Julie & Joe Hudak
Military Veterans face a whole new reality and set of challenges when they transition to civilian life. Imagine being a young adult who is just starting out in life being thrown into a life that is full of trauma, death, structure, and brother/sisterhood only to come home and be paralyzed by simple tasks like making decisions at the grocery store? How do you integrate back into a world that has not seen the horrors you have seen or understand what you have gone through? Today, Joe shares his raw story of how he was able to claw his way out of the darkness to living a life of compassion and how is he now educating others by sharing his own experience. And his wife Julie graciously shares what reality is like for their family supporting Joe through his challenges...and his mission.
The Meditation Initiative: www.meditationinitiative.org/
Warriors Live On: warriorsliveon.org/
Military OneSource: www.militaryonesource.mil/
Check out Joe Hudak - Part 2 Vet Series episode.
Julie Onton
Julie is Joe's wife and a neuroscientist that has done trauma/TBI research. She has experienced first-hand the difficulties service members face when transitioning to civilian life. Julie has also worked for the Navy and UCSD researching mental trauma in Veterans in the hopes of finding scientific answers to the question, “Why are so many Veterans taking their own lives?”
Joe Hudak
Joe is a Green Beret Special Forces Operator/Delta Force Medic Veteran who has been in the clutches of suicide himself and was able to fight his way out. Joe volunteers his free time to authentically and honestly speak about his experiences with mental health challenges and the difficulties transitioning from soldier to civilian life…in hopes he can save someone else.
