A Veteran’s Network That Turns Isolation Into Camaraderie

The hardest part of leaving the military isn’t the paperwork—it’s the silence that follows. Len from Irreverent Warriors joins us to share how humor, short shorts, and shared miles become a lifeline for veterans navigating the identity gap after service. We get real about the numbers, the isolation, and the way a veteran-only space can flip a switch from “I’m fine” to “I’m understood.”

We walk through exactly how a Silkies hike works: Friday meet-and-greet, Saturday’s ruck at an easy pace with support vehicles and water stops, a surprise route that keeps the focus on connection, and a Sunday brunch to cap the weekend. First-timer bracelets spark conversations, sober-friendly guides offer safe company, and accessibility is built in for all abilities. Beyond hikes, IW now runs retreats, floats, fitness events, and destination cruises, pulling vets out of the house and into a tribe that gets them in five minutes without a heavy backstory.

We talk about the power of humor as a pressure valve, the stigma women veterans still face, and how her show, The Mental Health Warrior, spotlights practical healing modalities from equine therapy to cold plunges. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to show up, this is it: you don’t need special gear, perfect shoes, or a full ruck. You just need to take the first step.

Search Irreverent Warriors on your platform of choice or head to irreverentwarriors.com to find an event near you. If this conversation helped you think of someone, share it with them, hit follow, and leave a quick review so more veterans can find their people.

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Chapters

• 0:20 Meet Len And Irreverent Warriors
• 1:00 The Mission: Humor, Camaraderie, Prevention
• 3:40 Losing Identity After Service
• 11:45 Why Veteran-Only Spaces Matter
• 20:00 Leadership, Purpose, And Authenticity
• 28:40 Unconventional Therapy: Silkies Hikes
• 36:50 Beyond Hikes: Retreats, Floats, And Cruises
• 42:30 Meds, PTSD, And Finding Connection

Transcript

SPEAKER_03: 0:20

Hey guys, so welcome to Suke Stevas. Today we have Len with Irreverent Warriors. Welcome, Len. Welcome, Len. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. So if you could tell us a little bit more about Irreverent Warriors and how you became involved in that.

SPEAKER_00: 0:38

Okay, so Irreverent Warriors is a nonprofit. We are in over 150 plus cities around the nation and the world. That includes Guam, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, London, Germany, Italy. Say that five times. Woo! Yes, impressive. So what we do is we cater to veterans. And the whole mission is we bring veterans together using humor and camaraderie to improve mental health and prevent veteran suicide. Why is that important? Because 22, at least 22 veterans a day kill themselves. A lot of people don't understand that number. Since 9-11, since GWAT, our era of war veterans, 200,000 veterans have killed themselves. Now the 22 number, that is low. That is low because it could, it's probably possibly up to 44. The 22 is only the veterans that seek veteran affairs care, VA medical care. Those are the people who are registered with the VA. Not every veteran is registered with the VA. So it's super important. So we started this mission in 2015 with Donnie O'Malley. And he was like, yo, like he's a combat veteran. He's a Marine Corps officer. And he got out, he's like, yo, all my friends are killing themselves. What the hell? What do I need to do?

SPEAKER_03: 2:00

What can we do?

SPEAKER_00: 2:02

What happens when we get out of the military is we not only do we lose our job, but we lose our identity and our purpose. Because in the military, they tell you what to do, where to go, how to look like, how to dress, how to how to go to sleep, how to even eat, how to stay fit. You don't even have to worry about paying bills at that point because you're either staying in a barracks on a ship or wherever. And it's your choice, you know, if you're married and have kids to stay outside in town. But you're pretty much like groomed into being like a robot less killing machine, if you will, like to fight the mission. So not everybody obviously is a combat rating or combat job, but our job is to support the mission, and everybody has their purpose, and you know exactly what your purpose and your mission is. When you get out the military and you spent years in there, especially in formidable years, from the age of 18 to 25, which is the bulk of our military, you you pretty much grow up in that. So when you get out, now what? Who am I? Who am I?

