No, the 490 with Gretchen de Becker, Matt Killam and Kevin Mullen all.

Happy Memorial Day and welcome to the 419, powered by and presented by Whitehall Wealth Management.

I'm Kevin mullen, Gretchen de Becker, I kill him.

It's a special Memorial Day edition of the 419.

We generally on Mondays do our May or Monday.

But today we are focusing as we should.

We are focusing on veterans and some great organizations and great people serving veterans in our community.

What what what what's on the docket for you guys?

What are the big plans for Memorial Day?

Working all day.

That's the opposite of what you're supposed to do.

I know, but I have work to do.

Okay.

Unfortunately.

What are you doing?

The courts aren't open.

No, no, I'm no excuse.

I'm going to the jail to see clients.

Sure.

Okay.

Yeah, they like it when you come on a holiday.

Yeah.

You know, like extra.

That's nice of you.

Yeah, yeah, I think so.

And I'll be there when.

Gretchen.

So that's.

That's my plan.

That's my big plan.

Have something that's a tradition or.

No, I do want to get out to the parade and get out and enjoy that today.

Yeah, but that's not a I don't make it to it.

And so I'm trying to make a point today.

The folks that bought the fire truck are going to be driving drunk with the parade in the parade.

Yeah.

Nice.

Yeah.

And so that's that's something that was on my list of like, oh, it'd be nice to put this in a parade, but I never got around to it.

Yeah.

And so I love that.

Like right out of the gate, they're like, let's go.

Yeah.

So I'm excited for our lineup of guests today.

Sometimes we can blow through holidays.

And this isn't meant to be cynical without celebrating the meaning of them.

And I'm glad, Kevin, I think that you are the author or creator of the show.

So this is a great institution that we're going to have on a gentleman that has been with it for almost a decade, as well as one of the participants in and as one of the clients.

So a big day to remember the essence of what the celebration should be about.

So my niece is a is a horse girl.

She's obsessed with horses.

So my sister said a while ago, we should have Amanda and the folks from Who's On.

And then we thought, perfect day to have them on.

So yeah, hooves is a I'm going to say equine therapy.

I don't know that that's the right term.

Amanda will correct me.

She will.

But incredible organization serving veterans.

I went through a piece of the program.

Okay.

I don't know if I knew that and just drops knowledge like that often.

So when I was, when I was, my position was eliminated during Covid and I was sort of discerning, what do I do next?

I had connected with Amanda on LinkedIn and sort of shared with her like, hey, I'm not sure what's next.

She was like, what are you trying to figure out?

You should come out to the farm.

Yeah.

And so I went out there and did an exercise with the horses.

Oh, cool.

It is unbelievable.

I don't know why how it works.

Sure, but it was.

It's.

I get chills thinking about it.

And to think that this is a gift that this organization is giving to folks that have sacrificed the most.

That's right.

And so it's incredible.

So we'll have Amanda Held, the executive director of hooves.

And then we'll also have Steve Murray, who is a volunteer with the program and also a graduate.

So we'll be able to talk to him about his experience as well.

And then as we wrap up the program, we'll have our friends from Inspired Lumber, the folks that made this very, very desk.

But they also have a really cool program called Salute to Carpentry, which teaches woodworking to veterans and first responders.

And so we'll talk about the work that they're doing, how this got started.

Get an update on on their business.

Well, I can talk a little bit.

I came in 50th in their pinewood derby competition as a bush cat.

So I've been working.

I think there were ten contestants.

There were not anywhere near close to 50.

Yeah, it was the tri county area.

All right, let's take a break.

We come back.

Amanda will join us right here on the 419, powered by wheat.

Support for the 419 comes from Whetro Wealth Management, where we understand that your financial path is personal.

Advisory services are offered through capital investment advisory services LLC, securities offered through Capital Investment Group member Finra, SIPC.

More information at whetroadvisors.com The 419, powered by WGTE is made possible in part by supporters like you.

Thank you.

Welcome back into the 419, powered by.

As we celebrate Memorial Day here on the program, we're joined now by Amanda held with hooves healing of our veterans equine services.

I'm so impressed.

Kevin, that is so good.

I'm so impressed.

And I did not look that up.

No, he he knew it this morning.

That's amazing.

Yeah.

Let's go.

Graduating acronym was.

Which was hard life.

I can't get back.

I'm still trying to figure it out.

Just painful.

What is?

If people aren't familiar with hooves, what is your organization?

Absolutely.

So hooves is a sanctuary and healing center in Swanton, Ohio, and we provide five day healing intensives for veterans and first responders struggling with mental health challenges.

And we do that nationwide.

How did this get started?

Well, I think every purposeful nonprofit is always started from the founder's own life experience.

So I have 26 years in the military total.

I'm still serving in the guard, but when I got out of active duty, I really struggled with the transition and I just found myself in a dark place.

I didn't want to be here anymore, and it was actually a wild mustang that changed my life.

Where are you from originally?

So I'm originally I graduated from Swanton High School.

Okay.

For I would never come back.

And here I am.

You know, I think we all do that at some point, right?

Yeah.

Never going back.

I said about this show.

But yet every every day he shows up.

I also sleep under the desk.

So it's helpful just in terms of like, but this story, we've got a lot to get to in enough time, of course, but so if you don't mind bringing us from little Amanda into service.

How did that.

How did you make that decision?

Where did you go?

What was it?

It's actually a really embarrassing story.

It is.

You know, a lot of people join the military because they're like, I want to fight for my country.

Well, me and my girlfriends were sitting around the kitchen table one day, and it wasn't my idea.

It was my friend Brandi.

And she was like, don't you think it would be cool if we, like, joined the military?

And then we could get in really good shape and there's like lots of guys to choose from.

And, you know, we get to travel the world.

And she's not wrong.

She's not wrong.

Technically, those are all good selling points.

