Veteran's PATH

Veterans PATH has filled a void for me that has lead me to a better quality of life through the Accelerated Mind Performance, AMP six-week course. As a retired ARMY Veteran of 30 years, I first started AMP in 2022 and have attended again in 2023 to help me maintain my practice. I am most grateful to Veterans PATH for this program that is available free to any woman Veteran. Specifically, AMP has provided me with an increased quality of life through focusing on turning off my sympathetic nervous system/flight flight mode, and using my parasympathetic nervous system/rest and relax mode as I am always in a vigilant state and cannot let my guard down for over 30 years. The AMP facilitators, chiefly Kathy and Kim, demonstrate and explain the importance of this training along with support videos from the VetsPath web site. Through these two women Veteran facilitators training and calm and reassuring demeanors, it has made me more calm, peaceful and at ease in order to practice. They always close each session’s practice with encouragement and peace, giving me a feeling of security and a safe place to practice, which is most important as I live alone. These Outstanding Women Veteran Leaders of AMP have helped me stay alive through this practice as well as through the BRAVE retreat that I attended in 2022, which they were also facilitators. Without these programs offered free to women Veterans, many more suicides and self harm through drugs and alcohol use will continue to occur. Veterans Path is a literal Lifesaver with facilitators like Kathy and Kim that are there for “YOU”, not only through these programs, but also through phone and email follow up. Through the leadership of Veteran’s PATH and these life saving AMP facilitators, women Veteran lives have been saved, quality of life has increased, and lasting friends have been made. This Veteran’s Organization is a paragon for other Veteran Organizations to emulate, especially for women Veterans. To those that support Veterans PATH, know that your funding assistance is and has saved many women Veterans lives; it has helped save mine!!!

Forever grateful,
Gina

Veterans Path changed my life as a disabled female combat veteran. I met other women like me with similar issues with PTSD. Learning how to meditate in a group helped calm my anxieties in a safe place. Plus, it gave me tools to take home with me to use whenever I need it. There are so many veterans suffering and many have committed suicide. Veterans Path gave me a way to cope with my issues. Every veteran would benefit from Veterans Path, but combat veterans benefit significantly from it.

I am taking the opportunity to once again sing the praises of Veteran's PATH. This organization has continued to serve me by creating connection and fostering community. I have witnessed first hand the transformative nature of the work of Veteran's PATH. As my primary affiliation with this organization shifts toward being a facilitator, my hope is that my and others' stories are a testament to the healing support that Veteran's PATH can offer.

Absolutely a life-changing organization! Thank you for all you do.

Thank you so much for bringing everyone together and connecting us in a healing way. this was such a healing experience with great tools and people involved.

I happened across them 11 years ago. I wasn't in the best of places. Having an opportunity to connect to other Women Veterans at Tassajara gave me a renewed sense of self, comrade and lifelong friends. As Veteran Path advances in programming I am able to grow in my skills as well.

I have tried every kind of therapy there is; being a part of Veterans Path has been, by far, the most healing and empowering modality yet. I wouldn’t be able to believe an organization could be capable of being so solid and so supportive of I hadn’t experienced it myself. The tools I’ve been taught will help me for the rest of my life, on a profound level.

I have participated in two separate events with Veterans’s path. The AMP program which meets once a week for 6 weeks online and the BRAVE in person retreat. Both programs have changed my life. I have met the most incredible women. They have become my lifelong sisters. I never thought I could be friends w fellow women veterans after everything that happened during military career. I learned that I wasn’t alone in feeling this. The tools that veterans path provides have helped me w my anxiety, ptsd, depression, sleep, overall health….even helping in my marriage and family. Through breath work I can feel actual changes for the better. I can actual sit and meditate for over 5 minutes sometimes and not to judge or shame myself. I would recommend any and all of the programs Veterans path has to offer to any veteran that’s struggling or wants to improve their quality of life, grow their support system w like minded people and create lifetime friendships and memories. Beyond grateful to this organization!!

An amazing group that truly cares about female veterans! The BRAVE retreats are life changing and offer an opportunity to connect with other female veterans in a safe and supportive environment. Lifetime friendships are formed!

