Listen to Josh Goldberg talk about his struggles with suicide, posttraumatic growth, and answer questions with special guest Anna Kavanaugh, Boulder Crest Institute’s Content Manager.
Stay: A History of Suicide and the Philosophies Against It
https://www.amazon.com/Stay-History-Suicide-Philosophies-Against/dp/B00FVX7SVK/ref=sr_1_16?keywords=stay&qid=1569201795&s=books&sr=1-16
Listen to RET US Marine Tim Brown, a native of San Antonio and Houston, Texas, tell his story of how he survived an IED blast in February 2011 and how it changed his life forever. From chats with his EOD teammates, as well as a helmet camera video, he learned that on the afternoon of 3 February 2011, he triggered an explosive device while responding to an IED that was discovered by the Marines of India Company, 3rd Battalion 5th Marines. Taliban forces in Sangin, Afghanistan specifically designed this IED to target his EOD team; a team which had already lost a team leader to severe wounds. The blast caused Tim to lose both legs above the knee, his right arm above the elbow, mangled his left hand, and left him with severe damage to the perineum. Tim has made 40 trips to the operating room since that date for reconstructive surgeries.
Tim retired from the Marine Corps and is currently finishing his degree from Georgetown University. He will spend the next year as the head of the University’s Student Veterans chapter. Upon graduation, Tim plans to work in the nonprofit space and serve those who have suffered severe injuries – both veterans and civilians.
Read more here https://www.bushcenter.org/people/timothy-w-brown.html
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Josh and Ken sit down with Andrew Bottrell, a former Navy EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Technician, who shares his story, lessons learned, and outlook on life. He talks about how he managed to not become addicted to painkillers while still able to use prosthetic legs just two months after his injury in Afghanistan in 2011. The blast took three of Andrew’s limbs; both legs and one arm. Andrew says that NONE of these things define him. He believes you need to dominate your life through whatever happens. If you do not like your situation, change it. Do not blame somebody else for it and do not wait for somebody else to do something about it. You are not entitled to anything, only what you work for. Take control of your own life, because life is what you make of it, so make the best of it. Andrew lives with his wife and daughter in San Diego, California.
Andrew’s Bio with Gary Sinise: https://youtu.be/vuezyunGKRQ
Andrew Bottrell’s Home Dedication: https://youtu.be/heTfDL_OF9I
Listen to Ken and Josh speak to Retired U.S. Army SFC Michael Schlitz talk about life in the military and his journey to strength and growth after he and his crew were hit with an improvised explosive device (IED) on a road-clearing mission in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2007. Mike didn’t learn until 11 months after getting hit that his gunman and medic were killed instantly, and his driver passed away shortly after the blast. Mike, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was ejected from the vehicle and lost both hands and his eyesight in his left eye due to a scarred cornea. He sustained burns on 85% of his body. Mike works for the Gary Sinise Foundation and has partnered with Josh, Ken, and the Boulder Crest team to support and mentor fellow veterans walking their own journey of PTG. Mike is a student, coach, and mentor, and a true example of PTG in action.
Listen to his amazing story now.
Josh Goldberg, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth, checked in with Dr. Richard Tedeschi, the founder of the term “Posttraumatic Growth,” as they discuss the history of PTG and how combat veterans and people can learn to thrive after suffering trauma. Dive in and listen now.
Ken Falke, the Chairman and Founder of Boulder Crest and the EOD Warrior Foundation, and Josh Goldberg, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth, co-wrote a book called “Struggle Well: Thriving in the aftermath of Trauma” last May. Since then, Struggle Well has been spreading all over the nation. Now, these two mental health innovators decided to take the message further and launch the Struggle Well Podcast, supported by the Mental Health News Radio Network. Listen to Ken and Josh talk about their journey from Boulder Crest Retreat to the launch of the podcast and what it’s all about.
Taylor Morris, a former Navy EOD, (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Technician, shares his story from struggle to strength with the founder of Boulder Crest Retreat, Ken Falke. He talks about how he grew up with a love for tinkering and how he found his passion with the Navy as a bomb disposal specialist. On May 3, 2012, an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) detonated while Taylor was clearing a path into a building to provide his Special Forces A- team cover from enemy fire during a mission in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The blast took all four of Taylor’s limbs. Taylor spent two years of rehabilitation in the hospital and has an incredible positive outlook on his future. Taylor is a great example of posttraumatic growth and how he is able to keep pushing through when so many others might lose hope. Taylor lives with his wife, Danielle, in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
In Which Way?… Mother and daughter tell parallel stories about trauma and its impact on the generations that follow. Jann Simmons’ story is a heart-wrenching account of an orphaned child who suffered brutality at the hands of her mother, as well as many others. As an adult, Jann’s mind was closed to the horrors of her abuse, betrayal, and abandonment until the day they all came flooding back to her conscious mind. That awareness began a 40-year transformation from a passive victim to resilient warrior.
As a young teen, Shari struggled to make sense of her mother’s pain, but as a career mental-health therapist, she began to understand her mother’s journey and learn how trauma affects the brain. She offers strategies in this book for those suffering from past or present trauma or for those who love someone who is suffering. Both women tell their stories and drive home the fact that the choices we make can lead to self-hatred and resentment or to a life of courage, healing and beauty.
Which Way? is an unforgettable story of love and transformation that will resonate with mothers, daughters, trauma survivors, those who love them and those who’ve made a career out of helping them heal.
