Latest / Resource Report / Resource Report 10 - Team Academy for Veterans

Transcript

Resource Report 10 - Team Academy for Veterans · Resource Report

0:20
Hello and welcome to Resource Report, where we
0:22
share with you important information about local
0:25
nonprofits and resource organizations that support
0:29
the community we share, produced by Pathways
0:32
to Agency. I am your host, Rainmaker. Today's
0:35
interview is with Lukas Lovett, a veteran Army
0:38
Ranger and student currently enrolled in the
0:41
Changemaker Lab at the Evergreen State College,
0:44
a program I was also in. We will hear all about
0:47
his new nonprofit organization, Team Academy
0:50
for Veterans. Here's Lukas. I am here with Lukas
1:01
Lovett. And Lukas is operating now as a fully
1:08
registered nonprofit organization, 501C3, Team
1:14
Academy for Veterans. Hello, Lukas. How are you
1:17
doing? I'm doing fantastic. How are you? Man,
1:20
I'm so excited to talk to you. I just can't even
1:24
tell you. This is great. Tell me about how did
1:31
you come up with this Team Academy for Veterans
1:33
business? Sure. So in my second year in the Changemaker
1:40
Lab, I had started a security company. And I
1:47
really thought that that was my passion because
1:49
it's stuff that I've been doing in the military
1:51
for five years. But then I really... started
1:58
to feel the impacts of the transition process
2:02
into civilian life again. And that really got
2:06
me thinking about other veteran issues. And so
2:08
I started digging and through the research that
2:12
I did, I found that the level of, excuse me,
2:17
the rate of suicide and homelessness among the
2:21
veteran community was directly tied to unsuccessful
2:26
transitions of these service members. So that
2:32
was really shocking to me that the military as
2:38
a whole has so many steps in order for you to
2:42
actually get discharged. And the fact that these
2:48
processes and programs they're really one size
2:54
fits all and there isn't much a personal aspect
3:01
to it. So that really got me thinking about the
3:07
process that we learn and practice in the Changemaker
3:10
Lab and seeing how that process helped me grow
3:16
and develop, saw that this really is the future
3:21
of not just veteran reintegration, but the future
3:25
of education. So I got really excited about that.
3:28
That is exciting. Yeah. Let's talk about that
3:31
process and Changemaker Lab. Right. The Changemaker
3:37
Lab is so different from any other class that
3:42
I've taken. It's really centered around personal
3:47
mastery systems and design thinking and really
3:51
diving into problems and finding the best way
3:56
to solve these problems and coming up with really
3:58
in -depth solutions to these problems in order
4:02
to solve these issues for customers. And this
4:07
is such a sustainable and an amazing business
4:12
practice, not only because it's focused on the
4:18
people over profits, but you really develop these
4:22
problem solving skills that nobody else has.
4:26
So it really focuses on leadership and personal
4:30
development and growth. Yeah. And just to clarify,
4:34
this is Changemaker Lab program at the Evergreen
4:38
State College. And it's I know that I can pronounce
4:43
this word. It's actually based on the Tiimiakatemia
4:47
Teams Learning Academy program from Finland.
4:51
And that's a Finnish word, Tiimiakatemia. And
4:55
that's that's the process that we we've learned
4:57
in Changemaker Lab. Yeah. Right. And Tiimiakatemia
5:00
is I mean, it it it took Europe by storm. And
5:06
the Changemaker Lab is the first of Team Academies
5:09
in the United States. And I genuinely believe
5:13
that this is going to spread like wildfire, just
5:15
like it did in in Europe. Yeah. So so let's to
5:21
understand, I think, to understand how you're
5:24
operating team academy for veterans, it would
5:27
be helpful. to hear what the actual process is
5:33
that we learn in Changemaker Lab. Right. So the
5:37
very first thing that we have to do is we have
5:41
to develop a personal vision. Why that's important
5:45
is if you can't envision the perfect life that
5:48
you want, how people describe you, what kind
5:55
of person you are, what kind of house do you
5:57
have, what material things do you have, being
5:59
able to identify those things and seeing if you
6:03
have the capability to have those things but
6:07
in different forms. That way it's a much easier...
6:12
Way to attain these things that you want for
6:15
yourself, which is amazing, but it also sets
6:18
up an idea of the goal that you have for your
6:21
life. This is where I want to be. And keeping
6:24
that in your head and, you know, reevaluating
6:27
this vision at least every quarter of the year,
6:32
you'll be able to stay on track and keep that
6:35
in your. In your subconscious mind, which is
6:39
an extremely powerful tool, which, again, we
6:41
learn in the Changemaker Lab because your subconscious
6:44
mind is going. 24 -7, 365. So if you have this
6:49
vision in your head, you are much more likely
6:52
to attain that vision, mainly because your subconscious
6:55
mind is constantly looking for those key aspects
6:59
in conversations that either you're having or
7:03
that you can hear across a room. Your subconscious
7:07
mind will pick up key words and specifically
7:11
dealing with networking, you catching one of
7:14
those words. And seeing how that relates to your
7:17
vision, you can go and talk to this person and
7:19
you never know what kind of connection you can
7:21
make from that. For sure, for sure. And that
7:25
is the particular aspect of the process that
7:29
we follow in Changemaker Lab that you are utilizing
7:33
for Team Academy for Veterans. There is, of course,
7:37
like more process, more to the process when you
7:40
get into the research that one does to. figure
7:44
out problem solving as a business. But right
7:48
now we're focusing on the aspect of the personal
7:52
mastery. We can talk about the other process
7:55
later. Right. And that's exactly what I'll be
7:59
starting with with these veterans is establishing
8:01
a personal vision because it's really important,
8:05
especially for service members coming out of
8:08
the military, because you are issued this purpose
8:12
when you get in. And, you know, if you were like
8:14
me when you were a kid, you knew that you were
8:18
going to be joining the military. For me specifically,
8:21
I wanted to be an Army Ranger since I was seven.