This non-profit is amazing. It touched my life and connected me with like-minded veterans who have become my support system and life long friends. I am so grateful to have found them and will continue to take part in the difference they are making in our community!

I had been out of the military 6 years and in that time tried to maneuver my life without any help. I didn't realize I was suffering in silence and just "sucking it up" like I was accustomed to in the past. My emotions I had suppressed for so long were finally starting to take a toll on me, I was tired of not being fully present for myself and for my family, I knew I needed help. I came Across Veteran's Path and now I don't feel alone anymore. I'm so thankful that Veteran's Path exists and it found me! I look at life different now and feel supported and most importantly, I'm not suffering alone anymore.

I attended the five day women's retreat. I was able to connect with my fellow veterans and really start my healing process. I could not have had this positive expereince without this event occurring. Outstanding program and caring staff. Would recommend to any veterans!

The past three years tested my resilience and fighting spirit. While stationed at LRMC, for about 2 years, we were in restriction of movement, stopped all fitness testing, lost my dog who was my companion for 11 years, got COVID-19, and then my husband was diagnosed with advanced stage Rectal Cancer. Despite having overcome many challenges since a young age, this time it felt as my world was falling apart. I tried on my own to get into mindfulness and meditation but was not able to get my self to be in the present. During a casual conversation with other Army Nurses I was told of an upcoming class called “AMP” for Veteran Women. I signed for the class and it started me in a journey which started to create a sense of acceptance and internal peace despite all the external changes happening to me. The practice and feeling of peace and Serenity developed even stronger and further during my participation in the BRAVE Retreat. When first meeting all the Veteran Women participants, I was not sure how the next few days were going to evolve. Through the guidance of our facilitators and the beautiful surroundings with nature for the first time I was not only able to focus in the present but also to feel safe and be okay with looking at my past and start to used skills of meditation and mindfulness to face painful experiences from my past in an environment where I felt not only safe but also supported by many other women who themselves had to find their own paths. I faced my fears of rock climbing and feeling safe went up the rock as far as I could. I am so much looking forward to the continuing journey with the Brave Program and the other wonderful programs offered through Veterans PATH. This is a path for myself because I feel blessed to have been able to be served by this amazing organization while still on Active Duty. I even go to experience the benefits of what I learned while training for the new Army ACFT. I have always been challenged by the two mile run but found now that by doing some of the breathing exercises while running and bringing myself to the present I could actually physically perform better. It is clear to myself that I am the one getting in my own way. Grateful to Veterans PATH and BRAVE program and it’s wonderful leadership for helping me and many other Veterans find safe and healthy ways to face and express our pain and also to find joy in our daily life wherever we be at. Thank YOU! I am inspired to help other Veterans and future Veterans find the “PATH” that I found.

Veteran's PATH is a wonderful organization that is deeply committed to bettering the lives of American Veterans by teaching mindfulness practices while emphasizing the healing power of community. I've attended both online and in-person offerings and have been rewarded with learning great preparatory meditation techniques as well as beautiful friendships. Thanks to local and national grants from donors like the Wounded Warrior Project, there's been minimal--if any--costs associated. My experience has been all around GREAT! So much so, that I'm now helping with teaching and co-facilitating at Veteran's PATH. I've found the Executive Leadership/Trainers/Facilitator Teams to be patient, supportive, and wonderful mentors. I highly recommend Veteran's PATH to any Armed Forces Active Duty Member and/or Veteran.

I love veteran’s path because they are changing lives and connecting veterans to different resources. They took me on a retreat that was so helpful

Excellent leadership. Excellent program. I didn’t know there were other female veterans like myself out there, when I served there were almost none. Learning how to breathe and calm my nervous system has really helped my mental health! Thank you Veterans Path!

The community and love that I have experienced by attending and being a part of Veteran's Path have taught me that my healing is important not only to me but to so many others! I appreciate the skills and people that continue to lift and walk with me on my path.

