airmen

Show Summary

On this episode, we feature a conversation with The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason, who served for nearly five years as the fourth Senate-confirmed Presidential appointee and first woman and military spouse Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

About Today’s Guests

The Honorable Cheryl L. Mason served for nearly five years as the fourth Senate-confirmed Presidential appointee and first woman and military spouse Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). As Chairman, Ms. Mason led a team of approximately 1,200 personnel including Veterans Law Judges, attorneys, and operations and administrative professionals, and executed a budget of $228 million to meet the Board’s mission of conducting hearings and deciding appeals on benefits and services for Veterans and their families. During her tenure, the Board implemented several technological innovations to include the interactive decision template (IDT), CASEFLOW – a modernized end to end process of tracking claims and appeals through the Department, and Virtual Tele-hearings, which revolutionized the hearing process and improved both customer experience and employee experience by enabling Veterans to have hearings on their cell phones at locations of their choice. She expanded the corps of Veterans Law Judges, recommending and onboarding over 70 new Veterans Law Judges and expanding the Board’s budget by more than $100 million. She also championed and implemented the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) appeals process putting veterans at the center of the appeals process giving them choice, control, and clarity in the appeals process.

Chairman Mason delivered results increasing and improving access and outcomes for veterans and their families by nearly doubling the number of hearings held and decisions issued in less than 5 years and driving the resolution of legacy appeals from over 472,000 to less than 96,000 during her tenure. Ms. Mason was recognized by Disabled American Veterans as the 2021 Outstanding Federal Executive and was a recipient of the FedHealthIT 2020 Leading for Impact: Women in Leadership Award. She was recently awarded the Hiring Our Heroes Bonnie Amos Lifetime Achievement Impact Award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Ms. Mason formerly served as the Executive Director for Veterans and Military Spouse Talent Engagement Program office for the Department of Veterans Affairs. In this position, Ms. Mason provided executive-level direction and expertise launching a marketing, outreach and training program VA-wide to over 400,000 people focused on building partnerships, training hiring managers and HR specialists, and promoting recruitment, employment, and retention of Veterans and military spouses in VA to support military readiness, financial stability, food security, suicide prevention, and the transition of service members and their families to veteran status. During her tenure, she doubled the number of recruitment events for VA, launched a tracking program to measure success, and implemented technology and streamlined processes to deliver clear and concise training materials throughout the VA and externally.

Throughout her career, Ms. Mason held several positions at VA and other Federal agencies, including at HQ USAFE at Ramstein AFB, GE. Ms. Mason is the spouse of an Air Force veteran, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (retired), and is the daughter of a World War II Navy Veteran. She advocates for supporting and changing the culture and increasing awareness surrounding mental health and suicide awareness/prevention. Originally from Portsmouth, Ohio, Ms. Mason received her B.A. with Distinction in Political Science and Psychology from Ohio Northern University and her J.D. from Creighton University School of Law.

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Cheri’s Website

Cheri’s LinkedIn Profile

Pre-order Dare to Relate

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor the course, Understanding the VA for You and Your Family. In this course, you will receive a comprehensive overview of the VA’s many available services, tools, and resources. 

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/Understanding-the-VA-for-You-and-Your-Family

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we feature a conversation with Bruce Townshend, the Chief of Employer Engagement with Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an office of the Department of Defense that promotes understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers

About Today’s Guest

 
Bruce Townshend, Chief, Employer Engagement, Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve (ESGR), Department of Defense 

Bruce Townshend is responsible for the planning, design and execution of proactive ESGR employer engagement initiatives to customers (Employers) and stakeholders (Guardsmen, Reservists and the Department of Defense). In this capacity he establishes frequent contact with corporate executives in a broad spectrum of industries, state government executives, mayors of major cities, and high-ranking military and Department of Defense officials to positively influence, motivate and persuade leaders - many of whom are uninformed or skeptical - on the merits of ESGR programs and services. 

Mr. Townshend is a native of Lowell, Massachusetts, where he enlisted in the Army in 1981 as a military policeman. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in Boston, 1987. He was commissioned as an officer in the Military Police Corps through ROTC. He is a 2004 graduate of the Defense Information School as a qualified military Public Affairs Officer. He served a combined total of 28 years in the Army and Army Reserve, with assignments in Alabama, Virginia and Washington, and overseas assignments in Panama and Germany. He has served in Korea and deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 416th Engineer Command from Darien, Illinois, in 2003. For the final three years of his career, he mobilized with the Army Reserve and was a primary developer and implementor of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) as a project and program manager up to his retirement in 2011. He worked for the Army Reserve YRRP as a contract program manager until coming to ESGR in November, 2017.

