Episodes
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If only I had something to do… | S4E11
Part of healing is finding something to do, something greater than your point to pour your life into. At the same time, not only is “having a mission” or a “purpose” an important facet of moving forward from the past, it’s also what we were designed to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us that: 💙 Grace...
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Disentangle & re-entangle into a new mission | S4E10
In the military, the mission was important. In fact, the mission is what matters The same is true of our call to follow Christ. Finding a new mission is essential to the warrior as they move forward. So, in this episode we highlight 5 truths about the “Great Commission,” including… 🎖️ Authority…
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Exfil got me out of the war but didn’t get the war out of me | S4E9
Exfil / exfiltration occurs when warriors are quickly extracted from a combat situation. When it happens, it removes the warriors from a dangerous scenario and places the in safety. But… … it does so PHYSICALLY. And, as you know, ew’ve bee discussing the invisible wounds many warriors carry (and,...
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5 keys to healing PTSD & Moral Injury | S4E8
In this talk we move into the 3rd section of Disentangled. We defined the warrior (part 1, episodes 1 & 2 of this season), as well as the price they pay for serving (3 & 4). We also dove into great detail about TWO of themes common soul wounds, PTSD and Moral Injury (episodes 5, 6, 7). The point…
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Was David REALLY a man after God’s own heart? | S4E7
One of the most well-known stories in the Old Testament is the episode in which David, a warrior, got lazy and didn’t go to battle… … and then took the wife of one of his elite soldiers… … and then tried to cover it up. And then, when that didn’t work, killed the soldier. 👇 You probably know the...
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No Purple Hearts for this injury | S4E6
When warriors do things that violate their conscience, their sense of right and wrong, Moral Injury often results. PTSD is a perceived threat to external circumstances. It “looks like” fight of flight (some people add freeze). Moral Injury is internal and is expressed as guilt and shame. It’s...
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PTSD = right response / wrong time & place | S4E5
If warriors don’t find healing from the past, they’ll live the present (and future) in light of it. When they find healing, they’re able to help others in new ways, imparting real hope and comfort. So, in this talk we discuss PTSD, a NORMAL response to abnormal events. And, we dialogue about the...
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It comes at a (high) cost, part 2 | S4E4
Perhaps the most noted price a warrior pays— the most obvious— is separation from safety. They put themselves in danger AND RUN TOWARDS it, even as others flee. Thats’ the job. And, the danger isn’t limited to battle. In fact, training accidents (and fatalities) regularly occur. (Note: this…
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The price you pay for serving, part 1 | S4E3
The warrior’s life is difficult. Aside from the everyday challenges everyone faces, warriors pay a unique price for serving. These can impact them even after they return home (as we explore in our latest documentary, Trauma Comes Home). Three of the costs of serving are: 💰 Separation from family…
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Band of brothers | S4E2
Our “anchor verse” in Disentangled is 2 Timothy 2:3-4. Here’s the NASB version: Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him. In episode 1 of this series…
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Oath keeper | S4E1
In this new series we talk about Disentangled, our latest resource for warriors. This one is unique in that it is a 6-lesson Bible study about: ⭐️ What it means to be a warrior ⭐️ The price required to serve ⭐️ How to overcome the pains of the past and step into a new mission Here’s a summary of...
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Beyond Your Mission: Next Steps | S3E15
You’re not stuck. That is, you ALWAYS have a next best step. Sometimes, the steps are so small you can hardly see any distance between them at all— and you wonder, “Am I actually getting anywhere?” Other times, you take big strides and you can SEE the difference. As long as you’re moving FORWARD……
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Ripple Effect: Trauma’s Impact on Military Families, part 2 of 2 | S3E14
When one of us experiences a “win” and feels joy, we all do… And when one of us suffers, likewise, we all feel it… Especially when we live under the same roof. In this episode of the #WarriorHope podcast we continue the conversation we began in the previous talk—
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Ripple Effect: Trauma’s Impact on Military Families, part 1 of 2 | S3E13
I learned this one the hard way… If one person in the family is dealing with a tough emotional hurt, then EVERYONE in the family is affected, everyone— whether they see it or not— needs help and healing. ❤️🩹 It’s easy to see when it’s not emotional or a soul-trauma… For instance, if ONE person…
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Identifying Your Next Mission: Moving Forward After Trauma | S3E12
It’s easier to move through the pains of the past when you begin serving a greater purpose, something larger than yourself… … something that moves your sole focus off you and places it on something bigger. For sure, you DO need to deal with the hurts of the past— lest you keep re-reading the...
