American Snippets

So many of us confront immense trauma and tragedy in life, leaving us to cope with different levels of pain. Quite often this pain can outweigh our coping skills, setting us up for further disaster. We’ve learned through our own lives, the importance of getting the upper hand on this pain before it leads us down a path that is even more difficult to return from. We’ve also had the opportunity to meet and interview people from all over this country, with their own incredible stories of turning pain into purpose. In this episode we pull snippets of interviews with past guests who shared their own personal stories of turning pain into a new purpose. Dave Roever is a Vietnam veteran who was so severely wounded that he was declared KIA. He's endured decades of surgeries and rehabilitation that have the potential to destroy his positive outlook on life. Instead, Dave turned his pain into purpose by using his experiences to help others. Chad Littlefield died alongside his friend Chris Kyle. His family still struggle

Steve Sims started as a bricklayer in London. Today he's known as "The Real Life Wizard of Oz," who makes the impossible possible. He's the master concierge behind the magic of Bluefish, a mega-high-end concierge service. Once a best-kept secret to the ultra-wealthy, Steve's book Bluefishing has exploded his name through this country and into others. Now he's turning into his escalated fame with his own style, and teaching others how less is more when it comes to building true success. In this episode, we get to know his business and the man behind the magic. Steve lets us in on what it's like to marry his best friend, how things are changing for him since the release of his book, and what he really thinks of the American Dream. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Combat veteran and wounded warrior Justin Constantine has overcome immense challenges in his life. Catastrophically injured by a sniper's bullet, Justin owes his life to the heroic actions of fellow warriors. With the care of numerous medical professionals and the love of his wife, Justin continually taps into his own positive mindset in order to live his life to the fullest. Today Justin is an inspirational speaker, author, corporate coach and leadership consultant. He is the Chief Business Development Officer at JobPath, the fastest growing veteran employment platform in the country. In this episode Justin shares his story of combat, injury, and recovery. He talks about the mindset that sets a person up to overcome any challenges in life. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Carolyn Moor faced the unthinkable when a Valentine's date with her husband ended with a tragic accident that left her a widow. Left all alone to raise their two little girls in the wake of this tragedy, Carolyn navigated her grief and the complex challenges of transitioning from wife to widow as best as she could. It was then that she realized the lack of resources and support for the hundreds of thousands of widows in this country. When she wound up interviewed by Oprah Winfrey as part of a show on recovering from tragedy, Carolyn was inundated with widows asking her for help widows and accepted the challenge. Today she is the founder of Modern Widows Club and a beacon of hope for widows across the world. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Sean Valigura admits he was in really bad shape when he left the military. It took about 15 years for the Navy veteran to begin truly healing from his unseen wounds the way he'd healed from his physical ones. He tried to end his own life twice before he found is new path and purpose - or it found him. Today Sean is the chairman and executive director of Operation Valor, a non-profit organization serving as a fund-raising arm for other 501(c)3 organizations dedicated to serving veterans. What started as a small, almost accidental grassroots effort has grown into a national presence that attracts powerful support. Sean shared his lessons on establishing and building a successful 501(C)3 with us and provided helpful advice for anyone else seeking to build and grow their own non-profit. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Carmen Tarleton is a survivor. She is also a speaker and author who uses her own story of horrific trauma at the hands of someone she once loved as a means to help others. Burned, blinded, and blessed, is how she sums up her tragedy to triumph story that inspires people all over the country. Now, 11 years after this attack, and just when she allowed herself to believe some of her worst times were behind her, Carmen has suffered another devastating setback in her continuing recovery. In this short episode, we share a piece of her full story, as featured earlier. And we share what you can do to help this courageous and remarkable woman. Read the full article and support Carmen here

