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Show Summary
On this episode, President and CEO of Valor Club USA, an organization developing a comprehensive living and learning community built to support the unique needs of transitioning service members, joins the show to talk about how to help veterans transition out of the military through meeting their needs in post-military life.
About Today’s Guest
Michael McDowell currently serves as the President/CEO for Valor Club USA developing a comprehensive living and learning community built to support the unique needs of transitioning service members around the country. McDowell served as the Executive Director of The Soldiers Project, a national organization offering free, confidential, and unlimited mental and behavioral health for post 9/11 veterans and their loved ones, and Director of Operations for the Cohen Military Family Clinic at the University of Southern California. A retired Marine Corps officer, McDowell served as a field artillery and civil affairs officer with numerous platoon, battery, and battalion-level commands before he departed from active duty service in August 2016.
He has extensive professional and academic training in organizational leadership, operational planning, and strategy development. McDowell holds a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership (2020) and a Masters in Business Administration (2015) from the University of Southern California (USC). McDowell recently completed his latest research examining the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences associated with the military transition in December 2020. His expertise includes learning psychology, human performance technology, and developing innovative, empirically-based organizational solutions for companies and learning institutions serving service members, veterans, and other underserved populations.
McDowell also serves County Supervisor Kathryn Barger as her Los Angeles County Veteran Commissioner and board member with the VA Community Veteran Engagement Board (CVEB) supporting the Greater Los Angeles regional area. McDowell has published numerous articles as an author and keynote speaker.
PsychArmor Resource of the Week
The PsychArmor resource for this week is the courses for transitioning service members and their families, many of which address some of these issues. Each year, more than 200,000 service members leave the military for the civilian sector. Navigating this transition can be complex, but these short, self-paced videos will benefit service members and families alike in successfully navigating their journey. Sponsored by the Schultz Family Foundation, these courses are for any service member, Veteran, or family member making the transition from military service. Whether you are separating or retiring, this portfolio of courses will provide you the education, tools, and resources you need along the way. Beginning with the course “How to Build a Successful Transition Plan,” you’ll learn that there is no one right way to transition and that each journey is unique. Your transition plan may be different from others, but each course in this portfolio was designed to assist you along the way and we hope that you find them beneficial. On behalf of the Schultz Family Foundation, PsychArmor® Institute is proud to offer these courses as a guide for service members and their families during their transition into civilian life. You can check out this resource by going to https://learn.psycharmor.org/collections?q=transition
Links Mentioned In This Episode
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Theme Music
Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.
This Episode Sponsored By:
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor, the premier education and learning ecosystem specializing in military culture content. PsychArmor offers an online e-learning laboratory with custom training options for organizations.
Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families. You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com