Shane Shaltry: Finding a New Mission Through the Warrior PATHH Program

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Houston, Texas. It’s time for Houston Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio Beyond the Uniform Series. It is my pleasure to introduce you to my guest today, Shane Shaltry, a Warrior PATHH guide with the Travis Mills Foundation and a dedicated advocate for veterans and first responders navigating life after service. Shane served 15 years in the United States Air Force as a KC 135 Crew Chief and Honor Guard member, participating in missions around the globe and performing hundreds of military funerals. After a medical discharge in 2019 following an incident in the Middle East, Shein found himself struggling and searching for answers. The journey led him to the Warrior PATHH program through Boulder Crest Foundation, a program focused not just on recovery but on post traumatic growth. It changed his life, and today, Shein is helping lead others through that same transformation. Now he’s on a mission to bring awareness to a program that’s giving hope, connection, and a new PATHH forward for veterans and first responders across the country. Shein, welcome to the show.

Shane Shaltry : Thanks for having me, Trish.

Trisha Stetzel: Really excited that you’re here with me and.

Shane Shaltry : Honored to be here.

Trisha Stetzel: Good. Yeah. Would you tell us a little bit more about you?

Shane Shaltry : Yeah. So I think you you kind of covered the basics there. Um, the, the big thing for me was the, struggle after service. Um, and, and so that’s where, um, this story kind of takes us, uh, my background a little bit about me is I grew up in a very small town here in Michigan. Um, but I, I grew up in a family with 22 siblings. My, my parents had seven boys and they wanted a girl. So they adopted a girl and they just kind of turned it into a hobby. Uh, it wasn’t boring, I can tell you that. And we were like the UN of our small town, all the culture and all the culture that existed in that town. Um, but it, but it gave me a unique perspective, I think growing up. Um, and so I followed in the footsteps of my father, two of my uncles and four of my brothers who were all in the Air Force. And so I was a late bloomer. I was kind of busy having fun in my 20s, so I didn’t join till I was 28. So I was kind of the old guy at boot camp. But, uh, and like you said, I, I served for 15 years and, and I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I would have stayed forever. Um, I very much enjoyed my, my job and, and even, uh, it’s, it’s a weird thing to say that I enjoyed funerals, you know, but it was, that was a huge part of my career, um, doing those and, you know, it’s just, it’s one of those things someone has to do it. Um, and, and I took a lot of pride in that.

Trisha Stetzel: There’s so much honor in that work. First, thank you for your service. Thank you for being a sibling of those who served and growing up in such a large family of so many other questions, you may have to come back because I know we’re focused on the program today, but I have lots of questions about Shane. Um, how about we start here? I’d really like to talk, if it’s okay with you a little bit more about that transition, the difficult transition that you had after discharge. Can you talk about that season for you?

Shane Shaltry : Yeah. Uh, you know, I, I didn’t you don’t realize what the impacts going to be when you come out of service, right? Um, because it’s, it’s kind of a whole new world. And much like a lot of other veterans, I realized pretty quickly that I, I lost that purpose. Um, my people, you know, the, the world that I gave my life to, right. Um, that I was very dedicated to, it just felt like a huge loss and, and trying to figure out how to move forward from that and try to regain some of that purpose. You know, I, I didn’t think it would be possible to match or exceed that purpose, but just finding, you know, something in life that would kind of keep me going. And, and I struggled with that for a number of years. And I went through, I don’t know how many, you know, probably half a dozen different jobs. And it just, I just wasn’t finding anything. And I continued to struggle and to kind of just go downhill. Um, I got wrapped into drinking more, doing drugs and just, just kind of faltering my way through day to day life. And that kind of came to a head when, um, circumstantially my, my world started falling apart and I became Suicidal. And that that really scared me. Um, and after that, I continued to struggle. And, and meanwhile, during that time, I was going to everybody you could go to at the VA, all the doctors. Right? I was taking all the pills, you know, I had done all those things for a several years and was still at a loss. You know, I still was searching for answers. I was still struggling and still going downhill.