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Gray Spaces of Trauma: Navigating the Good + the Bad | S3E11
Life is both good AND life is hard. The military is the same way. It’s easy to look back at any experience that was tough or— let’s even go further and use this word— traumatic— and presume the entire ordeal was bad. But life— and “all the things” in it— doesn’t work that way. We’ve got to learn…
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Hope: Finding Forgiveness + Acceptance | S3E10
Healing Moral Injury— which manifests as guilt and shame— is radically different than the cure for PTSD. Part of the problems with guilt & shame is that they not only LOVE the dark (and hate the light), but they also GROW in the dark. They keep us tucked there… But, freedom is found in the light....
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Honoring the Code: Duty + Trauma | S3E9
Sometimes, well-intended deeds have bad outcomes. We often assume— as it pertains to military service— that only combat veterans can develop PTSD or Moral Injury. Turns out, anyone who serves can. 💔 Many times this occurs because of what we do or so— even not in combat. 💔 Many times it takes…
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Moral Injury: The Burden of Conscience | S3E8
Many times in the military you’re forced to do things that go against your conscience— and even do things that aren’t natural. 👉 Marching all night… 👉Standing watch for the inevitable… 👉Taking the life of another in order to protect the innocent. Even though we can rationalize all of this— and...
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Unseen Wounds: How to Tell If You or Someone You Love Have PTSD, Part 2 of 2 | S3E7
You can’t diagnose every issue that you need to address… … because some of the stuff you need to take care of isn’t diagnosable. For instance— ⚙️ you may not be obese, but you might could stand to drop a few pounds. ⚙️ you might not have diabetes, but you might could stand to change-up up the…
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Unseen Wounds: How to Tell If You or Someone You Love Have PTSD, Part 1 of 2 | S3E6
Diagnosing emotional stuff is (sometimes) hard, because… 👉 we each respond to hurts in different ways 👉 we bring different pasts to the event— baggage that already weighs us down differently 👉 it’s part art and part science to sort it all But, there are some objective questions we can ask and...
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Overcoming Trauma: You Can Push Down or Push Through | S3E5
“Get over it!” You might have heard someone say that to you before. In fact, you might have even dispensed that advice yourself. 👀 But do you really “get over” certain losses, or do you grieve them, heal the hurts, allow them to become sacred parts of your story, and get THROUGH them… … changed...
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The Invisible Wounds of Non-Combat Trauma | S3E4
We’ve got a knack for “underplaying” what we’ve been through and over-playing what others have endured. We don’t need to play the comparison game, though… Trauma is trauma is trauma is… regardless of where it came from. 🔥 The best approach? Rather than comparing the origin stories of each, rally...
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War Changes People: Impossible to Go to War & Return the Same | S3E3
Been through a tough seasons, hard scenario, or difficult circumstance and wondered, "What's wrong with me?" on the other side of it...? You're not flawed. It's natural to feel like the wind got knocked out of you when you get punched hard. 💔 In this episode of the Warrior Hope podcast we…
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PTSD 101: What You Need To Know | S3E2
In Episode 2 of this season's #WarriorHope podcast, we talk about PTSD-- a common occurrence when we find ourselves reacting to external events in the present "as if" we're still in the past. Yes, it's common. What's uncommon is the diagnosis (and it should be uncommon). In this talk we go back…
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Behind Our Mission: From Desire to Documentary | S3E1
We proudly present our Behind & Beyond the Mission Podcast Series. Episode 1: Behind Our Mission: From Desire to Documentary takes you on a journey of how our founder, Bob Waldrep had the desire to start a non-profit and the series of events that led to starting the Crosswinds Foundation and...