8:24
And I was able to achieve that goal less than
8:27
a year after I graduated high school, which is
8:29
amazing. I mean, that was my life goal. Wow.
8:31
And so five years later, I end up getting medically
8:36
discharged and I didn't know which way was up.
8:39
So I didn't have a purpose. I didn't have a vision
8:42
for my life moving forward. So really being able
8:46
to develop that and figure out a way where I
8:50
can. retake control over my life and give myself
8:54
new purpose and meaning. And that's the number
8:58
one priority when you get out. Yes, jobs are
9:01
important, but this notion that's pushed heavily
9:06
that people will fight over to you to give you
9:09
a job when you get out is just completely false
9:12
today. I mean, I couldn't find a job when I got
9:16
out and I'd spent five years in a special operations
9:18
unit. Wow. Yeah. And then, you know, there already
9:23
exists a program that has been existing for ever,
9:29
I guess, for veterans that the Army, the government
9:33
provides. And so that's a very different kind
9:37
of system of process of veterans after they were
9:43
discharged, reintegrating back into their life
9:48
in society. So what do you know about that system
9:52
exactly? Right. So there are plenty of resources
9:56
and courses and all these different things that
10:02
you can do that the military and the government
10:05
provides. The issue with those things are that
10:08
they're not based off of that person and those
10:12
people's individual needs. That's what really
10:19
stuck out to me about these programs that are
10:25
mandatory in order for you to get out of the
10:28
military. A lot of it is just check the box.
10:31
Congratulations. Here's your DD -214. Good luck.
10:35
And there's no, you know, the follow on that
10:37
they do is, you know, they'll give you a call.
10:40
How are you doing? You know, and more times than
10:43
not, you know, I mean, veterans are super hardheaded.
10:46
So they'll be on fine, you know, and that'll
10:48
be the end of it. So, you know, sure, it's both
10:51
sided issues on both sides. But primarily, you
10:55
know, having a one size fits all check the box.
10:59
You know, here's death by PowerPoint resources
11:01
that nobody pays attention to because they're
11:04
just ready to get out and be a free a free person
11:07
again. What is that death by PowerPoint? What
11:09
are you talking about? Sure. So, you know, there
11:12
are these mandatory classes that you have to
11:15
attend and the majority of them are through PowerPoint
11:18
and they're extremely dry. And, you know, when
11:22
I was going through it, I was looking around
11:23
the class and maybe there was one person paying
11:26
attention and everybody else was either literally
11:30
arms on the desk and, you know, head down taking
11:33
a nap or they're just scrolling on their phone.
11:36
What was the content? The content were, you know,
11:39
it was a lot of, you know, benefits, like really
11:43
important things that you really need more conversation
11:47
on. But having this death by PowerPoint, these
11:52
service members aren't retaining the information
11:55
that they need. And, you know, they'll end up
11:59
either forgetting or not even hearing these really
12:03
important resources and benefits that the government
12:06
does provide. Oh, that doesn't sound very efficient
12:13
and supportive. No, no, not really. Okay. And
12:17
so the personal mastery program with Team Academy
12:21
for Veterans, can you walk us through what that
12:25
would look like specifically? So an individual
12:31
joining this team, what would be expected for
12:34
them or what they can expect coming into this
12:38
program is, again, starting with a personal vision
12:40
and establishing that along with a Learning Compass
12:45
is also extremely important. And so a Learning
12:48
Compass also helps you set goals and keep those
12:51
in the back of your head, you know, through your
12:54
subconscious mind. sound like, where have I been?
12:59
What experiences have you had and what skills
13:04
have you developed that you've learned from?
13:06
And then it would be, where am I now? So obviously
13:12
that would describe exactly where you are right
13:14
now and what challenges you face currently in
13:18
your life. And then it would be, where am I going?
13:21
And so that would be Think of it kind of like
13:24
three to five year goal plan. Where is it? Do
13:27
I want to where do I want to be in three to five
13:31
years? What do I need to learn? What skills do
13:34
I need to develop? And following that is how
13:38
do I know when I get there? What is what is my
13:41
life look like when I've achieved these goals?
13:45
Or excuse me, it would be how do I know when
13:47
I how do I get to where I want to go? Right.
13:49
And so that would again be talking about the
13:52
skills and things that you need to learn and
13:54
develop in order to sustain life and not just
14:00
sustain life, but really excel and crush your
14:03
goals. And then it would be how do I know when
14:06
when I get there? And really what that looks
14:09
like is a vision statement. I am I'm currently
14:13
this. This is the community that I'm a part of.