SPEAKER_03: 3:10

I didn't even think about it like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 3:12

So now when you are faced being alone, because now you're in a world full of other people who've never served in their entire life. So they don't know what it's like. So now you feel like an outcast. Now you're like, and now you've always also been trained to suck it up. So you don't go to the VA, you don't go get help, you're too proud, you don't ask for help, you don't tell people you're going through stuff because we're trained to do that. We're trained for the mission. So what happens when you get out? You're lost. A veteran is lost. Where are we supposed to go? What are we supposed to do? Who can we connect with? My friend that I serve with is in San Diego or in Virginia. I live in Florida. There's people in Michigan. Everyone comes from all over parts of the world. It's not like you join the military with your class of 2015 or whatever. No, I joined the military on my own. I got out on my own. Now I'm on my own. Where is my people at? So we brought Irreverent Warriors came up, and uh it's only for, and this is why it's only for veterans, active duty, service members, reserves, Coast Guard. It's only for us who can get DD214s. And that is the reason why is because we share this connection. It doesn't matter if I met you five minutes ago or if I've known you for 20 years, we're going to have the same connection and we're going to be able to relate to each other and have that humor. The way that we got through our deployments, being away from family and all that stuff is through humor. And so that's part of our mission, is through humor. And when you when we say irreverent, people are like, Well, what's that? Irrelevant. No, it's irreverent. And so if you think of comedies like old school, like Anchor Man, like The Office, like you know how it's a dry and dark humor or whatever. Yeah. Yeah, you have to laugh or you'll cry. You know, you'd have to, you have to, you have to have some kind of outlet. It's like it's like a deadpan kind of humor, right? Or slapstick comedy. Like that's how veterans get through things because we're probably like maybe you're getting shot at, maybe you're deployed, maybe you're in the middle of the ocean, maybe you're in the middle of the desert. And then you have to laugh at things, right? Correct. The reason why I laugh and I have all this humor is because I have all this trauma, right? And so we all we all go through the we all go through the same things, but different things at the same time. So everybody's going through something. So that's part of our mission is bringing veterans together using humor and camaraderie. And camaraderie is important because, like I said, you go in alone, you get out alone, and now you don't have that brotherhood, that sisterhood that you you you made that blood of the covenant, right? You made that covenant of blood with these people, like you sacrifice your life, you're giving your life to the country, you sign that bottom line, and your paycheck is like giving your life, you know. Right, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03: 6:12

And what part of the sisters what part did you serve in the military?

SPEAKER_00: 6:17

I was in the Navy, I was in the United States Navy for 10 years. I served from 2003 to 2013, and the mission is important to me because every single veteran that I've come across has similar stories. They have lost somebody through suicide, or we're fighting our own demons, or both. And we're all going through something, so it definitely has meaning for me, it has meaning for for all of us that participate, and you could see the joy and like the relief and like just the therapy in these unconventional ways after the veterans get back from the hikes. You've seen it, Jackie. You you came and you helped volunteer, and you have too, Denise. I absolutely have. What have you seen after the hikes?

SPEAKER_03: 7:04

I just I mean, for me personally, Jackie, you go ahead. You haven't said much to one.

SPEAKER_02: 7:09

I can talk a lot about irreverent warriors. I am wearing my IW Puerto Rico. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, no, it has been truly an amazing experience. I will say, like, I'm I'm so honored to be able to go and volunteer with you guys. And as you know, like I said, like, hey, I'm new in Florida, I want to go meet people. I went right to an IW hike. Like, you guys are an amazing group of people, and yeah, it just it blows my mind everything that you guys have been through. But the mission I think is so powerful and important, and that's why you know I absolutely love it and everything. And one thing that I did want to ask like I know you are in the leadership role and everything. And was that kind of part of your mission when you were drawn to sorry, I know I froze, but to be a leader?

SPEAKER_00: 7:53

No, I um kind of just fell into it, and that's the story of my life. I just fall into leadership positions. They're like, you, you look like a leader.

SPEAKER_03: 8:03

You look like you know what you're doing. Come on.

SPEAKER_00: 8:07

He looks like someone we want to lead. I'm like, no. Well, it just like it just fell into place. I think because we are so used to turnover in the military, right? The only constant is change.

SPEAKER_01: 8:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 8:22

And we adapt to change all the time. I think the last person, their time was just up, right? So like for me, every three years, we used to move duty stations or get permanently change of station PCS every three years. So after your time is up, you're ready to move on in something better and just become a hiker. And so that's kind of like what happened. It was a progression. They brought me into the team. They're like, you can be co-lead. And then eventually, the very next year, they're like, Well, you you've you did it, you got it. So my background actually is project management. I have my master's degree in that. I got my I did my GI Bill. So I got my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Concentration Accounting, my master's in business administration and project management, and I tried to get my doctorates and I am a PhD dropout.

SPEAKER_02: 9:14

So that's what I always pick as the leader. I see that now.

SPEAKER_03: 9:18

Well, I was like, listen, I would like to be at your level as a dropout. I got my I got my master's, I got my doctorate, and then at the very you're you're doing okay what you're doing.

SPEAKER_00: 9:32

And and this is the thing, I never lead with that. I never tell people my what my credentials are. Right. I'm just like, I'm just my authentic self, and that's all you could be is your authentic self. And I guess when you stay positive and you're just you just give that listening ear or that shoulder to lean on or cry on, you know, people kind of gravitate to you, you know, kind of like flies flies to the light.