We are excited because today we have a great message from Kent Clothier on Faith, Hope and the power of giving back.  Kent Clothier was on one of our very first episodes and can listen to his inspirational story at www.americansnippets.com/007. Real Estate Worldwide and Kent Clothier have a non-profit called The Time Is Now Foundation and the also started the 1,000 layaways project. This is something they've been doing the last 5 years during the Christmas season. Kent started the #1000 Layaways hashtag to help make this yearly tradition go viral with the goal of paying off 1,000 layaways each and every year for families in need. This is all about faith, hope, and remembering what the season is really all about. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Tom Varano is a performance speed painter and inspirational speaker who uses art and entertainment as a medium to connect with audiences all over this country. His artwork, though extraordinary, is secondary to his purpose of inspiring people to live their dreams, and pack their lives with passion.    Tom's own story of being raised by a father who gave his all to his child and of the incredible events that both shaped his life and allowed him to impact others, is truly remarkable - made more so by Tom's riveting delivery in an interview packed with insight, value, and guidance on following your own passion and living your own dream. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Upon leaving the US Navy in 2017, Ephraim became heavily involved in humanitarian and rescue operations inside Northern Iraq against ISIS while volunteering with the humanitarian organization Free Burma Rangers.  On June 2, 2017 he was shot by ISIS while conducting a rescue operation in ISIS-held territory inside West Mosul as a part of the Free Burma Rangers team.  The team gained international attention when a video of the rescue went viral on the internet.   Ephraim is the author of City of Death: Humanitarian Warriors In the Battle of Mosul published by Hachette Book Group.  Written alongside Scott McEwen, co-author of the #1 New York Times best-selling book American Sniper, City of Death details Ephraim’s harrowing humanitarian journey to Iraq   Currently, Ephraim manages and directs rescue and relief efforts throughout South East Asia as a part of White Mountain Research’s partnership with Operation Underground Railroad. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

We all have the ability to make an impact in someone else's life. Sometimes we will see this impact. Most often we will not. In this episode, co-founder Barb Allen shares her story of one of the many people who impacted her in her path through grief. Tony Orlando is an avid supporter of our military. The first time Barb met him, she left an unforgettable memory for him and helped him understand the value of the work he was doing. Eight years later their paths crossed again. This time, Tony said something to Barb that served as a catalyst for her to take her hard lessons learned and help others. Barb shares that story in this episode. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

We are so excited because on today's installment of Freedom Friday we have an amazing message from Elena Cardone on the American Dream. We had Elena on the show back on episode #42.  In this installment of Freedom Friday Elena Cardone talks about how the American Dream is available to anyone who is willing to eliminate all excuses and work hard towards achieving it. She believes anyone can build an empire with the opportunities that exist in this country. Tune in every Friday where we bring you a quick 5-15 minute message, lesson, concept, or thought that you can take into the weekend. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Mike Lightner was a young boy when his teacher told his father not to expect much from him. Always behind his peers, he nearly failed out of high school. But Mike went on to graduate college in the top 1% of his class and be promoted to the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. Today his passion is to develop leaders who, in turn, have a passion to develop other leaders. Mike shares his story of turning self-doubt in success, and the leadership lessons he learned along the way. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

We are so excited because today's installment of Freedom Friday we have a great lesson from Dr. Sean Stephenson.  We had Sean on the show back on episode #33.  In this episode Sean talks about Parenting, the impact of teachers, and how not to focus on what you can't do but you can do.  Now here's the incredible Dr. Sean Stephesnon. Tune in every Friday where we bring you a quick 5-15 minute message, lesson, concept, or thought that you can take into the weekend. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Laurie A. Watkins is an author, speaker and personal and corporate coach on balancing wellness with success. Her own experience with burnout after working as a political director in Barack Obama's campaign left Laurie determined to never experience it again. In fact, she was so concerned about losing the health and wellness she's worked so had to regain that she nearly refused the request to work on his second campaign. But, instead, Laurie doubled down on her own health and wellness, returned to the campaign trail, and began teaching others how to manage a demanding career while also maintaining their health and well-being. Today Laurie is the creator of courses focused on going from stressed to strong in life. She works with individuals seeking to restore their own healthy lifestyles or learn how to live one for the first time, and she works with corporations to teach them the benefits of encouraging well-being among employees. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

