Melissa Stockwell is an Army Veteran, severely wounded in Iraq in April of 2004, that has gone on to be a Paralympian, Triathlon coach, and an inspirational speaker. Her energy and her positive attitude are absolutely contagious. During this week’s episode, we talk about the mindset that allowed her to not only heal, but to thrive in life beyond the military.
Our conversation spans:
• Leadership
• Overcoming adversity
• The role of nonprofits
• Raising kids
• Training for competition
• And much more
Melissa is a shining example for us to follow and we hope that hearing her story will inspire you to chase your dreams.
In 2010, Rob Jones walked slowly down a dirt road in Afghanistan. Holding a metal detector, he scanned the path for IEDs and, unfortunately, he found one. The explosion severely wounded him, taking both his legs instantly. Since that time, Rob has been on a new mission: to recover, return stronger, and inspire people to overcome their setbacks. He’s earned a bronze medal in the Paralympics, ridden his bike across the country, and is now running 31 marathons in 31 days…all despite the fact that he is a double, above the knee amputee.
On this week’s podcast, we have a great conversation about:
You can support Rob and learn more about it at www.RobJonesJourney.com. More importantly, you can find opportunities to come out and be a part of the journey yourself!
Star Cathcart is an amazing lady, and a incredible leader. She’s on the tail end of a year long fellowship with Team RWB, and we spend some time talking about her experience, and what she’s learned.
In this episode we discuss:
Billy Hurley is a former naval officer, and currently the only military veteran who is an active golfer on the PGA tour. In addition to being a fantastic ambassador for the military, he’s an accomplished leader and all around great guy.
In this episode we discuss:
David Smith is a Marine combat veteran and respected advocate in the veteran community. After an extremely difficult deployment to Iraq, that included a friendly-fire incident, Dave found himself lacking confidence, purpose, and direction. Eventually, his depression led to him nearly taking his own life. An outpouring of support from friends and family convinced him to start owning his recovery and take back his life. Since that time, he’s graduated from UC Berkeley, shared the stage with President Bush, and built a new life in Norway!
Dave and I have a really in-depth conversation that covers:
Dave is an extremely interesting and thoughtful guy and we know you’ll enjoy this conversation. You may want to grab a note book because this one is full of valuable take-aways!
Mycal Anders is a Marine Corps Veteran, business owner, fitness expert, dad, husband, and a lot more. Known affectionately as ‘Coach Derz’, Mycal has become a voice for good in both the veterans and fitness spaces.
This is one of the most honest and insightful conversations we’ve had on the Eagle Nation Podcast. We cover a ton of really interesting topics – even the prickly ones, like:
If you don’t know Coach Derz, you need to. He’s as smart, dedicated, and authentic as they come. Without a doubt, you will enjoy this very engaging interview.
Matt Kress spent 22 years in the Marine Corps – enlisted and officer, active duty and reserve. After a special operations deployment to Iraq in 2004, he left active duty to be a firefighter in Southern California. During that time, he used the Post 9/11 GI Bill to earn a master's degree from the University of Washington and an MBA from UCLA. He’s now the Senior Manager of Veteran and Military Affairs at Starbucks.
In this episode we discuss:
• Coffee and it’s connection to the military
• The tremendous work that Starbucks is doing to support Veterans and their families.
• What it's like to be in position to really move the needle on veterans issues in our country in a big way.
• The connection between first responders and veterans and how they share some challenges.
Michael Rodriguez is a pretty incredible guy - he’s a retired Green Beret who might be one of the most selfless people on the planet. He’s overcome some major injuries en route to where he is today, and he spends his time giving back to his country and the veteran community.
In this episode we discuss:
This week’s guest needs no introduction. Team RWB’s founder, Mike Erwin, is likely the most inspirational person that you’ll ever meet. This episode is chalked full of motivation, insight, and useful wisdom…along with some cool stories about early days of Team RWB.
We manage to cover a ton in 45 minutes, including:
Mike is an incredible guy and we know you’ll enjoy our conversation. Don’t miss it!
This week’s guest needs no introduction. Team RWB’s founder, Mike Erwin, is likely the most inspirational person that you’ll ever meet. This episode is chalked full of motivation, insight, and useful wisdom…along with some cool stories about early days of Team RWB.
We manage to cover a ton in 45 minutes, including:
Mike is an incredible guy and we know you’ll enjoy our conversation. Don’t miss it!
Team RWB’s Director of Research, Caroline Angel R.N., Ph.D, is a Masters prepared psychiatric mental health nurse who holds a PhD in Nursing and Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently a visiting professor at Cambridge University. Her research has focused on post traumatic stress, shame, forgiveness, health, and mortality.
In this episode we discuss:
Brennan Mullaney is Team RWB’s Deputy Director and one of the original Eagles. Over the past 6 years, he has served in a number of different roles within the organization. Once the Boston chapter captain, Brennan became Team RWB’s 4th employee back in 2013. Since then, he has worn many hats including: Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, DC Chapter Captain, and ‘Our Guy in DC’!
On this week’s podcast, we have a great conversation about:
Brennan is an amazing leader and we’re very fortunate to have him guiding the way. He’s got great perspective and it was a blast having him on this episode!
Mat Best is a former Army Ranger and current entrepreneur - but he is most well known as a social media influencer, racking up tens of millions of views and impressions with his youtube videos and content. He’s a true creative professional, and we dive deep into his creative process and how he’s spending his time.
