No spoiler alerts here, just enjoy and take a listen. 

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Evan Blankenship joins me on Celebrate the Struggle today to discuss his journey from the military to dedicating his life working with veterans. After getting out of the military Evan worked to find his place in this world, just as we all do. After working for the railroad for ten years, he went on to obtain his degree in Exercise Science with a minor in strength conditioning.

He now works as a health coach with the VA in the Whole Health Program. Evan describes how this opportunity to help veterans has been so rewarding. "You are more than just a list of ailments. You are an emotional person and so much more." Evan Blankenship

What an enlightening conversation! Thanks for your dedication to helping veterans Evan!

To learn more about Evan check him out on YOUTUBE or Instagram evan_blankenship

https://www.youtube.com/user/evanpitbull

CJ Ives Lopez joins me on the show today to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and share a few laughs together. She shares her story of living in a volatile home as a child, striving to make her grandmother as she watched others treat her so poorly. After struggling in school and not sharing the same interest that her teachers expected her to have, she went on to join the military and later married another veteran. 

CJ shares her journey as she struggles with ADHD, physical ailments, and mental health challenges, she finds herself in the service of others. Her post traumatic growth led her to help others through her writing, the creation of a magazine "The Author's Porch", and now her own podcast. "Somebody out there needs to see you fall, and EVEN MORE they need to see you get back up." CJ Ives Lopez

https://linktr.ee/theauthorsporch

To check out the video of our interview, click here: https://youtu.be/NiD_2Zl60yM

Casey Pinnell joins me on the show today to share the story of his journey and how it go him to where he is today. Due to life circumstances, Casey found himself living by himself at 18 years old, searching for acceptance. Then he found it, joining the military at 18 years old. He thrived on the structure and the comradery that it offered, but after a deployment to Iraq, he was back where he started again. However, this time he didn't handle it with grace, turning to more destructive coping mechanisms. "It didn't go well," he describes. With his wife in his corner all along, his journey took a turn when the opportunity to help out with a local baseball team arose. It was then that he found himself again. But more then find himself, he knew "this was it. This is where I belong".  Now Casey is a teacher and a head football coach who gets to inspire kids daily by focusing on "the whole child" first. 

How inspiring! 

@CaseyPinnell (Twitter)

Robinson Maroon Football (Facebook)

Michael Hood, retired Army Veteran, joins us today to share how he continues to dedicate his life to veterans. Ever heard of structural stigma? Here is a perfect example of how it works. After Michael sought out support at the mental health clinic, he was approached and questioned by his staff sergeant. His choice to go seek help sent up red flags, making others question his competence. As covid swept the nation, Michael was left concerned and empathetic for the veterans that no longer had social outlets due to places shutting down. It was then that Michael decided to start a Facebook group called Help the Person Standing in Front of You. With over 30,000 followers now, Michael is working to help other veterans cope, find their purpose, and support one another. Awesome job Michael! Keep up the admirable work battle!

​Help the veteran standing in front of you | Facebook

Bobbi Jo Smith joins me today to talk more about the healing process. "Healing doesn't have a magic wand. It is a process." Bobbi Jo is the Founder of Bravely Authentic LLC where she is a Trauma Informed Transformational Healer. Bobbi Jo is also a coauthor of "Faces of Mental Illness She talks about working through her struggles of military sexual trauma (MST) and domestic violence and how even with all the resources that were given to her, she didn't know what to do. She felt hopeless and was considering giving up her kids for adoption and "becoming one of the 22".  She talks about how she finally did the "big ask" and got help for the things she was trying to deal with on her own. The Battle Within is an organization that helped to put her on her healing journey. 

"Start sharing your story. You don't even know who you will help." Bobbi Jo Smith

Bravely Authentic (@bravelyauthenticliving) • Instagram photos and videos

Bravely Authentic, LLC | Facebook

Bravely Authentic Conversations 🌸 A Group for Healing and Connections | Facebook

Faces of Mental Illness: 20 Stories Bringing You Through Your Journey From Stigma to Health: Fernandez-Niedzielski, Claudia, Ruth, Samantha, Butler, Kate: 9781952725203: Amazon.com: Books

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