Helping Military Spouses Find Stability
How do you handle unexpected adversity?
Despite preparing and planning for the transition to civilian life, there was an emotional toll Teresa Shick’s family did not expect. The devastation of leaving their military life and the family they built caused an identity crisis that shook them to their core.
Military spouse and founder of the Pillar Foundation, Teresa Shick, shares insight from the challenges of her life after the military with Howie and Lee on this Charlie Mike episode.
The community aspect of military life is very important to their family; which led Teresa to create her own in Texas. After serving as an Ombudsman at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group alongside her husband, Teresa founded The Pillar Foundation to provide a support network to newly transitioned military wives into the civilian world. Her dedication to our country’s military families and spouses is unwavering.
Replacing the purpose these men and women have post-military is pivotal for the healing and growth in their new lives. Teresa is a voice for all military families and a resource that deserves to be shared with all.
Show Notes
00:30 – Introductions
02:00 – How do you and your military spouse prepare for your transition? How did it go and what did you learn?
07:45 – The importance of community camaraderie, and the particular kind you find within the military
10:00 How did you overcome a loss of identity and purpose after leaving the military?
13:45 – Teresa on founding the Pillar Foundation and the importance of being able to find a great community
17:30 – Teresa on the important roles of the military spouse, the importance of teamwork for a successful transition, and resources available to help families and spouses transition and settle into life after the military
31:00 – How naval special warfare shapes family communication, and lessons learned from training and preparations
34:15 – How and why Teresa started the Pillar Foundation
43:00 – Lee gives his book titles
46:15 – Teresa is asked what she does to maintain her mental fitness
The "We" to "Me" Mindset Flip with Jose Velazquez
In this episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Sergeant Major (Retired) Jose Velazquez. Jose provides invaluable insights into his military transition preparation and execution.
Jose wisely advises transitioning service members to apply the skills they learned in the military to own and execute their transition.
Jose shares the importance and value of eliminating debt to lower the stress of the transition period.
Jose also describes the invaluable role that his spouse played in their steps to execute their transition. With his wife taking part in all transition briefings and classes, she brought a perspective to the process that really helped Jose plan more effectively.
Jose also shares the importance for him to seek a post military role that enabled him to find purpose and value in what he wanted to do in broadcasting and teaching.
Jose and Howie describe the value they received by completing the Leader Transition Institute course “Changing Focus from We to Me” and highly encourage all transitioning service members to take this course.
Jose expands on the importance of finding and using mentors to leverage their lessons learned. When he decided to pursue his entrepreneurial spirit and start his own business, he leaned on several mentors to show him the way.
Although struggling with some mental health challenges resulting from leading men and women in combat, Jose candidly shares the value of seeking and asking for help and being there for others when they need someone to talk to.
Show Notes:
2:00 Jose discusses his personal transition out of the military
10:15 Howie discusses the value of reducing debt to create breathing room during transition
12:51 Finding purpose and fulfillment after the military
15:18 Jose elaborates on becoming an entrepreneur
20:31 Discussion around “Owning the Process” of transition and asking for help.
36:49 Jose explains the Leadership Transition Institute and going from “WE” to “ME”
45:39 Howie expands on his experiences transitioning and the tools he finds value in today
55:01 Lee Discusses helping yourself before helping others
1:01:45 Jose describes his mental fitness journey
1:15:20 Jose shares a personal story about reframing his experiences through a redefinition of strength
Achieving Goals through a Vision with NFL player David Holloway
In this episode, Dr. Jason Cormier speaks with special guest David Holloway, a former football player as they go through his journey and the challenges he had to overcome.
It’s no secret that coming from a family of professional athletes means others will have high expectations of your capabilities on the field. David Holloway was well aware of this when he commenced his football career by playing for The University of Maryland.
Hosted by world-renowned brain surgeon, Dr. Jason Cormier; David Holloway joins us for a motivational episode of Rise Above. His story starts off with moments of discouragement, but he committed to his vision: achieving greatness and success in his sport.
Flash forward and Holloway has proven himself in the NFL and as a motivational speaker time, and time again. When met with a challenge, he chose to Rise Above. Follow along as he takes us through his journey and learn his trick to reaching your wildest goals. Check out his story in the full episode!
Show Notes:
0:00 Introduction to David Holloway.
4:24 Family legacy and college football journey
25:50 Pulling through adversity with Vision of Greatness
38:26 Mental Toughness and establishing a successful mindset
47:00 Visiting University of Maryland
50:00 David’s source of motivation
56:51 How to shape your life for success
Book Release
The motivational autobiography of Dr. Jason Cormier, a nationally renowned brain surgeon, EDM artist, and Racecar Driver is out now.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate Pivotal Moments Media earns compensation for qualifying purchases.
