Best of Season 3: Leadership, Purpose, and Employment After Service (Pt 2)Best of Season 3: Leadership, Purpose, and Employment After Service (Pt 2)
Untold Valor: Veterans Recovery in Action
Highlights from three veterans touch on leadership in uniform, life after combat, and finding meaningful employment through service to others. Conversations focus on embracing change, handling loss, and turning lived experience into support for fellow veterans.
22:23•4 Jun 2026
Leadership, Purpose and New Careers After Service: Best of Season 3 (Pt 2)
Episode Overview
- Embracing change in the military makes both service and post-service life easier to handle.
- Strong leaders in uniform can help soldiers avoid quitting on themselves, which pays off after discharge.
- Veterans may struggle with the lack of camaraderie and shared mission in civilian workplaces.
- Staying open to new missions and reconnections can lead to unexpected roles in helping other veterans.
- DVOP specialists use their own service experience to hold veterans accountable, encourage them through setbacks, and support job readiness.
“"You're not going to quit on me, which really means quitting on themselves."”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction and post-service challenges? This "Best of Season 3 – Part 2" episode of *Untold Valor* brings together powerful veteran voices on leadership, purpose, and finding meaningful work after the military.
First up, Bart Womack reflects on his path from drill sergeant to senior leader, stressing how crucial it is for service members to adapt: "If you are opposed to change, it's going to be very hard." He explains how refusing to let recruits quit on themselves can later become a lifeline in civilian life, especially when the camaraderie and shared mission of the military are missing in corporate jobs.
Jeremy Stalnecker then shares how a conservative Christian upbringing, a combat deployment to Iraq, and an unexpected call into ministry eventually led him to join Mighty Oaks. His story shows how purpose can shift over time, and how a single reconnection with a former Marine opened the door to helping other veterans through a new mission.
Finally, Dartanyun Wilkins-Harvey talks frankly about joining the Army to avoid trouble, serving in Iraq, and then struggling to find his footing after leaving the service. His turning point came as a Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) specialist, helping fellow veterans break through employment barriers. As he explains, "One thing that you'll always notice when it comes to veterans...
you'll always see a trend of bouncing in between different industries," and he uses his own experience to keep others from giving up during endless job interviews. This episode suits veterans, families, and anyone who wants honest stories about rebuilding life, dealing with mental strain, and turning hard-earned military skills into a new sense of purpose. If you're wondering how to keep going when the mission feels unclear, these conversations might give you a few ideas to start with.
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