Terrance Gant is a 12 year Marine Corps veteran. Deployed to Afghanistan twice and Iraq three times, then medically separated from the Marine Corps in 2010, Terrance says "That's when the wheels feel off". Extreme drinking because of loss of purpose and nightmares cost him his marriage, kids, and job. February 15,2015 Terrance even attempted suicide. After months and months of VA care, he started looking to Veteran Service organizations for help. Wounded Warrior project got him out of the house. Save A Warrior saved his soul. Team RWB filled the athletic gap in his life. The Mission Continues and Team Rubicon filled the service gap in his life.  Today Terrance is no longer just surviving in life but he's thriving and dedicated to empowering the lives of veterans and helping them take back their lives.

A chance viewing of a short news story prompted Peter A. Cline to create a life-changing charity for veterans injured on the battlefield.

VETMotorsports, Inc., provides wounded veterans struggling to re-assimilate to the civilian world the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with professional motorcycle and auto racing teams. The charity has helped more than 130 veterans since 2012.

“I saw an opportunity after watching a TV short on BBC America about how injured warfighters were using motorsports to recover from battlefield injuries,” Cline said. “I asked myself why someone was not providing a ‘hands-on’ opportunity for veterans. From that point on, it was a matter of doing research and having some discussions with sponsors and friends to work out the details.”

Cline, a former professional motorcycle racer, spends time attending and facilitating race experiences all across the U.S. during the racing season, while focusing on fundraising and outreach to strategic partners during the off season.

Cline volunteers his time as executive director of VETMotorsports while working full-time as Traffic Safety Specialist at Motorcycle Ohio.

“VETMotorsports has allowed me to take 12 plus years of relationships and create this thing where the sum of the parts make a huge difference to those veterans participating,” Cline said. “The program is about creating a culture where injured warfighters are welcome, where we can provide them an outlet that shows them their self-worth and hopefully creates an opportunity for them to succeed outside the program.”

Cline, who lives in Upper Arlington, Ohio, was presented the 2015 Hazel Kolb Brighter Image Award from the American Motorcyclist Association for his contributions to the motorcycle racing community.

Don Hutcheson is a lifelong entrepreneur, inventor, author and coach. He hosts the daily podcast: “Discover Your Talent—Do What You Love,” which he created to help you find your true talents and use them to build a career of success, satisfaction and freedom. He’s never had a “boss” and has created 6 innovative companies in advertising, publishing, coaching and career planning—and now on the Internet—over the last 35 years.

Dr. Bourke is the Executive Director of the NLP Research and Recognition Project, and Coordinator to the NLP Community. After the 9-11 attacks in 2001, Dr. Bourke designed and implemented a rehabilitation plan for 800 World Trade Center building survivors. He found that he was able to change the symptoms of PTS survivors he was treating with an NLP-derived protocol much quicker and more effectively than the 30 or so therapists he was working with. He founded the Not-For-Profit Corporation to advance the science of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and bring the research up to a scientific standard necessary for more widespread implementation. He brings with him more than 33 years of professional experience in Executive, Clinical and Research roles.

The Research and Recognition Project (R&RP) conducts rigorous, controlled clinical studies to validate therapeutic techniques that support the widespread use of innovative and cost-effective clinical care for traumatic stress and a number of other psychiatric disorders.

Jean South is a Marine spouse, daughter of two Army veterans, and former FBI Special Agent. During her career she has had the honor of working alongside our nation’s warriors. As the President and CEO of Hire Served , Jean gives companies a competitive advantage to compete for veteran talent by helping bridge the culture gap between military candidates and company recruiters. She also provides career coaching to veterans, teaching them how to use LinkedIn to network more effectively as they transition into their next careers after the military.
Jean serves as the Veteran Outreach Director for Bunker Labs Philadelphia connecting with veterans and Veteran Service Organizations in the Philadelphia metro region to provide entrepreneurship opportunities to veterans and their spouses.

Joanna is a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps. She served as a Field Radio Operator (0621) and as a Recruiter (8411). She served honorably from 1998-2007 (E-6 SSgt) and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 with 3D MAW, MWSS 373, MCAS Miramar.

Having to overcome her own transition obstacles; Joanna made the commitment to help other Veteran s transition more successfully. She became a well-known veteran advocate in the AZ community with her previous work at ASU’s Pat Tillman Veterans Center (2012-2015) and her many involvements in the non-profit/volunteer space. She works tirelessly to help bridge the divide between transitioning veterans and the civilian community. She serves as a voluntary board member with ASU’s Veterans Chapter of the Alumni, S.E.E.4 Vets and the AZ Veterans Court Mentor Project. She volunteers to help raise funds for the Marine Corps Scholarship Fund—AZ campaign, teaches career transition curriculum for Fourblock.org, and is a member of the Jar Head Professionals group.

Joanna is married to Mr. Jobiin Sweatt since 1997 and they have three beautiful children, Jeriah (19), Jobiin Jr. (17), and Jordin (15).

