Air Force Veteran Tamsen Butler was fit and healthy, when she experienced a sudden stroke at age 41, which was later found to be related to a birth defect in her heart. She’s become an advocate for heart health, and has used her experience to change the lives of many people in the process.
In this week’s podcast, we discuss:
Dan Savage is the Head of Military and Veterans Programs at LinkedIn. He’s also an Army veteran and a West Point/Harvard Grad. He’s dedicated his post-military life to achieving real social change for veterans, and is an expert on what effective veteran support looks like.
In this week’s podcast, we discuss:
In this week’s podcast, we discuss:
He’s an incredible person, and is a great spokesman for using community and physical fitness for recovery.
In this week’s podcast, we discuss:
He recently co-authored a book with General Stanley McChrystal called Leaders: Myth and Reality, and it’s currently a national bestseller
In this week’s podcast, we discuss:
In this week’s podcast, we discuss:
In this week’s podcast, we discuss:
In this week’s podcast, we discuss:
Chandler Smith is former collegiate wrestler, active duty Army Officer, and current CrossFit competitor. He’s as humble as they come, and has had to overcome some major obstacles - to include the severing of a portion of his finger in a training accident.
Speaking of CrossFit, it’s WOD for Warriors season! Sign your gym up here!
Chandler Smith is former collegiate wrestler, active duty Army Officer, and current CrossFit competitor. He’s as humble as they come, and has had to overcome some major obstacles - to include the severing of a portion of his finger in a training accident.
Speaking of CrossFit, it’s WOD for Warriors season! Sign your gym up here!
Paul Andersen is a journalist, book author and wilderness guide. He has worked with veterans since founding Huts For Vets in 2013. Huts for Vets serves veterans who are seeking a perspective shift through beautiful mountain scenery, camaraderie, and philosophical explorations of literature. In this episode we discuss:
• Why spending time in nature is more important than ever - especially for veterans
• Literature, philosophy, and healing
• The origin story of Huts for Vets
Dylan Tête is the Executive Director and founder of Bastion Community of Resilience. He earned a Bachelors of Science in Economics and Systems Engineering at West Point, as well as a Master’s in Public Health at the LSU School of Public Health. During a combat tour in Iraq as second-in-command of an Infantry company, Dylan established multiple recovery projects in collaboration with the Department of State. He moved to New Orleans in 2005 where he managed the construction of several FEMA housing facilities after Hurricane Katrina. Before his most recent position as a civil servant working alongside the New Orleans Deputy Mayor of Public Safety, Dylan was hired by Military.com to assist transitioning military personnel and wounded warriors begin new careers in the civilian workforce. Dylan was selected into the Propeller Social Venture Accelerator in 2010, and awarded a fellowship with The Mission Continues for the creation of Bastion.
Chris Nowinski, Ph.D., is co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to solving the sports concussion crisis through education, policy, and research.
A former collegiate football player and professional wrestler, Chris suffered a serious concussion in June, 2003, but due to a lack of understanding, was not honest about his symptoms and continued to wrestle and work out for five weeks while symptomatic. He developed post-concussion syndrome and was forced to retire.
It wasn’t until he visited the renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Cantu that Chris was first exposed to medical research that revealed to him that concussions and brain trauma were misunderstood in the sports world. Chris realized that this lack of awareness among athletes, coaches, and even medical professionals not only cost him his career, but also threatened the health and well-being of athletes of all ages.
This led him to write the critically acclaimed book Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis, originally published in 2006, in an effort to educate the world about this serious public health issue. In 2012, the book was adapted for the documentary film of the same name, Head Games, directed by Steve James, and the book was updated to coincide with the film’s release.
In 2007, Chris co-founded Concussion Legacy Foundation and is a leading force in changing the way we think about brain injury in America.
Danny Chung, is the business manager and chief of staff for Military Affairs at Microsoft, manages the Military Affairs team. Before coming to Microsoft, Danny provided strategic communications support for Ingram Micro, Southern California Edison and BRTRC Federal Solutions after retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2010.
Jake Harriman is a former Force Recon Marine who started Nuru International during his time at Stanford. His experiences deployed led him to see the devastating effects of extreme poverty, and how it was affecting the war on terror - and inspired him to start an organization to break the cycle.
Stand To is a national veterans convening, hosted by the George W. Bush Institute. In its second year, Stand To II brought influential leaders together with the purpose of advancing effective veteran support.
Team RWB Executive Director, JJ Pinter, had the opportunity to host our first ever live podcast on stage at this incredible event, highlighting real life stories of health and wellbeing from 3 incredible veteran leaders.
Dr. Dan Gade is a retired army officer who was massively injured in Iraq, leading to the amputation of his leg, amongst other injuries. Through his experiences in recovery, he has come to believe that the structure of the VA disability system is hurting veterans and creating a culture of entitlement. He’s become a vocal supporter for change, and is a driving force in trying to force an overhaul in the way the VA addresses disability compensation.
Phil Carter is a writer, lawyer and a former Army officer who’s worked everywhere from the Pentagon to a Los Angeles law firm. He’s currently a Senior Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation, but has researched and written extensively on veterans issues for many years where he’s widely respected as an expert.
Mike is our first repeat guest, and we dive into some very little known stories about both the very early days of Team RWB, and his military career. A great deal of this podcast is spent in reflection on the Team RWB of today, and there’s some great insight in here for everybody.
Kristin Caples and Tara McMachen are Eagle Leaders in Team RWB Denver, and have some very interesting perspectives on what it takes to run a local chapter. They reached out to us about a podcast because they were proud of the work they were doing in Denver, and we thought it was a great idea!