SPEAKER_03: 9:57

But in a more but in a more positive way, in a more positive way, yeah. Veterans are don't don't like yeah, we're not going like don't what is it like? No, no, we're no, you're just a positive draw, you're like a vibe, like like yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 10:14

So I think energy attracts energy, and so I agree, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03: 10:19

Well, and going back, just like I I I've only been on one, I've only volunteered once, but but it's gonna be the first of many, because that was just last year, and it was amazing. And I under I totally understand that it's just for the veterans, and it's so but that's why it's so cool. As like my dad was in the army, my have brothers that serve. I like I have I'm from a military family, so it it was nice to be able to come and help out and give back to one small little event at a time. It's just amazing to see these people come together, and then and we had during our lunchtime, I'm not gonna lie, they talk and they talk their truths and they talk what they've been through. And it is it, it is it very emotional uh to hear what they've been through. And and if they hadn't found this group, then they would not be here today. And that is just like to me, he's like, if I helped anybody with with any of my stories, or if I drew anybody into this web that could help them so they're not so that they're still here, so they still want to come up. And I mean, to me, I I've got goosebumps right now, like the organization and what they're doing, you're saving lives. I mean, you guys are saving lives, really, and it's it is really an amazing Go ahead. Sorry. No, I'm sorry. I'm just I'm a little emotional, but it what you do is amazing, and I'm happy to be a little tiny part of it.

SPEAKER_00: 11:50

I appreciate you being part of it, and thank you for that story. It does pull at your heartstrings. Yeah, um, what we do is an unconventional therapy, right? So we call it a different modality of healing, and so bringing veterans together through these ruck marches, and we call them silkies marches, which are aka ranger panties, aka PT shorts, aka running shorts. They're short, the shorter, the better. Hoochie daddy shorts, okay. And that's the humor in it, right? Because like we like, of course, we hate we hated wearing it in the military, but now we embraced it because like that was like that's our thing. So, and um, you see all these costumes and then all that stuff, you know, and it's unconventional, but it works. And there's several accounts and testimonies you could find on YouTube or on even on the irreverentwarriors.com page or any other IW group page on Facebook. You can find those testimonies that this works. Now, we have also expanded, and I don't think y'all know this because we don't just do rocks anymore, we have retreats, we have camping retreats, we have floats. Like I host a float in Florida once a year, except this year. We have we have fitness, and then we have we have cruises and destinations. So, like IW just came back from Alaska. There's another destination coming up in Cozumel. They're having another cruise that stops at Puerto Rico, they're gonna link up with the Puerto Rico team out there. So if you go on the website, there's all of these different modalities or active things that you can do. And the number one thing that we want is to get veterans out of that isolation. So once you get them out of that isolation, you get them out of that head. I have a friend that I met here. She is a marine and she's been through a lot, a lot of trauma, and she's on meds. Okay, let me tell you about the prescriptions that the VA does. They just stack you medicine upon medicine upon medicine. I remember what one time I had like 15 prescription meds. That's just gonna make you go crazy like a zombie, right? And then in kind of a personal story of mine, I of course, I, you know, I had PTSD, I was a combat vet, and my, you know, I experienced a lot of things. So I had depression and anxiety, so they put me on these pills. Well, these pills, they like zapped my brain, turned like I felt like a zombie, and I was just like a shell of myself. So one day, this is when I was living in Hawaii, going to college, I just walked into traffic, not even thinking about looking both ways. Now that that wasn't just one day, it happened again. And then after I got safely across the street, and this is mind you, this is a busy, this is busy like highway kind of roads. They're not really highway, but it's busy street roads, right? Um, so not to walk out in traffic. Something clicked, and I was like, these medicines don't work at all. I need to get off of these. They actually made me more anxious, they made me more depressed, they made me pretty much the reason why they made me more depressed is because I couldn't feel anything, it was just blank, like I was just a shell of myself. So I got myself off these meds, and then when you don't take the meds, you're kind of like hooked on it. It's like kind of you're you're leaning on that. That's your crutch. You have to have the meds, or or I'm gonna go crazy, you know. And granted, some people do need them, right? But you don't need 15 of them, right? There's a limit, maybe three of them, you know, like give me one pill, and then like, or whatever. I don't need all these pills, so anyway, that's that's what happened with my story, and I'm not the only veteran that has that story. My friend, right now, she's a marine and she's gone all these pills and trying to go to therapy. She goes to the VA like it's her job three times a day, and she's still secluded and isolated. Uh it's so hard for me to get her out, and I was just I just was nagging her. I was like, just come out, just come out, just come out. And this last hike was her first one. Oh yeah, and she was so like she she was so thankful. She's like, So thank you so much, thank you so much. I really needed this. This is something that I didn't know that I needed.

