers who she gives most of the credit to regarding the brewery’s continued success. On top of running the brewery, Torie is currently building a non-profit to run in parallel to her company, with the mission of teaching veterans brewing and business skills while building their professional network.
Discussed in this episode:
The Federal Technician Program, Helping other find purpose, Joining the National Guard after active duty service, the beers on tap, and much more.
http://backwardflagbrewing.com/
Outro Link:
http://www.veteranconference.com/
Our guest today is Justine Evirs. She is currently the Senior Director of Programs at Service to School. Since leaving the Navy, she’s become an intrapreneur and a subject matter expert on finding and closing the gaps of service found in campus programs and policies related to veteran education.
Before joining Service to School she was hired at the college of San Mateo to be their first veteran services program coordinator. Altogether, Justine has dedicated the last 6 and a half years to transforming academic advising and program development for the active duty, military spouse, and veteran communities.
On today’s episode Justine and I discuss the personal challenges that got her started on her current career path, the trends she sees in how veterans interact with and navigate their college experience, the statistics behind how many veterans are first generation college students, and much more.
You can reach out to Justine Evirs on LinkedIn.
Check out Service to School, non-profit that provides free application counseling to military veterans. Our goal is to help veterans win admission to the best universities possible and to help them maximize their education benefits.
Are you a vetrepreneur? Looking for more information on VETCON? Find out more and register here!
Getting hired is tough, no matter who you are. Veterans face their own hurdles to finding employment, but there are people and organizations on our side, one of them is Ian Faison. Ian has spent his post-service career helping leaders build amazing companies. He's been hired by companies to build better veteran hiring practices, and gives them the tools to connect smarter and faster with the 1% of the US population that serves in the military.
Beyond his work in the military hiring arena, he's also an avid mentor when it comes to veteran entrepreneurs, often giving them valuable insights into sales and business development practices that can take their company to the next level. Ian has taken this drive one step further, and joined a team of vets to create VETCON, the "veteran entrepreneur [vetrepreneur] conference, an annual gathering of visionaries, hustlers, and game-changers from around the world. We promote the international community of veterans who run their own businesses."
VETCON takes place this year in Redwood City, CA on March 23rd-25th. You can register to attend and find more information at http://www.veteranconference.com/
Ian and I dive into a lot in this interview, from the value of your experiences in garrison and training to some of the specific challenges we as veterans have in communicating out work experience to hiring managers and recruiters. If you're a veterans currently looking for work or vetreprenuer building a business, this is the Veteranology episode for you.
Paul Warmbier is a Marine Corps combat veteran who served two tours with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines. After leaving the service he pursued a career in teaching, becoming an English teacher and serving both middle school and high school aged students. He's now completing his Master Degree is Nonfiction Creative Writing.
After visiting with two of his best friends at a wine tasting event, and a lot of wine, the trio of veterans decided to start their own winemaking business. Now, Dauntless Wine Company is making their third vintage, and are well on their way to having a complete winemaking operation from land to vine to bottle. You'll hear the passion for wine throughout the interview.
Currently, the Dauntless Wine Company is raising $10,000 and is less than $1,500 away from their goal. If you'd like to lend them a few bucks, check out their Kiva loan page here. Unlike GoFundMe, or Kickstarter, you don't pledge money for a prize, but get your money back on a monthly repayment schedule.
Other links from the show:
In this episode of Veteranology I visit the HyprLoco Global Headquarters here in downtown Denver. I got to sit down with HyprLoco's co-founder & CEO Nic Gray. Nic served in the Army from 2004 to 2007 as a Tanker. Nic joined the Army halfway through his twenties after a long history of entrepreneurial endeavors starting all the way back when he was 10. He served a tour in Iraq, was stop-lossed, and after coming back stateside, was quickly back out in the civilian world creating business opportunities. Diligence, research, and networking led him to an "Ahha!" moment shortly after meeting HyprLoco co-founder and CTO Damon Baker, a Marine Corps veteran entrepreneur with his eyes on the changing future marketplace. They took their combined ideas and founded HyprLoco three years ago.
HyprLoco is an intelligence platform that is currently focused on allowing businesses treat every one of their customers as a regular. This is done by providing business intelligence to the companies on customers that have walked through their doors. This empowers employees and gives them the ability to serve the customer in the best and most efficient way.
