October 17, 2025 • 30 mins
Two military veterans, Cece and Shannon, share their powerful stories of healing after service, explaining that the civilian world can be a difficult place to land. Shannon, a Marine veteran, explains that traditional therapies, like mindfulness, don't work well for those with PTSD from adrenaline-fueled experiences. For her and many others, hunting and outdoor trips provided a better way to heal.
Cece, who also served, found that being in camo, carrying a rifle, and hiking through nature was a lot like being on patrol, but this time, the experience was safe and full of friendship. It replaced her scary memories with beautiful new ones. They agree that these trips give veterans a noble goal and a sense of identity that the military trained into them, making them feel like war fighters again in a positive way.
Cece also shares her mission, St. Catherine's Mission, which uses the meat she harvests to feed the "hidden homeless," many of whom are veterans and women. Both women talk about the unique, supportive group of strong women in the shooting sports community who always try to help each other succeed. You can support these amazing groups and help more veterans find their own healing journey.
Links
- Otis Technology (00:03.918) - Gun cleaning products company.
Freedom Hunters (01:00.655) - Organization that takes veterans on outdoor experiences (hunting/fishing).
She Never Quit (01:06.014) - Organization/Event mentioned in reference to Cece.
St. Catherine's Mission (stcatherinesmission.org) (24:26.220, 25:36.812) - Cece's Catholic organization that aids the "hidden homeless" (veterans, women, young people) with outdoor gear and supplies.
Crossing the Wire (27:50.050) - Book written by Cece (Anna Maria Cardinali).
Key Takeaways
Outdoor and hunting experiences offered by groups like Freedom Hunters provide a powerful, therapeutic form of healing for veterans' trauma and PTSD.
The military transition is difficult because veterans often lose their ingrained sense of purpose and identity.
For those with adrenaline-related PTSD, therapies like hunting that involve familiar, high-alert focus can be more effective than traditional mindfulness.
The outdoor/shooting community, particularly among women, fosters an important, supportive camaraderie that replaces the bonds lost after leaving the service.
Giving back, both through direct service (like Cece's St. Catherine's Mission) and through anonymous donation, is a critical component of personal healing and community building.
Key words from the transcript include:
Freedom Hunters, Veterans, Otis Technology, SHOT Show 2025, Hunting, Healing, Innovation, Outdoor experiences, Patrol, Camouflage, Community, Sisterhood, PTSD, Purpose, Marine Corps, VA (Veterans Affairs), Anonymous donor, St. Catherine's Mission, Hidden homeless, Crossing the Wire (Book), Ethics of hunting, Alpha females
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_04 (00:03):
Welcome to Amateurs and Experts Podcast, Shot Show
2025.
We are at the Otis TechnologyBooth.
We're in this beautiful podcast,little zoo-looking fishbowl.
SPEAKER_02 (00:17):
Yes, where people come by and like the windows.
Yes.
It's the 40th anniversary forOtis, and um, so it's a special
year, you know, 40 40 years ofuh gun cleaning products and
innovation.
Yes, definitely innovation.
And um this is a specialpodcast, I I feel for myself,
(00:38):
because we have um two wonderfulladies who have served the
served this country, and umthey're gonna be talking about
freedom hunters.
And um, you know, I definitelyknow one of them.
She has been to She Never Quit,she's amazing.
Her name is CeCe.
She's sticking her tongue out.
(01:00):
And the other amazing lady hereis Shannon.
And um, we're excited to talkabout Freedom Hunters and just
get to know their storiesbecause um, you know, after
getting out of the service andstuff like that, it's like, what
do you do?
SPEAKER_03 (01:16):
Right.
SPEAKER_02 (01:17):
And um you either I'm I've seen people shrivel or
blossom.
And CeCe is one of those storiesthat I mean amazing.
And we're we're glad to have youtwo on.
SPEAKER_00 (01:29):
Thank you.
Thanks for having us.
SPEAKER_01 (01:31):
Really honored to be with like some just in the same
room with such amazing women asall you all.
Oh my gosh, us?
unknown (01:38):
That's true.
SPEAKER_01 (01:39):
It's true.
Have you met you?
SPEAKER_04 (01:41):
Like that's very sweet.
I have met me.
I don't know.
I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (01:48):
I'm a totally fangirl over you, CC.
Anyway, so tell us a little bitabout Freedom Hunters and how
you got involved with FreedomHunters.
Should I go first?
SPEAKER_01 (02:00):
Please.
I so I I you know I I I look Iwanted to learn more about
hunting, and so I looked up anorganization that that helped
that that taught veterans.
And I thought I was gonna, and Ifound Freedom Hunters online.
I thought I was going to learn auseful skill.
I thought I was gonna maybe havea recreational opportunity.
But I had no idea the degree ofhealing that Freedom Hunters was
(02:26):
gonna provide.
So Freedom Hunters takesveterans, and they take, I
think, about uh a thousand tofifteen hundred veterans a year.
So I mean, wow, they need oursupport by how much they just
accomplished.
But they take veterans onoutdoor um experiences, hunting,
fishing, you know, amazing ones.
And when they took me, I was metby two uh the most incredible
women, and everybody who listensto this podcast is gonna know
(02:49):
it.
But Lenny and Tracy Barnes, thisis the first time I ever met
them.
Oh, yeah.
Most intimidating experience ofmy life because they're multiple
time Olympians, uh, worldchampions in in more sports, in
more uh shooting sports than youcan count.
The most amazing human beingsyou can meet, and they look like
identical twin Barbie dolls.
So these are the mostattractive.
(03:10):
Right, right.
Um and they're and they're likethe kindest people, like like
they like they could be winninga gold blender, they'll be like,
Can I bake you some cookies?
Like, can I can I can I bakesome cookies?
Like that, you're like so thesewomen treat me like a sister
immediately, and I'm this randomgirl who signed filled out an
internet form.
They take me on this experiencethat I'm gonna be honest for a
while.
(03:31):
It really replicates patrolling.
And I didn't really know it.
You know, it's the first timeI've worn camouflage since about
in the military.
It's the first time that I'vegotten up at the inappropriate
hours of pre-dawn to, you know,to get in pile in trucks and go
out in the middle of nowherelooking for something with
rifles.
Actually, this one was with aboat.
(03:51):
And for a minute it brings upall that fear, like, oh my gosh,
bad things are gonna happen.
And instead, the most beautifullife-affirming, life-giving
experience happens.
That's one with nature, one withfriendship.
We're able to harvest an animalthat that feed that's able to
feed so many.
And it replaces those fearfulmemories with a memory I can
(04:13):
look back on the same contextand have beautiful memories
with.
Wow.
And it freedom hunters did thatfor me.
It healed me in a way that, youknow, the VA is never going to
be able to accomplish.
And it does that for so manyveterans every year.
And I'm here to to talk aboutthem and support them here at
Shot Show because they need oursupport.
They accomplish more healing inmore veterans' lives than any
(04:35):
organization I can think of.
SPEAKER_02 (04:37):
Wow, that was eloquent.
SPEAKER_01 (04:40):
Really?
Really?
That was not one of my skills.
Okay, go to some.
SPEAKER_00 (04:46):
Really?
You get it.
Yeah.
I'm here trying to figure outhow to fake my own death because
that's a hard one to follow.
But um, hi, I'm Shannon.
I'm a Marine.
I'm super, can I say bad wordshere?
If I do, accidentally, Iapologize.
I think it's a good one.
