The show airs this week!
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Tune in here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/battlebeyondradioshow/2014/06/05/moo-moos-mental-health-monkey-business-making-sense-of-mayhem
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It is so hard to believe that this project gets off the proverbial ground this week! This radio show is something that the entire Battling B.A.R.E. Executive Team has talked about for nearly 2 years! Now it is finally happening with a team of crazy awesome gals!
Here is a bit of the story behind the show...
Once upon a time, I (Ash Wise) posted a crazy picture that looked something like this....(this version has the explanation of all the symbolism behind the picture)
The intent was to release some pent up anger regarding the handling of my request for help regarding my hubby's PTSD and to find a small (let me repeat that SMALL) circle of gals who were dealing with the same struggles. What resulted was literally a global movement that touched 55 million people worldwide!
The initial goal of "a small circle" of friends was me, too. Some of the gals that make up that "inner circle" make up the panel of hosts for our "Battle Beyond" Radio Show--I'll introduce them to you in just a minute.
Back to how the show idea came about...
We would be talking during planning meetings or just "girl talk" time, and each of us would find ourselves saying at different points in time, "We should be recording this! Other gals need to hear about our crazy lives so they know they aren't the only ones who deal with this stuff!"
-or (typically after a misunderstanding regarding a Facebook Post)-
"I wish there was a way to communicate with people so that they could hear our tone of voice and how we interact with each other--so much of communication is taken away on Facebook because it is just words. People need to hear how we interact and hear that we bounce ideas off each other and really don't always have the answer, but together, we find a way to make it work!"
So, after 2 years of working almost exclusively on Facebook, we decided it was finally time to launch a radio show, and BAM! everything started to fall into place.
So, now it is time for you to meet our crazy awesome panel of hosts!
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Introducing:
Cheryl Hays
Cheryl has been a proud military wife for 15 years and is
the mother of three incredible children, one with special needs. With the heart of a philanthropist, she has gladly
shared her talents with her family’s military and civilian communities. Cheryl
has held several FRG (Family Readiness Group) leadership positions to include Leader/Co-Leader, Event
Planner, deployment POC (Point of Contact), and Treasurer. She has also served as a Den Leader,
Secretary/Treasurer and Committee Member for her son’s Boy Scout Pack and Troop
as well as a Girl Scout Leader for her daughter’s Troop. Having a son with special needs gave her the
opportunity to help create and serve on the board of the school system’s
Exceptional Children Parent Advisory Council as well as the Special Education
PTA; which, after realizing the need, inspired her to start the only Special
Needs Girl Scout Troop in her area.
While striving to make a difference in her community, Cheryl
was also fighting a silent war at home when it came to her husband’s struggle
with PTSD, which had manifested itself after his 2003 deployment to Iraq, until
she came upon the Battling BARE organization in its infancy in 2012. She once again gave her talents and served as
COO of Battling BARE until the war at home demanded that she focus solely on
herself and her family. She has once
again taken up the torch to ensure wives and children of those who live with
mental health issues understand that they, too, are not alone, have worth and
can not only survive their circumstances, but be victors in their own lives.
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Introducing:
Ambra Roberts
Ambra
Roberts is a mother of three amazing children, and is the wife of a Wounded
Warrior at Fort Benning, Georgia. She is serves as a voice for Military and
Veteran families dealing with PTSD, TBI, depression, and suicide. She has been a military advocate for 4+ years
and is still going strong. Ambra has
been named the 2013 & 2014 Fort Benning Spouse of the Year by Armed Forces
Insurance and Military Spouse Magazine.