Yeah, she should be a recruiter.

She should get a few things.

She got me in, you know.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Right.

Yeah.

So it had never crossed my mind.

I wanted to be a fashion designer and go to Chicago.

Yeah.

So it was just really the first time I had ever considered it.

But my grandfather was a Korean War vet and he was a jet engine mechanic, so that was inspiring.

And my mom was actually in the other room.

I was a little bit of a difficult child, so she heard the conversation and she got on the phone with the recruiter, and 20 minutes later I was in a van.

She's like, take her.

And two months later I was gone.

So I like to say it was fake.

Sure, it was the military that you were involved in then came to what branch were you in?

Yeah.

So Air Force, so four years active duty, then the guard.

And I'm actually getting ready to go to the reserves now.

Okay, wonderful.

It just can't get rid of me.

No.

Thank you.

What does.

We're celebrating Memorial Day here.

I want to talk a little bit more about who's in your organization.

But what does Memorial Day mean to you?

Well, you know, it's interesting.

One of the most uncomfortable things that tends to happen to veterans on Memorial Day is people say thank you to us, right?

But Memorial Day and we always gently correct people like it's really a time to honor and celebrate the sacrifice and honor the lives of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, the one that we all sign up for and pray we don't have to do right.

And there are one of the things that we know from the veteran community is that the fight doesn't end when they get out of service, right?

Absolutely.

It continues.

And I know you and I have talked about one of those challenges is that when you're in the military, you wake up every day with a specific purpose and a specific list of things you need to do, and you get out and that's gone.

What what does that what does that lead to?

And then how does hooves come in and help with that?

Well, this is probably going to sound a little bit strange, but one of the things that I love is brain science and neuroscience.

Right.

And so I think it's just been a missing element.

And I will not nerd out on you guys, I promise.

But high level like you talk about Kevin, the you know, the brain is trained every day to be told what to do.

And every, you know, in the nervous system gets used to that.

Right.

And also because we're going into high energy, especially on deployments every day we got to be ready to go.

Our bodies start producing all these hormones that make us live a certain way, and then it's just gone and there's no transition.

And it's really interesting because then you're probably like, well, how in the heck do horses have anything to do with this?

But science is advancing, and we're realizing that horses can actually pick up on our our hormone panels, essentially, you know, they can sense and smell and feel our biology, and they respond to that in real time.

So I know are more prone to being aware of this as a species, or they're finding out the many species of animals horses are unique in.

One of the questions that I get often is like, well, why don't you just use dogs?

They're cheaper and easier to transport and take care of.

But dogs are pack animals and and horses, interestingly, and I, I will not also go on this crusade for fascinated by this please.

Okay, so people like to just label horses as prey animals, but they're not just pray animals like a bunny is a prey animal.

If you chase it, it just runs away.

And and but horses are non predatory herd animals and they have a really, really high sense of self-preservation.

So horses you know, they may run from you, but if they feel like they can't run anywhere, they will fight you.

Right?

So in order for them to stay alive in the wild, their their survival response is constantly scanning the environment and saying, okay, how are these other horses behaving?

And I'm going to behave like those horses, because if I'm the horse that stands out, I'm the target for the wolf.

Interesting.

So we get to really incorporate things that are natural to horses.

And people always ask about training.

How do you train your horse to do this work?

You don't.

All we actually the more and a lot of the horses in our program are wild horses.

Well, formerly wild, they're obviously safe for people, of course, but those instincts are so high and I feel like it really makes them very impactful for this work because it's real time feedback.

Yeah, yeah.

So I want to talk a little bit.

I mentioned in the intro that I had done an exercise.

You and I were standing in the pen, you're asking me questions and I'm observing the horses and their interactions, and I started to apply emotions to the different horses.

And and then we're just you and I were just talking and I was was I was nervous.

I was, you know, I thought I knew what the right next step for me to do was.

But I was scared that it wasn't going to be the right step.

And I remember it was Tulip and Donk and I. Well, Donk is not a horse.

He's.

He's a donkey.

He thinks he's a horse.

He does, but I but I remember one of the horses just taking off out of the pen, and it was the horse that to me looked like it was afraid.

And at the moment that I was like, no, this is what I'm going to do.

I look up and the horse just bolts out of the pen and it was literally fear leaving.

I'm saying this is what we're doing, but that.

But you're saying like that was really the horse picking up on what I'm going through.

That is just one of the exercises in this five day intensive program.

Talk to me about the different pieces of this.

Yeah, absolutely.

So and I just want to say quickly, we filmed the documentary that actually follows a veteran through the whole process.

It's on our website.

So if anybody wants to actually see it in real time and we have that available and I encourage everyone to watch it.

But we have really curated these five days for each thing that we do to build on the next thing.

So in the morning we'll do something mindful.

We have meditation with horses, we have a mindfulness walking path, a yoga breathwork, and my husband runs a program, Miles to freedom, where he actually takes all the veterans into the metro park on a bike ride.

They do about seven miles, which is also amazing because a lot of the veterans don't think physically they're capable of things sometimes, and then they get out.

That could be a whole nother episode.

But so in the morning, we're doing something to reconnect to our body, right?

Because when our body hurts, we leave.

Even if it's emotional, we leave, right?

And then we become head thinkers.

And the more we're out of our body, the harder it is to re access it.

So we've got to if we're going to start healing this, we've got to get back into it.

So we open the day with that, and then we do about four hours of classroom work.

And you know we don't call it a retreat because it's not it's intense.

But that's where we talk about our brain and our biology because there's so much people don't know.

And if you don't know what's going on, things are just happening to you.

You can't identify it.

You can't you can't make sense of it.

Exactly.

So we help them understand why they feel the way they do and the amount of shame that I see leave, you know, it's like, oh, wait, I tell people, you're having your body is having a normal response to an abnormal experience.

There's nothing.