Also in this episode:
Nic explains how to approach entrepreneurship and what it takes to be successful.
We share advice for military members and veterans on how to have healthy and fulfilling transitions out of the military.
We talk about his first business card he had created when he was 10.
My favorite idea from the episode:
"Military service by far, taught me so much more about leadership, building culture, finding the right people, and not micro-managing then I ever did in college."
Show Links:
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
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
Retired Army Lt. Col. Jason Roncoroni joins me on Veteranology to talk about the non-profit Stop Soldier Suicide. Jason joined the organization last year as serves as their executive director. Stop Soldier Suicides takes a holistic approach to helping veterans battling anxiety, PTS, and suicidal thoughts.
Through a comprehensive communication plan and supporting caseworker network the veterans they serve are contacted on a regular basis to ensure their safety, well-being, and personal growth. Their goal is an amazing one: To not exist in 10 years or less, because the mission of finding the best solution to the veteran suicide rate has been found.
Jason also shares his personal story and discusses in detail the anxiety and depression he felt leave the service and his path to healthy and fulfilling life.
If you are, or know, a veteran in need of assistance you can call them at 1-844-889-5610
Links from the show:
Book: What it is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes
Book: The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Book: Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
Links from the Intro:
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
I get on the mic to speak with Dr. Eric Wright, PhD, PMP, and MPM. Eric is a navy veteran who eats, sleeps, and breathes project management. He and his partner, retired Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant Tim Dalhouse have created one of the most comprehensive programs for veterans looking to pursue a career leading projects and people in the civilian sector, Vets2PM.
Vets2PM's mission is to help military veterans become project managers by inspiring them about the incredible value of their military experience to the lucrative field of project management, training them how to manage civilian projects and earn professional certifications, and preparing them to connect with employers who value their experience and expertise.
Logistics, Intelligence, Admin, and...Combat Arms. If you've planned, executed, or briefed missions in the military than you probably have what it takes to get your Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Links from the show:
Project Activities explanation for the PMI application
Links from the Intro:
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
Former Navy Corpsman (Greenside) David Shandera and I discuss his transition from the medical side of the military into the civilian medical field. David lays out his advice for other veterans wanting to do the same. He also gives specific advice for all veterans leaving the service on how to stay healthy and keep a positive outlook on life outside the military.
We also discuss the challenge and prestige of being a 19 year old Navy Corpsman with the responsibility of keeping all those around you healthy and safe, some of the negative situations that can cause a veteran to want to leave the military, and the initial pitfalls a veteran can face during their first year out of the service.
Show 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
Episode 10! Kenneth Elliott is a Marine Corps veteran, serving as a machine gunner for the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines Regiment from 2005 to 2009. He served two tours, first to Iraq and then to Afghanistan.
Kenneth is currently a police detective for the Houston, TX police department, assigned to murder investigations. He has been a police officer for 5 years and has found great fulfillment in the line of duty. During the episode we talk about the following and more:
-The difficulties he faced and overcame as a white cop in an urban neighborhood with a large minority population.
-The struggles of being a great Marine waiting to EAS and try and prepare for the civilian world.
-His befriending of a WW2 Marine veteran who landed at and helped take Iwo Jima.
-The efforts he and his partner took to help a homeless veteran reconnect with his distant family, get an ID and his birth certificate, and finally get VA support and a home.
-His important advice for young marines, veterans leaving the service, and those wishing to pursue a career in law enforcement.
I am incredibly proud to call this man my brother. You will always find him doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.
Show links:
The story about him befriend the WW2 Marine
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
In this episode I sit down with Pete Bell. Pete Bell is a former Cavalry Scout who served with both the 82nd Airborne Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade. After leaving active duty in 2011 he returned to school completing his degree in Graphic Design with minors in Marketing and Art History. He has designed both the 2013 official Army Ten-Miler race tees and the 2015 IAVA (Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America) Veteran's Day Parade hoodies. He is the CEO of the military apparel lifestyle brand, Inkfidel, which he founded in 2013. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Tristan and their three children.
Show 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
Norman Goetz is a Marine Corps veteran and current Network Administrator for the city of Rock Island, IL. He served from 2004 to 2009 as a Special Intelligence System Administrator. He deployed to Fallujah, Iraq with the 5th Marines Regiment and then spent his last few years working for Headquarters Marine Corps within the Pentagon.
