“My father passed away when I was in college, from cancer related to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, where he served in 1965-66. It affected me in many ways; I was a bit lost, and I just wasn’t getting the job done in college. I enlisted in 1991 and completed Special Forces training in 1994. After my ’01 tour, we were informed we wouldn’t be deploying anywhere, so I went to nursing school and became an ICU nurse. Nursing felt like a good profession of service. In ’07 I re-enlisted. Then I worked for a trauma consultant but eventually decided I wanted to do my own venture and started a fitness competition app: Fit Fight.

In March of 2020, I became a consultant for crisis management at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). I was immediately thrown onto an amazing team and assisted with converting an orthopedic surgical hospital into a COVID treatment facility. Being a combat vet and a medical professional, I was able to say, “Yes it’s bad but it’s going to be okay.” In June 2020, HSS asked me to be the Chief Wellness and Resilience Officer. I’m deeply grateful. It’s taken until my role here at HSS for me to feel like I was in a place that understood my background and experiences.”