So many of us confront immense trauma and tragedy in life, leaving us to cope with different levels of pain. Quite often this pain can outweigh our coping skills, setting us up for further disaster.

We’ve learned through our own lives, the importance of getting the upper hand on this pain before it leads us down a path that is even more difficult to return from. We’ve also had the opportunity to meet and interview people from all over this country, with their own incredible stories of turning pain into purpose.

In this episode we pull snippets of interviews with past guests who shared their own personal stories of turning pain into a new purpose.

Dave Roever is a Vietnam veteran who was so severely wounded that he was declared KIA. He's endured decades of surgeries and rehabilitation that have the potential to destroy his positive outlook on life. Instead, Dave turned his pain into purpose by using his experiences to help others.

Chad Littlefield died alongside his friend Chris Kyle. His family still struggles beneath the weight of their grief, but they choose to use their own pain to honor Chad's legacy. Today they are a large part of Operation Valor, a non-profit serving to support other veteran-based organizations.

Bonnie Carroll fell hard into her own grief when her husband died in a military aviation accident. Unable to locate supportive services, Bonnie created TAPS, which is now this nation's largest and most influential tragedy support system for military families.

Dr. Sean Stephenson was given a death sentence just moments after he was born. But this remarkable individual defied his doctors' prognosis first by living, and then by going on to lead an extraordinary life. Today Dr. Stephenson is a wildly sought after speaker and highly successful therapist.

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GET IN TOUCH: If now feels like the right time to transform your ideas into a book, contact me, and let’s make it happen! Email Me with your speaking or podcast requests and book-writing inquiries. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  

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Steve Sims started as a bricklayer in London. Today he's known as "The Real Life Wizard of Oz," who makes the impossible possible. He's the master concierge behind the magic of Bluefish, a mega-high-end concierge service.

Once a best-kept secret to the ultra-wealthy, Steve's book Bluefishing has exploded his name through this country and into others. Now he's leaning into his escalated fame with his own style, and teaching others how less is more when it comes to building true success.

In this episode, we get to know his business and the man behind the magic. Steve lets us in on what it's like to marry his best friend, how things are changing for him since the release of his book, and what he really thinks of the American Dream.

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GET IN TOUCH: If now feels like the right time to transform your ideas into a book, contact me, and let’s make it happen! Email Me with your speaking or podcast requests and book-writing inquiries. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  

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Combat veteran and wounded warrior Justin Constantine has overcome immense challenges in his life. Catastrophically injured by a sniper's bullet, Justin owes his life to the heroic actions of fellow warriors. With the care of numerous medical professionals and the love of his wife, Justin continually taps into his own positive mindset in order to live his life to the fullest.

Today Justin is an inspirational speaker, author, corporate coach and leadership consultant. He is the Chief Business Development Officer at JobPath, the fastest growing veteran employment platform in the country.

In this episode Justin shares his story of combat, injury, and recovery. He talks about the mindset that sets a person up to overcome any challenges in life.

Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

GET IN TOUCH: If now feels like the right time to transform your ideas into a book, contact me, and let’s make it happen! Email Me with your speaking or podcast requests and book-writing inquiries. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  

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Carolyn Moor faced the unthinkable when a Valentine's date with her husband ended with a tragic accident that left her a widow. Left all alone to raise their two little girls in the wake of this tragedy, Carolyn navigated her grief and the complex challenges of transitioning from wife to widow as best as she could. It was then that she realized the lack of resources and support for the hundreds of thousands of widows in this country.

When she wound up interviewed by Oprah Winfrey as part of a show on recovering from tragedy, Carolyn was inundated with widows asking her for help widows and accepted the challenge.

Today she is the founder of Modern Widows Club and a beacon of hope for widows across the world.

Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

GET IN TOUCH: If now feels like the right time to transform your ideas into a book, contact me, and let’s make it happen! Email Me with your speaking or podcast requests and book-writing inquiries. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  

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Sean Valigura admits he was in really bad shape when he left the military. It took about 15 years for the Navy veteran to begin truly healing from his unseen wounds the way he'd healed from his physical ones.

