In Part One of Episode 13 of Trail Talks, we welcome Erica Kelly for a deeply moving conversation on persistence, survival, and purpose.

Erica shares her journey from surviving severe childhood trauma and poverty in Guatemala, immigrating to the United States, and eventually rising to become the 17th Command Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Reserve Command. This episode explores what persistence looks like when it’s not motivational—but necessary.

We talk about:
• Staying down when life hits too hard
• The courage to tell your story
• Leadership shaped by lived experience
• Why healing doesn’t always look like “bouncing back”

This episode is raw, honest, and powerful—and a reminder that awareness is powerful, but support is transformational.