It's not that something is wrong with you.

You just haven't been given the understanding and the pathway to work through all of that.

And that's what we're doing in the classroom.

Then I the horses find you.

Or did you find horses?

Yes.

Can you elaborate a little bit on that?

Yeah.

When I was three, I just started saying horse and I became obsessed.

I didn't play with Barbie.

I played with My Little Pony and then Brier Horses.

Like, I could not care less about other toys, you know, unfortunately, my mom saw that passion in me.

I mean, my parents went to Whitmer and we lived in Toledo, but she would drive me all the way out to Delta to get my riding lessons when I was five years old.

And that really opened it up when I was 12.

And they surprised me for Christmas and bought me my first horse.

And then I had to give all that up to join the military.

So there was a period of time in my life I couldn't even walk into a barn without crying because it just it's part of who I am.

I was born this way, and the first steps to be at the location where you're at now were what?

You came back from active duty and immediately headed back into Swan.

Or talk to me a little bit, because building these things, I don't want to blow past it.

We'll take all the time.

We need the show as recorded, so I don't want to.

I think it's really important for people to have an understanding of how all of this was built.

Yeah, absolutely.

So I got out of active duty, I really struggled, I ended up getting a divorce, so I called my dad, I had two kids, and I told my dad, you need to come get me and bring me home, and I'm going to punch Brandi in the face.

So, no, I love Brandy to death for this made my whole life.

But but yeah, I said, but don't come without a horse trainer because I had adopted my Mustang.

That really helped me.

So I put my kids beds in one half of the horse trailer and my horse in the other half, and we trucked it back to Swanton, Ohio, and I didn't know what I was going to do with my life.

I had no education.

I was a waitress, and I went to Owens Community College and then ended up getting my bachelors and my Masters in Psychology.

But while I was in college for business, I wrote a business plan thinking, oh, there's no way this is ever going to happen.

And I shoved it away in a drawer.

And then my grandfather, he used to drive for priority mail, and he found this farm in Grand Rapids, Ohio, and he was like, you got to go check it out.

And I'm like, okay, your grandpa like, it's a half $1 million farm, you know?

But I went, yeah.

And, you know, my faith is just huge in this.

And I just I snuck into the property, into the indoor arena, I hit my knees and I just prayed and I said, God, if you give me this place, like, I will use it to help people.

And I just got this, like voice that was like, ask your dad to go into business with you.

So I tell people, if you could always.

Brandy.

No, no, but.

Okay.

Full circle.

Yeah, please.

Brandy ended up marrying a military person and was in a not great relationship.

And we're going to go into the military.

No, Brandy?

No, neither one of the other two girls did, and they they regret it.

They have told me many times they regret it.

But Brandy ended up marrying somebody in the army who was horrible and abusive.

And we also offer this same program for spouses and caregivers of veterans.

So Brandy actually came through my program and was able to find healing after her marriage.

And how did you in a van and yes.

How did you figure out or find out, discover, learn, whatever the word is that the impact the horses were having with you, working with them was not just isolated.

Isolated as it relates to you and your love and belief in horses.

Like, how did you know that it would either work or be something that other people would benefit from?

Well, I didn't.

But what I did in Colorado, I learned from some really great horsemen and they I wanted to be a horse trainer, so I didn't even have, like, doing this therapeutic work on my radar.

I just wanted to be a horse trainer because the ways that horses are trained or were trained and it's getting better were very barbaric.

And I wanted to come back to Ohio and bring this new insight.

And so I love story short.

I take my dad to lunch, I handed my business plan.

I say, let's buy this farm.

You need a retirement investment, which is great.

You know, the quickest way to make $1 million on a horse farm?

Start with 2 million.

But anyway, it sounded like a good idea at the time.

So we we did it.

And yeah, we were just boarding and training horses.

Our our business blew up.

We were we had 40 horses at our facility with six.

Wow.

I was training, giving lessons, competing, you know, and I got back into the horse world and it just I didn't like what I saw.

People were abusing their horses at these shows.

And, you know, I couldn't be in that environment.

And the industry can be very like, do you think Dance Moms is bad?

Oh, no, it's it's a whole nother level.

Right.

So I was like, this is toxic.

I don't want to be a part of this.

I shot my whole facility down and I was like, okay, God, like, what are we doing here?

And I happened to meet a guy that introduced me to equine assisted psychotherapy and learning.

And I, I observed as I was teaching.

And it was funny because I would get a lot of clients who were like women who got horses later in life.

Maybe they always had a dream to have a pony, and they couldn't do that.

Now they're high powered, successful business women and they have the money and they would go buy these expensive, well trained horses.

And within two months these horses are trying to attack them.

And and then they would come to me like, what's going on?

This is a well-trained horse.

And I would say, like, well, horses reflect the life inside of their humans.

So what's going on in you?

You know, and then I would work with them and help them fix the relationship with their horses.

And then they would come back and they'd be like, I'm managing my employees better.

I'm managing my family better.

My kids are different around me.

My husband's different.

So for a short period of time, I thought I had invented something really cool.

But then turns out there's a whole industry still.

You got it.

But we're closing this segment here, and I'm going to ask you a question that I'm not qualified to ask.

And I'm sure it's widely complicated, but of all the individuals that come to your farm and what you know about psychology is the pursuit of happiness, what possible is that in a legitimate goal?

Or are we looking to be more at peace?

Or how would you describe a life?

What are they seeking when they come there?

Yeah, tell me it doesn't have to be a word.

And again, it's going to take as long as it needs to take.

What are you helping people find?

Well, I think this is a great question.

And we have quite a few interviews with the alumni that have been through in so many of them.

And this is not something I ever would have thought people were looking for, but so many of them have come and come through and said, I can breathe again, like they just they want they're not even thinking about happiness.

They're thinking about, can I breathe?

