Podcasts about Veterans Day

Detailed Sermon Summary “Standing Where God Made a Way” Pastor Bryan Hudson, D.Min. Part 5 of the “Rooted & Grounded”  Watch the 14 minute video: "The Road to Juneteenth" Pastor Bryan Hudson's sermon, “Standing Where God Made a Way,” connects the biblical account of Israel crossing the Jordan River in Joshua 4 with the historical meaning of Juneteenth. The central message is that believers, families, communities, and nations must remember the places where God brought deliverance, because remembrance preserves gratitude, identity, wisdom, and responsibility. The sermon begins by framing Juneteenth as more than a national holiday. It is presented as a memorial of deliverance and a reminder that God makes a way where there is no way. Dr. Hudson connects Juneteenth to the broader biblical theme of God delivering people from bondage, especially Israel's deliverance from Egypt and later their crossing into the Promised Land. He also references his video, “The Road to Juneteenth,” which traces the journey from emancipation declared to freedom enforced. Joshua 4: Remembering the Crossing The primary Scripture is Joshua 4:1–11, where God commands Joshua to have twelve men, one from each tribe of Israel, take twelve stones from the Jordan River after the people crossed on dry ground. These stones were to be set up as a memorial so that future generations would ask, “What do these stones mean?” The answer would preserve the story of how God cut off the waters of the Jordan and brought His people through. Dr. Hudson explains that this crossing parallels the Red Sea crossing under Moses forty years earlier. In both cases, God removed a barrier that His people could not remove on their own. The Jordan River was not always deep, but it did flood seasonally. God stopped the waters so Israel could cross, then instructed them to take stones from the riverbed—stones that were normally hidden—and make them visible as a testimony. A key insight is that the stones were not objects of worship. They were reminders of the God who acted. The stones pointed beyond themselves to God's power, faithfulness, and deliverance. Juneteenth as a Stone of Remembrance Dr. Hudson then connects Joshua's stones to Juneteenth. Just as Israel needed memorial stones to remember deliverance, African Americans and the nation need Juneteenth as a memorial of freedom delayed, freedom enforced, and freedom remembered. He explains that the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1862 and took effect on January 1, 1863, but freedom was not fully enforced in Texas until June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston and announced General Order No. 3. This shows one of the sermon's major historical lessons: freedom declared is not always freedom practiced. Justice often requires enforcement. Juneteenth, therefore, is not merely a celebration. It is a memorial, an educational moment, and a call to remember both God's deliverance and the human struggle required for justice. Theological Foundation: Human Dignity and the Image of God A major theological point in the sermon is that all people are made in the image and likeness of God. Because of this, no person or group has the right to dominate, dehumanize, enslave, or exploit another. Dr. Hudson emphasizes the importance of saying “enslaved people” rather than simply “slaves.” To call someone a slave can make bondage sound like their identity. But their true identity is that they were human beings made in God's image who were enslaved by others. This point becomes the moral foundation for the sermon's critique of slavery, racism, domination, and exploitation. Slavery was especially evil because it involved humans made in God's image enslaving other humans made in God's image. A Sober View of American History The sermon also calls for honesty about American history. Dr. Hudson says Juneteenth should never have been necessary. If the nation had truly lived up to biblical principles from the beginning, enslaving Africans would never have been tolerated. He notes that the founders debated slavery and compromised in order to form the nation. Some opposed slavery, while others wanted to preserve it because of the economic benefits of free labor. That compromise, he explains, carried a terrible cost and eventually helped lead to the Civil War. Dr. Hudson does not reject love for the nation, but he urges listeners to avoid “rosy narratives” that ignore the blood, suffering, and injustice woven into the nation's history. The proper response is gratitude mixed with sobriety, remembrance, and responsibility. God Still Makes a Way The sermon repeatedly returns to the message that there are always barriers to cross. God parted the Red Sea under Moses. God stopped the Jordan River under Joshua. God made a way for enslaved people through emancipation and enforcement. And God still makes a way for His people today. Dr. Hudson says that today's breakthroughs may not always look as dramatic as the Red Sea or Jordan crossings, but the principle remains the same: when God brings people through obstacles, they should remember, testify, and move forward in faith. Memorials Are Educational Another key theme is that memorials are meant to teach. In Joshua 4, the stones were designed to provoke questions from children. When the children asked what the stones meant, the older generation was responsible to explain God's deliverance. Dr. Hudson applies this to holidays such as Juneteenth, Thanksgiving, Easter, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and others. These are not merely days off or occasions for celebration. They are opportunities to educate, remember sacrifice, and pass meaning to the next generation. He warns that routines, celebrations, and comfort can obscure legacy. People can enjoy the benefits of history without remembering the sacrifice that made those benefits possible. Therefore, remembrance must be intentional. Standing Where God Made a Way The title phrase, “Standing Where God Made a Way,” captures the sermon's central conviction. Dr. Hudson teaches that many of us are living in places of blessing that exist because God worked through previous generations. We are standing on ground made possible by God's intervention, people's prayers, sacrifices, faith, courage, and perseverance. This applies personally, spiritually, historically, and nationally. We stand where parents, grandparents, ancestors, saints, activists, soldiers, and faithful servants endured hardship so future generations could live differently. Twelve Contemporary Stones of Remembrance Near the end, Dr. Hudson gives twelve “stones” that people and families can set up as memorials today. These are practices and places that help preserve memory, identity, and gratitude: Education — learning the truth and teaching it to others. Vicarious living — learning through the lives and experiences of others rather than repeating their mistakes. Identification — seeing oneself connected to faithful and courageous people from the past. Honoring — highly valuing parents, elders, ancestors, and those who made sacrifices. Testimony — telling what God has done personally and collectively. Studying history — learning the real story, not only simplified or sanitized versions. Serving others — turning remembrance into action. Shared experience — building memories and meaning together as families and communities. Museums — places such as Freetown Village that preserve and teach history. Family gatherings — moments that connect generations. Anniversaries — recurring opportunities to remember God's faithfulness. Juneteenth — a national and spiritual stone of remembrance that points to deliverance, justice, and responsibility. These “stones” help people stay rooted. They prevent forgetfulness. They help connect the present generation to legacy and history. Final Exhortation The sermon closes with a call to preserve memories that are worth preserving. Dr. Hudson urges listeners to be intentional with their children, grandchildren, families, and communities. If people do not connect present blessings with past deliverance, they may lose their way in the future. The final prayer thanks God for His goodness, for ancestors and heroes known and unknown, and for the fact that we are standing where God made a way. The prayer also asks God to help His people remember, honor, educate, and never take His blessings—or the people He used—for granted. Core Message The sermon's core message is: God makes a way through impossible barriers, and His people must remember where He brought them from. Memorials—whether stones, holidays, testimonies, museums, family stories, or historical observances like Juneteenth—help us honor God, educate future generations, and move forward without forgetting the sacrifices that made our present blessings possible.

This is the official court audio, posted by the Court of Appeals on November 5, 2025. I am reposting today because the Court of Appeals has handed down a ruling today affirming the criminal conviction. Below are my thoughts from the day of the argument on appeal, and I continue to hope there can be an amicable resolution among the parties:—The appellate argument is in the appeal of Sam Bankman-Fried's criminal conviction which proceeded, before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The argument was scheduled for 20 minutes or so and went beyond an hour. The bench was a hot bench, with the judges on the panel prepared to ask a lot of questions.Maybe the case will be resolved consensually?The appellant's side, SBF's counsel, argued to the appellate judges that more evidence of advice of counsel would have changed the jury's decision to convict. The judges were skeptical.But the appellee, the government, had a hard time justifying the forfeiture order against Sam Bankman-Fried, which was part of his punishment.There is a disconnect between the presentation of massive losses in the record of the criminal trial relative to representations of customers being paid in full in the FTX bankruptcy. This was discussed at some length during the argument today. I am not sure it is correct that the FTX customers who are to receive (the low) cash value of Crypto as of 11/11/2022 (the FTX bankruptcy filing date, on Veterans Day, during Crypto Winter) are expected to receive the current value of the Crypto or more in the future. So maybe a fact check of the FTX bankruptcy plan would be helpful.More generally, how well the FTX bankruptcy is going/supposed to have gone in terms of paying customers in full seems to undermine at least the forfeiture order. It is not unusual that there is interplay between a criminal case and a bankruptcy case/appeal, proceeding on separate tracks but inter-related factually.I think there could possibly be a motion for new trial at the district court level regardless of the outcome of the appeal, based on the ability to seek a new trial where there is newly discovered evidence… where the interests of Justice require, etc. even where there was a lot of evidence at trial, evidence in support of a jury verdict.The appellate argument today raises questions like how much does acting on advice of counsel count? Is a person who has lawyers acting more in good faith than a person who doesn't have lawyers? Like can a person hire lawyers to set up a business or help as it grows and be excused from criminal responsibility? If so - to what extent? One view expressed during the oral argument today was that it may depend on whether the lawyers know what the client was up to, but that is not something that would usually come into evidence at trial because of privilege issues.This was a fascinating argument. I don't know if it is what SBF wanted to be represented to the court. Is this how he was told his case would be presented? Or does he have the same problem again, where the FTX bankruptcy case was allegedly described to him as planned a certain way, but then the case went another way and he was arrested and blamed for the collapse of FTX.Wasn't he told that a bankruptcy would help liquidity, to monetize FTX assets so that customers could be paid? And then he handed over control of the company, which he laments. The pressure must have been very great, with the other FTX executives blaming him and a bankruptcy presented as a way to stabilize FTX's business and avoid customer losses… and lawyers telling him what to do.I am concerned for pressure SBF is under from lawyers - BECAUSE he does rely on advice of counsel, now as he must - and his emotional health and well being must be under so much pressure.With potential for the SBF case to be heard by the US Supreme Court or a retrial or a pardon, the stakes are high. And with billions at stake in the forfeiture order, based on losses at time of trial that have been reduced, there seems a lot of room for compromise and come to an agreement that resolves the appeal.

This is the official VIC 4 VETS Honor Roll, highlighting our Honored Veterans during Veterans Appreciation Month. SUBMITTED BY: Listener Bob________________________________________________________________ Vic and Ken,I've thoroughly enjoyed and deeply appreciate the fact that this has been a weekly event for quite a while, and that it's now a daily occurrence during the month of June is just a phenomenal idea! Thank you both so much for that! It's very possible that I've missed any segment that may have mentioned the unsung heroes of so many U.S. Military Combat Operations, the K-9 Warrior. I'd like to take the opportunity to recognize the innumerable brave, intelligent, and Fearless members of the Armed Forces, which have served in every war since the American Revolution, in one form or another...as well as in other worldwide conflicts throughout human history. The story of the Military Working Dog (MWD) in US Forces officially began on March 13, 1942. That’s when the U.S. Army launched its War Dog Program during World War II, though canines have served honorably for much longer than that...including Sgt Stubby, a stray Boston Terrier Mix who served in WWI - he served in 17 battles, alerting troops to incoming gas attacks before humans could detect them, comforting wounded soldiers, and even capturing a German spy by biting him and refusing to let go until soldiers could capture him. Stories abound of our magnificent K9 companions serving honorably and selflessly in WWI and WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan (including the Belgian Malinois with nerves of steel, Cairo, who was part of SEAL Team 6’s historic mission to eliminate Osama bin Laden...and another Belgian Malinois, Conan - who played a critical role in the Delta Force raid that eliminated the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, only two of the many, many canines who've served selflessly and honorably, even while mortally wounded in some cases. The stories of these amazing K9 heroes remind us that courage and sacrifice aren’t limited to humans. For over a century, military working dogs have saved lives, detected danger, and provided unwavering loyalty to the soldiers they served alongside. Whether charging into battle, shielding their handlers, or using their sharp instincts to prevent catastrophe, these dogs have played a vital role in American military history." I get lost reading stories of them, there are so many. We as humans cannot possibly thank our deserving Canine Companions enough just for our interactions with them in our daily humdrum lives; their amazing contributions to human society in wartime is the well-earned and well-deserved stuff of legends. Here are some of the other K9 Heroes featured on pawpularcompanions.biz: Sgt. Stubby (WWI) - The Original War DogChips (WWII) - The One-Dog ArmySmoky (WWII) - The Little Terrier That CouldNemo A534 (Vietnam War) - The Dog Who Wouldn’t Back DownCairo (SEAL Team 6, Bin Laden Raid, 2011) - The Modern LegendLucca (USMC, Iraq & Afghanistan) - The LifesaverRags (WWI) - The Messenger DogRex (Iraq War) - The Marine’s Best FriendConan (Delta Force, ISIS Raid, 2019) - The Terrorist HunterGander (WWII, Battle of Hong Kong) - The Ultimate SacrificeHonza (War on Terror, USMC) - The Explosives ExpertLayka (Afghanistan, U.S. Army Rangers) - The Indestructible Warrior K9 Veterans Day is March 13th. You can read about many of the amazing K9 Veterans by going to: www.pawpularcompanions.biz and search “K9 Veterans” If they've been covered already and I missed it, I apologize...if not, is it possible that Vic could do a segment honoring these wonderful warriors of ours? Thank you both for the show in general, and especially for honoring our many veterans who've sacrificed so much in service to America, and God Bless America! ______________________________________________________________ Today's VIC 4 VETS Honor Roll Inductees, Honored Veterans on NewsTalkSTL.With support from our friends at: Alamo Military Collectables, Gemini Wealth Group H.E.R.O.E.S. CARE, Inc. Michel's Funeral Home and Freddie's Market See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the official VIC 4 VETS Honor Roll, highlighting our Honored Veterans during Veterans Appreciation Month. SUBMITTED BY: Listener Bob________________________________________________________________ Vic and Ken,I've thoroughly enjoyed and deeply appreciate the fact that this has been a weekly event for quite a while, and that it's now a daily occurrence during the month of June is just a phenomenal idea! Thank you both so much for that! It's very possible that I've missed any segment that may have mentioned the unsung heroes of so many U.S. Military Combat Operations, the K-9 Warrior. I'd like to take the opportunity to recognize the innumerable brave, intelligent, and Fearless members of the Armed Forces, which have served in every war since the American Revolution, in one form or another...as well as in other worldwide conflicts throughout human history. The story of the Military Working Dog (MWD) in US Forces officially began on March 13, 1942. That’s when the U.S. Army launched its War Dog Program during World War II, though canines have served honorably for much longer than that...including Sgt Stubby, a stray Boston Terrier Mix who served in WWI - he served in 17 battles, alerting troops to incoming gas attacks before humans could detect them, comforting wounded soldiers, and even capturing a German spy by biting him and refusing to let go until soldiers could capture him. Stories abound of our magnificent K9 companions serving honorably and selflessly in WWI and WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan (including the Belgian Malinois with nerves of steel, Cairo, who was part of SEAL Team 6’s historic mission to eliminate Osama bin Laden...and another Belgian Malinois, Conan - who played a critical role in the Delta Force raid that eliminated the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, only two of the many, many canines who've served selflessly and honorably, even while mortally wounded in some cases. The stories of these amazing K9 heroes remind us that courage and sacrifice aren’t limited to humans. For over a century, military working dogs have saved lives, detected danger, and provided unwavering loyalty to the soldiers they served alongside. Whether charging into battle, shielding their handlers, or using their sharp instincts to prevent catastrophe, these dogs have played a vital role in American military history." I get lost reading stories of them, there are so many. We as humans cannot possibly thank our deserving Canine Companions enough just for our interactions with them in our daily humdrum lives; their amazing contributions to human society in wartime is the well-earned and well-deserved stuff of legends. Here are some of the other K9 Heroes featured on pawpularcompanions.biz: Sgt. Stubby (WWI) - The Original War DogChips (WWII) - The One-Dog ArmySmoky (WWII) - The Little Terrier That CouldNemo A534 (Vietnam War) - The Dog Who Wouldn’t Back DownCairo (SEAL Team 6, Bin Laden Raid, 2011) - The Modern LegendLucca (USMC, Iraq & Afghanistan) - The LifesaverRags (WWI) - The Messenger DogRex (Iraq War) - The Marine’s Best FriendConan (Delta Force, ISIS Raid, 2019) - The Terrorist HunterGander (WWII, Battle of Hong Kong) - The Ultimate SacrificeHonza (War on Terror, USMC) - The Explosives ExpertLayka (Afghanistan, U.S. Army Rangers) - The Indestructible Warrior K9 Veterans Day is March 13th. You can read about many of the amazing K9 Veterans by going to: www.pawpularcompanions.biz and search “K9 Veterans” If they've been covered already and I missed it, I apologize...if not, is it possible that Vic could do a segment honoring these wonderful warriors of ours? Thank you both for the show in general, and especially for honoring our many veterans who've sacrificed so much in service to America, and God Bless America! ______________________________________________________________ Today's VIC 4 VETS Honor Roll Inductees, Honored Veterans on NewsTalkSTL.With support from our friends at: Alamo Military Collectables, Gemini Wealth Group H.E.R.O.E.S. CARE, Inc. Michel's Funeral Home and Freddie's Market See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone knows about MLK Day, Earth Day, Veterans Day but who has heard about World Elder Abuse Awareness Day? It is estimated that 1 in 10 older adults is a victim of abuse and over the past years even more seniors have fallen victim to fraud scams. Geropsychologist Dr. Sheri Gibson and Long Term Care Ombudsman Lori McGinnis have supported seniors through terrible tragedies, and they still continue to do the good work they do. Hear how their work is putting elder abuse into the rearview mirror for so many. This International day is acknowledged on June 15.Pikes Peak Elder Justice Center: https://www.pikespeakelderjusticecenter.org/Aging with Altitude is recorded in the Pikes Peak region with a focus on topics of aging interest across the country. We talk about both the everyday and novel needs and approaches to age with altitude – whether you're in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida or Leadville, Colorado. The Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging is the producer. Melissa Marts with the Area Agency on Aging is our moderator.Learn more at: https://ppacg.org/pikes-peak-area-agency-on-agingOr call 719-471-2096BEACON Senior News is a proud sponsor/partner for this podcast. BEACON Senior News empowers Colorado seniors with inspiring local stories, timely coverage of senior issues, health and travel features, retirement and financial guidance, senior expos and local resources — all presented in a fun, engaging way that helps older adults lead happier, healthier lives. Catch all the news at: https://www.beaconseniornews.com/