The more Barbara Allen fought to be normal, the harder life laughed at her. Just when she thought she had the last laugh, life turned against Barbara in a tragedy that almost destroyed her. Barbara Allen was 32 years old in 2005 when her world fell apart. Barbara's husband Lou Allen had been killed in Iraq. She was left to raise our 4 little boys alone. Lou's loss was compounded by the shocking manner of his death and the aftermath became one of the most controversial cases in military history. Amply blessed with family and friends, Barbara pieced her life back together and developed a network that spans the country. Not even Barb's worst mistakes overpowered her greatest triumphs as she learned valuable lessons from these experiences, and enhanced her personal and professional worth. Today Barbara Allen is an award-winning author and co-founder of an exciting platform about patriotism and the American Dream. She's blessed with the opportunity to learn from extraordinary people and blend those lessons with

John "TIG" Tiegen was on his third trip to Benghazi, Libya for the CIA's GRS when the attack of September 11, 2012 occurred. TIG was part of the CIA annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the US Special Mission. He directly saved the lives of many on his team, and was paramount in saving over 2 dozen lives while fighting off terrorists from the US Special Mission and the CIA Annex for over 13 hours. TIG received the Award For Heroism and Valor in recognition of his bravery. He is the co-author of 13 Hours along with members of the Annex Security team and NYT's best-selling author, Mitchell Zuckoff. He also consulted on the movie 13 Hours The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi and helped with the set design and the movie script. He could have walked away from his work after that night. He could have turned his back on the country he feels betrayed by - but instead, he returned to work, and continues doing his part to serve others. Today TIG and his wife - also a veteran and a former c

Dr. Ruben West never met a personal challenge he didn't turn into an opportunity. He has an innate ability to see promise and potential where others see dead ends and disappointment, and he's using this ability to blaze new trails for others to follow. Dr. West knew he wanted to be a surgical assistant in a time where that profession was not recognized as such. Rather than accept the impossibility of his vision, he set about creating that profession that is now recognized in the medical field. He didn't stop there, though - Dr. West repeated that process of creating his own dream and went on achieve one extraordinary accomplishment after another.  He turned his love for martial arts into a full-fledged purpose that literally changed lives, while also getting him inducted in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.  He's among the most highly sought-after international speakers, coaches, and corporate trainers. He's an author, an entrepreneur and a living example of the potential lying untapped in us all.  Read the full

Julie Reisler is not a celebrity or household name, but her story is one played out in the lives of millions of people battling the effects of addiction. While she's successfully taken control of her own health and designed the life most fulfilling to her, she's painfully aware of all the people silently fighting their own battles and passionate about helping them live their own extraordinary lives. Julie is an author, a speaker, and a lifestyle designer who's mastered the art of tough love with a warm smile. She openly shares her struggle with food addiction with us and speaks about how she learned to overcome that addiction.  Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Nature brought Bonnie and Tom Carroll together. Tragedy ripped them apart, and grief became Bonnie's new companion. In the decades since her loss, Bonnie Carroll has become one of the most influential people in the military community. Her work is born from grief but her grief originated in love - and it is with that love that she is able to impact thousands of people around the world. American Snippets co-founder, Barb Allen, knows TAPS and Bonnie personally and credits Bonnie for much of the support she's received. Bonnie exemplifies turning tragedy into triumph. She is a patriot, an inspiration, and we are proud to call her our friend. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Marie Cosgrove had every reason to fail. She had every excuse to quit on her own life - a life that arose out of violence and was raised in trauma. But for every act of man or fate that tried to end her life or keep her down, Marie fought back.Well before her 30th birthday she'd endured decades of abuse, escaped two violent marriages, and lead her four young children into new lives despite the never-ending drumbeat of adversity.Today Marie is a titan in the same industry she was warned she would never succeed in. She became the CEO of a company that once fired her, and she sold a company she created and built into a $14 million business.She's a leader in her own life and executive director in the John Maxwell team. She's an author and a highly acclaimed speaker. Through her creation of The Virtue Project, she's instrumental in guiding today's youth through their own immense struggles.Drop whatever you're doing and listen in to Marie's incredible story of faith, grit, and hope.Watch our interview with Marie Co