SPEAKER_02 (05:06):
We could we could leave it out in the world.
SPEAKER_00 (05:07):
Okay, yeah.
Um, I'm censored.
Um, a Marine Corps veteran, andI was in the Corps for just uh
about a decade, and I was a aJAG lawyer, and I never um uh I
love being out in the woods incamo, but I didn't grow up
hunting, and I grew up in acommunity where it is it was in
(05:28):
California, and it's veryanti-2A in no not much hunting,
but um it's interesting to Istarted hunting about six years
ago and I got invited on aproist hunt, and it was really
powerful like um to have thatexperience.
And you know, freedom hunters, Iyou know, I the veteran
(05:53):
community is pretty small, andso I I think maybe Kirsty
recommended you know that I getin touch with Anthony or vice
versa.
And I had the most like epichunting experience ever.
Um and it's I'm looking at Cecebecause she likes her.
SPEAKER_01 (06:10):
I'm looking at her because I'm like, you have no
idea because you're on theradio.
You should see her buck.
I mean, it is a world-classbook.
SPEAKER_00 (06:17):
I thought she was gonna say, I wish you could see
how beautiful she is.
I thought she was gonna say butyou should.
SPEAKER_02 (06:29):
I was gonna say uh after hours.
This is not the after hours.
Feeling we need to start it.
SPEAKER_01 (06:35):
I'm glad you're a bit more.
I'm Italian, so I can'tcriticize butts like that.
SPEAKER_00 (06:38):
Yeah, I'm sorry.
And uh yeah, that was me being asmart ass, because I I'm glad
it's a podcast.
So um uh it's reallyinteresting, I think, that um we
need a purpose again, we need anobjective, and um, as I've gone
through the VA process and umstruggled off and on with PTSD
(06:59):
and and just you know, I thinkthe Marine Corps does a
brilliant job.
We make Marines.
We don't do anything to kind ofunmake a Marine.
And a Marine, you know, it'soffensive if you call a Marine
an ex-Marine.
Um we're not in uniform or forMarine, that's it, that's okay.
But so it is a lifelongidentity.
SPEAKER_02 (07:20):
Once a Marine, always our Marine.
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (07:22):
But then we have that so ingrained in just our
like part of our DNA now.
And then we lose a sense of ouridentity, our purpose, uh you
know, what's my it's a noblecareer, I think, when you serve
your country, and then we comeback, and I think a lot of that
struggle with hey, I'm not likethe other kids now, or I'm I'm
(07:46):
not uh fitting in as easily, andjust feeling a little bit
ill-prepared to kind of re-entercivilian life.
And the VA has a lot of programslike mindfulness or yoga, and I
had a great uh professional inthere in the VA tell me if you
(08:09):
have uh PTSD from an aggressiveor adrenaline fueled experience,
you need to heal from that in anaggressive adrenaline fueled
experience.
So the times like I've tried todo mindfulness, like I just want
to jump through like a plateglass window, because that's not
that doesn't heal me.
That makes sense.
(08:29):
I can see that, yeah.
And hunting really provided thatfor me.
It was, you know, I had such anignorant, you know, just
misguided perception of ofhunting and um the outdoor
industry like around the huntingworld.
But it really is such a abeautiful experience.
It's it again like hearing CeCdescribe like being on patrol.
(08:55):
You know, you're humping withyour rifle, you're in in you
know, camo, and you have you'relooking for something, and all
of your senses are are on highalert, but it's peaceful.
And it's interesting becausebeing just even before you add
the hunting element, that is afamiliar, peaceful, like it's my
(09:16):
body knows that.
Right.
And it is really, you know,there's some intensity in and
the the search and the hunt.
Um but it really brings, like itresonates so deeply within us.
And we're war fighters again.
And and and that doesn't meanlike you know, being Rambo.
(09:37):
It means that you're justrelying on your training, your
senses, your familiarity withoutdoors or your weapon, and
what's your objective, you know,and and the humanity behind that
too.
I think that's something that'snot often affiliated with our
service, but you know, I thatthat was also eloquent.
SPEAKER_02 (09:58):
Very articulate and eloquent as well.
Yeah, yes, and you know what?
I never uh I never heard thatput put the way you did about um
you know the violence and stufflike that, to not meditate and
but go out and do something.
And um and I love that because II know a lot of times I used to
(10:20):
have like a really toughworkout, and that was way better
for me than sitting andmeditating somewhere.
SPEAKER_00 (10:25):
Yes.
Yeah.
And for me, I I've been kind oflike sidelining uh my experience
with Freedom Hunters.
It's um one of the most humblingexperiences I've ever had in my
life, and um it but it saved mylife.
It it truly, truly, every daythat I wake up, I and I'm so
(10:46):
blessed that I have a tangible,you know, item that I can refer
to or touch or look at uh to toremind me.
But I my experience, um my umwith Freedom Hunters, they sent
me on a I don't want to say oncein a lifetime because I want to
do it again, but um I don't wantto limit myself, but truly um an
(11:07):
anonymous donor paid more moneythan my first five cars cost put
together to send me on a atrophy L Cont.
And it really uh I I didn'tunderstand like why would
somebody invest that much moneyin me?
(11:28):
Why do I deserve that?
I don't deserve that.
Um you know, like who is thisperson?
Uh could you know, my my son isum he's 14 now, but he said,
Mama, like what did you do?
Like, why why would they dothis?
And who is it?
And I still don't know.
I say prayers for this personall the time.
(11:50):
But um that is awesome.
Don't make me cry crazy, don'tlook serious about that.
And you are deserving of that.
That's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_01 (11:58):
And I wanted to say that that's what I was like
struggling not to say.
SPEAKER_00 (12:01):
Like I don't know somebody more, so I really I
feel comfortable serving.
Um that makes me like I have ahard time receiving.
And you know, I I'm so you know,the how we invest our time and
our resources, it's really it'sit's powerful.
SPEAKER_04 (12:23):
And sometimes like, you know, I think, you know,
that could have helped athousand bets or they, you know,
350, but I will say that I I hadsomeone recently explain to me
about um people giving thatoften however they give, whether
it's a a gift or a donation,that that's also that could also
possibly be a way of themhealing or them feeling like
(12:47):
they're making a difference.
You know, you look at all ofthe, you know, aside from
veterans, but like, you know,the the wildfires, the
hurricanes, things like that,that people that haven't been
affected or someone who didn'tserve, their way of feeling like
they're contributing is beingable to make a donation because
they didn't serve their countrythat way.
And when you sign up as someonewho's gonna put your life on the
(13:08):
w line for our country, you'redeserving of that.
SPEAKER_02 (13:13):
Because you did give up your life, you know, you uh
like you said, once a marine,always a marine, they they uh uh
trained you to be a marine, andthat kind of gave up, you know,
you you gave up your naturalthinking thought process and and
way of life for our country.
SPEAKER_00 (13:35):
I think about the the one thing I struggle with is
uh and I kept asking on my hand,like does this person know like
how blown away I am and how thisis the best I've felt in a
decade and like that this justdidn't change my life, it
changed my child's life, itchanged our entire like future
(13:57):
and like trajectory.
And it it really truly is likesometimes that's the the the
unfortunate part is the personwho gives might not know you
know like like having eyecontact with somebody and
smiling or just looking insomebody's eyes and saying, How
are you today?
(14:18):
And yeah, and I think I wake upevery morning and I think, am I
living up to the worthiness thatthis individual like he believed
in me and um I do know it's aguy, so if there's ladies out
there that want to sponsorhands, let's go, girls.