Great outfit! Community and tools for vets to live GREAT lives. (Not just survive)

Hoffman Institute Foundation
Partner/Collaborator
April, 2014

Veteran’s PATH has been a wonderful partner/collaborator with the Hoffman Institute for over 8 years. They have referred Veterans they thought might benefit from the Hoffman Process, and many of them have come. They have been so appreciated by the other participants in the Process, including one injured veteran who brought her Service Dog, who became part of the group.

We are so grateful for the work Veteran’s PATH is doing, and as their partners/collaborators share with them the belief that Military Veterans have an important role to play in our society, and we want to do whatever we can to empower them to give their greatest gifts.

I have witnessed the amazing work of this organization over the past 4 years. The events and the team have given a community of veterans a safe place to do the inner work they need to do with self compassion and the support of the larger community. I had the privilege to join in one of the events and met many new and returning veteran participants. The connections and bonds were deep and heartfelt. The community truly enjoys being together and having fun in nature while learning new tools that help in creating inner peace. Their stories are so inspiring. My wish is for this program to touch the life of every returning veteran as they start their journey back to civilian life.

Veteran's PATH provided training in mindfulness that has helped me navigate adjustment to civilian life by coming back to my sensory awareness and regulating my nervous system. This has led to knowing what is most important to me. After service, where the mission always comes first, being able to learn how to reconnect with myself was pivotal in learning how to connect to others in a genuine and non-aggressive manner. The friendship I've made through the organization continue to enrich and support a healthy life. I am eternally endebted to this organization.

I have served on the board in the past and worked with Veteran's Path for more than eight years. I have seen their programs save and change lives and seeing that has changed mine. We have asked so much of so few in our military in the last 20 years and anything we can do to ease the suffering we have caused them and help them find peace is so worthwhile.

Bart Holaday, Chairman and CEO, The Dakota Foundation

Veteran's PATH is a wonderful organization, focused on caring for the veteran population with training in mindfulness and developing meaningful connections. The instructors are first-class and their commitment to improving the lives of military veterans is exceptional.

Thich Nhat Hanh said it best. "Veterans are the light at the tip of the candle, illuminating the way for the whole nation. If veterans can achieve awareness, transformation, understanding, and peace, they can share with the rest of society the realities of war. And they can teach us how to make peace with ourselves and each other, so we never have to use violence to resolve conflicts again." This is what Veteran's PATH is all about.

Veteran's PATH equips transitioning veterans with the skills to cope with difficulties stemming from their past or present circumstances. My contact with the founding members has shown them to be both personally and professionally invested in the welfare of the veteran. They have developed programs which have demonstrated great potential for reducing unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, and suicide among the veteran population.

Veterans PATH has an admirable and essential mission. They are a great team doing important work and serving a population, Veterans, that are in more need than ever before. I am happy to donate to their mission.

The dedication of the board and staff of Veterans Path is unmatched. . .providing real inner mastery tools and strong peer support, Veterans Path is committed to ending veteran suicide. . .with ~ 22 veteran suicides a day in this country, we have no time to loose.

Just thrilled to see this initiative growing in the spirit of empowering our nation's Vets in such a super positive way.
Being a Vet I understand the pitfalls of reintegration into civilian life, and it's not always simple.
Thank you for this great program to enable Vets to have a go to resource.
Coach M J Tolan
Proud US Army Vet- Vietnam Era

Veteran's PATH is a phenomenal avenue that teaches veterans and active duty personnel the tools and practices to be more mindful and present in every day life. After participating in their Military Mindfulness Action Practices (MMAP) Training As an active duty member, I've been able to use the tools and mindfulness practices I learned and apply them to my life, family, and job. It's allowed me to become a better leader, father, and person. As an active duty member of 23 years, it's comforting to see that the stigma of "sucking it up" and "suffering in silence" is being broken with the help of organizations like this.

Not only are their programs an excellent resource, but they're Podcasts are also a great on the go tool where everyday athletes, veterans, and subject matter experts share their perspectives, best practices, and experiences on how mindfulness and meditation has helped them in their lives.

Highly recommend checking them out!

