Battle Buddy Podcast

Michael Thomas is an Army Veteran is the founder of Operation Meraki, nonprofit that  believes our Veterans do not need to become civilians again.  Instead Operation Meraki believes that they our heroes need to take on a new mission.  From career skills, workforce development and entrepreneurship, their focus is on veterans finding a new mission and career path forward.  Listen...

For Army veteran Paul Tokgozoglu serving as an Army Officer was not an easy path.  After suffering from some unique challenges in the workplace, he sought the help of some medical providers for answers.  After they diagnosed him as being on the autism spectrum, everything began to make sense.  His Army work environment wasn't the best for him so he transitioned out and set off to bl...

Marine Corps veteran Jessica Rose Johnson comes on the show to discuss suicide prevention.  As a suicide prevention instructor and mental health advocate Jessica has a deep passion for not only helping people change their perceptions of mental health and suicide but giving them the tools to be able to better serve those in need.   Jessica discusses the warning signs of a suicidal pe...

A few years ago US Army veteran Jason McCormick had a life altering conversation with a battle buddy.  That battle buddy pointed out to him that his memory issues were likely more than just PTSD, it was likely a TBI.  After an assessment by the Marcus Institute for Brain Health at the University of Colorado, Jason had the answers he needed.  It was a TBI, and through their amazing p...

Marine Corps veteran Patrick Burt has spent years working on optimizing websites for businesses big and small.  As an expert in SEO and the digital space, Patrick helps us navigate the online space.  Lets face it, learning about SEO and how to do it is something many of us are a little nervous about doing.  While doing something is better than nothing, sometimes doing the wrong thin...

Air Force veteran Ann James had a relationship with money very similar to many young troops.  After the birth of her daughter her attitude on money and wealth changed which set her on the path of financial education and eventual financial freedom.  She has taken this knowledge and founded the Freedom Battle Buddies of color podcast teaching financial information to young women of color....

Filmmaker Ash Patino knew very little about PTSD and how it affects the veteran population.  As a filmmaker she directs documentary films on topics that either need to be told or are misunderstood topics.  One of her latest works is PTSD: The Walking Wounded, discusses the effects of PTSD on the service member as well as their loved ones.   This is a very deep documentary and s...

Emergency preparedness can take on many forms, depending on your needs but there are certain things everyone should be prepared for.  No this isn't an apocalyptic scenario, this is real life emergencies that affect thousands of people annually.  Army veteran, Nestor Molina comes on the podcast to discuss how he helps people and families prepare for the little disasters that you happen to...

Air Force veteran Lindsay Hinger comes on the podcast to discuss balancing life and business.  Both can throw us curveballs and finding and exact balance is a person by person thing, but finding that balance isn't easy.  We discuss how she has done that and how you can find that perfect balance for yourself. Battle Buddy Podcast Links: www. giftingwithvalor.com Battle Buddy Podcast Links...

For current Air Force reservist and former active duty member, Daniel Faust, the term transition doesn't quite cut it.  For him TRANSFORMATION makes more sense, and he isn't wrong!  Throughout life we find ourselves headed into different chapters and we must transform ourselves and our mindset going into these new situations in order to thrive!  We discuss some of this transformatio...

Every business owner or entrepreneur needs to tune into this episode with US Army Veteran and attorney, Andy Nelson as we discuss how and why to defend your brand.  From trademark and copyright to websites and social media there is a lot to consider when building your brand.  Find out what you need to focus on first and the best ways to keep yourself out of the courtroom! Battle Buddy Po...

Navy Veteran Donna Michaels believes that everyone has a story to tell and scars that don't heal.  Her book, Courageously Broken, is a memoir about overcoming adversity and conquering the battle scars of life.  Donna has had a unique and interesting life and a story worth telling.  From a rough childhood to parties with Navy Seals and a career of stories in law enforcement, she may...

Some non profits come about in some strange ways!  For Army mother, Gwen Pollard, her non profit Hawaiian Shirts For Deployed Soldiers is a great example of that.  What started as sending a few shirts has rather quickly turned into a huge morale boosting non profit sending free Hawaiian shirts to deployed units all over the world.  Join us as we discuss how this all unfolded and the...

