When faced with a moment that would flip your life upside down, how would you react—with resistance and bitterness or acceptance and adaptability?
At just 19 years old, J.R. Martinez joined the Army, swiftly finding himself deployed to Iraq. Within mere months, he was on routine patrol when the vehicle he was driving, filled with explosives, hit a roadside bomb, leaving him trapped inside. Miraculously, he survived, and in the following years would undergo over 30 cosmetic surgeries and skin grafts. During the struggles of his recovery, he found solace in helping other wounded soldiers and realized his positive outlook could help others find peace after life-altering events.
Since then, J.R. has gone on to travel the world as a motivational speaker, join the cast of All My Children, win the 13th season of Dancing with the Stars, and now, is hosting the new season of the podcast Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage. J.R.’s story is unique, but the message he spreads is universal: change isn’t bad if you are willing to adapt. He’s committed to helping others bring depth to their lives, celebrating our unique experiences and finding the skills to overcome difficult moments. He shares a list of podcasts that have both inspired him to find triumph after tragedy and taught him invaluable skills for fostering resilience and optimism.
Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage
During my time in the Army, I fell in love with service, but service doesn’t end when you’re no longer wearing the uniform. Hosting Medal of Honor, where we talk about what it means to sacrifice something in the name of something much bigger than ourselves, is another opportunity to serve. We can all learn a lot about bravery from these heroes’ stories and find ways to better support one another, because service to others brings additional depth and meaning to life.
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Failing graciously, (and even celebrating our failures), is such an important lesson to learn and Elizabeth Day teaches it with humor and heart. You can find episodes on so many relatable topics, like Jonathan Van Ness talking about business struggles, Phoebe Waller-Bridge sharing her self-doubt, and Mae Martin on being bullied as a teenager. I love how Elizabeth embraces when things don’t go according to plan, and focuses on how what we take away from our failures helps us to be better versions of ourselves in the future.
A Slight Change of Plans
This one is for anyone who wants a dose of science with their storytelling. Cognitive behavior scientist Dr. Maya Shankar talks to people from all walks of life—both people you’ve never heard of and public figures like Kasey Musgraves and Mel Robbins—about the moments that changed their lives and how they navigated them. I love that Maya got into learning about the science of change (and even made it her career!) after her own life-altering experience, where an injury ended her career as a musician. As someone who enjoys running but definitely has a love/hate relationship with the sport, I particularly enjoyed the episode with Olympian Gabby Thomas, who talks about her complicated relationship with running and questioning the path she was going down as a world-class athlete.
Depresh Mode with John Moe
If we don’t laugh, we’ll cry—a saying that definitely captures what John Moe’s Depresh Mode is all about. He sits down with mega stars in the entertainment industry to talk about their struggles with mental health and how they manage it day to day. As a veteran, I know so many people that struggle with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other disorders and it’s refreshing to hear John and his guests talk about mental health without shame. He recently had the hilarious Cameron Esposito on to talk about being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and how it impacts her comedy—beyond getting in a few chuckles, it’s a great conversation for facing scary decisions and learning to embrace the many people we are and become throughout our lives.
Redesigning Life with Sabrina Soto
What I most appreciate about Sabrina Soto’s Redesigning Life is her focus on self-discovery and really allowing ourselves to look inward to decide for ourselves how we want to live our lives. She talks about topics like setting boundaries and healing from emotional wounds, and shares practical tips to make thoughtful choices and develop a growth mindset. I’ve joined her myself to talk about life after service, allowing yourself to grieve and trusting the timing of life. If you’re struggling with fear and understanding what success means to you, I recommend checking out her episode with life coach Danny Morel on making a shift to be more self-aware and embrace the unknown.
Success After Service
One of my biggest takeaways from my time in service was that there’s so much more we can be doing to help veterans reintegrate into civilian life after their tours are done. It’s a huge life change, one that’s often met with a lot of mixed emotions. Success After Service from G.I. Jobs shares practical tips for not only finding work in fields like healthcare and finance, but advice for finding military-friendly employment and personal stories from soldiers who have been there.
How to Be a Better Human
It’s all in the name! Don’t we all want to be better versions of ourselves, both for ourselves and for the people around us? Comedian Chris Duffy covers so many topics to help listeners enrich their day to day, from cultivating kindness to building confidence to learning how to be wrong. I loved his conversation with photographer and writer Craig Mod on the extensive benefits that come with the simple act of walking and how taking a stroll can impact our creativity, reduce anxiety, and help us be more present.
The Daily Motivation
Lewis Howes is one of the OG podcasters on the subject of mindfulness and I love that The Daily Motivation gives me concrete advice and empowering insights for the day in under ten minutes. It’s all about how we talk to ourselves, positively and negatively, and encourages listeners to be the authors of their own stories. Check out his episode with entrepreneur Dean Graziosi on how practicing gratitude can make all the difference in your level of life satisfaction, and his conversation with actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas on overcoming insecurity to find strength and achieve your goals.
The Resilient Mind
Not a single one of us gets out of life without facing some kind of hardship. But so much of the next phase of our lives relies on how we move on from those hardships. The Resilient Mind shares insights for building your tenacity to help you meet adversity head on, every time you face it. Guests like Jay Shetty, Esther Perel, and Jocko Willink share their advice for finding purpose when you feel lost, cultivating connection with our loved ones, and avoiding falling victim to excuse-making.
Good Life Project
Good Life Project asks a simple question: what does it actually mean to live a good life? That’s something we all have to answer for ourselves, but Jonathan Fields helps listeners intimately think through it alongside guests like Mitch Albom and Elizabeth Gilbert, as well as leading scientists and psychologists. Whether a good life is rooted in love, health, friendship, meaning, wealth or something else entirely, Fields’ provides a holistic approach and scientific insights to be fully engaged and fiercely connected to the life you want to live.
Heavyweight
When thinking about fostering resilience, a huge thing that comes to mind for me is overcoming regrets. Through incredibly empathetic yet funny conversations, Jonathan Goldstein acts as “a therapist with a time machine” to help people revisit the moment where everything changed for them and create a space to have difficult conversations and find answers to their long-standing questions. At its core, Heavyweight shares the lesson that it’s never too late to make amends or push back for what we believe is right. I highly recommend “Lenny” and “Buzz” but be forewarned – you’ll probably need a box of tissues!
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