The Team at Veteran's PATH is a reflection of the culture many of us are drawn to in the military. A culture of service, and teams. Prior to COVID I heard about this program while listening in on a PODCAST. I was impressed by the message and the effort being taken to help veterans in need. Months later as we approached Memorial Day weekend, I reflected on the five veterans who I have worked with who have taken their own lives. All did it after they left service, my belief is they lost connection with their teams, but also lost a way to engage the demons they faced. While there is no silver bullet, I firmly believe Veteran's PATH offers some valuable tools and a culture to help against this incredible challenge. As evidence of my belief I brought them into my most sacred professional circle and had Jon Macaskill come speak to my 850 person team. The response was incredibly well received by my team and I know I personally learned some things as well. Its not the message you would expect to hear from a retired Navy SEAL, but that is precisely why it is such a powerful message. I have since incorporated Mindfulness practices in my life and I hope to continue to be an ally with Jon and his team as they help veterans find a better path.

I cant thank Veterans Path enough! The skills my family and I have learned through their MMAP and Mindful littles course have been a blessing to my myseld and our daughter. I've been a chaplain for 10 years, and the skills being presented are tools that every veteran and their family can benefit from to enhance their well-being, their peace, and to build connections with their family, community, and spiritual life. I didn't realize it at the time but I sure needed the "tune up". Thank you Veterans Path

I have had the privilege and the honor of working with Veteran's PATH and their remarkable team for the past 6 months. A tragedy in this incredible country is the disconnect between our civilian and military communities and the subsequent lack of awareness around the challenges that veterans face. Many may be surprised to know that a veteran commits suicide every 65 minutes.

After serving our country, the men and women that make up the Veteran's PATH team, who have already made tremendous sacrifices in their life in order to serve, are continuing to serve their veteran brothers and sisters by helping them find Peace, Acceptance, Transformation, and Honor through mindfulness and meditation practices and a supportive community. I am not sure if I could think of a nobler cause.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with the VP team on the Heroes For Heroes initiative, giving back to the caregiver community while supporting the Veteran's PATH team. I am looking forward to providing whatever support I can to help make Veteran's PATH as successful as possible.

Veteran's PATH does an amazing job of supporting veterans and military (and their families) in dealing with unresolved mental heath needs that government entities cannot seem to keep up with. Not only do they fill a significant gap, but I am THOROUGHLY impressed with the innovative ways in which they serve the community. In the year I've been acquainted with the organization, they have partnered to provide equine therapy, an online mindfulness and meditation community and course, and have started a podcast (with a robust catalog of episodes) to demystify and destigmatize mindfulness and meditation. The podcast is especially powerful in that it features athletes, elite military, other high performers, and relatable guests talking about concepts that are often considered esoteric. The online course provided introduction and context to meditation and mindfulness, as well as practical tools to prevent anxiety and stress from consuming us. I'm truly glad I found this organization, and cannot wait to see what they come up with next!

I have had a few different interactions with Veteran's PATH this year. I heard Jon's interview on another podcast, which then made me aware of the Veteran's PATH podcast. In the summer, I participated in one of the eMindful cohorts of 10 mindfulness sessions (30 minute classes held twice weekly for 5 weeks). I highly recommend Veteran's PATH for those who wish to continue to learn and improve mental wellness. Last year, I had my own personal struggles with mental health and Veteran's PATH provides resources available virtually for me to continue to grow wherever I am and ensure that the intense assistance I received last year is a foundation for the future and not just a one-time intervention.

Truly a fantastic organization with great mission and results for our veterans! Highly recommend! Anna Mannerfelt, CEO Wired Mustang Inc

Veterans PATH and Jon Macaskill have it’s finger on the pulse of what the veteran needs. The skill of learning mindfulness and meditation is an essential part of staying mentally and physically healthy in life. I highly recommend this non profit as a key support network for veterans of all ages and demographics.

The folks at Veteran Path are doing a great job. In all honesty, I’m just not sure meditation is for me, at least not though the app. I’m certain it has served others well. Enjoy listening to Jon’s podcasts. I think if there were more in-person clinics that this would help elevate the authenticity of the experience. I know those things cost more money, but there a many of us who would benefit from mindfulness without technology or a screen right smack in the middle of the experience. The talent is there, and once COVID mitigation factors are in place (as well as adequate funding), I think taking Veterans Path on an actual path (not virtual) there will be a cataclysmic shift and rapid decline of stress related fatigue and crises.

