Brian Nelson, a retired Army Major and combat veteran, served as Deputy Director, Joint Services for the Washington National Guard Special Ops, and Operations Officer of Task Force Dagger in Afghanistan. A Russian-speaking Intelligence Officer, with a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership, Brian was early the early adopter of resilience training in the military, and he later founded Grit360, a consulting firm for mental skills, character, and leadership development.

He and his wife, Kelly, co-founded an animal rescue called Kindred Souls Foundation, and Brian directs a race called “Unleashed at Stadium Bowl.” You can catch his TEDx Tacoma Talk called 1 lb Stronger for insights based on his cognitive neuroscience studies and his experience in the weight room and running steps at the stadium.

From national security to emergency Ebola response, Fombah Sirleaf shares his First Fundamental for moving through uncertainty. A former Health Physics technician at U Penn, as well as an international military veteran, Fombah is a West Point graduate and served as an Operations and Training officer for the Armed Forces of Liberia, Security Analyst for the transitional government, and Principle Advisor to the President of the Republic of Liberia for all intelligence matters. Now based in Philadelphia, Fombah is a global security leader.


This series is produced by The Human Impact Studio of TA Group Holdings, a veteran-owned firm, in partnership with NuWest Healthcare which is staffing hundreds of travel nurses for the coronavirus response across the nation. The series is dedicated to our brave nurses and healthcare workers. 

“Hello, darkness, my old friend…” is the first thing Chris Schmitt hears in his head of when faced with overwhelming challenges.

Chris is no stranger to ambiguity, as a US Army Green Beret who led teams in relentless environments in Afghanistan, the Sahara/Niger, Western Europe, and the Balkans. He advised the President of Mali in counter-terrorism infrastructure and directed friendly forces in uncertain combat environments.

Today Chris embraces the sound of silence in the great outdoors: he founded Azimuth Consulting Group to facilitate leadership workshops and non-traditional, adventure-based, leadership development.


This series is produced by The Human Impact Studio of TA Group Holdings, a veteran-owned firm, in partnership with NuWest Healthcare which is staffing hundreds of travel nurses for the coronavirus response across the nation. The series is dedicated to our brave nurses and healthcare workers.

Jan Rutherford is a former Green Beret medic, founder of Self-Reliant Leadership, wilderness expedition leader, and author of the book, The Littlest Green Beret.

Jan’s expertise in grit and resilience come from the business world, the military and academia; but his philosophy is from a confluence of Sparta’s discipline, Socrates’ self-awareness, Aristotle’s courage, Emerson’s self-reliance, and Thoreau’s reflective seclusion.

His coaching and speaking work also includes leading expeditions with executives and military veterans, and sharing leadership insights from those experiences.


This series is produced by The Human Impact Studio of TA Group Holdings, a veteran-owned firm, in partnership with NuWest Healthcare which is staffing hundreds of travel nurses for the coronavirus response across the nation. The series is dedicated to our brave nurses and healthcare workers.

When chaos reins, it's time to call in Cookie RN (aka Darlene Wilson) -- that's where she shines! It's no surprise, after being one of the earliest women graduates from West Point,  a Army helicopter pilot and combat veteran, an ER Registered Nurse, and a Clinical Instructor at University of Texas School of Nursing.

Cookie was one of the very first nurses to raises her hand and travel to NYC for an assignment at Elmhurst hospital, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Hear her story, from her experience in combat and in the Emergency Room, to the frontlines of the coronavirus fight.

Why did she volunteer? How is she managing? What advice does she have for others wrangling chaos? Have a listen!


This series is produced by The Human Impact Studio of TA Group Holdings, a veteran-owned firm, in partnership with NuWest Healthcare which is staffing hundreds of travel nurses for the coronavirus response across the nation. The series is dedicated to our brave nurses and healthcare workers.