Show Notes
Have a message for Veterans Radio? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Brigadier General Dan Kramer answers the phone with his kids waiting at the dinner table. Mitze Alexander has a friend on the phone who wants advice, not a session, and expects it for free because that’s just what Mitze does. Neither one gets a real day off, and both of them have learned exactly where to draw the line anyway. This week on Veterans Radio, host Shelly Rood sits down with Brigadier General Dan Kramer and Army veteran and licensed therapist Mitze Alexander to talk about protecting your peace when you can’t say no. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL DISCOVER ✓ What it looks like when life stacks one hard thing on top of another, and the shift that changes how it lands ✓ Protecting time and connection at the top of a career, not after it ✓ What the families holding down the home front are actually carrying ✓ From the National Guard to the police force to the therapist’s chair ✓ Third-party trauma, boundaries, and what it actually takes to walk away from someone else’s worst day. Brigadier General Daniel Kramer Assistant Adjutant General - Michigan Air National Guard Brigadier General Kramer has spent nearly thirty years in the Michigan Air National Guard, raising six kids alongside his wife Susan through every move the Guard asked of them. He tells you what rising in rank actually costs, and the one thing he refuses to let responsibility take from him. Mitze Alexander Licensed Master Social Worker - U.S. Army (Ret.) Mitze Alexander served in the Army, spent seven years as a Muskegon police officer, and for the last decade has worked as a licensed therapist, much of that time with military women carrying trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. She names what third-party trauma does to a provider, the boundary that keeps her whole, and why it’s okay to not be okay.
Shelly Rood Host - Hardcore & At Ease Shelly C. Rood served across 16 years as a U.S. Army Reserves Intelligence Officer — Captain, Company Commander, and S2 — leading covert briefings overseas and overseeing security programs for nearly 4,000 soldiers. A Distinguished Military Graduate of Western Michigan University and a third-generation Detroit business owner, she brought that same standard of leadership into the private sector. She is the founder of a training and leadership development company, Mission Ambition, LLC, creator of the Others Over Self® leadership mindset, and the architect of Be At Ease, Woman Veteran™, a peer support program serving military women since 2019. She is host of Hardcore and At Ease, and author of Mission Wildflower 🌻. Today she leads a team of veterans who continue to serve beyond the uniform.
More from Veterans Radio
Have a message for Veterans Radio? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Conrad Begaye, Army Ranger, received the Silver Star making the Rangers and his Navajo nation proud. This story highlights the heritage and courage of Native American soldiers.
Have a message for Veterans Radio? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Army combat veteran and ordained chaplain JP Kotsko discusses the need to included trauma-informed care into military medic training. This helps with the question "Am I going to be OK?". JP talks to host Jim Fausone about his service in the West Virgina National Guard and lessons learned about using psychological first aid skills.
Have a message for Veterans Radio? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! This week on Veterans Radio, host Shelly Rood takes you to the NHRA Great Lakes Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, then sits down with Army veteran Dawn Klein for a candid conversation about what it means to be hardcore and at ease. Shelly recaps a rainout, a return trip, and a record-setting Monday. She shares the comeback stories, signing a military tribute car through SCAG Racing’s Simply the Brave program, and the permission slip she took home: give yourself permission to work on the foundation before you chase the next level. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL DISCOVER ✓ What it was like to witness a historic 346.95 MPH NHRA drag racing run and the inspiring comeback stories behind the competition ✓ How the lessons of preparation, perseverance, and resilience on the racetrack can apply to everyday life ✓ What Army veteran Dawn Klein experienced transporting tanks, munitions, and essential supplies throughout Germany during her 27 years of military service ✓ How Dawn overcame expectations and challenges as a woman in the Army, and why humor, faith, and recognition remain important to her life after service Dawn Klein U.S. Army (Ret.) - Transportation Soldier Dawn Klein served on and off for 27 years as a transportation soldier, hauling tanks, munitions, and blood throughout Germany. Dawn shares what it was like to challenge expectations as a woman in the military, take pride in her responsibilities, and navigate life after service. Through humor, faith, and determination, she offers a candid perspective on resilience, finding purpose, and making sure women veterans receive the recognition they deserve. Shelly Rood Host - Hardcore & At Ease Shelly C. Rood served across 16 years as a U.S. Army Reserves Intelligence Officer — Captain, Company Commander, and S2 — leading covert briefings overseas and overseeing security programs for nearly 4,000 soldiers. A Distinguished Military Graduate of Western Michigan University and a third-generation Detroit business owner, she brought that same standard of leadership into the private sector. She is the founder of a training and leadership development company, Mission Ambition, LLC, creator of the Others Over Self® leadership mindset, and the architect of Be At Ease, Woman Veteran™, a peer support program serving military women since 2019. She is host of Hardcore and At Ease, and author of Mission Wildflower 🌻. Today she leads a team of veterans who continue to serve beyond the uniform.
Have a message for Veterans Radio? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! The WWII Battle of Wake Island in December 1941 caught the American military by surprise. The men on the island and in the fight came from all across the nation. There were a number of Utah residents involved in that battle. This interview tells that story, which is both tragic and heroic.
Have a message for Veterans Radio? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! U.S Air Force Veteran and historian, Joseph Neussendorfer, writes about how military engineering impacted early America but still impacts us today. His article was published in the Engineering Society of Detroit Fall 2026 magazine. This article was converted into a AI discussion of key points.