Redefining Meditation
Not a fan of meditation? We get it. Our minds are constantly racing with thoughts about our to-do lists, our pending errands, and our worries – sometimes it feels impossible to turn it off. Until now…
Meet Certified Life Coach and Founder of The Grounded Canary, Beth Shaha. Beth is a fan favorite on Her Journey Told, and she’s back with host Sandy Lutton to talk about what meditation is, and more importantly, what it isn’t.
Learn how to redefine what “meditating” means to you in this brand new episode, powered by Pivotal Moments Media!
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Looking for some tools to amplify your moments of meditation? Get our MindCareKit – on sale now!
Show Notes:
0:00 Introductions and overview
0:50 Sandy’s wellness journey and initial thoughts on meditation
2:50 Beth’s take on meditation and redefining meditation
4:37 Journaling and letting go of rules
6:20 Meditation and using the five senses
9:00 Meditation is about what you need
11:35 Sandy’s struggle with being productive and how meditation can help
13:57 What’s important and going with the flow with self-care
15:10 PivitolMomentsMedia and where to find Beth Shaha
How to Find Mentors and Ask for Help
In this new Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Navy Petty Officer First Class Mike Brown.
Mike talks eloquently about the value of owning your own transition and starting your professional network early in your military career. Mike shares how he used LinkedIn as an effective tool to broaden and deepen his network. Even though he had to medically retire and did not have as much time as most to prepare, his early networking efforts helped him land softly in his post-military career.
Mike also speaks about the importance of finding and using mentors who have recently navigated the military transition process to take advantage of their lessons learned.
Although struggling with some mental health challenges, Mike candidly shares the value of seeking and asking for help and being there for others when they need someone to talk to.
Show Notes:
1:20 – How did Mike prepare for his transition? What went well? What didn’t? What did he earn?
9:30 – Howie on why it is important to take ownership of your transition
11:50 – The importance of networking and some tips for finding success
23:30 – They reflect on the challenges of joining a new team and finding success
28:20 – You are not alone, you do not have to go far to find the right people to help you along the way. Find the right communities to give purpose and replace the military presence in your life
34:00 – Don’t hesitate to help others who are transitioning, even if you are just finding rhythm after your own transition
39:00 – How Mike found his job at Intelligent Waves, what he does there, and what he has learned so far from his time working there
51:30 – Book titles
53:20 – Mike on some struggles with mental fitness and what he does to strengthen his mental fitness
1:06:00 – The importance of being there for someone if you see them struggling
Randy Grimes on Football, Addiction, and Recovery
In the premiere episode of Rise Above, former NFL Player Randy Grimes speaks on how all his hard work and love for football paid off. Randy opens up about his battle with addiction, hitting rock bottom, and the road to recovery with the help of his Wife and Family. Learn how he helps families, athletes, and others battle addiction through his organization Pro Athletes In Recovery.
Learn more about this incredible story through Randy’s book Off Center: A Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, and Redemption in Professional Football and his website RandyGrimesSpeaks.com
Show Notes
00:00 Intro
02:45 Randy discusses his upbringing and life before he got to the NFL
11:30 Randy speaks on how he started abusing substances once in the NFL
21:00 Jason asks Randy about his book, Off Center
25:00 Randy discusses hitting rock bottom
30:30 A walkthrough of an intervention
33:30 Jason asks Randy about his wife, Lydia
36:00 How to contact Randy
40:00 Randy speaks on the number of people suffering from addiction
43:00 Jason closes the episode
Book Release
The motivational autobiography of Dr. Jason Cormier, a nationally renowned brain surgeon, EDM artist, and Racecar Driver is out now.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate Pivotal Moments Media earns compensation for qualifying purchases.
How to Envision Your Ideal Day
What does your perfect day look like? How does it make you feel? How do you turn your vision into a reality?
We sat down with Life Coach, Beth Shaha, to learn more about “The Ideal Day” Exercise. Practiced by our Her Journey Told Host, Sandy Lutton, we take a deep dive into how we can intentionally become our best selves, turn our dreams into reality, and fill in the gaps with mental fitness.
Follow along with this episode to learn how to do this exercise and put it into practice! Elevate your experience during the “Ideal Day” Exercise by using the tools in our MindCareKit by Pivotal Moments Media. Mental Fitness delivered right to your door!
