The Afterlife Podcast

On our final episode of 2020, we have Lexie Duke on the podcast with us who served in the United States Army for 4 years as a 35M Human Intelligence Collector at Fort Drum, NY before seperating and working as a Special Education Professional in Windsor, CT. Lexie is our first female guest on the podcast and describes her time serving as a female in a (mostly) male dominated feild and navigating her career as such. Lexie dives into a lot of advice for females who are thinking about joing and who are currently serving in the military and how they can make their experiece better by understanding the challenges associated with serving in the military as a woman. Lexie also gives us insight into the understanding of knowing your body and taking care of it in the miltiary and her passion to work in special education and the path she took to get into the industry. Lexie was a great guest and we are so excited to have her on the show to give a different perspective on her experience in the miltiary. This will be our final epsiode of 2020 and we will see you guys all in the new year of 2021 where we hope to bring in more guests and continue to give a voice to the veteran community, see you all in the new year!

In this weeks epsiode we talk with USMC veteran Zack Watson, who is currently pursuing his Master's Degreee at Georgetown in hopes of continuing his service with federal agency employment. Zack Watson is a Syracuse Univeristy Alumn as well as a Syracuse native. Zack Watson served in the United States Marince Corp for five years as an Avaianics machanic before seperating and moving back home to work on his undergraduate degree at SU. Zack Watson highlights many of his key take aways from the military, how he used his experience to navigate life and higher eduaction, and talks about his future plans and hopes to continue his service to his country in a different capacity.

Today's episode is a special one, Nick speaks with the legendary founder and CEO of Workshops for Warriors Hernán Luis y Prado, about not only his journey of service but also the amazing Non-profit organization that he created to help build the next generation of workers in the manufacturing industry. While serving at Walter Reed National Military Medicial Center Hernán saw first hand the impact of what was happening to veterans who came back from serving with injuries and their passion to continue serving their great nation. Hernán was helping fellow veterans get back on their feet and saw the need to give them the resources they needed to continue serving their country through manufacturing work. The manufacturing industry in the United States continues to grow and needs workers, Hernán saw the opportunity for our amazing heros to help by getting certified and working in these advanced manufacturing roles. It was an absolute pleasure interviewing Hernán and learning about his passion to help those veterans who may have lost their ability to serve and give them an opportunity to continue to serve. Workshops for Warriors is a State-licensed, board governed, fully audited, 501 (c)(3) nonprofit school founded in 2008. The mission of Workshops for Warrios is to provide quality training, accredidted STEM educational programs, and opportunities to earn third party nationally recognized credentials to enable veterans, transitioning service members, and other students to be successfully ttrained and placed in their chosen advanced manufacturing career feild. Please visit WFW.org and consider donating or helping out in anyway that you can. Workshops for Warriors is a non-profit organization and continues its mission with help from donations and sponsors, lets give back on the special day and recognize the heros and giving them the education they deserve.

In this next episode we sat down with Steve Finley, a US Air Force veteran who served as a munitions systems craftsman. He was stationed at Lackland AFB, TX and then RAF Lakenheath, England for three years each. Once he separated from the Air Force, Steve returned to Cortland, NY to further pursue his career in Emergency Management. He received his B.S. in Emergency Management from the University of Akron, where he also served as a firefighter/EMT, and served with Team Rubicon. Since completing his degree, Steve has shifted his focus to higher education where he currently serves as Project Manager Online Programs at University College aboard Syracuse University.

In this episode we interview Andrew Bonnstetter, a United States Army Veteran who served as a 35M, Human Intelligence Collector, for four years on active duty with the 10th mountain division before seperating from active duty and joining the United States Army Reserve where he still currently serves in this Military Occupational Speciality. Andrew seperated from Active Duty to pursue a career within a federal agency, but pivoted when he realized that what he had learned as a 35M allowed him to be great in the Sales/Markting world. Andrew currently works in Sales and Marketing in the Dallas, Texas area with his wife Lissa and their dog Samson. Andrew explores the power of being told no, taking a step back and pivoting in any field as opportunties present themselves to you, not accepting defeat when your original plan may not work out, and growing outside of your comfort zone as new challenges arise. Andrew recently started his own small business in Sales/Marketing and continues to grow his passion in the field as well as developing those under him to succeed in this career field.