SPEAKER_03: 16:09

So it's a support group that that she absolutely needed, and and it's fabulous that you guys have that. I would everybody need support. We're all going through stuff, but in in your situation, obviously it's different. And I I think it's amazing that you guys have created this support group that actually saves lives. It absolutely there's statistics out there that show that it saves lives.

SPEAKER_00: 16:31

Absolutely out of isolation, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 16:34

So, and I will even say, even at this past hike, there were I noticed there were quite a few newer people. It's one of the hikes, there was a lot of people.

SPEAKER_00: 16:42

We are at uh one of those destinations hikes because we're in North Florida, Jacksonville Beach, and it was a night hike. So if you're if you know anything about Florida, in the summertime, it's thunderstorms and it's humid, it sucks, the weather is so muggy, right? But at night, after the daytime thunderstorms are over, it's nice. So the actual like we were walking on the beach at 8:30 p.m. and that sun was still out, but it was still nice out there. So Jacksonville Beach, Florida is a destination hike that people want to come to. I mean, Florida in general. So we did have people come as far as Texas, Brownville, Houston, Alabama, South Carolina, all over Florida. And I was just surprised because you know, this was a last-minute hike. And I say hike, right? So whoever's listening out there, it's not, it's a two to three mile-hour pace. I have arthritis and plantar fasciitis. I'm an old lady, okay? You're not an old lady. I am 21 years old. I'm service connected, disable veteran. My back hurts. Okay. The on Sunday I called him to work and I told my my supervisor, and he he was a Marine. I said, My back hurts. I am not, I am laying down. Okay, and but it's so we get we have these hikes, and uh, this is the first time we allowed friends and family to hike on with us on Friday. So we did 2.2 miles, signifying the you know, the 22 a day. So 2.2 miles on that Friday night. We allowed spouses and children, and they had a great time. Yeah. Very first time doing it all around the country, the nation. We had a goal, they said do it in July. A lot of us did it in July. I just piggybacked my hike off of that, and I was like, okay, I got two months to plan this. Let's get it done. Let's get her done.

SPEAKER_01: 18:29

Yep. They did it with that.

SPEAKER_00: 18:32

Yeah, yeah. So so it was a good time. Lots of first timers for sure. And uh, our big hike is in March in the springtime, which is uh great weather here in Florida. It's really, really nice. If you've ever been to like San Diego, it kind of compares to that. Okay, yeah. So kind of like that in the spring. Um, so that's our bigger hike. We get last time we had 350 veterans, and they came from all all over the nation, including your. That is that's a great turnout.

SPEAKER_03: 19:01

350. Wow. I think in the Pinehurst one, we had maybe it was one of the smaller ones, and they said and they knew that because this is a little golf club, like a Pinehurst Golf Club, though, is like where the PGA is a North Carolina. I'm sorry, I'm in North Carolina, yeah. I'm outside of Charlotte. Okay, um, and so this is kind of in the sand hills, but this is where they have like the PGA tour and stuff like that. So we're rolling around on these golf courses and we're hiking through it, and they are all in their silkies. It was just a fabulous time.

SPEAKER_00: 19:32

I think that's Matt Reeves and what's his name? Oh my god, Kyle Page. Matt Reeves and Kyle Page.

SPEAKER_03: 19:39

That is, and we had a great time, and we got to hang out at the country club afterwards at the pool.

SPEAKER_00: 19:44

So it was not too, it was not too shabby. That's awesome because I like that you mentioned that you went to that hike. So most most rock marches or hikes we stop at parks, beaches, bars. We have bar and restaurants. We stopped at a bar. Okay. So I didn't know if you guys did or not. I know that there's a hike in in North Carolina where there is no bar stop or there's only one bar stop, and and and people, you know, you're not going to satisfy everyone. But we have people in recovery. So a lot of times in those hikes, if you are not a drinker, there's somebody that's that has an IW recovery on or like a sign on so that, or like I am hiking sober, you know, so you can find your people. So you don't always have to be around the browdy, crazy drunk. So we're trying to get away from that saying that it's a bar curl. It's not, it's a healing opportunity for veterans. So you can always find someone in your tribe. And the reason why we have those bracelets that says new first timers is that so everyone can come up to them and say hi. You know, you how you know how difficult it is to insert yourself in like this new scenery with new people you've never been around. You know, some people might not be inclined to talk. So you start up the you start up, you look for those first timer bands and you start conversations with them.

