From Attempted Suicides To Saving Lives: Douglas Brinker's Mission of Hope
Explicit content warning
01/08/24 • 65 min
Today, I sit down with fellow shipmate Douglas Brinker, a U.S. Navy veteran, mental health director for the Michigan Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and founder of Beacon 4 Hope LLC.
Mr. Brinker shares his incredible journey from serving as a Boatswain’s Mate aboard the USS Mullinnix and the USS Dewert to becoming a two-time suicide attempt survivor and national suicide prevention advocate.
We talk about the rough seas—both literal and emotional—he navigated in the Navy, from dangerous Atlantic crossings to struggles with identity and trauma after leaving the service. Mr. Brinker opens up about what led to his suicide attempts in 1999 and 2001, the critical support that saved his life, and the lifelong mission he’s been on since: to be a voice of hope for veterans and civilians alike.
Mr. Brinker also discusses his upcoming book, structured in 22 chapters to represent the 22 veterans lost to suicide each day. He reflects on the importance of reaching out, removing the stigma around mental health, and having the courage to ask for help.
Along the way, however, we also share some humorous stories from port calls to life on the ship!
Beacon 4 Hope LLC: https://douglasbrinker.com/
_______________________________________________________________________________
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @coupleonukes
Website: https://coupleonukes.com
____________________________________________________________________________________
Want to be a guest on Couple O' Nukes? Send me a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1726279485588093e83e0e007
Sign Up For A PodMatch Account: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/coupleonukes
____________________________________________________________________________________
Exodus Strong Custom Link:
https://exodusstrong.com/?a_aid=ExodusCON
Honor Your Heart- Quit Smoking:
-Use code 15OFF and the link below for 15% off
https://www.honoryourheart.net?aff=290ca17d55b89391aee43ace59dd7f760656bb652139ba81a02b008b2dac9cc5
____________________________________________________________________________________
*Couple O' Nukes LLC and Mr. Whiskey are not licensed medical entities, nor do they take responsibility for any advice or information put forth by guests. Take all advice at your own ris...
Today, I sit down with fellow shipmate Douglas Brinker, a U.S. Navy veteran, mental health director for the Michigan Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and founder of Beacon 4 Hope LLC.
Mr. Brinker shares his incredible journey from serving as a Boatswain’s Mate aboard the USS Mullinnix and the USS Dewert to becoming a two-time suicide attempt survivor and national suicide prevention advocate.
We talk about the rough seas—both literal and emotional—he navigated in the Navy, from dangerous Atlantic crossings to struggles with identity and trauma after leaving the service. Mr. Brinker opens up about what led to his suicide attempts in 1999 and 2001, the critical support that saved his life, and the lifelong mission he’s been on since: to be a voice of hope for veterans and civilians alike.
Mr. Brinker also discusses his upcoming book, structured in 22 chapters to represent the 22 veterans lost to suicide each day. He reflects on the importance of reaching out, removing the stigma around mental health, and having the courage to ask for help.
Along the way, however, we also share some humorous stories from port calls to life on the ship!
Beacon 4 Hope LLC: https://douglasbrinker.com/
_______________________________________________________________________________
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @coupleonukes
Website: https://coupleonukes.com
____________________________________________________________________________________
Want to be a guest on Couple O' Nukes? Send me a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1726279485588093e83e0e007
Sign Up For A PodMatch Account: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/coupleonukes
____________________________________________________________________________________
Exodus Strong Custom Link:
https://exodusstrong.com/?a_aid=ExodusCON
Honor Your Heart- Quit Smoking:
-Use code 15OFF and the link below for 15% off
https://www.honoryourheart.net?aff=290ca17d55b89391aee43ace59dd7f760656bb652139ba81a02b008b2dac9cc5
____________________________________________________________________________________
*Couple O' Nukes LLC and Mr. Whiskey are not licensed medical entities, nor do they take responsibility for any advice or information put forth by guests. Take all advice at your own ris...
Previous Episode
Mr. Whiskey Meets Davy Jones (Davy Jones Locker I)
Arrrrrrghhh! Welcome, to the first episode of a new series on the podcast. This will be the biggest series on the show, an episode being released every Thursday at 05:00 EST in addition to the normal episodes that come out every Monday. This series was made to provide shorter content to y'all, episodes ranging from 20 to 40 minutes instead of the usual 1.5 hours. The content will be reviewing and covering the latest military arrests.
Listen in today for the show's introduction, and delve into the unknown origins of the Davy Jones folklore.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Jones%27s_locker
https://www.marineinsight.com/maritime-history/the-story-behind-the-term-davy-jones-locker/
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @coupleonukes
Website: https://couple-o-nukes-website.webnode.page/
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@CoupleONukesPodcast
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mr-whiskey-921b70299/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090748399656
Comedy Links:
https://podbrothernation.com/
Code: mrwhisky for a discount
Owwll Referral Code: WHISKEY
Next Episode
Murder Conspiracies and Crayola Hot Chocolate (Davy Jones Locker II)
Welcome to the second episode of Davy Jones Locker! Today, we cover the ongoing case of Army Sgt. Barlow, who was just arrested this past weekend. Find out what's going on with that, and please join us as well for some Crayola Hot Chocolate, which- as promised- Ms. Whitney and I try and review. Y'all will also find out about Ms. Whitney's dad never being happy, and my former boss never believing anything. (Find out more about him and why I quit my last job in the Season 3 Premiere, just a few episodes prior to this one.)
Resources:
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2024/01/10/national-guardsman-arrested-in-alleged-murder-for-hire-plot/
https://nypost.com/2024/01/10/news/north-carolina-national-guard-soldier-rhett-barlow-charged-in-murder-for-hire-plot-to-avenge-moms-death/
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @coupleonukes
Website: https://couple-o-nukes-website.webnode.page/
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@CoupleONukesPodcast
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mr-whiskey-921b70299/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090748399656
Comedy Links:
https://podbrothernation.com/
Code: mrwhisky for a discount
Owwll Referral Code: WHISKEY
Couple O' Nukes - From Attempted Suicides To Saving Lives: Douglas Brinker's Mission of Hope
Transcript
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode, a couple of nukes. As always, I'm your host, Mr. Whiskey, and today I am here with Douglas Brinker. Mr. Brinker, will you go ahead and introduce yourself for us, please? I am Douglas Brinker from Jackson, Michigan. I am the Department of Michigan Veterans of Foreign Wars Mental Health Director, as well as the founder of Beacon four Hope, LLCA, suicide prevention Speaking business.
And I'm finishing up my first book on my autobiograp
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/couple-o-nukes-280589/from-attempted-suicides-to-saving-lives-douglas-brinkers-mission-of-ho-41411140"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to from attempted suicides to saving lives: douglas brinker's mission of hope on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy