All Episodes

April 18, 2025 27 mins
Keywords: 

#Warriors' Ascent podcast  #female veterans PTSD #complex trauma healing #mentorship in recovery #veteran nonprofit support #breathing techniques for anxiety #warrior ethos #PTSD resources for women #cognitive behavioral therapy tools #female first responder trauma #emotional healing journey #mission statement purpose #yoga for PTSD #veteran peer mentorship #inner warrior transformation #self-care for trauma survivors #suicide survivor healing #resilience through trauma #veteran mental health program

n this deeply moving episode of the Warriors' Ascent Podcast, hosts Mike Kenny and Matt Hastings sit down with Nicole and Kim, two courageous women who once entered the Warriors' Ascent program at their breaking points—and returned as powerful mentors. Recorded live from the Heartland Retreat Center during Cohort 66 (Female Cohort), they reflect on the long road from trauma to healing.

Nicole shares how witnessing a traumatic suicide while working in corrections shattered her world and how Warriors’ Ascent gave her the rest, release, and renewed purpose she never thought possible. Kim opens up about a lifetime of complex trauma, from childhood abuse to surviving an accident that took her father’s life—and how this program led her to emotional breakthrough, inner peace, and even love.

Together, they highlight transformative tools like breathing techniques, journaling, mission statements, and yoga that helped them reclaim their identity, connect with others, and thrive. They also speak candidly about what it's like to return as mentors and support a new generation of female veterans and first responders on their healing journey.

Whether you’re struggling with PTSD, burnout, or just feeling “not enough,” this episode will move you, inspire you, and remind you that you’re not alone—and you are enough.

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.