#yearofthevet

Donald Stockton joins the #YearOfTheVet family with a strong urgency to help the veterans trying to integrate back into the civilian world—by coaching them on the best ways to use their time in college. A Seabee at heart, Don now serves as a Veteran Advocate primarily through a program implemented by the Department of Veteran Affairs named VITAL, as their Outreach Program Specialist; as well as the President of the University of Nevada Veterans Alumni Chapter.Through our conversation, Don takes us through the hard times that forced a tough decision of whether or not to sign the papers to get back into the service—and move forward in his career as a reservist… and shares the hardships of trying to be a student, when he frankly wasn’t ready for that role yet.But as most vets that come to share their stories on here will dive into… there was a SIGNIFICANT bounce back from the man he had once looked in the mirror and hadn’t recognized, to the hero he’s become today.I first met Donald in Reno at the California D

In the words of Denver Morris, "Hold on tight, it's going to be a rollercoaster!" Those are the words he'd share with himself as a recruit, and rightfully so. This conversation is FILLED with a everything BUT a literal rollercoaster of high’s and lows. Enlisting in 2004, and giving his country one solid tour, with two trips to the sandbox, Denver left the Corps wanting to pick up where his teenage mentality left off... which led to cocaine, pushing a guy through a window, and a few attempts at taking his own life.Getting way too familiar with people turning their backs on him, Denver longed for people's trust; and by 2016... he had the trust of Jay Glazer, and Nate Boyer—founders of Merging Vets and Players (MVP), a program created to bring the warriors from both worlds (both military and professional sport) together to create a space of normalcy and growth. Throughout the conversation, Denver talks about seeking validation, which is something I believe a lot of us do one we get out. We want to feel like we a

The CEO-Adjutant of the Disabled American Veterans – Department of California, and Past State Commander, Mr. Daniel Contreras finally joins the family on this episode of #YearOfTheVet! …and what an honor it is to have someone so involved with our community of veterans to have set aside the time to share his story with us!An Army veteran turned health care guru, Dan found himself venturing away from a safe paycheck, into the trenches of veteran advocacy after having a highly respected mentor reach out and remind him that “sometimes it’s not about the paycheck.”Those words set Dan down a long path of creating a legacy that the DAV has found itself flourishing in; as one of the nations’ most prolific Non-Profit Veteran Service Organizations.When Dan and I first met, within the first five minutes, he influenced me to be a better veteran—asking me to come up with a way to bridge the gap between our generations of veterans. And although the #YearOfTheVet podcast isn’t directly a result of that conversation, the fi

Army veteran Cornelius "The Preacher" Maxwell joins the #YearOfTheVet family to share the journey about his transition back to civilian life, what he see's as a huge contributor to PTSD, and shares with us an idea about a Transition Unit that should be adopted into the military as a means of a much smoother (and safer) transition.Cornelius dives into how military life affects not only affects the service members coming home, but also family, friends, and the community that welcomes them back home!As well as fitting back into the society you once left, Cornelius is able to give insight on both sides of the college life, having been a young 19 year old before enlisting, and now being the “old head” as a transitioning 30-year old jumping back into the college life after 3 tours in Iraq.But the main reason "The Preacher" joins the conversation, is to provide the opportunity for us to reach 100,000 veterans in order to memorialize their legacies through the Honor Our Heroes II: Art Exhibition and Award Ceremony, w

I'm honored to introduce to you my guest for the 241st Marine Corps Birthday episode—Miss Christina R. Silva! The Executive Producer and Host of The Christina Silva show on LA Talk Radio, and the founder of CRS productions and 'Camies 2 Civies,' a non-profit committed to 'Educating Our Veterans,' and Saving Homes and Saving Lives of military personnel, law enforcement and their families—Christina R. Silva,”CRS” is a US Marine Corps veteran, as well as a Veteran Advocate, who dually serves as a GSA Federal Broker. This USMC vet brings life to everything she touches. But before she was able to embrace the media mogul and veteran advocate that she is today, she had to fight through her own trials and tribulations—that I'm humbled to have her share with us on this platform.Bringing a new storyline of transition—the story of the female veteran, we talk creation of success through empowerment, transparency, gratitude, humility, and most importantly... Faith!You will often find Christina on her Harley on veteran fu

Recruit Moya was two days shy of graduating Marine Corps Recruit Training when the unthinkable happened. The United States suffered an attack of proportions that shadowed tragedies of the past and thrusted her people into a conflict that would prove to be Bruno's ultimate test. Bruno realized in those moments that he wasn't just about to serve his country, he was about to serve FOR his country .This #YearOfTheVet conversation introduces Bruno Moya. A Student Veterans of America hype-man, but more importantly a Marine Corps Veteran who now serves as Regional Representative for U.S. Senator Dean Heller. Named after Giordano Bruno, Moya was challenged by his father at an early age to fuel his curiosity and to challenge the norm. Destined to become a philosopher by fate, Bruno found himself revisiting these values as he served in the Middle East, ultimately leading him down a path towards Capitol Hill.This path was no Yellow Brick Road.Coming from a family that were no strangers to putting on a uniform , Bruno’