SPEAKER_04 (14:37):
We're all ready, we're all ready.
But that ripple effect is true.
It's you know, it it's not justyou, it's now your family, your
son, your extended family, yourfriends, people that you meet
here at Shot, now people thatare gonna listen to this
podcast.
Yeah.
So that donation, and and Ithink a lot of people that
donate that amount of money,it's I almost appreciate that he
(15:00):
didn't want to put his name onit because it's really about the
donation, you, that experienceenhancing your life, not about
his name.
SPEAKER_00 (15:09):
The fact that um this donor wanted to remain
anonymous.
I have these like imaginaryconversations sometimes with him
in my head, like thank you,thank you for redeeming.
And I think that there was hejust said like a female veteran
he wanted to help, and and Ijust like I I thank him so many
(15:30):
times.
Like, thank you for believing inme more than I believed in
myself.
And thinking, you know,investing in that.
And it really does, it'ssomething to live up to, and
it's something I I want to, youknow.
SPEAKER_02 (15:44):
I I and look, you're giving back.
You're here talking about it.
SPEAKER_00 (15:49):
That's easy.
I tell everybody they're so sickof it.
SPEAKER_01 (15:54):
Do you see what happens when you support freedom
hunters?
Freedom hunters are you fill alittle fishbowl of girls with
girl cheers.
Like the place is filling upright now with water.
We're gonna you can drown womenin a fishbowl by supporting
freedom hunters.
SPEAKER_00 (16:07):
That's not actually.
That's just tequila and sweatingcompany.
SPEAKER_04 (16:12):
If I start looking your face, I'm sorry.
And then I and to that, I Ithink the other big key, and
CeCe, you mentioned this aboutthe the friendship and the
relationships that now withFreedom Hunters, you're also
reconnecting with otherveterans, and I think that's
(16:33):
very important that no matterwhen things happen in life, I
think it's important that youknow that you're not alone, that
yes, your isolated experience isalone to you because no one can
understand truly what you'vebeen through, but to be able to
know, okay, there's people thatthat get me because they've
they're a marine, they'veserved, they understand that
life because I I went to artschool.
(16:54):
Like I basically color for aliving.
I can never ever understand whatit's like to have your life.
And I think connecting thosetypes of people together,
because it is a small community,is incredibly important to
create those positive moments.
SPEAKER_01 (17:12):
And in terms of community too, absolutely
reconnecting with the veterancommunity, but also uh Freedom
Hunters in that first experienceconnected me with you girls,
with the women with the outdoor,with the women's outdoors
community, with the with thelarger, with the larger uh
outdoors and shooting communityas a whole, which I was never a
part of previously, and yet I'veI felt so welcome with you guys.
(17:34):
I've I you guys have becomecommunity to me and us and
everyone you welcome in.
And I've I've I've felt love andcamaraderie that you know we we
lose when we when we leave themilitary.
We're like holding hands inhere, it's really disgusting.
It's terrible.
It's weird, it's yeah, yeah,it's really, it's really good.
But so thank you also FreedomCountries for giving me a family
in you girls.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (17:53):
Yes.
So CeCe, the first time I metyou was at She Never Quit.
And um everybody was talkingabout you.
Oh my gosh, CeCe's gonna come.
SPEAKER_01 (18:02):
More to talk about than that.
Okay, that's boring.
SPEAKER_04 (18:06):
It was almost like somebody was like, oh my gosh,
Chair's coming.
Yeah.
Cool.
SPEAKER_02 (18:15):
Oh my gosh, I can't.
I can't wait for you to meet CC,CC, CC.
And I was like, who's this CC?
And then you just walk in andyou're like, Marty! I was like,
that's CC.
SPEAKER_01 (18:29):
But that's what I mean.
Whoever's listening, you hearthe welcomingness in these
ladies.
But that's what this communityis like.
SPEAKER_02 (18:35):
I have to say, the first she never quit, she ever
came to.
She you did uh flamingo guitar,sang opera, told your story, did
a, I think, didn't you do a uhmed tech class?
I think I did that as a yeah,yeah.
So I mean, Cece is like one ofthose people that you're just
like, oh my gosh, and the listgoes on and on.
SPEAKER_00 (18:58):
She's phenomenal.
It is like, I can't hold acouncil to that.
I just like I'm in, like, I'mjealous of all of her
pre-existing friendships becauseI want everybody to know she's
now my best friend.
And I keep thinking, like, howwere we like separated at birth
like this?
SPEAKER_01 (19:16):
It's funny when you meet so many.
And I think each of us can kindof say that.
Like, it's absolutely true withus.
I think each of us can kind ofsay that with each other in our
own way.
Yes.
This community really finds likepeople.
SPEAKER_04 (19:30):
It's authentic.
Yeah.
We were speaking with someoneyesterday and it was um open
doors.
Yes, Dr.
SPEAKER_02 (19:39):
Simone.
SPEAKER_04 (19:40):
Yes.
And she's like, you know, inthis industry, in the sport,
females are, you know, theminority.
We're a very small sector, butit kind of brings in like alpha
females.
Females that are very, you know,we take charge, we we get stuff
done, we're amazing at things,but it's a type of alpha female
(20:01):
that we want to lift each otherup.
We want to be supportive, wewant to let each other shine.
And I think that's very rare.
There's a lot of otherindustries that there's alpha
females that want to cut eachother down, whereas here it's
like, what are you great at?
I want to help you be better.
You know, where are yourweaknesses?
I want to help you strengthenthose.
It's it's a beautiful thing.
SPEAKER_01 (20:19):
Oh my gosh, I never put my I was never able to
articulate that the way you are.
You're absolutely right.
Wow.
SPEAKER_00 (20:26):
And I I wondered, like, um, I have great
friendships.
Um, my like my family in theMarine Corps are my veterans.
I love them.
They're my people, they just getme.
Um, sorry for them.
Um but but it's so it's but itis interesting.
You don't find um like as uh asa lawyer, as a Marine, and like
(20:47):
all of these different roles, umyou don't find that support,
that sisterhood that you do inthis this world, and where it's
not competitive.
I mean, we're all competitors,we're all probably, you know,
everybody wants the biggestbuck, or you know, the best, but
it's not competing with eachother.
(21:08):
Yeah, it's really it's and and Ithink that's something that is
lost oftentimes with women.
We're competing with ourselvesand our own standards.
Yes, we compete with ourselves,not with each other.
And and somehow that's lostthough in society with strong
women.
Right.
You know, and and it's lonelysometimes.
SPEAKER_04 (21:26):
Very lonely.
And I that's why all of us love,I think, shot as females.
Yes.
And she never quit in huntingtrips because you get to connect
with those women.
And if your best friend gets thebiggest buck, you know you're
gonna get some of that meat.
SPEAKER_00 (21:42):
You're a vegetarian.
I know.
This is always like everybodyalways thinks I'm joking about
this.
I just don't.
SPEAKER_02 (21:48):
Okay, you're my next hunting partner.
SPEAKER_00 (21:52):
I get the I get the hides and the rack bumps.
I can use all of that, but youdon't even have to.
I like to feed my baby likehealthy, strongly.
Yes, absolutely.
And that's just purely becauseI'm addicted to candy and um
that's that top.
SPEAKER_04 (22:08):
We have a fistful of Twizzlers, which I so
appreciate.
SPEAKER_00 (22:10):
These are emotional support uh twizzlers.