Shane Shaltry : So, um, about a, about a year later, I, I would, you know, to be honest, I don’t even, I don’t remember applying to the warrior PATHH program. Uh, I was probably stoned or drunk. Um, but I, I applied, didn’t know anything about it and I just went on with my life. And about five, six months later, they called me and said, hey, we got a spot for you. Um, and I said, no, I’m, I’m good. I’m good. At the time I was, I was regionally touring with a country band and I was having a lot of fun, but I was far from good. Um, and, and so thankfully they, they kept me on the list. And about six months after that, they called me back and I said, sign me up, coach. I, I had no idea what it was. I never looked into it. I didn’t know what I was walking into. I just was looking for anything. I was grasping at straws. Right. And, um, so January of 2024, I went to the Travis Mills Foundation in Rome, Maine, to the Warrior PATHH program. And, and I did not, um, when I first got there, I really had to face, um, and, and realize how angry I really was. I, I didn’t realize, uh, the level of anger that I was carrying around with me. And, and that kind of culminated into a sort of a disastrous first couple of days for me. Um, but through, through that program, I was able to, um, shift gears and, and just become open to it. And by the end of the week, um, by the end of that week, I knew when I was leaving there that my only desire was to come back there in the capacity that I’m there now as a warrior PATHH guide.

Shane Shaltry : And, and honestly, I thought, you know, maybe in a couple years or something, I, I certainly didn’t expect it to happen within six months. Um, so they called me up and offered me a position and I, and I gladly accepted. And I can say, you know, as much as I loved my military career, um, the purpose in this absolutely trumps that all day. And I think it’s just because, um, this is truly a one of a kind program. And when I see these results week after week, you know, in front of my own face, uh, it’s, it’s nothing short of amazing. Uh, we, we, we, that we get a lot of, um, participants that are very suicidal. And in, in that first week, they, um, more often than not shift gears and, and they’ll, they’ll straight up say, look, I, I, I no longer want to, um, end my life and the. Probably the most profound experience was, uh, a, a student showing up. Excuse me. And, and straight up telling us that he had done it all. He had seen all the doctors, he’d taken all the drugs. And he said, I got a loaded gun in my car at the airport. If this doesn’t work, that will. And and that was a very, you know, eye opening experience. And, and I’m thrilled to say that that guy is rocking life now. So, um, yeah, it, it’s, it’s just, it’s just an incredible thing. And it, and it absolutely, um, absolutely changed my life.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. Thank you for being a part of such an amazing organization and leading others through something that was very meaningful to you and changed your life. Can you tell me what’s different about this program? It sounds like you were rock bottom. This program worked for you. You gave an example of another, um, who was at rock bottom and this program worked for them. What’s different about this program than the others?

Shane Shaltry : I think, I think what sets us apart from everything else that’s out there is this is the first program that’s based on post-traumatic growth. And, and that that’s a big deal. Um, and, and the, where that started was, um, about ten years ago, uh, Ken Falk, who is a Navy vet, he was a 20 year, uh, EOD tech. He, he had started visiting, um, EOD troops in the hospital that, you know, had gotten blown up and, and that sort of developed into him. Uh, creating the Boulder Crest Foundation and then through their work with Doctor Richard Tedeschi out of, uh, UNC Charlotte. He’s kind of the the godfather of post-traumatic growth. And so it was, it was using, you know, his, all of his post-traumatic growth information and building a curriculum that, uh, just makes sense. And, and it’s, and it’s kind of hard to explain because it’s a very in depth, intense program and there’s a lot to it. But it, I guess at the end of the day, it, it just teaches, um, for, for me, it taught me to see the world in a different way, to see the world in a positive way, to be grateful for what I have and not concerned about what I don’t have And more importantly, to be able to navigate the the day to day struggles that we have, right? Everybody struggles. And that’s, that’s one thing that is just a universal truth, right? Is all human beings need to breathe oxygen and they all struggle. But rarely do we learn how to struggle. And that’s the difference is we teach people how to struggle.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that there’s a big difference between growth and recovery. And that’s where this post-traumatic growth program really shines when compared to just a recovery program. Um, one of the things that, oh, you know what, before we go on, I’m sure there are people who already want some information before I ask you the next set of questions. So why don’t we take just a short break here? And can you give the listeners, uh, the information on how they can find out more about the program.

