Service Before Self Podcast

In today’s episode, Col. Sam Whitehurst (Ret.), your host, is joined by Joshua Caldwell and Stephen Camelio. Joshua and Stephen are the director and writer of the new film Mending the Line. Joshua and Stephen discuss their new movie, which will be launched in theaters on June 9th, 2023. Mending the Line is the story of a marine who’s been wounded in Afghanistan and has now been sent to a VA facili...

In today’s episode, Col. Sam Whitehurst (Ret.), your host, is continuing a conversation that was started several months ago regarding the opportunities that are available for transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses who want to become entrepreneurs and small businesses owners.   This time, Col. Sam welcomes Col. Scott Jensen (Ret.) to talk about the opportunities for Federal C...

Colonel retired Sam Whitehurst, your host, welcomes Michael Brown to today’s episode. Michael Brown is the Director of the Office of Veterans and Military Service at Villanova University. Michael shares how Villanova provides opportunities and a path to success to veterans, recognizing the challenges they sometimes face when they pursue a higher education track. Michael also shares what “The Villa...

Colonel retired Sam Whitehurst, your host, welcomes Bruce Buckley to the second part of an insightful conversation about Veteran homelessness. Bruce is the CEO of Soldier On; he is one of the leading subject matter experts on the challenges impacting homeless veterans. Bruce has been dedicating his career to finding solutions to assist veterans and their families who find themselves in that situat...

Colonel retired Sam Whitehurst, your host, welcomes Bruce Buckley to the first part of an insightful conversation about Veteran homeless. Bruce is the CEO of Soldier On; he is one of the leading subject matter experts on the challenges impacting homeless veterans. Bruce has been dedicating his career to finding solutions to assist veterans and their families who find themselves in that situation....

Welcome to the first episode of the second season of Service Before Self. Colonel Sam Whitehurst is accompanied by Blake Hogan, CEO of Bunker Labs, to today’s episode. They are talking about the first of the three pillars of work at Dixon Center. These pillars are Work with Purpose, Honor, and Live with Hope.   Blake is diving deep into the meaning of working with purpose. He is talking about some...

Welcome to another episode of Service Before Self Podcast. In today’s episode, the focus is on an issue that does not receive the visibility and attention it deserves: the challenges that disabled veterans face in finding meaningful employment.   When thinking about disabled veterans it is common to refer to those who were wounded in combat, but that is only part of the picture, there are 4.7 mill...

Welcome to another episode of Service Before Self. Today, Mickey Markoff joins the podcast. He is the Executive Producer of the National Salute to America’s Heroes. The mission of the National Salute to America’s Heroes presented by HYUNDAI is to bring back the true meaning and spirit of Memorial Day weekend and pay tribute to all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our freedom...

This episode spotlights the work of Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services. An organization that connects organizations and communities with existing programs and services that transform the lives of veterans and their families. We discuss Dixon Center’s approach to supporting veterans and their families in the communities where we live through our network of private and public, civic, an...

In today’s episode, Colonel Sam Whitehurst welcomes someone who has been a national leader on addressing the challenges that face service members, military spouses, veterans and their families when they transition from active-duty back into their civilian communities.. Today’s guest is Jim Beamesderfer, Vice President, Veterans Initiatives at  Prudential.   In this episode, Jim discusses initiativ...

Colonel Sam Whitehurst welcomes you to another episode of Service Before Self. Today’s guest is David Hamilton, founder and CEO of America’s Future Series, a national speaker series that brings together business and military leaders to discuss issues involving national security.   America’s Future Series is also, directly and indirectly, impacting the lives of veterans and their families, by raisi...

Sam Whitehurst welcomes Mr. John Lowry to today’s episode. Mr. Lowry is the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veteran Employment and Training. He is a Marine Corps veteran and has served more than 15 years on active duty and an additional 10 years in the Marine Corps Reserve. He has worked extensively and successfully in the private sector.  Mr. Lowry brings a very unique perspective to the convers...

In this episode, Sam Whitehurst, your host, continues with a series of podcasts focused on programs that assist military members to gain, not only a job, but a career that provides them wages or salaries that allow them to support their families, careers that can provide affordable health care options, and have benefit packages that allow veterans to plan forward and invest into their future.   To...

Sam Whitehurst, your host, addresses in today’s episode the matter of transitioning from military services to civilian society, a matter that was also discussed in previous podcasts.   It is never too early to think about your future after the military, but it is often easier said than done. Service members usually start thinking about transitioning once they are already “in the breach”; why do th...

Along with the many programs and organizations that are dedicated to serving veterans and their families, there are also several federal agencies that are instrumental in ensuring that veterans successfully reintegrate back into their communities. The VA is the first agency that everyone thinks about, but there is also the Department of Labor, Department of Agriculture, and Housing and Urban Devel...

The U.S. military has a great reputation for their ability to plan, to deal with uncertainty, and to deal with complex and complicated problems. There is one area where the U.S. military does not plan very effectively, where there is a struggle while dealing with uncertainty and often becoming overwhelmed by the complexity of the problem that needs attention. Sam Whitehurst, your host, went throug...