Topgolf was warned in 2012. A risk manager photographed the exact spot, flagged it, recommended safety barriers. Almost a decade later, a nine-year-old boy was struck in that same spot at a Portland birthday party and left with a traumatic brain injury — three metal plates now holding his skull together. Anne Foster, founding member of Smith Foster King in Portland, tells guest host Chris Hammons how she built the case around a decade of ignored warnings, turned Topgolf's own marketing tagline against the blame-the-parents defense using focus groups, and forced Topgolf to pay the full verdict plus an undisclosed amount to avoid punitive damages. Train and Connect with the Titans☑️ Anne Foster | LinkedIn☑️ Smith Foster King | LinkedIn☑️ Chris Hammons | LinkedIn☑️ Laird Hammons Laird Law | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Trial Lawyers University☑️ TLU On Demand Instant access to live lectures, case analysis, and skills training videos☑️ TLU on X | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTubeEpisode SnapshotAfter 25 years defending at Dunn Carney in Portland, Anne transitioned to plaintiff's work and found it transformed her career: "I found my life's dream. It wasn't just being in the courtroom, but I was actually helping to change people's lives."On Veterans Day 2021, a nine-year-old boy attending a birthday party at Topgolf Portland was struck in the head by a golf club — suffering a fractured frontal lobe requiring three permanent metal plates — when Topgolf's Bay host failed to provide the required safety tour to any of the bays that day. Philadelphia Insurance's risk manager had visited Topgolf locations as early as 2012 and recommended installing physical barriers, even photographing people standing exactly where the boy was later struck; Topgolf was told more than 10 times to put up a railing and never did, even as the chain expanded from a handful of stores to 100 locations nationwide. Anne found Topgolf's own website marketing language for kids' birthday parties — "You invite the kids, we'll take care of the rest" — and tested it in focus groups; skeptical mock jurors who had blamed the parents immediately shifted when confronted with that phrase. West Coast incident data produced in discovery showed hundreds of injuries over five years, the majority involving children, with 90% being strikes to the head and neck. To convey the brain injury's impact to the jury, Anne went beyond medical evidence — using adult family friends who were both teachers to testify about the boy's behavioral changes, and building the examination around stories she could reference visually in closing. Topgolf ultimately paid the full jury verdict plus an additional undisclosed amount rather than proceed to a punitive damages trial; the resolution followed a jury finding that the boy had done nothing wrong. Produced and Powered by LawPods

On toadys show, Ari talks to Matt Huff, who represents the Sergeant Bruce Cogley Foundation. The organization honors Huff's late acquaintance, a Vietnam veteran, by raising awareness for veteran suicide and mental health. To fund fitness scholarships for veterans, the foundation organizes the "Bruce WOD," a high-intensity workout held annually around Veterans Day. These scholarships provide gym memberships to help veterans combat isolation through group-based functional fitness. Matt also highlights an upcoming partnership with the National Veterans Memorial Museum for a special outdoor event in June as well as discussing how community exercise can serve as a powerful tool for veteran recovery and connection.Partners:On Trail Nutrition - On Trail Nutrition, high-energy protein bars built for the outdoors. No crashes, no junk, just steady fuel for your hikes, rides, and long days. Check them out at ontrailnutrition.com and fuel your next adventure.Link: HERECode: RUNNINGSCARED10THN Labs - THN make energy gels in Canada with minimal ingredients. If you're running long and want to actually know what you're eating, hit them up at thnlabs.com.Link: HERECode: RSP15Support the showSubscribe to Running Scared Media wherever you get your podcasts for more episodes!RunningScaredMedia.comVisit our shop to purchase our jogcasts and other merchEmail us at: therunningscaredpodcast@gmail.comFollow us:Instagram @runningscaredmediaJoin our FB Running Group 

learn words and phrases related to Veteran's Day

Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) Kevin Dolan and Peter Calfee met at a Veterans Day luncheon in 2022 and spent three years writing Hijacked: Our Republic — a book built around one essential question: what does it take to keep what the founders built?In this conversation, Kevin and Peter walk through the six foundational pillars they believe hold a republic together — critical thinking, education, faith and values, history, political systems, and economics — and explain how each one has been quietly compromised. The word "hijacked" isn't hyperbole. It's a diagnosis.One exchange stands out: Kevin's explanation of why two people can look at the same set of facts, weigh them differently, and reach completely different conclusions — and why that's actually how it's supposed to work. The problem isn't disagreement. The problem is that we've stopped being interested in each other.If you want to understand the root causes behind the noise — and think seriously about what restoring the social contract actually requires — this episode is worth your time. Find the book at hijackedourrepublic.com. The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us as individuals. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for all you've got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow The Derate The Hate podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X) ,  YouTube Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/ContactThe Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America's largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.orgWelcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.

This week on The Paragould Podcast, Jared sits down with Lori Dial, longtime GCT theater teacher and local entertainer. Lori shares her journey from growing up around Brookland and performing at The Roundup Music Show to teaching English and theater for nearly two decades. The conversation covers community theater, all-state competitions, the Veterans Day tradition at GCT, overcoming stage fright, and the mindset that has shaped her life and teaching: “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” It's a conversation about creativity, courage, leadership, and why the willingness to try is often what leads to growth and success.

A retro look back at the beginning of HITM, November 11, 2010. We saluted our Veterans and spoke with Jessica Newman of Just World International about the tremendous work she is doing with the help of the horse world. Plus, Dr. De Leeuw joins us for her regular segment called Vet Tales and callers let us know about their incredible vet stories. Listen in...HORSES IN THE MORNING Episode 3960 – Show Notes and Links:Hosts: Jamie Jennings of Flyover Farm & Glenn the GeekJamie and Glenn's Amazon StoreTitle Sponsor: Spalding Fly PredatorsPicture Credit: AISegment: Vet Tales with Dr. Kari De Leeuw of Bay Area Equine Holistic Medicine.Guests: Jessica Newman of Just World InternationalAdditional support for this podcast provided by: Equine Network and Listeners Like YouTimestamps:02:03 - 2010 show re-intro + Easy Signs sponsor02:54 - Veterans Day tributes segment05:45 - Call-in number + today's guest rundow07:49 - Grand prizes: shopping spree & bridle10:08 - Listener emails: videos, logo, WEG/Olympics12:49 - Travel plans: New Orleans, Ocala, Arabian Nights15:14 - Caller Karen: veteran shout-out & paso fino22:52 - Interview: Jessica Newman, JustWorld International36:10 - Vet Tales: Dr. Carrie on practice & stories50:15 - Vet bill roulette: big vet bills + callers66:18 - Discover Horses, Facebook, prizes, sign-off

On June 12, Women Veterans Day, we celebrate the 1948 law allowing women to serve as regular members of the military. There will be events happening across the state in recognition. Texas is home to more than 200,000women veterans, and some of them work right here at Texas Veterans Commission. Today you will hear from three of those women about their service, and commitment to helping women veterans. Plus learn about upcoming Women VeteransDay events in San Angelo, Wichita Falls, and Houston.

“Happy Memorial Day!” sounds harmless, right? For a lot of veterans and Gold Star families, it lands like you just put a party hat on a headstone. In this episode of Sisters-in-Service I break down why that casual greeting misses the mark, what Memorial Day is actually for, and what to say instead if you truly want to honor the day and the people it's about. I cut through the confusion around Veterans Day, Armed Forces Day, and Memorial Day, sharing what this weekend really feels like for many veterans, and gives everyone a clear, simple language that can be used whether you're a civilian, or a family member at the cookout who just realized they've been getting it wrong. **In this episode, we talk about:** - The real difference between Veterans Day, Armed Forces Day, and Memorial Day - Why “Happy Memorial Day” can feel jarring, insensitive, or just plain wrong - How Memorial Day looks on social media vs how it actually feels for many veterans - What's really at the heart of this holiday: remembrance, not celebration - Respectful phrases civilians can use to acknowledge Memorial Day - What to say to a veteran when you know this day might be heavy - Simple, non-confrontational ways veterans can respond when someone says “Happy Memorial Day” **If you're a civilian, you'll learn:** - How to honor the day without making it about sales, selfies, or slogans - Short, thoughtful alternatives to “Happy Memorial Day” - How to open the door for a veteran to share a story, without putting them on the spot **If you're a veteran, you'll learn:** - Why your discomfort with “Happy Memorial Day” is valid - Options for responding that educate without starting an argument - Language you can borrow when you want to correct someone with grace (or a little spice) **Key Takeaway** Memorial Day isn't about a three-day weekend. It's about the people who didn't make it home. When we get our words right, we get closer to honoring that truth. **Call to Action** After you listen, take 60 seconds to: - Say or post one sentence that remembers the fallen, and - Reach out to a veteran in your life with a simple “Thinking of you today.” And if this episode gave you a new perspective, share it with someone who needs to hear it before the next “Happy Memorial Day” rolls off their tongue.

On this Memorial Day episode of Timeless Wisdom, Dennis Prager honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and freedom. From the USS Iowa battleship in San Pedro, California, Dennis takes calls from listeners sharing the names and stories of loved ones who died in service. He reflects on the importance of remembering the fallen, the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and the significance of America's role in promoting liberty and freedom. With a mix of personal anecdotes and historical context, Dennis explores the complexities of war and the human cost of sacrifice. Follow on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/timeless-wisdom-with-dennis-prager/id1517302239 Follow us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4SZEYeH4tuLr2FvG4ok1rl Learn more about Dennis Prager: https://pragertopia.com/ Follow Dennis on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DennisPrager Follow Dennis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedennisprager/ Follow Dennis on X: https://x.com/DennisPrager Learn more about the Salem Podcast Network: https://salempodcastnetwork.com/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Send us Fan MailPeaches and Aaron sit down for a Memorial Day conversation that's honest, reflective, hilarious, and painfully real all at the same time. The boys break down the actual meaning behind Memorial Day, the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and why the internet keeps turning remembrance into performative sadness instead of intentional celebration of the people we lost.They talk about friends killed in combat, training accidents, suicide, and the long list of names that never really leaves your mind—but also why most of those guys would absolutely hate seeing everyone sit around miserable on a four-day weekend.Then the conversation turns into Murph workouts, Vegas summers, Soft Week chaos, UFC fights, Fourth of July energy, military fitness standards, Pentagon bureaucracy, and leaked guidance from Pete Hegseth demanding a more merit-based warfighting culture across the force.Bottom line: honor the fallen however you want—but live your life hard enough that they'd be proud you're still here doing it.⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 Memorial Day Hits Different 02:00 Intentional Remembrance vs Sadness 04:00 Remembering the Boys 06:00 Memorial Day vs Veterans Day 08:00 Why Internet Guilt Is Annoying 10:00 What the Fallen Would Actually Want 12:00 “Bad Day to Be a Coors Light” 14:00 Stay Connected to Gold Star Families 16:00 Murph Workouts & Memorial Traditions 19:00 The Best Way to Partition Murph 22:00 Vegas Summers Are Elite 24:00 Tampa vs Las Vegas 27:00 Soft Week Bro Culture 30:00 America's 250th Birthday Energy 33:00 Why Patriotism Feels Different Again 36:00 Red, White & Blue Everywhere 38:00 AI, Skynet & Letting America Cook 40:00 Leaked Meritocracy Memo from Hegseth 43:00 Fitness Standards Across the Military 46:00 Why Weakness Gets Celebrated Online 49:00 The Profession of Arms Matters 52:00 Why Every Military Member Needs Baseline Fitness 55:00 The Problem with Excuses 57:00 Memorial Day Final Thoughts

I have been asked a lot lately how to honor the fallen on Memorial Day...this is my response.---------GET YOUR MERCH HERE: https://shop.nickjfreitas.com/BECOME A MEMBER OF THE IC: https://NickJFreitas.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickjfreitas/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickFreitasVATwitter: https://twitter.com/NickJFreitasYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NickjfreitasTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nickjfreitas3.000:00:00 – The ultimate meaning of Memorial Day sacrifice.00:00:35 – Distinguishing Memorial Day from Veterans Day honors.00:01:17 – Remembering the life of Green Beret Dae Han Park.00:03:56 – Elite Special Forces training and combat service stories.00:06:09 – Inside the intense CrossFit Special Forces culture.00:07:59 – Advanced communications training in the jungle environment.00:10:43 – High value target missions in Iraqi Freedom.00:13:57 – Leadership and parenting lessons from a father.00:16:33 – Honoring our fallen at the national cemetery.00:19:05 – Finding peace through grief and Christian faith.00:20:22 – Living worthy of our military's ultimate sacrifice

Today is Memorial Day, and Daniela didn't want to let this day pass without saying something she genuinely believes needs to be said. Not as a coach or a CEO, but as a human being who is fully aware of how much she's been given — and how easy it is to forget that in the middle of a hard business week.   This episode is a reflection on freedom: what it cost, what it makes possible, and why the ability to build a business is not something any of us should be taking for granted. Daniela shares what Memorial Day actually means — and how sitting with the weight of that, even briefly, changes the lens through which we see the hard parts of entrepreneurship.   Whether you're heading into this long weekend rested or running on empty, this one is for you.   In this episode, we discuss:   Why Memorial Day is distinct from Veterans Day, and why that distinction matters The direct connection between the sacrifices of those who served and the freedom to build a business Why entrepreneurship, at its core, is an act of freedom — not a burden The question Daniela wants you to ask yourself the next time you're in a hard week A reminder that being tired doesn't mean you're failing; it means you're building something real A closing reflection for the families who are marking this day with grief, and for every spa owner who sometimes forgets what a gift it is to keep building   Want to break past $25K–$35K months without adding more treatment hours? Watch The Systems Shift and learn how 600+ spa owners are scaling into their Spa CEO role (without sacrificing family time or sanity). 

