Episode 206 :

Laura Stradley is an Army veteran who spent eight years on active duty, during which time she was stationed in Korea, Fort Benning, Fort Rucker and Germany. While in Germany, she was deployed to Bosnia in support of Operation Stabilization Force. Just before leaving the service, Laura earned her Master of Science in Business Administration from Baker College.

Since leaving the military, Laura has worked with veterans in a number of capacities and since September 2017, she has been the Executive Director of the Veterans Outreach Center in Rochester, New York. In 2015, Laura was inducted into the New York State Veterans Hall of Fame.

At a time when only 26% of veterans receive services through the Veterans Administration, programs that meet the many physical and mental health needs of our veterans and their families are at a premium. Laura discussed the array of supportive and therapeutic services available through the Veterans Outreach Center. In doing so, Laura highlights her use of a number of foundational helping skills including engendering hope, listening deeply, listening to connect vs. quickly responding and viewing people as their own best resource. Laura is highly skilled at utilizing a Helping Conversation not only with the veterans that she works with, but in building a caring and compassionate organization.