Mr. Townshend and his wife, Robin, have five grown children and eight grandchildren. He is an avid poker player and is fiercely proud of his Scottish and Irish heritages. He has been to all 50 states. He and Robin currently reside near Front Royal, Virginia.

Links Mentioned In This Episode

ESGR Website

State and Local ESGR Contacts

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor the course, Best Practices for Employer Support of National Guard & Reserve Members. This course is intended to help guide employers who hire or are looking to hire National Guard & Reserve members. This course will discuss best practices pertaining to recruiting, training, and developing family support policies.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/Best-Practices-for-Employer-Support-of-National-Guard-and-Reserve

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we feature a conversation with Betsey Mercado, the CEO of the Objective Zero Foundation, , a wellness technology organization that is Connecting the military community to mental health and wellness resources and to a network of peer and civilian supporters to prevent suicide through the Objective Zero App.

About Today’s Guests

Betsey Mercado became involved in Objective Zero after seeing the positive influence that intervention had on veterans in crisis. Betsey has committed herself to making a difference in the lives of Soldiers, veterans, and their families. Her experience working with military spouses and leading multiple Family Readiness Groups supporting active duty units gives her a unique perspective that she brings to the Objective Zero team. She volunteers her time to assist with development of the Objective Zero mobile app, maintain the website, and manage Objective Zero’s administration. Betsey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.

Links Mentioned In This Episode

The Objective Zero Foundation Website

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor the course, Budgeting, Debt Management and Investing. This course provides steps to help you budget accordingly and manage debt as you progress towards financial wellness.

You can find the course here: https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/Budgeting-Debt-Management-and-Investing

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we feature a conversation with Lacey Lanford, a financial coach, veteran, and military spouse, about supporting service members, veterans, and their families with financial wellness. 

About Today’s Guest

Lacey Langford, AFC ®, is a financial coach, veteran, and military spouse who changes people’s mindset from being fearful of money to having control and confidence with it. Military and money are her jams. She’s an Accredited Financial Counselor ® with over 15 years of financial planning, counseling, and coaching experience.

She’s the founder and CEO of the Military Money Show, a podcast dedicated to the military community with personal finance, and MilMoneyCon, a national conference and community for financial professionals united by military service. Lacey’s also the founder of LaceyLangford.com, a personal finance blog and coaching practice specializing in the unique world of the U.S. military communities

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Lacey’s Web site

The Military Money Show Podcast

MilMoneyCon Website

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor the course, Budgeting, Debt Management and Investing. This course provides steps to help you budget accordingly and manage debt as you progress towards financial wellness.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/Budgeting-Debt-Management-and-Investing

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we feature a conversation with Marine Corps Veteran and Veteran Advocate Dean Dauphinais. Dean is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and is focused on supporting his fellow Native and Tribal veterans. 

About Today’s Guests

Dean Dauphinais served in the United States Marine Corps from 1995 to 1999 with 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. He is the President and CEO of Native Eco Solutions, a consulting firm that has a goal of connecting tribal communities with opportunities to improve the quality of life of their people by inspiring collaboration in Indian Country and matching Indigenous values with strong business fundamentals in order to improve tribal communities

·      Enrolled Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians

·      Bachelor of Education degree - University of North Dakota

·      AA Liberal Arts, Cankdeska Cikana Community College

·      United States Marine Corps Veteran, Honorable Discharge

·      National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), member

·      California American Indian Business Chamber of Commerce, member

·      Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce, member

·      Government Contract Consulting, Project Management, Community Organizing, Veterans Advocacy, Nonprofit Leadership& Management

·      Strong network for collaborations in Indian Country, Veterans’ Affairs and underserved communities

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Native Eco Solutions (Dean’s Website)

Dean’s profile on LinkedIn

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor a course Why Collaboration is So Important in Supporting Military Members, Veterans, Their Families, and Caregivers. This course is designed for community leaders interested in exploring some key components to a successful collaborative journey. You will learn how collaboration can provide the structure needed to impact the lives of military-connected people.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/why-collaboration-is-so-important  

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual  learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we feature a conversation with Army veteran Dr. Edil Torres Rivera as he shares his military experience in the Army and his post-military career as a Counselor, Counselor Educator, and President of the American Counseling Association 

About Today’s Guests

Dr. Edil Torres Rivera has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in multicultural counseling from the University of Connecticut, Storrs. He is a professor of counseling and the director of the Latinx Cluster initiative at Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas. Edil Torres Rivera is native Puerto Rican with a career of over 25 years in counseling. This includes 12 years in the United States Army. He currently serving as the President of the American Counseling Association (2023-2024).

