Ep. 67 - Hayley Thomas, A Former Navy Dog Handler Shares How Skillbridge, Horses, And Faith Shaped Her Next Mission
Description
We trace Haley’s path from Navy Master-at-Arms to K9 handler, through injury, loss, and COVID isolation, and into a Skillbridge placement at an equine nonprofit that helped her reframe control, connection, and purpose. Candid stories of hypervigilance, TBI questions, therapy wins, and the reality of starting over as a single mom sharpen a hopeful blueprint for transition.
• choosing the Navy and MA route amid height and weight assumptions
• earning the leash, certification pressure, and kennel culture
• Bahrain duty, mentorship, and leadership’s impact on morale
• injury, family loss, COVID quarantine, and mental health fallout
• clear Skillbridge guidance, timelines, and approval insights
• equine-assisted learning at Herd and the predator vs prey shift
• transition stress, hypervigilance, sleep images, and TBI questions
• therapy as a performance system and guarding care continuity
• faith, single motherhood, and redefining purpose and leadership
• future plans: MBA path, nonprofit vision, serving veterans
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