238: When Talk Therapy Isn't Enough, Healing Trauma Through the Body with Erika Shershun
Warriors Unmasked
Sometimes healing doesn't start in your head. It starts in your body. For 17 years, Erika Shershun did everything she was told she was supposed to do. She went to therapy. She named her depression. She worked on her thoughts. But the symptoms kept coming, and underneath them was a survival story her body had never been given the space to release. This conversation dives into what somatic psychotherapy actually is, why the body remembers trauma in ways the mind cannot, and the pivotal moment in a hands-on training when Erika's body finally interrupted years of silence. Erika opens up about...
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237: Answering the Hard Questions, Rebuilding a Life After Loss with Devin Fish
Warriors Unmasked
Sometimes the thing that almost ended your life becomes the chapter that defines it. By the time Devin Fish was 18, he had moved 16 times, attended seven different schools, and survived a childhood shaped by poverty, bullying, and his parents' struggles with addiction. He thought joining the Army would be the start of something better. Then in July 2017, a Red Cross message forced him to fly home to make the impossible decision of whether to keep his mother on life support. She passed away just days before his birthday. What followed was a slow, quiet spiral into self-hatred, isolation, and...
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236: Understanding Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, and Healing with Scott Stolarick
Warriors Unmasked
You are not defined by the hardest thing you have been through, the worst decision you have made, or the darkest season of your life. After more than 33 years as a trauma-informed psychotherapist, Scott Stolarick has sat across from people carrying pain most of the world never sees. From psychiatric hospitals and county jails to private practice, Scott has worked with people who have experienced trauma, people who have caused trauma, and people who are trying to understand why their anxiety, depression, anger, or substance use keeps showing up in their lives. This conversation dives into what...
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235: From Surviving to Thriving — Healing Chronic Fatigue and Finding Purpose with Miguel Bautista
Warriors Unmasked
Sometimes the thing that breaks you becomes the very thing that gives your life purpose. At 19, Miguel Bautista was driven, active, and always pushing himself to the limit. He was an athlete, a personal trainer, a top performer at work, and the kind of person who believed the answer was always to work harder, push through, and keep going. But over time, his body started sending signals he could no longer ignore. Fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, heart palpitations, and strange physical symptoms eventually led him into years of searching for answers. Doctors told him his tests looked normal, but...
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234: The Next Best Version of You — Finding Joy After Loss with Stacie Shifflett
Warriors Unmasked
Life will hand you things you never asked for. The question is, who do you become on the other side of it? Stacie Shifflett has walked through unimaginable loss, major life transitions, and seasons that could have easily left her stuck in bitterness, anger, and grief. After losing her son, navigating the end of a 28-year marriage, and now facing a new health challenge that has changed her independence, Stacie has learned something powerful: peace is something you have to protect, practice, and choose. This conversation dives into what it really means to keep moving forward when life knocks you...
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233: The Weight of Service — Military Life, Guilt, and Healing Through Storytelling with Derrick Jackson
Warriors Unmasked
Some stories stay with you long after the mission ends. After 21 years in the United States Air Force, Derrick Jackson knows what it means to serve, sacrifice, and carry the emotional weight that comes with military life. From working as a jet engine specialist to becoming a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Derrick’s career took him across the world and into situations most people never see. This conversation dives into the discipline, pressure, and emotional cost of service. Derrick opens up about the guilt he carried as a father while being deployed, the...
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232: Healing Lives in Sharing — A New Way to Navigate Grief with John Kammer
Warriors Unmasked
Grief isn’t something you move on from. It’s something you learn to carry. After losing three of his closest friends, John Kammer found himself doing what so many people do — avoiding the pain, pushing it down, and trying to outrun it. But over time, he realized something wasn’t working. Because grief doesn’t go away when you ignore it. It waits. This conversation dives into what it actually takes to process loss, why so many people struggle in silence, and the powerful shift that happens when you stop trying to “move on” and start learning how to move forward. John shares how...
