Five years ago, like many Veterans, my husband was suffering from PTSD, anxiety, and depression, and it was controlling our life. At that time, I was afraid to leave him home alone for fear of what I might come home to. He tried a lot of different therapies, including some experimental ones, without a lot of success. Then, one day, a therapist mentioned Warrior Surf to him, and he, in turn, mentioned it to me. I told him, “I’m signing us up.” His reply was, “Absolutely not.” So, naturally, I signed us up. Straight away, from the moment we landed on the beach, he hated every second of it. He hated all the Veterans; he hated Andy the founder and Greg and anyone that talked to him. But, beneath all of that, I saw something behind his eyes, a subtle shift in his body language. Greater than the fear, and maybe just ever so slightly, was the acceptance and the longing to rise up to a challenge- surfing isn’t easy. I watched him soften, shed layers, and eventually open up in a way I hadn’t seen since we first met 16 years ago. Surf Therapy changed his life and, therefore, our families’ lives- it changed our children’s lives. All of the people he didn’t want to be around are now his best friends and his community. A sense of camaraderie that is unmatched and unfound elsewhere. Watching that unfold, how could I not want to be involved? I saw Andy’s vision, mission, and path for growth, and, I won’t lie, I essentially begged him to let me get involved. When Andy decided to step down as the Executive Director, both he and the board asked me to take his spot.

I have the unique position of being the daughter of a Veteran, the spouse of a Veteran, and of being a Veteran myself. My experiences in those areas of life really led me to Warrior Surf and have given me a deep sense of gratitude for the healing power of the ocean and positive psychology. Warrior Surf Foundation is a 501.c3 non-profit dedicated to enhancing the physical and mental well-being of Veterans and their family members through adaptive surf therapy. We accomplish this through our free 12-week program that takes the novel approach of combining the experiential activity of surfing with yoga, positive psychology, and community.

We hear a lot about Veterans suffering from PTSD, anxiety, and depression in the news, but there are a myriad of other things that prevent Veterans from reaching their maximum potential, including transition issues. The majority of Veterans enter the service when they are 18, and their brains aren’t fully developed. There they are “raised” into incredible beings with tremendous talent, often operating at high levels in a community and culture that has its own rules and rituals. When you attempt to transition out of the military into a society that doesn’t have the same tempo and culture it can be difficult to adjust. Combine this with the brotherhood and sisterhood you experience with your workmates and you find yourself with a lack of purpose and deep holes that can be hard to fill.

Warrior Surf Foundation uses the experiential activity of surfing combined with evolutionary psychology to help Veterans identify areas of importance in their lives and then learn how to act in those areas using mindfulness, positive psychology, and resiliency skills. The skills learned in surfing, yoga, and in our wellness coaching sessions all interrelate and help our Veterans to become more adaptable, and resilient when it comes to dealing with what life throws at them.

What sets us apart from other programs is that our Veterans choose to do the work. We like to tell our Veterans on Day 1 that if they show up, our staff will show up and give 110% percent to them. To complete our 12-week program they have to choose to show up for themselves and invest in themselves. Choosing to show up for yourself is a powerful catalyst for change. We can teach the basic skills of surfing, but implementing the tools you learn in yoga and wellness to get back up after you fall off a board 10 times is a power that comes from within. It’s that challenge that helps drive a sense of purpose and belonging.

I’m most proud of the sustainable community of Veteran graduates our program has produced. We always had this mentality of, “If we built it, they would come.” Our program graduates continue to come together outside of Warrior Surf activities to support one another, look out for one another and lift each other up. It’s this community that’s allowed us to intervene in situations where we’re worried about someone’s mental health and physical health to get them the help they need.

Our core team of staff is an incredible group of individuals who are dedicated to ensuring our mission succeeds. This only works because we view our staff as a part of our stakeholder group, and they have buy-in when it comes to setting and achieving goals. I think one of the most beneficial elements to leading a team with high morale is creating as many opportunities for them to see the successes they are creating. Often we view upper management or leadership as having people working for them, but in a really successful team, the leaders are really working to ensure their team has everything they need to be successful. It can be difficult when you’re making financial decisions for a business, but it’s essential to remember that the folks working for you are boots on the ground every day, and they are often the ones that have insights into what needs to happen to be more successful. In the big scheme of things, and in the long run a lot of those needs we worry about fiscally end up costing us a lot less than we think they will because the team becomes more efficient and effective. I think it’s also tremendously important for the team to work together to come to creative solutions but also adopt an “agree and commit” philosophy where once a decision is made, even if not everyone “likes” it, everyone agrees to commit to that decision as if it were their own. If something is working you can always fail fast and pivot.