When I started coming to Veterans PATH I was suffering from pretty severe anxiety and felt my voice had been stolen from me by PTSD.

After going to Tassajara and connecting with so many souls suffering as I had been, I was more willing to put in the work to find my voice again. I found myself at one day events and other retreats with Veterans PATH and later a Veteran Leader committed to helping other veterans on their path to healing.

Veterans PATH has taught me the value I have after many years of feeling as if I had been chewed up and spit out by the military.

It's rare to find an organization that truly cares -- and for the right reasons! Incredibly knowledgeable, honest, and supportive; everything you could possibly want in a non-profit like Veteran's PATH.

This is a beautiful, specialized nonprofit changing lives. My experiences with them have been the most transformative I've had in my adult life. I cannot thank them enough.

Veteran's PATH has been an integral part of my healing. As a veteran with many deployments in combat zones, it has been difficult to integrate these war experiences with my life here at home. The programs provided by Veteran's PATH bring together resources and community to give me the support I need. It's truly transformative.

I am SO incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a woman in this year's Anchor Program (2018).
Veteran's PATH gave me useful tools for self-care and healing; meditation (both walking and sitting), art therapy, nature experiences and sensory awareness activities. Participating with other Veteran Females was incredible because I felt completely understood like never before! I also enjoyed the platform of Schoology which was a way of organizing ourselves in between sessions, and our practices. Our private group on this platform could all talk to each other via a discussion board. It was another modality of connection and support.
I have an amazing network and community of wonderful women who I call sisters. I know we will be good support and friends forever. We have agreed to keep in touch via Social Media, planned activities and trips and Veteran's PATH One-Day events.
I am so incredibly grateful and would recommend this program to any veteran who needs support. I learned to cultivate peace, grace and self-compassion through The Anchor Program. What a priceless gift. Thank you for allowing me to participate.

Veterans Path's exceptional efforts to bring mindfulness and compassion to veterans in a supportive and caring setting offers respect and gratitude to a generation of vets who have not been as respected and supported as they deserve

Veteran’s Path has changed the way I live my live. Before Veteran’s Path I struggled greatly with PTSD and depression. I was angry all the time and unable to cope with stressful events. After Veteran’s Path (and now as a continuing member) I have learned a new way to cope – with breath and compassion for myself and for others. This program is unlike any other program I’ve been in. For one, the teachers are completely committed to every single veteran that joins the program. For second, there is a never-ending circle of support available to every person that comes to be a part of this program. My battle with PTSD is not over – but the resources and guidance and support provided by Veteran’s Path has made my path clearer and brighter and the load much lighter. I encourage anyone that cares about our veterans to donate to this non-profit, so they can expand their circle even wider.

I have supported VP for several years, met a good number of vets in the VP programs and joined in one of their one day events. As a retired Air Force veteran, I am sure that VP has built unique programs that help veterans help themselves and build a vet community that they can count on as they rebuild their lives and engage with their family and friends.

Veteran's PATH is a positive and supportive community for veterans!

Caring, compassion and community. This sums up (for me) where the greatness lies in this amazing organization. I am a Veteran and also a certified therapist so I originally went to see how I could participate and support my fellow veterans. Along the way I found self healing that I wasn't aware I needed. They helped me get back into my mindfulness practice and exposed me to more beneficial techniques. They are supportive and allow you to discover what you need from the program.

I came to Veterans Path very sceptical of what meditation and mindfulness could actually do for me. I had been through some meditation with counselors in the past and just thought "well maybe I'm just not the right person for that type of thing, it's only for hippies". I work in the health and fitness industry and recently have been exploring more of a wellness approach to life and in working with my demons. I served two combat tours as an infantry machinegunner in the Marine Corps and suffer PTS and TBI along with other disabilities. I got to a point where I thought there's gotta be a better way than what I'm doing now!