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231: Betting on Yourself — From Football to Olympic Dreams with Andy Whittier
Warriors Unmasked
At some point, you have to decide — are you all in, or are you just interested? Andy Whittier’s journey didn’t follow a straight line. From walking on to a college football team in his hometown to discovering a sport he didn’t even know existed, his path has been defined by one thing: the willingness to bet on himself when nothing was guaranteed. This episode goes beyond sport. It’s about what happens when you step into the unknown, let go of what’s comfortable, and commit fully to something that could fail. Andy shares the reality of starting over in a completely new arena, the...
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230: Cancer Didn’t Break Him — It Set Him Free
Warriors Unmasked
What if the worst diagnosis of your life became the greatest gift you’ve ever received? When Glenn Sturm got the call at an airport in 2009 telling him he had an aggressive, incurable form of T-cell lymphoma, everything should have stopped. Instead, something unexpected happened — his perspective shifted. Rather than letting cancer define him, Glenn made a decision: he would celebrate life every single day and make someone else’s life better whenever he could. Seventeen years later, still undergoing treatment, Glenn isn’t just surviving — he’s living with purpose, gratitude, and a...
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229: Why Transition Is So Hard — And What Veterans Can Teach Us About Purpose and Identity with Matt Smith
Warriors Unmasked
The hardest battles don’t always happen in combat. For Major General (Ret.) Matt Smith, the real challenge began after the uniform came off. After 32 years of service leading thousands in high-stakes environments, he found himself facing a different kind of question, Who am I now? This conversation goes beyond leadership and into something much deeper. It’s about what happens when your identity has been built around purpose, structure, and mission… and then suddenly, all of that changes. Matt shares what it actually feels like to transition out of military life, why so many veterans...
info_outlineWhat if the worst diagnosis of your life became the greatest gift you’ve ever received?
When Glenn Sturm got the call at an airport in 2009 telling him he had an aggressive, incurable form of T-cell lymphoma, everything should have stopped. Instead, something unexpected happened — his perspective shifted.
Rather than letting cancer define him, Glenn made a decision: he would celebrate life every single day and make someone else’s life better whenever he could.
Seventeen years later, still undergoing treatment, Glenn isn’t just surviving — he’s living with purpose, gratitude, and a commitment to serving others. This conversation explores what it looks like to choose growth over fear, purpose over pain, and why sometimes the hardest moments in life can open the door to everything you were too busy to see before.
Guest Bio
Glenn Sturm is a 17-year cancer survivor, four-time bestselling author, and former attorney with over 30 years of military service. A University of Florida law graduate (honors, Order of the Coif), Glenn built a highly successful legal and business career before being diagnosed in 2009 with advanced T-cell lymphoma.
Since then, he has undergone continuous treatment while reinventing his life around purpose, service, and creativity. He is the author of Cancer Set Me Free, an advocate for multidisciplinary cancer care, and an accomplished photographer whose work supports charitable causes. Glenn is known for his powerful message on resilience, perspective, and living life fully — no matter the circumstances.
You’ll hear About
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The moment Glenn received his life-changing cancer diagnosis
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Why he chose to celebrate life instead of becoming a victim
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The daily habit that can change someone else’s life instantly
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How building the right “team” can dramatically impact outcomes
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Why cancer became one of the greatest gifts in his life
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction
02:00 Glenn’s Background and Military Service
03:30 The Call That Changed Everything
07:00 Choosing Perspective Over Fear
10:30 “The Ambulance Is Gone” — A Defining Mindset Shift
13:00 Losing His Career and Reinventing His Life
17:00 Building a Multidisciplinary Cancer Team
22:00 A Life-Threatening Setback and the Power of Communication
27:00 Why He Refuses to Be a Victim
30:00 Quality of Life and Long-Term Survival
34:00 Giving Back and Serving Others Daily
38:00 How Cancer Set Him Free
42:00 Glenn’s Message to Those Who Are Struggling
Chuck’s Challenge
This week, ask yourself two simple questions at the end of each day:
Did I make someone’s life better today?
Did I put a smile on someone’s face?
Even one small moment of kindness can create a ripple effect you may never see — but it matters more than you think.
Connect with Glenn
Website: http://www.glennsturm.com/
Connect with Chuck
Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/
Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked
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