We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chris Van Etten Van Etten a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chris Van Etten, appreciate you joining us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

In 2012, I lost both legs from an IED in Afghanistan. That, along with a TBI has added a layer of challenge to many of the things I’ve pursued. One example is when I was in I began my fitness journey. Many of the workouts had to be modified and there weren’t many examples I could pull from at the time, so I had to learn as I went. Now, with volunteering and helping with Dogs2Dogtags and other veteran organizations, working around my memory issues related to my TBI.

The positive all it all, though, is it has given me the option to help others who are struggling. To be an example they can see, and use my experiences to guide others who might have problems finding a way

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up in a military family, we moved everywhere. At a young age I was able to experience different lifestyles and cultures, which I attribute to my willingness to always try something new. Growing up in the military also meant I was motivated to join one day, and was a large reason why I decided to join the Marine Corps after High School. In 2012, while conducting a patrol in Afghanistan, I stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED). This resulted in the loss of both my legs, but more importantly, the loss of my squad member. Over the next couple years, I struggled to understand what my life would look like, until one day i realized the only thing stopping me was myself.

Since then, I’ve had the privilege of calling my many things. Model, actor, motivational speaker, volunteer, and my most important title, dad. If an opportunity presented itself, I took it. No matter what it was, though, the underlying theme was always the same. To show those who may be in a bad way mentally, that they had the power to get themselves out. Not everyone can talk about their problems, but still want help. Best way to help is to be an example of what’s possible. Some of my proudest moments have been when someone has approached me, thanking me for the showing them it was possible.

These days, life is a little slower. Most of my time is spent taking care of my littles, but I do still make time to help with veterans organizations like Dogs2DogTags when I can. And I am always happy to help those who need it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

In my time as an actor, my favorite part was always taking the concept of a character and turning it into a living, breathing person and seeing people’s reaction.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Great idea in theory, but ultimately doomed to fail

Image Credits

Jockey