In this episode we interviewed Ian "Goon" Grinnals, a Marine Corps veteran with four years of service. Goon served as an AAV crewman and had a wide range of experiences throughout his career. He offered some enlightening advice on the transition process, as well as, the importance of standing by your word in order to protect the Marines to your left and right. Ian currently works for the VA, is a volunteer fire fighter, and is the Vice President of a local Militaty Support Motorcycle Club. Thank you again for your continued support, please continue to like and subscribe to the podcast as well as give us a rating on your preferred podcast network. The ratings really help boost the show and expand its reach to new users. Also please feel free to reach out to our email to let us know about any suggestions you might have for the show! As always, stay safe and have a great week.

In this weeks epsiode we have Marine Corps veteran Celio Reyes, who served in the for six years before getting out to pursue higher education and to become a real estate broker working with high end real estate in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Celio has some wonderful insight for us this week explaining the benefits of asking for help in times of need, bouncing back from struggles no matter how big or small, and getting outside your comfort zone to join new organizations that help grow your network and make you a better leader in the civilian world. Celio was a pleasure to have on the show and is another exmple of veteran success after the military. If you or anyone you know is looking for a home in the Phoenix Area be sure to listen for Celios information at the end of the video or go ahead and give us an email here at the Afterlife podcast where we can get you into contact with him and his team. Admin@theafterlifepodcast.com Thank you again for your continued support, please continue to like and subscribe to the podcast as well as give us a rating on your preferred podcast network. The ratings really help boost the show and expand its reach to new users. Also please feel free to reach out to our email to let us know about any suggestions you might have for the show! As always, stay safe and have a great week.

In this weeks episode we interview Jimmy Quinlan, the brother of our host Jonny Quinlan, who served in the Marine Corp for four years before leaving the service to work in the HVAC industry. Jimmy served as an 0311 in Operation Iraqi Freedom and shares his time as a young man serving in the intial push into Iraq. Jimmy also dives deep into the unique counter insurgance operations that took place during his time serving and the hellish conditions they endured while being deployed in Iraq. Lastly Jimmy speaks about the importance of documenting health conditions while serving which will help you in your future if your health becomes at risk due to a service related injury.

In todays episode we take a deep dive with Syracuse University's Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation Dr. J. Michael Haynie. Dr. Haynie details many highlights of his military career as well as his successes and struggles with working in higher education as a Veteran. Not only is Dr. Haynie the Vice Chancellor of Syracuse University but In 2011, Haynie founded Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans & Military Families (IVMF), the nation's first interdisciplinary institute created to inform and advance the policy, economic, and wellness concerns of the America's veterans and families. Today IVMF programs serve over 25,000 veterans annually, and the Institute is widely acknowledged as the nation's leading academic voice related to issues impacting veterans and military-connected families. Dr. Haynie has accomplished a lot since leaving the service and his insight is invaluable to those seeking to learn more about what path to take when exiting the military.

In this episode we switch it up and interview our other host Nicklaus Brincka. Nick is a current 2LT in the NY National Guard who graduted from Syracuse Univeristy and is continuing his education with a Master's of Science in Accountancy Degree from Notre Dame. Nick served for almost four years as an Active Duty Intelligence solider before seperating to pursue his education. Join us in learning more about our other host and listening to his passion for helping others and leading America's best and brightest.

Jonathan Quinlan is a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corp, currently serving in a reserve capacity after completing time on active duty. SSgt Quinlan is pursuing his Master's of Professional Accounting at Syracuse University and will graduate in May 2022.