A lot of people think joining the military will fix everything... like the structure and discipline will magically erase their past. But from what I’ve seen, it doesn’t work that way. If you don’t deal with your stuff before you put on the uniform, it’s going to come back later……
In the military and in life, you can guide someone… but you can’t walk the path for them. What's been your experience with either being a mentor, or being supported by one? 𝗜'𝗺 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂! ⬇️
Leadership isn’t about perfection... it’s about reflection. Every one of us has made mistakes, bad calls, and choices we learned from. That’s the heart of The Morning Formation podcast: Real conversations about growth, service, identity, and owning your story. If you value authenticity and real leadership lessons, you're in the…
Your past doesn’t disappear just because you ignore it. JMach shared a great point here: 🐃 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. Do you turn into the storm, or do you keep trying to outrun it? 🌀⚡
So many veterans carry this secret shame: ‘I 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘐 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥. 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.’ But what if your purpose wasn’t only overseas… What if the real fight was the one waiting for you back home? Learning how to heal your wounds. Finding stability in your work…
🍺 Most people have no idea how normalized drinking is in the military. And let's be real, not only does the military allow drinking, but it practically builds a lifestyle around. Do you agree with what @jmachpodcast said... that when you join, you basically become an alcoholic...? I’m curious where…
Many veterans focus on military trauma, but the truth is more complex: For a lot of us, the patterns, reactions, and survival skills were shaped long before we ever put on a uniform. JMach breaks it down: 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦…
Most people think the toughest part of military service is the deployment. But for a lot of veterans, the hardest fight starts the moment they get home. Divorce. Lost stability. Starting over from scratch. And even for those who never deployed, the transition can hit just as hard...losing identity, routine,…
𝗔 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝘁: You’re not alone. You’re worthy. You’re capable of more than you think. JMach @jmachpodcast said it better than most: Take the leap. Start the thing. Get the support. Build the life you’ve been avoiding because it felt too big. If you’ve been…
The military teaches you discipline with your body. No one teaches you discipline with your mind. JMach breaks down the truth: 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨. What story are you choosing to believe today? - - - - - - - - - - -…
Trauma doesn’t care how “good” your childhood looked on paper. My guest, JMach @jmachpodcast and I go deep on trauma, burnout, identity after service, parenting, sobriety, and the pressure to be strong all the time. New episode is out now! 🎧𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘩 Subscribe…
A lot of people ask “How are you?” and stop there. We ask again. This conversation with Joshua “J Mac” Mock dives straight into the stuff most of us hide—burnout, identity after service, short fuses at home, and the quiet pressure of being the person others rely on. We talk…
Social media is full of “alpha males” who look unstoppable online… then you meet them in person and think: “Really? This is the guy?” 😂 The internet rewards ego. Real life exposes it. Have you ever met someone who was way tougher online than they were face-to-face? Share in the…
Veterans push through everything...until we can’t. Your body can only run on empty for so long. Mine shut me down… and it forced me to look at what was really going on. Has this happened to you?
Not every therapist is the right match for veterans. The culture, language, and lived experience matter. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻? 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀!
The veteran–civilian gap is real. When only a small percentage have served in the military, it changes how people talk to you. You can feel it in the comments, the conversations, the assumptions. What’s been your experience? Drop it in the comments below 👇
Job loss can effect you in ways people don’t talk about. If you’ve ever been knocked down by a rejection or forced transition, you’re not alone. 🎧 Catch the rest of the conversation on 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁.
Going viral is overrated. Jenna Carlton knows that first-hand. After a video of hers went viral, people weren’t just criticizing her content… they were attacking her family. This is the side of “viral” nobody talks about. It’s the part that hurts the most. The "keyboard courage" is real. - -…
We laughed about it, but it’s true. Unfortunately, the internet rewards shock value, not substance. As creators, it’s easy to feel like you have to “perform” to be seen. But long-term impact still comes from authenticity, not algorithms. Have you ever done anything cringey for views? Come on, don't be…
Ladies... ever get this question when you wear a vet shirt? 🤨🙄 Imagine being a veteran, volunteering… and someone still asks if your veteran shirt belongs to someone else. Jenna Carlton shares this story with humor, but it’s also a powerful reminder: 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆. 🎧…
I’ll say it: Standards matter. During a recent conversation with Navy veteran Jenna Carlton, I shared an experience that stuck with me... An entire recruiting team, in uniform, drinking at a tailgate. 😵😳😖 I felt frustrated and disappointed. Because when you’ve served, you know standards aren’t just about appearance... they’re…
Some veterans wait decades before ever walking into the VA. In this week’s episode, I sat down with Navy veteran, Jenna Carlton, who’s made it her mission to create community and open honest conversations about life after service. What she shared hit hard...stories of veterans who suffered in silence, afraid…
What if the most courageous thing you can do after service is choose the unglamorous middle—the place where growth actually sticks? KP sits down with Navy veteran, author, and community builder Jenna Carleton to explore what it takes to rebuild identity, protect your peace, and find purpose that lasts. The…
Ever stop and think about all the people who helped you get here? The mentors, teachers, friends. The ones who saw something in you before you did. That’s what I was thinking about in this moment. 💭𝗪𝗵𝗼’𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂? Tag them in the comments!