Can I function, you know, and to your point of like, you know, I will not go down that rabbit hole, but happiness, right?

What is happiness?

I think it's unique within every individual.

And so one of the things that we teach in our program is not about how to find happiness, but it's about how to associate to reality.

Right?

That's the first step.

And there's a lot of steps after that.

But if and this is my thing, like if somebody tells you that shouldn't have happened to you or you believe that shouldn't have happened to you, if you wake up every day with that thought, the things in my life that have happened to me should not have happened to me.

How do you ever move beyond that?

Right.

So it's not about saying what happened to me was good or bad or should or shouldn't.

It's this is what happened to me.

And how can I take this and not let it be in vain?

And how can I grow and learn and serve humanity?

And that that's full circle.

We're talking with Amanda held with hooves.

We're going to take a break.

When we come back.

Stick around with us.

We'll have Steve Murray, a volunteer and graduate of the Who's program, will join us.

People want more information on hooves.

Where can they get it?

Yeah.

Our website, who's got us?

And I don't know if I can talk about an event really quick on the 31st.

Let's do it.

When we come back, we'll talk about when we come back for the break.

We'll be right back on the 419.

To me, community means connecting to others.

I'm Dani Miller and welcome to the Point.

I lost it yesterday.

We're a community committed to education.

Discover new ideas, dive into exciting subjects, and engage with the world around you.

I would send them personally a t shirt.

Crime doesn't pay in the old West End.

Pass it on.

That's how we cleaned up the neighborhood.

Vision loss for people is not the end.

It's the story.

It's the next chapter.

There we go.

Public media invites you to get out and play day.

Monday through Friday.

It's the 419 powered by W GT with Matt Gillum, Gretchen de Backer, I'm Kevin Mullen.

What can people expect on the show?

Give me an hour.

A reminder of why this is a great place to live, work and play.

Where you come to watch, listen and learn.

Welcome back into the 419.

As we celebrate Memorial Day here with, we're joined by the folks from hooves.

Amanda Held, executive director.

And also we have now Steve Murray.

You are a volunteer and a graduate of the program?

Yes.

Yep.

You are also a military veteran?

I am, I started out two years in the Ohio National Guard, out here in Walbridge, got to the rank of E-4 and was stuck.

So I decided to go full time active duty Air Force.

And and I told the recruiter, I said, give me the hardest job you can find.

And I became an explosive ordnance disposal technician.

Did you talk to Brandy before going?

No I didn't.

Drove you?

Where did you serve?

I served six years in California in the space shuttle recovery team, during when the challenger blew up and then also went to Alaska.

I spent four years up there in Fairbanks at Eielson Air Force Base, an amazing area, and then traveled all over the place and supported the original Desert Storm.

Words matter.

I want to make sure I'm using this right.

Amanda and Mr.

Murray, the individuals that participate in who you refer to them as, what?

Alumni, alumni after they've come through?

Yes.

Very good.

All right.

And people that are in their cohort.

Gotcha.

Yeah.

Yep.

Thank you very much, Steve.

I'm curious.

We talked a little bit with Amanda about, you know, the role that who's plays for veterans, but about some of that transition from active duty to civilian life.

What was that?

What was that transition like for you, if you don't mind sharing?

For me, when I got out of the military, I was actually forced out due to budget constraints in 92, and I had bad feelings about the military for a long time.

And then one time we just we were watching, watching TV, watching some kind of a charity event, and I looked at my wife and I said, I need to do something to support my the veterans.

So I started doing this golf outing.

And it wasn't for Amanda at first because I didn't know who she was.

That came about when my wife went to fill in for my sister at one of the events as a volunt and my wife came back and she was just blown away.

She said, you've got to meet Amanda, you've got to meet this place.

So we went out and I just I fell in love with with the program, with everything it was about.

And now I just had my 13th annual golf outing, and I think it's been eight years, nine years that have been supporting Amanda and her program.

And it's probably one of the biggest highlights of my of my life.

What are the characteristics of the feelings or the thoughts that that that are returning veteran has in your experience to compel them to want to participate in this program?

What are they?

What's their daily life like a lot of.

For me it was a lack of direction, a lack of.

The biggest thing I missed was the family.

You know, in the military, you're away from your family unit.

So you become a family with people you're you're working with and you're you're deployed with.

And when you get out of the military, sure, you're home with your family, but it's not the same.

You know, you you developed a family with people that you're in, you know, in combat.

And, you know, I was on the bomb squad for ten years as people that I put my life in, in harm's way.

And these people were there for me and I was there for them.

And when I got out, he was gone.

So my biggest thing when I got back, when I got to hooves is I had my family back, you know, and how that kind of seems weird, but no, it doesn't.

But, you know, it was.

Yeah, that was my biggest thing was a little two veteran and came back and I think the struggle.

He never felt that void.

Not that he had a particularly difficult life or an easy one either.

But he had a big family, but never my grandmother's or her words.

It never replaced what he found in the army.

She said that if they had to do it over again, he would should have been a career army person.

Steve, was there a moment going through the hoops program that that kind of sticks with you, that you're like, just this, like she's laughing and probably thinking moments with me in the round pen.

And Hemi is a rather large animal.

He's a big Clydesdale, and one of the first things you do when you come into the program is you take a little quiz and decide what kind of horse you are just because everything.

Yes.

Personality test.

Yeah.

And every time, except for this last one, I've been a Clydesdale, just like Hemi.

So.

And Clydesdale is is always a helper.

You know, it's somebody that takes care of everybody, you know?

And so I always tried to.

I always try to do that.

And I always figured, well, I'll hang out with him because he's a Clydesdale like me.

He'll be easy, you know.

And he was not easy.

Yeah.

I spent several times in the round pen with him, and several times he showed me exactly who I was at that point.

That's right.

Yeah.

And the one time that's most memorable.

I was in the round pen, and I was, I was I had my walls up like I always do and protect myself.

