Guards Down - Overcoming Complicated Grief and PTSD through Culturally Sensitive Therapy Hosted by Greg Washington

Growing up in a single-parent home, Juwan Griffith has exhibited trauma and grief signs since the early years of his childhood. He enrolled as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point but couldn’t finish it. Picking himself up from the darkness, Juwan rose and put his life back on track.

[00:01 – 04:24] Opening Segment

• I welcome the guest, Juwan Griffith
• Juwan talks about his background
  • Sports Performance Coach at Varsity House Gym

[04:25 – 18:58] Dealing with Trauma and Grief

• Juwan shares his childhood growing up in a single-parent home.
  • His personal experiences that gave him trauma and grief
• A former cadet at United States Military Academy at West Point
• The mentors that have helped him in his journey in and outside of West Point

[18:59 – 38:18] Coping with Trauma and Grief

• Juwan talks about the coping mechanisms that helped him with facing his grief (healthy or unhealthy)
• Juwan shares his view on how different cultures cope with trauma and grief
• Coping to prevent suicide and coping to either stabilize or succeed in life
• Quick shoutout to our Facebook Page
• Juwan shares some tips on how you can help and support someone dealing with trauma and grief

[38:19 – 51:01] The Need for Second Chances

• The toughest part of Juwan’s journey
  • Accepting that he wasn’t going to graduate from the academy
• Correcting the destructive behaviors
• Seeking professional help

[51:02 – 57:02] Closing Segment

• What advice would you give your younger self?
  • Seek out mentorship earlier. Don’t shy away from talking to the adults.
• Connect with Juwan online! See the links below.
• Final words of encouragement from Juwan
• Have you seen your growth?
  • I’m still growing at this point. It’s not over.

Tweetable Quotes:

“Dealing with my adult clients and dealing with my athletes have been the number one joy in my life.” – Juwan Griffith

“Sitting around and sulking isn’t gonna do you any good. If you’re sitting around going to the therapist talking about the things, that’s a completely different story.” – Juwan Griffith

“Fake positivity will breed real positivity.” – Juwan Griffith

“Don’t think that your battles are alone. There is somebody in the world that is dealing with the same battles that you are. Remember that and surround yourself with those who will encourage you to fight through those battles in the most positive manner that you can.” – Juwan Griffith

You can connect with Juwan on Instagram and Twitter. Send him an email at [email protected].

LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode or click here to listen to our previous episodes. Support our show, follow us on Facebook

Guards Down Create a safe, culturally aware community for people of diverse backgrounds to find resources and support about living with PTSD and complicated grief. Many of us have dealt with it. Some are doing better than others. Let's share stories. Let's share tips and techniques that have helped. Let's inspire. Let's join together and help each other. Visit our Facebook Page to learn more.

Support the show

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with the former military and NFL coach, Tony Coaxum

Let’s dive into Tony’s story of how important it is to never give up on yourself.

Things you will learn in this episode:

[00:01 - 11:34] Opening Segment

• Tony gives a little bit of background about himself
  • He served in the military
  • He got a coaching job in the NFL and won a Super Bowl
• Tony talks about developing young talents
  • Difficulties of helping these kids during this COVID-19 pandemic
  • Do not worry about things that you cannot control
  • Maximize what you can maximize

[11:35 - 14:45] Dealing With Trauma and Grief

• Tony talks about dealing with grief growing up
  • He had a great support system and family
  • His mom joined the Navy
• Quick shoutout to our Facebook Page

[14:46 - 22:20] How Do You Cope Up with Trauma and Grief?

• Tony shares his experiences dealing with trauma and grief
  • He saw a young person passed away
• Tony talks about some of the coping skills that he had to learn along the way (healthy and unhealthy)
  • Placing blame on others
  • Doing physical things to relax
  • Getting close and reaching out to people

[22:21 - 27:20] How Grief is Viewed in Other Cultures

• Tony weighs on his views towards how different people deal with grief
• Tony talks about the toughest part of his journey dealing with grief as well as supporting someone
  • Feeling helpless

[27:21 - 32:33] Hurting Anyone During Your Process of Healing

• Tony shares his view of hurting someone in the process of healing
• Seeking help through mentors

[32:34 - 40:00] Closing Segment

• What advice would you give your younger self or your kids?
  • Never give up on yourself
• Tony talks about using his leadership skills
  • Quick shoutout to #LeadershipPlaybookCoach
• Final words of encouragement from Tony

Tweetable Quotes:

"How can I tell people fight through the issues they’re going through if I don't do it." - Tony Coaxum

"Never give up on your goals. Always go for it and give it a shot because you never know where it's gonna end up." - Tony Coaxum

"Life is not just a straight line. Life's a bunch of curves and detours but the important thing is, keep pushing!" - Tony Coaxum

Resources Mentioned:

• #LeadershipPlaybookCoach
• leadershipplaybookcoach.com
• The Next-Level Income Book

You can connect with Tony online, follow him on Twitter.

LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode or click here to listen to our previous episodes. Support our show, follow us on Facebook

Guards Down Create a safe, culturally aware community for people of diverse backgrounds to find resources and support about living with PTSD and complicated grief. Many of us have dealt with it. Some are doing better than others. Let's share stories. Let's share tips and techniques that have helped. Let's inspire. Let's join together and help each other. Visit our Facebook Page to learn more.

