From Iraq to Art Shows | A Veteran’s Reinvention Story
Welcome to Episode 51 with Toby Lyles and Josh Buettner co-founder of J&B Designs.
He thought he was going to be a pharmacist.
He scored a 96 on the PCAT — higher than the average accepted at the University of Washington.
But his GPA wasn’t enough.
So he went another route.
He joined the Army National Guard a month before high school graduation.
Deployed to Iraq in 2006–2007.
Deployed again in 2009–2010.
Watched a truck explode in front of him.
Heard rockets hit 150 yards away.
Came home.
Got married.
Had kids.
Built a life.
And then, years later — it all came back.
A panic attack at a lake.
Flashbacks.
Hopelessness.
PTSD that wouldn’t stay buried.
He was medically retired in 2019.
Three weeks later? Emergency back surgery.
Career gone.
Body broken.
Identity stripped.
So he asked the question most people avoid:
“What do I do now?”
He didn’t choose the safe option.
He didn’t get a job at Walmart.
He started making cribbage boards.
Not because it was profitable.
Not because it was strategic.
Because it felt peaceful.
Working with wood quieted the noise in his head.
He bought a lathe in February 2020 — and everything changed.
Woodturning became therapy.
Epoxy became art.
Imperfections became features.
He and his wife, Beth, created a signature “Fragmented Series” — stained-glass-inspired wood and epoxy pieces.
At a symposium, renowned wood sculptor Jack Vesteri — whose work appears in the Smithsonian Institution — critiqued their piece in front of 300 people.
His verdict?
“Ingenious.”
That moment mattered.
But not as much as this realization:
When he chased production and money, he burned out.
When he chased passion and therapy, he thrived.
Now he sells at art shows — not craft fairs — because he’s not just selling bowls.
He’s selling transformation.
He’s selling story.
He’s selling proof that you can rebuild your life from a rough block.
Key Lessons for Young Entrepreneurs:
* You can rewrite your life at any time.
* Your therapy can become your business.
* Art and entrepreneurship are vulnerability + thick skin.
* Production kills passion. Purpose sustains it.
* You’re not selling a product. You’re selling your story.
* Healing can look like building something with your hands.
Sometimes your lowest moment becomes your signature series.
Episode 051
Release Date: March 31, 2026
Host: Toby Lyles
Guest: Josh Buettner/J&B Designs
Get in touch with J&B Designs
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