1, 2, Many: Veteran Suicide With Timothy Lawson

Donleigh Gaunky is an Army veteran and he recently spoke at a TEDx event on veteran suicide. He was kind enough to join our program and share his experiences with suicidal behavior. Tim and Don dig deep into where we’re missing a big piece of the conversation on suicide and how some organizations are forgetting a large demographic. Tweet at us and let us know what you think: @TimLawson21 @One2ManyProject @LastBrotherHome

When I started this project a year ago, I decided to share my story first. The first episode released featured myself and John Lee Dumas. John interviewed me on my suicide attempt and the suicide ideation I experienced throughout life. I think its time for me to be brutally honest with myself and my followers. I still contemplate suicide. It has been several years since I stepped to the ledge. I’m confident when I say I currently do not feel the desire to kill myself. I do think about it, though. I have this goal in life. The goal is to live a free, mobile, comfortable lifestyle. I want to be loved and I want to love. I don’t need all of the money, just enough of it. I want to influence others and have an impact on the world. When I start to think about the present and consider the trajectory it has into the future, I begin to wonder if I’m on the right path to achieve my goal. As most of you know, I currently live a mobile lifestyle. I do not have my own place. I sublet to get myself by so I can move freely

This is a unique episode. This week we have Marine Corps veteran Zach Butz. Zach served with Chris Van Etten, who has been on this program before. Now, we get to hear Zach’s story and what happened to him after the tragic event in Afghanistan. This episode speaks on stigma around suicide, emotional health, alcoholism, and more. “We’re alone, we get overwhelmed, and can’t handle it.”

Kamal Ravikant is an Army veteran and author of Love Yourself like your Life Depends on it. His story and his understanding of his story are very powerful. This episode is full of insight on emotional health and how taking care of yourself first is so important. You can learn more about Kamal at FounderZen.com and follow him on Twitter:@KamalRavikant Go to One2ManyProject.com for more episodes and more on the project.

Robert Consulmagno is a Marine Corps veteran that has faced a lifetime of abuse. He is very passionate about getting his story heard and wants to inspire other veterans to pick themselves up and move forward to great things. The spotlighted organization this week is Stop Soldier Suicide. Check out their site to learn more about them: www.stopsoldiersuicide.org

    We all want to advocate for causes that are important to us. After all, that is how I started doing this project. I felt a calling to the cause and decided to do what I do best: podcasts. Shortly after I started this project, I reached out to others to put their skillsets to work. I asked Sean Riorden and Aaron Provost to help with the logos and imagery. I gave them creative control so they could put their own feelings into it. I asked Marine veteran Chadd Downing to write a song that resonated with my efforts. I told him that it needed to address veteran suicide and let him do the rest. One of my followers on Twitter volunteered to take my uniforms and use them in an art project. I want to inspire others to use their creative outlets as a way to address this issue – or any issue. To finish this post, listen to the podcast or go to One2ManyProject.com/57

Chadd Downing created a song for the 1, 2, Many: Veteran Suicide project. It is called “Live.” I decided to bring him onto the podcast to talk about the creative process he experienced making the song and what emotional health means to him. We’re creating a music video for the song. We hope it will inspire others to use their creative outlet to address this crisis. You can support the Kickstarter here.

No one cares about veteran issues. I hear this statement far too often. Before you get too discouraged by this idea, let me reassure you that it is not true. There are millions of people that care about the well being of veterans. Recently, IAVA’s founder, Paul Rieckhoff, was on The Nightly Show. He referenced the Arizona VA scandal and claimed, “no one gave a shit.” I scoffed as soon as I heard it and I felt sorry for every veterans advocate that was watching. Not only were there people who cared about the scandal, but also that event led to the resignation of Secretary Shinseki and the appointing of current Secretary, Bob McDonald. To finish the post, listen to the podcast or go to One2ManyProject.com/55-2

I’m a huge advocate for Team Rubicon. I have been for a while now. I’ve interviewed both co-founders, Jake Wood and William McNulty. Both guys are super impressive. One of their staff members gifted me a ticket to the Concert for Valor on the National Mall. During the concert, they showed various videos honoring veterans and veteran organizations. Team Rubicon was one of those organizations. In their video, miliary veteran Chad Reynolds talked about his struggle with emotional health and suicide. I was moved by Chad’s story and reached out to him immediately. He gave it some though and agreed to join me on 1, 2, Many: Veteran Suicide. Chad speaks about getting out of the military, joining the VA, becoming a police officer, and then volunteering for Team Rubicon. The journey he went on to discover a renewed purpose is inspiring and I believe many of you can resonate. For more information on Team Rubicon, visit their website www.teamrubiconusa.org

This week we hear from an Army veteran, Marc Amatucci. Marc shares the unfortunate circumstance that led to his suicide attempt.

