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Why Listen:

Today is episode number 393 with Brian Reese. He sponsored this interview, which is a huge help for us keeping the show going, but I also want to share that I am so grateful that we did connect. I found this such an uplifting conversation; we talk authentically about vulnerability in the military, asking for help, we talk about his new book, which is called You Deserve It. Even the title is difficult for me to accept. I think there's a natural part of me as a human being, as well as a Veteran, that just sloughs this off; I don't need to get my benefits, I don't need to go to medical, I don't need to do these things.

And we talked about picking apart that myth and how we do a disservice to ourselves, to our communities, to our families, by not taking advantage of a lot of these resources there to help us. And more importantly, we talked about how obfuscated this process can be, how difficult it can be to know your benefits and to actually do these things.

Brian's got a great attitude on these things and the tactics to get the best support you need both in your job search as well as in your benefits. We also talk a little bit about entrepreneurship. I am really in admiration of what Brian has done: he's grown to over 125 team members and I hope that his passion and enthusiasm come out in the conversation, because he's certainly found a career path that's aligned with his mission.

About Brian:

Brian Reese is a leading expert on and advocate for U.S. veterans’ benefits. A former active-duty Air Force officer, he deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. He is a Distinguished Graduate of Management from the United States Air Force Academy and earned his MBA as a National Honor Scholar from the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University. Brian is the Founder & CEO of VA Claims Insider, a Coaching and Consulting company whose mission is to educate and empower veterans to get the VA disability benefits they’ve earned for their honorable service.

Selected Resources: 

• Brian’s website: http://vaclaimsinsider.com/

• Brian’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breese27/

• Brian’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/breese27

• Brian’s Book: https://geni.us/YouDeserveIt

Time Stamps:

• Brian’s background [0:53]

• Brian’s transition out of the Air Force [5:06]

• Military members and veterans not asking for help [13:47]

• What led Brian to write his book [35:35]

• Brian’s advice [39:59]