SPEAKER_02: 21:01

Yeah, that is very cool because it would be difficult to come out. So I will ask this now. I know we you kind of started talking about how a hike, I know we we call it a hike, how a hike goes. So could you give, you know, anyone listening if they've never been to one or if it's their first time? It's like I noticed there was one first timer who was actually stayed back at the volunteer table with us because he was like, I'm a vet, but I came way unprepared. He's like, I had no idea what to expect. I'm not dressed for this, I'm not packed for this. Like, yeah, love it. I'll participate next time. So what should they expect?

SPEAKER_00: 21:33

You know, on uh okay, so heike, so we would say like the rough march is on Saturdays, right? But it really starts on Friday. So Friday, it's really a whole weekend. So if you can get that whole weekend out or available, that would be great. I mean, a lot of people travel anyway, so that's why we make it the entire weekend. So Friday, meet and greet. Normally it'll be at a location or restaurant bar type thing. We have ours at the VFW, we partner with VFW. That's another thing. IW front-facing national sponsors is the veteran of foreign wars headquarters. They nationally sponsor IW under Grunt Style Foundation. So if you are a veteran listening, make sure you join your VFW. And if you if you're not a veteran of foreign war, you can join the auxiliary. Anyway, um that's good advice. Thank you for putting it out there.

SPEAKER_03: 22:27

That's all great advice.

SPEAKER_00: 22:28

Yep, absolutely. So we start with the Friday meeting greet. There's usually a theme. My theme last year was glow party, and yep, and then so this year kind of glow party too, because it was night hike, and then my theme the other year was we're in the county of Duval, so it was called Duval Dads in Denham or Denim Dads in Duval, something like that. So we all just wore like fun shorts, yeah. So there's some sort of theme to make it fun, yeah. And then and then the next day, usually it's a it's a day hike in the morning, so you meet up, I want to say like anywhere from 7 to 8 a.m. Yeah, and you don't have to come dress, you don't have you could just have walking shoes, you don't have to dress up in gear, you don't have to have metal plates, you don't have to have pouches, you don't have to have tactical, cool stuff, tactical gear, you know. You don't have to have that. Like a lot of times I just show up in my yoga pants and a shirt, you know. Number one, I can't really wear the silkeys, I got thighs, thunder thighs, okay? So the chafing is real. So yeah, so the next day we have the we we muster or we gather around, there's a safety brief, and then we go. So there's volunteers. You check in at the volunteer booth, there's merch available a lot of times, and sometimes there's not. There's always for my big hikes, I provide coffee and free breakfast. And then throughout the hike, you have your leader, and then you have other people on the same team who's kind of wrangling everyone together. We have support vehicles for people who can't walk far. So we also have a guy who's a triple amputee, no legs, one arm, and he does the hike with us. So this is for all kinds of bodies available. That's good to know. We have so we have what's called fallout vehicles: a truck in the front, truck in the back, and usually a truck in the middle or a golf cart in the middle. If you can't, if you can't hike anymore or walk anymore, fall out in one of those vehicles. It's it's perfectly normal. And I'm gonna tell you this I have arthritis and plantar fasciitis, those long hikes. I gotta have to fall out. I I can't do it. I can't. So I'm very thankful for that. We have volunteers throughout the hike passing out water, Gatorade, snacks, trail mix, chips, crackers. Okay, that's your girl. Look for me at one of your hikes. Yep, we have that, and then we have various stops. It could be anywhere from two to three stops to just one stop to five stops. It just depends on the hike route. What people want to know is what the hike route is. That is secret, it is a surprise. That's why it keeps you focused on making connections instead of focusing on where we're going next. Don't worry about it. We're just hanging out with your buddies. We'll we'll get there when I tell you. You know, normally I put out a lot of information. I tell them this 0.5 miles until our next stop. So just follow us, we'll go. So we'll for my hike, for instance, for the big hike, we hike around the block, we go down um a really busy street, we like woo-hoo. Everyone that says hi or in the balconies, we woo-hoo to them.

SPEAKER_03: 25:40

Um, I do see a lot of cheering. I did love that, and I love and I record it, but I will say it it just is like it gives you kind of that American pride thing when you see these guys walking down, men and women. When I say guys, I'm from the north, so that means men and women. Yeah, but that's a southern thing. But yeah, you can say that in the north. But I have been down here long enough that I should probably be seeing.

