We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Judy Weaver a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Judy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

I founded and run a small non-profit with a global reach and we had plateaued in our ability to raise funds and awareness. I was frustrated with my lack of non-profit executive and fund-raising experience.

My chairman of the board introduced me to a powerhouse philanthropic executive who literally took me under her wing. She told me that we are the best-kept secret in a town that has more non-profits per capita than anywhere else in the United States and she proceeded to bring us into the spotlight.

We had just left a networking community building and charity event at a now-defunct restaurant in the mall. In the parking lot, she took a chance on me and committed to supporting my efforts. We made a pinky promise to have each other’s six. At that moment I had an overwhelming feeling of connection, love, and gratitude for this amazing human being. I knew that this was an offer of love and hope for a better future for the demographics that we support.

She was instrumental in taking us to the next level. is still my mentor and even better, one of my closest friends and extended family.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My journey has been from a yoga practitioner embodying the practice and wanting to learn more to being a teacher and expanding my education and experience to become a certified yoga therapist and empowered mindset life coach, author, and post-traumatic growth educator and innovator.

Along the way, I co-founded two non-profits, wrote a book, developed clinical evidence-based trauma-conscious yoga protocols, helped change the conversation with the US Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs regarding Yoga, and am considered a 2021 Yoga Journal “Game Changer.” I provide mindset and other strategies for my private therapy clients, leading retreats, teacher training, and workshops at the Chopra Center, yoga festivals, and other venues.

I am most proud of Connected Warriors’ impact as a global non-profit based in Boca Raton, Florida, that provides evidence-based mindful practices for our veterans, servicemembers, first responders, and their families at no charge for over thirteen years, with over 180,000 visits and zero reported suicides. We have set the standards of training for the VA as they pivot to a whole health strategy.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Small non-profits struggle to stay funded and as an eternal optimist, I trust too easily. Connected Warriors has been a victim of this trust without verifying two times in different but significant ways – both times it looked like the end of the road.

The first time, the donation pledged was at a game-changing level by a long-time friend of the organization who was part of the expansion planning. When it was finally brought to light that it was a fabrication, I was beyond devastated and didn’t see a way forward. There was a moment during our executive committee meetings to decide how to wind it down when I rediscovered my commitment to the mission and was able to pivot and find a way forward.

Commitment to my vision and mission keeps me going and fuels my passion to continue under seemingly impossible circumstances.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The most influential books related to my entrepreneurial mindset and philosophies are “Who Moved the Cheese”, “Crossing the Chasm”, “Rocket Fuel”, “Power of One”, “Conflict without Casualties” and “The Bhagavad Gita.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bmrecal.com
• Instagram: @judyconnectedwarriors
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judy.weaver.3705
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/judy-weaver-87ba4654
• Youtube: [email protected]

Image Credits
USAF, Robert Sturman