“Today, we reached a milestone. I now know more vets who have died due to their own hand than the enemy. Thanks for all you do with this issue, man, but it sometimes seems overwhelming.” That’s a message that I received last night. Unfortunately, I receive messages like this often. When someone loses a loved one to suicide – veteran or not – I’ll receive a message. Sometimes I get updates with a running count. Sometimes they’re admitting their own personal struggles. For some, it’s the first message they’ve ever sent me. 1, 2, Many took a break over winter. I needed to refocus, reorganize, obtain some new material, and get some technical things worked out. To finish the post, listen to the podcast or go to One2ManyProject.com/52

Marine veteran Kevin Leverence joins the podcast this week. Kevin shares his story of depression and suicidal behavior. He also provides insight on the use of a weighted blanket and aroma therapy.

Time traveling is regretting the past and being anxious about the future. John Lee Dumas asks James Altucher how to avoid time travel. James explains his approach and how this type of stressor can be a killer. New to the project? Start here: One2ManyProject.com/StartHere Follow us on Twitter: @One2ManyProject @TimLawson21 @JAltucher @johnleedumas

I was browsing Facebook the other day, and I read a post in a group for military suicide that scared me. “I just want to end the pain tonight.” It was posted the night before, 16 hour prior to me seeing it. A few people had commented with concern. They asked him to agree to not kill himself, but he didn’t respond. I should have messaged him. I mean, this is what I’m here for, right? I don’t know who this guy is, but his post indicates that he is a suicide risk and that’s what my focus is. So, why haven’t I messaged him yet? I know what I would say, right? I know how to respond. I can apply everything I have learned and help him mend. So, why haven’t I messaged him yet? I waited. I waited for the right approach to come to me. But I picked a bad time to be strategic. To finish this post, listen to the podcast or go to One2ManyProject.com/49

James Altucher is a best selling author, investor, and growing influencer in today’s world. He was kind enough to join me in this episode where we talk about his experiences with suicide, mental & emotional health, brain scans, and much more. You can reach him on Twitter, Linked In, and at his website. As mentioned in this episode, check out The Soldiers Project and see how you can get involved with their efforts. The Soldiers Project provides free counseling to service members of all branches of the military, regardless of discharge status, as well as their loved ones. Our services are free, confidential and unlimited. Don’t forget to subscribe to 1, 2, Many on iTunes & Stitcher for real-time updates on the latest episodes.  

What do you miss most about the military? Let me guess… camaraderie. It’s the most popular answer. We all saw it. Service members can be seen drinking together, working together, and supporting one another. In the Marine Corps, our Physical Fitness Test (PFT) involves a three-mile run. Which is crazy to me now, because I get winded after one mile. Most Marines I served with could complete their run in 19 to 22 minutes. Of course, there were plenty that fell beyond that time. During many of my PFTs, I would see Marines finish the three miles in 19 or 20 minutes, catch their breath, and then run back to motivate the slower Marines. It was inspiring. Actions like that are what made it an honor to say I served in the United States Marine Corps. To finish this post, listen to the podcast or go to One2ManyProject.com/47

My good friend, Jessica Berleen, was gracious enough to share her story this week. She shares the story of her stepdad’s suicide that occurred about 10 years ago. Listen in as Jessica recalls the event, how it impacted her, and what she has learned from it.

Tim answers the question: “What do you do when you’re suddenly depressed?” One2ManyProject.com/Ask

Tim and I discussed suicide in our first substantive one-on-one conversation. We were wandering around Sea Cliff, New York before the wedding of a mutual friend and somehow it came up. Knowing Tim’s love of off-beat conversation, he may well have orchestrated the topic. Regardless, I shared the story of a friend who killed herself after a long battle with depression and alcoholism. I talked about my belief that as much I disagree with her decision – because of the hurt she caused her family and all of the opportunities for joy that she’s missing – I can’t judge her because I don’t know her demons. In my darkest times, I’ve felt sadness dull my senses and weigh on my shoulders, but in my heart, I was still happy. Depression is the opposite of that. A depressed person can feel happiness at a surface level while in their heart, they are weighted with sadness. That’s a horrible way to live. With that in mind, the only thing I can do is to love my friend in death as I did in life. Little did I know then that Tim h

Army Veteran Steve Sxaks shares his story of depression, homelessness, and suicide.