Ryan Wrecker opened the final hour of the show by refocusing entirely on the true meaning of Memorial Day [1], delivering a somber tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.The Sacred Distinction: Wrecker began by gently reminding listeners of the crucial difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day, stressing that today is not a general celebration of military service, but a specific, solemn day of mourning for those who never made it back home [1].Beyond the BBQ Culture: He challenged the modern commercialization of the long weekend, arguing that while family gatherings, mattress sales, and backyard barbecues are a staple of the holiday, Americans must pause to recognize that these very freedoms were bought and paid for with the blood of fallen soldiers [1].The Weight of Freedom: The segment featured a powerful monologue on the families left behind—the Gold Star parents, spouses, and children—emphasizing that the cost of America's freedom is an ongoing, daily reality for thousands of households across the nation [1].

Wyce Thoughts with Terry Wyce | Episode: Beyond the BBQ: The True Meaning of Memorial DayPull up a chair, sit back, and welcome to the virtual campfire here in the Purple Pit Studios.As we hit the long weekend, the pool covers come off, and the smell of charcoal fills the neighborhood, it's easy to get swept up in the unofficial start of summer. But in this episode, Terry hits the pause button on the usual pop culture noise to look at a weird cultural phenomenon: how a solemn day of national mourning somehow transformed into the official holiday of discounted mattresses and overcooked burgers.We're cutting through the noise to reclaim the gravity of Memorial Day. Terry breaks down the raw history of "Decoration Day," tackles a major holiday pet peeve by explaining the crucial difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and shares how we can collectively replace complacency with genuine gratitude this year—all without canceling your backyard barbecue.Let's elevate the weekend and give our freedom the respect it deserves. It only takes sixty seconds.In This Episode, We Discuss:The Commercialization Chaos: How three-day weekends shifted our focus from remembrance to consumerism.The History Lesson: The post-Civil War origins of Decoration Day.The Wyce Guide to the Uniform: Why saying "Happy Memorial Day" to a living veteran misses the mark (and what to say instead).The 3:00 PM Challenge: How to practice the National Moment of Remembrance right from your backyard.Connect & Support:Sponsor: Today's episode is brought to you by EDERRA. Reset your body and boost your energy with their EMPWR+ Functional Superfood Green Powder. Head over to ederralyfe.com and use promo code WYCESAVEat checkout for 15% OFF your order!Enjoying the show? Do us a massive favor—hit that follow button and leave a 5-star review to keep the campfire burning!WebsiteFollow on X Follow on YoutubeFollow  Purple Pit Studios 

Originally known as the America Civil War's ‘Decoration Day,’ Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the last Monday of May, for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. PragerU podcast available at https://amzn.to/3MRvsz0 PragerU books at https://amzn.to/3APDaWN Memorial Day souvenirs at https://amzn.to/4wUpz9x Veterans Day souvenirs at https://amzn.to/4p2gAOO United States Military items at https://amzn.to/3XhVW15 In Flanders Fields books & souvenirs at https://amzn.to/4hRLO8W WWI books & souvenirs available at https://amzn.to/494Lp0u ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you). Mark Vinet's TIMELINE video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet Mark's History of North America podcast: www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-north-america Mark's Historical Jesus podcast at https://parthenonpodcast.com/historical-jesus Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 X (twitter): https://twitter.com/MarkVinet_HNA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Audio credits: PragerU 5-Minute Videos: The Fallen Soldier by Jocko Willink, May 18, 2020; Today podcast-Veterans Day in America Nov. 11, 2024. Audio excerpts reproduced under the Fair Use (Fair Dealings) Legal Doctrine for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, education, scholarship, research and news reporting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SEND ME A TEXT MESSAGE NOWMemorial Day is one of those holidays almost everybody recognizes, but not everybody really understands. In this episode, I'm taking a closer look at how a solemn day of remembrance became wrapped up in cookouts, road trips, sales, baseball, the Indy 500, and the unofficial start of summer.I'll get into what Memorial Day actually honors, why it's different from Veterans Day, how it grew out of the grief of the Civil War, and why the original name, Decoration Day, still matters. I'll also talk about the arguments over where the holiday really began, why the date changed, and how that three-day weekend helped reshape the way Americans experience it.This isn't a lecture and it's not a history class. It's a look at the parts of Memorial Day most of us weren't taught, forgot along the way, or never stopped to think about in the first place. There's solemn history here, but there's also the very American reality of barbecue grills, traffic jams, airport chaos, and somehow turning almost anything into a sale.So enjoy the weekend, enjoy the food, enjoy the time with family, but take a few minutes with me to look at the meaning behind the holiday and the forgotten history and other secrets that still make Memorial Day worth understanding.If you've enjoyed the podcast and found it informative, and maybe got a laugh or two, then please contribute to keeping this podcast around. I'm not backed by Corporate media. There is no outside money other than my own wallet so if you could please contribute to the GoFundMe below even a small donation makes a difference.https://gofund.me/5d9a419efAWorldGoneMadPodcast@gmail.com

As we approach Memorial Day, we're reminded of the sacrifices made by those who have served in the military and their families. This episode is a powerful tribute to one such family, the Pfanders, who have experienced the ultimate loss. Join us as we hear their story and learn about the importance of honoring our fallen heroes. This episode is a poignant conversation with Nancy Pfander, a Gold Star mom who has dedicated her life to supporting other families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. We delve into her son Kyle's story, who was killed in action, and how his memory lives on through her advocacy work. We also explore the differences between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and the significance of honoring our fallen heroes. Nancy shares her personal story of how her son's passion for the military began at a young age, and how she's found comfort in connecting with other Gold Star families through organizations like Survivor Outreach Services and the National Organization of American Gold Star Mothers. Her experiences highlight the importance of community and support for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. If you're looking for a deeper understanding of the true meaning of Memorial Day, this episode is a must-listen. Join us as we honor the memories of those who have given their lives for our country, and learn how you can support Gold Star families in your community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy talks with veterans, Matt Taber, a retired Marine and co-owner of Donley Farms in Shoshone, Idaho, and Kelsey DeBoer, a former U.S. Army Reserve construction engineer and now senior marketing manager at Zoetis, about how military service shapes leadership and perspective.Kelsey explains Zoetis' Patriots Pledge partnership with Folds of Honor, donating a percentage of sales from select products from Memorial Day through Veterans Day to fund scholarships for families of fallen or disabled service members, and also law enforcement and first responders.They both discuss teamwork, accountability and sacrifice as lessons applied to their respective dairy work today, as they also reflect with gratitude on their time in service and the powerful perspective that lives on through the way they lead.Zoetis' Patriots' Pledge program supports Folds of Honor. Folds of Honor is a non-profit organization that provides education scholarships for spouses and children of America's fallen or injured service members and first responders. The Patriots' Pledge program from Zoetis designates a portion of sales from select products between Memorial Day and Veterans Day each year. Learn more here:https://www.zoetisus.com/services-and-programs/patriots-pledge/This episode is brought to you by Zoetis. As the world's leading animal health company, Zoetis is dedicated to helping producers achieve healthy animals, healthy dairies and healthy food through their world-class portfolio. For more information, visit ⁠DairyWellness.com.⁠03:02 Meet Matt & Kelsey04:13 Matt Journey in the Marines05:48 Deployments and Iwo Jima07:26 Kelsey's Path in the Army Reserve 10:23 Dairy After Service15:20 Military Lessons in Dairy18:40 Accountability at Zoetis21:05 Deployment Perspective Shift23:30 First World vs Third World25:39 Advice to Younger Self28:26 What Service Really Means30:02 Brotherhood and Sacrifice36:37 Lessons to Live By

As Memorial Day weekend approaches, the conversation turns to the true meaning behind the holiday and the sacrifices that made America's freedoms possible. The hosts reflect on the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, honoring those who gave their lives in service and the families forever changed by that sacrifice. Through heartfelt stories, personal memories, and powerful reminders of service, patriotism, and faith, listeners are encouraged to slow down, remember, and give thanks for those who stood in the gap for others.

Send us Fan MailA prepping podcast doesn't always need a full lesson plan sometimes it needs timely updates, straight talk, and a reminder of what actually matters. Keith shares a quick set of announcements, starting with a heads up for anyone building long term food storage: a current Augason Farms sale that can cut costs on #10 cans, plus an extra discount code mentioned on the show. If you've been trying to stock freeze dried food without wrecking your budget, this is the kind of practical, tactical info that helps you move from “someday” to an organized pantry.Next, we talk community and momentum. Thanks to listeners who subscribe, review, and share, the Common Sense Practical Prepper Podcast is climbing the education how to charts in multiple countries, with strong month over month download growth. Keith breaks down the numbers and offers a genuine thank you, then gives a quick update on the Lone Man on the Ridge series and how it's performing so far. There's also a reminder about Prepper Camp 2026 on August 14th through 16th and a link to a new video for anyone thinking about going.The episode closes with something bigger than gear and discounts: a Memorial Day reflection. Keith explains the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, touches on the holiday's roots, and asks us to take a moment to honor those who died in service. If you value self reliance, freedom, and the ability to speak your mind, this reminder hits home.Subscribe for more practical preparedness, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.Prepper Camp VideoAugason Farms AffiliateAugason FarmsSupport the podcast. Click on my affiliate link and use coupon code PODCASTPREP for 10% discount!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showHave a question, suggestion or comment? Please email me at practicalpreppodcast@gmail.com. I will not sell your email address and I will personally respond to you.

Billboard artist Crucifix discusses his Veterans Day single “Bleed,” streaming early exclusively on Jiggy Jaguar Radio.

We begin the show with an appreciation of the U.S. Military Service Members in light of the national story of the Air Force rescue of 11 people in the Atlantic Ocean. A small plane crashed 50 miles off the coast of Florida, and the 11 people were rescued in a raft. Amazingly on 3 people had minor injuries. Other segments include; the history and distinction of Memorial Day vs Veterans Day; The return of the Presidential Physical Fitness Award; A new passport design from the State Department; Tips to increase motivation at work; and more. 31st Rescue Squadron pararescuemen conduct hoist operations aboard the Landing Craft Utility, Fort McHenry, Nov. 10, 2021. The pararescue mission is to rescue, recover, and return American or allied forces in times of danger or extreme duress. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Stephen Pulter)

Host Jeremy C. Park interviews Janet Rives, Chief Operating Officer for CreatiVets, who highlights the Nashville, Tennessee based nonprofit organization's mission and efforts to use art and music therapy to help veterans heal from trauma and prevent suicide. Janet explains the organization's origins, which began 12 years ago when founder Richard Casper returned from Iraq with a traumatic brain injury and found healing through art and songwriting. She described how CreatiVets now serves veterans nationally using art and music for healing, with programs including songwriting workshops in Nashville with award-winning songwriters, astrophotography, visual arts, and screenwriting initiatives. The programs are offered free of charge through donations and provide veterans with mentorship from other veterans who have gone through similar experiences. She describes upcoming plans for a 3-week accredited art program at Belmont University and mentions their existing longtime partnership with the Chicago School of Arts, concluding with information about their "Scars to Scripts" program scheduled for the Monday before Veterans Day. Janet discusses how their efforts are focused on preventing veteran suicide through these art therapy programs. She shares stories of two veterans who recently told her they had planned suicide but were saved through the organization's programs. The organization also offers community programs on the weekend for local veterans, including stained glass windows, sewing, and painting. The organization is currently renovating a 19,000-square-foot former church building to create a 24/7 veteran art and music center. The facility will include an auditorium for music venues, art rooms, a pottery studio, and a woodworking shop, designed to provide veterans with a safe space for healing outside of traditional business hours. The public can support CreatiVets through donations, monthly giving, volunteering, and streaming their music catalog on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Janet emphasizes that all donations support veterans through art and music programs aimed at preventing suicide, and highlights how the organization's music serves as a powerful tool for both veterans and the public to understand and seek help. Visit https://creativets.org to learn more about CreatiVets and to get involved.

Women have worn the uniform in every branch, every conflict, every role from support to combat. So why do so many of us become invisible the moment we separate? In this episode of Sisters-in-Service, host [your name] digs into what happens when women veterans don't fit the stereotype of what a “real” veteran looks like. From being mistaken for a spouse in the VA waiting room to being skipped over on Veterans Day, women who served are still fighting to be seen and believed. In this conversation, we explore: * The sting of hearing, “You don't look like a veteran” * How women are erased from the public story of military service * The impact that invisibility has on identity, mental health, and accessing care * Why systems and services still treat male veterans as the default * Practical ways women veterans can claim space without doing all the emotional labor * What allies and organizations must do differently to truly include women who served If you've ever had your service questioned, minimized, or ignored, this episode is for you.

11/16/2025If you were blessed by this message, please feel free to visit our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.svbaptistchurch.com.⁠⁠⁠⁠ There you will find links to our other social platforms, years of recorded messages, statement of faith, and more.For online giving: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://svbckuna.churchtrac.com/give⁠⁠⁠⁠God bless you!

learn words and phrases related to Veteran's Day

Send us Fan MailAaron flies solo in this Ones Ready Members episode, torching the nonsense and telling it like it is. From the chaos of the new Zulu Course to the never-ending drama of “reform” that forgets reality, he pulls zero punches. He dives into the Schrodinger's Pipeline paradox, salutes a Chief of Staff who finally gets morale right, and skewers the brass who can't keep their rank or zipper under control. Then he flips it, getting real about Veterans Day—no virtue signals, just gratitude, honesty, and perspective from a dude who's lived it. If you're tired of the sanitized version of the military, this one hits different.⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – Ones Ready Members drop: no ads, no fluff. 01:15 – Zulu Course: bold vision or hot mess? 03:40 – Quitting, standards, and the Schrodinger's Pipeline paradox. 06:05 – The “students forget everything” myth. 08:30 – How to fix training without whining. 09:45 – Veterans Day: pride without the cringe. 12:45 – “You were worth it”—the real message behind service. 13:00 – The new Chief of Staff actually doing something right. 16:15 – Morale shirts, call signs, and small wins that matter. 17:35 – Generals behaving badly (again). 19:45 – Closing thoughts and Operator Training Summit plug.

