The Power of Yes: A Soldier’s Identity Rewritten with Purple Heart Veteran Gretchen Evans

Episode Summary What happens when the life you built disappears overnight? In this powerful conversation, Army Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) Gretchen Evans — Purple Heart recipient and founder of Team Unbroken — shares what it means to lose your identity and choose to live anyway. After surviving a 2006 mortar blast in Afghanistan that left her permanently deaf, Gretchen was medically retired from the military after 27 years of service. In an instant, she went from leading 30,000 troops to questioning whether she had a place in the civilian world at all. She has described that season as feeling like “an oxygen thief walking the face of the earth.” This episode explores identity interruption, invisible wounds, grit, and the power of a single word: yes. From the service dog that helped save her life, to competing in The World’s Toughest Race - Eco Challenge Fiji with a mixed-ability team, to founding Team Unbroken — Gretchen’s story is not about overcoming injury. It is about refusing to let injury define you. She challenges the idea that catastrophic events are periods at the end of a sentence. Instead, she offers something different: What happened to you may be a comma. And you still get to decide what comes next. We talk about: The moment she learned she was permanently deaf The invisible wound of self-doubt after identity loss Why grit is a decision, not exhaustion The power of the word “yes” when someone is hanging by a thread Why Team Unbroken competes to demonstrate possibility, not dominance The Rope Team concept — and what it means to never leave anyone behind Hearing her own voice again after 19 years Key Moments 01:02 — The mortar blast that changed everything 05:21 — Writing “Forever?” on the dry erase board 10:01 — Feeling like an “oxygen thief” 12:37 — “You can’t do the things you used to do anymore” 17:01 — One word: Yes 38:05 — The invisible wound: self-doubt 43:44 — Hearing for the first time in 19 years Connect with Gretchen Evans Website: https://www.GretchensRopeTeam.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TeamUnbrokenUSA Continue the Conversation The thinking continues beyond the mic. Explore essays, reflections, and extended conversations on Substack: https://substack.com/@robbinjorgensen Connect with Robbin Jorgensen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbinjorgensen/ Supporting Sponsor As a woman navigating financial decisions — especially when the system wasn’t built with you in mind — having the right partner matters. For three decades, Godfrey Financial has intentionally centered women in financial decision-making — not as an afterthought, but as leaders. In a field where women are often expected to sit to the side, Godfrey Financial places women at the head of the table — creating space where women don’t just discuss confidence and agency, but experience it in practice. Learn more at: https://godfreyfinancial.com