Dr. Torres Rivera research interests are in multicultural counseling, group work, chaos theory, liberation psychology (decolonial approaches), indigenous counseling, Puerto Rican studies, identity development, and gang/prison-related behavior. Specifically, his primary research focuses on complexity and how indigenous healing techniques are a necessary ingredient when working with ethnic minority populations in the United States. Dr. Torres Rivera has additional interests in studying the implications of social injustice and oppression in counseling and psychotherapy with ethnic minorities in the United States.

His community work includes consultation services to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Council in Nevada, visiting professor to the Universidad del Valle, Guatemala, and he was the director of the Graduate School of Education’s School Counseling Program in Singapore

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Contact Dr. Torres Rivera

The American Counseling Association

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor a course from the Brain Health and Wellness Learning Series, Bolstering Resilience. This course, sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project, highlights five factors of wellness: goal setting, mental health, nutrition, sleep, and exercise. You’ll learn why these supporting pillars are so important to overall well-being, their application in daily life, and how it’s never too late to make a lasting change.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/WWP-BHW-bolstering-resilience

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual  learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we’re continuing to recognize the 10 year anniversary of PsychArmor with a conversation with PsychArmor’s CEO, Dr. Tina Atherall.

About Today’s Guests

Dr. Tina Atherall is a social innovation strategist with a concentration in nonprofit and education leadership. She is the CEO of PsychArmor leading a public health EdTech nonprofits educating and advocating for critical support for those who have served and their families.  She has embedded her career in the field of social work leadership and obtained her Doctor of Social Work (DSW) from the University of Southern California. Her recent work focuses on the 13 Grand Challenges for Social Work to eradicate the public health crisis of social isolation. Dr. Atherall is a George W. Bush Institute Stand-To Veteran Leadership Scholar.  She serves in an appointed role on the SAMHSA National Advisory Council and is a committee lead for the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Military Social Work Specialized Practice review committee.  

Dr. Atherall has advanced certificates in nonprofit leadership, military social work, and is a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator.  She is an Associate Adjunct Professor at Columbia University School of Social Work, and Doctor of Social Work adjunct at Simmons University and the University of Kentucky online programs.   Board leadership roles include Board of Director participation at Mission Edge (San Diego) and Task Force Movement (Washington DC). 

Links Mentioned In This Episode

BTM01 – Introduction to the Behind the Mission Podcast

BTM50-Behind The Mission: Year in Review

Bonus episode: 9/11 Reflections with Tina Atherall and Elizabeth O’Brien

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor course: the VA Campus Toolkit. This course provides information that explains characteristics of current student Veterans, some of the common adjustments issues that are encountered, and a general explanation of invisible wounds of war and how they may affect the student.

You can find the course here: https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/va-campus-toolkit

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual  learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we’re recognizing the 10 year anniversary of PsychArmor with a conversation with the founder of PsychArmor, Marjorie Morrison, who is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of Psych Hub.

About Today’s Guest

Marjorie Morrison is the president and CEO of Psych Hub, the premier online platform for impactful and engaging learning on mental health topics. A visionary and passionate pioneer in the mental health space, Marjorie co-founded Psych Hub with Patrick J. Kennedy in 2018 with a focused goal to combat both quality and access issues in behavioral health. Psych Hub certifies behavioral health providers into specialties using evidence-based interventions, allowing for more precision therapy with companion treatment tools for their patients. The Mental Health Ally Platform provides a host of eLearning opportunities for the layperson to learn how to assist those in need. Psych Hub’s public video library for people seeking to learn more about some of our Nation’s most vexing mental health challenges have had over three million views on their YouTube channel. Psych Hub is currently developing a registry of certified providers in specialty areas, making it easier to match those seeking treatment from a provider who has been trained to treat their diagnosis or symptoms. Psych Hub has over 700 partners that share their mental health resources touching every state in the US and every continent on the planet.

Prior to launching Psych Hub, Marjorie was the founder and CEO of PsychArmor Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, committed to bridging the military-civilian divide by developing, promoting, and distributing free online courses spanning a wide range of topics important to those who serve military service members and their families. Under her leadership, PsychArmor flourished and is now widely recognized as the trusted and leading expert for “Best-in-Class” resources regarding the understanding of and solutions to complex and unique military veteran issues. To date, PsychArmor has trained over one million people, gaining over 500 partners along the way. 

Marjorie’s focus on supporting members of the military and their communities was first developed in the field, after she spent a year writing and implementing a revolutionary proactive counseling program for the U.S. Marines. After working with 500 Marine drill instructors, her innovative program continued at Camp Pendleton, where she had access to hundreds of Marines to interview, work with, and learn from. This implementation research was utilized to create a groundbreaking solution to approach military mental health care. 

