Thandi Myeni started out working at M&M Mars candy company, but after 9/11, she decided she wanted to pursue a life of meaning and purpose. She decided to go to medical school and graduated despite the challenges. She originally planned on becoming an OBGYN, but life took her in a different direction. This story of transformation serves to demonstrate that our past does not determine our future and that anything is possible if we are willing to be flexible and open to change.

Dr. Thandi Myeni currently serves as a Major in the US Army Reserves.

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Examining the potential benefits of exercise for managing mental health and providing advice for incorporating physical activity into daily life.

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Jerry Dugan is a leadership consultant, training facilitator, and public speaker who hosts the podcast Beyond the Rut with Jerry Dugan. He helps build servant leaders by finding clarity and alignment in their work and personal lives.

His leadership experience includes roles with the U.S. Army, Christian ministry, and corporate healthcare, where his whole-person approach has built thriving teams who found joy in their work as part of their lives. His personal belief is that life is too short to live stuck in a rut drives his hope to help you create success that doesn't cost you your faith or your family.

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Exploring the concept of moral injury, its impact on veterans, and potential treatment options.

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Michelle Axmaker is a former zookeeper and currently works with Warriors Heart to train service dogs for veterans and first responders. She gained experience training and caring for exotic animals at Bush Gardens in Tampa, Florida, and then at the Lackland Air Force Base at their military working dog center.

Michelle discusses the importance of service dogs for people with PTSD and the unique training necessary for each individual's needs. Each person's PTSD symptoms differ, and the dogs are trained to recognize the individual's specific triggers and respond accordingly. It is important for the individual who is going to be handling the dog involved in the training process, as the dog must be familiar with the triggers of that particular individual.

The Warriors Heart K9 program provides the opportunity to purchase a Service or ESA K9 through the Academy program. Each Warriors Heart dog is trained to become an Emotional Support Animal or a Service Animal so that the client can travel with, house, and utilize the dog within ADA compliance.

For clients not interested in becoming a Handler, the K9 Experience program is a more therapeutic approach. You can learn about obedience training, participate in weekly Classroom presentations, go on Nature Hikes, and simply enjoy spending time with the canine Warriors.

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Providing advice and strategies for managing feelings of guilt and shame related to military service or civilian life.

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Dave Morrow, a Canadian veteran shares his own experience as a reservist and how he struggled to get back to normal after hurting his back and knee. He found that taking pain pills was only a temporary solution and that he had to make a lifestyle change to get harder to kill.

This led to his mission of helping other veterans lose weight and get more fit.

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Examining the potential benefits of entrepreneurship as a means of finding purpose and meaning after military service.

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Darrell Utt is the Chief of Business Operations at the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation and a retired Green Beret. He was a small-town kid from West Virginia who joined the Army in 1990 and went on to become a Special Forces Green Beret.

Darrell talks about his experience of being a newly minted Special Forces Green Beret and being thrown into a situation he was completely unprepared for. He was put on the bunny slopes with three- to five-year-old German kids with no prior skiing experience, and he was completely humbled and overwhelmed. This experience taught him the importance of being humble, never giving up, and of showing up no matter what.

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This episode discusses the cultural barriers that prevent military members from seeking help for mental health issues and provides advice for breaking down these barriers.

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