Shane Shaltry : Yeah. So if you go to, uh, Travis Mills foundation.org/warrior PATHH, you can apply at that website. You can also go to Boulder Crest foundation.org and apply there as well. And there’s about 12 locations nationwide.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay. Perfect. And by the way, you guys PATHH is spelled with two H’s. It’s PATHHH. If you’re looking for that forward slash warrior PATHH for the information that Shane and I are talking about today. Okay. Diving back in. One of the things that was that I find very unique about this program. When you and I had our conversation a few weeks back, is that the guides for the program have been through the program. Why does that matter so much? So tell me about your experience and tell me why that matters.

Shane Shaltry : So it matters because what what they have found the the, the brains behind building this program was that that peer to peer connection is really what drives the success of this program. Um, you know, oftentimes, especially with, with combat veterans and a lot of first responders, they, they don’t feel, um, comfortable sharing their traumas with, uh, professionals, you know, with, with your typical therapists. Um, I mean, it’s, it’s some truly horrifying stuff. And so that shared experience really matters. And so it’s, it’s all peer to peer. And, and like you said, Trish, all of us have been through this program, Every single person that teaches this program nationwide is there because they were struggling and they had to go through the program to learn how to struggle. And that’s what got us here. Um, I think it’s a phenomenal model. And, and it just, it seems to, to really work in allowing, uh, veterans to really open up and be vulnerable and honest about their struggles and, and their traumas so we can effectively deal with them.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. How would someone so if someone’s listening today and this is really speaking to them, um, how would they know that this is the right program for them, the right time? Or if a loved one is listening, how might, how might they know?

Shane Shaltry : I, you know, like I said, Everybody struggles. Right. And I think when if if you’re a veteran or a first responder and like myself, you feel like you’re getting to the end of your rope and you’ve done it all right, you’ve gone to therapy, you’ve taken the pills, and you’re still struggling and still searching for answers. I think that’s, that’s certainly a telltale sign. And. And to put it boldly and bluntly, this is the answer. And and I’m very confident in saying that after seeing I mean, just over and over and over again, people come through this program that I mean, you know, some with almost insurmountable struggles. And and after that first week, uh, it it’s just, it’s incredible how much change takes place and to to qualify that. So with the Warrior PATHH program, it’s one week in residence. Um, at whichever location you go to. And then it’s another 85 days at home. And the, the continuance of the program at home is just. Short information daily coupled with, um, five, uh, Zoom meetings with that class. But the big, the big thing is the, the five days that they come to the location for. And, and I will say, um, for anyone who is considering this, it will cost you nothing. We cover all the costs. It doesn’t cost you anything. We pay for everything. So, Um. That’s not a concern.

Trisha Stetzel: Thank you for bringing that up. I’m assuming that there’s room. If there are people who want to invest or be a part of giving to the organization to support the veterans, that there’s room for that as well.

Shane Shaltry : Absolutely, absolutely. Um, all of this is, uh, ran off of donations. It’s all, it’s all nonprofits. It’s sort of a collective network of nonprofit organizations from the Travis Mills Foundation to the Boulder Crest Foundation to the Avalon Action Alliance. Um, and, and so all those organizations make this possible, but it, it wouldn’t be possible without the donations of people that care, people that want to make a difference.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. So if you’re listening and you’d like to be a part of this. Can they find that same information on how to give at the location that you gave earlier?

Shane Shaltry : Yeah, absolutely. Yep. You can go to Travis Mills foundation.org. And it, it lists all the programs that are offered there for veterans and first responders. And, um, any, um, all the ways you can, you can donate and chip in and, um, you know, we, we have people that fly in to Maine just to come and volunteer for a week. Um, and, and, you know, we utilize a lot of volunteers and, and so it’s, it’s an incredible place. Um, and, and for anyone who doesn’t know, uh, Travis Mills is, is one of only a handful of quadruple amputees who started that foundation, um, with the intent of, of having a place for, um, other disabled veterans, uh, particularly amputees to be able to come and have a adaptable vacation with their families. And, and that’s been incredible. That’s been an incredible thing. Um, and it’s been, it’s been really great being able to, um, meet and hang out with all of those veterans.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. So if you’re listening and you want to give or volunteer, certainly you can get information on that. If you’re listening and you feel like this program might be for you, then you’ll find that information that you need there as well. One of the things that I’d like to tackle as we get to the back end of our conversation is, um, isolation. Uh, I know when we spoke before about, uh, it was pre call here, um, that isolation is one of the biggest challenges that we see veterans chase. So our face excuse me. So what are you seeing and why is it so critical that we address this isolation problem?