SPEAKER_00: 26:06

I do I do want to say that it is not politically affiliated. We do not represent any political party. So when you're seeing us in our gear, proud to be military veterans in American flag, I love that patriotic stuff. We are not affiliated with any uh political party. I love that we are, and we're not, and so we also give out these mission cards. So when people are asking, what are you doing? Somebody asked, is this a pride, gay pride parade? Because of all how the silky shorts, I get it. It's a fair question. It's a fair question. It is so we give out these, we give out the mission cards, it gives out our mission. We're preventing suicide, we're not spreading awareness, we're pre actively preventing it. So we go down the street, we woo-hoo around town. My first stop is the park. We this for bathroom breaks and all that stuff. Mind you, no open containers. And I don't care if who's drinking or everyone's a grown adult, just follow the rules. Yeah, you do you. Yeah, don't have open open containers, don't get too drunk, all that. So, first stop, bathroom break at the park. We take a picture, group photo. We do a big group photo, every single branch, female veterans, and then fogs. Fogs are effing old guys. And then and then somebody asked me at the highest year, they're like, What about the fogs? I said, Oh, you want a picture of the fogs? Okay, 50 and up. Get over here. She's like, I don't like you, Lynn. And I was like, Well, you asked for it. And I said, and I'm I'm right behind you, I'm almost there. So anyway, we take all the photos, make sure we have proof, you know, with our little banner. We walk down from the park, it's about 15 minutes off. We walk down the park, down the beach. So we go up the beach, and we're woo-hooing up and down the beach. You know, some of the Marines like to take a dip into the water, but the the unit doesn't stop. We keep going. Then we go out of the beach to our first bar stop. And so last year that was our lunch stop. And lunch was catered, it's provided, it's free. Then after that, so that's about an hour stop to give everyone time to rest and get drinks, close out the tabs, and all that stuff. After that, we get went to a place called Go Rut. They make all the tactical stuff like backpacks, play cards, and very cool. We had the Delta, the the founder of Delta Force came to speak. And yeah, and then they had obstacle courses for us where um Marines love this, where you pick heavy stuff up and put heavy stuff back down.

SPEAKER_01: 28:34

Um I gotta better back.

SPEAKER_00: 28:37

Um, so we had that, and then you know, push-ups, when you two push-ups, things like that. If a marine sees a pull-up bar, they start lining up.

SPEAKER_01: 28:46

They do. Why?

SPEAKER_00: 28:47

That's what Marine is. Because that's what they know. They're like, let's see how many pull-ups I can there. So they do that. So then our next stop, we went to um another bar, restaurant, grill, and then we hike back around to another bar, and then we hike back around around to the fire station where I coordinate with the fire station to hose us all down because we're almost at the end of our hike. So everybody like they they make the hose like in the you know, like that, and then everyone just runs through it, and it's just great. Everyone just runs through the water, and then make our way back around to the VFW, and then food is after snacks is provided. We have sandwiches and crackers and so of food and sustenance on these hikes. The only thing that's provided is alcohol. We don't we don't support the alcohol thing. I don't care if you do it, you know. I don't care if you but I'm not going to provide it for you, yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 29:46

Right, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I will say each hike is different, like absolutely so so and so some sometimes they do, yeah. It's it's all different. So let me ask you this though you've been around and you've been Doing this, what would you say is your favorite? Was there a favorite hike that you had or favorite? Oh, okay, okay. I'm gonna that was an easy question. I'm gonna ask you outside of yours, is there a location or a hike that you really enjoy?

SPEAKER_00: 30:16

I really like all the I mean, I'm just particular to Florida. So all the Florida hikes destined for Walton. We had one in Tampa for a while, South Florida and Fort Lauderdale, Key West hikes are is a destination hike in the world. The bomb, we're gonna be there. Suit Case David will be there. That's December 13th. That is December 13th guy. So I would say all of Florida ones, but once you get down, once you're done with that, every single hike has something different offered, different people. The we are the largest group of veterans out there is the GWAT vets. So there's so many of us out there weren't like I said, most 150 cities, so most major cities have it. But yeah, I'm not done with the hike weekend. So after the hike, oh sorry, I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_03: 31:00

Well, I think it's Saturday, so that's important.

SPEAKER_00: 31:02

All right, all right. We do a post-hike brief, and then I'll usually there's um the raffle, you must be present to win. And then after that, there is an after party or a meetup. So there is an after party, you meet somewhere else, do you do the after party? Then when that night is over, probably like three in the morning, the next day people have to leave. So we meet up for brunch. We normally have a brunch spot meetup. So and then people go out their separate ways. So it is a full weekend from Friday through Sunday, starting with meet and greet, the hike, after party, and then brunch. So if you can make it a weekend, please go. I have I would say Tennessee hikes also wonderful hikes. I and it's the funny thing is like my family is from Texas. I still haven't made it out to Texas hike, and I need to. I used to live in Galveston and in Houston, and then my family's from Dallas and Fort Worth area, and then my in-laws live in Canyon Lake, you know, hill country area.