Wally Carmichael is a husband, father, retired Army Medic, Department of the Army Operations Specialist and Podcast Host of the Men of Abundance Podcast. He was born and raised in Phoenix Arizona and joined the Army at the age of 20 for the education benefits, opportunity to travel and to escape what was clearly a destructive lifestyle.
It only took 24 years to complete his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. And he was able to traveled to 23 countries on five continents. Wally has lived in Panama, Germany, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, and currently lives on the beach in Hawaii.
Wally first started in the job force in a slaughterhouse at the tender age of 16, no pun intended. He has also started and operated many business ventures from Real Estate, Sales and installation of satellite systems, residential cleaning and internet marketing.
Next to family, his greatest passion is hosting his Men of Abundance Podcast, The Pay it Forward Community, where he has conversations with other Abundant leaders as well as up and coming entrepreneurs, authors, and thought leaders doing amazing things in their community.

Joe Mornini has spent a lifetime going from adventure to adventure. He holds a master's degree in Environmental Education from Goddard College and has been involved in outdoor education for almost four decades. A Special Education Resource Teacher and counselor, Joe is the coordinator of a program for seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD. For 30+ years, Joe’s stress-buster has been whitewater kayaking after school on the nearby Potomac River.

Always the environmentalist and adventurer, Joe has motorcycled across the country three times, walked across Ireland, walked across the state of Maryland and paddled rivers around the country.

In 2004, Joe and kayaking buddy, Mike McCormick, recruited friends and local paddling businesses to support their idea to teach whitewater kayaking to wounded soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. They named the program Team River Runner (TRR) and the goal has been to provide hope, health and healing. Working in partnership with The Wounded Warrior Project and Disabled Sports USA, TRR is a non-profit volunteer organization that now provides adaptive, therapeutic and leadership training programs for OIF/OEF veterans on a national level.

Michael J. Penney is the co-founder of Cigars and Sea Stories, a podcast devoted to sharing stories with veterans who are adding value to the world. He’s the creator of the “5 Paragraph Business Plan” an actionable approach to business.

March of ‘16 he presented at TEDx Raleigh, “What’s Your IED: How to Add Value to During Life's Explosive Situations” - in an effort to bridge the life of veterans and civilians.

Michael is a former Sergeant and Marine veteran. He served 8 years as an infantryman and weapons instructor. His service spans three combat tours and two wars - Ramadi iraq (05’/07’), Kajaki/ Sangin Afghanistan (2011).

He served as a weapons instructor, having personally trained over 5000 Marines and sailors in rifle and pistol combat marksmanship, foreign weapons, small arms and precision weapons marksmanship and tactics.

Having successfully navigated the transition from service member to veteran, Michael now supports fellow veterans seeking the entrepreneurial lifestyle. He currently works as program director for Bunker Labs RDU, calling upon his military experience to assess, train, advise, and assist veterans in business creation.

As the Program Manager for In Gear Career, a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Hiring Our Heroes, Amanda Patterson Crowe serves as an advisor to career-minded military spouses in networking chapters across the globe.  In Gear Career's 20+ chapters work to create connections in their local communities and serve as a jumping off point for military spouses moving to the area and looking for professional connections.

As a U.S. Navy Veteran and now military spouse, Amanda also puts her own experience to work answering career questions in the new column "Dear Career", a collaboration between Military.com and Hiring Our Heroes. More of Amanda's writing on military spouse career issues can also be found monthly on NextGen Military Spouse.

Today's article comes from Luis Congdon and is titled "How Video Games Are Helping Young Veterans Cope".  Specialist Rob Gibson talks about how video games allow him to switch off his symptoms, and how nothing else except sleep (which he isn't having much of) allows him to do that right now.

Also in this episode I talk about the Virtual Reality Exposure Treatment (VRET) that was developed by Skip Rizzo which allows a patient to be more immersed over classic pschoherapy.

Here is the article:  http://www.complex.com/life/2016/11/veterans-day-millennials-video-games-ptsd

Get out into your community and explore everything that it has to offer.  New ideas, friends, and opportunities will come from stepping out of your comfort zone.

You may be having some big challenges in your life right now, but you are not broken.  Your community and your country still need you.  Choose to become the person that you want to be.

Luis Congdon had some huge challenges in his life by most people's standards.  Loss, abandonment, culture shock, and even homelessness are a part of Luis' story, but thanks to his mindset it is all just a small part of the abundant and optimistic story that is his life.  

I could write a bunch of words here to tell you about his incredible story, but hearing it directly from Luis is the only way to really feel the intensity of his message.

Connect with Luis on Facebook, and if you are interested in podcasting or growing your business with Facebook definitely ask him about joining the Podcasters Secret Weapon group.  

Bill Rausch is the Executive Director at Got Your 6. He is a former Army Major with over ten years of service including 17 months in Iraq serving under Generals Casey and Petraeus while assigned to the Information Operations Task Force. Prior to joining GY6, Bill was Political Director at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America where he oversaw policy and advocacy campaigns.