14:18
This is my life purpose. And so you have a group
14:23
of veterans coming together and you're guiding
14:28
them through this process where each of them
14:33
is supporting each other on figuring those things
14:37
out, answering those questions. And then taking
14:40
action steps to achieve those goals in support
14:43
of one another. Is that is that accurate? Correct.
14:46
Yeah. And so, you know, once those two things
14:48
are established, you'd share this within the
14:50
team. That way, everybody understands who you
14:53
are and what goals you have in mind, what you
14:56
want to learn and the skills you want to develop.
14:58
And this allows this team to support you. Everybody
15:02
is supported by this team. Which is amazing,
15:06
again, building these team dynamics and understanding
15:09
where this individual wants to go and helping
15:12
them get there. You are listening to Resource
15:22
Report in my interview with Lucas Levitt of Team
15:25
Academy for Veterans. We will hear more after
15:28
a brief message. By all means necessary, end
15:33
veteran suicide. 22 Too Many is a non -profit
15:36
providing support, education, healing, shelter,
15:39
and harm reduction to local veterans and their
15:42
families. Washington's first all -volunteer veteran
15:44
suicide prevention, PTSD, and medical cannabis
15:46
awareness group are located at 322 4th Avenue
15:50
East in Olympia. They're open 10 a .m. to 5 p
15:53
.m. weekdays, and they have an arts and crafts
15:54
hour every Wednesday at 5 p .m., with a fellowship
15:57
meeting every Sunday at 5 p .m. For more information,
16:00
you can call 253 -777. That's 253 -777 -5857.
16:17
Or on the web at 2022many -olympia .org. Welcome
16:30
back to Resource Report. Now let's continue with
16:33
Lukas Lovett and Team Academy for Veterans. And
16:44
so, you know, with this, you would end up doing
16:49
something called a Case Clinic. And so the Case
16:52
Clinic would essentially be what problem do you
16:58
have? currently right now and where do you need
17:01
help? And then, you know, that will get into,
17:04
you know, clarifying questions to further understand
17:07
the problem. And then there will be two minutes
17:09
of silence. And the silence is really to establish
17:15
coupling and presencing. And, you know, when
17:20
you think about presencing, think about being
17:22
on the same wavelength. um on the brain i mean
17:25
literally it's magical it really is and so how
17:28
they really started to develop this Theory of
17:33
Presencing is in Africa they were trying to understand
17:38
the communication between elephants and what
17:41
they had found is that the first sound that an
17:45
elephant makes when coming up to another group
17:48
of elephants is their name that they're known
17:51
by And what these researchers did is they recorded
17:54
that first sound and then they played it back
17:58
to that elephant and that elephant lit up. It
18:01
was just so excited. And so, you know, it's really
18:06
amazing what presencing does to the mind and
18:09
coupling. And what I mean by. you know, presencing
18:14
and being on the same wavelength, everybody is,
18:17
you know, or one or two people are thinking the
18:19
exact same thing. We call that vibing over here.
18:22
Right. Yeah, exactly. Vibing on the deepest level.
18:26
Nice. And so, you know, from that, the case giver
18:29
from this point is silent, right? They'll, after
18:35
everybody shares what came up for them in the
18:37
silence, you know, they have to listen with an
18:40
open heart and open mind. And an open will that
18:45
way that they're able to really envision this
18:50
issue. And also, you know, what does it look
18:54
like for this individual when this problem is
18:57
solved? And so when they share this, the case
19:01
giver is really absorbing these images and these
19:06
feelings and. This feedback from the coaches,
19:13
it really is eye -opening because these people
19:18
will see things in you that you will have no
19:20
idea that you either are currently going through
19:25
or what the future looks like for you, which
19:28
is truly amazing. Following that will be a dialogue
19:32
where again, the case giver will be silent after
19:36
they give a reflection about what they heard
19:38
came up during the silence and the dialogue will
19:41
be with the coaches. The coaches will dialogue
19:45
with each other on. Essentially solving that
19:49
problem. They all understand the problem to the
19:53
deepest level that they can. And they dialogue
19:56
not solutions, but ways forward. And through
20:01
the ways forward comes the solution. And again,
20:04
having this team support the individual in their
20:07
case, it can be anything. It can be, I'm really
20:10
struggling with understanding these benefits
20:12
or I'm really struggling in this aspect and I
20:17
don't know where to go. And having this team
20:19
be able to dialogue and couple in presence this
20:23
problem really enables that individual to solve
20:29
that problem that much faster. Yeah, that sounds
20:32
amazing. You keep using this word coupling. Right.
20:36
And so coupling is essentially the beginning
20:39
stage of presencing, getting on the same wavelength.
20:43
Connecting with something. Connecting. Exactly.
20:45
Okay. Okay. Like if you couple two cables or
20:48
something. Right. Yeah. Now they're connected.
20:50
Got it. Okay. What size of a group are you talking
20:57
about? When you have a group, a team? The ideal
21:00
size of a team is 8 to 12 individuals. That way
21:05
it's not too big to where everything takes forever
21:08
to get through, but also it becomes a lot more
21:12
personal with a smaller group like 8 to 12 individuals.
