The Warrior's Journey - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Episode 122 • Combat Conversations (feat. Medal of Honor Recipient David Bellavia), Part 1 Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

In this special two-part episode, guest podcast host Daniel Bell welcomes Medal of Honor Recipient David Bellavia, along with battle buddies Joe Swanson and Chuck Knapp, to have a raw and real conversation about their combat experiences during Operation Iraqi Freedom – what they learned and how their lives have been impacted by what they went through together.

Staff Sergeant Bellavia distinguished himself by acting above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a squad leader in Fallujah, Iraq. While clearing a house, a squad from his platoon became trapped in a room by intense enemy fire coming from a fortified position under the stairs leading to the second floor. Recognizing the immediate severity of the situation, and with disregard for his own safety, Bellavia retrieved an automatic weapon and entered the doorway of the house to engage the insurgents. Acting on instinct to save the members of his platoon from an imminent threat, he ultimately cleared the entire enemy-filled house.

He wrote about his experiences in the acclaimed memoir, House to House, available everywhere books are sold.

Find more information online at https://www.thewarriorsjourney.org/podcast

Episode 121 • TWJ Partner Highlight: Hurts Donut May 28, 2021

Show notes

From pursuing a life of military service – first in the Marine Corps, and then the Army – to co-founding an extremely successful franchise all about the "the relentless pursuit of really, really, really freaking good donuts", Tim Clegg's life has been marked by laying it all on the line.

In this episode, Tim joins the podcast to share his personal story of military service through two branches, a life-changing medical diagnosis, and how he and his wife came to found Hurts Donut, a fast-growing donut company now in 11 states with 25 locations and counting.

In addition to creating incredible, off-the-wall donuts, Hurts Donut is committed to making a difference, partnering with charities and organizations all of the world, including The Warrior's Journey.

Find more information online at https://www.thewarriorsjourney.org/podcast

Episode 120 • REBOOT Recovery Mar 26, 2021

Show notes

"Trauma is your intersection with the brokenness of the world, but recovery is your personal intersection with the redemptive heart of God."

The mission of REBOOT Recovery is clear: To help people overcome trauma. Through faith-based courses, training, and online tools, their programs are led by people who get it because they've walked through trauma themselves and have come out stronger on the other side. REBOOT courses offer practical help for the entire family, and since 2011, over 10,000 people have experienced healing.

In this episode, REBOOT Co-founder and Executive Director Evan Owens joins the podcast to share the story and mission of REBOOT Recovery. Evan specializes in organizational leadership, development, and leveraging technology to elevate a nonprofit's reach and impact. Evan has authored several books, including the REBOOT trauma healing curriculum, and has been a keynote and panel presenter at numerous conferences in the trauma recovery space. Evan believes in empowering everyday people to help their friends and neighbors who are struggling in the wake of painful experiences.

He is married to Dr. Jenny Owens, co-founder of REBOOT and has three young children.

To find out more about REBOOT Recovery, visit https://rebootrecovery.com.

Find more information online at https://www.thewarriorsjourney.org/podcast

Episode 119 • Healing Heroes Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

A clinical psychologist who is both a combat veteran and a former first responder himself, Lt Col David Tharp (USAF) has recognized that PTSD and suicide are two of the most challenging issues facing our veterans and first responders today – and he's doing something about it. Through his own experiences and clinical work, he founded Project Healing Heroes in 2016 to facilitate resiliency and reintegration for other combat veterans, service members, first responders, and their family members as they serve our nation both at home and abroad.

Dr. Tharp served as the PTSD Program Manager at the VA Medical Center in Waco, TX, the third largest PTSD program in the country for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is also a Lt Col in the Air Force Reserves at the United States Air Force Academy and experienced firsthand the cost of war on our military men and women – and their families – after serving as a NATO Medical Advisor in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Listen in as he shares his personal story and the mission of Project Healing Heroes, and see how you can get involved by visiting https://www.projecthealingheroes.org/.

Find more information online at https://www.thewarriorsjourney.org/podcast

Episode 118 • Soul Survivor Mar 12, 2021

Show notes

What started as a routine assignment for Lt. Col. Rick Wolf (USMC, Ret), leading a Wounded Warrior Detachment, eventually became the spark that ignited Soul Survivor Outdoor.

When Rick arrived as the Officer in Charge of the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Detachment at Marine Corps Base Twentynine Palms, it was evident that there was more going on with the Marines assigned to the unit than the physical and emotional wounds of war. The Marines of the detachment had both emotional and physical wounds from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, medical and psychological care alone was not fully addressing the damage to their souls.

That is how Soul Survivor Outdoor – an organization that exists to serve active duty military through outdoor adventure and a relationship with Jesus Christ – was born.

In this episode, Rick shares about his personal military experience and tells the story of Soul Survivor Outdoor, which began in 2014 as an outdoor wilderness program for the Marines of the Detachment and conducted an event in Joshua Tree National Park. Events focus on building or re-building a solid life foundation, gave military service members a chance to relax and let their guard down, unpack the stress of daily life, refresh their spirit, clear their minds, re-build confidence in self and others, and ultimately provided an opportunity to restore their souls. Today, these events take place in various locations with an incredible reach and impact.

