Hope Now (Bob Waldrep) | S1E1

Bob Waldrep is the Executive Director of Crosswinds, founded the organization in 2008. He’s the co-writer and Executive Producer for the films, Invisible Scars, which addresses the trauma associated with PTSD, and Honoring the Code, which deals with Moral Injury. In addition to these documentaries, he’s authored or co-authored a stack of books… most recently, the Warrior Hope curriculum we use at Centers of Hope. Bob has been researching the emotional and mental traumas associated with military service since 2012. Since that time he has spoken with and interviewed hundreds of veterans and experts in the field of trauma. This research and these relationships form the foundation for Warrior Hope, the curriculum created to encourage, equip, and empower veterans who attend Centers of Hope. In this episode, we discuss Bob’s venture into those films and get the backstory… Here’s a cool piece info about it all… Bob’s father served in the 88th Infantry Division during WWII. After researching and producing the Invisible Scars film, Bob said, “I found myself reevaluating my own familial experience. Through the process I realized my own father suffered with PTSD.  His experiences in WWII had clearly left their own scars. But, the truth is they weren’t exactly invisible. They could be seen in the nightmares that plagued his sleep, in the attitude with which he faced the world, and in the alcohol which offered temporary relief. I am convinced his life would have been different if someone could have shared something like Invisible Scars with him.” In other words, the films he created to serve others actually helped provide some perspective for him… In this introductory episode to the Warrior Hope podcast we talk with Bob about the origins of the veterans’ projects— how the idea for the films came, the emergence of the Warrior Hope book and the Centers of Hope groups, and a look at what’s next…