Phil Randazzo is a second generation Sicilian who learned early on from his father that this country offers the greatest opportunities in the world. At a young age, he quickly learned the value of hard work. From busing tables at his father’s restaurants to working three summer jobs from age fifteen until graduating college, to starting his first company at age twenty-four, Phil has never shied away from hard work His time is currently being spent writing, consulting, and developing a National Entrepreneurship and Coaching program called American Dream U, held at military bases around the country. American Dream U is a nonprofit organization that assists the military transitioning into civilian life. The program, taught by some of the world’s best and most successful entrepreneurs, is designed to provide soldiers, airmen, sailors, marines, and coast guard personnel with the tools to obtain their dream jobs or start their own businesses.
A.C. Fuller is the author of THE ANONYMOUS SOURCE and the creator and host of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast, a weekly interview show featuring award-winning writers and publishing experts. He teaches English at Northwest Indian College near Seattle and has taught journalism at New York University. He has worked as a freelance reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal and New York Newsday. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College, where he received the John D. Lewis Prize for highest honors in political theory. Previously, he was a professional chef specializing in catering. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two children and is hard at work on the sequel to The Anonymous Source.
The Mission of Semper Fido's program is to unite wounded warriors suffering with PTSD with homeless, rescue shelter dogs, who are evaluated and deemed viable, to nurture a healing and rejuvenating bond between the two. The result is a positive, non judgmental, unconditional relationship desperately needed by both.
Jeffrey’s passion for dog training developed throughout his career as a United States Marine. As he progressed, his appreciation for dogs and their capabilities grew. It was during his deployment to Iraq where he genuinely understood the unique bond that could be developed between a dog and its owner. This can best be described through an excerpt from a poem written by Beth Norman Harris titled ‘A Dog’s Prayer’…”Treat me kindly my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.” Jeffrey is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) who specializes in treating trauma related disorders. Additionally, he is a combat veteran who has treated veterans of multiple wars who are diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
Lida Citroën is an international reputation management and branding specialist, often featured in MSNBC, Entrepreneur Magazine, Fortune Magazine, Forbes.com, Huffington Post, Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, and CBS Moneywatch.
As founder of LIDA360, Lida is passionate about helping our nation's veterans navigate the military-to-civilian career transition. She is a popular speaker at military installations and events on veteran hiring, sits on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Veteran Serving Organizations (NAVSO), volunteers with ESGR, and teaches in the TAP program at the US Air Force Academy, and leverages her 20 years in corporate branding to help employers recruit, on board and grow veteran employees.
Lida's second book, "Your Next Mission: A personal branding guide for the military-to-civilian transition," is a powerful resource for transitioning military members.
Lida is a regular contributor for Military.com and Entrepreneur.com on the topic of military transition, and is the recipient of many awards for her service to our veterans.
Joe Witte is the current Program Director for Bunker Labs PHL, an accelerator for veteran entrepreneurs. Joe is a former Captain in the US Army, Transportation Corps. He served for nine years as a reservist in logistics and completed a tour in Baghdad for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his outstanding service. He is also a volunteer for the Liberty USO serving on the Marketing and Communications committee. Joe is an Internet entrepreneur with a marketing and business development background in the digital and media industries. Joe is currently the VP of Global Business Development for ISEBOX, a cloud based communications content distribution platform. Joe is a proud husband and father of 5 kids. He graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Marketing.
Bunker Labs was founded in 2014 by CEO Todd Connor, an Operation Iraqi Freedom Navy veteran and successful entrepreneur. Bunker Labs PHL, a nonprofit 501c3 accelerator for veteran and military entrepreneurs, has a mission to educate, inspire and connect the veteran community with leading entrepreneurs and VC’s, in order to build thriving businesses and illustrate the value military experience brings in developing innovative companies.
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.