This week, I discussed how vets should maintain their mind, body, and spirit with MSG Geoff Dardia and Meg Kelvington. In my experience, not many of my peers wanted to have conversations focused on the mind, the body, or the spirit. I mean we weren’t in church – or in yoga class. But when you boil down a lot of our conversations, they actually were about mind/body/spirit issues – from dealing with inter-personal issues to fitness regimens to coping with work/life demands. There’s something about the label “veterans’ health” that seems too vague to successfully capture its importance and relevance to current or former servicemembers. I’ll also say that Geoff and Meg have each taken remarkable yet unpredictable paths to wellness. This might be the first episode that actually helped me, albeit unintentionally. There’s no way to do justice to a subject as complex and broad as veterans’ health in one hour. But you might find enough in it to help you too – even if you didn’t know it.

Show Alibis

I usually let Havok Journal owner Charlie Faint do most of the pre-show socializing; for one thing, he knows the guests better than I do beforehand, and for another, I want to save any interesting conversation that may occur for the recording. But after his solo hosting last week, Charlie had a nervous breakdown and checked himself into the Betty Ford clinic, so he wasn’t available for the show this week. I’m kidding, of course. Does the Betty Ford clinic even exist anymore? Would this joke have worked better in 1982? Doesn’t every joke? Anyway, Charlie wasn’t there this week and as a result, I got into too fascinating a conversation with Geoff Dardia before the show started and then had to try to recreate it during the recording. I think we mostly succeeded, but I’m still holding it against Charlie.

Meg Kelvington must have felt bad enough that I’m the only one who does alibis each week.  She emailed me after the show to say she felt terrible for not remembering to thank Charlie’s Second Mission Foundation during the episode since the foundation paid for her to start Riveting Mission LLC. I’m glad she forgot to say anything during the episode because it’s about time I gave Second Mission some plugs in writing. From Aaron Kirk’s book to Meg’s business to, well, this podcast, Charlie has really helped a lot of veterans launch their “second mission.” We all owe him a lot of thanks.

Show Notes

Task Force Dagger

Functional Medical Initiative

Team Red, White, and Blue

Wear Blue: Run to Remember

Riveting Mission LLC

Whole Health Initiative

Total Force Fitness

Holistic Health and Fitness

SOF Health Initiative

Boot Campaign

Hunter Seven Foundation

Second Mission Foundation