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It’s OK if it’s hard to make the transition home (Sabrina Fears) | S2E16
Sabrina Fears comes from a military family. In some way, when she enlisted, she knew what to expect. But, then again, you can’t always know, can you? Here are three takeaways from the talk with Sabrina— ✅ It changes you. Don’t expect to be the “same person” coming out of the military as went in....
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Helping veterans in your family (w/ Rex Parvin) | S2E15
Rex Parvin has two son-in-laws who’ve served. In fact, one serves now. Furthermore, Rex leads a group for veterans. From the unique perspective of a father, he shares what to do— and what not to do— when it comes to helping your loved ones walk through the healing process. He says this— ✅ Repeat...
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Everybody hurts, everyone can heal, everyone can find a next mission (w/ Rock Hobbs) | S2E14
Rock Hobbs has been a fighter pilot, a commercial airline pilot, an addict… and now leads a ministry that helps people— from all walks of life— find inner healing. He teaches from an overflow of what he’s learned the hard way. In this podcast we talk about his story— and some of the events that…
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You’ve done hard(er) things before (w/ Scott Landreth) | S2E13
Scott Landreth is no stranger to the Warrior Hope podcast (season 1, episode 16). We pulled him back into the convo because— for the past year— Scott has been leading a “Centers of Hope” group. This is a HUGE step, because Scott was initially hesitant about even attending a group (just as our…
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Lead with Love (w/ Dani Rocco) | S2E12
Dani Rocco is an author, a podcaster, and the mother of a soldier. So, she brings a unique perspective to the Warrior Hope podcast— a view we haven’t heard before. Here’s what to listen for— ✅ If the solider is deployed the entire family is deployed. Think about it like this— what happens to one...
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You’re Not the Only One (w/ Chris Turner) | S2E11
Chris Turner is back on the Warrior Hope podcast, sharing a significant chapter of his story… In this show, Chris talks about the time a fellow Marine stood with them— in the barracks— celebrating, only to take his life just a few hours later. No one understand. There were no warning signs.…
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Is War Justifiable? (w/ Don Malin) | S2E10
In this episode of the Warrior Hope podcast, we talk with Don Malin, a retired chaplain. (Incidentally, Don is the soldier who first mentioned that PTSD would be a major issue of concern— almost a decade ago— when Crosswinds first began searching for a topic for the first feature film.) Here are…
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The Bigger Pain Point than PTSD + the Suprising Cure (Moral Injury) | S2E11
In this talk we take you straight to the Warrior Hope curriculum, to the lesson where we discuss Moral Injury. Whereas PTSD takes the form of “fight vs flight” and is a response to an external threat, Moral Injury most often looks like guilt and/or shame… and is a response to internal threats.…
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When Trauma Comes Home (w/ Eugene Cuevas) | S2E8
Eugene finished shooting the film for the upcoming Crosswinds documentary, loosely titled “When Trauma Comes Home.” Right now, the team is in post-production / full edit mode— and about to release! Over the past few years, Eugene has gotten to be an expert in the area of post-deployment issues… …...
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Your Next Mission is Staring You in the Face (w/ Staff Ouderkirk) | S2E7
Stafford Ouderkirk just retired— for the second time. The first time around, he retired from the military. The second time— this time— he retired from TekSouth, a military contractor. Teaming with Crosswinds and the efforts of Warriors on Mission was a perfectly natural fit. For years, Staff and...
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Wounded healers work wonders for themselves and others (w/ Andrea Melcher) | S2E6
I met Andrea Melcher via Zoom— when she accidentally dropped in on one of the online Centers of Hope groups I was hosting. Thinking the group didn’t apply to her, she connected with one of the women on our team and then decided to stay involved— for just a few more weeks. Why didn’t the group...
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Toilet paper is a luxury item— but brotherhood definitely shouldn’t be (w/ Andrew Farrer) | S2E5
I met Andrew Farrer back in 2021— when I was teaching the Warrior Hope material at a leadership training (certification) event in Tennessee, just south of Nashville. At the time, we were about to launch the Freedom Tour (see episode 3, with Chris Turner), just beginning to make headway into the...