And Hemi noticed that.

And he turned around and walked all the way to the other side of the round pen and just showed me his butt.

And I walked over to him and he turned around and walked right back to the other side and same thing.

And and I kind of.

Amanda called me over to the rails and was talking to me, and I kind of just lost it.

And, you know, for a man to cry in front of other people, you know, especially the way I was raised, it didn't do it.

Well, I've had some really ugly cries, I tell you how to toes.

And she's been president for 99% of them.

But the amazing thing is, when I broke down, let the walls down and started to cry, Emmy's head was right on my shoulder.

Oh my gosh, that's such an interesting thing about the story about military service, primarily still men in the military and the, you know, the projection of strength and stoicism and those kinds of things that even in this day and age are expected of men.

Right.

What do you what do you think about now that you're on the other side of it, that you allow yourself to participate in this?

And what do you find is better a your life as a man and a husband?

And since you've done this, I, I think I have I think I have a lot more confidence in myself.

I have I think I'm a better father, better husband, better grandfather and a better friend.

You know, it's just I'm I'm able to be more myself and less worried about what other people think of me, which was my entire life before it was what everybody thought of me, you know?

So which is a lot of people.

But what's your relationship with Hemi today?

Every time I go out to the farm, I go back to the back ranch and back field and try to find them, and sometimes they'll come over to me.

Other times he stays out there with his head in the feed barn, you know, and but it's all it's all the perspective, you know, there's a there's a chance that somebody watching this, you know, this program is somebody that needs what, what hooves does.

It's more likely that there's somebody watching this program that loves somebody who needs this.

What would you say to that individual, or what would you say to that person about why they should they should head out to the farm.

Well, my my way into the program, I never for two years as a volunteer, I would never take part in the retreat.

And I was asked several times and I had never been to combat, you know, I was my brother was in the Navy with me.

He was in war zone because.

So I could never go.

So I went all over the world in support of Desert Storm.

But so I never thought I deserved a spot there.

And one of the guys that was a combat veteran, Nick, at one of the charity events, he looked at me and said, if you want to keep calling me a friend, you need to go to a retreat.

And so I did, and and I've now I've been to seven of them.

I went through my first one and it was it was eye opening and amazing.

And then I came back as a mentor six times.

And every time is a is another level or another.

Another layer of the onion is a man that likes to say, you know, peel back another layer and it never gets easier, but it's so, so worth it.

I mean, take the time to go out there and, you know, just just let your walls down and be present and, you know, and everybody gets something different out of it.

But I tell you, every time you drive through the gate, it hose everything, all your problems just wash away.

It's, you know, the most interesting thing about trauma is how, you know, we compare it to other people.

Right?

And I think more often than not, we, you know, I find this in my own life of saying, you know, I've got this thing going on, but it could be worse, right?

Somebody's got it worse.

But all that does is keep us from seeking the help we need.

That's.

And it's my transition is back into Amanda.

We've talked about this in several other shows in terms of what you deserve to quote you on that.

And we think of entitlement in a very negative sense.

Amanda, talk to me about what people deserve and what they're entitled to in terms of the health and wellness that are delivered out in Ohio.

Well, that's such a great question.

And and it is probably the number one pushback that I get is I don't want to take a spot for somebody that has it worse than me, you know, and I think, you know, and not in a judgment way, but in an observation way.

I think sometimes that is selfish, right.

Because how if we can't become the best version of ourselves, we're limiting everybody that's, that comes into contact with us.

So, you know, sometimes when people say that to me, then I say, well, is it just about you or is it about your community, the people that care about you in the world?

Right.

I think every veteran deserves this program.

I think that something, you know, even if it's just the book work that we do, informational like the every veteran deserves to know this information so they don't get out thinking something's wrong with them and don't end up, you know, so many veterans have said, if I just would have came here first, I wouldn't have.

Fill in the blank, you know, lost my family, turned to drugs, etc., etc.

so I think every veteran's entitled to this, whether they've been to combat or not.

You've got an event coming up.

We do.

So May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we are actually one of 130 charities nationwide.

We got selected for part of the horses for Mental Health campaign.

So we've been painting all month, and we're going to close that down at the farm on the 31st.

It's a Sunday at noon, from noon to five, and we're going to have food trucks.

We're going to have pepperoni, Tony, coral, Hamburg and C.K.

sweets food trucks.

Patrick Caligari is going to give us some awesome live music, and it's just going to be an opportunity for people to check out our mission, Meet the Horses.

We'll have Face Painting by Marvelous Creations, so it's just going to be a great way to connect with the community and really understand what horses can do for our mental health.

Mr.

Murray, you will also be doing the face painting.

You sure he's going to get a butterfly, you know?

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

We asked a question for Amanda.

We'll ask you.

What does Memorial Day mean to you?

Memorial day is is a day that we remember all those that have paid the ultimate price.

And I agree with what she said.

You know, people say, well, thank you for your service.

A memorial day is not about me.

It's about the people that have given everything so that I could have the freedom that I have today.

And and it's just it's a very solemn day.

And, you know, my grandfather was a was in World War two also.

And, you know, just remember those people that have gone before us and created what we all live in today.

As we close here, I want to make sure that we go back to some at the beginning, tell us all the ways that people can connect, or even if it's possible to walk in the front door, tell us how people can get connected with the services.

Absolutely.

So our social media, it's hoops for vets at Facebook.

We have tons on our social media.

They can go to our website if they want to attend an intensive, they can just fill out a very short application and one of our onboarding specialists will get with them.

And we have our graduations.

So actually the community can come and see the veterans graduate and support them.

We do fly people in from out of town that don't have family here, so they always get so excited when people they don't even know come to celebrate the work that they've done.

Those are all listed on our website and my personal cell phones on there.

So if you if you need support or you have questions, feel free to get Ahold of me.

