This episode of Veteran’s Playbook featuring Guardian Revival & Alex Othmer originally aired on November 1, 2023, on Discovery Network’s Destination America channel.

Guardian Revival and founder Alex Othmer are featured as a “compelling story of a U.S. veteran entrepreneur and their unique life, career, and venture.”

Producers GCSEN reached out to Guardian Revival to feature Alex Othmer’s story as part of promoting veteran entrepreneurs. Their production team came to the Hudson Valley to record the episode over several days with Alex and the GR team. Our own media team — Kenny Duclos, Rob Mains, and Patrick Sikes — also provided content featured in the episode.

Learn about Alex’s journey to Guardian Revival, from his memory of 9/11 (and his father’s role as NYC firefighter), through his education & training to become a Navy SEAL, his deployment, transition out of service into the corporate world, and then his decision to become an entrepreneur & start a non-profit. Alex shared personal memories about his struggles with mental health & identity, and how those challenges led to the creation of Guardian Revival.

Alex also spoke with Andrew O’Grady, CEO of Mental Health America of Dutchess County. Over 120,000 veterans live in the Hudson Valley area (from NYC to Albany), and clinical services provided by organizations like MHA Dutchess County are important complements to our nonclinical offerings at Guardian Revival.

Alex and Andrew discussed the reason why helping others makes such a difference: everyone needs to have a purpose. Typically, when people struggle with their mental health, they tend to feel a lack of purpose — which can be especially true with guardians, as they come from a background of service. So finding ways to help others can often help heal ourselves.

Alex shares information about the programs & services at Guardian Revival:

Another Summit: Outdoor adventures — walking, hiking, backpacking, and paddling
Boots & Paws: Providing dogs for the therapeutic benefits of animal companionship
Encore: Opportunities to learn, write, play, record, and share music
G-Connect: Virtual & in-person experiences to connect with guardians & the community
Peer Services: Private peer support for guardians by guardians

Towards the end of the episode, Alex and host Mike Caslin speak with veteran & entrepreneur Corrie Mays and Professor Tony DiMarco about the current business opportunities & challenges that Guardian Revival faces as it grows. They asked Alex for the ways that people can help GR: donations, sponsorships, and support of all kinds continue to make a huge difference to the organization. And to our guardians, Alex reminds you that you are not alone.

2023 Guardian Giving Campaign

The John and Daria Barry Foundation — one of our biggest supporters — has set a challenge for us to raise $150,000, which they have committed to generously match, for a total of $300,000 for our programs for guardians.

2023 has been a year of tremendous growth for our organization, and we are excited to continue expanding our work with guardians in our local community around the Hudson Valley as well as across the USA.

Because everything we do is provided at no cost to our guardians, financial contributions (of all sizes) make it all possible. Thank you to the Barry Foundation for this special opportunity to double the impact of every dollar and end the year strong.

Help us rise to this challenge and show our guardians that we care about them. Support with a donation of any amount (or sharing a link!) truly makes a difference.

GIVE NOW

About the show

Veteran’s Playbook is a show with a purpose — to inspire active military and veterans to consider business ownership as a viable path to success and fulfillment.

Each episode tells the compelling story of a U.S. veteran entrepreneur and their unique life, career, and venture “Playbooks”. Each story is a journey into their military experience, transition to civilian life and entrepreneurship, and showcases the destination communities where they live, work, and make an impact.

Upcoming Events

Are you a guardian? We organize free events for all guardians — active & retired: Veterans, Active Military, Reserve, National Guard, Law Enforcement, Fire & Rescue, EMS, Dispatchers, Corrections, and Federal Agents.

Join us for outdoor adventures, jam sessions, peer gatherings, and other experiences — we offer both virtual and in-person events.

Please RSVP to attend. We hope to see you soon! If you have any questions, just say hello@guardianrevival.org

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