Stay connected with us at americangroundradio.com, on Facebook, and Instagram. You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for April 17, 2026. We open with a story that is equal parts political scandal and perfect metaphor — Gavin Newsom's political PAC spent $1.5 million buying 67,000 copies of his own memoir and handing them out to donors, manufacturing a bestseller label out of thin air. We break down what the FEC rules actually say, why this may or may not be legal, and why it doesn't matter — because the real story is that Gavin Newsom is exactly as artificial as this stunt suggests. A plastic politician buying his own book to build a presidential resume is not a campaign strategy. It's a confession. In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, Iran has announced it is reopening the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping — and oil prices dropped 10% worldwide within hours. We give you our honest read on whether Iran's sudden cooperation is genuine or a strategic ruse, why Trump's blockade of Iranian ports remains in place as leverage over the nuclear program, and what it means that the first ship through the newly reopened strait was a cruise ship. Then we dig into the House blocking a FISA extension — the same surveillance law the Obama administration used to spy on the Trump campaign — and why the Democrats who used it are now suddenly against it. Plus, a Soros-backed Minneapolis district attorney has issued an arrest warrant for an ICE officer who drew his weapon during a confrontation on the highway, while refusing to prosecute a single activist for weeks of violent attacks against ICE officers in that city. Our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson tackle one of the most personal and emotionally complex questions families face — what do you do when one sibling carries the entire burden of caring for an aging parent while the others aren't showing up? We get into the difference between checking in and actually showing up, why resentment is a trap even when it's completely justified, how childhood dynamics resurface when parents need care, and why open communication may be the only thing that keeps a family from fracturing under the weight of it all. Then we dig into a stat that should stop every American who's been told we should be more like Europe dead in their tracks. According to a study by the Institute of Economic Affairs, if Britain became the 51st state, most Brits think they'd rank seventh in GDP per capita. The reality — they'd be dead last. Below Mississippi. We walk through where Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and most of Europe actually fall on the list, explain why open borders, green energy mandates, and free speech regulations have quietly gutted European living standards, and make the case that Europe should be trying to be more like America — not the other way around. We also cover the Artemis II mission's spiritual aftermath — Commander Reed Wiseman, who describes himself as not a particularly religious man, immediately sought out the Navy chaplain on the rescue ship when they splashed down in the Pacific. When the chaplain walked in wearing a cross on his collar, Wiseman broke down in tears. We talk about what it means when the farthest journey from Earth any human crew has ever taken ends with a man weeping before a chaplain he'd never met. We discuss Elon Musk's proposal for universal high-income checks funded by AI and robotics — and why, even if the robots are doing the work, universal government income is still communism. Scripture is clear. Genesis places man in the garden not to sit idle, but to tend it. And we close out with Fairfax County, Virginia — right next to Arlington National Cemetery, 50 miles from the Pentagon — canceling Veterans Day as a school holiday while keeping Indigenous Peoples Day. We call it what it is. And a 91-year-old woman in Westlake, Ohio didn't answer her daily wellness check call, didn't answer her family, and didn't answer the door when police knocked. Officers used the garage code to get in. They found her alive and well in her bedroom, chasing her all-time high score on a video game. May your pursuit of happiness bring you joy. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 7 AM Hour: Larry O’Connor and Cassie Smedile discussed: INTERVIEW: Garrett Exner: Former special operations officer in the Marine Corps and a board member at Veterans on Duty on Fairfax County Public Schools nixing a school holiday for Veterans Day after a debate over the school calendar. INTERVIEW: MD State Senator Justin Ready: MD State Senator for District: 5: Frederick and Carroll on the closing of the Maryland General Assembly closing and what happened. Maryland State Shark: Maryland officially named the megalodon the state shark this week, becoming the first state in the country with the designation. California Targets Nick Shirley: California Democrats Advance “Stop Nick Shirley Act” to criminalize investigative journalism. Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Audible, and Spotify Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: WMAL.com/OConnor-Company Episode: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 / 7 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WMAL GUEST: GARRETT EXNER (Board Member of Veterans on Duty) on the Fairfax County School Board’s decision to eliminate Veterans Day as a student holiday to create more five-day instructional weeks. WEBSITE: VetsOnDuty.org SOCIAL MEDIA: X.com/Exner_Garrett Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Audible, and Spotify Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: WMAL.com/OConnor-Company Episode: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 / 7 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the April 15, 2026, broadcast of The Charlie James Show, the first hour centered on the frustrations of Tax Day and the systemic flaws within the U.S. tax code. The program opened with a critique of the federal system's complexity before shifting to South Carolina, where Representative Bruce Bannister argued that the state's new tax code would ensure citizens pay no more than necessary. The discussion then highlighted a sharp divide in tax responsibility, noting that while 40% of Americans pay no federal income tax, the top 1% of earners shoulder 38.4% of the total burden. The hour concluded with a segment featuring WORD callers discussing local tax concerns and a controversial decision in Fairfax County, VA, to no longer recognize Veterans Day.