One of the most important aspects to running a business is understanding taxes.  With changed seemingly every other day, understanding what you need to do and what you should do is confusing at best.  Marine Corps veteran Charles Read has made a career out of understanding the tax system and he joins the show to discuss some very important tax topics for vetrepreneurs. Battle Buddy Podca...

The military lifestyle can be difficult to adjust to for any new spouse.  Britt Lanza had a crash course in the difficulties of living in the military culture, handling deployments,  adjustment issues for her and her spouse.  The loneliness of deployments and the resiliency she developed helped her grow and adapt to be able to handle the challenges as they come.  She has also l...

The amount of our military members and veterans dealing with military sexual trauma is sickening.  According to the DAV 1 in 4 women and 1 in 100 men in the VA healthcare system have survived military sexual trauma.  That doesn't even account for those still serving such as US Army Specialist Tori Adams.  We will discuss her story, how her chain of command reacted during the reporti...

US Marine Joey Mac Dizon runs the Mobile Cigar Lounge, offering a very unique service for parties, weddings, retirements, and more!  We discussed the good and bad of operating a mobile service business and the challenges of operation during COVID.  Joey is a funny guy, you won’t want to miss this episode! Battle Buddy Podcast Guest Links: https://www.facebook.com/themobilecigarlounge/ ht...

Army veteran and Realtor Sam Silver discusses both career opportunities in real estate and tons of knowledge on how and why a Realtor is your best partner in the home buying and selling process. Battle Buddy Podcast Guest Links: https://samuelsilver.exprealty.com/ Battle Buddy Podcast Links: https://linktr.ee/battlebuddypodcast #airforce #armylife #navy #american #veteran #marine #usarmy #veterans...

The VA system is not an easy agency to deal with all the time.  With many benefits, rules, regulations the VA systems is complicated at a minimum.  Army veteran, Jane Babcock,  has been serving veterans for years helping them get the benefits they have earned.  Along the way she has seen behind the VA curtain and knows their systems like the back of her hand.   In thi...

Welcome Ben Gould the Chicago Area Director of Blue Star Families is my guest this week as we discuss military family resources!  Every military and veteran family faces certain struggles from time to time.  Perhaps it's employment, caregiver resources, medical, mental health, financial, or something else.  With over 200 Blue Star Family Communities across the world, they offer a to...

Not all wounds of war are visible to the naked eye.  Air Force veteran  Elisa Escalante knows this all to well as a former mental health  technician in uniform and out.  She has seen first hand the invisible  wounds suffered both in and out of the war zone.  Military trauma can  develop in many ways, but one thing remains constant, dealing with these  comple...

USMC Veteran Joe Palacios, part of Maxwell's Soaps, comes on the podcast  for this special July 4th edition!  Joe and I talked about soap and how  the company provides one bar of soap to homeless veterans with each  purchase.  His love and passion for his fellow veterans also translated  into the first HAVE mission.  HAVE stands for Humble Alpha Veteran  Emp...

There can be many reasons why someone can find themselves falling into the victim mentality.  Ashley Rodriquez and I will discuss how she overcame that victim mentality and got herself into the right, positive mental state where she can take charge of her own life.  Ashley is the founder of  Freelanceus.co which is an American only competitor to other worldwide freelance sites. Batt...

You know that joke about Marines eating Crayons?  Well, what if I told  you USMC Veteran, Frank Manteau, actually created an edible, colorable  crayon!  Well, he did the impossible and is on the way to making it a  reality on shelves near you.  Frank and I discuss his business, the  challenges, and a few other things in this awesome episode. Battle Buddy Podcast...

Having the right mentality is key to success.  Sometimes however the situations you are in don't help you have the right or positive mentality nor are the resources available to correct that mentality.  Navy veteran Moussa Mikhail had to overcome many struggles in his early life to find himself stationed on a submarine.  Surrounded by the same people, nowhere to go, and no mental he...