To support or find out more about Soul Survivor Outdoor, visit https://www.soulsurvivoroutdoor.org.

Find more information online at https://www.thewarriorsjourney.org/podcast

Episode 117 • From PTSD to Purpose (feat. Chad Robichaux) Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

Chad Robichaux (USMC, Ret) knows a thing or two about fighting. From jiu-jitsu mats to the battlefields of Afghanistan, Chad achieved incredible success as a Marine and MMA fighter. Despite all the fame and acclaim, it wasn't until reaching the end of his rope battling PTSD and a broken marriage that he found wholeness and purpose – not in fighting, but in surrender. Now, he has dedicated his life to help others do the same, and vulnerably shares his powerful testimony in a conversation with Kevin Weaver of The Warrior's Journey.

Chad is a former Force Recon Marine and DoD Contractor with eight deployments to Afghanistan as part of a Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Task Force. After overcoming his personal battles with PTSD and nearly becoming a veteran suicide statistic, Chad founded the Mighty Oaks Foundation, serving the active duty and military veteran communities with highly successful faith-based combat trauma and resiliency programs.

Chad is also a 3rd degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and former Professional Mixed Martial Arts Champion having competed at the highest levels of the sport, and now a bestselling author of six books related to veteran care donating over 100,000 copies to the troops during his resiliency speaking tours. He is married to his wife Kathy of 25 years, and they have a daughter and two sons. Hunter and Hayden are both 3rd generation Marines in the Robichaux family and share Chad's passion as lifelong martial artists.

Visit https://www.mightyoaksprograms.org to find out more about Chad's non-profit, the Mighty Oaks Foundation.

Find more information online at https://www.thewarriorsjourney.org/podcast

Episode 116 • Combating the Crisis Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we welcome back our friend and TWJ partner, Dr. Damon Friedman (US Air Force, Ret)!

Damon is an electric sought-after speaker with an expertise in motivation, leadership, and team-building. He is a combat-decorated veteran who served four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Originally a US Marine Corps officer, Damon transferred into the Air Force's elite as a Special Tactics Officer (Combat Controller) and a leader in special operations. His decorations include three Bronze Stars (one with Valor) and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.

In 2011, Damon and his wife, Dayna, founded SOF Missions, which works to help veterans with PTSD and combat the veteran suicide crisis. To find out more about how you can get involved with SOF Missions, visit https://sofmissions.org/.

Damon also has a book, "Igniting Movements," which empowers leaders to make a difference in uncertain times. Get it now on Amazon, or at https://damonfriedman.com/.

Find more information online at https://www.thewarriorsjourney.org/podcast

Episode 115 • Death Waits in the Dark Jan 29, 2021

Show notes

TWJ Podcast welcomes back former guest CW4 Greg "Gravy" Coker, US Army (Ret), who served 22 years in the U.S. Army, 15 years as an AH-6 "Little Bird" attack helicopter instructor pilot who was specially recruited, assessed, and selected in the Army's only Special Operations Helicopter unit, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment – the Night Stalkers.

Greg was one of the senior Lead Instructor Pilots and responsible for planning and executing special operations missions in support of our nation's most elite special operations units, 75th Ranger Regiment and 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. Coker logged over 7,000 hours of accident-free flying, more than 6,000 hours flying under Night Vision Goggles, and a staggering 1,500 hours of combat time spanning a 30-year military career and eleven combat tours from 2001 to 2007.

"Gravy" recently finished writing a book, Death Waits in the Dark — Six Guns Don't Miss, the story of a special operations attack helicopter pilot who flew with the renowned 160th Special Operations Regiment (Airborne), and the incredible friendships Greg Coker and his fellow compatriots forged in the heat of combat. It's available on www.deathwaitsinthedark.com/products or on Amazon!

Find more information online at https://www.thewarriorsjourney.org/podcast

Episode 114 • Killology (Part 2) Jan 15, 2021

Show notes

TWJ welcomes back Lt. Col. David Grossman (US Army, Ret.) for the second half of conversation that speaks to his experiences, and equips people to deal with a serious issue, which may surprise some: sleep deprivation. When studied carefully, this issue is actually revealed to be a deadly epidemic gripping our world – and specifically our military – today.

Lt. Col. David Grossman (US Army, Ret.) is an author and law enforcement trainer who has specialized in the study of the psychology of killing on the human psyche. Since 1998, he has been on the road almost 300 days a year, as one of our nation's leading trainers for military, law enforcement, mental health providers, and school safety organizations.

Following his retirement from the Army, Grossman founded the Killology Research Group to educate law enforcement officers and soldiers how to improve outcomes in lethal encounters. Grossman is best known for his police training program, based on the self-coined study of "killology", which aims to reduce officers' psychological inhibition to kill suspects.

His widely acclaimed books, such as On Killing and On Combat, as well as his brand new book, On Spiritual Combat: 30 Missions for Victorious Warfare, are available now on Amazon.

Find more information online at https://www.thewarriorsjourney.org/podcast

Episode 113 • Killology (Part 1) Dec 18, 2020

Show notes

TWJ welcomes Lt. Col. Grossman for a two-part conversation that speaks to his experiences and offers insight and encouragement to those facing struggles related to PTSD and moral injury.

Find more information online at https://www.thewarriorsjourney.org/podcast

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