Marjorie is a CA Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, a CA Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, a PPS-credentialed School Psychologist, and the author of The Inside Battle: Our Military Mental Health Crisis. As a renowned subject matter expert, she has been featured numerous times by national media giants such as BBC, NBC, FOX, CBS, CNN, and NPR, along with being a contributing writer for multiple outlets including TIME, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, and Huffington Post. Morrison has received numerous awards for her advocacy and leadership. She is a native of California who currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee and is the mother of three adult children. 

Links Mentioned In This Episode

PsychArmor: Who We Are

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor course: The Myths and Facts of Military Leaders.This course identifies four of the most popular myths about military leaders and how they don’t align with the reality of working alongside Veterans and Service members.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/The-Myths-and-Facts-of-Military-Leaders

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual  learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we’re featuring a conversation with Shawn Moore, the Financial Wellness program Manager for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and founder of Caregivers on the Homefront, both roles where she is passionate about advocating for military and veteran caregivers. 

About Today’s Guests

Shawn Moore serves as the Program Manager, Financial Wellness for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation where she supports financial and employment related initiatives, to include the Employer Task Force and emergency financial relief offerings. Shawn is an Alumna 2017 Dole Caregiver Fellow for Missouri, and has also assisted with the Foundation’s Respite Relief program.

Prior to becoming a caregiver to her husband who served for 23 years in the U.S. Army, Shawn served as a police officer for nearly 15 years with Kansas City, Missouri. She then obtained a Master of Social Work degree from Park University and is a Licensed Master Social Worker in both Missouri. Prior to joining the Foundation, Shawn founded Caregivers on the Homefront where she stood up for mental health programming for veteran and military caregivers and their children.

Shawn is passionate about advocating for military and veteran caregivers and utilizes both her lived experience and education by presenting to national audiences on how communities can best support the family members of our veterans. She has served on panels with the Veterans Administration, presented with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Alliance of Caregiving, and has shared her story on PBS News Hours, TODAY Show, and MSNBC.

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Elizabeth Dole Foundation

EDF Hope Fund for Critical Financial Assistance

Caregivers on the Homefront

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor course: VA S.A.V.E. Preventing Caregiver Suicide. After taking this course, you will develop an understanding of the increased risk for suicide we see in military and Veteran caregivers, identify the signs of an at-risk Veteran caregiver, and know steps you can take to help a Veteran caregiver.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/va-save-preventing-caregiver-suicide

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual  learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we’re featuring a conversation with Rosie Gagnon, a military spouse and mother who is running 100 one-hundred mile ultramarathons to raise awareness about military and veteran suicide prevention after losing her son, USMC PFC James Dexter Morris, to suicide in 2018. 

About Today’s Guests

Nanette Rosie Gagnon is a military spouse, mother of 8, sheep farmer, artist, beekeeper, and ultramarathon runner residing in Berryville Virginia, After losing her oldest son, PFC James Dexter Morris to suicide on Feb 25, 2018, she began running 100-mile ultramarathons in his memory and has set out to complete 100 100s for veteran suicide awareness.

Links Mentioned In This Episode

1 Hundred 100s For Dexter Facebook Page

1 Hundred 100s for Dexter Web Site

Warrior 100 Challenge

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor course, Barriers to Treatment. In this course, you will learn how how differences in military culture affect mental health and explains how to help military or Veteran patients overcome barriers to seeking treatment.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/finding-stability-after-suicide-loss  

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual  learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we’re featuring a conversation with Dr. Stephanie Renno, the Senior Director of Clinical Practice and Training at the Cohen Veterans Network, to discuss the CVN Measurement-Based Care Toolkit

About Today’s Guest

Dr. Stephanie Renno is the Senior Director of Clinical Practice and Training at the Cohen Veterans Network where she oversees the network-wide training of clinical evidence-based practices and processes and works directly to support each clinic in delivering state of the art clinical services to veterans and military families. An expert in treating Postraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorders, Dr. Renno has trained clinicians worldwide in Cognitive Processing Therapy and Behavioral Couples Therapy for Substance Use Disorders.

She has worked in both government and not-for-profit sectors providing and overseeing mental health services for veterans, service members and their families. Dr. Renno received her DSW in social work from the University of Pennsylvania, her MSW from University of Chicago and her BS from University of Illinois.

Dr. Renno lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two young children and enjoys teaching fitness classes and reading in her spare time.