SPEAKER_02: 31:58

So I came from Dallas, Fort Worth. So I've been trying to get my dad to the Dallas hike, he lives like an hour outside of there.

SPEAKER_00: 32:04

So I've been trying to get him there, and uh, so I've been to the Virginia Beach hike, really great. I've been to the Wilmington hike when it was on Carolina Beach, awesome hike. Yeah, I went to Nashville, really good hike. Oh, it's really hilly, too. I would I would recommend ask them is it flat or is it hilly? So, you know, I'm from Florida, it's flat out here. Like I went up to Tennessee and I'm like, Whoa, what what are these mountains?

SPEAKER_03: 32:30

And even in North Carolina, Pinehurst, we're Pinehurst is hilly, North Carolina is hilly, depending on when you go. So that is a great question to ask. And when you're on the hikes, is what is the terrain? Like, what am I looking at? But the good thing is, like you mentioned before, you can always come and do what you can just for the connection. And then if you can't make the actual full walk, you have those people coming in to help you out. But come still come for the for the camaraderie.

SPEAKER_00: 32:58

So you can ride on the the fallout vehicles. The fallout vehicle is gonna stay with the element throughout the whole hike, so you can ride in you can still ride with the element right throughout the whole thing. They're not gonna take you back until like there's a long break if you need it, but you can go jump in one of the trucks in the beds or a golf cart or something. It just depends on what they have available for every hike.

SPEAKER_02: 33:21

So I know I've talked about all the different locations and everything. So what is and like I know I'm personally part of like maybe 15 different Facebook groups, but what is the best way for someone to get started? Would you recommend like the website? Do they start searching Facebook? How was the best way to find a hike?

SPEAKER_00: 33:36

Well, it depends on what your social media outlet is. For us millennials, we like Facebook because we're old, right? So like thank you for being so direct about that because you're right, it works. You're born in the 1900s, okay, Denise. If you're born in the 1900s, you are old, okay? I know. I just check your ID. All they have to look is, oh, there's a 19 there. You're good, right?

SPEAKER_02: 34:00

I know.

SPEAKER_00: 34:01

Yeah, you're born in the 1900s. We're all born in the 1900s. We like Facebook. I, you know, that's how we keep in touch. Now we have to keep in mind that there are like Gen Zs also that are at our hike, and then we have older Zenyels and X and some boomers as well.

SPEAKER_02: 34:16

Love that you know all the names of the generations, first of all, because I don't know any of those. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00: 34:21

It just depends on what outlet you get your media. I agree. Irreverentwarriors.com, the website. Is it from Facebook? Is it from Twitter? Is it from TikTok? Is it from Instagram? So all the information is there. Just look up Irreverent Warriors at whatever social media you have. Now, personally, I want to say that we are heavily on Facebook. We have lots of groups. So whatever city you're at, or or even state you're at, put North Carolina Irreverent Warriors, put South Carolina Irreverent Warriors, whatever. It's all gonna be out there. Also, Grunt Style Foundation, we are under, we are with, we're partners with Gruntstyle Foundation. Like we have merged with them.

SPEAKER_03: 35:01

So And we will put all of this out there for on our podcast. Speaking of podcasts, though, my girl has a podcast, Lynn.

SPEAKER_00: 35:09

I do, it's called the Mental Health Warrior, and we record live every Wednesdays, and then it's aired also again on Fridays and Sundays on the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, and Audacity app, or any apps that you get your podcasts on. And we will link those as well.

SPEAKER_03: 35:27

So going into your podcast, I know you're so passionate about irreverent warriors, and you said I could talk all day. You you I could I could talk all day. All day long. But we do want to give you a shout out to your podcast. But so now moving towards, and we will link your podcast too. Now I have a question like, what was the most like person, what was the most emotional guest or something, something that changed you on your podcast? Because you have veterans on your podcast and you hear their stories and you hear things that happen. Like, is there any one in particular that like really moved you or you know I started my podcasting in 2020 when we were in during COVID dark times, yep.

