Specialist E4 Carrie Beavers, United States Army
Soldier Girl Coffee Company, LLC.
After serving on active duty in the U.S. Army for ten years in Darmstadt, Germany, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina as a Combat Medic. Carrie Beavers moved to Michigan with her spouse and worked in various jobs in healthcare to help serve her community.
She is a disabled Veteran.
These days, she helps other Veterans with PTSD, anxiety, and depression by offering a CBD-infused Coffee line. Last few years, Beavers struggled during her nursing career with PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
Beavers was dealing with the financial and emotional challenges that many Veterans face and was looking for other ways to help herself and her fellow Veterans. Recently, Beavers decided to strike out on her own and created Soldier Girl Coffee Company. In so doing, Beavers has not only improved her own situation but helped other Veterans avoid depression and suicide and find more productive paths forward.
What does your company do?
Soldier Girl Coffee Companies mission is to serve Americans the best coffee experience, use business to offer natural alternatives to Veterans with PTSD. To inspire veterans through the Brand Ambassador program to get out of isolation and reconnect with other Veterans. Round up donation of sales donated to Veteran Non-Profits that take action to get the veteran out of isolation, and connect with other veterans for the camaraderie through outdoor programs. I believe these programs help with Veteran Suicide Prevention.
What prompted you to launch it?
I was struggling with my PTSD, depression, and anxiety. I was working on my mental health with counseling and medication that was only helping a little. As a member of various Veterans groups online, I found a place that I felt supported because of the unique bond Veterans have. I would see (sometimes multiple times a day) a Veteran commenting that they wanted to end their life. I would go on the groups to offer support and it really broke my heart to see and hear this every day and wish that I could do more. I have used CBD products and have found that it helps me with my PTSD symptoms, and I want to share this with other veterans that may be struggling. The coffee is CBD infused and 100% THC free. I am very passionate about spreading Veteran suicide awareness and spreading our mission to other Veterans all over the world that they can join our team and stop Veteran suicide.
How has your military life educated and influenced your business life?
My military life influenced me to do my best and push myself farther than I thought I could go physically and mentally. My business has went a lot farther than I expected in the beginning. The military prepared me for management and leadership roles and how to work with and communicate with all types of people. The military instilled core values that I bring into my business such as trust, respect, integrity, and discipline.
What do you hope to do with your business?
I hope to offer another tool for Veterans struggling with PTSD, anxiety, and depression through CBD-infused coffee. I want to inspire veterans through my branding that they are not alone, and their stories do matter. Many women veterans feel invisible, and I want to give them a platform to share their stories as well as men. I want to encourage MST (Military Sexual Trauma) survivors like myself to get help instead of waiting 30 years as I did, and letting the trauma control my self-sabotaging behaviors.
What is the most important thing you want people to know about Veterans?
People need to know that our Veterans are struggling to stay alive every day and we cannot stop this without their help. When we transition from the military, we do not anticipate the sense of loss we will feel or the lack of value, and many feel lost. In the military, you may be in charge of super-expensive equipment (for example) and that’s the job that gives you purpose and makes you feel valuable. When you transition, it’s very hard to find a job that compares to the military.
As Veterans feel their value and purpose decrease, they question why they are still alive. On top of that, we do not have our team, our mission, our brother and sisterhood. We define brotherhood and sisterhood by our actions. We are challenged daily and put in situations where the camaraderie builds itself and the men and women then build each other up. This binds the units together so they can function properly. It is the call to duty and sharing the title of being an American and what that means, that also bonds us together
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