Hawaiian Shirts For Deployed Soldiers
Some non profits come about in some strange ways! For Army mother, Gwen Pollard, her non profit Hawaiian Shirts For Deployed Soldiers is a great example of that. What started as sending a few shirts has rather quickly turned into a huge morale boosting non profit sending free Hawaiian shirts to deployed units all over the world. Join us as we discuss how this all unfolded and the huge impact they have made on morale.
Business & Taxes
One of the most important aspects to running a business is understanding taxes. With changed seemingly every other day, understanding what you need to do and what you should do is confusing at best. Marine Corps veteran Charles Read has made a career out of understanding the tax system and he joins the show to discuss some very important tax topics for vetrepreneurs.
Working With, Not Against The Military Lifestyle
The military lifestyle can be difficult to adjust to for any new spouse. Britt Lanza had a crash course in the difficulties of living in the military culture, handling deployments, adjustment issues for her and her spouse. The loneliness of deployments and the resiliency she developed helped her grow and adapt to be able to handle the challenges as they come. She has also leveraged the power of community to have the support she needed, as well as direct support to other spouses when and where they need it.
Military Sexual Trauma
The amount of our military members and veterans dealing with military sexual trauma is sickening. According to the DAV 1 in 4 women and 1 in 100 men in the VA healthcare system have survived military sexual trauma. That doesn't even account for those still serving such as US Army Specialist Tori Adams. We will discuss her story, how her chain of command reacted during the reporting process and handling rumors while still serving.
Outside The Box
US Marine Joey Mac Dizon runs the Mobile Cigar Lounge, offering a very unique service for parties, weddings, retirements, and more! We discussed the good and bad of operating a mobile service business and the challenges of operation during COVID. Joey is a funny guy, you won’t want to miss this episode!
Real Estate Advice
Army veteran and Realtor Sam Silver discusses both career opportunities in real estate and tons of knowledge on how and why a Realtor is your best partner in the home buying and selling process.
Advice From A VSO
The VA system is not an easy agency to deal with all the time. With many benefits, rules, regulations the VA systems is complicated at a minimum. Army veteran, Jane Babcock, has been serving veterans for years helping them get the benefits they have earned. Along the way she has seen behind the VA curtain and knows their systems like the back of her hand. In this episode we pull back that curtain a little and get her best advice and opinions on navigating the VA system.
Blue Star Families
Welcome Ben Gould the Chicago Area Director of Blue Star Families is my guest this week as we discuss military family resources! Every military and veteran family faces certain struggles from time to time. Perhaps it's employment, caregiver resources, medical, mental health, financial, or something else. With over 200 Blue Star Family Communities across the world, they offer a ton of resources to the military-connected community. Check them out next time you have a need!
Invisible Wounds
Not all wounds of war are visible to the naked eye. Air Force veteran Elisa Escalante knows this all to well as a former mental health technician in uniform and out. She has seen first hand the invisible wounds suffered both in and out of the war zone. Military trauma can develop in many ways, but one thing remains constant, dealing with these complex wounds can be difficult. With all this experience over the years, Elisa has just released her first book titled, Unseen:
Empowering & Caring For Veterans
USMC Veteran Joe Palacios, part of Maxwell's Soaps, comes on the podcast for this special July 4th edition! Joe and I talked about soap and how the company provides one bar of soap to homeless veterans with each purchase. His love and passion for his fellow veterans also translated into the first HAVE mission. HAVE stands for Humble Alpha Veteran Empowerment, developed by Lane Belone and Stephen Kuhn. Joe's mission, which was the first of its kind, helped a fellow veteran finish his new coffee roasting building.