Life After The Military: Marine Corps Colonel (Retired) Beau Higgins
Interested in learning about the opportunities for transitioning military veterans to work at Amazon?
In this new Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, Lee and Howie speak with Marine Corps Colonel (Retired) Beau Higgins.
Beau shares great insights into his planning and preparation for transition from the Marine Corps.
Working as the Senior Manager, Military Talent Acquisition for Amazon, Beau helps us understand the opportunities for transitioning service members at Amazon and how to best prepare and compete for them. Beau explains the Amazon interview process and how to succeed in that process.
Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
2:00 Lee asks Beau about his transition from military to civilian life
10:00 Don’t be afraid to ask for help
17:00 Why Beau chose to work with Custom Cable
26:00 Amazon plans to hire veterans and train non-military leaders to lead veterans successfully
41:00 Beau on Amazon’s keys to successful veteran integration
50:00 Tips for preparing for interviews
1:05:00 Lee asks Beau about mental fitness
Life After The Military: How do you handle physical and mental abuse?
Have you suffered from physical or mental abuse?
If so, how did you handle it?
If so, how has it changed you?
In this Pivotal Moments Media Charlie Mike Channel episode of Life After the Military, learn how LTC (Ret) Olivia Nunn dealt with an episode of physical and mental abuse early in her 20-year military career.
Olivia bravely and transparently shares how this episode of abuse and how the chain of command handled it led her down a very dark path that did not present itself until she decided to retire from the military.
Learn how Olivia confronted this challenge to get her life back on track to help other men and women in uniform who have similar mental fitness challenges.
Show Notes:
00:00 Lee introduces Colonel Retired Olivia Nunn
1:40 Olivia discusses her transition and her work at U.S. Army Soldier For Life
3:50 Loss of identity when leaving the military
8:00 Being a woman in the military and transitioning
13:40 How Olivia dealt with her challenges
15:30 Olivia was assaulted by her Platoon Sergeant during her first deployment
18:15 How Olivia’s mental health was affected by the incident
21:20 Olivia had a successful career at the cost of her mental health
27:20 Why Olivia decided to finally leave the military and be a mom
31:00 Olivia’s exit from the military set her up for a successful transition
34:50 What resulted from Olivia’s troubles with mental health during her transition and after her divorce
37:00 Olivia contemplated suicide and reached out to resources
46:35 How Olivia’s family reacted to her struggles
51:45 Olivia eventually found a resource that helped her
54:00 Olivia tells how the resource helped her
1:02:00 Olivia talks about discovering her purpose and creating an LLC
1:07:00 Howie and Olivia discuss finding your past self following your service in the military
1:19:50 Olivia speaks on why she shares her story
1:24:00 The three highlight the importance of giving back
1:28:30 Lee closes out the episode
Championship Traits For Life - Breaking Through Adversities with Football Legend Ricky Watters
Football Legend Ricky Watters is a Super Bowl Champion, National Champion, motivational speaker, and inspiration to many in football and beyond.
Now while you may know Ricky’s name from his time on the football field, his work beyond the game deserves just as much recognition. Ricky and his wife Catherina are active philanthropists via their work with the Ricky Watters Family Foundation which advocates for mentoring foster and at-risk youth, in addition to being stewards for the game of football through the Watters Warriors and Ricky Watters Pro Experience camps.
In addition to the above, Ricky is a lover of music and poetry and is a proud father to his two sons, Ricky jr. and Shane.
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know by leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform and by sharing it with other athletes and coaches in your life who you think could benefit from WIN; Championship Traits For Life.
Championship Traits For Life - Dr. Cassidy Preston
What are your metrics for success? Dr. Cassidy Preston of Consistent Elite Performance joins WIN to talk about how overcoming adversities during his time in sports had led him to a profession centered around helping others do the same. Dr. Preston and his team have used their combined education, athletic careers, and coaching experiences to create a mental performance system to guide elite athletes to clearly understand what mental skills they need to work on and how to do it.
If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know by leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform and by sharing it with other athletes and coaches in your life who you think could benefit from WIN; Championship Traits For Life.
Championship Traits For Life - Tina Whitlock
Tina Whitlock is a tech fellow with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. A former all-American with the South Carolina Gamecocks – a team she helped lead to the College World Series – Tina also played for the US National team in addition to making the professional softball ranks.
As playing turned to coaching, Tina interviewed with several MLB teams before she received a call back from the St. Louis Cardinals organization through a program that was specifically created to train prospective major league coaches and scouts. She became one of five women coaches in the minors with the role in addition to being the Cardinals’ second woman hire.
She is both a trailblazer and a leader in baseball and sports in general.
Championship Traits For Life - Lauren Ammon
Lauren Ammon, is a certified professional coach that has dedicated her personal life to helping student-athletes. After spending 17 years as a swimmer, Lauren entered into what would become a successful career in Human Resources for many years. What we find amazing about her, is in spite of her success in that industry, she decided to take the leap away from the safety net of a career she was accustomed to, and dive into coaching full-time. It’s a journey we set out to uncover during our time with her.
Lauren is the founder of Performance Reimagined, an organization focused on helping student-athletes reach their full potential.
Advocating for Mental Health in the Veterinary Industry with Dr. Katie Krothapalli
“As vet techs/veterinarians, we do have a personal responsibility for setting boundaries, finding resources, and doing what we need to take care of ourselves.” Jenn chats with a very special guest for this episode, Dr. Katie Krothapalli. A former veterinary practitioner and Veterinary Medical Officer for the U.S. Army, Dr. Krothapalli now serves as Director of Healthcare Education at Edcetera, a leading provider of professional development and continued education resources and parent company of Vetcetera.