In episode 13, #YearOfTheVet welcomes Bob Wheeler, THE Human Resources and Recruiting guy, who now works in sales at ClearedJobs.net — with a passion for helping other vets better position themselves in the job market.Unfortunately I only got to pick Bob's brain for an hour, but fortunately—I got to pick Bob's brain for an hour!Bob brings to the table an immeasurable amount of absolutely useful information for anyone in the midst of transition, whether it'd be transitioning from the military, or from one career to another.----------Show NotesSome of the main key points Bob addresses:-Placing yourself in positions to meet people, and "striking" when the iron’s hot...-The best place to EAS...-The best time to start planning your transition...-Go to places that are doing the things you’d like to do, in order to learn what you need to know...-Twilight tours...-Security Clearances; How they aid you on the outside, and how to keep them from expiring...-The art of the resume; what to have and have not on it and how

Adam Maneen joins the #YearOfTheVet family on this episode to introduce to the veteran population, the idea that we have the ability to be a presence larger than Amazon, EBAY, and Etsy... and I believe him.Here's why you should too! Adam, an Army Infantry Officer turned Online Marketplace owner, has noticed a gap in how veteran owned businesses are being represented in the marketplace. With a little over 2.5 million veteran owned businesses out there providing goods and services to the everyday citizens of the US of A, the average consumer wouldn't be able to determine whether or not they are supporting a veteran made product... if that's something they chose to do.Being a supportive husband accidentally sent Adam down this road of creating a dedicated marketplace for Military-Owned and First Responder-Owned Businesses after trying to help his wife sell baby headbands on Etsy. They noticed that their great idea of a safe baby-band would've been lost in the thousands of other listings, and on top of that, Et

“Listen to your elders!” I know we’ve all heard that before, and the older we get—we realize we were told that for good reason! Not to date the latest guest to join the #YearOfTheVet family, Michael Anthony Carr, but this Kosovo era veteran brings some wisdom to the conversation from his childhood in the Bronx right before the beginning of Hip-Hop, to the longest and most tiresome (and rewarding) job we’ll ever have… Marriage.Having a nomad's heart, “Mike-C” (which I never once call him, but it seems like a very fitting Bronx name) talks about culture, traveling, and how all that facilitated this journey for him to find his brand, which as of today we can address as the Dreadlock Connoisseur!Michael is the epitome of an entrepreneur, being that he’s found himself working “on” radios in the service, to petroleum, computer repair, phone cards, investing, sales, wine, blogging, and some jobs that shall remain nameless in writing, and you’ll have to catch it in the conversation. However, even with all that ba

From the cardboard to chemo, Tim Lawson's journey of resilience started as a young teenager battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and now he joins us as the newest member of the #YearOfTheVet family! November 2002… a 17 year-old aspiring B-Boy gets diagnosed with cancer… May 2003: remission… 2006: a Hard-Charging Marine. Not too long after separation... a suicide survivor...This conversation takes Tim from behind his mic, and gives him the platform to talk about himself for once—and thank God for that! The conversation we have is so rich with knowledge and personality, and we cover topics as deep as depression, to the reason we should wear pants during an interview.Tim created his foundation in Digital Media in the days before podcasting and social media were popular forms of entertainment… and what that means is that he’s been honing his craft for the better half of decade, having created and ended more projects than Thanksgiving dinners you’ve eaten since Y2K. What drove him was the love he had for talking to peop

#YearOfTheVet introduces the newest member of the family, Colby Carson. This guy’s parents are so f*cking American, that they wouldn’t let him play soccer because of asthma, but they signed the papers to let him become a United States Marine! However like many service members, Colby’s military career was cut short by an unexpected event. Colby was released from the Marine Corps on a Humanitarian Discharge because he had to go home to his sick father, and a family that was falling apart fast without him being home. This was his ball and chain that kept him from making the Marine Corps a career. But it was also the life he had to face when he woke up daily, and soon when opportunity arose—Colby found himself contracting himself out to work in the realm of his previous MOS in the Middle East. Fast-forward a few years—now Colby works for Sprint as a Global Mission Control Analyst, oh… and helps to build recognition of the non-profit that helps veterans live off the grid by building sustainable living in vete

This very special episode is dedicated to our guest this week—Hector Cabrera. Hector served/serves in the Air Force, and during his day job—he makes people question if there are really people out there that are this nice. I met Hector on my journey into USC Marshall, where we were classmates in the Sixth-Cohort of the Masters of Business for Veterans program; and what I learned from this conversation… the answer to that question is—yes. People are actually Hector kind of nice.Coming to America when he was 8 years old, Hector lost everything he’d ever known as normal life. Hector quickly learned that to improve in life, he should mimic those who are doing well. And so he did… all the way to college… till the tragedy of 9/11.Hector speaks very candidly about what it was like growing up in America and what patriotism and human kindness mean to him. He speaks about the process of improvement, and the keys to good living being forgiveness, servitude, humility, and gratitude. I can tell from the amount of shout out

From a small 3-Stop light town in Colorado, to the silver screen… Navy Veteran Jennifer Marshall is highlighted on this special Veteran’s day release of #YearOfTheVet! By far one of my favorite conversations to date (even though I sounded like I was out of it the whole time), the #YearOfTheVet family is absolutely going to love this conversation with Jenn as much as I did—and soon you’ll realize why! Given a pretty shitty and unstable foundation to build upon, Jenn fought to never be looked at as a zero, and because of that she’s a hero! Joining the Navy immediately after High School, Jenn’s military career looked promising until Jenn started to get the adverse reactions to the anthrax shot that was forced upon us right after 9/11. This Operational Iraqi Freedom veteran and at some point Junior Sailor of the Quarter set sails to Hollywood, California (see what I did there?), but not before educating her mind!Jenn’s primary claim to fame is her face… and that’s not a sexist remark—Jenn lands roles for a li