I've received so many gifts from who's and my friendship with you, but I know that you brought some gifts for Matt and Gretchen I did today.

If you want to snag those, we'll have Steve reach over and grab those.

Thank you so much.

All right, guys, gotta open your gifts.

Nice.

It's a horse.

Oh, my God, your coffee drinkers.

You assume correctly.

So the honey is actually produced by the hives at our farm.

Diamond Dave is our beekeeper.

We've co-branded a coffee.

These are wonderful.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

So great.

For those of you are just listening, we've got a great decals.

This logo is powerful and beautiful, which is also how these bugs are way too nice for us.

But thank you.

Thank you so much.

That's right Amanda.

Steve, thank you so you guys so much.

Thank you for being with us.

Thank you, thank you.

We come back Anna and Brian Colin from Inspired Lumber will join us and talk about the salute to Carpentry.

We'll be right back on the special Memorial Day edition of the 419.

Support for the 419 comes from Whetro Wealth Management, where we understand that your financial path is personal.

Advisory services are offered through capital investment advisory services LLC, securities offered through Capital Investment Group member Finra, SIPC.

More information at whetroadvisors.com work.

Spring HR issues and employee well-being go hand in hand.

Work spring supports employers through compliance, training and wellness.

Because healthy workplaces don't happen by accidents.

Learn more at work.

Spring dawg.

Toledo Refining Company, a subsidiary of PDF energy.

Toledo Refining Company is a supplier of fuels that keep our region moving.

Located in Oregon, Ohio, the refinery processes crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other petroleum products.

and Tada!

Celebrating its 55th year of connecting Northwest Ohioans to their community.

More information@tada.com.

like.

Welcome back to the 419, powered by T. We're celebrating Memorial Day here with our friends at.

Just wrapped up in conversation with hooves.

And now we welcome in the.

I can't believe this is the first time we're having you guys on the program.

I know, but in some ways that we don't mean in some way.

You've been on the program all along because Inspired Lumber made the desk that we use every day.

Brian and Anna Colin, welcome in to the 419.

Thanks for watching.

We are undeserving of this.

No.

Yeah, it is beautiful.

This is the first time, you know, to sit here and actually feel it.

It's exactly what we hope that it would be.

I love the color, but we talked about the program and working with WTT to build a set right away.

I was like, I know what we got to do.

And I picked up the phone and called Sue, the set designer and said, I know it's got to happen.

She goes, I've, I've already talked to him.

And I was like, I love so much that you guys have become a part of the community in such an incredible way, in such a short time.

If people aren't familiar with inspired lumber, what is it?

Where is it and how long have you guys been around?

Yeah.

So inspired lumber workshop.

It was kind of born out of necessity.

We had a flood in our basement and we decided that we needed to do the work ourselves.

And so he started figuring out how to build things and do things.

And before we knew what, he found a talent he didn't know he had.

You're kidding me?

No.

And so self-taught.

Mostly the 2018 the that we call it our disaster.

Everything was black mold growing in the in the basement and which was delicious.

Oh that's fantastic.

It's wonderful for the health.

Yeah.

It's so good.

So he started literally like YouTubing how to do this, how to do that.

And before we knew it, he found this talent.

And then working in northwest Ohio doesn't work in January.

I'm not going to.

We can't blow past this.

Tell me other than what was just said.

Day one.

You are whittling.

I had no idea what I was doing.

He was afraid to do anything he wouldn't have that I can relate to.

What were you doing before this?

I was doing it work.

I natural transitioned into.

Absolutely, absolutely.

They go hand in hand.

No.

I for a long time even wanted to build a rack to hold the tools in the back of my truck, and didn't even build that 100%.

So that part I get the honing tools.

He doesn't even.

Yeah.

That's right.

Yeah.

So most of my tools weren't woodworking tools.

They were, you know, brand new, brand new.

But all my stuff was in.

But the tools that I had were all for it work.

They were, you know, equipment that I would use to be able to test networks, phone systems, stuff like that.

Things just alienate people who are coming to help.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

But no, it was something completely out of the realm of possibility.

And then something happened and we were thrown into this.

We had an opportunity to take it on ourselves.

We had a writer on the insurance that gave us some extra money.

And so when you look at looking at the YouTube or your the videos or you're doing your research and you attempt something.

What is the feeling are you're l wait a minute, that turned out really great.

That was easy.

I can do this.

Like, is that what was going on?

And that's what it was.

Something I picked up on or figured out right away was breaking everything down into smaller steps.

And when we teach classes at the wood shop, we do the same thing.

We go one connection, one nail at a time, and breaking down the process really makes it easier for everybody to understand.

But it's a heck of a big leap to go from, hey, I'm good at this to I'm going to make an entire organization and teach the community and all.

By the way, that wasn't a huge leap because when I got sent home from a third of it and I'm watching him out the back door, it was a question of, is my husband going to live or is he going to do this safely?

So did you prefer I preferred that he lived.

Okay.

All right.

So when he was using various tools, which most people have, like these portable table saws and things, and they're like, and I'm going to build this, they're not using them correctly.

And we see so many videos of people who are like, you shouldn't do that.

Don't do that.

That's that's not safe.

I went in and I said, do you really have to use a table saw?

And he goes, yeah.

And I said, then we have to do something better.

And so we started looking.

But we've, we talked to so many people on this program that, you know, not dissimilar to you guys, have an experience, solve a problem.

You could have just solved it for yourself and left alone.

Right.

You could have as this grew and you're like, all right, I need a space outside of my garage, outside of my basement to do this work that I'm now turning into my life's work.

You could have done that.

You di have to build a community around it, but.

But you did.

Yeah.

And every day we question, we're like, oh, we're like, this really happened, but did this happen?

And I think that's the thing is that we have been fully based on faith.

I mean, this is we've just been listening.

