Send us a text

Today, I welcome Jenni Harmon. Nearly 30 years ago, we went through boot camp and Navy aircrew school together and have stayed in touch ever since.

You may recall that I hosted her on the second episode of the S.O.S. podcast three years ago. We discussed her taking up skateboarding and how her life unfolded after serving in the Navy as an avionics technician. Today, we’ll see where her life stands today, why she quit drinking alcohol (and encourages sobriety with her Unapologetic af Instagram channel), why she recently completed a social media detox, and lastly, how activities such as yoga, meditation, painting, writing, and skateboarding keep her healthy, happy and balanced.

Unapologetic AF Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/unapologetic_af_living?igsh=OXpuY3ljejBjMTZw

Meet Jenni - https://canvasrebel.com/meet-jenni-harmon/

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

Send us a text

You reach the top of your career but then walk away. Why? Is there something else out there driving you?

My next guest spent nearly her entire adult life in the corporate banking sector. Grueling hours. High stakes deals. A well-paid and prestigious position. After several decades, she turns her life in another direction: teaching the next generation.

Find out what made her make such a drastic career decision, what she learned through this remarkable journey, her advice for others wishing to jump ship at their current job, and what endeavors give her joy now.

Zeynep Holmes is currently a secondary school teacher in London. Prior to that, she was an international investment banker for over 20 years and spent the last 10 years of that career in a senior leadership position at a multinational institution. She soon realized her true calling was helping a rising generation of young professionals be successful and decided to retrain as a teacher.

She is an Economics and Business teacher and has a special interest in teaching her students real life skills such as conflict management, debating skills and the importance of authenticity in leadership and different professional and personal relationships.

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

Send us a text

What’s your next mission when the military ends? How do you find your tribe, your purpose, and that way to support yourself while a part of a growing community? Would you make a go at it by forming a military podcast?

Roger and Dan, hosts of the Tracer Burnout podcast, join the S.O.S. podcast to tell the deeply personal story of how, as they left the uniform behind, they picked up microphones to ensure that other veterans' stories were never forgotten.

Join us on this “collab” episode (I consider us a tight-knit community of military creators) with two incredible hosts bridging the civilian-military divide and humanizing serving people. We’ll also share tips for others interested in sharing their stories or thinking of starting their podcast.

An Army brat, Roger grew up in exotic locales such as El Paso, Texas; West Germany; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Fayetteville, North Carolina. He entered the Army in 2004 as a Field Artilleryman, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Roger’s career consisted of traveling to many countries and enjoying his overseas adventures. Still, he would die happy if he never had to experience another Hindu Kush or Manchurian winter.

After growing up in an Army family, Dan spent over 20 years in the US Army from the late 1990s into the 2020s. Stationed in both the US and Europe, he’s held positions ranging from infantry rifleman to Platoon Sergeant and from Drill Sergeant to Observer/Controller. A lover of history, travel, and food, Dan has been assigned to Fort Irwin, California, Fort Drum, and New York.

After spending several years in Afghanistan, Dan swore that upon retirement, he would never be clean-shaven again and never, ever take a hot shower for granted. Now happily retired, Dan greatly enjoys sitting by the fireplace, enjoying the fine distilled exports of Scotland, and turning the pages of an actual book.

Tracer burnout podcast - https://tracerburnout.com/

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

Send us a text

What was it like running the country’s largest and most extensive health care delivery system during a global pandemic that stressed every government sector?

On this episode of the S.O.S. podcast, meet Dr. Richard Stone, a physician, a combat veteran, and former head of the Veterans Health Administration. Starting in December 2019, his team was tasked to perform the near impossible to care for those who served and take on an unprecedented natural disaster response mission that tested every leader and resource available.

Learn Dr. Stone’s best practices for calm leadership under fire and what he suggests for future pandemic responses. What best practices and lessons learned did he take from this crisis?

Dr. Richard Stone served as the Acting Undersecretary for Health at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), where he directed a health care system with an annual budget of approximately $68 billion, overseeing the delivery of care to more than 9 million enrolled veterans. Dr. Stone chronicled leadership challenges in crisis in his book, Save Every Life You Can: A Reflection on Leadership and Saving Lives During the COVID-19 Pandemic, published in 2022. In the book he discusses the serious organizational and decision-making challenges he faced while leading the nation’s largest health care system through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Stone is retired from the U.S. Army where he served as the Army’s Deputy Surgeon General and the Deputy Commanding General of Support for U.S. Army MEDCOM.

With extensive experience in civilian health care, Dr. Stone served multiple non-profit regional health care systems and has owned multiple businesses. Currently a practicing dermatologist, he obtained his training from Wayne State Affiliated programs in Detroit and the VA Health system and is a Board Certified fellow in the American Academy of Dermatology.

Book Save Every Life You Can

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

Send us a text

No better person to explain the benefits you earned by serving than a former Undersecretary for Benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs!

In this episode, learn about the overlooked, misunderstood, and underutilized service benefits that often confuse veterans and prevent them from accessing support services. There are many ways we can get smarter about these processes. Let’s use the power of community to ensure we understand all the resources.

This conversation will go one step further than a traditional TAPS class, discussing how the VA works, how to access care, and what to do when faced with roadblocks.

As the former Undersecretary for Benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Paul Lawrence oversaw veterans benefits programs impacting nearly 3.9 million veterans and talked personally with thousands of veterans attending virtual townhalls during the COVID-19 pandemic. To help his fellow veterans better access the benefits that they are entitled to, after leaving the VA Dr. Lawrence wrote a book, “Veterans Benefits for You: Get what You Deserve,” which was published in 2023. It’s a commonsense guide to help veterans and their families access a wide range of benefits.