A simple but powerful leadership lesson: show up — whether in loss, transition or everyday life. SUMMARY Jessica Whitney '10 reminds us that we often know what to do — the difference is actually doing it. Small acts of showing up can mean everything.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   JESSICA'S TOP 10 LEADERSHIP LESSONS Here are 10 leadership lessons from this conversation: 1. Align your life with your values, not your plan Whitney thought she'd do 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, but family and faith became higher priorities than her original career plan. Leadership lesson: Be willing to pivot when reality and your values diverge, even if it means leaving a prestigious path. 2. Redefine success beyond titles and rank She struggled after leaving the Air Force because her identity was tied to “academy grad” and “officer.” Leadership lesson: Anchor your worth in who you are and how you impact people daily, not in your job title. 3. Use mentors to unlock “freedom to choose” A single honest conversation with her mentor gave Whitney “freedom” to imagine different possibilities. Leadership lesson: Seek out mentors who model alternative paths and will tell you the truth about tradeoffs. 4. Make decisions with the best information you have now Whitney references the Gen. George Patton quote about a good plan now vs. a perfect plan later, and emphasizes moving forward one step at a time. Leadership lesson: Don't wait for total certainty. Clarify what you know, what you don't control, then act. 5. Integrity = keeping and honoring your word From her transformational leadership class: Keep your word when you can. When you can't, honor it: Notify early, reset expectations and clean up the impact. Leadership lesson: Integrity isn't perfection; it's proactive ownership. This builds trust and reduces stress for everyone. 6. Name the stories that secretly run you (“what's undefined runs you”) Whitney recognized long-standing internal stories like “I don't belong” from moving often as a Navy brat. Leadership lesson: Identify your limiting narratives (e.g., “I can't disappoint people,” “I don't belong”) so they stop unconsciously driving your behavior. 7. Create a compelling future and work backwards She describes standing in the future you want (for yourself or an organization) and asking, “If we were already there, how did we get here?” Leadership lesson: Lead by designing the future state (culture, behaviors, outcomes), then reverse-engineer today's actions. 8. Show up for people — especially in their storms After her brother-in-law's suicide, the support from church and Air Force community showed her the power of “just showing up.” Leadership lesson: You rarely know what others are carrying. Leadership is often simply being present, unasked, when it matters. 9. Align daily actions with stated values Whitney feels the most stress when her behavior and values (family, faith, health, service) are misaligned. Leadership lesson: Use misalignment (stress, guilt, burnout) as a signal to recalibrate how you spend time, energy and money. 10. Invest in small, consistent habits (1% better) Whitney references “atomic habits” — reading regularly, moving her body, cooking healthy meals and doing “one more rep.” Leadership lesson: Long-term leadership impact comes from small, repeatable behaviors, not dramatic one-time efforts CHAPTERS 00:00:05 – Introduction & Transition Theme Whitney is welcomed to Long Blue Leadership. Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99, frames the episode around transitioning out of the military, and Whitney shares her background as part of a dual-military couple and early family life. 00:02:02 – Mentorship, Freedom & First Thoughts of Leaving Whitney describes reaching out to her mentor about transitioning to the reserves. That conversation gives her “freedom” to imagine a different life that prioritizes family and values over a 20-year active-duty career. 00:06:39 – Academy Lessons, Courage & Decision-Making Under Uncertainty Col. Walkwicz digs into Whitney's use of the word “freedom.” Whitney connects her decision-making and leap of faith to leadership lessons from the Academy — facing unknowns, focusing on what she can control, and acting without a perfect plan. 00:10:13 – Growing Up Military & Redefining Identity Beyond Rank Whitney shares her deep military heritage as a Navy brat and descendant of generations of service. She explains the identity shock of leaving active duty and having to redefine success beyond titles like “officer” and “academy grad.” 00:13:26 – Values, Overwhelm & Redefining Success in Daily Life Whitney talks about aligning actions with values: quiet time, family, health and rest. She contrasts the nonstop pace of active duty with her new season as a stay-at-home mom and reservist, and how she now defines success. 00:17:19 – Loss, Suicide, Grief & the Power of Community Whitney shares the story of losing her brother-in-law to suicide in January 2020. She reflects on hidden struggles, the “buying bananas in the grocery store” moment of invisible grief, and the profound impact of church and Air Force community support. 00:23:12 – Learning to “Show Up” for Others Col. Walkewicz asks where Whitney learned to show up so intentionally. Whitney recalls community support during her dad's deployments, meals after her first child's birth, and a commander welcoming her back from maternity leave — illustrating the difference between knowing you should show up and actually doing it. 00:26:11 – Serving Beyond the Uniform: Church, Family & Cadet Morale Whitney explains what service looks like now: leading a 120-woman Bible study and serving on the USAFA Class of 2010 Cadet Morale Endowment board, which funds morale events for top cadet squadrons. She highlights meaningful leadership without a visible rank. 00:29:20 – Transformational Leadership & Redefining Integrity Whitney shares lessons from a transformational leadership course she took (and later taught): integrity means both keeping and honoring your word. She gives practical examples (calling when you'll be late, managing deadlines early) and uses a bicycle-wheel analogy to show how broken commitments make everything bumpier. 00:32:07 – “What's Undefined Runs You”: Naming Limiting Stories Whitney introduces the idea that unexamined stories (e.g., “I don't belong,” “I can't disappoint people”) quietly drive behavior. She shares her own “I don't belong” narrative from moving often as a Navy kid and how she consciously claims, “I belong here,” to lead more authentically. 00:36:50 – Creating a Future & Leading from It Whitney explains how leaders can “stand” in a desired future for their organization — one of trust, transparency and camaraderie — and then work backward to identify the actions and changes needed today to get there. 00:38:33 – Advice to Young Jess: Vision, Risk & Trusting the Journey Asked what she'd tell her younger self, Whitney emphasizes clarifying what will matter at age 80, aligning life with that long-term view, being less risk-averse, and trusting God with unexpected pivots and new paths. 00:38:43 – Daily Habits, 1% Better & Long-Term Growth Whitney shares the small daily practices that make her “better”: reading and podcasts, surrounding herself with uplifting people, and health-oriented habits like walking and “one more rep.” She connects this to the concept of atomic habits and incremental growth. 00:40:52 – Closing: Character, Showing Up & Living Your Values Col. Walkewicz closes by summarizing Whitney's key themes: leadership as character and presence, not having all the answers; simply showing up; and honoring integrity even amid uncertainty. She thanks Whitney for her ongoing service and impact. 00:42:05 – Production Note & Recording Date Ted Robertson notes that this Long Blue Leadership conversation was recorded on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025.   ABOUT JESSICA BIO Jessica Whitney '10 is a U.S. Air Force veteran, leadership coach and conflict resolution facilitator who helps executives and emerging leaders design purposeful futures and take aligned action. Drawing on more than a decade of military leadership experience navigating communication, conflict and high-stress environments, she supports individuals and teams in overcoming limiting beliefs, clarifying priorities and building systems that foster confident decision-making. Whitney specializes in one-on-one leadership coaching and workplace mediation, guiding productive conversations that transform tension into trust and strengthen organizational culture. She is also a wife, mother of four and advocate for intentional living, dedicating her work to empowering leaders to align their identities and results with their vision for the future. CONNECT WITH JESSICA LINKEDIN  |  SIMPLIFIED MOTHERHOOD CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org   Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE AT USAFA.ORG/LONGBLUELEADERSHIP AND ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS: Guest, Jessica Whitney '10  |  Host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:04 Welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We're so glad you're here.   Jessica Whitney 0:08 Thanks so much for having me.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:04 You know, one of the things we love to do, and we're going to have some time really exploring a lot of the things that you've encountered in your journey, but we want to jump right into a place that is both relevant to our listeners, which is transitioning out of the military, but you did so in a way that was a little bit different, and maybe not on, like, the timeline of planning. Jessica Whitney 0:28 I'm a 2010 grad, and so is my husband, Tom, and he was a nuclear missile operator, and I was a finance officer on active duty, and we started having kids in 2013 which was just amazing. But being a dual military couple, we had kind of been through a lot of separation and time apart, which is standard for military couples. And so in 2013, I kind of — I just had my first son, and I was back at work, and I was just feeling this torn feeling, because I always thought I would stay in the Air Force the full 20 years. I loved serving. I loved being in the military, and having gone to the Academy — just all the dreams and the hopes that came with that, and being able to lead and serve my airmen. But I was feeling this yearning and desire to kind of do something else, and that's kind of where the seed was planted at that time. And I reached out to one of my mentors, who was actually the coach of the lacrosse team at the Academy when I was there my freshman year. She's actually one of your classmates, I think. She's Anne Marie Hornby. She's from Class of '99, and I just reached out on Facebook, and I was like, “I know, I haven't talked in a while, but I just wanted to check in and ask, you know, like, why did you transition to the Reserve?” Because she was always, you know, she was a teacher at the Academy. Like, she was always high performing. Like, I knew she was an amazing officer. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 2:02 She was high performing as a cadet too, by the way. Jessica Whitney 2:05 I'm sure she was. Just everything she did, I could tell she did it with excellence and love, and I just really respected her opinion. So I reached out and asked her just like, “Hey, can you just tell me, like, why did you decide to separate?” I'm just kind of feeling this tornness, and I'm feeling like maybe my calling might be something else than serving in the military, which, as an 18-year-old, you kind of go to the Academy thinking, “OK, I'm gonna have four years at the Academy, and then I'm gonna serve for five years, or 12 years, or whatever.” Like, you've got your whole life planned out, and then all of a sudden there's this, you know, pivot and decision that you have to make of like, “OK, wait, life is throwing some things at me that I didn't expect.” And I just wanted to know her opinion. And she just said such a sweet thing that resonated with me, that she kind of felt that same call of, “I wanted to spend more time with my kids. I wanted to be able to focus more on my husband and my family.” And while it was scary, she said, I know she knew that motherhood, or like becoming a stay-at-home mom and transitioning to the Reserve wouldn't necessarily feed all of her desires of competition and performing well and using her strengths to the utmost, maybe that she could — she also knew that it aligned with what was important to her and her family. And each family is different, and each career is different. So it really gave me freedom to say, “OK, I know successful women in the military who have families. I know successful women outside of the military who have families.” And you know, we choose to do the stay-at-home mom career, which was different for me, because my mom worked full time when I was growing up. So anyway, it gave me that freedom to kind of like pivot and think, “OK, what could the possibility be to like, create this life of being there for my family?” So fast forward, 2016 I was teaching ROTC at Colorado State University, which was a dream job, by the way, I absolutely love that job. And Tom, my husband, at that point, had already separated from the Air Force and was pursuing his career in professional golf. He was traveling to PGA Latin America in both the fall and spring of 2016, I had to go TDY to field training for seven weeks that summer. And I think we counted up being apart for over 40 weeks that year.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 4:35 Majority of the year.   Jessica Whitney 4:36 The majority of the year. Yeah, and I did not really see staying in the Air Force, it getting any better, as far as, you know, having more time with my family and my husband. And I just felt disconnected, my heart wasn't in it anymore and serving, and I still had that little, you know, seed that had been planted when I talked to Wibs about, you know, like, “Why did you go into the Reserve?” And I talked to a couple other reservists who just loved the balance of being able to still serve in uniform while also being able to maybe have a civilian career, or just be able to have some more flexibility to spend more time and focus on their families during a season of life. And so in 2016 I'm sitting there my desk, like, “I just want to go home and take a nap. I'm so tired.” I had two kids at this time. I was like, “Oh my gosh, I'm just exhausted.” But I was like, “OK, I think —" you know, my husband and I prayed about it, we were just like, “OK, I think it's time to just take this leap of faith, kind of walk away from what we've known.” So now both of us would be out of the Air Force and pivot to something else, and like, step into that faith decision that for us, that the Lord's going to provide, and that we wanted to build and focus on the things that were really important to us. So showing that if family faith are the most important things, how was I using my time? How was I using my energy? How are we using our money? Did it reflect what was actually important? And so we made that decision, and then I got out in 2017 and separated. And honestly, it was the best decision ever. Now, I struggled a ton with my identity afterwards, because I just didn't realize that I really kind of was wrapped up in this idea, like, “Oh, I'm an Air Force officer, I'm an Academy grad,” and those things are, like, very focused on what you do. And so I had to kind of redefine what success was to me as far as just impacting the people around me. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 6:41 I want to just interject here for a moment, because you said a couple of things that I really want to pull on before we get too far, because I think it really does impact some of our listeners and some of the experiences that they've had. So the first one, when you talked about that transition, and there was a key word you use, and you use the word “freedom,” — “It gave me a freedom to kind of things a little differently” after having a conversation with your mentor, and then, you know, praying about it with your husband. And so I want to just explore that a little bit, because did you feel like that freedom, or just the ability to kind of navigate that did touch on some of the things you really valued that you learned at the Academy, as far as decision making, and kind of, you know, taking this leap of faith and navigating what's not always known. And, you know, I don't want to say it's safe, but maybe it's not the safest path, right? So, like, can you just touch on that a little bit more? Because I think that is something that, you know, people question that, kind of, in that decision-making place. Jessica Whitney 7:41 Yeah, I definitely think that in that decision, when I say, you know, we had this, I had this freedom to make a choice, we could, kind of, I could kind of lean back onto my time at the Academy of we were given so many challenges at the Academy and things that were unknown and things outside of our control, and you just learn to have an approach where you cannot problem-solve everything, but just like you can say, “OK, here's the variables I know that are true, here are the things that are outside of my control,” which just help you make clear decisions, and then just stepping into the fact that any decision, any action, is just taking one step at a time, and you don't have to have the whole future planned out. And in fact, in the military, you rarely do, right? I always kind of joke with my husband with, like, the quotes, but you know, like Gen. Patton, like “A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week,” right? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 8:40 Next week. Thankful I was able to contribute a little. Jessica Whitney 8:43 Good job. Good job. Yes. And so just, but the fact that, like, just make — do what's best with the information you have now, and take action and don't just sit on it. And I think, but, yeah, that gave me that freedom. Because, yeah, it was a big step and leap of faith, because a lot of people think the military is, well, of course, it is a risky job, and especially risky in the sense of our physical harm and a lot of the challenges that we face. But in many ways, it's something we knew, know, and it's something that's very reliable, and it's something that we had, my husband and I had both lived for, you know, 11 years between the Academy and now. So it was a big leap of faith, as far as, you know, transitioning to the unknown, but we were able to kind of lean on just, “Hey, it's OK that we don't know everything. We can trust the skills that we gained at the Academy and trust the skills that we gain just in life to move forward.” And even with my husband, I'm like, “If this golf thing doesn't work out —" which, by the way, he's been a professional golfer for 10-plus years now, so it's worked out. I fully believe that we are capable of learning anything and doing anything if we choose to set our minds to it, and like we're gonna be OK, like, because of what we learned at the Academy and skills that we garnered. Like, we're gonna be OK moving forward. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 10:13 I love that. And you started to talk about having to redefine yourself, and before we get into that, I think it's interesting, because you grew up as a dependent of — your dad served in the Navy, right? So we like to use the term, you know, lovingly, I was an Air Force brat. You're a Navy brat, so your identity going into the Academy was already one of a military dependent, right? So let's talk about this redefining your identity, because I'm sure that it was much more than, you know, just on the surface level, it seems really simple, right, going from this, but I'm still serving, so it's not really that different, but I'm sure it was. Jessica Whitney 10:49 Yeah, it was a big transition. So as you mentioned, I was a Navy brat. My dad served for 30 years, and I come from a proud heritage of military service. My grandfather, before that, served in the Navy, he joined straight from the Philippines, and my great-grandfather actually served in the Philippine army and was in the Bataan Death March. So I've got a lot of history in the military and a lot of pride and service to my country. And my dad was always, you know, a hero to me and someone that I looked up to, as far as he was always, not the only serving in the military, but he would be a leader of, like my brother's Boy Scout troop, right, and volunteer with this, and he'd be active in the Rotary Club. And my mom worked full time and led my Girl Scout troop, and whenever he was gone to Bahrain for 16 months, you know, she held down the fort with three kids. Like, I just looked up to my parents and how hard working they were, and just how they were always serving something bigger than themselves and balancing family and all that. I still don't know how they do it. And we have four kids now. I'm like, how did you guys do all of that? But when I transitioned out of the Reserve, I just remember sitting one time, like, I was doing my quiet time in the morning, and I was reading my Bible. And at least for me, I had to remind myself my value is not in what I do. It's not in awards I get. My value is one, in Christ, and then two, in the actions that I take each and every day. And it's impacting and positively impacting the people that are around you right now. And honestly, it's a struggle every day, even today. I've been a stay-at-home mom for eight years now, and it's something I think we all struggle with — of like, what is our purpose in life? What is the reason — why we do the things we do? And each person really has to, like, struggle with that. So I had to, I think when I was really struggling with my identity, I had to redefine, like, OK, my worth and value is not in the title that I have or the rank that I have or anything like that. It is loving on the people around me really well and serving to the best of my ability with excellence in all we do right where I am, and that's the most important thing. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 13:25 How did you get to that point of defining that? I mean, is it kind of in lockstep with your views of yourself as a leader? Or would you say it's just where you kind of settled into in your moments of quiet and through your prayer of, “This is how I define my impact and my —" you know, what that looks like? Jessica Whitney 13:48 I think a big chunk of it was just continuous practice, in a way, each and every day, reminding myself, one, is what success looks like, because I think that as people who are highly motivated and being leader, you're like, you've got your to do list, you've got your things you want to do. I've got, like, a to do list, like, this long, you know? And yeah, and I would just tell myself, like, “I've got 25 things to do. I only did six of them.” Like, there was no way I was going to do 25 things in the first place, you know. So I think that as a leader in general, you need to be realistic about what you can actually accomplish each and every day, whether you're a stay-at-home mom or you're a leader in the workplace, and actually be able to, like, you know, time block and say, like, “These are the most important things. These are my priorities.” And probably just over, it's probably just over time of like, every morning, like, "OK, the most important things, like, got my quiet time in. I'm spending time with the kids. I went for a walk, I moved my body, and we're eating healthy meals. I remember when I was working full time, I would kind of be jealous of those people who, like, had time to cook a full meal, and, like, spend an hour maybe making dinner and, you know, have quiet time. I always felt when I was on active duty working full time, it was just like, get up early in the morning, go to daycare, drop off, work all day. You know, work out during lunch. Never have a break, and then run home, make dinner really fast, and, like, get the kids in bed, and there was no break, and there was no rest. And so I remember yearning for that when I was on active duty. And so when I first became a stay-at-home mom, and when I first transitioned out of the Air Force. I really had to remind myself, like, OK, what are my values? What is most important here, and are my actions aligned with that? And if they are, then that's success right there. And so I had to remind myself that every day, like I get time to make healthy meals for my family. I have time to go to the gym five days a week if I want to. I have time to put a, you know, like, say yes to things like this. I've got time to go speak at the Veterans Day ceremony at my kids school. Like, I don't have to feel bad about missing appointments for my missing meetings at work for appointments for my kids. I don't have to choose that all the time. Now, serving in the Reserve, you know, I still miss weekends where the kids have tournaments and games and stuff, but that's OK, like it there's, there's a balance in there. I hate the word balance, because I don't think you ever really achieve that. But I think that as leaders, you know, we have to — like, when you're feeling the most stressed, or when I felt the most stressed, it's when my actions and behaviors just haven't lined up with my values and what's most important to me. “So as leaders in your organization, if you know you guys are — your stated values, are, you know, XYZ, but you're over here doing ABC, then there's going to be disconnect in the organization.” So I think at any time, you know, when there's alignment there, then you're going to feel alignment for you as a person, as a leader. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 17:19 I'd like to dig into those values a little bit, because we did talk about how you've experienced deep personal loss, right, in your family, and you know, how have the values, or maybe just your life experiences, helped you navigate that? Because, you know, I think people experience grief on all levels, and if you don't mind sharing your story a little bit, I think it just will allow others to understand how you were able to navigate through that and maybe continue to navigate through that today. Jessica Whitney 17:51 Yeah, thanks for the opportunity to share this part of my story. So my husband's brother, Bob, was a 2008 grad, and unfortunately, we lost him to suicide in January of 2020. It was really just a complete shock when it did happen. It seemed like it came on so quickly. Bob was just always someone that when you walk into a room, he was always smiling. He was the light in the room. He was such a great husband and father. He was super active in his church and his family. And so a couple things that I took away from all of that was just one, we just never know what people are going through, what storms they are, like, they might seem perfect on the outside, and really, they're having struggles with maybe imposter syndrome or just doubt, or they're just having all sorts of issues, right? So you just never know. I remember standing in the grocery store after he passed away, and I'm like, staring at these bananas that I'm supposed to be buying for eight kids because we were like, up with them, you know, after the funeral. And I'm just thinking, like, no one around me knows that this just happened in my life, and I'm just standing here doing this mundane thing of buying bananas. And I think it, just, as a leader makes you realize that people are walking through storms all over around you, and if you're not currently in a storm, most likely you will be. After he passed away too, we were just blown away by the community support that he received, both from his church as well as from the Air Force family, but I know that it takes time to have good community. It takes — you have to invest time. And all of us, we're just so busy, but these relationships, these are the most important things that we can work on and develop the people around us. It kind of showed up for me in my unit, we had an airman who lost a spouse. He had three young kids at home, and his wife passed away. And I was like, we just need to show up for him, like, be at his doorstep. And we're in the Reserve. We don't live close together. We're not all stationed by the base. So, you know, it's like someone needs to go to his house, bring him a card, tell him we love and care for him as our Air Force family. And you know, he even commented afterwards, he was like, “You know what, you guys—” this Air Force family that he only saw one weekend a month. He's like, “You guys are my lifeline.” But I know that, for me, I really knew that we needed to show up, and that's because I knew what it felt like when people showed up at my door, when we needed it, you know? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 20:51 Wow. I mean, I think that's really — I mean, to navigate that. And loss, I think you know, is as a journey, that it's still a life journey, right? And so, and I think the fact that you were able to lean in and you knew and expressed it in a way that you know, showing up for those and then seeing it happen actually in your unit, and being able to translate that. Have you always known, I guess, about showing up? Have you seen that in other leaders in your career or in your life, what showing up looks like? How that really defined you? Because I'm curious if you know that was all just developed in seeing that in that loss journey, or if it was something you've seen over time and then witnessed it? Jessica Whitney 21:37 I guess I would say, if I'm really looking back, especially because I'm a Navy brat, right? We did live in places all over the country, and, yeah, we did have a good support system. Like my friends, my family, had people that would show up. Like when my dad was deployed, they would show up at the house when I was in high school. You know, we had such a tight knit community there, but I am thinking, like the first time I really felt that was with our church community. After our first son was born, people would show up at our house, and I didn't even know them, and they were bringing food to us. I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is so sweet.” But just, like, that power of community, and then even with leaders that I've had in the past, like my first squadron commander that I can remember, she, like, the first day I got back again from maternity leave, she had, like, just brought, like, a little vase of flowers and put it on my desk, and just like a welcome back, but like an acknowledgement too. Of you know, it's hard to come back after, right? You know, your first child, or any child, like after you have a baby, and then you come back to work, but just, you know, welcoming and showing up. And I think that this, I don't know exactly where it stems from, but, yeah, actually taking the time to do it, because a lot of us know we should do it, but do we actually pause long enough to do it? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 23:11 That's a really great — I think that particular nugget, right? We know what we should be doing, but do we actually take the steps to do it? I think, is actually an important lesson right there. And, you know, would you say that throughout your experiences, and I'm really curious, because I think, you know, you talk about being a stay-at-home mom, but I'm sure your schedule is quite — you said you get six out of your 25 things done. Can you talk about how you're serving outside of the uniform? Because I think that that's really important as well. Service doesn't stop just because we take the uniform off. And I mean, it sounds like you're serving in your church and your community. You know, what does service look like to you now, through that leadership lens, maybe when you're not wearing a rank all the time? Jessica Whitney 23:54 I have really looked at the areas of my life that I want to be active in, like, what's important to me? And in the church, I participate in the women's Bible study, and I'm one of the leaders there and kind of help lead. We have 120 women that come every Wednesday and I'm one of the leaders that, you know, kind of facilitates the overall Bible study. And I've just loved stepping into that role and using my leadership skills to encourage people and show up. And then the other board I kind of serve on is the Class of 2010 Endowment for Cadet Morale. And so our class, with our funds that we, you know, had raised throughout the years, decided to set up a morale fund. So the top squadron for each semester actually receives a $5,000 check from our endowment, and they can use it on whatever they want. And I just remember, like those cadets, those high schoolers that are transitioning to be future leaders of the Air Force, they are amazing. I am impressed every time I interact with them. And the Academy is hard, and I just want to offer that little bit of light, you know, to encourage them. Like, “Hey, you're on a good path. Like, just, just continue on. And here's a little bonus, bonus check.” You know, literally, we love that part. But yeah, so I just love to step into service where I can. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 25:23 I'm glad that you shared that, because I do think it's easy for us to downplay our role and impact in the hats that we wear and the ways that we serve, and so I really appreciate you sharing that, because I think that's an important part of our stories you talked about with me before you know, redefining yourself. I want to go back to that because I think it has to do with being authentic and who you are. And so as you've navigated this new season in your life where you're still serving in these multiple hats and raising your family, supporting your husband, you know, where was that seed planted from, being an authentic leader, kind of, you know, being — leading with integrity, you know, maybe saying, “I can't do this, but I can do this.” Can you talk a little bit about that? Jessica Whitney 26:07 Yeah, absolutely. I took an amazing class at the Academy, a leadership class that a friend of mine, again from the lacrosse team, recommended me, and she's like, “Jess, this class — it's called transformational leadership. It's way more than that. I really think you need to take this course.” And she was so right, because there are so many things that I carry over from that, from that course into my leadership, and then just my everyday life. And it was taught by Capt. Kari Granger, who's now Kari Zeller, and she's an Academy grad as well. And when I got to my ROTC detachment in 2016, so eight years later, this gentleman came into the office, and he's like, “Hey, my daughter teaches this leadership course called being a leader and the effective exercise of leadership. I really want to teach it at Colorado State, but I'm looking for someone to partner with, maybe through the detachment. Like, do you think anybody would want to co-lead this class with me?” And his name was Karl Zeller, and I was like, “I think I took this class when I was at the Academy, and it was amazing, and I would love to lead this class with you.” And so not only did I take the class at the Academy, I also taught it two semesters while at Colorado State, we kind of made it an elective class, and we had several cadets and cadre go through the class, which was just an amazing experience. Because I think most of us know that when we have to teach other people something, we learn it even better than when we go through it ourselves. So the kind of the main takeaways I had were one kind of heard the definition of integrity. We all know the Air Force's definition of doing what you know the right thing when no one's watching, when nobody's looking, but she kind of defined it more as both keeping your word and honoring your word. So we all know that keeping your word that's easy, but what is honoring your word mean? And her framework kind of laid out, honoring your word is, as soon as you realize you're not going to keep your word, notifying the person that involves saying when you are going to keep your word and then cleaning up any mess that you made by not doing it. So a quick example would be, you know, you're running late to a doctor's appointment. You get in the car, you realize, “Oh my gosh, I'm going to be seven minutes late to the appointment.” Instead of, like, white knuckling your steering wheel to make it in time, you feel guilty when you get there. You immediately call the office. You tell them, “Hey, I'm going to be late to the appointment. I'm going to get there seven minutes late. And, you know, I realized that this has an impact on you like, you know, let me know if I need to reschedule." Whatever it is, right? Most people are so shocked by this ownership that they are so much more gracious to you in whatever the circumstances are. And on top of that, you're not stressed. You're not, you know, white knuckling. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 29:22 So when it really takes you nine minutes to get there? Yeah,.   Jessica Whitney 29:26 So hopefully overestimate.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 29:28 Seven minutes and 40… Like, round down. Jessica Whitney 29:29 My husband calls that, like, Jess math. I'm like, yeah, well, it's fine. It's fine. But, like, if you think about in the workplace, right, like, you have an assignment, you have something your boss gave you, it's due Friday. You realize Monday, OK, there's no way I'm going to do this. I can either stress about it, work super late hours and, you know, like cause all this extra stress, and then maybe still not accomplish and get the work done, and then show up to my boss on Friday and say, “OK, sorry, boss, I couldn't get it done.” Or on Monday, you bring up the conversation, you swallow your pride, and you say, “These are my challenges.” You manage expectations, and you're you guys together. Can you know, either reassign, get help or bump the deadline, whatever it is, but now you're no longer living in this like, fear of like, I'm going to be late or whatever, like you're able to perform better. And so they, in the class, they talked about how, with integrity, everything works. And they talk about the idea of like a bicycle wheel, right? There's spokes on a bicycle wheel, and if all the spokes are intact, it's going to run very smoothly, right? That's keeping your word and honoring your word, you're performing really well. Well, when you're not honoring and those folks and you're not keeping your word, or you're not honoring your word, some of those books are missing, so it's just going to be a little bit bumpier. And things are going to get done, but they're not going to get done as well as they would if you were honoring your word. So that's a big takeaway Col. Naviere Walkewicz 30:56 That's a great analogy. Wow. Yeah. Jessica Whitney 30:58 So I apply that, I feel like in everything, because I think a lot of us will get in the way of ourselves, of just like, “Oh, I don't want to tell them and be late, or I don't want to, I don't know, disappoint someone, or I know there's expectations with my husband, but I'm just going to ask forgiveness instead of, you know, for permission,” or whatever it is with whoever. So anyway, with integrity, nothing works. And so I kind of take that away of, like, OK, what's expected of me? OK, I'm going to try to meet that. And that kind of lines up too with just this idea of what's your values, right? So if I say I'm a person that values fitness, do my actions line up with that. That's part of my word. OK, so I've said, I've said, “OK, I'm a fitness person and I want to be healthy.” Well, am I going to the gym? Am I eating healthy? Am I drinking too much? Am I — whatever? Do my actions align with that? No, OK, I'm not in integrity. It's not bad or good. It's just not working as well. Not going to accomplish my goals if I'm not in alignment with the other two things. And I'll just touch on them quickly, and then we can explore more if you want. But the other one is what's undefined runs you, which is basically means — Col. Naviere Walkewicz 32:06 Wait, say that one more time. Jessica Whitney 32:09 What's undefined runs you. So it's this idea of all of us have stories most likely from our childhood that we make up about ourselves. So like, I don't belong. I can't disappoint people. I have to get things done the right time. And we can probably all look back in our past and say, “I remember I got in trouble one time when my grandpa was at the house and I was late getting in, and he said, you know, you're disappointing your mom. You're not listening to her.” And then, all of a sudden, you make this life sentence for yourself of I can't disappoint my mom. I can't disappoint so now you have this filter, this mindset that all of your decisions and actions flow through that says I can't disappoint others. Well, of course, that's going to limit what you can and can't do, because it's filtering out half of, you know, a quarter of action, anything that could any — Col. Naviere Walkewicz 33:03 Risk or grit. Jessica Whitney 33:05 Exactly. And so what the undefined run you means you're never going to be able to completely get rid of these filters and things that you have, but you can name them and define them. So you say, OK, like for me, I was a Navy brat. I moved around a lot, and so I often felt like I didn't belong where I was. Like, I always felt like people already had relationships, all that stuff. So I do, I know that I will walk into a room like a Bible study, and in my mind, think, “Man, like, people just don't really connect with them. Like, maybe they just don't like me.” I'm like, “No, I've been here for five years. I belong here. I am a part of this group.” But it's this, you know, filter that I'm running things through, of I don't belong. I need to name that, remove it, and then be like, OK, I belong here. I am part of this group. Naviere Walkewicz 33:54 So what have you named it? And have you removed it? Jessica Whitney 33:59 I think it's more about just the awareness. So it's like that, we as leaders have to be aware of the things that are getting in our own way of being an effective leader. And so I — this is a big one for me, like the I don't belong. So even recently, I walked into a new group of women and I said, “I belong here. I am a part of this community.” It's like at my son's school, and I can contribute as me. I don't have to hold back, or, you know, be a certain way. I can be myself. I can be my authentic self and lean into this. And it was very freeing, because in the past, I have gone in and just kind of like sat kind of back, and I don't want to be intimidating, or I don't want to take over the conversation, or just whatever it is, I'm not being myself, and I have to tell myself, like, “I belong here. I can be myself if they don't accept me for me, that's OK,” you know. But I can't hold back just because I'm trying to fit in and just because I'm trying to be risk averse, or, you know, conflict averse, or something like that. So, yeah, just be yourself, right? But so what's undefined runs you. So as leaders, we need to identify what's holding us back, what's running our lives, right? And just name it. They have a phrase: “Name it to tame it.” So once you can put a name on it, then that often helps you change your actions, you know? And then the last one is just, I think leaders, you are a leader. If you are impacting something around you, the organization, the people around you, they wouldn't be who they are without your influence. So in that framework, we talked about creating a future as leaders. So you've got a current organization, and maybe there's, you know, like no one likes to hang out, there's gossip, there's toxic leadership, there's bad communication, no transparency. This is a very imaginary organization, of course. But you acknowledge, like, OK, this is what's going on. Let's create a future. What does the future look like that we actually want, with all the actions and things like, OK, we have transparency. We like to hang out. There's, you know, Squadron picnics. We go to PT and we all encourage and work hard. We handle conflict in a healthy way. OK, so if we're standing in that future and looking back, how did we get here? So the course is a lot about, like the whole ends, ways, means that the Air Force talks about, but just how can you stand in the future and look back and say, “How did I get to that spot?” And then that's how, you know, what's the next action you can take in this current spot? Col. Naviere Walkewicz 36:49 Wow. Jess, it's almost like you read my mind, because there's two questions I actually want to ask you, and one of them is about looking back. So why don't we start with that one? First, you know, what is something you would tell yourself, young Jess back then that you could be doing then to help you be a better leader now? And is it actually what you just talked about, or would it be something else you would add? Jessica Whitney 37:11 No, I think it would be just that. Like, no, where do you want to be even, like, let's say, in five years, or what's going to be most important to you in 80 years? Right when you're 80, when you look back on your life like, what's going to really matter? And start aligning your life with that. Now, some of that takes time, but standing in that future of how you want it to feel, how it looks, how you want your organization to feel. Like, start — write it down, put it on a vision board, talk about it with someone. And then I would say to myself, like, and then start working towards it. I think when I was younger, I was, you know, I was comfortable with where I was at. I was afraid to take risk. I was afraid to do things different than what I always thought I would do. And you know, for me, the Lord really worked in it, in my heart of just saying, Just trust me. Just trust me with that next step you have the direction you kind of want to go, and I'm going to take you on a journey that you know you're probably never going to be able to predict, kind of like, what I talked about at the beginning, like I pivoted, like it was completely different than what I want, and just be OK with that. That's the beauty of life is, you know, pivoting with what's in front of you, but just taking that next, that next step. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 38:32 I love that. And then what is something that you do every day, just to be better and better is really you define better, but what is something you're doing every day. Jessica Whitney 38:42 I love the books, like The Power of Habit and Atomic Habits and yeah, they're so good in just this idea of your daily actions are, what are, who you are, really like, how you show up in the world, because you can only control what you're doing today. Can't control what you're doing tomorrow or what you did in the past, and so for me, one, I do love to read. So I'm always reading books, listening to podcasts and all that kind of stuff. So I think, as a leader, just, like, surround yourself with lots of different opinions, read different things and just encourage my brain. Two, I love to surround myself with people that encourage me and a community that's going to help me challenge myself to improve. And then three, like those daily actions of self-improvement, of like, OK, how can I be just like, 1% better than I was yesterday, whether that be choosing to eat a little healthier today or going on a 30-minute walk, or, you know, when you're lifting weights like, Can I do five pounds more on this? Like, one or one more rep, right? Like, one more. But I do love that analogy, and weightlifting like, OK, I didn't realize that, you know, like, I can do one more rep this week than I could last but three months ago, you know, I've made huge improvement from three months ago. But you don't realize until after the fact. So I think, you know, being a high achiever all my life, it's like, you want to see these big, like, changes and, you know, immediately, but oftentimes it's in these, like, small moments of like, “How can I just be better today?” Healthwise, community-wise. Who can I love on today? How can I, you know, for me, like being in alignment with, you know, what I think God has for my life, being in prayer and focusing on the people around me. You know, that seems like a lot of things. That's why I've got 25 things on my list, , Col. Naviere Walkewicz 40:44 But you get a few of them done And that's OK, because you just gotta do one. Jessica Whitney Exactly, you just gotta do one. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 40:51 Well, I can just share how much, you know, you really just like leaned in and shared your love and wisdom with all of us. And I think that's one of the things I really appreciated about this today: how you showed up for us and shared your authentic self, and so I just want to say thank you. You know, as we wrap up today's conversation, Jess, what's really stood out to me is that we talked about leadership is just about as much about character, but it's really also about, like, showing up and who you are. You know, you show us just that strong leaders don't just show up and need to have all the answers. They actually just need to show up, right? And just, you know, live their values, live with integrity. And I love how you said, you know, honor your integrity even when life is uncertain or changing. So, you know, I think your transition out of active duty could have been a moment of doubt and struggle, but you turned it into an opportunity to serve, and your family has continued to thrive. So thank you for all that you're doing in your community, and for all of you who need to hear this journey, for those that have also gone or going through a transition, this is a conversation you certainly don't want to miss. So again, thank you to Jess Whitney, Class of 2010. It's been a pleasure having you on Long Blue Leadership.   Jessica Whitney 42:05 Thanks again. Outro 42:05 This Long Blue Leadership conversation was recorded Wednesday, Nov., 19, 2025. KEYWORDS Leadership, authentic leadership, transformational leadership, values-based leadership, character-driven leadership, servant leadership, integrity, honoring your word, keeping your word, accountability, responsibility, vulnerability in leadership, decision-making under uncertainty, courage, leading through change, creating a future, vision casting, aligning actions with values, purpose-driven leadership, redefining success, identity as a leader, mentoring, mentorship, developing others, showing up for your people, empathy, compassion, community building, resilience, leading through grief, supporting mental health, trust, transparency, culture change, organizational alignment, handling conflict, managing expectations, setting priorities, work-life integration for leaders, modeling behavior, investing in relationships, daily leadership habits, incremental improvement, 1% better mindset, self-awareness, naming limiting beliefs, “what's undefined runs you”, authenticity, influence without rank, service beyond the uniform, leading in family and community, Long Blue Leadership. The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation  