We feel like we're just kind of puppets, you know, like we're just being used to do this in the best possible way.

Are either of you veterans?

No, no, no.

What made you what was your call to want to specifically support that community?

So when we first opened, we knew that we wanted to serve the veteran and first responder population, knowing that they have so many mental health issues and things after they leave service.

But we didn't know what that looked like.

And so we thought, okay, most places do a discount or something.

And we started kind of going down that path.

But an opportunity presented itself with another small nonprofit who came to us and said, hey, have you thought about doing this?

And Lucas County Veterans Services Commission was interested in creating a program, and so Brian can set down and developed this six week long kind of introductory program, foundational program, and just started to take off like crazy.

And it's just been beautiful to watch the transition, something that we never expected.

I mean, we have I have family members who are veterans.

And so for me, that was a really important group to to touch.

So I just want to back up just for a second in case someone has just tuned in and the two of you are on vacation or in an elevator somewhere and someone asks you what is inspired lumber.

Answer that question for me.

So Inspired Lumber Workshop is a membership based woodshop creative space so anybody can come in so you don't have to be a veteran or first responder to do this, but anybody can walk through the door.

Kevin's been in there many times making many messes, mind you.

Yeah, sure know some of the spectacular messes.

One of my favorite messes.

He still has all of his fingers though, so I am the best at making a mess.

But he lost the shoes he wore to his wedding because of an epoxy spill.

He had a pair of pants and shirt.

Shirt?

Yeah, but yeah.

So remember this woodshop and creative people can come in, we teach them how to use the power tools and then they can gain access.

So I love that idea.

You've also become a woodworker efficient enough on the group.

So we have a whole crafting side where people can come in with precut things.

So it's great for office parties, girls nights out, things like that.

I do all the design stuff on that, so I'm amazing at the bandsaw.

That's the one big tool I'm on the femur finding here on the show already.

The band is a big part of today.

I love the band sign guys, I am not.

It's all fill in the blank.

Go ahead.

It's like a madlib face.

You know I am not a handy person.

Shock, I know, but a little shocked by that, but I. Bought my first set of power tools, Kevin, shortly after I got the fire truck and like slowly tried to learn how to use them but don't really know what I'm doing.

I'm a YouTube figure it out kind of person myself, but I look at some of these great things that other people are making and I'm like, all right, I can make it.

I can make a cutting board, like, I can do this.

It is surprisingly harder than you think.

But it's not as hard as I think.

But I hit made.

I have gifted cutting boards to family and friends.

I've made coffee table for our house.

Yeah, I'm taking the kids there.

Haven't you the school kids there to do a school kids went and made some stuff for a squirrel house boxes.

We partnered with Nature's Nursery on doing a big program for squirrel houses and our squirrel nests.

And then.

Yeah, you brought the school in and we did those there.

And so salute to why do squirrels need houses.

So if they're injured rehab they need rehabbing.

They put the nests in with them.

And then they take them back out in the nest and they rehab them.

That's the nature.

You know.

What do you know the status, the stats of unhoused.

So funny.

Tragic salute to carpentry.

If people want more information on this, I mean, this is a program that you charge veterans and insane amount of money to get this or it's no cost.

There is zero cost for carpentry.

It is.

We started a nonprofit in addition to because.

Why not?

Right, right.

I actually reached out and we had we actually had a long conversation beforehand.

And I said, if I, if we could partner with somebody, it'd be best not to have another nonprofit if we don't need it.

And I was informed by Toledo Community Foundation, they said, do it.

There's nobody else in this space, and it sounds like a needed thing.

And so far it's been amazing.

So we have the Inspired Lumber Workshop, and then the Inspired Lumber Project is our 501 C3, which raises the funds to provide ongoing free access for veterans and first responders.

How are you getting how are people getting to you?

Do they find you on social media or on our website?

Yeah, we have done zero advertising.

Everything has been by word of mouth, which has been phenomenal.

Our veterans and our veteran participants and our members just they love it.

And so it's been just wonderful to kind of see this organically grow.

We are at a position now where we are ready to really grow this, and so we want to get more word out.

The Inspired Lumber Project is where you can gain access to bring more information about the Salute to Carpentry program.

It's as simple as filling out an application.

You just have to show your DD 214 or verify your employment with its EMS, fire and police who report to scene.

As of right now, unless we get additional funding, which we have a lot of nurses who want to do this together and we'd love to be able to do that.

We just have to get the right funding.

So for Medica Mercy, talk to me.

I've got a flier in front of me as celebrating the 250th.

There's an opportunity for people to support the project.

And if you're not a DIY or you don't want to go in and build your own picnic table, the reality.

If your name is support the veterans.

And we can't talk pricing here, but you can purchase handmade picnic table made by veterans.

And there's a handful of other things on here.

Can you make a coffin for Gretchen?

And we could, would we?

We'd have to talk to Gretchen.

First of all, would we use a good one?

All right.

That's funny.

It's good.

That is good.

All right, let's do this.

We're gonna put you on the spot, okay?

Because.

Okay, it's I know you.

We've done the quiz at this desk many times before.

It's only appropriate for the people that built the desk to do the quiz.

It's now time for Gretchen's wacky quiz.

It'll be great.

I've given, you know, prep on this, and I'm so excited.

Oh, boy.

All right, I am going to ask for rapid fire questions that are completely nonsensical.

Okay.

Gretchen is going to ask you to describe Toledo in one word.

Okay.

And then you and Matt will work together to list the nine best things in Toledo.

This could be restaurants.

They could be, you know, each other.

One or both of your children's names.

Okay.

Just one.

It'd be fine too.

I can't do it.

Why is it and why is it that.

Yeah.

All right.

That is the 419.

Here we go.

Question number one.

What's your favorite quote about life?

Mine.

I can just sometimes you have to take the leap and grow your wings on the way down.

Right.