Prior to his veteran advocacy work, he was a Senior Consultant providing products and services to the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense while assigned to the Pentagon. Bill regularly testifies in front of Congress and has appeared on NBC Nightly News, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal and MSNBC’s coverage of Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Bill is also an active community leader and volunteer serving as Chapter Captain for Team Red White and Blue (Team RWB) in his local community in Alexandria, VA. He also serves on the Board of Directors at Volunteer Alexandria, an organization promoting volunteerism across all charity sectors.

Bill received his Bachelor of Science in Geospatial Information Science from the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and son.

Got Your 6 is a nonprofit that believes veterans are leaders, team builders, and problem solvers, who have the unique potential to lead a resurgence of community across the nation.

In this episode I talk about a recent article from The Baltimore Sun titled "A soldier battling PTSD reported that he wanted to hurt his commanders. They disciplined him.".

That led to the question in the title of this episode, "Should military members be disciplined for PTSD?".  Spoiler Alert:  My answer is HELL NO!

This week is Veterans Day and I want everyone out there, veteran and civilian, to find an organization to get plugged in with and go out into your community to some kind of event.  Runs, hikes, comedy shows, entrepreneurial courses, dinners, parties, etc.

Find out what you're passionate about, and go after it.  I walk you through a simple exercise to help get clear on what will provide you a life of passion.

Michael has been married for 6 short years and is the father of 2 boys and an adopted brother-in-law. He is currently serving in the United States Marine Corps and has done so for over 7 years. Currently, he is in the process of creating a mastermind for military non-commissioned officers to share ideas and build stronger, more capable military leaders. He’s an aspiring health, fitness, and life coach and does his best to create a home environment of constant self-improvement. He believes that there is a spot for all of us in the hall of greatness and that you don’t have to come from humbled or privileged beginnings to be significant.

Commissioned in August 1996, Kate Germano served for 20 years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. A combat veteran, she participated in numerous operational and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief deployments and had many challenging assignments, including service for year as the Marine Aide to the Secretary of the Navy. She was selected for command twice, and served most recently as the commanding officer of the Marine Corps’ only all-female unit, the 4th Recruit Training Battalion. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Goucher College, where she majored in history with a pre-law emphasis. In 2011, she graduated with distinction from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, earning her Masters of Military Science degree. Upon retiring from the Marine Corps, she became the Chief Operating Officer for the Service Women's Action Network. She is actively engaged in the struggle to end gender bias in the military, and is a vocal proponent for equal rights and the elimination of double standards and lowered expectations for female service members. Service Women’s Action Network is the voice of women in the military. SWAN is a member-driven community network advocating for the individual and collective needs of service women past, present and future.

Jeremy discusses an article out of the Military Times titled "The number of veterans in Congress will likely drop again next year".

In today's Motivational Monday I draw a parallel between dawning a new identity for Halloween and transitioning from the military. I also lift the curtain to reveal a little bit of my childhood.

I have interviewed over 50 veteran organizations since the start of the Veteran Resource Podcast. In this episode I share the top 5 things that I have learned. The full text can be found at veteranresourcepodcast.com/059

Nicholas grew up in Uhrichsville, a small town in Ohio. When he turned 18 years old, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman. His first deployment was in 2008 to Ramadi, Iraq where he trained the Iraqi police force and encouraged them to take pride in securing their city’s safety. Shortly after he returned home from Iraq, his unit deployed to support the Drug Enforcement Agency on a mission in the seas of South America. He came home just before Christmas in 2009 and immediately started training for his third and final deployment. Six months later he was in Marjah, Afghanistan where his unit was engaged with the Taliban to secure the safety of civilians and the city’s farmlands. In August 2011, after five years of service and three deployments, Nicholas was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps and moved to Tampa Florida. Nicholas tried his first yoga class within a few days of being in his new city and was sure that he would never go back again. Shortly after he began to notice some serious physical problems and they started to negatively impact his life. He also was struggling with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries from his time in service. He had become friends with his yoga teacher and she urged him to come back to maybe a less intensive class. After a few classes Nicholas started to feel the physical benefits of yoga and after long talks with his teacher and more yoga Nicholas fell in love with the practice. Still struggling with his physical and mental challenges Nicholas decided to take it further and in 2014 he signed up for a 200 hour RYT teacher training. This particular training was 8 months long and he knew his journey had just began. Today Nicholas teaches yoga with Exalted Warrior Foundation providing adaptive yoga to veterans who are struggling just like he is. Yoga for him isn’t just a class in studio, it is a tool for every moment in his life to battle the physical and mental challenges he still faces every day.

Paul Riedner is the Executive Director of a startup non-profit called the Veteran Resilience Project which uses EMDR to address a number of after effects of military service and war. Paul has an Economics degree and an MBA focused on business anthropology and consumer behavior. From 2006 - 2010 he was a Deep Sea Diver in the US Army. Since returning from war and the military, Paul began exploring how to use art to express his changing perspectives and to connect the public with the experiences, triumphs, and struggles of returning veterans. Paul produces a podcast called ResilienceMN that interviews veterans and serves as the community outreach mechanism for VRP.