Ambra’s
13 year old child attempted suicide on her husband’s R&R from
Afghanistan. This traumatic experience
inspired her to work towards making a difference in the lives of other families
facing these same struggles. Ambra started the first suicide awareness walks at
Fort Benning, which provide mental health resources to military families. Ambra became a Field Advocate for the American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a T.A.P.S. Volunteer /Caregiver to families
of Fallen Military, and is also a PTSD Peer Group Facilitator for Hearts of
Valor Caregiver Support Groups. She currently
serves on the Executive Board for South Atlantic Center for Veterans Education
and Training (SACVET), which is a non-profit that provides support and
resources to homeless / disabled Veterans in the Columbus, Georgia area. She is also a PTSD Peer Group Facilitator for
Hearts of Valor Caregiver Support Groups. Ambra has been successful in
advocating for our Military and now assists others in doing the same.
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Introducing:
Melissa Bourgeois
Melissa Bourgeois has been married for almost 10 yrs to Eric
Bourgeois and have three beautiful children.
A few of years after the birth of their first child, Eric joined the
Military where he was station in Vincenza, Italy. Having no experience with
Military life prior to her husband’s enlistment, Melissa dove head first into
getting involved and learning as much as she possibly could about life as a
military family. One of her first volunteer positions was as the FRG (Family
Readiness Group Leader) for her husband’s company where she helped to run
fundraisers, educate families, assist Soldiers in gather all the necessary
paperwork to bring their family over to Italy. During her stay in Italy,
Melissa’s husband faced 2 deployments totaling 30 months of separation. After
his second deployment, Eric was diagnosed with severe and chronic PTSD.
Not understanding much about PTSD outside
of how hard PTSD was no her whole family, Melissa jumped head first into
learning about PTSD—reading everything she could get her hands on about the
issue. Within 6 months of Eric’s diagnoses
the family received orders to Fort Campbell, Kentucky where Melissa’s husband was
deployed a third time. Soon after arriving to Fort Campbell, Melissa realized
that PTSD had taken over her life and not just her husband’s life. So Melissa did what she always does, she
began researching—but this time her research wasn’t to understand PTSD or how
to help her husband. This time, her research was how to get her own life back
while loving someone who has PTSD.
In the midst of her research,
Melissa stumbled upon a picture that was posted on a Facebook group’s
page. It was at first glance a picture of
a half naked woman. Upon further
inspection this woman had a pledge written on her back…to Melissa the pledge
said everything. This picture and pledge was the picture that started the
Battling BARE Movement. Battling Bare
gave Melissa the platform she was looking for to share all this information she
had learned via her research--to give other military wives like her the
information they needed to love themselves and someone with PTSD. She has been on this journey of learning,
teaching and sharing her knowledge of PTSD and self love for 2 years. Melissa plans on continuing this adventure
and learning what her future holds.
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Introducing:
Ash Wise
Ash Wise has been married to Rob for the past 8 years. They are relocating to Carthage, Missouri with their 3 children now that Rob has retired after serving the last 20 years in the military.
Ash has been an active philanthropist throughout her life serving in various positions and on
numerous committees for non-profits and Family Readiness Groups during her nearly 12
years as an Army wife. She is humbled and honored to serve others dealing with the daily
challenges of primary and secondary PTSD no matter the cause.
The quintessential entrepreneur, Ash’s natural business sense, vast array of skills and
talents, along with her uncanny ability to retain information and learn at lightening speeds
has caused others to call her a prodigy, but for those that know her best, Ash is simply Ash—
devoted mother, wife and friend who is painfully honest, grounded, humble, loyal and loving.
A native of Corpus Christi, Texas but having grown up in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Ash’s
North/South perspective on American culture has given her the ability to get some of the
most unlikely people to work together for a common goal. She is looking forward to the Battle Enterprises Incorporated has in store.
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We have a few more gals joining the show later on this summer, but I will wait to introduce them.
We cannot wait for this show to start and are so excited to hear from all the gals out there--this show is all about you ladies!
In the mean time, have a fantastic month of PTSD Awareness Raising!
...and remember that you are enough!
Love with PASSION!
Live with PEACE!
And dare to DREAM...for you are WORTHY of everything you dream, imagine, long for and so much more!
With All Our Love,
The Battle BARE Babes
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