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Cohen Veterans Network Web Site

CVN Measurement Based Care Toolkit

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor course, Barriers to Treatment. In this course, you will learn how how differences in military culture affect mental health and explains how to help military or Veteran patients overcome barriers to seeking treatment.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/barriers-to-treatment

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual  learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we’re featuring a conversation about suicide prevention with representatives of The Fire Watch, a state-wide suicide prevention program in Florida that provides training to community members about how to identify and support service members and veterans who may be at risk for suicide. My guests today are Nick Howland, a Navy Veteran and CEO of The Fire Watch, and Ryan Haczynski, a suicide loss survivor and Citizen Watch Stander with The Fire Watch program. 

About Today’s Guests

Nick Howland is Executive Director of The Fire Watch, Florida’s fight to end veteran suicide. Nick is a Navy veteran, defense industry executive, husband and father of two boys. After serving 4 years as a Naval Officer, Nick spent the next 20 years leading U.S. defense manufacturing businesses focused on protective products for soldiers, airmen and sailors, including body armor, life rafts and tactical boats. In late 2019, Nick helped found The Fire Watch, and in 2022, he was elected to the Jacksonville City Council, At Large Group 3, serving all of Duval County.

Ryan Haczynski is a former educator who spent two decades in the classroom impacting the lives of others. He now leads a small team as the Director of Protocol Relations at Lucky Friday Labs, a blockchain infrastructure provider in the Web3 industry. He has both former and current military members in his family, and serves as a Citizen Watch Stander with The Fire Watch organization.

Links Mentioned In This Episode

The Fire Watch Web Site

Watch Stander Training Program

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the one of the many PsychArmor courses that support education related to suicide, the PsychArmor course Suicide in Military Members & Veterans. Dr. Craig Bryan provides an overview of military suicide statistics and explains unique factors that may be related to increased rates in military suicide.

You can  find the course here: https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/suicide-in-military-members-and-veterans

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor. PsychArmor is the premier education and learning ecosystems specializing in military culture content PsychArmor offers an. Online e-learning laboratory that is free to individual  learners as well as custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we’re featuring a conversation Navy Veteran Lindsay Church, who goes by they/them pronouns, is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Minority Veterans of America, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to creating an equitable and just world for the minority veteran community including veterans of color, women, LGBTQ+, and (non) religious minority veterans.

About Today’s Guest

Lindsay Church (they/them) is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Minority Veterans of America, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to creating an equitable and just world for the minority veteran community including veterans of color, women, LGBTQ+, and (non) religious minority veterans. Lindsay has over a decade of experience rooted in military and veteran advocacy and grassroots organizing and has worked among numerous coalitions to usher in transformational policy changes and reforms. They have facilitated agency-wide cultural competency trainings and assessments to ensure organizations and governmental entities are able to serve their minority and veteran constituencies effectively, efficiently, and in a culturally informed manner.

Lindsay received their graduate degree, with a focus in international conflict and countering violent extremism, and their undergraduate degree, in Near Eastern Language and Civilization and Comparative Islamic Studies, from the University of Washington. They also hold an associate degree in Persian-Farsi from Defense Language Institute. Lindsay is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where they served as a Cryptologic Technician Interpretative.

Lindsay currently serves on the Task Force on Outdoor Recreation for Veterans, an interagency council charged with providing recommendations for public land managers and organizations to increase access to outdoor recreation for service members, veterans, and their families. 

Prior to founding and leading the Minority Veterans of America, Lindsay served as the Assistant Director and co-founder of Student Veteran Life at the University of Washington. Their previous appointments include LGBTQ Commissioner for the City of Seattle, Co-Chair of Congresswoman Suzan Delbene's (WA-1) Veterans Advisory Council, steering committee member for Recreate Responsibly Coalition, and Co-Chair of the Military Advisory Council for OutServe-SLDN (now Modern Military Association of America).

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Minority Vets Website

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor Podcast episode with Dr. Samuel Odom and First Lieutenant Marlon Dortch, where we have a conversation about cultural diversity in military social work. In this episode, Dr. Odom, who is a veteran and former Military Social Worker, and Lieutenant Dortch, who is currently serving as a Military Social Worker, join the show to talk about the role of military social workers and the importance of diversity and inclusion from a military social worker perspective

You can see find the course here:  https://psycharmor.org/podcast/dr-samuel-odom-and-1lt-marlon-dortch

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by Wounded Warrior Project who offers direct programs in mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care, along with advocacy efforts, that improve the lives of millions of warriors and their families. You can find out more about how they support veterans and access their programs at  www.woundedwarriorproject.org   

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

Military Spouse Elizabeth Garcia, the Director of the Military Spouse Fellowship Program for Hiring Our Heroes, an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation connecting transitioning service members, veterans, military spouses and caregivers with American businesses to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified workforce. 