  This week on Minnesota Military Radio, we get an in‑depth update from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, focusing on Veteran care, advocacy, and support services available to Veterans and their families across Minnesota. Commissioner Brad Lindsay joins the show to discuss current priorities, statewide initiatives, and how the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs continues […] The post MDVA Update: Veteran Care Programs and Veterans Day on the Hill appeared first on Minnesota Military Radio.

Episode 3245 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how The Navajo Nation celebrated Vietnam Veterans day. The featured story is titled: 25th Navajo Nation Council honors Vietnam War Veterans Day. It appeared on the Navajo-Hopi … Continue reading → The post Episode 3245 –  The Navajo Nation Celebrated Vietnam Veterans Day first appeared on Vietnam Veteran News.

Episode 3244 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature Part 2 of a story about How Vietnam Veterans Day was celebrated in Wyoming. The featured story is titled: Decades Late, Vietnam Veterans Finally Get A Wyoming Welcome Home. It … Continue reading → The post Episode 3244 –  The Wyoming Vietnam Veterans Day Celebration, Part 2 first appeared on Vietnam Veteran News.

Episode 3243 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about How Vietnam Veterans Day was celebrated in Wyoming. The featured story is titled: Decades Late, Vietnam Veterans Finally Get A Wyoming Welcome Home. It appeared on the … Continue reading → The post Episode 3243 –  The Wyoming Vietnam Veterans Day Celebration, Part 1 first appeared on Vietnam Veteran News.

Episode 3240 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Vietnam Veterans Day celebration at Fallon, NV. The featured story is titled: Music defined the Vietnam War. It appeared on the Nevada Appeal website and was … Continue reading → The post Episode 3240 –  Vietnam Veterans Day was celebrated in Fallon City, NV first appeared on Vietnam Veteran News.

Episode 3238 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Vietnam Veterans Day event in Houston, Texas. The featured story is titled: National Vietnam War Veterans Day: Memorial tells story of Houstonians who served and it … Continue reading → The post Episode 3238 –  Houston, Texas celebrated Vietnam Veterans Day first appeared on Vietnam Veteran News.

Episode 3232 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how Vietnam Veterans Day will be celebrated in Dubois, WY. The featured story appeared on the K2 Radio website of Casper, WY and is titled: Returning to … Continue reading → The post Episode 3232 –  Celebrating Vietnam Veterans Day at Dubois first appeared on Vietnam Veteran News.

Episode 3224 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the 2026 Vietnam War Veterans Day. The featured story appeared on the soldiers angels website and is titled: Honoring Our Heroes: Vietnam War Veterans Day.  It was … Continue reading → The post Episode 3224 –  Vietnam War Veterans Day coming on March 29 first appeared on Vietnam Veteran News.

