In 2016 Jason Kander was a rising star in the Democratic Party. After narrowly losing the race to become one of Missouri’s Senators, he began laying the groundwork for a Presidential run. Jason unexpectedly pivoted to declaring his candidacy for the 2019 Kansas City mayoral election, and quickly became the clear favorite. Three months into that campaign he ended his candidacy and stepped back from public life after revealing that he had suffered from PTSD and depression after serving as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007

On today’s episode of Being Well, Jason joins Forrest to talk about his personal journey recovering from PTSD, the impact of his time serving in Afghanistan, imposter syndrome and shame, having a mental health challenge in public, and what we can do to better support veterans. 

About our Guest: Jason is a former Missouri Secretary of State and member of the Missouri state legislature. He’s current the President of National Expansion at Veterans Community Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting veteran suicide and homelessness. He’s also the host of Majority 54, a popular political podcast, and the author of Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD. 

If you're in crisis, are thinking about suicide, or are concerned about a loved one, please call 1-800-273-8255. The Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States.

Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:45: Jason’s experience coming to accept having PTSD

3:45: Symptoms

5:50: How the military (mostly doesn't) address PTSD

8:00: Chronic stress, public perception, feelings of failure, and uncertainty of recovery

13:40: Jason’s Veterans Affairs (VA) experience

15:40: Veteran's Community Project and other resources for veterans

20:00: Therapeutic practices Jason did

27:50: Physical sensations associated with PTSD

31:40: Imposter syndrome related to being a combat veteran

33:05: Working through shame and comparison

36:15: How Jason’s view of therapy progressed through the process

42:30: What Jason would do differently for his mental health if he ran for office again

47:05: More on Veterans Community Project and their tiny house program

51:50: Recap

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