I went to my first one day with quite a bit of anxiety and uncertainty. But I allowed myself to be open because of my interactions before with the vet leaders and facilitators that invited me. By the end of the event I felt that camaraderie I had lost when I left the corps. I had a warmth and energy I hadn't had in so long. Sincevthat first retreat I have been back to each event, learning and growing and developing a love for not only healing myself but also paying it forward to help veterans suffering like me. I can't necessarily say Veterans Path saved my life, but it most certainly is healing my soul!

The leadership at this organization has an astounding and evident care for the veterans served by their transformational work. This desire to serve and help those who fought for freedom is evident through their programs which are crafted using evidence-based techniques and built to help each person work through his/her unique journey to find a new PATH following service.

The organization is transparent whether with financials or sharing their vision. Veteran's PATH uses approaches which are not readily available and augment existing programs through other government and non-governmental agencies. Their desire for collaboration is based out of a genuine desire to stay true to their mission to serve more veterans. Their work has already produced successes, which are embodied in the spirit, heart, and life of renewed veterans.

This organization is a jewel, and as they expand their footprint, individual lives will not only be changed; but family and community and societal lives as well. I have enjoyed my experience with Veteran's PATH and would recommend this organization to veterans, donors, volunteers and anyone who has a need, a dollar or a heart.

Veteran's Path has been a transformational experience for me. The leaders, facilitators, and camaraderie have made each retreat I've attended quite memorable and practically life saving. It only took a one-day retreat for me to take this journey with Veteran's Path to another level- my first experience of transcendental meditation, mindfulness based training and sensory awareness with Veteran' Path has forever changed my perspective on living, breathing and being fully alive. The tools I've learned from this organization will forever guide me in my healing process and I will forever be grateful. I've learned to value myself, respect myself and take care of myself in ways that I never knew I can do. Veteran's Path helped me wake up, so to speak. And I hope this organization will continue to grow and spread the seeds of love, gratitude and the meaning of what it means to be here and be fully present in all that we do. Thank you, VP. With love, CJA

Veteran's Path has provided me with a community of veterans who are willing to walk through difficulty together. This has meant that when things were light and upbeat in my own life I had the opportunity to support others in my community, purpose. It has also meant that when I am low I have friends to call and visit to get out of my own head. I can't help but notice that I am learning a deeper type of friendship through this organization. Beyond this, Veteran's Path has nurtured me to be able to accept the difficult truths of my life and begin to adjust and care for my life in a way to make it both healthy and uniquely mine. This has been accomplished both through mindfulness techniques and having the opportunity to take the time out of a busy life to ask, what am I doing with this precious life? And, making real connections with those in my community because we actually share about the difficulties and triumphs in our lives.

These somewhat heavy ideas are balanced with hikes, Frisbee, water rafting, climbing, etc. that bring a light hearted togetherness and sense of comraderie that so many vets, including myself, long for after their service has ended. We remember how to laugh together.

I cannot say enough about the founders. They have never criticized or told me what I should be doing, but constantly point back to the part of me that understands goodness so that I can be my own guide. While busy, they have both always been available, even outside of events, to connect.

Veteran's PATH has now become part of my live.
One out standing element that sets this organization apart from others is they are there for you and they continue to be there for you. Many organizations provide services once and that is the end of it. This is not the case with Veteran’s PATH, they encourage and welcome you to come and join them often.
The love and compassion these people have are tremendous.
I am extremely thankful for what Veteran’s PATH offers and for what they have brought into my life. I honestly look forward to each and every event I am able to attend. I come home feeling nourished and loved.
I am a women veteran that served over 11 years in the Army and Army National Guard, over 20 years ago.
I did not consider myself a veteran and never spoke of my experiences while in service much. I did not trust the VA and carried many scares; I was suffering in silence, as so many others have expressed it. This has been quite a long journey, thankfully one I do not have to walk alone any longer.
I appreciate and have tremendous gratitude for Veteran’s PATH and because of this organization I have a much brighter future.
SSG Army

Veterans Path has helped me to realize the power of a breath. The way in which they lead you through meditation is both gentle and concise. Mindfulness and sensory awareness has never felt more accessible to me and for that I'm truly thankful. The tools being provided have helped me through some turbulent times.