21:17
Where are you having these meetings? Currently,
21:22
right now, I'm building a team, but I'll be holding
21:26
these meetings twice a weekly in the Changemaker
21:30
Lab on Evergreen State College campus. Okay.
21:33
Okay. And you provide all those details for people
21:38
when they connect with you. Correct. You're not
21:46
alone doing this. You have, you have. Right.
21:50
I have team members. They're focused on other
21:55
aspects of life of veterans. So Daniel Elliott
22:01
is one of my team members, and he's really focused
22:04
on physical fitness, mentorship, and intergenerational
22:12
connection. And I mean, his vision is really
22:17
beautiful, connecting these children who either
22:21
don't have parents or they're missing a father
22:26
or a mother. Right. And. Being able to mentor
22:34
them and give these children what he never had,
22:37
which is truly beautiful. And how he would do
22:41
this mentorship is these veterans would be mentoring
22:45
and walking these youth through life, which is
22:50
amazing. He also gets into the previous generation
22:54
of veterans, and he sees that there is a disconnection
23:00
with the elderly. And that that can give purpose.
23:24
Correct. Yeah, it can give purpose, which is
23:27
amazing. Another team member. Sarah, she joined
23:33
the military to get away from family life. And
23:37
she's really focused on helping people get through
23:43
their childhood trauma. Because unprocessed childhood
23:47
trauma, I mean, really impacts you in your adult
23:50
life. Totally. And you see that everywhere. And
23:54
you can almost identify it. depending on the
23:57
situation or the circumstances. Another team
24:02
member of mine, Gary, he wants to help veterans
24:07
and, well, eventually people altogether who suffer
24:11
from PTSD, depression, anxiety through apiculture
24:16
therapy. Working with bees. Working with bees,
24:19
exactly. you know he had found that that did
24:22
wonders for him um when he um well specifically
24:26
when he did equine therapy and so that's the
24:28
end goal for him is um to not just do apiculture
24:31
therapy but equine therapy with horses because
24:34
horses are able to sense your emotions and so
24:38
you have to learn how to control your emotions
24:40
and take care of this horse and and um and establish
24:44
a relationship with this horse and it does wonders
24:48
um for um really anybody yeah horse therapy has
24:53
been around for a long time right yeah and um
24:56
another team member i have is Jason um who you
25:01
know he sees uh these veterans on the street
25:04
with you know service animals or um or these
25:07
animals who are their only companion and you
25:10
know And the question that he had coming into
25:14
this, because he's really passionate about his
25:16
dog that he has, and he knows what this dog does
25:19
for him. What he was really curious about is
25:21
what happens to these animals when this homeless
25:26
veteran is either incarcerated or goes into a
25:30
hospital or, you know, God forbid, dies. And,
25:34
you know, what he had found was they. get put
25:36
into a shelter. And what he had found is Washington,
25:41
under certain circumstances, is a kill state,
25:43
which is awful. But he saw that a lot of these
25:48
veterans don't get their dog back, which is terrible
25:53
because that's their only source of support and
25:56
their only companion, which is genuinely tragic.
26:00
And so he's trying to solve that issue himself.
26:02
Oh, that's... Good for him. Right. And that's
26:08
what's beautiful about the Changemaker Lab and
26:10
the Teaming Academy of Process is that he was
26:13
able to find this deep issue. And it's a really
26:19
big problem for this community. So he was able
26:23
to see this problem and actively find ways to
26:26
solve it, which is huge. You know, problem solving
26:30
design and systems thinking are paramount in
26:32
order to solve these problems. Most of us have
26:36
plans to open it up to not just veterans, which,
26:42
of course, I do as well. I would love to bring
26:44
this process to everybody. And like I said, I
26:48
believe that this process is the future of education.
26:51
You're starting with veterans, but you really
26:54
want to bring the Team Academy for Veterans.
26:58
personal mastery to really anybody that would
27:01
benefit. And I have a particular demographic
27:05
in mind. Have you considered working with formerly
27:10
incarcerated individuals reintegrating into society?
27:14
Yeah, I actually have thought about that in depth,
27:19
really. And again, I've researched them as well.
27:22
And what's genuinely terrible Is, you know, the
27:29
issues transitioning and reintegrating back into
27:34
society, you know, not just these former incarcerated
27:40
individuals, but veterans, they share nearly
27:43
identical issues. And so I know that, again,
27:47
this process helps everybody that goes through
27:50
it. And I know that it would. Yeah. Speaking
28:00
to your talking about veterans as well as incarcerated
28:09
individuals coming out of the military or prison
28:15
and, you know. transitioning out of that headspace
28:20
into now we're moving through this personal mastery
28:23
process um deconditioning yeah that's the deconditioning
28:28
um and when we were also talking about the personal
28:33
mastery the change maker lab process presencing
28:37
vibing all of that is it's a whole different
28:42
way of communicating with each other it's a whole
28:45
different philosophy that we're following. And
28:50
this is something that I noticed right away when
28:54
I was looking for a course to enroll in and found
28:59
Changemaker Lab is that, well, first of all,
29:03
I'm an unschooling mom. And the philosophies
29:07
of that match up with the philosophies of conscious
29:11
parenting, gentle parenting. When I was looking
29:16
at the Teams Learning Academy program at Evergreen,
29:24
the philosophy is it's very much the same of
29:30
following your own, this is what I want to do.
