Helping Military Veterans Find Community Through Fitness w/ Chris Phillips

Our guest today is Chris Phillips. Chris is a US Army Veteran who conducted 4 tours of Afghanistan and Iraq as an Infantryman.  In 2019, a solider Chris has been especially close with took his own life, and Chris decided it was time to do something. So he created Quality Resilience Fitness, QRF Fit for short, a non-profit organization that uses their proceeds to help veterans pay for gym memberships, entrance fees into lifting competitions, and to find community through fitness. His ultimate goal is to make sure that our Military Veterans know they are not along, and there is always someone here to support them.Follow Chris - @qrffitFollow David - @dr.davidskolnik.dptFollow the Show - @essential.strength.podcastStronger Than StigmaI’m really proud, and excited to announce that Chris, Myself and previous guest on the show Crystal Miranda have teamed up to launch the Stronger Than Stigma Initiative. This is a fund-raising initiative to support the work that is being done by Chris through QRF Fit and by Crystal through her non-profit, The Healthy Mind Movement. Stigma is harmful. It breeds bias, appropriates misinformation, and acts like fertilizer for fear. But we can be STRONGER THAN STIGMA. We can choose to understand that our differences are beautiful, that “normal” doesn’t exist, that we are all humans, we all struggle, we all feel uncomfortable in our own skin at times, and there is no place for discrimination rooted in willful ignorance. Chris, Crystal and myself have designed limited release apparel to support this initiative, with all proceeds to be shared between QRF Fit and The Healthy Mind Movement to support the important work they are doing to bring and end to mental health stigma and veteran suicide. All the information you need to get involved will be available at thehealthymindmovement.org,  QRFfitness.com and StrongerInMotion.comAction PlanYour action plan is to GET INVOLVED with the Stronger Than Stigma Initiative!Whether that means purchasing a shirt or hoody, sending a link out to friends and family, sharing this podcast, or re-posting the Stronger Than Stigma content on Instagram - IT ALL COUNTS AND WE LOVE YOU FOR MAKING THE EFFORT. This is about giving back. This is about using your platform, no matter how big or how small, to make a difference.  YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE for people, veterans or otherwise, struggling with their mental health right now. So take action!That’s it for this week, until next time we with you STRENGTH and GOOD HEALTH.Want more content? Follow Dr. David on Instagram: @dr.davidskolnik.dpt