Struggle Well Podcast

For 28 years as a paramedic, Darrell Demers learned to anticipate the worst before it happened. Eventually, that instinct followed him home, affecting his sleep, his health and the way he moved through everyday life. Darrell shares what happened when he finally began talking about what he had carried for decades, and how Struggle Well helped him stop living as though the next emergency was always around the corner.

Navy veteran Carnadi Ford has spent much of his life helping others — as a father, coach, mentor and now Warrior PATHH Guide. But for years, pouring into other people also gave him a way to avoid confronting his own struggles. Carnadi shares how the end of his military career and marriage brought him to one of the lowest points of his life, why he initially believed he didn't deserve help, and how Warrior PATHH gave him practices that helped change his life. Today, he’s giving back to the program that once helped him find his own way forward.

Air Force veteran Brandi McBride has faced combat deployments, divorce, career transitions, and a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. Through it all, she has learned that struggle isn't something to simply endure — it can also be something we grow through. Brandi shares how her experience at Boulder Crest changed the way she understood the weight she had been carrying, why her garden has become a living metaphor for Posttraumatic Growth, and how she chooses to find joy and purpose in the life she has today.

Vietnam veteran and author Art Grau spent decades carrying experiences from war that he rarely spoke about. Art shares what he has learned about growth after trauma, the role storytelling has played in his journey, and how serving fellow veterans through Gilchrist's We Honor Veterans program has given him a renewed sense of purpose.

Jesse McQueen enlisted in the U.S. Army just days before September 11, 2001, beginning a career shaped by war, service, and constant readiness. Years later, he was succeeding professionally while quietly struggling at home. Jesse shares how Warrior PATHH and Posttraumatic Growth changed the way he understood his experiences, strengthened his family, and helped him discover that asking for help wasn't the end of his story. It was the beginning of something better.

What if the thing everyone admires most about you is also the thing that's keeping you stuck? Army veteran and musician Dana De La Rosa spent years hiding behind excellence, discipline, and service while silently carrying grief she never allowed herself to face. In this powerful conversation, Dana shares how Warrior PATHH helped her uncover the beliefs driving her life, confront years of hidden pain, and discover that real strength begins with honesty.

On July 14, 2023, Fargo Police Officer Andrew Dotas was critically wounded in the ambush that claimed the life of Officer Jake Wallin, injured Officer Tyler Hawes and forever changed the Fargo Police Department. Three years later, Andrew reflects on the road back — from the ICU to full duty — and how faith, community, and the principles of Struggle Well helped transform the worst day of his life into a foundation for growth.

After more than two decades in law enforcement, Travis Gribble had spent a lifetime taking care of everyone else. In this episode, the former SWAT team leader shares how years of service, accumulated trauma, and a deeply held belief that he had to handle everything alone nearly cost him everything — and how Warrior PATHH helped him discover a different way forward.

What started with seven runners and a simple idea has grown into a movement that has impacted hundreds of lives. In this episode, retired Army Colonel Tony Hofmann shares the story behind Team Leadville, why challenge brings people together, and how a marathon became a vehicle for connection, purpose, and veteran suicide prevention.

Before Posttraumatic Growth became a global field of study, it was simply a question.

As a psychologist, researcher, and clinician, Dr. Richard Tedeschi became fascinated by people who seemed to emerge from life's most difficult experiences with greater wisdom, deeper relationships, and a renewed sense of purpose. Alongside colleague Dr. Lawrence Calhoun, he began exploring a possibility few researchers were studying at the time: Can people really grow through trauma? 

This episode explores the origins of Posttraumatic Growth, the question that sparked a global movement, and how that work continues to impact thousands of lives through Boulder Crest Foundation.