About Today’s Guest

Elizabeth Garcia is the Director of the Military Spouse Fellowship Program for Hiring Our Heroes, an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation connecting transitioning service members, veterans, military spouses and caregivers with American businesses to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified workforce. In her role, Elizabeth focuses on strategic planning, team building, business development and strengthening partnerships.

Elizabeth is a seasoned military spouse of 21 years and currently serves alongside her active-duty husband, an Army Aviator, at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. She joined Hiring Our Heroes in September of 2017, helping to launch the pilot for the Military
Spouse Fellowship Program in Maryland. Over the past six years, she has launched other programs at Hiring Our Heroes and served in other roles to include Senior Program Manager for the Corporate Fellowship Program and Communications Director. Elizabeth serves as an advocate and subject matter expert on veteran and military spouse employment and educates on issues
impacting the military community.

Before her career at Hiring Our Heroes, Elizabeth was a communications professional and Emmy-award winning television news reporter, but, like many military spouses, experienced numerous military moves which negatively impacted her career. These experiences drove her to advocate for military spouses in their pursuit of meaningful employment opportunities.

Elizabeth has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Texas State University and serves as an Executive Advisor for the 25th
Infantry Division. She is the recipient of the State of Texas’s Yellow Rose of Texas Award and an inductee of the Honorable Order of Our Lady of Loreto. She resides on Oahu, Hawaii with her husband, RJ, and her daughter, Ella. Her son, Grant, is entering his plebe year at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Go Army!

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Hiring Our Heroes website

HoH Military Spouse Resources 

Military Spouse Fellowship Program

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor Course 15 Reasons to Hire a Military Spouse As an employer, you are looking for untapped talent pools. One talent pool that can be overlooked is the diverse and highly educated group of military spouses. Take this course to learn the top 15 Reasons to Hire a Military Spouse.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/15-Reasons-to-Hire-a-Military-Spouse

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by Wounded Warrior Project who offers direct programs in mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care, along with advocacy efforts, that improve the lives of millions of warriors and their families. You can find out more about how they support veterans and access their programs at  www.woundedwarriorproject.org   

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we feature a conversation with Army Veteran, wounded warrior and Peer Support Leader with the Wounded Warrior Project, Keara Torkelson, as we discuss her experience as a woman veteran and an advocate for wounded warriors in her community and women veterans nationwide. 

About Today’s Guest

Army Reserve veteran Keara Torkelson was getting ready to deploy to Iraq with her unit when a mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2009 turned her life upside down.

Keara was shot in the back, and a bullet grazed her skull. While she was down, she saw the lights from the gunman’s laser sight and expected to be hit again. Instead, she got up and found a way out, narrowly escaping further injury and possible death.

She lives with PTSD from that tragic day and wants to let other veterans know that no matter how they might have been injured, they are not alone.

“Asking for help does not make you weak,” Keara said. “It makes you stronger.”

When she found Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP), Keara asked for and received the help she needed. But she had to take small steps in her healing journey.

Keara enlisted in the Army Reserve a few weeks after finishing high school. She knew she needed the discipline and was ready to serve her country. She was eager to get through the readiness process at Fort Hood and be on her way to Iraq with her unit.

Keara never got the chance to deploy because of her injuries. But neither did she have much downtime to process what happened. She returned to active duty and remained in the reserve for another two years before medically retiring at age 23.

“After the mass shooting, I had chronic headaches, and it was difficult for the doctors to figure out why,” Keara said. It took multiple visits to VA and private doctors to uncover and eventually remove metal fragments from her wounds. After retiring, Keara restarted her life with a healthier outlook.

“I changed my lifestyle to remove things from my household and my diet that could be harmful, but having purpose in helping other veterans through Wounded Warrior Project is what really helped,” Keara said.

She initially found WWP at a military event when she was still active duty and has been connecting with other veterans over the last 10 years.

“In the beginning, Wounded Warrior Project helped by getting me out of the house and back with other veterans where I could experience the camaraderie I was missing,” Keara said.

She remembers a WWP connection event at a shooting range. The stress of surviving the Fort Hood mass shooting was still raw.

“I overcame my fear with the support of Wounded Warrior Project teammates and other veterans who were there that day and who offered their support,” Keara said.

Through her personal growth and challenges of raising a young family, Keara continued seeking camaraderie with other veterans. She also made time to attend Project Odyssey®, a WWP mental health program that uses adventure-based learning to help warriors manage their invisible wounds and enhance resiliency.

“The things I learned at Project Odyssey were really helpful,” Keara said. “I kept using all the tools I learned until I felt I was in a good place in my healing. Still, I find that helping others continues to help me.”