She discusses how a critical turning point led her to this current role and how she is using her experience to help others in the veterinary field. She also touches on the challenges veterinary professionals face, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, how creating space for a mental health dialogue in veterinary medicine will help push the industry forward and so much more.
Show Notes
00:00 Dr. Katie Krothrapalli introduces herself, detailing her trajectory to becoming a veterinarian and creating Vet Cetera, a community for veterinarian professionals – all while dealing with animal allergies
5:02 Dr. Krothrapalli discusses some of the unexpected challenges she faced in the veterinarian profession regarding medical responsibility, financial struggles with patient families, etc.
10:45 Dr. Krothrapalli discusses how she applies the tools she learned in veterinarian training to her current role with EdCetera, noting how the company was built to assist the veterinarian community
16:40 Dr. Krothrapalli discusses the current sentiments on mental health in the veterinarian/vet tech community
19:43 The discussion shifts to boundaries; Jenn and Dr. Katie discuss some of the everyday dilemmas doctors have, and how America’s rush to adopt pets during the pandemic severely impacted veterinarian health providers
26:04 Dr. Krothrapalli leaves parting advice to those looking to join the veterinarian industry: expect things to not be easy, and be flexible
28:35 Dr. Krothrapalli defines mental fitness and explains how she flexes her mental fitness muscle – by setting time for things that matter and maintaining healthy boundaries
Life After The Military: Sergeant Major (Ret.) Matt Quick
How much debt are you bringing into your transition from the military?
How much financial stress are you already experiencing?
Want to learn from one of the best and most respected voices in the veteran transition workspace?
Tune into this new episode of Life After the Military with Sergeant Major (Retired) Matt Quick.
Matt shares his story about his transition from the Marine Corps and the Army. Listen as Matt describes the value of networking early and significantly lowering the financial stress of a transition by getting to a debt-free state before departing the military.
Matt gives invaluable insights into the offerings that the Project Management Institute, his current employer, provides for transitioning veterans, their spouses and family members.
Matt speaks passionately about his work with the Dylan Quick Foundation, in loving memory of his nephew lost too early to pediatric cancer.
Show Notes
00:00 Lee introduces Matt Quick to the PMM audience, Matt Quick shares key facts about his transition from the military
8:01 Matt discusses his first job, overseeing the DoD skill bridge program
10:14 Howie advises the audience to begin the transition process as early as possible, and to get educated
14:18 Matt describes his work at PMI – the Project Management Institute
17:26 Matt discusses what the PMI does for spouses and military families
21:13 Lee and Howie advise the audience – find your purpose
25:57 Mike explains his reenlistment into the Army and how he built a controversial website while training to become a career counselor
32:00 An important discussion on how identity shifts for everyone involved in a service member’s transition
41:09 The group discusses the incredible importance of spouses in military transitions
45:47 Matt discusses another passion project, the Dylan Quick Foundation
52:32 Lee gives Matt the title for his life’s book; Matt shares how he practices mental fitness daily
57:21 Howie and Lee end the show
WIN: Championship Traits For Life - The Journey From Hockey To Hell And Back with Brady Leavold
Traveling to Hell and Back can hurt just as bad (if not worse) than a check to the head. Just as Brady Leavold was skating his way to a bright future of playing professional hockey, he hit rock bottom. And we’re grateful he found his way back to solid ground (well… ice, but you get the point).
After his life took a dramatic turn towards addiction, crime, homelessness, and jail, he began sharing his story of pivotal moments that changed his life. He now spends his time educating others, and guiding those who are struggling out of the darkness.
Brady created and hosts “Hockey 2 Hell and Back” – a podcast that dives into mental health for hockey players, and is the founder of Puck Support, which has the mission of “Igniting Change In Mental Health & Substance Misuse By Setting The Hockey World In Motion while also Honoring Those Lost to addiction and suicide.”
Researching the Impact of Communication and Media with Sydney Brammer
“You can be impacted, really either way, by your media use.” In this episode, we continue our exploration of the relationship between media and mental fitness and the ways in which younger generations handle it. Jenn is joined by Sydney Brammer, a doctoral student and graduate part time instructor in the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University. Sydney dives into her current research on the connections between body image, interpersonal communication and social media and how ’Z-llennials’ (part Gen-Z and part Millennial) are normalizing content that discusses topics such as mental health.
Plus, Sydney shares a personal tidbit on how she creates mental fitness balance in her busy schedule of studying, producing academic papers and teaching.
Show Notes
00:00 Sydney Brammer, Doctoral student at Texas Tech University, introduces herself to the PMM audience, detailing what encouraged her to pursue a PHD in Communications
04:56 Sydney describes her current research – the connections between body image, interpersonal communication and social media; how she views the media as a professional and her findings
12:22 Jenn and Sydney offer commentary on objectivity and subjectivity in media consumption
14:58 Sydney and Jenn discuss how media movements have both positive and negative consequences, namely the body neutrality movement
21:10 Sydney defines mental fitness in her own life
23:49 Being a’ Z-llennial’ (part Gen-Z and part Millennial), Sydney expresses why her generation produces media that normalizes the mental health discussion, in sharp contrast to prior generations
28:20 Sydney flexes her mental fitness muscles through scheduling time carefully, spending time with friends and focusing on creating balance between work and leisure
32:30 Sydney leaves parting words for the PMM audience