SPEAKER_00: 36:10

I had nobody, I didn't even know about IW. I didn't know about these veteran groups. So I found these veteran groups. So I'm with veteran trash talk, so you can link them also. Veterantrashtalk.com. On there, you can find all of our podcasts in our merch. Um, shameless plug, right? But no worries. One of the first women female veteran podcasts, and we talked about military sexual trauma. And unfortunately, one out of every three persons, this is women and men, have gotten the R words assaulted. So one out of N, I'm one of them, and and one out of three, keep that in mind. Keep that in mind. So when you're talking about what is the most moving or like what's the most heart-wrenching, I would say that's one. I mean, I've had people on my podcast that don't walk. You know, I've had people like I have from all different spectrums of different traumas, just hearing their stories, and like at the end of the day, it's all about improving your own mental health and what you're doing to make it better and to destigmatize this, right? And so um fortunately, the VA has taken some strides that there are actual clinics, and this is why it's a problem in the military. Actual clinics that are called MST clinics. And what does MST stand for? Military sexual trauma. Military sexual trauma. It is a big, big, big, big deal, and you can get PTSD from that. So they have clinics like that. So when I started my podcast, it was about the stigmatism about women in the military, right? So a long time ago, people be like, Oh, you're so pretty, and you're female, you're not veterans. Oh, I want a veteran discount. Okay, where's your husband? Like, uh, no, period. I am the vet. I am veteran.

SPEAKER_01: 38:04

Disrespectful, right?

SPEAKER_00: 38:05

Yeah, well, and then I remember one year uh it was uh uh Fabletics said we will only give discounts to male veterans or something. What? Yeah, and it was like a big All right, I'm gonna boycott Fabletics. They corrected themselves, okay. They corrected themselves. All right, good. I was about to write a strongly worded letter. When it comes to veteran, it's everyone, and so that was one of the leading podcasts who start that that movie. That's amazing. I am the veteran. I am I'm I'm not congratulating. So I uh you know, a lot of us have that sticker, like even on my my decals, like my sticker on my truck, it says Navy Woman Veteran or woman Navy veteran or something like that, just to make sure because I'll park in you know veteran parking spots or disabled parking spots, and they'd be like, Well, who's a veteran at? Like, mother, you got me this, right?

SPEAKER_03: 39:07

Listen, um, I'm glad that you're trained in like I mean, you're like, do you really want to say that to a combat veteran? Right? Like, I can kick your ass.

SPEAKER_00: 39:17

I mean that parking for your husband. Like, let me give you the bird. So even I I had so that was my first podcast. Now I have professionals that are veteran business owners that also help to work improve mental health. I'll have people who have camps, people who have farms, people who have who have equine therapy, people who do cold plunge therapy, different modalities. I have um healthcare professionals that come on, I have business owners that go out there, I have models that do pinups, you know, on my podcast. I have widows of 22 a day. I have combat veteran spouse survivors, you know, those those white star survivors, I think that's what they called, are still, I don't know. Don't don't don't persecute me.

SPEAKER_03: 40:07

The point is too, but the point is it seems like you your your support groups are phenomenal. And we're gonna link all of them so that as you can, if you need any kind of support, we can find Len will help you reach out to any support, and she will get you where you want to be. But in wrapping up, do you have anything else? Like, is there a a hike going forward that you think everybody should be at? Or it's just really they're all amazing. Like, what do you think? What are your final closing points?

SPEAKER_00: 40:38

If you want to look at a hike, or you want to find one near you, go to irreverent warriors.com. On there, you can search either communities or search next event near you. So you can always find something near you that is probably drivable and stuff. And so, like I said, the actually the hikes cost either five dollars or for free. Most people sign up for free, and then uh food and all that stuff is food and water and Gatorade is provided. Right. So you really don't need any expense other than gas. Most veterans will get to a hike and they'll say, Let's share a room, or or you can get to a hike and be like, I don't have a place to stay. Can I have a couch to crash on? And so you don't need any much that much expenses.com, you can find everything on there. As far as podcasts go, you can find veteran trash talk.com. Okay, you can go on there.

SPEAKER_02: 41:30

One thing I do want to just kind of remind people, and maybe you can also speak on this, these do happen every weekend all across the country, world, etc. So there's always an opportunity, you know, somewhere.

SPEAKER_00: 41:42

Absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02: 41:43

We have one in Vegas in December, so even in December, and even when you were talking about some of those events, well, I don't know if anyone in Florida is listening. I know they're having Epcot Day coming up. I know South Florida's coming up, Key West is still later this year. So if you're in the Florida area, there's definitely some events happening.

SPEAKER_00: 42:01

Absolutely, absolutely. I want to thank you guys for having me on the podcast so much. And if you guys need anything, the listeners out there, find me online. Pacific Tita is what I go by, my online persona. And I also have a link tree out there. Just look for Pacific Tita, like Pacific, like the ocean, Tita T-I-T-A.

SPEAKER_03: 42:20

And we'll absolutely tag all of these on our podcast. So thank you so much, Len, for being here. And I think that's gonna wrap up our episode today. So, guys, there's support out there. Go find it. Absolutely. And thank you for your service, Len, and thank you for your service to all of our veterans out there. Thank you. Yeah.