29:38
And that's like what we do with unschooling too
29:41
is letting you make your choice and we just guide
29:44
you, right? And it's the same thing with conscious
29:47
parenting. We're guiding, right? Rather than
29:51
being the authoritative parent. It's the same
29:56
thing with people are in school, like regular
29:59
traditional schooling. And then you that is a
30:02
certain system. And that system is very much
30:05
similar to the military industrial complex. You
30:09
have the educational industrial complex and all
30:13
the different kind of systems that we have in
30:16
our infrastructure right now in society. So when
30:20
you take your child out of. public school, when
30:25
you take the veteran out of the military, when
30:28
you take the incarcerated individual out of prison
30:32
system, which are all like very much a similar
30:35
kind of system where there's an authority that's
30:39
telling you this is what we're doing, you know,
30:42
whether it's really fits with you or not, that's
30:45
what we're doing. But in Teams Learning Academy,
30:49
in Personal Mastery, Team Academy for Veterans,
30:52
in homeschool, unschooling, gentle, conscious
30:55
parenting, we're letting the individual, you
31:00
know, discover what they want to do. And we support
31:03
them in that. And I see those similarities and
31:06
I just see that. What can you, what do you, how
31:11
does that vibe with you? How do you presence?
31:13
Yeah. Well, I absolutely love that. That correlation.
31:26
And, you know, when when we're talking about,
31:29
you know, these parenting styles. This is the
31:33
future that you're talking about. Genuinely.
31:35
Yeah. I mean, our education system is completely
31:38
broken. underpaid right and so you know i mean
31:46
even these children today they can't do grade
31:49
level math or reading comprehension you know
31:52
and that's like half the point of school is you
31:57
know math science history and reading comprehension
32:00
writing and yet if you look at um a maybe say
32:06
a 12 year old unschooled child this kid might
32:13
be coding already and creating their own video
32:19
games. This child might be, you know, doing all
32:25
kinds of things that a high schooler might be
32:28
doing in some cases, you know, knowing a lot
32:31
about one thing and not very much about something
32:34
their 12 -year -old counterpart who's been in
32:37
middle school. um would be doing but it's it's
32:41
all relative you know what you need to know when
32:43
you need to know it why you need to know it right
32:46
and you know it what's what what stuck out to
32:50
me about what you just said right is you have
32:52
this 12 year old and this other 12 year old one
32:55
12 year old is coding doing what they love and
32:59
they're setting themselves up for great success
33:02
in the future whereas this other 12 year old
33:05
granted it's not the fault of the parent or the
33:07
12 year old but they're in class learning you
33:11
know math science history sure really important
33:13
things but they are really only focused on learning
33:18
those things and there's no emphasis on individuality
33:23
or what you really want to do because in order
33:26
for you to do what you want to do you have to
33:30
know it and you also have to understand what
33:34
skills and what skills you need to develop and
33:38
what, what you need to learn in order to achieve
33:40
this goal of whatever, whatever that might be.
33:43
You know, you have these 12 year olds who, you
33:46
know, Oh, I, I want to be a, you know, an astronaut
33:50
or something like that. Right. Everybody says
33:53
that and, you know, totally fine. You know, absolutely.
33:56
But is that child going to be learning about,
34:03
astrophysics or um or astronomy um you know are
34:09
they going to take active steps to become an
34:12
astronaut well no probably not um because they're
34:18
in class learning math science history which
34:21
the education system isn't even doing that well
34:24
um you know so They obviously, you know, visions
34:28
change all the time. What you want to do changes
34:31
all the time. I mean, we're human. That's we
34:33
constantly develop and we grow so long as we
34:37
have that in mind. If we don't have the growth
34:39
in mind, then we're just going to be stagnant
34:42
and we're not going to do anything with our lives.
34:45
Whereas, you know, this other 12 -year -old wanted
34:48
to become an astronaut, them learning by doing
34:51
and really, what do I need to learn? What skills
34:54
do I need to develop in order to become an astronaut?
34:57
Well, they're going to start learning and developing
34:59
these skills in order to become an astronaut.
35:01
Whether or not they become an astronaut is irrelevant.
35:05
You know, whatever they choose to do next, they
35:08
already know how to get to that point. And that
35:12
doesn't even... speak to the difference in mental
35:16
health the aspect of that where you know when
35:21
you are in a classroom in a prison in the military
35:26
you are not really free to be yourself and do
35:30
your thing you know you're facing judgment you're
35:33
facing you know you know stay in this box you
35:38
know but when you come out and you're able To
35:42
express yourself and step into authenticity,
35:46
that really gives you a real sense of freedom
35:50
and not even a sense of freedom that just gives
35:52
you freedom. OK, let's just say what it is. And
35:55
then you are really able to live your life. Right.
36:00
I mean, today, you know, the these I mean, the
36:05
last generation, right, millennials, Gen Z, Gen
36:09
Alpha and so on. They're, they're learning and
36:14
they're being forced into a box. And, um, again,
36:19
there's no individuality. It's going back to
36:23
my, you know, the military and now it's check
36:25
the box. Congratulations. You learn this. Congratulations.
36:29
You learn this. Congratulations. You learn this.
