ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ

APL Colloquium

November 19, 2021

Colloquium Topic: Struggle Well, Thriving in the Aftermath of Trauma

Struggle Well is written and developed by Ken Falke and Josh Goldberg, and is founded on the belief that combat veterans possess rare strengths, skills, and attributes that are seldom seen and desperately needed at home.

“We must remember that one man is much the same, and he is best who is trained in the severest school.” – Thucydides, Athenian General and Philosopher

Struggle Well is Learner-Centered, Experiential, Educational, and Inquiry-Based, and aligns with the five elements of the proven PTG framework:

  1. Education: Teach Warriors about the impact of trauma and stress on the mind, body, heart, and spirit; the transformative power of struggle, and how to live a positive, productive and service-oriented life at home.
  2. Wellness Practices: Train students in age-old, time-tested, Warrior- specific practices in the areas of mind, body, financial, and spiritual wellness, that enable students to regulate their thoughts, feelings, and actions, and reconnect with themselves and others.
  3. Disclosure: Harness the power of a safe and trusted setting, and a group of respected peers, to make peace with past experiences – from childhood as well as the military and combat.
  4. Story: Create a new, positive, and forward-looking story that integrates the past, present, and future, and enables combat veterans to succeed because, not in spite, of their experiences and abilities.
  5. Service: Develop a plan for continued service – to self, team, family, community, and country – at home.


Colloquium Speaker: Ken Falke

Ken Falke is a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community and retired Master Chief Petty Officer.  During Ken’s career, he made over 1000 parachute jumps and the same number of underwater military dives.  Ken led thousands of high-risk operations to include rendering safe unexploded ordnance, landmines, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).  Ken is highly respected around the world as an innovative and forward thinking thought leader on the subjects of counterterrorism, military training, innovative technology development, wounded warrior care, and military to veteran transition.

Ken’s passion is taking care of his fellow combat veterans and their family members and he is chairman and founder of Boulder Crest, an organization focused on the teachings of posttraumatic growth. Ken spends the majority of his time educating the public and private sectors on the issues surrounding the long-term care of our returning military personnel and their families from the last 19-years of war.

Ken is a serial entrepreneur. He founded two award winning for-profit and two nonprofit companies.  Ken is also a best-selling author of Struggle Well – Thriving in the Aftermath of Trauma.