The Exceptional Life of a Midwest Misfit

Leaving the military can be one of the most frightening decisions you can ever make. You go from taking and giving orders, living hit time to hit time, task to task — but as much of a shit show that the military can be at times, you realistically don’t have to worry about too much. 

Upon separation, you go through a course that is meant to set you up for civilian life. Even within that course, you’re not worried about much because it’s ‘just another course’ you have to get through to get out (finally). Then, it’s not until you’re hit with the question, “What do you want to do once you get out?”, that you finally start to worry. It's this question that makes you sweat. This question has always been floating around in the back of your mind, but now it’s a question you’ll have to answer. Now, my journey hasn’t been linear, but I think I finally found my answer to that dreaded question — I want to work at a company that values who I am as an individual, as a veteran, and as a leader…and I think I found just the place. 

Two years into college, I decided to join the Army National Guard. Shortly after basic training and AIT, I was called on by the 101st Airborne to join a specialized unit where I worked side-by-side with the 5th Special Forces Group. For the next six months I did what they did, became as badass as they were, and then journeyed with them to Iraq for a 6-month deployment. In Iraq, I saw some shit. Luckily enough, it didn’t rattle me too much and I’ve been able to cope with my experience well. Sadly, I can’t say the same for everyone I served with. After coming home from deployment I went back to college, and from 2012 to 2019, I got my Bachelors degree. It took me seven years to get a 4-year degree, but I did it.

I was working as a Supply Chain Consultant at a Fortune 100 company making a decent living. Yet on the inside, I was depressed due to the people and culture. It was at that time when one of my best friends, Dennis Moore, told me about the company he worked for— it was called Power Home Remodeling. He was working in their sales department and was making a hell of a lot more money than I was. I was intrigued — but it wasn’t the money that I was most interested in, it was the look in his eyes when he spoke about Power…the look was pure happiness about where he was working and what his life was becoming. It didn’t take long for me to give him the green light to refer me, and after an interview with Senior Vice President, Ty Peltzman, I was a Power Home Remodeling employee. 

On my first day, I joined the others in my hiring class, looked at my name tag, and opened my welcome folder. Within my folder I found a ‘P’ symbol outfitted with red, white, and blue colors. I looked around; nobody else had this. Mine was different. A weird feeling of exclusivity came over me in that moment as I continued to read the letter within my folder — it was from the Power Veterans Initiative (PVI) leadership team and just like that, I felt like I belonged. 

Veterans share a common sense of pride in serving their country, and when they leave the service they’re often looked at as used goods, unfit for society, or as we like to claim, misfits. With our unique experience, we’re able to bring a different level of productivity to the corporate world — and Power sees that value, which is how PVI came to be. 

Fast forward to now, I’ve worked at Power for almost a year and a half. I’ve gone from a Customer Development role to a Sales role, and now back to Customer Development to pursue a leadership track. It hasn’t been the easiest ride, but it has been the people and support I found within the Power Veterans Initiative that has made it easy to stay. 

Most recently, I had the opportunity and privilege of attending PVI’s Midwest Veteran Expedition. 

It was a 4-day event where 15 veterans and veteran spouses came together to bond, reflect, and look inward on what it meant to live an exceptional life — which was the theme of this expedition. With the PVI leaders — James, Clayton, Aaron, and Roach — at the helm, myself and the rest of the veterans from Power’s Chicago, Denver, and Detroit offices began a life-changing journey. 

On the first day, all veterans arrived as strangers in a place they’d never been before. Yet at the same time, it felt like we were all meeting up with old friends as laughter, introductions, and reunions filled the air. Shortly after, James and Clayton grabbed the attention of the room by posing a simple question — “What do you want from this weekend?”. I quickly wrote three words in my notebook. As eyes gazed around the room you could see that this question set the tone for what would be an amazing weekend.

The Expedition was filled with eye-opening, vulnerable, moving, and sometimes uncomfortable content. To get everyone on a first name basis, each individual introduced themselves to the room and was shown a video from their office leadership. These videos expressed how leadership felt about each person in the room, what they meant to them, and what they meant to their office. Smiles were plastered on everyone’s faces. 

The most impactful activity was a letter that PVI leadership asked us to write to our younger selves. They had asked if anyone would be open to sharing. I looked down at the three words I had written in my notebook, then at my letter, and raised my hand. I spent the next 3-5 minutes struggling to read my letter as tears ran down my face and a series of pauses filled the room with silence. All I could hear were the many whispers of encouragement. As I finished reading the last words of my letter, I looked up to a room full of beautiful strangers — some crying, some smiling, but all of them were listening with their hearts. I shared a series of long hugs with people I was close with from my office, and also people I had never met; I haven’t been that vulnerable in a long time. Wouldn’t you know, I created a trend. Person after person raised their hands to share their letters with the room, and one at a time I saw a showcase of vulnerability. I was amazed.

One of the sessions was based on ‘Identity’, which was spent breaking down what identity had meant to those in the room, and how others had defined it. Most people equated what they do for work to who they are, but how does this do anyone justice because surely your identity isn’t your job, right? After a short discussion, Clayton put up a quote that resonated with how I viewed identity — “I’m not what I think I am, I’m not what you think I am, I am what I think you think I am”- Jay Shetty. Brilliant, right? It’s far too often that we get lost in our identity — it’s forever changing, and while it’s alright to change, most people and most of the closest people around us have a hard time when that change comes. 

At the end of the Expedition, I took a moment to revisit the question that we were asked at the beginning — “What do you want from this weekend?”. As I looked down at my notebook, I read to myself the three words I had written — “Listen, learn, and embrace”. I knew that the weekend would be a great opportunity to truly open up and see what my future at Power could be like if I approached the experience with those three things in mind. I listened, learned, and embraced with every single attendee — Jodi, Kevin, Cody, Charles, Justin, Jay, Jordan, James, Clayton, Roach, Thomas, Aaron, Justin K., Jason, Matt, Josh, Dan, Elizabeth (she hates Liz), and Ari — all of which are no longer strangers, but friends. 

Power, PVI, and the Midwest Veteran Expedition all have launched me out of my comfort zone, allowed me to make real connections within corporate walls with people who support me, and have given me a place where my skillset is imperative to business success. If you’re a veteran beginning the process of transitioning from the military to civilian life and don’t know what to say when asked that dreaded question I mentioned at the beginning of “What do you want to do once you get out?” — it’s okay. There are companies out there that will help you make the jump, empower you to do your very best, catch you if fail, and allow you to shine. 

If you are interested in learning more about Power, you can check out their veterans-focused website at https://www.powerveterans.com/ or feel free to reach out directly via email at [email protected].