In the spring of 2015, I had the honor - and the subsequent butterflies! - of delivering a keynote speech at the Service Member to Civilian Summit hosted by the University of Alabama. Many of my mentors, colleagues, and researchers who I cited in my own academic papers and publications were present in the audience [...]
Sun Salutes Sun's fingers reach over the hills (pausing first, of course, to inhale the beauty of that recently swollen river and admire his own reflection along the way) through the trees, and around the pavilion pillars. Light Breeze, she travels with the Sun, and reaches, sweeps, dances over the warriors, too, as they [...]
The annual remembrance of September 11th, 2001 evokes a lot of emotions in me, many of which have changed over the last few years. In 2011, I wrote an account of where I was when it all went down in 2001, and how I felt that the "Tumbling Towers Built America's Next Greatest Generation." But [...]
What a fun podcast with Guy Macpherson, PhD on The Trauma Therapist Project talking resilience and mental health! We recorded this a few weeks ago, and it's now live on his site HERE. You can also access it directly on the PodCast. There is a crack, a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in. Leonard Cohen Why [...]
In this episode of Dan Evan's Military Entrepreneur Podcast series, I discuss how THE Stephen King helped me write my first book, Just Roll With It: 7 Battle Tested Truths For Building a Resilient Life. Well, not directly (that would be amazing!) but via his book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. That book, [...]
Why practice? Specifically, why practice mediating, moving, and/or praying mindfully DAILY? Because it trains our brains during times of calm how to better respond in times of anxiety, pressure, or stress. It is like soccer practice versus the big match: we cultivate the skills and muscle memory mindfully when we have the time and space [...]
Our progressive Veterans of Foreign Wars Post-1 in Denver has been featured yet again, this time in the Christian Science Monitor. You know why? 'Cause we're rocking it with gender equality, gay rights, yoga, meditation, child care, art shows, and much more at this Post! Healing happens together, folks. :) So, as the article goes... "In [...]
Integrate, don't isolate. Healing happens together because healing happens in the very place the initial trauma or stress occurs - in relationship. I know this might initially sound contradictory, but think about it - healing cannot happen in isolation because we are relational creatures. Of course, we often want to retreat at the very times we [...]
"Since I began teaching, I understand the principle of 'yoga off the mat' more and more every day. I teach veterans -- who tend to be survivors of anything from combat to sexual assault -- that you can apply yogic principles to all areas of your life. Service... is also about helping people live better, [...]
"This is just the visual difference that 6 months made when I started making better choices in how I lived my life and applied principles we discussed during your coaching and expressed in your book. No surgeries, prescriptions or fad diets. Just eating healthy, exercising, sleeping, and re-centering my life around core values." Robert is [...]