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What if PTSD also shows what’s right about you— not just what’s “wrong”? | S2E4
You likely hear the term “PTSD” a lot, but have you stepped back to see what it actually means…? In episode 4 of the Warrior Hope podcast, we break it down and define it, using the info from lesson 2 of the Warrior Hope curriculum. Here are a few things you’ll learn— ⭐️ PTSD isn’t new. In fact,...
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Bringing Freedom to a Town Near You (w/ Chris Turner) | S2E3
Chris Turner headlines The Freedom Tour— a project Crosswinds uses to take the message of hope + healing to veterans. The tour is the vehicle; healing from the past and launching into your next mission is the message… In this episode of the Warrior Hope podcast Chris talks about the unique...
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The conversations we need to have about PTSD (w/ Eugene Cuevas) | S2E2
This week we talk with Eugene Cuevas about the conversations we need to have regarding PTSD and more… (Eugene is the mega-talented director of the Invisible Scars and Honoring the Code documentaries, as well as the upcoming title to be released about warrior families.) Back in the day, people...
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You’re still that warrior (Warrior Hope Podcast) | S2E1
Season 2 of the Warrior Hope podcast rolls out today… What’s it about? In episode #1 of the new season I discuss it… ✅ We connect veterans to their next mission ✅ The most common obstacles we see are 1) isolation and 2) unresolved hurts / unprocessed pain of the past ✅ Finding that next mission...
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How a Dog Healed a Veteran (Scott Landreth) | S1E16
Scott Landreth served in the Army from 1975-1982… due to the classified nature of many of his missions, he can’t tell you a whole lot other than that he was stationed in several stateside locations, as well as Greece, Germany & other “undisclosed places.” I met Scott when he walked through the...
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Same Warrior, Different Mission (Michael Thorin) | S1E15
My friend Michael Thorin served in the Army from 1990-1994, and then the Alabama Army National Guard from 1994-2009. He deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq, where he served as a scout, providing security for convoys, quartermaster supply missions, and fuel and essential supply deliveries.…
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If You Drink… (Chris Turner) | S1E13
Chris Turner is a singer/songwriter from Ninety Six, South Carolina and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. I first met Chris a few years ago at the first Songs of Hope event (Songs of Hope = an event Crosswinds created to generate awareness about veterans + PTSD + Moral Injury. Veterans...
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Serve in the Field You’ve Been Planted (Robert Caridi) | S1E12
In this episode of the Warrior Hope podcast I talk with Pastor Robert Caridi, a leader I met when he attended our first Centers of Hope leader training event this past February in Birmingham, Alabama. Robert was born to in an Italian-American family in North Bellmore, New York. He was raised…
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Faith on the Front Lines (Don Malin) | S1E11
Lt. Col. Don served as a chaplain in two tours of duty in Iraq & Afghanistan. He retired in 2013 as the Chief of Chaplains of the Mississippi National Guard. In his civilian life Don continued his service assisting veterans through the Vet Center in Jackson. Don has a unique relationship to...
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Freedom & Joy (Ginger Branson) | S1E10
In this episode of the Warrior Hope podcast, we talk with Ginger Branson, a Desert Storm veteran (relative to this talk) and member of Mensa (probably relative in some way). Ginger (LTC-Ret, US Army) served in Desert Storm with the 251st Evacuation Hospital January 1991 through May 1991. During…
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Past pain can be a platform to empower others (Willie Hampton) | S1E9
“Hamp,” as everyone calls him, is a magnet. With 8 years of military service, 25 years in civiil service, and now leadership at the local DAV chapter (Disabled American Veterans), people are drawn to for life + hope + encouragement. But he hasn’t always felt like that. (And, he’ll tell you,...
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Choosing Joy Amidst Pain (Gloria Williams) | S1E8
Staff Sgt. Gloria Williams served in the United States Air Force as a communications specialist stationed in Europe, the Philippines and stateside. She gets great joy from sharing her experiences in service as a way of helping others. Gloria is particularly interested in providing help through...