To help other veterans, Keara volunteered as a peer mentor, and then she became a warrior leader — organizing connection events for other WWP warriors. Lately, she has been focusing her energy on virtual events that help women warriors get to know each other during fun activities.

Through the Women Warriors Initiative Survey, WWP found that 80% of the respondents reported feelings of loneliness. At the same time, research shows that 43% of WWP virtual event participants are women warriors.

Keara knows that post-traumatic stress can affect veterans of all backgrounds.

“My motivation to help other veterans is living the Wounded Warrior Project logo. I had my time when I was carried. And I want to help carry other soldiers.”

She’s led online classes on essential oils, meditation, and yoga and recently teamed up with another female veteran who is a chef to offer cooking demos from her kitchen.

Keara shares what has benefitted her journey, from meditation to finding new purpose. Warriors from all over the U.S. can tune in when the classes are virtual.

Keara is committed to helping sisters and brothers in arms stay connected, even finding time to lead virtual events during a recent family vacation. Support from her family, along with her connection to other veterans, help Keara stay focused on serving others and uplifting herself in the process.

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Wounded Warrior Project Web Site

Wounded Warrior Project Programs

Wounded Warrior Project Veteran Peer Support Groups

Women Warriors Initiative Survey

Veterans and PTSD: Understanding Causes, Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the Women Veterans Course Series, a 6-part series powered by PsychArmor, in partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project, which explores the history, triumphs, and unique challenges of women in uniform throughout history while highlighting the valuable service of the fastest-growing group of Veterans.

You can see find the course here: https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/women-veterans-series  

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by Wounded Warrior Project who offers direct programs in mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care, along with advocacy efforts, that improve the lives of millions of warriors and their families. You can find out more about how they support veterans and access their programs at  www.woundedwarriorproject.org   

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

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Show Summary

On this episode, we feature a conversation with Army Combat Veteran and Peer Support Leader with the Wounded Warrior Project, Michael Carasquillo, as we discuss his experience with Wounded Warrior Project Peer Support Groups, small, warrior-led support groups that connect veterans with each other in their communities. 

About Today’s Guest

On September 9, 2005, Michael Carrasquillo jumped to the ground from a hovering helicopter in Afghanistan, looking to help his unit capture a high- value Al Qaeda official. But when his team was ambushed and one of his soldiers was injured, Michael ran to help — despite not having anywhere to hide from incoming bullets. He was shot five times and would spend the next two years in hospitals learning how to walk and use his hands again.

Unfortunately, his injuries were so severe that 100 percent of his medical care was geared toward physical healing. He was never tested for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI).

It was more than a year after Michael was medically retired that he and his wife realized something was very wrong.

“Everything seemed to be alright at first,” says Michael. “But I started to isolate and get really depressed. I had suicidal thoughts, and I started to do behaviors that, in my head, were irrational.”

Michael was on a dark downward spiral until he connected with Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP).

“It started out as just a place for me to meet and talk to other warriors. At the time it’s a feeling of, ‘I’m the only one going through this, I don’t want people to see me like this.’ It’s a freeing experience to just talk. Veteran engagement was the gateway to bigger and better things.”

Michael started taking advantage of the free programs and services WWP provides. Warriors to Work helped him craft a resume and land a job he loves with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA).

Not only has Michael found a civilian career through WWP, he has also found a renewed purpose, helping other veterans in their transitions. Michael serves as a peer mentor to other veterans in different stages of their recoveries — bringing veterans together to help one another heal.

“In my life now, I feel like I’m in a very blessed position, and what I’d like to do is give back as much as I can. WWP helped me become the best possible version of myself.”

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Wounded Warrior Project Web Site

Wounded Warrior Project Programs

Wounded Warrior Project Veteran Peer Support Groups

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the Peer Leader Training Series, a 10-part series powered by PsychArmor, in partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project, which will explore the role of Peer Leaders in supporting their fellow Veterans. In this series, you will learn about becoming a peer support group leader, defining, establishing, and facilitating your peer support group, resolving conflict in your peer support group, ethics and boundaries, and more. 

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/wwp-peer-leader-series

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by Wounded Warrior Project who offers direct programs in mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care, along with advocacy efforts, that improve the lives of millions of warriors and their families. You can find out more about how they support veterans and access their programs at  www.woundedwarriorproject.org   

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we feature a conversation with Brandi Carney, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with Northwell’s United Behavioral Health Center for Military, Veterans and their Families, to discuss her work in supporting PsychArmor’s Hidden Helpers Facilitators Guide and Interactive Journal, which is designed to increase peer support among military-connected caregiving youth and reduce social isolation

About Today’s Guest

Brandi M Carney, LCSW, joined Northwell's Unified Behavioral Health Center for military, Veterans, and their families in December of 2021. Prior to that time, she spent 25 years at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Ms. Carney served in a multitude of capacities within the VA, including inpatient units, Emergency Room Admissions Coordinator, Home Care, Outpatient Mental Health, and her final role serving 10 1/2 years as Northport's post 9/11 Caregiver Support Program Coordinator. Ms.Carney also served as a VISN 2 lead for the VA’s New York/New Jersey healthcare network. 

