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The Warrior Who Tends: A Four-Year Journey Beyond Conflict

Feb 16

In May 2022, I took off my boots and began my warrior transition.

I speak openly about this chapter of my life — but there are parts I haven’t fully shared. My transition began during a season of intense physical, mental, and emotional strain. Chronic pain was constant. Beneath it lived anger, resentment, and frustration. As I prepared to leave the military, existential questions surfaced daily:

Was my sacrifice worth this pain?
Did I serve too long?
Why did I feel the need to hide my injuries?
And most urgently: What do I do now?

At the moment of my military-to-civilian leap, I knew three things with clarity:

I did not desire to use many of the skills the military had conventionally given me.
I still felt deeply called to serve.
I wanted to lean into my creative gifts — as an artist, writer, and storyteller.

That first realization surprises many people. But I wanted my next chapter to align with my personal values and ethos — health, family, rest, and creative expression

As I exited service, I was completing a master’s degree in Humanities — a field devoted to exploring what it means to be human. The program expanded me intellectually and spiritually, and when it was over, I knew self-narration had to be a lifelong journey. There is no end to the human becoming process.

In the summer of 2022, I was officially initiated into the new identity of “veteran.” I had no idea what that meant. Was I now supposed to perform acts of patriotism? Share my stories of brokenness? Or narrate courage and resilience on command?

Instead of choosing one narrow script to follow, I chose inquiry.

That same summer, I applied for a PhD program called Visionary Practice and Regenerative Leadership at Southwest College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As a student in the program for the last four years, I had the opportunity to design a research path centered on the warrior transition itself — exploring arts-based, Earth-centered, and Indigenous-informed approaches to transformation.

Through four years of formal research and lived inquiry, I’ve come to a central conclusion:

The warrior archetype in American culture is far too small.

We often imagine camouflage, weapons, and hyper-readiness. But warriorship can also mean stewardship. Creativity. Community care. Regeneration. Healing. Ethical leadership. Cultural bridge-building.

The warrior is not only one who fights. The warrior can tend.

As I approach degree completion and prepare to cross my next threshold, I love to share what I have learned. It brings me much joy to guide transitioning warriors through a structured, whole-person transition process grounded in research, lived experience, and regenerative leadership principles.

All veterans deserve an opportunity to experience whole-person transition and reintegration.

Current Offerings

1:1 Warrior Transition Coaching: A 90-day whole-health strategy integrating physical vitality, narrative reframing, creative exploration, and life design.

12-Week Transition Lab: For veterans ready to engage in guided self-narration, archetypal exploration, and identity reconstruction.

Workshops & Institutional Programs: Custom-designed experiences for veteran-serving nonprofits, universities, and organizations seeking innovative approaches to transition support.

If you are in transition — or if your organization serves those who are — I invite you into conversation. The next mission does not have to resemble the last one. But it does require a new mindset.

— Michael Novotny

Veteran Transition Strategist | Wellness Practitioner

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