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:
Eric Frohardt is a former Navy SEAL, an entrepreneur, and the CEO of StrongFirst. While on active duty, Eric served on various SEAL Teams and deployed numerous times to hot spots around the world. He’s co-founded a number of different businesses, most notably the BluCore Shooting Center, a firearms training facility. He is currently the CEO of StrongFirst – a premium strength and fitness education company with a global presence of more than 2,500 instructors that operates on 6 continents.
In this episode we discuss:
Dr. Nancy Sherman is a Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University. She was also the inaugural Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the United States Naval Academy. She holds a PhD from Harvard, and has taught at some of the best academic institutions in the U.S., to include Yale and Johns Hopkins. Sherman is the author of four books, several of which focus on military issues.
We have a rich conversation in which we cover:
Andrew Brennan is a former UH-60 Blackhawk pilot and combat veteran. After departing the Army a little earlier than he’d planned, Andrew ultimately found himself searching for his next calling. A fateful encounter with a group of Vietnam Veterans on their way to visit the memorial wall in DC sparked the inspiration he needed. Andrew is now the Executive Director of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation.
For the past two years they have been working diligently on Capitol Hill to gain bipartisan support for an amendment bill to the Commemorative Works Act of 1986 and today, they have successfully introduced two companion bills in the House and Senate: H.R. 873 and S. 926. These bills can pave the way for a sacred place to honor this generation of warriors and all without any taxpayer funding.
GWOTMF exists to ensure that the Veterans of the Global War on Terror experience their future memorial in a timely manner as we recognize that this can be a decade's long process from the time legislation is enacted to the completion of the memorial itself.
Check out the action plan below on how you make your voice heard and be a part of the effort to create a memorial that will tell the countless stories of bravery, resilience and sacrifice from the Global War on Terror for generations to come.
TAKE ACTION TODAY
Dr. Anthony Hassan is truly a luminary in the field of military behavioral health with more than 30 years experience in/out of uniform. He’s driven change in the military, at the University of Southern California, and now in his role as CEO of the Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) - a revolutionary effort led by philanthropist Steven Cohen to radically improve the state of mental health care available to veterans in America.
We have a rich conversation in which we cover:
With over 500,000 veterans and family members using the Post 9/11 GI Bill, supporting and advocating for student veterans has never been more important. On this week’s episode, we talk with Jared Lyon, President and CEO of Student Veterans of America to discuss the opportunities and challenges of going back to school.
A Navy submariner and diver, Jared has circumnavigated the globe and deployed multiple times in support of the Global War on Terror. His post-military school is even more interesting. It includes working in the defense industry, starting multiple businesses, working in Major League Baseball, college, grad school, and ultimately becoming the CEO of a large nonprofit organization.
Jared and his team at SVA are the foremost experts on higher education for veterans and we have a really fun and interesting talk about this incredible important topic. We know you’ll enjoy it!
Brandon Young is not only Team RWB’s Director of Development (where he’s one of the best in the business), but he’s also a former Army Ranger with a tremendous career. He’s got an incredible story, and he shares it with us in this amazing podcast. He’s a long time friend, so this podcast was a joy to produce for us!
We have a rich conversation in which we cover:
You probably haven’t heard of Donovan Haggas, but you should definitely hear from him. His professional journey has taken him from Air Force Special Operations (CCT), to corporate America, and finally back to the military community as a DOD contractor. However, his personal journey is even more interesting.
Through years of ups, downs, and hard choices, Donovan has emerged as one of the calmest and most balanced people I know. And, it hasn’t happened by accident. On this week’s episode, we cover a ton of important topics, including:
You may walk away from this episode with a few answers, but you’ll definitely walk away with some questions.
Thomas Meyer is the Director of Veteran’s services at The Philanthropy Roundtable, and one of the foremost experts in the country on Veteran Service Organizations (VSO’s) and Veteran philanthropy in general. He’s highly qualified (studied at Cambridge and Yale) and has been conducting military-focused research for years. He also grew up in a military family, and has a very personal connection to Veterans and Military Families.
We have a very important conversation, where we get into some challenging topics, to include:
Nick Koumalatsos is Marine (MARSOC) Veteran, the Director of The Raider Project, and an entrepreneur. In this week’s episode, we have an inspiring conversation about life, transition, fitness, and how Ben Bunn and I (Blayne Smith) beat him at Rush Club 009.
A true renaissance man, Nick is involved in all kinds of cool projects. He’s got an important perspective on life after the military and we’re really excited to share his story with Eagle Nation.