Dr. Lawrence has 30 years of experience working closely with government leaders and was twice selected by Federal Computer Week as one of the top 100 public service business leaders. Paul R. Lawrence was a Public Sector Vice President with Kaiser Associates. He was a Partner at Ernst & Young, a Vice President with Accenture, an Executive Director with the MITRE Corporation, a Vice President with IBM Business Consulting Services, and a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mr. Lawrence earned his Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Economics from Virginia Tech. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Lawrence served in the U.S. Army attaining the rank of Captain. He graduated from the Army's Airborne School and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

Find Dr. Lawrence

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

Send us a text

My next guest needs no introduction for many of you. His crew’s presence this past year in the Red Sea was highly publicized. Not only that, he is part of a new era of “influencer” senior leaders, taking his leadership lessons outside the skin of the ship, and helping the public better understand our Navy!

“Chowdah” Hill is a native of Quincy, Massachusetts. He is a 1996 graduate of Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude; a 2006 graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a Master of Arts in Security Studies, with honors; and a 2016 graduate of the Naval Nuclear Power Training program.

Hill was commissioned through the Navy ROTC program and received his wings of gold as a naval flight officer in 1997. Operational tours include Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 126 from 1998-2001, participating in Operations Southern Watch, Desert Fox, And Deliberate Forge; VAW-124 in 2004 as a weapons and tactics instructor; VAW-115 from 2007-2009 as a department head, participating in patrols in the Western Pacific; VAW-124 from 2012-2014 as the executive officer and commanding officer, participating in Operations Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve; the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) from 2017 to 2019 as the executive officer, participating again in Operation Inherent Resolve; and the USS Arlington (LPD 24) as the commanding officer. He received the MacArthur Foundation Award for writing as a student at the Joint Forces Staff College in 2014.

Hill assumed command of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) on March 23, 2023.

Unit awards include the 2014 and 2017 Battle “E” Award, the 2014 Frank Akers AEW Excellence Award, and the 2014, 2017 and 2020 CNO Safety “S” Award. He was selected as the E-2C Hawkeye Naval Flight Officer of the Year in 2001.

Hill has more than 2,700 hours of flight time primarily in the E-2C Hawkeye. His awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, four Air Medals, four Navy Commendation Medals, and one Navy Achievement Medal.

Find Chowdah

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

Send us a text

Controlling ourselves in the most stressful situations is vital to a healthy life. We can learn much from those who intentionally do hard things. This act of discipline trains us so that we are prepared when life unexpectedly hands us a traumatic experience.

Adam Boyd spent years in law enforcement as a detective specializing in domestic violence cases before becoming a wellness coach.

However, this episode of the S.O.S. podcast will focus on his latest project, Tour de Patriot, an unprecedented 1200-mile bike ride from the historic Folsom Tavern (NH) to the charming city of Savannah, Georgia.

This grassroots effort aims to reignite patriotism, resilience, and the enduring spirit of the American people. Along the route, he will showcase the heart of the nation's past, stopping at key historical sites that have shaped the American story.

From Revolutionary War landmarks to Civil War battlefields, each stop will unveil layers of history that remind us of the resilience and courage that define the American spirit.

At various points along the journey, participants will engage with and interview patriotic Americans—individuals whose stories embody the principles and values that have fueled our nation's growth. These encounters will be an intimate glimpse into the lives of those who contribute to the ongoing narrative of what it means to be an American!

Adam Boyd is the founder and CEO of Soleful Training, with over a decade of experience as a police officer, including three years on a SWAT team and six as a Detective. He developed department wellness programs, trained SWAT teams, and revamped their PT applicant process.

Adam's extensive experience led him to create Soulful Training's holistic wellness program for first responders, emphasizing physical, mental, and social resilience and purpose.

He frequently teaches the Wim Hof Method, a scientifically-backed technique combining breathing exercises, cold exposure, and mindset, to diverse groups, including medical professionals, SWAT, first responders, business professionals, and Special Forces soldiers.

tourdepatriot.com

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76

Send us a text

Rehab is often associated with people who have the most urgent and complex addictions and mental health crises.

What if we better educate our service members on what was available, what TriCare covers, and how to spot a reputable provider? My next guest and I will explore this subject in depth and discuss how military members can significantly benefit from these organizations' targeted services.

We will also shatter the stigma, myths, and stereotypes of those who seek this care and what this treatment can do long-term for your life growth, health, and happiness.

Bill Reynolds is a U.S. Navy-trained physician assistant who served on active duty for 30 years and retired as a Lieutenant Commander in 2012.

He has been a PA for over 20 years and has extensive experience in family medicine and psychiatry. Bill guides Sierra Tucson’s acclaimed “Red, White & Blue” program for military veterans, police officers, and other first responders.

Bill was awarded numerous commendation medals for superior performance while in the Navy and had the honor of caring for patients on submarines, in combat, and as the medical officer of a US Navy SEAL team.

Having worked extensively with service members suffering from post-traumatic stress and addiction, Bill brings unique experience to Sierra Tucson as he cares for our military and first responder clients.

He is a strong proponent of integrative medicine and understands the importance of treating the “whole person.”

Sierra Tucson is #1 in Newsweek’s list of Best Addiction Treatment Centers in Arizona for 2023.

More on Bill and Sierra Tucson

Book Tribe

Book Body Keeps A Score

Visit my website: https://thehello.llc/THERESACARPENTER
Read my writings on my blog: https://www.theresatapestries.com/
Listen to other episodes on my podcast: https://storiesofservice.buzzsprout.com
Watch episodes of my podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheresaCarpenter76