10-6-2024
Interviewer: Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ Air Force (OEF) Veteran/ Martial artist/ Author
Interviewee: Juan Perez/ USMC (OEF) Veteran/ Chicago PD/ Entrepreneur; The Veteran online coaching program; The Vet Rise academy/ The Vet Rise Podcast
Intro: Juan Perez stood out to me initially on Instagram and TikTok. I couldn’t help but notice that his videos were both motivational and enticing. I wanted to hear what he had to say when it comes to being a veteran that is in the fragile process of transitioning into the civilian workforce. His veterans coaching business and veterans podcast are filled with great content. When I reached out and he agreed to let me interview him, I was definitely excited. I listened to one of his podcasts before I created my blog questions, which I will list in the links below in the conclusion section.
Elisa: How would you summarize The Vet Rise Academy if you had to give a quick elevator pitch?
Juan: The Vet Rise Academy focuses on helping veterans through their life after the military, with a focus on fitness and nutrition. The military forced us to do things a certain way and gave us structure and accountability in our daily lives. Then, after we pull away from the military, not only do we miss it, but often times we need to get it back.
Elisa: In your podcast, you mention in teenhood getting involved in gang related/ drug related activities and then getting arrested. What’s your sense of what led you to that place in your life? Was there any elements of childhood traumas?
Juan: I was looking for a community, and it just so happened to be in a gang. I was looking for a sense of belonging. I found out much later in life after getting a diagnosis of ADHD, that that likely played a huge factor in that decision. ADHD symptoms led me to being “prone to chaos”, so outwardly I was attracted to finding things that gave me structure, order, and a schedule. It’s also what led me to be interested in the military. Neurodivergence requires that the external environment keeps us on track; and that’s what the military did.
Elisa: You mentioned a mentor your senior year of HS that helped you make significant changes. I believe mentors are so crucial to growth & professional development and I always tell my teen clients to ‘choose their mentors wisely’. Especially because the world is full of people that give poor advice. How do you spot a good mentor? And, what do you believe makes you a great mentor?
Juan: A mentor is someone that is in your life, chooses to be your mentor, and is physically present. I think my mentor initially strived to help me because he could see himself in me. He had a very similar upbringing, similar traumas, and also went into the military to change his life. Also, a mentor should be someone that is in a place in their life, that we want to get to one day. My mentor asked me questions no one else did at that time. He asked me what I was going to do after HS; I had no idea. As far as me being a good mentor? I do believe I am a good mentor but I always let people know, I don’t have all the answers. I am still working toward self improvement. I’m always trying to learn. And I hope that my story can be someone else’s survival guide.
Elisa: You were an Infantry Marine for 7 years, you also deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 (Just two years before me). How did a combat deployment change your world view?
Juan: After I came home from combat, I had a newfound gratitude for even the smallest things in life. I saw the world through a completely different lens. I appreciated my parents and my upbringing a lot more. There were things that I could not comprehend when I was younger, that I was finally able to understand. Society is not as awful as we make it out to be, and I was also grateful to be able to come home with newfound accountability. I learned that I have a lot more control and say over my life than I originally thought.
Elisa: And now you are currently serving in Law enforcement. I have had veteran clients that transitioned into law enforcement and I always find it interesting to hear about the similarities and differences between the military and police training to include the environment and social norms. Do you have a personal preference between the two? Any pros and cons to share?
Juan: I originally wanted to work in law-enforcement when I was younger, especially because my mentor was also my criminal justice teacher. But I didn’t want it to be the only thing I was good at, I enlisted in the USMC first. The main Con is that I remained in a cycle of being an alpha male, overworking, excessive drinking, being an “asshole”, neglecting my marriage, staying angry. Both the military and law enforcement are organizations that sometimes normalize this. I was not yet addressing my mental health or going to therapy. The help is there, but we have to be open to it. The pro of going from military to law enforcement is still having that familiar structure. It keeps us on track with purpose and routine.
Elisa: How did you keep your entreprenurial spirit alive through military and police work? I’ve talked to other artists/ entrepeneurs about the difficulty we have with accessing our artistic/ creative mind when we serve…
Juan: I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit since I was young. Even in high school, I started some businesses under the table. Like one of my first ones was a DJ business where me and my friends played music for parties. While I was in the military, I cut hair for my friends on the side. My challenge was the fact that I’ve always been sort of a “One Lane” type of person. Meaning, when I commit to something, it usually pulls in all of my focus. For example, as a cop, I came in early and stayed late. I made many arrests, I became a part of a gang investigation unit, I went under cover a few times. I was also hesitant to do anything on the side that could compromise my career, such as posting too much on social media. But, I did customize weapons as a side hustle because it was already in relation to my field. In 2022. My special unit was disbanded. And then I ended up working on the trains. This reminded me that in every career, we are disposable. So that’s when I really started to focus more on my veteran coaching business. I’m officially retiring from the Chicago PD in two months, and then I will be fully invested as an entrepreneur.