Life After The Military: Army Signal Officer and Paralympic Athlete, COL (Ret) Patty Collins
Do you want to be inspired? Do you want to learn how someone overcame a life-changing accident to propel herself to be an Olympic athlete?
In this new Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Army Colonel (Retired) Patty Collins.
Patty shares an invaluable perspective on how she planned and conducted her transition from the Army. She highlights the value of finding a new community, taking time to spend with family and recharge, and the challenges of working in a consulting firm and pursuing a career in government service.
After surviving a cycling accident that left her as a below-the-knee amputee, Patty talks candidly about her challenging battle to recover and overcome significant adversity. Not only did she complete an extraordinary 24-year career as an Army Signal Officer, but Patty also competed as a triathlete in the 2016 Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro.
Patty continues to inspire and lead others serving as the Deputy Director of the U.S. Government Publishing Office and as a coach and mentor of aspiring competitive disabled athletes.
Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
2:03 – Lee asks Patty how she prepared for her transition
6:50 – The importance of finding and/or creating a community, taking time to settle in and readjust, and being open to finding a new purpose
8:56 – Howie brings up how much of a difference financial discipline, becoming debt free, and how that financial freedom can greatly affect a transition for the better
11:57 – Why 6 weeks is the golden grace period for adjusting to your new life outside the military
14:25 – Patty shares more about her past and current work positions, why she chose those positions, and what she learned
26:25 – Patty discusses a major accident she suffered and why she chose to amputate her leg
38:00 What motivated Patty to eventually compete in the 2016 Paralympics
41:00 – Lee talks about his experience in injury recovery, the benefits of physical therapy, and the emotional release that comes with healing
48:00 – Howie brings up the importance of claiming ownership of your situation, what it can take to do that, and how it can benefit your transition and your life.
57:28 – Lee gives Patty’s book title
59:30 – How does Patty maintain mental fitness at an Olympic level?
The Core of Social Responsibility and Practicing Presence
If you were in a job that wasn’t fulfilling your passions, would you leave it to do something else? Jeff Linihan is the Co-Founder and President of Advocado, but before that he was a lawyer. In this episode, Jeff takes Jenn and our audience down a road of pivotal moments and valuable lessons he’s learned along the way as an entrepreneur.
Watch the full episode to hear Jeff’s take on:
- Employee’s personal brand
- Empowering employees to pursue what they view as their personal social responsibility
- Broadening perspectives after using the culture index system
- Flexing mental fitness muscles as an entrepreneur
- Practicing presence
Show Notes
00:00 Jenn kicks off this episode with Jeff. He introduces himself as a lawyer who quickly realized his passion was in entrepreneurship. He dives into his media and marketing space, and how he set out to collect data in real time.
5:02 Jeff details how social responsibility plays into the vision of Advocado, and how he believes it’s important to help employees promote their own individual cause or what they view as social responsibility
8:55 Jeff and Jenn express their viewpoints on corporations assuming all employees want to work on their personal brand
11:22 Jeff discusses broadening his perspective after using the culture index system. Jenn asks about finding balance between employee engagement and wellness while deploying culture index profiles.
15:10 Jeff reveals the first thing he looks at when someone applies for a job at Avocado, and how by doing this he’s able to build a high-functioning team.
17:30 Jenn brings up how large companies like Amazon are coming to large cities and are doing their part in the community, Jeff touches on the “PayPal Mafia” Effect and how great talent has the potential to pursue passions.
20:11 Jenn asks Jeff how he flexes his mental fitness muscles and how he navigates the grind of being an entrepreneur.
24:15 Jeff briefly touches on the biggest challenge he faces when it comes to being present and connecting the mind and body.
25:00 Jenn and Jeff close out the episode on a note about empowering others to pursue what they are passionate about.
Life After The Military: Marine Corps Colonel (Retired) Beau Higgins
Interested in learning about the opportunities for transitioning military veterans to work at Amazon?
In this new Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Marine Corps Colonel (Retired) Beau Higgins.
Beau shares great insights into his planning and preparation for transition from the Marine Corps.
Working as the Senior Manager, Military Talent Acquisition for Amazon, Beau helps us understand the opportunities for transitioning service members at Amazon and how to best prepare and compete for them. Beau explains the Amazon interview process and how to succeed in that process.
Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
2:00 Lee asks Beau about his transition from military to civilian life
10:00 Don’t be afraid to ask for help
17:00 Why Beau chose to work with Custom Cable
26:00 Amazon plans to hire veterans and train non-military leaders to lead veterans successfully
41:00 Beau on Amazon’s keys to successful veteran integration
50:00 Tips for preparing for interviews
1:05:00 Lee asks Beau about mental fitness