In this episode Norman and I discuss his deployment to Iraq, what is was like working at the Pentagon as a young enlisted marine, the uncertainty he walked into leaving the service during the 2009 housing crisis, and much more.
Dr. Craig J. Bryan, PsyD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical psychologist and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah. Dr. Bryan received his PsyD in clinical psychology Baylor University, and completed his clinical psychology residency at the Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
He served four years in the Air Force on active duty as the Chief of Primary Care Psychology Services and Suicide Prevention Program Manager at Lackland AFB, and deployed to Iraq in 2009 as the Clinical Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic located at Joint Base Balad (LSA Anaconda), Iraq. Dr. Bryan currently researchers suicide, psychological health, and resiliency among military personnel and veterans, and oversees two randomized controlled trials totaling approximately $3M testing interventions for suicidal military personnel at Fort Carson, Colorado. He also serves as the lead risk management consultant for the $25 million STRONG STAR Research Consortium investigating treatments for combat-related PTSD among military personnel.
Dr. Bryan is a nationally-recognized expert on military suicide, and serves as a consultant to the Department of Defense for psychological health promotion initiatives and suicide prevention. He regularly provides training to clinicians and medical professionals about managing suicidal patients, and has over 120 publications and scientific presentations in the areas of suicide and military mental health, including the book Managing Suicide Risk in Primary Care.
In this episode Dr. Bryan and I discuss the issue of veteran suicides. Dr. Bryan helps answer the following questions asked by my fellow veterans:
Jordan Meek and I met at the Marine Corps School of Infantry. He graduated on went on to serve with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. He served two tours in Iraq within the city of Ramadi. He left active duty in 2008 and moved home to Iowa.
In Iowa Jordan went to college for communication technology and eventually found himself working for Union Pacific where he has been for the past 5 years. Now he raising a family and building a great a future.
In this episode we discuss:
The funny things that happen in bootcamp.
The city of Ramadi and the mission Jordan supported there.
Jordan's career growth and why he chose to get into communications.
The hole left above Jordan's bunk by a dud mortar round.
The importance of reaching out to fellow servicemembers for help and to find out how they are doing as well.
Russell Davies wanted to give other veterans the same healing and fulfillment he felt out in his kayak navigating rapids in the wilderness. With that goal in mind he created PTSD, or Professional Transformation with Sports Development. PTSD is a non-profit aimed at helping veterans deal with depression and intervening with veterans at risk of suicide.
In this episode Russell and I discuss his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, his transition out of the Army, his discovery of the soothing yet dangerous world of kayaking wilderness rapids, and the creation of the organization PTSD.
There is also a portion of this show where we discuss the filler word veterans are known to use, the F-Bomb. We drop a few but it's all in good fun and to point out the problem we face when trying to find new conversation filler words like "um" and "uh."
Major AJ Scotti and I get on Veteranology to discuss his transition out of active duty over to the reserve side of the Marine Corps. While continuing to serve he co-founded GreenCorps International with another marine and is in the process of combating veteran homelessness by providing afford housing from a unique angle.
AJ also goes in-depth on the most important thing the Marine Corps taught him about leadership and how Marines and other service-members continue to be leaders in the top business around the country.
In this episode I have the honor of interviewing Dustin Batson, a Marine Corps veteran, my former point man, entrepreneur and business owner. The West End Elixir Company opened its doors on September 10th of this year and business has been overwhelmingly good for Batson. With half of his staff being veterans this should come at no surprise.
Episode three contains too many nuggets of wisdom to put them all into the show notes. Here are a few parts to listen for:
Using the reserves as a stepping stone out of the military. (Throughout)
2nd Battalion, 7th Marines leading the way in Afghanistan. (6:50 mark)
The biggest challenge he faced moving into the civilian world. (15:50)
His rise through the bar ranks and leadership as a bar's general manager. (19:30)
He explains the fear and liberation of starting his own business. (28:32)
His future plans for success and where he is taking his business. (41:06)
You can find the West End Elixir Company website here. There was also a recent news article about Batson and his bar. Read it here to see how he is helping veterans start new jobs as bartenders.