Shane Shaltry : You know, that warrior PATHH aside, isolation is is one of the the biggest epidemics facing, um, people in general, but especially, um, men and young men. Uh, and, and that’s it. What they found through, um, I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Harvard study that it’s been going for like I almost a hundred years now and it’s still going. Um, and, and what they found through studying all these people and their families and their lineage was at the end of your life. What matters is connection. What matters is Relationships. And so when we have so many people that are isolated, it’s, it’s just it’s not good for anybody. It’s not good for them. And it’s not good for the people around them. Um, and, and certainly speaking from experience, I was very, extremely isolated before I went through that program. Um, and so one of the things that I think is an awesome benefit of this program is you, it’s important to have, um, what we call your 3 to 5, right? 3 to 5 people in your life that you can trust that you can count on. And, and that essentially it, you’re the classes are small by design and for that reason that the, the class sort of becomes your 3 to 5. And again, I went through this program, um, I mean it. So just over two years ago and I still talk to my class, the people that I went through that program with. And it’s not every day, but we still talk probably weekly.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. It’s building that community that 3 to 5 people that you trust the most that you could go to, or they could come to you. I love that. That’s fantastic. And, you know, going back to, um, this growth versus recovery is so meaningful. And the growth to me is an outsider sitting on the outside looking in. The growth is part of is the community. So growing is part of building that community and learning and going through this process together. Um, sounds amazing. Absolutely. Yeah.

Shane Shaltry : And we, we also, so in addition to the, the program and going through the program, we have an app, um, that connects everybody that’s gone through this program. Um, which is, which is really cool. So you know, it, it allows you to connect with anybody and everybody that’s gone through this program so far.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. That’s amazing. Okay, I have one more question for you before we get to the, the close of our session today. And gosh, the time has gone by so fast. But if we have a veteran or a first responder that’s listening today, um, who could be struggling in silence, what would you want them to know? And what’s the first step they can take?

Shane Shaltry : Um. Know is that you’re not alone loan, and that’s how so many of us feel prior to going through this program, is we feel alone. You know, we feel isolated and alone and that nobody understands our struggles. Um, but what we find through doing this work is it, it, the source of the trauma doesn’t matter. We all share the same symptoms.

Trisha Stetzel: Thank you for that, Shane. It has been such a pleasure having you on the show today. I appreciate all the insight you as a warrior PATHH guide and sharing everything about that program with me today.

Shane Shaltry : Sure. And thank you. It’s certainly been my honor. And, um, you know, anything to to get the word out to, to help veterans and first responders. You know, we don’t it’s because we’re a nonprofit. You know, we don’t we don’t have, um, a big advertising budget, right to, to run commercials. So things like this, uh, make a big difference in this community.

Trisha Stetzel: So yeah, absolutely. Yes, absolutely. So for those of you who are listening, we want you to like and share with everyone that you know, so please be sure to do that. All right. Tell us one more time, Shane, the website where our listeners can get more information.

Shane Shaltry : It is Travis Mills foundation.org and Boulder Crest foundation.org. And if, if anyone, if anyone wants a just a snapshot of this program, there are. Boulder Crest Foundation has some really great videos on YouTube. Um, the one I would recommend, it’s called reborn and it’s a, it’s a phenomenal snapshot into what we do and why we do it.

Trisha Stetzel: Beautiful. Thank you so much again for your time today. I appreciate you joining me.

Shane Shaltry : Thank you.

Trisha Stetzel: All right guys, that’s all the time we have for today. If you found value in this conversation that Shane and I had, please share it with a fellow entrepreneur, a veteran or Houston leader ready to grow. Be sure to follow, rate and review the show. It helps us reach more bold business minds just like yours and your business. Your leadership and your legacy are built one intentional step at a time. So stay inspired, stay focused, and keep building the life you deserve.