SPEAKER_04 (22:13):
You look sort of love you when you were like,
These are my emotional supporttwizzlers.
Can I put these here?
SPEAKER_00 (22:17):
And I was like, yeah.
And then they told me, don'tshake hands with me because you
have like licorice jibs all overyour face and hands.
SPEAKER_02 (22:24):
No, I was just thinking about our germs on our
hands.
Oh yeah.
Excellent getting your emotionalsupport licorice.
Well I was thinking about yougetting, you know.
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:34):
I eat food off the floor.
I'm a marine.
And when you said you're anartist, I think, well, we're
kind I'm kind of an artist.
Like everybody says marines allwe do is just eat crayons.
So oh, I've heard that, thegreen crayon.
Well, actually, I love orange.
SPEAKER_04 (22:49):
Orange is my favorite color.
Orange is a power of color.
Love it.
Yes, I've never met anyone elsewho loves orange.
It's very few.
Really?
Yes.
I think it's so it's so intense.
SPEAKER_01 (23:01):
I just want to say, like, this I didn't know about
you, but like the wholevegetarianism thing.
I became interested in huntingbecause I was interested in
vegetarianism.
Like, I love animals.
I love animals.
And I was trying to find themost ethical way to eat.
And the more I learned about thecommercial uh cattle industry
and the way slaughter takesplace, and uh the more uh
(23:23):
emotionally affected I was and Ididn't want to participate in
that.
One of the reasons I hunt is forlove of animals.
I I I'm not physically able tobe a vegetarian, and I have
people I need to feed with themeat that we gather, but it is
the ethics of hunting thatallows an animal to live free
and fearlessly and as they weremeant to the fullest life that
they can.
And the ethics of our good, goodpractice shooting that makes the
(23:47):
the harvest of that animal thethe most comfortable possibility
for me in the fact that we doeat meat if we have to eat.
Oh, yeah, in conservationpurposes.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (23:58):
I want you to talk about who you feed.
SPEAKER_01 (24:00):
Oh, um, so I so I um um am part of a Catholic
organization that um we have twomissions.
We're we're veryveteran-informed.
So we use uh veteran-informed umtactics to provide um uh uh
food, outdoor clothing andequipment, everything that's
(24:23):
needed for the survival of uhpeople who we call the hidden
homeless.
Not the homeless who are able toaccess shelters and soup
kitchens, but those who, usuallyit's veterans, it's women, and
it's young people who are haveintimidation from that
environment and hide from thoseresources.
We go out to them using actuallylike a counterinsurgency
intelligence model to find thosepeople and provide for their
(24:44):
needs.
And then we have a largerstrategic model of uh
preventing, of helping peoplewhose lives have been been
impacted by the things that getpeople there, mostly it's
exploitation and trafficking,um, to uh provide a
longer-lasting home for kidsbefore they end up on those
streets.
So that's uh St.
Catharinesmission.org, and uhthat that's what we do.
SPEAKER_02 (25:05):
That is a great phenomenal.
SPEAKER_01 (25:08):
I mean, oh and it's Saint, like if you want to go to
the website, it's not don'tspell it Saint.
It's like S-T, C A T H E RI-N-E-S, M-I-S-S-I-O-N.org.
SPEAKER_02 (25:18):
Yes, that is, I mean, what a great cause, right?
And a great organization.
So if you would like to donate,um, I know uh sometimes we go
hunting and and as we're drivingthrough Texas to Deb's house,
uh, I know she's dropped offsome some meat to you and stuff
like that.
SPEAKER_01 (25:37):
That's right, you guys have been amazing.
And a lot of the sponsors atShot Show, I mean I want to
reach out to them and say thankyou because uh a lot of the
outdoor gear companies are areare wonderful supporters.
And if you're one of thosecompanies listening and you've
got product that you don'tthat's taking up warehouse room,
come come come see us, come talkto us, St.
Catharinesvision.org.
Uh, because we we really makeuse of it.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (25:56):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:57):
I love that too because um we want healthy,
resilient community, and bybeing outdoors and providing
that, you know, that's somethingwhere um oftentimes, you know,
like with veterans even beingoutdoors or being with each
other, we heal so much betterand faster and stronger that
way.
SPEAKER_02 (26:18):
So CeCe, you and and that's true, right?
Being outdoors is healing.
I mean it's good for your soul,and and uh you know, anything
that is bothering you, you gooutside and you're just like if
you're out with the nature and Iteach therapeutic horseback
riding and I find that uh thatjust being with the animal or
(26:40):
being outside, it really opensus up.
SPEAKER_00 (26:43):
We are taking in different things, it's not in a
clinical setting.
It's not like even thisenvironment right here in this
booth, the windows, you know.
But if you think about atraditional or clinical setting
of therapy or going to ashelter, it doesn't, it's it's
very confined.
And so I think our healing kindof stays minimized like that.
SPEAKER_02 (27:04):
It's really it's and because it's it's something
outside of yourself, you know,you're you're focused on
something outside of yourself.
That's that's amazing.
And I know that CC has written abook.
So if you want to uh you if youwant to hear her story, which is
just amazing, just fabulous.
I mean, uh I read it, and um I Idon't know, Cece has become like
(27:31):
my hero.
And if you read that book, it isso touching.
And um, the things that she wentthrough and uh what it's her
why, right?
Why you're doing why you haveyour organization, and um so
where can they find the book?
SPEAKER_01 (27:49):
Um it's called Crossing the Wire, and it's
available on Amazon.
I think there's also like a lotof uh guides for electricians
called Crossing the Wire, sodon't get that one.
And also don't cross your wires.
It can blow things up.
Otherwise, but the book iscalled Crossing the Wire, and
it's it's kind of like thisreally long One Woman's Journey
(28:10):
into the Hidden Dangers of theAfghan War.
Um and people won't find it ifthey call me Cece, which only
which my dearest friends do.
So it's no no no no, but likethat's you know, that's among
us, like that's who I am.
But my actual name is Anna MariaCardinali, so they can find
that.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (28:25):
Wait, what's your don't you have a title?
Oh, oh, oh, shut up.
Goddess.
SPEAKER_00 (28:31):
Goddess, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (28:32):
If you knew how beautiful Cece was, it's just
like I'm a short Italianone-eyed lady, so like I okay I
like because you're not gettingthe visual here because you're
listening to this, so that Ijust had to fill that in for
you.
My my my my Marin Shannon herenow, she is also like Lion
Transit, the Barbie doll, likethe tall, blonde, gorgeous,
yeah.
(28:53):
Um what were we talking about?
SPEAKER_02 (28:55):
One-eyed your book, your book, your name, your name.
SPEAKER_01 (29:00):
Oh, she you're you're trying to get me to say
doctor.
I yeah, I have a PhD, yeah.
Yes.
Of Notre Dame.
Go Irish.
We almost we almost did it thisyear.
What about the other one?
Um, sister.
Oh yeah.
Well, what that's because when Ilike sisters, I'm careful about
that because I I belong to anemer what's called an emerging
order in the Catholic Church.
And um I'm in vows in thatorder.
(29:21):
It's an association of thefaithful that that is in the
canonical process of becoming asociety of apostolic life.
But because it's in the process,I don't address myself by a
title, but I am in vows to thatorganization, Poverty, Chastity,
and Obedience, and uh that'sthat that's that St.
Catharines is my life.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm so I and I think I'm I thinkI'm the luckiest girl in the
whole world.
(29:42):
I really do.
SPEAKER_02 (29:43):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Yeah.