I am a Veteran who served for 28 years on Active Duty at home and in numerous deployed locations. I’ve always been interested in the power of resiliency and mindfulness in our day to day lives in very purposeful, powerful service to our Nation. The gifts, skills and tools that Veteran’s PATH brings to us is transforming; the journey with them truly brings peace, acceptance, transformation and honor as we return into our communities. I want to see these gifts reach more and more Veterans.

This organization is very helpful and effective. Just in the short time I have had with Veterans Path, I am already learning things about mindfulness and meditation. The people that work in this organization are so nice and calming. You feel welcomed and accepted the second you walk in.

Veteran's PATH has been a true blessing to my life. Before VP I was numb, walking around this world, merely existing. Now, I feel like I've regained my purpose and I'm living and creating the life that has been meant for me! I owe Chris and Lee a big debt for creating and puttting their heart and souls into this organization. My wish is to repay them with my service and life example of their teaching!

There are certain things that come into one's life that immediately make a life changing impact. Veteran's Path instantly did that for me and I am very grateful. As a infantry veteran who has struggled with PTSD, survivors guilt, and alcoholism I moved myself to San Francisco to make a change and deepen my spiritual practice. Once here I embraced recovery and decided to connect with other veterans. When I found out about a retreat to Green Gulch Farm with Veteran's Path I signed up and felt it would be great for the soul. I wasn't wrong to say the least. Learning mindfulness/meditation techniques with Chris and Lee, and just being in their positive presence, has been one of the best experiences of my life. Sharing the experience with a great group of other veterans is invaluable. I'm learning how to slow down and look at myself and the world more honestly with less judgment. Meditating on a regular basis has increased both happiness and focus in my life. Getting trained to teach mindfulness to other vets in need has given me a renewed since of purpose and I look forward sharing what I learn. Veteran's Path is a game changer and I'm going to do my best to bring in as many vets as possible so they can reap the rewards as well.


Ricky Delgado
OEF Vet
Army Infantry

Veterans PATH has helped me with arguably the most important transition of my life. Helping me reestablish some semblance of peace in a world that only increases in chaos. Without VP and especially Chris/Lee I'm not sure if I ever would have found the ground that has always existed right underneath me. Forever greatful.

All of my experiences with Veteran's PATH have been overwhelmingly positive. Lee and Chris create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I feel comfortable to be myself and enjoy the camaraderie of other veterans. The tools of meditation and mindfulness that I've learned have helped me navigate difficult times in my life in a more positive way. In addition, we get to have fun together, like rock climbing or hiking during a one-day event, or white water rafting on the river trip.

Veterans often become skeptical after exploring organizations that claim to help us. Some veteran-oriented charities turn out to be schemes to financially exploit public sentiment without distributing much to veterans.
Others start with a promising premise but become egotistically entrenched, with clique-ishness & favoritism that often isolates veterans & causes disillusionment.
Then, there are the ones that show off a façade of caring for veterans, yet within their programs, away from public scrutiny, their personnel inflict dignity-robbing attitudes on participants. In my experience, Veterans PATH is better than those three categories of disappointing phenomena. Positive, quality of life changes are the result - again, in my personal experience, as well as numerous other veterans' experience.

Whenever I went on a retreat, I'd get all nervous about being out with these strangers for three or more days and would want to leave before we hit the water river rafting.
Lee, one of the founders would insist that I stay and I did. I didn't regret it. I had met some good people on the three retreats I went to. I loved the sensory awareness practices which really gave me a chance to feel at peace.
I would recommend Veteran's Path to any veteran from the Gulf War Era or the OIF/OEF/OND era.

As a female combat veteran, this organization has changed my life. Being a part of Veteran's Path and the programs they offer provides a new path of service in the world with compassion, transformation, and connection to a community of other veterans committed to peace and acceptance of ourselves and others. It's truly an honor to be a part of it!
--Vanessa Meade, PsyD, LCSW
U.S. Army/Gulf War Veteran

I recently attenfed a 3 day retreat for women in California.
I came away with lifelong friends, healing and respect for this org.