When Frustration Becomes Purpose
From Military Service to Veteran Advocacy: How One Leader Turned Frustration Into a Mission to Help Veterans Secure Their Earned Benefits
For veterans, there are many hard battles—but sometimes, the hardest one begins after service ends.
Navigating the VA disability claims process was harder than rappelling down a wall or completing a 17-mile ruck march in the Army. At least in the military, you are trained to understand the mission, the chain of command, and what success looks like.
With the VA, it can feel like being dropped into the middle of chaos—with no map, no briefing, and no backup.
At first, I wanted to understand why I kept getting denied while only a small number of people around me seemed to get approved. But the more I looked into it, the more I realized I was not alone.
Veterans all around me were being denied, underrated, or simply giving up because the process was too confusing, too frustrating, and too overwhelming.
What angered me most was realizing this:
Many veterans were not losing because they did not deserve benefits.
They were losing because they did not know how to tell their story, connect the evidence, or navigate a system that often seemed designed to wear them down until they gave up.
That frustration stayed with me.
I had spent years leading soldiers, managing missions, and solving problems in high-pressure environments. I knew how to read regulations, organize information, and push through obstacles. So I did what I have always done when something does not make sense:
I researched.
What started as frustration turned into determination.
Determination turned into research.
Research turned into helping other veterans.
One conversation turned into ten. Ten turned into late-night phone calls, stacks of medical records, highlighted regulations, buddy statements, and handwritten timelines spread across kitchen tables.
Before I knew it, I had turned frustration into purpose.
That purpose became Boots 2 Benefits.
Today, I help veterans navigate unfamiliar waters, secure the benefits they have earned, and avoid paying for the same mistakes twice.
I wrote an easy-to-follow book, Operation FUBAR, created free workbooks and resources, and built a consulting business centered on one simple belief: no veteran should have to fight this battle alone.
I also founded IGY6.2 because not every veteran has the financial means to get the help they deserve. No veteran should have to pay for benefits they have already earned through service.
With more than three decades of leadership experience spanning the military, government, and veteran advocacy, I have learned something important:
The thing that frustrates you most is often the thing you are being called to change.
Many women spend years ignoring that feeling because they believe frustration is a sign to walk away.
Sometimes, frustration is the sign that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.
Sometimes, it is pointing you toward your purpose.
For me, that purpose became my next mission.
And that mission continues every time another veteran hears the words:
“You finally got approved.”