36:32
Most of which you'll probably never use in your
36:34
life. Um, And, you know, having that individuality,
36:39
being able to be different and be okay with it
36:43
is really, really important because, you know,
36:46
you're not going to be stuck in this desk job,
36:51
you know, middle management, hating your life.
36:54
You're going to be, you know, an entrepreneur.
36:57
You're going to be, you know, I mean, a superstar
37:01
one form or another because you. You think outside
37:05
of the box because you're not in the box. If
37:08
you're not in the box, you can't think inside
37:10
the box. Definitely. Y 'all are all still in
37:15
class at Changemaker Lab at Evergreen. Yours,
37:20
Team Academy for Veterans, is the only one so
37:24
far that's a registered nonprofit and you're
37:27
active and ready to take people? Not necessarily.
37:32
I know that Daniel is already working with youth
37:39
at the YMCA and he's planning his own events.
37:43
He's planning a 5K run event, fundraising and
37:49
stuff like that. And Gary, he's starting up his
37:53
own hives currently right now. As far as the
37:58
rest of the class is concerned, there are multiple
38:00
for -profit and non -profit entities that have
38:04
been established already. That's amazing. That's
38:08
amazing. You're running a fundraising event right
38:19
now. You can call it that. It's not really an
38:22
event. I started a GoFundMe page to start fundraising.
38:26
While I'm looking for other fundraising opportunities
38:29
and I just started planning my own fundraising
38:34
event. So, you know, I haven't established, you
38:36
know, what direction I want to go with with that
38:39
fundraiser. But but, you know, in order for me
38:41
to to do the things that I want to do and the
38:44
change that I want to make, I need donations.
38:48
I need. Yeah. And I know that this genuinely
38:51
is the future. And I really just want to take
38:58
all the steps I possibly can while I have the
39:01
time to do so in order to make that happen. Have
39:05
you already worked with a team of veterans? I
39:09
haven't worked with a team of veterans, but at
39:13
the very beginning when I was actively looking
39:17
for. for veterans to help, I was really focused
39:22
on homeless veterans. And the reason I chose
39:25
the homeless population of veterans is mainly
39:29
because if I can help them get their life back
39:32
on track, establish purpose, and take control
39:36
of their life, I can do that with anybody. And
39:39
I had an opportunity to help one homeless veteran,
39:43
which I was so, so happy that I was able to do
39:47
so. And he was amazing. I, I, you know, went
39:53
to, I went to, um, a homeless shelter in, uh,
39:57
Tacoma and, um, and I was talking to the veterans
40:02
there and, you know, veterans again, very hard
40:06
headed people. Um, so, you know, I got zero buy
40:09
-in from like six or seven people and then, and
40:12
then said, I'll talk to you. And, um, from there
40:15
it was, it was downhill. I mean, we hit the ground
40:19
running, established vision, did his learning
40:21
compass. I gave him books to read to help him
40:24
practice his personal mastery. And I mean, within
40:26
a month, he had a job. And so, you know, I was
40:31
amazed at how quickly he was able to reestablish
40:36
his life. And so, you know, I know that this
40:40
process works, you know, not just for me, but
40:42
it has worked already with a homeless veteran,
40:44
which is amazing. does the Office of Veteran
40:48
Affairs think of this plan? Well, the VA is really
40:54
tough to get a hold on, at least get buy -in
41:00
from them, mainly because they have their own
41:03
programs and their own resources for veterans
41:07
to use. And like veterans, the VA, very hard
41:11
-headed. Um, same way with the transition assistance
41:14
program, um, in the army, it's, it's very difficult
41:18
to get buy -in, um, from them. And there's a
41:20
ton of red tape to cut through and, you know,
41:23
in order for me to do this, I have to do this.
41:25
And it's just such a headache. So you're not
41:28
even really going to be able to, um, work with
41:31
them. and integrate this. This is something that
41:35
you're just separate. Yeah, separate right now.
41:38
And I know that I'll be able to in the future
41:40
once I become more established. And so, you know,
41:45
with this first team of veterans, this first
41:48
cohort, we're also going to be doing an academic
41:53
study to prove that this method works. Um, and,
41:58
um, that will of course further the, um, not
42:03
just the goals, but the reputation of the programs
42:05
that I'm starting. Um, and so I think once that
42:08
study comes out, then I will have, you know,
42:11
buy -in from other new, not just the VA or, uh,
42:15
the DOD, but I'm sure other government organizations
42:17
as well. So, um, that sounds like something that
42:23
people can get involved in is that academic study.
42:27
Yeah, definitely. And, you know, not just veterans,
42:30
but we're also, you know, looking for, you know,
42:35
like a board advisory board. And I have a list
42:39
of individuals who I'm actively inviting onto
42:42
this board. And, you know, I like I previously
42:48
stated, I know that this is the future. And I
42:51
know that I will have a lot of buy in from a
42:54
lot of. influential people and have them on my
42:58
advisory board. So how can people get involved?