Well, I know that you've toucheda lot of people, and Shannon,
you have touched, I know myheart, and uh, and I'm sure
everybody that uh meets you,because you both are so amazing.
And uh thank you for for yourservice and dedication to to the
community and to to the U.S.
SPEAKER_04 (30:04):
Yeah, you're putting a lot of light in the world.
There's a lot of darkness, butyou guys are putting a lot of
light, and that's positive.
SPEAKER_02 (30:12):
Love you, girls.
Thank you.
Thank you for being on ourpodcast.
SPEAKER_00 (30:15):
I wish we could do like a group hug over the
airwaves.
SPEAKER_02 (30:19):
To everybody.
SPEAKER_00 (30:20):
Yeah.
We can.
We're sending virtual hugs.
I think I think people are.
I'm like gunned up, but we dohave a crying and the camera.
SPEAKER_01 (30:30):
It's just like it's just basic.
SPEAKER_02 (30:35):
All right.
Well, this is a wrap.
Thank you for being on ourpodcast and uh and just doing
your amazing stuff.
Thank you for listening toAmateurs and Experts Podcasts.
Like and follow the Woma onFacebook, Instagram, and
LinkedIn for more informationand podcast updates.
SPEAKER_04 (30:52):
We'll see you here again soon on Amateurs and
Experts.
Welcome to Amateurs and Experts Podcast, Shot Show
2025.
We are at the Otis TechnologyBooth.
We're in this beautiful podcast,little zoo-looking fishbowl.
SPEAKER_02 (00:17):
Yes, where people come by and like the windows.
Yes.
It's the 40th anniversary forOtis, and um, so it's a special
year, you know, 40 40 years ofuh gun cleaning products and
innovation.
Yes, definitely innovation.
And um this is a specialpodcast, I I feel for myself,
(00:38):
because we have um two wonderfulladies who have served the
served this country, and umthey're gonna be talking about
freedom hunters.
And um, you know, I definitelyknow one of them.
She has been to She Never Quit,she's amazing.
Her name is CeCe.
She's sticking her tongue out.
(01:00):
And the other amazing lady hereis Shannon.
And um, we're excited to talkabout Freedom Hunters and just
get to know their storiesbecause um, you know, after
getting out of the service andstuff like that, it's like, what
do you do?
SPEAKER_03 (01:16):
Right.
SPEAKER_02 (01:17):
And um you either I'm I've seen people shrivel or
blossom.
And CeCe is one of those storiesthat I mean amazing.
And we're we're glad to have youtwo on.
SPEAKER_00 (01:29):
Thank you.
Thanks for having us.
SPEAKER_01 (01:31):
Really honored to be with like some just in the same
room with such amazing women asall you all.
Oh my gosh, us?
unknown (01:38):
That's true.
SPEAKER_01 (01:39):
It's true.
Have you met you?
SPEAKER_04 (01:41):
Like that's very sweet.
I have met me.
I don't know.
I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (01:48):
I'm a totally fangirl over you, CC.
Anyway, so tell us a little bitabout Freedom Hunters and how
you got involved with FreedomHunters.
Should I go first?
SPEAKER_01 (02:00):
Please.
I so I I you know I I I look Iwanted to learn more about
hunting, and so I looked up anorganization that that helped
that that taught veterans.
And I thought I was gonna, and Ifound Freedom Hunters online.
I thought I was going to learn auseful skill.
I thought I was gonna maybe havea recreational opportunity.
But I had no idea the degree ofhealing that Freedom Hunters was
(02:26):
gonna provide.
So Freedom Hunters takesveterans, and they take, I
think, about uh a thousand tofifteen hundred veterans a year.
So I mean, wow, they need oursupport by how much they just
accomplished.
But they take veterans onoutdoor um experiences, hunting,
fishing, you know, amazing ones.
And when they took me, I was metby two uh the most incredible
women, and everybody who listensto this podcast is gonna know
(02:49):
it.
But Lenny and Tracy Barnes, thisis the first time I ever met
them.
Oh, yeah.
Most intimidating experience ofmy life because they're multiple
time Olympians, uh, worldchampions in in more sports, in
more uh shooting sports than youcan count.
The most amazing human beingsyou can meet, and they look like
identical twin Barbie dolls.
So these are the mostattractive.
(03:10):
Right, right.
Um and they're and they're likethe kindest people, like like
they like they could be winninga gold blender, they'll be like,
Can I bake you some cookies?
Like, can I can I can I bakesome cookies?
Like that, you're like so thesewomen treat me like a sister
immediately, and I'm this randomgirl who signed filled out an
internet form.
They take me on this experiencethat I'm gonna be honest for a
while.
(03:31):
It really replicates patrolling.
And I didn't really know it.
You know, it's the first timeI've worn camouflage since about
in the military.
It's the first time that I'vegotten up at the inappropriate
hours of pre-dawn to, you know,to get in pile in trucks and go
out in the middle of nowherelooking for something with
rifles.
Actually, this one was with aboat.
(03:51):
And for a minute it brings upall that fear, like, oh my gosh,
bad things are gonna happen.
And instead, the most beautifullife-affirming, life-giving
experience happens.
That's one with nature, one withfriendship.
We're able to harvest an animalthat that feed that's able to
feed so many.
And it replaces those fearfulmemories with a memory I can
(04:13):
look back on the same contextand have beautiful memories
with.
Wow.
And it freedom hunters did thatfor me.
It healed me in a way that, youknow, the VA is never going to
be able to accomplish.
And it does that for so manyveterans every year.
And I'm here to to talk aboutthem and support them here at
Shot Show because they need oursupport.
They accomplish more healing inmore veterans' lives than any
(04:35):
organization I can think of.
SPEAKER_02 (04:37):
Wow, that was eloquent.
SPEAKER_01 (04:40):
Really?
Really?
That was not one of my skills.
Okay, go to some.
SPEAKER_00 (04:46):
Really?
You get it.
Yeah.
I'm here trying to figure outhow to fake my own death because
that's a hard one to follow.
But um, hi, I'm Shannon.
I'm a Marine.
I'm super, can I say bad wordshere?
If I do, accidentally, Iapologize.
I think it's a good one.
SPEAKER_02 (05:06):
We could we could leave it out in the world.
SPEAKER_00 (05:07):
Okay, yeah.
Um, I'm censored.
Um, a Marine Corps veteran, andI was in the Corps for just uh
about a decade, and I was a aJAG lawyer, and I never um uh I
love being out in the woods incamo, but I didn't grow up
hunting, and I grew up in acommunity where it is it was in
(05:28):
California, and it's veryanti-2A in no not much hunting,
but um it's interesting to Istarted hunting about six years
ago and I got invited on aproist hunt, and it was really
powerful like um to have thatexperience.
And you know, freedom hunters, Iyou know, I the veteran
(05:53):
community is pretty small, andso I I think maybe Kirsty
recommended you know that I getin touch with Anthony or vice
versa.
And I had the most like epichunting experience ever.
Um and it's I'm looking at Cecebecause she likes her.
SPEAKER_01 (06:10):
I'm looking at her because I'm like, you have no
idea because you're on theradio.
You should see her buck.
I mean, it is a world-classbook.
SPEAKER_00 (06:17):
I thought she was gonna say, I wish you could see
how beautiful she is.
I thought she was gonna say butyou should.
SPEAKER_02 (06:29):
I was gonna say uh after hours.
This is not the after hours.
Feeling we need to start it.
SPEAKER_01 (06:35):
I'm glad you're a bit more.
I'm Italian, so I can'tcriticize butts like that.
SPEAKER_00 (06:38):
Yeah, I'm sorry.
And uh yeah, that was me being asmart ass, because I I'm glad
it's a podcast.
So um uh it's reallyinteresting, I think, that um we
need a purpose again, we need anobjective, and um, as I've gone
through the VA process and umstruggled off and on with PTSD
(06:59):
and and just you know, I thinkthe Marine Corps does a
brilliant job.
We make Marines.
We don't do anything to kind ofunmake a Marine.
And a Marine, you know, it'soffensive if you call a Marine
an ex-Marine.
Um we're not in uniform or forMarine, that's it, that's okay.
But so it is a lifelongidentity.
SPEAKER_02 (07:20):
Once a Marine, always our Marine.
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (07:22):
But then we have that so ingrained in just our
like part of our DNA now.
And then we lose a sense of ouridentity, our purpose, uh you
know, what's my it's a noblecareer, I think, when you serve
your country, and then we comeback, and I think a lot of that
struggle with hey, I'm not likethe other kids now, or I'm I'm
(07:46):
not uh fitting in as easily, andjust feeling a little bit
ill-prepared to kind of re-entercivilian life.
And the VA has a lot of programslike mindfulness or yoga, and I
had a great uh professional inthere in the VA tell me if you
(08:09):
have uh PTSD from an aggressiveor adrenaline fueled experience,
you need to heal from that in anaggressive adrenaline fueled
experience.
So the times like I've tried todo mindfulness, like I just want
to jump through like a plateglass window, because that's not
that doesn't heal me.
That makes sense.
(08:29):
I can see that, yeah.
And hunting really provided thatfor me.
It was, you know, I had such anignorant, you know, just
misguided perception of ofhunting and um the outdoor
industry like around the huntingworld.
But it really is such a abeautiful experience.
It's it again like hearing CeCdescribe like being on patrol.
(08:55):
You know, you're humping withyour rifle, you're in in you
know, camo, and you have you'relooking for something, and all
of your senses are are on highalert, but it's peaceful.
And it's interesting becausebeing just even before you add
the hunting element, that is afamiliar, peaceful, like it's my
(09:16):
body knows that.
Right.
And it is really, you know,there's some intensity in and
the the search and the hunt.
Um but it really brings, like itresonates so deeply within us.
And we're war fighters again.
And and and that doesn't meanlike you know, being Rambo.
(09:37):
It means that you're justrelying on your training, your
senses, your familiarity withoutdoors or your weapon, and
what's your objective, you know,and and the humanity behind that
too.
I think that's something that'snot often affiliated with our
service, but you know, I thatthat was also eloquent.
SPEAKER_02 (09:58):
Very articulate and eloquent as well.
Yeah, yes, and you know what?
I never uh I never heard thatput put the way you did about um
you know the violence and stufflike that, to not meditate and
but go out and do something.
And um and I love that because II know a lot of times I used to
(10:20):
have like a really toughworkout, and that was way better
for me than sitting andmeditating somewhere.
SPEAKER_00 (10:25):
Yes.
Yeah.
And for me, I I've been kind oflike sidelining uh my experience
with Freedom Hunters.
It's um one of the most humblingexperiences I've ever had in my
life, and um it but it saved mylife.
It it truly, truly, every daythat I wake up, I and I'm so
(10:46):
blessed that I have a tangible,you know, item that I can refer
to or touch or look at uh to toremind me.
But I my experience, um my umwith Freedom Hunters, they sent
me on a I don't want to say oncein a lifetime because I want to
do it again, but um I don't wantto limit myself, but truly um an
(11:07):
anonymous donor paid more moneythan my first five cars cost put
together to send me on a atrophy L Cont.
And it really uh I I didn'tunderstand like why would
somebody invest that much moneyin me?
(11:28):
Why do I deserve that?
I don't deserve that.
Um you know, like who is thisperson?
Uh could you know, my my son isum he's 14 now, but he said,
Mama, like what did you do?
Like, why why would they dothis?
And who is it?
And I still don't know.
I say prayers for this personall the time.
(11:50):
But um that is awesome.
Don't make me cry crazy, don'tlook serious about that.
And you are deserving of that.
That's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_01 (11:58):
And I wanted to say that that's what I was like
struggling not to say.
SPEAKER_00 (12:01):
Like I don't know somebody more, so I really I
feel comfortable serving.
Um that makes me like I have ahard time receiving.
And you know, I I'm so you know,the how we invest our time and
our resources, it's really it'sit's powerful.
SPEAKER_04 (12:23):
And sometimes like, you know, I think, you know,
that could have helped athousand bets or they, you know,
350, but I will say that I I hadsomeone recently explain to me
about um people giving thatoften however they give, whether
it's a a gift or a donation,that that's also that could also
possibly be a way of themhealing or them feeling like
(12:47):
they're making a difference.
You know, you look at all ofthe, you know, aside from
veterans, but like, you know,the the wildfires, the
hurricanes, things like that,that people that haven't been
affected or someone who didn'tserve, their way of feeling like
they're contributing is beingable to make a donation because
they didn't serve their countrythat way.
And when you sign up as someonewho's gonna put your life on the
(13:08):
w line for our country, you'redeserving of that.
SPEAKER_02 (13:13):
Because you did give up your life, you know, you uh
like you said, once a marine,always a marine, they they uh uh
trained you to be a marine, andthat kind of gave up, you know,
you you gave up your naturalthinking thought process and and
way of life for our country.
SPEAKER_00 (13:35):
I think about the the one thing I struggle with is
uh and I kept asking on my hand,like does this person know like
how blown away I am and how thisis the best I've felt in a
decade and like that this justdidn't change my life, it
changed my child's life, itchanged our entire like future
(13:57):
and like trajectory.
And it it really truly is likesometimes that's the the the
unfortunate part is the personwho gives might not know you
know like like having eyecontact with somebody and
smiling or just looking insomebody's eyes and saying, How
are you today?
(14:18):
And yeah, and I think I wake upevery morning and I think, am I
living up to the worthiness thatthis individual like he believed
in me and um I do know it's aguy, so if there's ladies out
there that want to sponsorhands, let's go, girls.
SPEAKER_04 (14:37):
We're all ready, we're all ready.
But that ripple effect is true.
It's you know, it it's not justyou, it's now your family, your
son, your extended family, yourfriends, people that you meet
here at Shot, now people thatare gonna listen to this
podcast.
Yeah.
So that donation, and and Ithink a lot of people that
donate that amount of money,it's I almost appreciate that he
(15:00):
didn't want to put his name onit because it's really about the
donation, you, that experienceenhancing your life, not about
his name.
SPEAKER_00 (15:09):
The fact that um this donor wanted to remain
anonymous.
I have these like imaginaryconversations sometimes with him
in my head, like thank you,thank you for redeeming.
And I think that there was hejust said like a female veteran
he wanted to help, and and Ijust like I I thank him so many
(15:30):
times.
Like, thank you for believing inme more than I believed in
myself.
And thinking, you know,investing in that.
And it really does, it'ssomething to live up to, and
it's something I I want to, youknow.
SPEAKER_02 (15:44):
I I and look, you're giving back.
You're here talking about it.
SPEAKER_00 (15:49):
That's easy.
I tell everybody they're so sickof it.
SPEAKER_01 (15:54):
Do you see what happens when you support freedom
hunters?