I like that.

Do you have one?

No, I mean, I can I can see how this whole thing was.

Life.

Happy life.

Excellent.

Yes.

Perfect.

Yes.

Perfect.

Yes.

Okay.

If you won the lottery, what's the first thing you'd buy?

A gold plated car?

Yes.

My daughter totaled my car.

I'd buy a car.

Oh, okay.

She's fine.

Yeah, fine.

My car is not.

Yeah.

So a car would be great.

Hesitant.

Yeah.

She's okay.

She's okay.

Okay.

Brian, don't let me down on this one.

What's the most interesting piece of trivia, you know?

Oh.

Oh, no.

There's a lot there.

I know, if you don't have one, I have one.

Go ahead.

Because.

Because I can't even narrow it down.

There's just so many little woodworking things that I've learned over the past few years from the members.

Tapioca is made from the Manioc Road out of West Africa.

I do random.

Yeah, that's.

Tapioca is made from the manioc, which is originated out of the West Africa.

It's not about actually the same root that they used to do that they make you already believe.

We have the soul of wood flowers.

They make it out of the same place.

I'm going to try to incorporate that fact into my conversation.

Yeah, you can ask my dad.

My dad is a trivia wisdom.

What's the most impressive thing that you know how to do?

I mean, look at the firemen build tables.

Okay, that's a good one.

Okay.

What is the one word that you would use to describe the city of Toledo or the region?

Miriam.

Both.

Both.

Community.

Yeah.

Definitely community.

We've absolutely found that here.

Christ.

Perfect.

Okay, now, Matt, nine of your favorite things in the city and or region.

Weather.

All right.

I'd answer.

Yeah.

We had all the weather.

We have all the wet is great for seasons.

We'll take seasons.

There you go.

Our community.

Community?

Yep.

Gotcha.

What do you like to eat?

Mexican.

All right.

Yeah.

We'll go with Mexican mommy Bay Brewing company.

Love, mommy Bay.

When you go outside, where do you like to go?

Well, the Metroparks, of course.

I'll give it to you for that.

I don't know what to do for that.

Excellent answer.

Keep going.

You've got some kiddos too.

So they got to get the zoo.

Yeah.

All right.

Talking about those places.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

The Museum of Art, all of the National Museum of the Great Lakes.

You have to say.

They have to say that one.

And our children.

Your children?

What are the kids names?

Zach.

Oh, and the woodshop.

And inspired lumber.

What's the name of it again?

Inspired lumber workshop.

Where can people find it?

It is across from Cricket West, at the corner of Sea Court and Central.

What's a website inspired lumber workshop?

And our nonprofit is inspired lumber project, dawg.

And what's the phone number?

(419)754-1400.

Good.

What?

Anything else?

What is the next opportunity for somebody?

I know you guys do classes, right?

So if you don't want to come in and before you get in there and just go hog wild on the workshop on your own, you do have classes to walk people through out of.

Build things not dissimilar to what Salute to Carpentry is doing.

What's the next class that's coming up?

Well, the classes are on a schedule and on our website, but the ones we do consistently to get people in, to become a member, the first thing you have to do is come and take a safety class.

We do those every Wednesday and Saturday.

So that would be the first step.

Somebody wants to come in, look for one of those classes, get scheduled on one of those days, and then we proceed from there.

See how your interest is in it.

The safety class is it's a hands on process.

So by the end of that you can pretty much gauge with or not you want to do this or not.

I bought a gift for my Aunt Sheila as a thank you for helping me with so many things.

Got her.

She's awesome.

Safety class for her, which was a way to get her into mailbox.

She's done all kinds of stuff.

She's great.

Sheila, thank you guys so much.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for your desk.

Yes.

It's wonderful.

We love it.

All right.

We'll take a break.

When we come back, we'll wrap up this special Memorial Day edition of the 419.

Every day when you laugh with us, you learned with us a neighbor.

We made sure your child had with special memories that could only be provided.

PBS and you.

For generations, we've given you programs that made a difference.

Programs that entertain, inform and inspire.

And today is no different.

This is WGTE public media in Toledo.

It's where you belong.

Welcome back into the 419 as we wrap up this Memorial Day edition of the 419.

There are so many incredible organizations serving veterans.

And I know obviously, we're talking about folks serving veterans.

But the reality is, as as Amanda reminded us today, is about remembering the folks that that gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Yeah, I, we have a relatively silly show that we do try to highlight important things.

So it is a little bit uncomfortable for us to potentially sound sincere.

But what an important message.

And we talk about the greater of serving a community and being there for others.

And Memorial Day is about giving up the ultimate for others.

So and we've said it so many times, but this is an example of far more people in our community who had no responsibility whatsoever to set up these organizations and do the work they're doing.

And the impact they're having in the veteran community is.

Great.

Yeah.

Well said, Gretchen, thank you.

You can put the oxygen mask on yourself and that's enough, right?

But but to take the time and to build organizations to dedicate your lives to this.

Certainly it's something that I see through Amanda.

I see it through Anna Bryan.

It's it's hard.

Right?

It's hard work.

And so, yes, it's rewarding, but the reality is, you know, it would have been easier for them to, to solve the problem for themselves and that's it.

But but our community is full of incredible people that that want to build a stronger, better northwest Ohio.

And the folks at Lucas County Veteran Services support both of those organizations do incredible work across northwest Ohio, and certainly we appreciate what they're doing.

Huge thanks to Amanda, Steve, Anna, and Brian for being on the program.

Thanks to you for joining us here on Memorial Day as well.

If you missed any part of the show, you can catch at 7 a.m.

on YouTube, 3 p.m.

on FM, 91 or 6 p.m.

on what connects 30.4, of course, online.

The 419.

It's the 419 powered by two presented by Retail Wealth Management.

The 419, powered by WGTE is made possible in part by supporters like you.

Thank you.