43:01
What are the different ways? Right. So they can
43:05
go directly to my website, TAVeterans .org. And
43:09
there's a contact us page. And there's also a
43:14
link to my GoFundMe. So if you're willing to
43:18
donate, anything helps. And I would really appreciate
43:21
it. They can also reach out to me directly through
43:25
my email. Lovett L O V E T T dot Lukas L U
43:29
K A S at gmail .com. Are you looking for, what
43:34
are you looking for, for people like getting
43:37
involved? Do you want volunteers? Do you want
43:39
people who are veterans? What are you looking
43:42
for? So currently right now, I'm really focused
43:46
on building that team of veterans, whether they
43:49
are currently transitioning, they're in their
43:52
process of getting out of the military, they've
43:55
just transitioned, or they've been a veteran
43:57
who's unsatisfied with where their life is or
44:03
they're heavily impacted by the transition itself
44:09
and what that does to you and your mind and the
44:15
stresses involved. It is a very, very... large
44:22
change in any veteran's life. I mean, it is the
44:25
biggest change you will probably ever go through
44:28
in your life. Because, you know, the military,
44:30
they brainwash you. And granted, I totally agree
44:34
with the reasoning behind it. I mean, you need
44:39
to be able to execute certain tasks in order
44:44
for you to not just be successful, but in order
44:48
for you to be safe and for you to be able to
44:52
protect yourself and your battle buddies. So,
44:56
you know, I totally understand that aspect, but
44:59
deconditioning your brain just doesn't happen
45:02
within the transition process getting out. It's
45:05
not touched on at all. So being able to decondition
45:10
your mind and the way that you do things and
45:12
get out of a military mindset and the way that
45:15
you do things there is extremely important because
45:17
the military and civilian life are vastly different.
45:22
And so, you know, losing that purpose, it really
45:25
has a huge negative impact on most veterans.
45:39
You want to work with a lot of veterans that
45:42
are homeless. There are other organizations around
45:46
here that also, work with especially the homeless
45:51
veteran population. In fact, when I interviewed
45:53
Maya with the Family Support Center, She was
45:59
talking about how that's the largest homeless
46:02
population group is the veterans in our area,
46:07
at least. And they see a lot of that. Do you
46:10
plan to work with other organizations that work
46:14
with homeless populations? Absolutely. I am actively
46:20
looking for partnerships with other entities,
46:24
whether it's a nonprofit, for -profit, or a government
46:26
entity. Does it cost anything to participate?
46:36
No, absolutely not. I would never charge for
46:42
this service, at least directly to the veteran.
46:45
So, you know, I'll primarily be leaning on donations
46:49
or grants or state funding directly. Right on.
46:56
And do people connect with your other team members
47:00
for their projects individually, or is that through
47:03
you with Team Academy for Veterans? Both, really.
47:08
They can come to me and talk about, you know,
47:12
ask questions about other programs that my team
47:17
members have started, or they can reach out to
47:21
them individually. Okay. Do you have any events
47:25
coming up? Well, I don't have any events coming
47:30
up in the near future, but I was invited onto
47:34
this podcast with Tony Rezak called the Basecamp
47:40
Camp for Men podcast. And so we'll talk about
47:43
my military career in Team Academy for Veterans
47:46
really in depth, which I know is going to be
47:49
amazing. And I'm really looking forward to that
47:51
opportunity. And of course, right now, I'm doing
47:55
my best to network as much as I possibly can.
47:58
And I feel like your show and his show will be
48:01
a big piece of that. Definitely. Do you know
48:03
when that show is going to air? I don't know
48:06
when it will air. is scheduled to be recorded
48:11
at the end of the month. Okay, okay. And there'll
48:14
be something posted about that on your website?
48:17
Definitely, yeah. There will be something posted
48:19
on the website about that. Awesome. Exactly.
48:21
And also, I'll plug this as well, you know, the
48:25
airtime and whenever it airs. Sure. Another organization
48:35
I want to plug is Your Family's Future in Florida.
48:38
I know this is a local radio, but... That organization,
48:44
going back to the incarcerated population, they
48:48
deal specifically with the incarcerated population.
48:52
And what's funny is they didn't know about team
48:55
academia or any of those methodologies that they
49:00
really brought about in the education world.
49:03
But they follow a very, very similar process
49:07
to the process that I'm using now. And what's
49:12
really amazing. amazing about them is their recidivism
49:16
rate, the rate which individuals coming out of
49:20
prison go back is zero. They have not had a single
49:24
person go back to prison. Wow. Yeah. And so,
49:27
I mean, like I said, they're a very, very similar
49:29
process to mine. And so, I mean, that's just
49:32
further proof that this process works. They're
49:35
different. things that have this similar kind
49:40
of process, like we mentioned the unschooling
49:42
conscious parenting philosophies, things like
49:46
that. It all really comes down to respecting
49:52
each other's autonomy and agency and respecting
50:00
each other's goals for their lives and supporting
50:03
one another in a positive direction. and being
50:07
patient and learning emotional regulation. That's
50:13
really all it really boils down to. Right. Yeah.