Freedom hunters are you fill alittle fishbowl of girls with
girl cheers.
Like the place is filling upright now with water.
We're gonna you can drown womenin a fishbowl by supporting
freedom hunters.
SPEAKER_00 (16:07):
That's not actually.
That's just tequila and sweatingcompany.
SPEAKER_04 (16:12):
If I start looking your face, I'm sorry.
And then I and to that, I Ithink the other big key, and
CeCe, you mentioned this aboutthe the friendship and the
relationships that now withFreedom Hunters, you're also
reconnecting with otherveterans, and I think that's
(16:33):
very important that no matterwhen things happen in life, I
think it's important that youknow that you're not alone, that
yes, your isolated experience isalone to you because no one can
understand truly what you'vebeen through, but to be able to
know, okay, there's people thatthat get me because they've
they're a marine, they'veserved, they understand that
life because I I went to artschool.
(16:54):
Like I basically color for aliving.
I can never ever understand whatit's like to have your life.
And I think connecting thosetypes of people together,
because it is a small community,is incredibly important to
create those positive moments.
SPEAKER_01 (17:12):
And in terms of community too, absolutely
reconnecting with the veterancommunity, but also uh Freedom
Hunters in that first experienceconnected me with you girls,
with the women with the outdoor,with the women's outdoors
community, with the with thelarger, with the larger uh
outdoors and shooting communityas a whole, which I was never a
part of previously, and yet I'veI felt so welcome with you guys.
(17:34):
I've I you guys have becomecommunity to me and us and
everyone you welcome in.
And I've I've I've felt love andcamaraderie that you know we we
lose when we when we leave themilitary.
We're like holding hands inhere, it's really disgusting.
It's terrible.
It's weird, it's yeah, yeah,it's really, it's really good.
But so thank you also FreedomCountries for giving me a family
in you girls.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (17:53):
Yes.
So CeCe, the first time I metyou was at She Never Quit.
And um everybody was talkingabout you.
Oh my gosh, CeCe's gonna come.
SPEAKER_01 (18:02):
More to talk about than that.
Okay, that's boring.
SPEAKER_04 (18:06):
It was almost like somebody was like, oh my gosh,
Chair's coming.
Yeah.
Cool.
SPEAKER_02 (18:15):
Oh my gosh, I can't.
I can't wait for you to meet CC,CC, CC.
And I was like, who's this CC?
And then you just walk in andyou're like, Marty! I was like,
that's CC.
SPEAKER_01 (18:29):
But that's what I mean.
Whoever's listening, you hearthe welcomingness in these
ladies.
But that's what this communityis like.
SPEAKER_02 (18:35):
I have to say, the first she never quit, she ever
came to.
She you did uh flamingo guitar,sang opera, told your story, did
a, I think, didn't you do a uhmed tech class?
I think I did that as a yeah,yeah.
So I mean, Cece is like one ofthose people that you're just
like, oh my gosh, and the listgoes on and on.
SPEAKER_00 (18:58):
She's phenomenal.
It is like, I can't hold acouncil to that.
I just like I'm in, like, I'mjealous of all of her
pre-existing friendships becauseI want everybody to know she's
now my best friend.
And I keep thinking, like, howwere we like separated at birth
like this?
SPEAKER_01 (19:16):
It's funny when you meet so many.
And I think each of us can kindof say that.
Like, it's absolutely true withus.
I think each of us can kind ofsay that with each other in our
own way.
Yes.
This community really finds likepeople.
SPEAKER_04 (19:30):
It's authentic.
Yeah.
We were speaking with someoneyesterday and it was um open
doors.
Yes, Dr.
SPEAKER_02 (19:39):
Simone.
SPEAKER_04 (19:40):
Yes.
And she's like, you know, inthis industry, in the sport,
females are, you know, theminority.
We're a very small sector, butit kind of brings in like alpha
females.
Females that are very, you know,we take charge, we we get stuff
done, we're amazing at things,but it's a type of alpha female
(20:01):
that we want to lift each otherup.
We want to be supportive, wewant to let each other shine.
And I think that's very rare.
There's a lot of otherindustries that there's alpha
females that want to cut eachother down, whereas here it's
like, what are you great at?
I want to help you be better.
You know, where are yourweaknesses?
I want to help you strengthenthose.
It's it's a beautiful thing.
SPEAKER_01 (20:19):
Oh my gosh, I never put my I was never able to
articulate that the way you are.
You're absolutely right.
Wow.
SPEAKER_00 (20:26):
And I I wondered, like, um, I have great
friendships.
Um, my like my family in theMarine Corps are my veterans.
I love them.
They're my people, they just getme.
Um, sorry for them.
Um but but it's so it's but itis interesting.
You don't find um like as uh asa lawyer, as a Marine, and like
(20:47):
all of these different roles, umyou don't find that support,
that sisterhood that you do inthis this world, and where it's
not competitive.
I mean, we're all competitors,we're all probably, you know,
everybody wants the biggestbuck, or you know, the best, but
it's not competing with eachother.
(21:08):
Yeah, it's really it's and and Ithink that's something that is
lost oftentimes with women.
We're competing with ourselvesand our own standards.
Yes, we compete with ourselves,not with each other.
And and somehow that's lostthough in society with strong
women.
Right.
You know, and and it's lonelysometimes.
SPEAKER_04 (21:26):
Very lonely.
And I that's why all of us love,I think, shot as females.
Yes.
And she never quit in huntingtrips because you get to connect
with those women.
And if your best friend gets thebiggest buck, you know you're
gonna get some of that meat.
SPEAKER_00 (21:42):
You're a vegetarian.
I know.
This is always like everybodyalways thinks I'm joking about
this.
I just don't.
SPEAKER_02 (21:48):
Okay, you're my next hunting partner.
SPEAKER_00 (21:52):
I get the I get the hides and the rack bumps.
I can use all of that, but youdon't even have to.
I like to feed my baby likehealthy, strongly.
Yes, absolutely.
And that's just purely becauseI'm addicted to candy and um
that's that top.
SPEAKER_04 (22:08):
We have a fistful of Twizzlers, which I so
appreciate.
SPEAKER_00 (22:10):
These are emotional support uh twizzlers.
SPEAKER_04 (22:13):
You look sort of love you when you were like,
These are my emotional supporttwizzlers.
Can I put these here?
SPEAKER_00 (22:17):
And I was like, yeah.
And then they told me, don'tshake hands with me because you
have like licorice jibs all overyour face and hands.
SPEAKER_02 (22:24):
No, I was just thinking about our germs on our
hands.
Oh yeah.
Excellent getting your emotionalsupport licorice.
Well I was thinking about yougetting, you know.
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:34):
I eat food off the floor.
I'm a marine.
And when you said you're anartist, I think, well, we're
kind I'm kind of an artist.
Like everybody says marines allwe do is just eat crayons.
So oh, I've heard that, thegreen crayon.
Well, actually, I love orange.
SPEAKER_04 (22:49):
Orange is my favorite color.
Orange is a power of color.
Love it.
Yes, I've never met anyone elsewho loves orange.
It's very few.
Really?
Yes.
I think it's so it's so intense.
SPEAKER_01 (23:01):
I just want to say, like, this I didn't know about
you, but like the wholevegetarianism thing.
I became interested in huntingbecause I was interested in
vegetarianism.
Like, I love animals.
I love animals.
And I was trying to find themost ethical way to eat.
And the more I learned about thecommercial uh cattle industry
and the way slaughter takesplace, and uh the more uh
(23:23):
emotionally affected I was and Ididn't want to participate in
that.