Support the show

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with storyteller, speaker, teacher, and basketball coach, Jason Holzer.

Let's dive into Jason's story of how learning forgiveness is the first step toward moving forward.

[00:01 – 2:00] Opening Segment

• Jason gives a little bit of his backstory

[02:01 – 10:33] Dealing with Trauma and Grief

• Growing up, were you taught how to deal with trauma and grief?
• Jason weighs in on the cultural differences in coping with trauma

[10:34 – 16:46] The Collateral Damage Caused by Trauma

• Jason talks about the collateral damages he dealt with after losing his father
• Jason talks about learning to be resilient from his experiences
• Quick shoutout to our Facebook Page

[16:47 – 26:15] Living On The Other Side

• Jason talks about the toughest part of his journey
• Jason shares his journey to healing and forgiveness

[26:16 – 38:43] Coaching and Writing a Book

• Jason talks about his coaching career
• Jason talks about the inspiration behind his book

[38:44 – 47:50] Closing Segment

• Looking back, do you see the growth in yourself from 17 to now?
• What advice would you give your kids or younger generations?
  • "The first step to greatness is acknowledging where you're at, but knowing that you don't have to stay there."
• Connect with Jason online. See the links below.
• Final words of encouragement from Jason

Tweetable Quotes:

"It's not always about the wins and losses. Sports gives us an atmosphere to teach life lessons." – Jason Holzer

"You can't change anything in the past; it is what it is. But you can change your future, every day we have a choice." - Jason Holzer

Resources Mentioned:

• Michael Beckwith
• Shattered by Suicide, Renewed by Resilience
• Mindvalley
• The Code of the Extraordinary Mind

You can connect with Jason on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Grab a copy of his book at Amazon or listen to it on Audible.

LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode or click here to listen to our previous episodes. Support our show, follow us on Facebook

Guards Down Create a safe, culturally aware community for people of diverse backgrounds to find resources and support about living with PTSD and complicated grief. Many of us have dealt with it. Some are doing better than others. Let's share stories. Let's share tips and techniques that have helped. Let's inspire. Let's join together and help each other. Visit our Facebook Page to learn more.

Support the show

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with the Entrepreneur, podcast host, and founder of the Next-Level Income, Chris Larsen.

Let’s dive into Chris’s story of how seeking the right help can help you cope up with grief.

Things you will learn in this episode:

[00:01 - 04:16] Opening Segment

• Chris talks about his background and journey into real estate
  • He did cycling races
  • Grew his single-family portfolio into a multifamily property

[04:17 - 11:48] Dealing with Trauma and Grief

• Chris talks about dealing with grief and PTSD growing up
  • His father passed away when he was 5
  • Having the right support group to help you
• Chris shares something interesting about him
  • Cycling helped him gain confidence
• Quick shoutout to our Facebook Page

[11:49 - 18:01] Positives and Negatives of Losing Someone

• Chris weighs in on the subject of losing someone
  • When you get knocked down, you gotta get back up
• Chris talks about the day he quit racing
  • His friend passed away

[18:02 - 23:24] Overcoming Your Own Thoughts

• Chris talks about his thought process of dealing with pain
  • Instead of looking at problems, be grateful

[23:25 - 31:30] Getting The Right Help

• Chris talks about his experience with therapy
  • Doing exercises, diet, and meditation
• Chris gives a piece of advice that you can do to help yourself
  • Develop and maintain routine

[31:31 - 34:44] Closing Segment

• A quick plug to Chris's podcast. Check out Nextlevelincome.com to know more
• Final words of encouragement from Chris

Tweetable Quotes:

"Stay strong, keep holding on. You are here for a reason and that your life and what you do have a purpose" - Chris Larsen

"The most challenging points of our lives, they define us. They allow us to either fall down and stay down or they allow us to get up and get stronger." - Chris Larsen

Resources Mentioned:

• The Next-Level Income Website
• The Next-Level Income Podcast
• The Next-Level Income Book (Amazon)

You can connect with Chris online or listen to his podcast https://www.nextlevelincome.com/podcast and visit his website https://www.nextlevelincome.com/ to know more about investing opportunities.

LEAVE A REVIEW + help someone who wants to explode their business growth by sharing this episode or click here to listen to our previous episodes. Support our show, follow us on Facebook

Guards Down Create a safe, culturally aware community for people of diverse backgrounds to find resources and support about living with PTSD and complicated grief. Many of us have dealt with it. Some are doing better than others. Let's share stories. Let's share tips and techniques that have helped. Let's inspire. Let's join together and help each other. Visit our Facebook Page to learn more.

Support the show

Having perspective is key to overcoming a sense of lack of control. Nick Martin delves into his experience with the collateral damage of suicide. He talks about combating negative though, loneliness, and reaching out and connecting with your circle of influence. Martin explores his past trauma with losing a parent to suicide as a child and defying the odds.  

 KEYPOINTS

• Dealing with trauma and grief now versus then.
• Direct and indirect trauma 
• The collateral damage of suicide 

SEGMENT TIMESTAMPS

• 03:00 – Collateral Damage: Understanding trauma and grief during childhood.
• 10:15 – Time and understanding the differences of control.
• 18:30 – Coping mechanisms and the benefits of counseling
• 26:30 – Setting an example and running the race 

The only non-renewable resource you have is time. – Nick Martin

Support the show (https://www.facebook.com/guardsdown)