You've heard the lie: "You'll do great after the military. Companies are lining up to hire vets." But what if that's exactly what's breaking us?
Jason Anderson spent 20 years in the Air Force, leading international missions, and closing out his career at the Pentagon. He was ready for the civilian world, or so he thought. What followed was years of hidden anxiety, 3 a.m. panic, and strained family dynamics, all while climbing the corporate ladder. On the outside, he looked successful. Inside, he was unraveling.
In this eye-opening conversation, Jason dismantles the flawed assumptions behind the military's Transition Assistance Program and reveals the hidden link between poorly executed transitions and veteran mental health crises. He introduces the Modern Military Transition Framework, an approach built by veterans, for veterans, that finally treats post-service life as a whole new operating environment, not just a career move.
Whether you're still serving, just got out, or 10 years post-military and still feel like something's off, this episode is your wake-up call and your blueprint for doing it better.
Timestamps
(04:00) - The invisible struggle behind Jason's "successful" post-military career (07:00) - Why transition stress quietly breaks even high-performing veterans (11:00) - The lie TAP tells and how it sabotages mental health (20:15) - How Jason's modern framework flips the script on transition (38:30) - Retraining your mind for civilian life without losing who you are
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The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
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