One of the reasons I hunt is forlove of animals.
I I I'm not physically able tobe a vegetarian, and I have
people I need to feed with themeat that we gather, but it is
the ethics of hunting thatallows an animal to live free
and fearlessly and as they weremeant to the fullest life that
they can.
And the ethics of our good, goodpractice shooting that makes the
(23:47):
the harvest of that animal thethe most comfortable possibility
for me in the fact that we doeat meat if we have to eat.
Oh, yeah, in conservationpurposes.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (23:58):
I want you to talk about who you feed.
SPEAKER_01 (24:00):
Oh, um, so I so I um um am part of a Catholic
organization that um we have twomissions.
We're we're veryveteran-informed.
So we use uh veteran-informed umtactics to provide um uh uh
food, outdoor clothing andequipment, everything that's
(24:23):
needed for the survival of uhpeople who we call the hidden
homeless.
Not the homeless who are able toaccess shelters and soup
kitchens, but those who, usuallyit's veterans, it's women, and
it's young people who are haveintimidation from that
environment and hide from thoseresources.
We go out to them using actuallylike a counterinsurgency
intelligence model to find thosepeople and provide for their
(24:44):
needs.
And then we have a largerstrategic model of uh
preventing, of helping peoplewhose lives have been been
impacted by the things that getpeople there, mostly it's
exploitation and trafficking,um, to uh provide a
longer-lasting home for kidsbefore they end up on those
streets.
So that's uh St.
Catharinesmission.org, and uhthat that's what we do.
SPEAKER_02 (25:05):
That is a great phenomenal.
SPEAKER_01 (25:08):
I mean, oh and it's Saint, like if you want to go to
the website, it's not don'tspell it Saint.
It's like S-T, C A T H E RI-N-E-S, M-I-S-S-I-O-N.org.
SPEAKER_02 (25:18):
Yes, that is, I mean, what a great cause, right?
And a great organization.
So if you would like to donate,um, I know uh sometimes we go
hunting and and as we're drivingthrough Texas to Deb's house,
uh, I know she's dropped offsome some meat to you and stuff
like that.
SPEAKER_01 (25:37):
That's right, you guys have been amazing.
And a lot of the sponsors atShot Show, I mean I want to
reach out to them and say thankyou because uh a lot of the
outdoor gear companies are areare wonderful supporters.
And if you're one of thosecompanies listening and you've
got product that you don'tthat's taking up warehouse room,
come come come see us, come talkto us, St.
Catharinesvision.org.
Uh, because we we really makeuse of it.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (25:56):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:57):
I love that too because um we want healthy,
resilient community, and bybeing outdoors and providing
that, you know, that's somethingwhere um oftentimes, you know,
like with veterans even beingoutdoors or being with each
other, we heal so much betterand faster and stronger that
way.
SPEAKER_02 (26:18):
So CeCe, you and and that's true, right?
Being outdoors is healing.
I mean it's good for your soul,and and uh you know, anything
that is bothering you, you gooutside and you're just like if
you're out with the nature and Iteach therapeutic horseback
riding and I find that uh thatjust being with the animal or
(26:40):
being outside, it really opensus up.
SPEAKER_00 (26:43):
We are taking in different things, it's not in a
clinical setting.
It's not like even thisenvironment right here in this
booth, the windows, you know.
But if you think about atraditional or clinical setting
of therapy or going to ashelter, it doesn't, it's it's
very confined.
And so I think our healing kindof stays minimized like that.
SPEAKER_02 (27:04):
It's really it's and because it's it's something
outside of yourself, you know,you're you're focused on
something outside of yourself.
That's that's amazing.
And I know that CC has written abook.
So if you want to uh you if youwant to hear her story, which is
just amazing, just fabulous.
I mean, uh I read it, and um I Idon't know, Cece has become like
(27:31):
my hero.
And if you read that book, it isso touching.
And um, the things that she wentthrough and uh what it's her
why, right?
Why you're doing why you haveyour organization, and um so
where can they find the book?
SPEAKER_01 (27:49):
Um it's called Crossing the Wire, and it's
available on Amazon.
I think there's also like a lotof uh guides for electricians
called Crossing the Wire, sodon't get that one.
And also don't cross your wires.
It can blow things up.
Otherwise, but the book iscalled Crossing the Wire, and
it's it's kind of like thisreally long One Woman's Journey
(28:10):
into the Hidden Dangers of theAfghan War.
Um and people won't find it ifthey call me Cece, which only
which my dearest friends do.
So it's no no no no, but likethat's you know, that's among
us, like that's who I am.
But my actual name is Anna MariaCardinali, so they can find
that.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (28:25):
Wait, what's your don't you have a title?
Oh, oh, oh, shut up.
Goddess.
SPEAKER_00 (28:31):
Goddess, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (28:32):
If you knew how beautiful Cece was, it's just
like I'm a short Italianone-eyed lady, so like I okay I
like because you're not gettingthe visual here because you're
listening to this, so that Ijust had to fill that in for
you.
My my my my Marin Shannon herenow, she is also like Lion
Transit, the Barbie doll, likethe tall, blonde, gorgeous,
yeah.
(28:53):
Um what were we talking about?
SPEAKER_02 (28:55):
One-eyed your book, your book, your name, your name.
SPEAKER_01 (29:00):
Oh, she you're you're trying to get me to say
doctor.
I yeah, I have a PhD, yeah.
Yes.
Of Notre Dame.
Go Irish.
We almost we almost did it thisyear.
What about the other one?
Um, sister.
Oh yeah.
Well, what that's because when Ilike sisters, I'm careful about
that because I I belong to anemer what's called an emerging
order in the Catholic Church.
And um I'm in vows in thatorder.
(29:21):
It's an association of thefaithful that that is in the
canonical process of becoming asociety of apostolic life.
But because it's in the process,I don't address myself by a
title, but I am in vows to thatorganization, Poverty, Chastity,
and Obedience, and uh that'sthat that's that St.
Catharines is my life.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm so I and I think I'm I thinkI'm the luckiest girl in the
whole world.
(29:42):
I really do.
SPEAKER_02 (29:43):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Yeah.
Well, I know that you've toucheda lot of people, and Shannon,
you have touched, I know myheart, and uh, and I'm sure
everybody that uh meets you,because you both are so amazing.
And uh thank you for for yourservice and dedication to to the
community and to to the U.S.
SPEAKER_04 (30:04):
Yeah, you're putting a lot of light in the world.
There's a lot of darkness, butyou guys are putting a lot of
light, and that's positive.
SPEAKER_02 (30:12):
Love you, girls.
Thank you.
Thank you for being on ourpodcast.
SPEAKER_00 (30:15):
I wish we could do like a group hug over the
airwaves.
SPEAKER_02 (30:19):
To everybody.
SPEAKER_00 (30:20):
Yeah.
We can.
We're sending virtual hugs.
I think I think people are.
I'm like gunned up, but we dohave a crying and the camera.
SPEAKER_01 (30:30):
It's just like it's just basic.
SPEAKER_02 (30:35):
All right.
Well, this is a wrap.
Thank you for being on ourpodcast and uh and just doing
your amazing stuff.
Thank you for listening toAmateurs and Experts Podcasts.
Like and follow the Woma onFacebook, Instagram, and
LinkedIn for more informationand podcast updates.
SPEAKER_04 (30:52):
We'll see you here again soon on Amateurs and
Experts.
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