Episode 196 - Chris Kruger - Black Hawk Helicopters, Multiple Deployments, Anger and Fear, Lessons for Dads

Chris Kruger grew up just outside Spokane, Washington, and joined the Army before turning 21, driven by a sense of purpose and a thirst for challenge. Over the next 22 years, he forged a diverse and demanding military career—starting as an infantryman and eventually becoming a Blackhawk maintenance test pilot. His journey took him from Basic Training and Airborne School at Fort Benning to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he completed an impressive lineup of elite training programs, including Amphibious Reconnaissance School, Ranger School, HALO and HALO Jumpmaster, and Flight School, among others. Along the way, he earned the Expert and Combat Infantryman Badges, a Bronze Star, a Meritorious Service Medal, and several other honors.

Chris deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Far East, spending more than five and a half years overseas—experiences that deeply shaped his outlook on leadership, resilience, and life. After retiring, he turned to writing as a way to unpack and give meaning to those intense years. What began as personal reflection quickly became a mission to reach others walking similar paths.

Today, Chris lives in Huntsville, Alabama, with his wife Genevieve and their two daughters, Charlize and Isabelle—writing from a place of survival, strength, and connection. Together, Chris and Genevieve are active in their local church and committed to encouraging others to overcome life’s hardships, expanding their reach through writing and a forthcoming podcast aimed at inspiring healing, faith, and perseverance.

Book: Walking Away from the Ledge: A Soldier's Memoir

Walking Away from the Ledge is a hard-hitting, no-BS military memoir that goes beyond the battlefield to expose the raw truth of war, survival, and self-destruction. With an unapologetic voice and brutal honesty, Chris takes readers deep inside the challenging world of an Army Ranger, the brotherhood that holds soldiers together, and the personal demons that threaten to tear them apart.

More than a war story, this book is about what happens when the fight doesn’t end—the toll of combat, the grip of addiction, and the struggle to hold onto love when everything else is falling apart. This memoir hits hard, digs deep, and refuses to look away.

https://a.co/d/4nhPNiR

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https://dadspace.ca

music provided by Blue Dot Sessions

Song: The Big Ten https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/258270

Episode 195 - Kelly Farley - Grieving Dads, He Lost His Baby Too, Survival Guide for the Grieving Dad

If you have ever loved a child, then you understand what it’s like to love someone more than you love life itself. If you have ever lost a child, then you understand more about hell than anyone could possibly be expected to know. This isn’t something you get over. Only those who have lost a child can understand the depths to which this pain travels. Like most of the men who will read these books, I too am a grieving dad.

The message I want bereaved fathers to understand is that I know it’s hard, I know it hurts, I know it’s scary — but you can get through this. You can survive. It will be the hardest thing you will ever experience; it will drain you physically, mentally, and emotionally. You can come out on the other side of this very long and lonely tunnel, but you will be a different person when you do. There is no going back to the old you.

You also need to know that you are not alone in your grief. Other men have been through this and that the emotions they keep inside are the same emotions all of us experience, even if we don't talk about them. The best thing you can do is to reach out for help and to know it is not a sign of “weakness” to do so. Instead, it’s a sign of courage and strength — the kind that’s required to face this battle head on.

This book was written specifically for fathers grappling with the unbearable aftermath of losing a baby. It is all too easy for a bereaved father to succumb to a haunting sense of isolation after such a loss. However, within these pages lies a lifeline—a survival guide infused with wisdom, providing a roadmap through the complicated path of grief.

In the wake of a tragic loss—whether it be a miscarriage, a stillbirth, or the untimely passing of an infant—this invaluable resource unravels the layers of anguish that overwhelm grieving fathers. Written by a grieving dad, this book offers unflinching honesty and poignant insight, it also delves into the raw pain that accompanies such a profound loss, assuring these men that their emotions, however overwhelming, are both valid and shared by others who have walked a similar path.

A collection of candid stories from grieving dads that were interviewed over a two-year period. The book offers insight from fellow members of, in the haunting words of one dad, “this terrible, terrible club,” which consists of men who have experienced the death of a child. This book is a collection of survival stories by men who have survived the worst possible loss and lived to tell the tale.

They are real stories that pull no punches and are told with brutal honesty. Men that have shared their deepest and darkest moments. Moments that included thoughts of suicide, self-medication, and homelessness. Some of these men have found their way back from the brink, while others are still standing there, stuck in their pain. The core message of Grieving Dads is “you’re not alone.” It is a message that desperately needs to be delivered to grieving dads who often grieve in silence due to society’s expectations.

https://www.grievingdads.com/

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https://dadspace.ca

music provided by Blue Dot Sessions

Song: The Big Ten https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/258270

Episode 194 - Shellee Howard - Get Your Kids College Ready with a Plan and a Question - Who Are You

College Ready Founder and CEO

Shellee has traveled around the world helping students plan for their “perfect match” college. She knows what it takes to compete in the Ivy schools as well as finding the best fit for all students. Shellee believes that no two students are the same, and each student must have their own strategy and plan to be successful. Each student has a gift/talent and a passion that will set him or her apart from their competition. College Ready has clients all over the world, and each one is important. Her focus is to find the best academic, financial, and social fit college for each student to thrive at!

You deserve the College Ready “All hands on deck!” approach to your college application. We have the best college admissions consultants ready to help your student succeed!

At College Ready, we are a team of certified college admissions consultants driven to help your student succeed both in college and in life. We plan individually with students and their families to build the perfect college match as well as financial fit.

Our focus is your son or daughter and what he or she aspires to achieve. We are Certified College Counselors from UCSD, UCLA and come with years of experience helping students get into the perfect college or university. We enjoy working with students of all ages and stages. We have specialists who focus on the Ivy schools, and we have specialists who focus on getting B students into the best-fit college. Our goal is to help your student be the best they can be while graduating with little or no debt!

https://collegereadyplan.com/

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https://dadspace.ca

music provided by Blue Dot Sessions

Song: The Big Ten https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/258270