He tried to end his own life twice before he found is new path and purpose - or it found him.

Today Sean is the chairman and executive director of Operation Valor, a non-profit organization serving as a fund-raising arm for other 501(c)3 organizations dedicated to serving veterans.

What started as a small, almost accidental grassroots effort has grown into a national presence that attracts powerful support. Sean shared his lessons on establishing and building a successful 501(C)3 with us and provided helpful advice for anyone else seeking to build and grow their own non-profit.

Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

GET IN TOUCH: If now feels like the right time to transform your ideas into a book, contact me, and let’s make it happen! Email Me with your speaking or podcast requests and book-writing inquiries. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  

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Carmen Tarleton is a survivor. She is also a speaker and author who uses her own story of horrific trauma at the hands of someone she once loved as a means to help others.

Burned, blinded, and blessed, is how she sums up her tragedy to triumph story that inspires people all over the country.

In this short episode, we share a piece of her full story, as featured earlier. And we share what you can do to help this courageous and remarkable woman.

Read the full article and support Carmen here

GET IN TOUCH: If now feels like the right time to transform your ideas into a book, contact me, and let’s make it happen! Email Me with your speaking or podcast requests and book-writing inquiries. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  

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We are excited because today we have a great message from Kent Clothier on Faith, Hope and the power of giving back.  Kent Clothier was on one of our very first episodes and can listen to his inspirational story at www.americansnippets.com/007.

Real Estate Worldwide and Kent Clothier have a non-profit called The Time Is Now Foundation and the also started the 1,000 layaways project. This is something they've been doing the last 5 years during the Christmas season. Kent started the #1000 Layaways hashtag to help make this yearly tradition go viral with the goal of paying off 1,000 layaways each and every year for families in need.

This is all about faith, hope, and remembering what the season is really all about.

Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

GET IN TOUCH: If now feels like the right time to transform your ideas into a book, contact me, and let’s make it happen! Email Me with your speaking or podcast requests and book-writing inquiries. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  

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Tom Varano is a performance speed painter and inspirational speaker who uses art and entertainment as a medium to connect with audiences all over this country. His artwork, though extraordinary, is secondary to his purpose of inspiring people to live their dreams, and pack their lives with passion. 

Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

GET IN TOUCH: If now feels like the right time to transform your ideas into a book, contact me, and let’s make it happen! Email Me with your speaking or podcast requests and book-writing inquiries. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  

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Upon leaving the US Navy in 2017, Ephraim Mattos became heavily involved in humanitarian and rescue operations inside Northern Iraq against ISIS while volunteering with the humanitarian organization Free Burma Rangers.  On June 2, 2017 he was shot by ISIS while conducting a rescue operation in ISIS-held territory inside West Mosul as a part of the Free Burma Rangers team.  The team gained international attention when a video of the rescue went viral on the internet.

Ephraim is the author of City of Death: Humanitarian Warriors In the Battle of Mosul published by Hachette Book Group.  Written alongside Scott McEwen, co-author of the #1 New York Times best-selling book American Sniper, City of Death details Ephraim’s harrowing humanitarian journey to Iraq

Currently, Ephraim manages and directs rescue and relief efforts throughout South East Asia as a part of White Mountain Research’s partnership with Operation Underground Railroad.

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GET IN TOUCH: If now feels like the right time to transform your ideas into a book, contact me, and let’s make it happen! Email Me with your speaking or podcast requests and book-writing inquiries. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  

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We all have the ability to make an impact in someone else's life. Sometimes we will see this impact. Most often we will not. In this episode, co-founder Barb Allen shares her story of one of the many people who impacted her in her path through grief. Tony Orlando is an avid supporter of our military.

The first time Barb met him, she left an unforgettable memory for him and helped him understand the value of the work he was doing. Eight years later their paths crossed again. This time, Tony said something to Barb that served as a catalyst for her to take her hard lessons learned and help others. Barb shares that story in this episode.

Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

GET IN TOUCH: If now feels like the right time to transform your ideas into a book, contact me, and let’s make it happen! Email Me with your speaking or podcast requests and book-writing inquiries. I will get back to you as soon as possible.  

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