MilSpouse

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BTU #385 - The Strongest Person I've Interviewed (Jessica Swanson)

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BTU #385 - The Strongest Person I've Interviewed (Jessica Swanson)

Why Listen:

In 380 episodes, my guest today - Jess Swanson - is the strongest person I've met. I say that amidst a backdrop of Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, NFL players, UFC Champions and more. At 6 months old, Jess oldest daughter experienced epileptic seizures - usually 8 a day - and shortly after was diagnosed with autism. Rather than letting this derail her life, Jess used it to pave a new path that has helped not only her family, but countless others as well.

She pursued a graduate degree to better understand how to help others like her daughter, became an activist who influenced legislation in congress that helped others like her daughter, and started a company to help other families in her situation.

Jess' story of (1) lessons versus losses, (2) her advice about finding something to appreciate even in areas you might initially deem them a tragedy, and (3) her perspective on controlling what you can and letting go of the rest, these are all incredible lessons borne from enduring unbelievable hardships but choosing to press on for those she loves and to benefit the world around her.

About Jess:

Jessica Swanson is the Executive Director and Owner of Summit Health Services, an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) company serving the Monterey Bay and San Diego areas in California. They are an in network Tricare-West provider proudly serving active duty families. She is a military spouse, her husband having served in the Army for nearly 17 years. Jess holds the following certifications: BCBA (Board certified behavior analyst), QBA (Qualified Behavior analyst), and CAS (Certified Autism specialist)

Our Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by PassLife. Serving in the military is inherently dangerous - are your affairs in order? The grief a service member's family feels upon learning of their passing is difficult enough, but the days, weeks, and months that follow are filled with stressful decisions. PassLife is a single solution, secure cloud-based platform where Funeral Preparations, Last Wishes, Will Information, Financial Assets, Business Continuation Information, Social Media Account info, etc., can be uploaded to recipients of the user's choosing. PassLife allows you to alleviate the stress and lift the fog for your loved ones, preeminently, by giving them a vital trove of information in multiple areas.

Listeners can save 10% by using the code "BTU” at checkout.

Learn more at Pass-Life.com.

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BTU #362 - Hope Unseen Part 2 with Tiffany Smiley

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BTU #362 - Hope Unseen Part 2 with Tiffany Smiley

Why Listen:
Two weeks ago, I interviewed Scottie Smiley for Episode 359. As soon as the interview was over, I emailed Scotty’s wife Tiffany to set up an interview. It was clear from Scotty’s story how big of a role she played in his recovery and success. Tiffany is an incredible woman and this interview is such a powerful reminder of how military spouses are often the unsung heroes in our country. I was moved to tears in our conversation and hope you appreciate Tiffany's story of strength, resilience, and optimism.

About Tiffany:
Tiffany Smiley is currently CEO and Founder of Tiffany Smiley Consulting and President and Co-Founder of Hope Unseen, a highly successful public speaking firm. She has been featured on CBS News, CNN, C-SPAN, Dr. Phil, Fox News, The Katie Couric Show as well as in major publications such as People Magazine, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Prior to that, Ms. Smiley served as a triage nurse and in other health professional roles. She is a graduate of Whitworth University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Ms. Smiley has been a fierce advocate for American veterans, working with high-ranking politicians, lobbyists and the President to secure much-needed services. She runs her consultancy and other businesses from Pasco, WA, where she lives with her husband and three sons.

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BTU #338 - Your LinkedIn Makeover (Donna Serdula)

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BTU #338 - Your LinkedIn Makeover (Donna Serdula)

Why Listen:

Donna is one of the earliest adopters of LinkedIn, and has written two books about LinkedIn profiles, including, LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Hummers. She is graciously providing her course FOR FREE to Veterans, which includes one-on-one feedback from her on your profile… please, please, please take her up on this. Donna is a goldine of information about practical ways to improve your LinkedIn profile and you will leave this interview with simple steps to take today to overhaul your LinkedIn profile. You can learn more at http://www.LinkedIn-Makeover.com

About Donna:

Donna is the author of the books, LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies and LinkedIn Makeover: Professional Secrets to a POWERFUL LinkedIn Profile. She is the Founder & Owner of Vision Board Media, which she has run for over 10 years and helped countless individuals improve their LinkedIn profile.

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BTU #301 - How a Startup Can Access Billion Dollar Government Contracts (Yolanda Clarke)

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BTU #301 - How a Startup Can Access Billion Dollar Government Contracts (Yolanda Clarke)

Why Listen:

Whether or not you’re interested in entrepreneurship, you MUST listen to this episode. Yolanda has such a fascinating way of viewing and explaining the world of entrepreneurship. She also gives some of the best networking advice I’ve ever heard in over 300 episodes to date. As both a Veteran and a military spouse, she approaches the concept of entrepreneurship from a variety of angles, and I found this interview to be a real “knuckle burner” of an episode. I loved our conversation and hope you will too.

About Yolanda:

Yolanda Clarke is the CEO of Powder River Industries, which focuses on the management and technical needs of the U.S. Government. She served in the Army as an Intelligence Officer, worked at Lockheed Martin for over 12 years, serves as City Leader for Bunker Labs San Diego, is the Co-founder of a DEF chapter in Monterey, is a military spouse, and is in the Army Reserves.

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BTU #297 - MilSpouse Careers with Freedom Makers (Laura Renner)

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BTU #297 - MilSpouse Careers with Freedom Makers (Laura Renner)

Why Listen

After multiple jobs, Laura found a career that is aligned with her personal values and, as a result, feels more energy in what she does. And what she does as Founder & CEO of Freedom Makers is help military spouses gain freedom in their own life. Laura talks about how small businesses can benefit from working with military spouses, about how listeners can benefit by having their own virtual assistant, and a whole host of topics related to any military Veteran.

About Laura

Laura Renner is the President and Founder of Freedom Makers, which creates freedom for small business owners by providing virtual assistance. Freedom Makers’ assistants are military spouses who also gain freedom because they can keep working no matter when or where the military moves their family. She served in the Air Force for six years as a Public Affairs Officer, earned an International MBA at the Chicago Booth School of Business, has worked in recruiting in the airline industry, and has started a few businesses.

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BTU #284 - American Corporate Partners (Colleen Deere)

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BTU #284 - American Corporate Partners (Colleen Deere)

Why Listen:

American Corporate Partners is one of the most cited resources on Beyond the Uniform. Colleen is ACP’s Executive Director, and in this interview we talk about what she and her team have learned from helping over 14,500 Veterans in their civilian career. We talk about mentorship, networking, and more.

About Colleen:

Colleen Deere is the Executive Director of American Corporate Partners, where she has served for over nine years. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington, Cum Laude, and holds a Master’s in English Composition and Rhetoric from Kansas State University. She is married to an Army Veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2008-2009, and is the mother of two toddlers, and is an avid long-distance runner.