This weekend at The Post — a room full of former athletes turned executives and entrepreneurs — I witnessed something powerful. Everyone was focused on enhancing and advancing. Conversations centered on growth, purpose, and performance. It struck me because I’ve spent years in the veteran space, where the tone often starts with you’re broken, and we need to fix you. Same drive, same potential, completely different energy.
The difference between thriving and merely surviving after transition comes down to one thing: identity.
1. The Power of the Room You’re In
At The Post, everyone spoke the same language: discipline, teamwork, adaptability, and grit (very similar to conversations I’ve had with my fellow military veterans). The same scaffolding that built our athletic greatness now supports our professional success. The message wasn’t about what we lost; it was about what we could leverage.
Veteran spaces, on the other hand, often begin with the premise that something’s wrong — PTSD, trauma, reintegration. Those realities exist, but the constant framing of “needing to be fixed” creates a psychological anchor that keeps people stuck. The Post reminded me that growth accelerates when the focus shifts from healing to harnessing what’s already within you.
2. The Identity Trap
Both athletes and veterans face an identity crisis when the uniform comes off. One day, the mission ends. The crowd quiets. The schedule disappears. Without that external structure, many struggle to define who they are beyond performance.
But here’s the key difference: athletes are encouraged to build onto their identity — to evolve into business owners, coaches, and leaders. Veterans are too often told to replace theirs. That’s why communities that celebrate progress instead of pathology thrive. The language you use to define yourself determines the life you build next.
3. Growth Lives in Parallel, Not in Replacement
One of the most valuable lessons from both worlds is that you don’t need to abandon who you were to become who you’re meant to be. Growth happens in parallel.
Athletes train for mastery while exploring new arenas. Veterans do the same — applying discipline, structure, and leadership to new missions. The problem isn’t capability; it’s context. When the message shifts from “recover” to “repurpose,” everything changes.
The Post didn’t make me feel like I had to start over. It reminded me that everything I’d done before still counts — it just needs to be redirected.
So What’s the Point?
You don’t rebuild after service or sport — you reintegrate the best of who you were into the next chapter of who you’re becoming.
Your Next Easiest Step:
If you’ve ever felt like you left your best self behind when the game or mission ended, it’s time to rewrite that story. Start by taking the Next Level Alignment Assessment — discover where your identity, habits, and goals are out of sync and what to realign first.
Join the Alignment Village
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