In this conversation, Kiara Loucks shares her profound experiences during a health crisis that taught her the significance of community and support. She reflects on a moment of vulnerability when she had to rely on her husband for help and the intimate experience they shared before her surgery. Kiara emphasizes the importance of allowing others to be there for us in times of need and how such situations can strengthen relationships and foster personal growth. Outdoor retreats: heroutdorjourney.com Kiara on Instagram @kiara.loucks Takeaways Other people need to be in our lives sometimes. Facing health crises can reveal the strength of our relationships. Intimacy can be found in shared vulnerable moments. It’s okay to lean on others during tough times. Support from loved ones can be a source of strength. Crisis situations can deepen our connections with others. Prayer and faith can provide comfort in uncertainty. Allowing help can be a sign of strength, not weakness. People often want to step up and help when we need it. Vulnerability can lead to personal growth and understanding. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. Watch on YouTube Show Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Carol Nourish Grow, and today I’m joined by Kiara Lux. Kiara and I met this year when I competed in the fit model competition in Kentucky and she had the same coach that I did and ended up doing the same show. And I just immediately loved this woman. So what I learned. about her journey and her health stuff I had to have her on. anyway, Kiara, welcome. If you could ⁓ just tell everyone a little bit about who you are and then we’ll get into some of your health journey. Because I think it’s really interesting and I think there’s a lot of things there that will help a lot of people. Kiara Loucks (00:35)Absolutely. First off, thank you so much for having me. I’m so honored to be here. My take on our meeting is very similar. I just fell in love with you from the second you texted me asking if I wanted sourdough. We had never met. You brought me sourdough. I was like, I don’t know her, but I love her. So yeah, I’ve had quite a wild journey. Health and fitness have been at the center of my journey. Cheryl McColgan (00:43)you Kiara Loucks (00:57)Really since I was young, I’ve been an athlete my whole life in different sports that have taken me all over the world and brought wonderful people like yourself into my life. Outside of professional athletics, I work in tech on my, like my nine to five, I work on Wall Street in paid media. And then I actually am now running an organization on the other side of that. with all of the spare time called her outdoor journey, which is really focused on bridging the gap for women and families in the back country. So whether it’s survival, holistic wellness, it’s really this concept of community and education to get women and families outside, which is now actually evolving into co-ed opportunities. So in a very, very high level nutshell, that is me. My fitness journey was, I’m sure we’ll dive into it, but. I don’t think you knew this, but I’m actually over 100 pounds down from my heaviest, so that was 11 years ago. Just, think, like most people, kind of gave up and had always wanted to compete, but it was a pipe dream that never had any real legs to it until it did. So really excited to dive in with you, and I’m just excited to be able to chat with you. You’re one of my favorite people. Cheryl McColgan (02:04)I know it’s been I wanted to catch up for so long. And we just like you’ve been traveling so much and doing really exciting work with the project that you mentioned, and we’ll get into that. But before we go into all that, and we go into the weight loss thing, because that is definitely a subject that people are on this podcast are interested in. But I have to have you tell people, you to kind of just glossed over that whole professional athlete thing, tell people what you what your sport is, because I think it’s so wild. Kiara Loucks (02:07)I know. Yeah, so I’m kind of in this purgatory season right now, so not actually professionally competing in anything, but I’ve been a professional rower. I’ve been a professional bobsledder for the US and Canada. I’ve been a bodybuilder, Olympic weightlifter. We’ve been all over the map. Yeah, and I’m kind of getting back into the endurance side of things right now. I’m not done with bodybuilding or Cheryl McColgan (02:43)That’s the one. Kiara Loucks (02:54)Bodybuilding isn’t done with me yet, but we’re on a little hiatus. As you know, it kind of takes over your whole life. And I’ve lived a season for the last decade where sports is my whole life. So I’m kind of just turning my brain on for a little bit and creating and doing other things. Cheryl McColgan (03:08)Yeah, and I think that’s, it’s an interesting mindset being an athlete for most of your whole life. So you said though, at some point you kind of gave up, can you share a little bit more about that? Was there an injury? Was there something that happened in your life where things just shifted for you? And how did that go? And then how did you get back to where you are now? Kiara Loucks (03:19)Thank you. Yeah, great question. You seem like the type that’s okay to go kind of deep and heavy off the rip because that’s just life. So I had actually signed a scholarship agreement with UC Santa Barbara to play softball ⁓ once I graduated high school. And my senior year in high school, I both broke my back quite literally to vertebrae on my back in a terrible sledding accident. And then I also endured a sexual assault. So I was raped my senior year in high school. And those two, I think combined, just put me in a place I didn’t know how to cope. And so I learned growing up that food is comfort. And when we hurt, we self-soothe. And I didn’t have the tools in my toolkit to do that in a healthy way. So I started partying a lot, started eating a lot. And honestly, by the grace of God, I walked onto campus to try to rush for a sorority. I missed. I missed rush, but I had walked by the rowing recruiter tent. And some young gal shouted at me. She was like, Hey, you have really big legs. Would you want to row? And I was like, simultaneously so offended and so flattered. I was like, let’s try it. And that opened this new avenue we’ve been on for the last decade. But prior to that, I just like, like I said, I had given up and food was really my reprieve. from life. Cheryl McColgan (04:47)And I think a lot of people will be able to relate to that. And I’m so sorry that you had to go through that experience. Although often some of the great tragedies in our life really end up shaping who we are. And I think that that is definitely one of the reasons that’s contributed to you, you know, being so successful and being able to overcome all that. So, but anyway, definitely a heavy subject and thank you for being willing to share that with people. So after all that happened, you wrote in college and then let’s fast forward to like just Kiara Loucks (04:59)Delicious. Agreed. Mm-hmm. Cheryl McColgan (05:16)before we met because you had some pretty crazy health things and things happening in your life right before you decided to compete. So I’d love it if you’d kind of share that journey. Kiara Loucks (05:27)Yeah, so like I alluded to bodybuilding was a dream of mine for the last 12 years like I saw someone do it and thought it was the coolest thing and Never thought it was a realistic opportunity for me and then fast-forward lots of things changed and Decided actually a year ago that I was gonna get into bodybuilding and got into it locally it went swimmingly like I just Found a lot of success very quickly But in an extremely unhealthy way working with a coach which bodybuilding is wrought with coaches who went pro and then think that they have the license to dictate someone else’s health. So went down that rabbit hole came out of we did four shows back to back to back to back. We blitzed last fall and did really well coming into the offseason after my last show in November of last year. Cheryl McColgan (06:12)a lot. Kiara Loucks (06:20)I was following my reverse diet to a T and was putting on weight extremely rapidly and Not only was it a mental Battle it was also physically feeling out of control of my body and on top of that I started bleeding Like non-stop started presenting pregnancy symptoms had no idea what was happening in my body had just kind of taken on its own life And so it was controlling all that I could At first they thought I had cervical cancer and so we went kind of through some rounds of testing for that and then coming back in January This was like a three-month saga coming back in January found out I was pregnant and Then they thought I was having a miscarriage because I was bleeding the entire time. So I was extremely anemic I was just exhausted. I couldn’t really do much and I Would not give up training like that was the only thing I really had was just training and trying to be present for the holidays and so After they thought I had a miscarriage, my HCG levels, which are the hormones present when you are pregnant, were actually going back up. And so it was end of January, or this year, that they found out I had an egg-topic pregnancy growing in my left ovary. And we were early enough that they had attempted to treat it with chemotherapy. So methotrexate is a chemotherapy procedure that they typically will try. before they go to surgery as an intervention in order to try to get the cells to kind of reabsorb into the body. It stops everything from turning over, which my goober brain decided to still train, still try to move through all of it, even if that was just walking on the treadmill for most days. So was extremely humbling. But through that, I had one round of chemo, which was just hell for lack of a better term. and then it ended up rupturing anyway. So by rupture, I mean I was internally bleeding, had come up with a fever in the midst of all of the chemo symptoms. So for those out there who are not privy to what that looks like, your body feels like it’s on fire. I couldn’t smile, I couldn’t chew, I couldn’t laugh, I couldn’t cry. Everything from my head to my neck to my back would just seize. And so in the midst of that, I popped a fever. We went in and as we were walking into the ER, I was rupturing. And so they opened the OR middle of the night and had a surgical intervention for that. And then me being me, I needed something on the calendar. Maybe not the best way to cope, we’re learning, but I’ve always been someone that when I have something to shoot for, the in-between between here and there doesn’t really matter. We have a goal, we’re working towards something, we’re progressing, we’re… Controlling our environment for lack of better term as well. So put a show on the calendar and decided to find a new coach because like I mentioned, my previous coach was not health conscious at all. And so I found Adam who’s just a godsend and was able to actually reverse some of my endometriosis symptoms, certain things through protocol with supplementation and food. It was a miracle and we started prep while I still had chemo in my system. We were like hitting the ground running, let’s go. And that was beginning of February, March timeframe. And then we walked into the show that you and I met at, which was in Louisville. went well, not as well as I’d hoped, but it’s okay. It was still a blast and I met you. And then we did two shows right after that in Las Vegas and then in Chattanooga, Tennessee. So. Cheryl McColgan (09:57)and she’s leaving out that she won one of those shows, which I was not surprised because seeing you in person and now knowing everything that you went through leading up to that, mean, the amount of muscle that you have. Kiara Loucks (09:59)We did bring home Miss Nevada this year. I was very excited about that. Cheryl McColgan (10:17)is a testament to, I think something that people kind of lose sight of sometimes is that your muscle is a metabolic sink for a lot of things that it helps control your blood sugar. helps. It helps you survive times like what you went through. And I’m convinced that’s one reason my dad did so well with his cancer treatments over the years is because he was always really muscular. He was like Jack Lillane, basically my dad, he was like into that way before anyone else. So he’s never like huge, but he always was very concerned. He always lifted. And so I would say, you know, do you feel like both your mentality as someone that was into fitness helped you as well as the fact that you were already in such good shape to start with? Because I think you just, the outcomes are so much better if you have some muscle. Kiara Loucks (10:59)Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, I think twofold. The physical side of it, there’s research to support that muscle mass is an indicator of longevity and it’s also the best way to push off atrophy in the body as we age. So knowing that no matter what sport you’re doing, having lean muscle mass is going to always be a benefit. That’s kind of the first part and it allows your body to bounce back really quickly. Like you’re a lot more resistant to… whatever life throws at you, whether it’s disease or acute injury. And so that’s kind of the first side. And then the second side is the mental side. So when I, know, as someone who’s been an athlete my whole life was told I can’t do anything, let alone like I can’t even walk on a treadmill. Mentally, I just crumbled. But then you realize and you’ll get this too, no matter what sport you do, or just lifting in general for people that just go to the gym to stay healthy. It’s not easy and it hurts. Like you are training your body to deal with things that hurt knowing full well that you’re going to be better for it. And I think that was the privilege walking into my health situation last year was that mentality that I’m going to make it through this. It sucks and it really hurts. It’s not going to last forever. I guarantee it. And I’m going to be better on the other side of it, whether that’s mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or all of the above. We’re going to be OK. Cheryl McColgan (12:26)And how so how did you get from the point? Where I mean, to me, like putting something like that on the books is just. unbelievable. And then to see the shape that you showed up in, I mean, it was just unbelievable. So can you talk about your mental state during that time a little bit? Because I think there’s, you know, whether people are an athlete or not, I think there’s always something to be learned with mindset. And I think the more that you can share about maybe that part of that and how you, you know, seemingly made it through to the other side. I mean, nobody’s saying everything’s perfect all the time, but you still move through Kiara Loucks (12:39)Thank you. Thank you. Cheryl McColgan (13:04)life, you created these amazing goals, you are still working all this time. Talk a little bit about your mindset and how you, how do you overcome that hurdle like once you were on the chemo and doing all this really crazy health stuff. Kiara Loucks (13:17)That is such a good question. Yeah, I think when life really kicks her teeth in, it’s usually there to teach us something. And I hate to be the person that’s like, it always happens for a reason, because it doesn’t always. But being able to take a really poopy situation and make meaning of it and find that meaning while you’re walking through it is really the best way to endure it. So for me, I’ve always been an incredibly independent woman. I don’t need anyone. I don’t need help. and I never ask for help. And so my husband had just gotten out of the army. So we’re actually one year free as of two days ago on Veterans Day. And when he came back, we actually had a really hard time because I had kind of established this life where he was more of an accessory than a need. And I didn’t have an issue with that. In fact, when he got home, I reminded him that I didn’t need him. I want him. And know, like all of these pieces that I think the intention was pure, but this chapter, the health chapter we’re talking about really taught me that other people need to be needed in our lives sometimes. And allowing space for that, I didn’t have an option. So there was literally a week where my husband had to help me go to the bathroom. And I still remember when we were in the OR. We didn’t know we were going to go into surgery when we went into the ER and they basically threw a pack of ammonia wipes at us as they’re opening the OR because it was like you can die relatively quickly from internal bleeding. And so they threw this bag of ammonia wipes at us and it was such an intimate moment where they were like, all right, wipe yourself down like we’re going to go open the OR. We’ll be back. And my husband and I both took a wipe and we just started cleaning things off. like prepping for surgery. And I’m standing there like, I know you’re not a believer, but I’m just gonna pray over us and the situation and where we’re going. And that whole evolution taught me it’s okay to need other people. And people in our lives are often eager for those situations where they can step up for us when we’re the ones typically stepping up for everyone else. So mentally, it allowed a lot of intimate. relationships to just flourish in my life, both my husband, my family, who all stepped in for me. And through that, it was like this mental battle to be okay not being okay on a daily basis. And then as we put the show on the calendar, things are kind of turning around, things are getting better. Then it became this super cool ethos of Everyone’s gonna hear the high school musical theme. We’re all in it together. Like it was cool that we were all in the trenches together like great We all watched movies together. Everyone helped me. It was fantastic But now we’re on the come-up together and realizing how rich that come-up was with everyone in tow And so my husband was there in Louisville. He was there in Chattanooga for Nationals Like he’s texting me constantly when I’m at shows and he’s not there Cheryl McColgan (15:58)you Kiara Loucks (16:22)It brought us so much closer together and it made me realize that win, lose or draw, I’m a better person for being in this with the people that I love building something that’s inspirational for other people. Like the number of messages I had of people who, from people who had watched the whole health journey into the prep, into the shows, into doing very well in the shows, who reached out and said like, holy shit, I’m going to get off the couch and I’m going to do this because if you can do this, like I can do that. And so it’s realizing mentally, we don’t live for ourselves. Like the fullest life we can possibly aim to live is that for others. And bodybuilding is an incredibly selfish sport, but this whole evolution turned it around into this is for my family, this is with my family, this is for other people. And I will be extremely transparent about all of the highs and the lows and everything in between. So I don’t know if that answered your question, but yeah, it was a really cool turning point for me that has. completely transcended bodybuilding into my career, into my hobbies, into my passion projects on the side. So it’s been really cool. Cheryl McColgan (17:28)Yeah, and it’s been it’s been so fun to watch as people on the outside, like you said, you had so many people rooting for you and just following along with your journey. And, you know, I guess part of our time together was like we were at the show doing this and we were in separate divisions. And so we kind of had to stick to, I guess, you know, I don’t want to say surface level conversations, but we didn’t get a chance to really dive deep into some of this stuff. So it wasn’t until later afterwards where I was watching, you know, some of your Instagram stories and Kiara Loucks (17:42)Yes. Mm-hmm. Okay. Cheryl McColgan (17:58)of the comments that people were making about your health journey and all this stuff that I really was able to see, you know, just how much you would come through. so hearing this today kind of like puts all the pieces together and just makes the whole thing even just more amazing. And I think it’s really exciting now what you’re kind of turning that into because I have a feeling that all of this And you know, just recovering after a show people that haven’t done it. It’s, know, bodybuilding is not a healthy thing. Let’s be real lifting weights is healthy, but bodybuilding is a very extreme sport. You’re getting to an extreme level of leanness, which especially for women is really hard, like on your hormones on your body, everything. And, you know, I’ve certainly experienced that. I don’t know, aftermath, for lack of a better word. ⁓ Kiara Loucks (18:27)No. Mm-hmm. Yep. Yep. Cheryl McColgan (18:49)And it’s just a very interesting mental challenge afterwards as well as physical. And ⁓ so it wasn’t surprising to me that I saw after your show, you kind of turned to ⁓ this retreat that you ended up going on. so now I would love it if you’d share about that. Like what made you become aware of that? And is my sense right that you kind of just needed some like recharge alone time? I’d to hear just all about that, how that happened. Kiara Loucks (18:54)⁓ Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I love this. It’s like the most exciting thing in my life right now. So 100 % you’re correct. Once the show season was over, I just realized how much of my time had been spent in the gym, working, and then being a wife, being in the family. Like it’s just every day just trying to go. And one of my favorite things is spending time outside. Like I firmly believe that it is the closest place to the divine. It makes me happy. It gives me clarity. Like it is my favorite place to be. I live in Colorado. So I realized like a year went by that I hadn’t gone just to play outside with my dog. Like, okay, like I just need to get outside more. And I was feeling this void, which did you feel after the show too? It’s like this depression a little bit. Cheryl McColgan (19:45)Love it. a little bit. It’s kind of a, you know, I wish I would have done a better job documenting some of that stuff I kept meaning to, because it is just kind of a wild thing. But it never I guess, for part of it for me is because Kiara Loucks (20:11)Mm-hmm. Cheryl McColgan (20:16)I always knew that I would, you know, I’m still working, going to the gym five days a week and still just really trying to build my lean muscle for the purposes we were talking about, just making sure that I stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible and that I can lift myself off the toilet when I’m 80 years old and things like that, you know, if I’m lucky enough to make it to that age. ⁓ Kiara Loucks (20:30)Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yep. Exactly. Cheryl McColgan (20:39)So I guess in the back of my mind, it was like, well, this was an interesting process and stuff, but I was anxious to kind of get back to quote unquote normal life. Like what you’re talking about, like more time to spend time outdoors and more time to enjoy food and drinks with friends and not have to be so focused on every single bite you’re putting in your mouth. I don’t know, somehow I kind of, feel like I distracted myself from a little bit of that, but I… Kiara Loucks (20:48)normal yeah Exactly. Cheryl McColgan (21:06)I’ve read a lot of and heard a lot of other people’s stories that talk about that because this almost like well you you had these goals, the goal you got there basically. And then what you kind of go off the cliff, right? Yeah, I don’t know. I avoided that a little bit. I don’t know that sure how Kiara Loucks (21:15)Yeah, exactly. Yeah, so perfect. You know, I’m thrilled for you. did not. I just, I don’t know. Like I think if I had a body that could sustain it, which I don’t think anybody’s meant for it, I would compete all year long every year. Like I just love it so much. But when we finished nationals in Chattanooga, I just knew my body was asking for a break. Like there were just several signs that I needed to pump the, pump the breaks and chill. And so coming out of that, I realized I needed to be outside more and I just felt this void like. this one thing I’d been working for and felt meaning in, all these people invested in my story, it just was suddenly gone. And so I’m like, okay, I just need to go outside. And I had a dear girlfriend of mine actually come out and we went up to a cabin in the mountains and we were chatting and it like, I just don’t know what I’m chasing after. Like I always have something I’m chasing after and I feel like I’m missing it. And she was like, well, Kiara, you’ve been chasing outside. Like since you finished competing, all you’ve done is chase the mountains. And I’m like, well, no, no, no, like that’s just a medium. That’s a catalyst for me to find clarity. That’s not what I’m chasing. Yeah, that’s ridiculous. And sure enough, it is what I was chasing. And for the last several years, I’ve had on my vision board wanting to start a business to allow space and build a community for women to get out into the back country together. Because like all of the same things that you and I probably took away from bodybuilding, the confidence, the discipline, the community aspect, if you’re fortunate to have that, like Those are all things that I’ve found historically in the outdoors, but I think the value of the outdoors far outlasts and has much deeper lengths to it than bodybuilding. And so it’s been on my vision board for years to start a business that I can just take women outdoors and on these retreats and do cool things. And it was just another pipe dream, right? But God bless vision boards and always coming back to like ourselves and where we find meaning and purpose. And so just by happenstance, this opportunity dropped into my lap in August. So my last show of the year was middle of June, went outside a bunch, kind of just got my head screwed on a little bit for the rest of June and July. And then this opportunity dropped in my lap to go to Montana with a group called Her Outdoor Journey in August. And it was gonna be their summit, which means they were doing everything from Butchery to survival to fieldcraft to foraging to defensive shooting to Glassing which is basically understanding how to scope the side of a hill and look for animals They were doing all of this in one event. I was like alright cool I will help you guys out in trade just to go check this out because it seems kind of rad and I on a whim didn’t know anyone got in the car drove up to Montana like 12 hours And I show up and this week completely changed my life. mean, I’ve never been around a group of 20 plus women and there’s no drama, no clicks, people wanting to help, people wanting to serve, everyone having a blast. Like, and not only that, it was the skill sets that we were handed, like the education and the content. was like, I need more of this and I need to share this with as many people as I can. Like, how can I get more in the weeds on this? So I sat down with Courtney Pridi, who is the founder of her outdoor journey. And we just kind of started dreaming up how we could work together and she needed me. I needed her. Like it was this extremely serendipitous, miraculous meeting of two people who desperately needed each other. And her and I since then have walked hand in hand, just blowing the lid off of this thing. So we have like over 15 events next year, all across the continental US, Alaska and Hawaii. We’re also looking at Canada. But our mission really is to teach and empower women and get them outside. And it’s like this beautiful thing that happens when you’re learning and you’re vulnerable, when you’re outside, like all of these perfect elements that bring out the most beautiful side of people. And that’s the part that I love is nurturing these women, these people, these families, seeing how we can impact as many women and families as we can. So. Yeah, long story short, it has been the coolest thing I have found and I also fell in love with butchery out of that. So have kind of been on this whirlwind of working with feedlots and local ranchers and processing plants, understanding truly what is it that we’re eating. So going back to health and wellness, we just talked about bodybuilding is not a healthy sport. And so when you’re given a certain set macros for the day, you’ll eat trash as long as it fills those macros and you’re enjoying it. When Cheryl McColgan (26:02)Thank Kiara Loucks (26:04)Much like you, I got into this because I fell in love with taking care of myself. And so I had completely gone off path. And when I found this, it was like, ⁓ I can literally make an entire meal for me and my family off of literally just what exists out here in the back country. Understanding the seasonings, the foods that we are given naturally growing in the mountains or wherever. What Google reactions. ⁓ she is. But yeah, ⁓ so it’s just Cheryl McColgan (26:31)you Kiara Loucks (26:33)this really cool journey that’s now evolved into the butchery side of things and long tail like I would love one day to open my own high end butcher shop and do high end steak dinners for people that they get to pick right out of the case supporting local agriculture, which is a dying breed in our country right now. So bringing awareness to those things, bringing people along for the ride. I have no idea what we’re going to do with all of this, but I’m just so happy. Like I’m just right where I feel like I need to be. Cheryl McColgan (27:02)Yeah, watching some of your stories when you were on that retreat, I felt the same way. I was just so happy for you because I could just tell you were enjoying it so much and you’re in your element. And it did not surprise me afterwards that you’re like, I’m going to be a butcher. I mean, you’re crazy. I’ll get on to something. I’m just like, Oh, well, this is now this is my thing, you know, which is amazing. So so people are hearing this and they’re like, Okay, that sounds really cool. I would love to, you know, spend some time with other women out Kiara Loucks (27:10)Hmm. No! Yeah, exactly. Okay. Cheryl McColgan (27:31)doors, do all the things. And also though, I can see how maybe some people like there probably will be some people to be like, okay, I like a lot of that, but I’m not into the hunting or I like a lot of that, but I don’t know that I want to chop up a deer and skin a deer on this retreat. Tell us how that works. Kiara Loucks (27:40)What? yeah, very fair. Not expected, not expected at all. So we actually offer a whole host of opportunities for people to get on trips with us. One of the events I’m looking forward to the most is actually an adventure retreat up in Alaska. So we are literally gonna go jet ski in the glacier, ride horses, ATV, spa day. Like it is an adventure retreat. There is no hunting, there are no guns. There’s no butchery. There’s no nothing that should really kind of raise flags for some people. Knowing that, everyone has different thresholds. So if you come on any of our trips and you’re like, this part is not for me. So for example, the event that I was just talking about back in August, the defensive shooting, we had women that didn’t feel comfortable being on a range with other women who had never shot a gun. Great. They went out and had their own like they went for a hike. They read their books. They went and hung out. There’s so much freedom and liberty to do whatever you’re comfortable with. Our mission is to serve you and make sure you’re walking away with what you intended to get out of an event. So whether that’s rest and recovery, a little adventure, learning skills or trades, we do it all. And there’s never any judgment when you decide something isn’t for you. Cheryl McColgan (29:01)can you share the website and where they can find out information about the trips and do you know off the top of your head like when the next one is? Because this episode will come out fairly soon here. Kiara Loucks (29:09)Yes, absolutely. Yeah, so our next one coming up is actually our first winter retreat in Yellowstone. So you can find out more at heroutdorjourney.com or on Instagram at heroutdorjourney. And we’re actually just launching all of our events for next year. So take a look. We actually have everything from, like I said, the adventure retreats to archery, long range shooting, you name it. We got it. And we also have payment plans. So knowing that some of these are maybe a little bit more expensive, we do have payment plans and we also have gift cards. So knowing the holidays are coming up, if you want to gift some special lady in your life the time of her life and change her world forever, we are your people. So give us a shout. Cheryl McColgan (29:52)Awesome. And on top of that, where can people connect with you personally and kind of follow along with your journey? ⁓ You post somewhat frequently Instagram, but I don’t know if you have any other socials that you want to share. Kiara Loucks (30:03)Yeah, yeah, no, Instagram is the best. As I’m kind of defining this new chapter of my life, I’ve tried to be a little more conscientious about what I’m posting and how I’m presenting to the world. So we’re gonna get back in the saddle here pretty soon with more consistent posts and all sorts of exciting stuff going on in the world. But yeah, follow along at at Chiara.Lowx. Yeah, at Chiara.Lowx. My brain is halfway here. Yeah, there you go. Cheryl McColgan (30:25)One, I’ll have it in the show notes as well if for some reason you can’t find her. Well, Kiara, it’s been so wonderful catching up with you again today and ⁓ sharing more of your journey that I was not aware of. And I’m really excited for everything that’s going to happen next. And I will be following along to see what amazing things you do from here. Kiara Loucks (30:43)thank you. And thank you again for having me on. You’re just one of my favorite people, even though we haven’t spent a ton of time together, obviously. But sourdough, you won my heart forever. So thank you. Cheryl McColgan (30:53)It’s my love language. All right, take care and we’ll see you again next time. Kiara Loucks (30:55)I’m here for it. Sounds good. Thank you.