50:17
And to speak on that autonomy piece, again, going
50:21
back to inside, outside the box, being an individual,
50:26
a fully autonomous individual, making your own
50:29
decisions based off of your own experience and
50:32
learning and doing your own research and not
50:36
just taking things as they're told as truth,
50:40
really develop yourself in that manner. become
50:45
unstoppable. And it's really beautiful, the process
50:50
that people go through when they practice these
50:53
theories. It's a very healing process. Oh, very
50:59
much so. Yeah. I mean, the man I was three years
51:04
ago to the man I am today are night and day vastly
51:08
different human beings. If we did a side by side,
51:11
they're not even the same person. And that is,
51:14
again, just because of this process. It is turning
51:17
into an unstoppable force, simultaneously an
51:22
immovable object. Um, and the, the, the power
51:27
that I feel becoming a change maker and really
51:30
trying to, um, impact, um, you know, my community
51:36
and, you know, the communities around me, extremely
51:40
important to me. And, uh, you know, I genuinely
51:42
believe that I'll be able to have that impact
51:44
through this organization and whatever organizations
51:48
that I'll be a part of in the future. Definitely.
51:51
And this process, I already had an idea for wanting
51:57
to connect people to the information that they
52:03
needed to move forward in their lives. This has
52:05
been a goal of mine for a very, very, very long
52:08
time. And it was moving through this process
52:11
that I was able to fully take that in and take
52:17
that on and accept that of myself. Um, and the
52:22
way that we go about, uh, like doing customer
52:26
visits, checking in assessments with, um, the
52:29
stakeholders in the community, the people that
52:31
we would be benefiting. Um, and that's part of
52:34
the process that you went through to, uh, to
52:37
get to this place with Team Academy for Veterans.
52:40
Um, it's, it's really just validated. It really
52:44
validates like, this is my idea. Let's go see
52:47
in the community. Is this. is this going to work?
52:50
And we go through this process of finding out
52:53
what are the needs of the people and what is
52:58
working, what is not working, and let's figure
53:00
out how can we solve these problems. And it's
53:03
amazing how many different outcomes for problem
53:08
solving we can create just by using this process.
53:12
Right. And when you think about problem solving
53:15
traditionally, I mean, Most of those solutions
53:20
are based off of assumptions. And, you know,
53:24
with this process going out and, you know, hosting
53:27
these, you know, stakeholder interviews and these
53:30
customer visits, it's extremely important because
53:33
You know, in order for you to effectively and
53:36
efficiently solve that problem, you need to understand
53:39
the problem at its root cause. And so being able
53:44
to talk to the people actually impacted by these
53:47
issues and also the people who are actively trying
53:50
to solve these issues gives you the best understanding
53:54
of the problem. Again, being able to solve that
53:59
problem. really eliminate the problem altogether.
54:03
Right. And the difference in the way that we
54:07
do this in using this process in Change My Year
54:12
Lab and like, I don't know, traditionally kind
54:16
of run businesses, they're still needing data.
54:19
They're still having to do assessments, but they're
54:24
going about it. When you follow regular traditional
54:28
business practices, you're obtaining data in
54:33
a different kind of way from different kinds
54:36
of sources, statistics, data. And, you know,
54:42
that's very impersonal. That's very impersonal.
54:46
Not everybody fills out surveys. I'm not really
54:50
a fan of filling out surveys myself. I would
54:53
much rather talk to people. And hear what people
54:58
really have to say and get genuine information.
55:01
And that's what we do here. Right. Being able
55:04
to listen with an open mind and open heart and
55:08
an open will, you know, really brings that emotional
55:11
intelligence piece and emotional listening. And
55:15
again, being able to put yourself into that person's
55:18
shoes, having that mental model, again, that
55:21
perspective that they have is. extremely important
55:25
in order for you to actually solve that problem.
55:28
Totally. Do you have anything else that you would
55:37
like to share? Yeah, I... I'm really, really
55:43
passionate about this project. And I know many
55:46
other veterans, they see the exact same things
55:49
that I do and they experience the exact same
55:52
things that I do. So, you know, if you're a veteran
55:56
who's just transitioning now, has transitioned
56:00
recently, or you've been out for a while, please
56:03
reach out through my website. Get in contact
56:08
with me and we can get started immediately. Thank
56:12
you so very much, Lukas, for joining me. It's
56:15
been such a great time talking with you. Yeah,
56:18
I've absolutely loved it. I really appreciate
56:20
the opportunity to come on your show and talk
56:23
about my organization. Awesome. If you would
56:32
like to reach out to Lukas, Sarah, Daniel, Gary,
56:36
or Jason, or if you would like to get involved
56:39
by donating, partnering, or joining Team Academy
56:42
for Veterans and seeing how far your personal
56:45
vision can really take you, visit TAVeterans
56:49
.org or shoot Lukas an email at Lovett, L -O
56:55
-V -E -T -T dot Lucas, L -U -K -A -S at gmail dot com. That's
57:10
it for today's Resource Report produced by Pathways
57:13
to Agency. At Pathways to Agency, we are driven
57:17
by the belief that everyone should have the tools
57:19
and support to achieve their goals and thrive
57:22
in their communities. Our mission is to bridge
57:25
the gaps in understanding, accessibility and
57:28
trust by connecting individuals to resources
57:31
and sharing information and processes that can
57:36
lead to personal and community growth. Resource
57:39
Report offers information about existing and
57:42
emerging nonprofits and resource organizations.
57:46
Find out more at pathwaystoagency.org. You can
57:51
also find our shows archived indefinitely on
57:54
rss.com/podcasts/resource-
58:01
report. Kaos Radio is not responsible or liable
58:05
for any views or opinions expressed in the interviews
58:09
conducted by Resource Report. Till next time,
58:12
and thanks for listening.