'Life Happens' ... with Sgt. Aaron Quinonez

Sgt Aaron Quinonez didn’t have your average upbringing. Growing up in a remote part of America, where the growing of marijuana was prolific, he was regularly on the run from the law and was forced to live homeless as a teenager due to his father’s addiction issues.

Joining the Marines straight out of High School, he found the discipline that he had been searching for and passed through the Corps’ brutal training regime, specialising in communication as a forward observer. A tour in Iraq followed.

But in Aaron’s own words, “nothing prepares you for war, apart from war,” and little did he know his real battle would be fought in his mind. After eight years of service, he started getting panic attacks, and suffered from depression, and was diagnosed with PTSD. Medication only served to numb the pain and being forced to pay for his own medical bills left him homeless once more.

Angry and resentful, Aaron was on the verge of suicide when he found solace in the church. He created a process of healing through serving others and this has seen him turn his life around. He is now CEO of a multimillion-dollar business and has founded a non-profit organisation that serves to help other veterans. He received the 2016 Distinguished Service to Veterans Award and the 2018 Superior Award from the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

In this remarkable episode of ‘Life Happens’ Aaron chats to our Marketing Director, James Gwinnett, exploring his troubled past and how he came up with a plan to overcome his anxiety and negative experiences by creating more positive ones. Aaron is also the award-winning author of Healing Thru Service, which takes his learnings and offers help to anyone in crisis.

A powerful advocate of the importance of speaking up about mental health, Aaron is living proof that no matter how low you feel, it is possible to lift yourself back up again.

We hope you enjoy the episode. If you do, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and share it with your friends as this will help us in our mission to improve the mental fitness of society percent by percent.

'Life Happens' is the podcast that helps you build mental fitness, speaking to inspirational people about life’s ups and downs, how they’ve overcome setbacks and what it means to them to be mentally fit.