Elisa: You also discuss your struggles with alcoholism in the past, and mention you have been deeply committed to harm reduction this past year. Congrats! I often call alcohol ‘the powerful temporary potion’ for PTSD, as it medicates hyper arousal/ hypervigilance and insomnia. How did you start managing this addiction? What were your alternative coping outlets?
Juan: I was drinking when I would come home from work every day, which was a perpetuating factor that led to my first divorce in 2018. But at that time, I was excited and relieved to be able to go out, party, meet women and have the time of my life. It was a path of self sabotage. The main thing is recognizing that as we significantly decrease a drug, our body still requires some type of stimulant. The main coping that I used was working out, and reading; self-help books and biographies. Some of my favorite books include Atomic habits by James Clear, Extreme Ownership by Jocko, and 12 rules for life by JP. My focus became about changing my daily habits for the better.
Elisa: Is heavy work projects ever a form of escapism for you? I’ve worked with many Vetarans and a good majority develop work addictions. This is sometimes tied to the compulsion to avoid intrusive memories in our mind; grief, trauma & moral injury. What happens when you take a break and try to relax?
Juan: Absolutely. When I was diving into my heavy workload, I was not addressing my anger, ego, trauma, depression, and anxiety. From there perpetuating issues included weight gain, relationship problems, drinking to self medicate, ignoring my self care needs. Now I take a very different approach. I don’t work to escape. Now I view work as the means to be able to create more freedom for myself. More quality time with my kids and doing the things I love.
Elisa: I recently got on Tiktok and decided to become ‘The Break up Therapist’. My niche involves helping people through the difficulties of messy relationships/ break ups and divorces. You talked about some of your relationship history, to include a divorce. And now you are coparenting/ sharing custody. Any words of wisdom with how to survive divorce and how you ensure that you do not repeat the cycle?
Juan: Unfortunately, I repeated the cycle. I ended up having a second marriage and divorce. I didn’t do the self work I needed to do between marriages, and toxic tends to attract toxic. There was trauma bonding. By my second marriage, I invested a lot more in my self-care and self work journey. I did make changes. Sometimes when you work towards self improvement, the people around you won’t look at you the same way. I’ve learned that we do not have to rush into relationships or marriage. We don’t have to follow a playbook that society created. My advice through divorce is to ‘lean into yourself’. You don’t have to wait for it to be over to improve yourself. Your life doesn’t go on pause. And the best advice I received from Jocko during this time was to take the high road. Don’t get into a pattern of hurting someone just because they’re hurting you.
Elisa: And it sounds like we are both in therapy again! I’m glad for both of us on that. What’s your favorite thing about therapy so far?
Juan: Therapy is HARD! Thats the first thing I like about it. It allows me to open up, but also have that mirror of truth reflected back at me. It helps me build resilience and clarity, leading to better decision-making. Decisions that are less emotionally driven; logic driven choices instead.
Elisa: ‘Every Second counts’ was one of your opening inspirational quotes. How are you making every second count these days? And also, how do you avoid burnout when you have a full time job, kid’s, a side business etc?
Juan: The calendar is the tool. I plan and track time effectively, blocking out every hour for various activities including sleep, meals, and work. Efficiency and effectiveness are both crucial. And if something doesn’t work out, I will evaluate and adjust the schedule to ensure better effectiveness. It’s a daily check in, including a mental check in. The mindset has to shift from procrastination to action. I always tell people to look at the calendar as “the map to your future”. I personally don’t like empty space on the calendar. Because if I want every second to count, I have to make the conscious decision to commit to every second I have.
Conclusion: Juan Perez informed me that yesterday was the 2 year Anniversary of his Veteran coaching business! Let’s help him celebrate by signing up or referring a Veteran friend. See below for links to Juan’s business and social media handles.
Link to Vet Rise Academy:
Instagram and Tiktok: JPtheveterancoach
Facebook: Juan Perez
Link to Podcast that helped prep me for todays interview:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vetrise-podcast/id1734070797?i=1000665135475
Functionally Mental 