Brandi received her Master's degree in Social Work from The State University of New York at Stony Brook, with a concentration in loss and recovery. She has served on the Red Cross mental health disaster team since 2001, deploying to the Family Assistance Center immediately following the events of 9/11. She has presented at the Red Cross’ national mental health conference as well as the National Conference for the National Association for Social Work. 

Ms Carney teaches Veteran and Military Culture at Touro’s Graduate School of Social Work in New York City. She's regularly engaged in community outreach efforts as well as volunteering within many military organizations throughout New York .Ms Carney is trained in cognitive processing therapy, unified protocols for children and adolescents, EFT, and Transcendental Meditation.

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Northwell Behavioral Health Unified Behavioral Health Center for Military Veterans and their Families

Hidden Helpers Facilitator Guide

Hidden Helpers Participant Journal

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor Course, Suicide in Military and Veterans. IN this course, Dr. Craig Bryan, a nationally recognized leader in the effort to reduce SMVF suicide, provides an overview of military suicide statistics and explains unique factors that may be related to increased rates in military suicide.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/suicide-in-military-members-and-veterans

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor, the premier education and learning ecosystem specializing in military culture content. PsychArmor offers an online e-learning laboratory with custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com  

Show Summary

On this episode, we feature a conversation with Justin Schmitt, Senior Deputy of Corporate Responsibility at USAA, a financial services brand dedicated to serving the U.S. Military Community. On this episode, we talk about one of USAA’s social support initiatives, Face the Fight, a coalition that is working to break the stigma surrounding suicide in the military community by raising awareness and fostering real, open conversations around support and hope.

About Today’s Guest

Justin Schmitt serves as senior deputy of Corporate Responsibility (CR) at USAA, a financial services brand dedicated to serving the U.S. military community. He leads a high-performing team that directs corporate citizenship investments to positively impact our nation’s military families and USAA’s local communities while helping to activate employee engagement, drive operational efficiencies, and elevate stakeholder engagement and connectivity. He serves as an officer of The USAA Foundation, Inc., and provides oversight of enterprise philanthropic investment policies, procedures, and related governance to ensure high standards of compliance and risk management associated with philanthropic investments.

Since 2015, USAA has more than doubled its annual philanthropic giving. Between 2015-20, USAA’s CR team directed more $200M philanthropically to nonprofit organizations; approximately 60% directly in support of currently serving military personnel, veterans, and their families. USAA’s corporate citizenship program achieves top quartile levels of employee engagement through innovative giving and volunteer programs. Annually, USAA employees contribute approximately $10M to nonprofits and log nearly 200K volunteer hours, results that reinforce the company’s values and put USAA in top-quartile levels of employee citizenship engagement.

In 2020, the USAA CR team deployed more than $40 million in grants to assist military families and local communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the innovative Military Family Relief Initiative. The team also developed a place-based strategy for a $50M, three-year (2020-22) commitment to advance racial equality in education and employment, with the desired end-state to close the racial earnings gap. USAA CR ranked No.1 In FORTUNE Magazine’s “Most Admired Companies List” and has received the nonprofit Blue Star Families’ Constance J. Milstein award for innovative military philanthropy.

Justin was a Mayborn Scholar at the University of North Texas, where he earned a Master of Journalism degree and taught undergraduate classes. He received a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Tarleton State University, part of the Texas

Links Mentioned In This Episode

Face the Fight Website

PsychArmor Resource of the Week

This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week is the PsychArmor Course, Suicide in Military and Veterans. IN this course, Dr. Craig Bryan, a nationally recognized leader in the effort to reduce SMVF suicide, provides an overview of military suicide statistics and explains unique factors that may be related to increased rates in military suicide.

You can see find the course here: 

https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/suicide-in-military-members-and-veterans

This Episode Sponsored By:

This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor, the premier education and learning ecosystem specializing in military culture content. PsychArmor offers an online e-learning laboratory with custom training options for organizations.

Contact Us and Join Us on Social Media 

Email PsychArmor

PsychArmor on Twitter

PsychArmor on Facebook

PsychArmor on YouTube

PsychArmor on LinkedIn

PsychArmor on Instagram

Theme Music

Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.

Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families.  You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com