30+ premium credit cards—including the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve—without paying a single dollar in annual fees? Spencer Reese breaks down exactly how active duty service members, Guard/Reserve on orders, and military spouses can access over $10,000 in annual fee waivers through the Military Lending Act (MLA) and SCRA. Recorded on Veterans Day, this episode is packed with tactical strategies for building wealth while traveling the world in luxury. Summary Spencer Reese joins Ross from Itinerary Boss for a comprehensive breakdown of military credit card benefits. Spencer explains the Military Lending Act (MLA) and Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), revealing how active duty members and military spouses can access premium cards like the $895 Amex Platinum with zero annual fees. The conversation covers optimal credit card sequencing, what happens when you transition from active duty to veteran status, how to leverage OCONUS assignments for incredible award travel, hotel status strategies, and Spencer's personal redemption stories including luxury stays in Dubai and business class flights around the world. Spencer also addresses common misconceptions about credit cards, shares tracking tools and automation tips, and explains why most military families are "stepping over dollars to pick up pennies" by not taking advantage of these benefits. Key Topics & Questions Covered Understanding Military Credit Card Benefits The Legal Foundation Eligible Cards & Annual Fee Savings Multiple Cards Strategy Credit Card Sequencing Strategy Building Your Foundation Optimal Application Order Why Order Matters Maximizing Credit Card Benefits Annual Recurring Credits Per Card Stacking Strategy Example International Usage Transitioning from Active Duty to Veteran What Happens to Your Cards Chase Timeline American Express Timeline Downgrade Strategy Travel Redemption Strategies OCONUS Assignment Advantages Spencer's Success Stories Hotel Status Strategy Common Mistakes & Misconceptions Biggest Mistakes Military Families Make Stopping at one card - Missing thousands in benefits Opening Amex Platinum first - Should start with Chase Using wrong card for purchases - Groceries on Platinum instead of Gold Fear of credit cards - Dave Ramsey's influence Not checking MLA database first - Missing automatic waivers Buying too much car - #1 financial mistake Spencer sees Ignoring hotel status cards - Missing upgrade opportunities Dave Ramsey Debate Credit Score Myths Tools & Automation Tracking Apps & Software Card Pointers - Credit optimization MaxRewards - Best card for each purchase Travel Freely - Track card opening dates, 5/24 status Use Your Credits - Find Resy restaurants with e-gift cards Spreadsheet method - Spencer's preferred approach Automation Tips Batching Strategy Hotel & Airline Status Hotel Status Cards Why Hotel Status Matters Hyatt Globalist Priority Resources & Links Mentioned Military Benefits Resources MLA Database - Check your Military Lending Act eligibility SCRA (Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) DOD MWR Libby App - Free ebook/audiobook access to Spencer's book Credit Card Tools Card Pointers - Credit card optimization app MaxRewards - Best card selector Travel Freely - Card tracking for 5/24 status Use Your Credits - Find Resy restaurants with e-gift cards United Travel Bank - Trigger airline credits Key Tactical Takeaways Immediate Actions (This Week) Verify MLA eligibility at mla.dmdc.osd.mil (print PDF for records) Check credit score - Need 720+ for premium cards Open Chase Freedom or Freedom Unlimited if no Chase relationship Set up automatic payments on all existing cards Calculate current annual fee savings if already have cards Short Term (This Month) Apply for Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred (check welcome bonuses) Open Amex Green → Start the Amex family progression Verify military status on existing accounts Set up recurring digital entertainment credits Create spreadsheet to track cards and credits Medium Term (This Quarter) Add Amex Gold after 90 days from Green Apply for hotel status cards (Hilton Aspire, Marriott Brilliant) Set quarterly reminders for Resy credits Purchase United Travel Bank in January for airline credits Book TDY/deployment hotels to build status Long Term (This Year) Add Amex Platinum after Amex Gold established Upgrade Freedom to CSR after 12 months (if desired) Build toward hotel Globalist status with Hyatt Plan OCONUS travel using points from home airport Prepare transition strategy if separating Spencer and Jamie offer one-on-one Military Money Mentor sessions. Get your personal military money and personal finance questions answered in a confidential coaching call. militarymoneymanual.com/mentor Over 20,000 military servicemembers and military spouses have graduated from the 100% free course available at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3 In the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course, you can learn how to apply for the most premium credit cards and get special military protections, such as waived annual fees, on elite cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card. https://militarymoneymanual.com/amex-platinum-military/ https://militarymoneymanual.com/chase-sapphire-reserve-military/ Learn how active duty military, military spouses, and Guard and Reserves on 30+ day active orders can get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3 If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. Want to be confident with your TSP investing? Check out the Confident TSP Investing course at militarymoneymanual.com/tsp to learn all about the Thrift Savings Plan and strategies for growing your wealth while in the military. Use promo code "podcast24" for $50 off. Plus, for every course sold, we'll donate one course to an E-4 or below- for FREE! If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual.

In this live-packed episode, Daniel and Luis dive deep into pop culture nostalgia, comedy, and current chaos — from classic sitcom moms to Jordan stepping in for Rich on Covino & Rich, and even the chaos of modern air travel.The show kicks off with an exclusive preview of “Jordyn Doesn't Know”, a new track that might just become the next show intro. From there, the guys celebrate Veterans Day, roast 90s icons like Tara Reid, and confess their long-time TV crushes — from Topanga to Kelly Bundy.Daniel shares behind-the-scenes stories about Boy Meets World fandom, childhood music memories, and the growing pains of life, travel, and work. Luis reflects on being fired and how setbacks become comebacks, all wrapped up with their fan-favorite Mexican Word of the Day segment that has the live chat in stitches.It's real talk, nostalgia, and laughs — a perfect blend of throwback culture, honesty, and humor.Keep Up With Us:Tuesday Live Show Direct Link ► / https://tinyurl.com/tasbl Tiktok ► / https://www.tiktok.com/@aftershowblTwitter ► / https://x.com/aftershowblInstagram ► / https://www.instagram.com/aftershowblFacebook ► / https://www.facebook.com/AfterShowBLYouTube ► / https://www.youtube.com/c/aftershowblCNR Submissions FB Group ► / https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1D4Ymc8qYn/After Show But Later Merch:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096YRQDYR/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_GTV3XYFDB6SVNY767EMFContact Us:928-235-5285

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The Reverend Charles, a DFW traffic chick with a banging booty, John's Dad, and Tony Romo's dad Ramiro Romo all this week on very special Veterans Day show.