In this episode we discuss:
Jeremy Paris is the Executive Director of the Veteran Artist Program and a long-time contributor the Veteran space. He is also the host of the Veteran Resource Podcast, and was a major contributor to the establishment of the Eagle Nation Podcast.
During this episode, we dig into his start in nonprofit work and how art has grown into a viable career path for military Veterans. His organization, Veteran Artist Program, provides a community, resources, and mentorship for those looking to grow as working artists.
We also spend some time covering the craft of podcasting and the role that is plays in building both community and business. We cover a bunch of really important topics that apply well beyond podcasts.
Jeremy has been at it for a long time and has tremendous perspective and insight. We know you’ll enjoy hearing from him!
Lieutenant General (Retired) Mike Linnington is a pretty incredible person. After a tremendous 35 year long career in the Army, he transitioned to the nonprofit sector and took the helm at the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), which was the subject of some public controversy at the time (early 2016). His leadership has been critical, and WWP is really serving Veterans and military families in a big way.
In this episode we discuss:
Spencer Kympton is the president of The Mission Continues, a national nonprofit that urges Veterans to continue serving in their communities. He is also an Army Veterans and former Blackhawk pilot.
Spencer brings a very unique and important perspective to our field, as his professional career has spanned the military, private sector, and multiple areas of the nonprofit sector. He is as smart and informed on Veteran and community issues as anybody in the country.
We have a in-depth conversation to focuses mainly on the value of service in all of its forms. We talk about:
Spencer is a long-time friend and member of Team RWB and has done an amazing job in leading The Mission Continues. His thoughts are both timely and relevant, and we know that you’ll enjoy hearing from him!
Tyler Grey is a Army Veteran and former Tier 1 operator. He was severely injured in Iraq during a mission, which changed the course of his career. He now spends his time working in Hollywood (in front and behind the camera), advocating for veterans, and doing security consulting. He’s an incredible guy, and really engaging.
In this episode we discuss:
Mike Bledsoe is a Navy veteran and the CEO of Barbell Shrugged. Over the last 5 years, he and his team have revolutionized the way that the gyms, trainers, and fitness enthusiasts do business. Mike started one of the early CrossFit boxes while he was still in college back in 2007. A few years later, they started a little podcast (the first one I ever listened to) called Barbell Shrugged and have gone on to interview many of the most influential people in the worlds of CrossFit and strength training, to include Rich Froning and Tim Ferriss.
This episode is as wide-ranging as it is intriguing. Mike and I go into every from the role of identity to the value of content marketing. He is an extremely thoughtful guy and provides some tremendous insight into how Veterans (and everybody) can become the best versions of themselves. If you’re not familiar with Mike, you are in for a treat. He’s unlike anybody we’ve interviewed so far and this one was a ton of fun. You won’t want to miss it!
You can catch Mike on Twitter @michaelbledsoe or check out their stuff at:
www.barbellshrugged.com and www.barbellbusiness.com
If you’re interested, you can check my interview on the Barbell Business podcast from last April.
Tyler Steinhardt is the founder of Shootout for Soldiers - a one-of-a-kind event that uses lacrosse to support veterans and build community across America. In addition to that, he’s one of the most articulate and thoughtful 23 year olds that you’ll ever come across.
In this episode we discuss:
David Wood is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and the author of a fantastic new book, What Have We Done: The Moral Injury of Our Longest Wars. He has covered conflicts all over the globe and has seen warfare in many forms. We have a wonderful conversation that includes:
• Understanding moral injury and how it affects Veterans
• How PTSD is often misused as a blanket term for all combat related stress
• Reconciling a pacifist upbringing with the realities of war and soldiering
• Ways that we can better support one another, and our communities
Very few people have more experience with the true nature of armed conflict and those that are affected by it. Please enjoy this episode and be sure to share it with friends!
Marjorie is the acclaimed author of the 2017 Independent Publisher Award (IPPY) winning book, The Frontline Generation: How We Served Post 9/11. The book began as a personal memoir for her son and turned into the first to define post 9/11 service and leadership.
In this episode we discuss:
• The term Frontline Generation, and what it means.
• Writing a book for her son
• Why she decided to independently publish, vs. a traditional publisher?
• How intelligence professionals view the world differently.
• What it’s been like to share unfiltered journal entries with the world.
Bergan Flannigan has one of the most compelling stories that we’ve ever brought to the Eagle Nation Podcast. Her military career began brilliantly as the top military graduate in her class from Norwich University. Upon completion of her Military Police training, she reported to Ft. Stewart, Georgia and was almost immediately deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Almost 9 months into the mission, Bergan was struck by an anti-personnel IED and lost her right leg above the knee…and that is just where her story begins.
During this episode, we have a great conversation about combat, relationships, recovery, mindset, and so much more.
Just as a note, this episode has a little bit of an NPR interview feel to it. Bergan and I had not previously met and we recorded outside a neighborhood Starbucks. You’ll notice me saying “Wow!” about 50 times. There’s a bit of background noise, but just imagine that you’re there, hanging out with us, on a warm Florida afternoon.
5 years ago, the Cooper brothers, Nathan and Aaron, set out on journey to ride motorcycles from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, to Tierra Del Feugo (an archipelago that sits at South America’s southernmost tip). The journey has turned out very differently than they intended, and they’ve learned a ton about themselves and other cultures along the way.
In this episode we discuss: