Shifting Gears: Unique Career Transition from Military Service to Veterans Yoga Leader -22

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Dakota [: 00:00:03

From ballet shoes to combat boots, Brianna Renner's journey is anything but ordinary. Inspired by a marine corps ad and driven by a fierce rebellious spirit, She left the stage for the battlefield and never looked back.

Kim [: 00:00:19

Now as the CEO of Veterans Yoga Project, Brianna uses the power of yoga to help fellow veterans heal. Tune in to hear her story of transformation, resilience, and how the Marine Corps and yoga shaped her life. You won't wanna miss the powerful conversation. Welcome to Dog Tag Diaries, where military women share true stories. We are your hosts, Captain Kim

Dakota [: 00:00:47

And Captain Dakota. The stories you are about to hear are powerful. We appreciate that you have joined us and are eager to learn more about these experiences and connect

Kim [: 00:01:07

triumphs. By speaking struggles, and triumphs. By speaking their truth, they contribute to a deeper understanding of the challenges they face and the resilience they demonstrate.

Dakota [: 00:01:18

We appreciate your decision to join us today to gain insights and knowledge from the experiences of these courageous military women. Thank you for being here.

Kim [: 00:01:35

In this episode of Dog Tag Diaries, we sit down with Brianna Renner, a former Marine and now the chief executive officer of the Veterans Yoga Project. Brianna shares her unique path from being a ballet dancer to becoming a Marine, driven by an iconic ad that caught her eye and inspired her to trade ballet shoes for combat boots. She opens up about her childhood in the eighties, the freedom and challenges that shaped her rebellious spirit, and her deep sense of gratitude for the lessons learned in the military.

Dakota [: 00:02:10

Throughout this conversation, she will reflect on the real friendships, skills, and experiences that defined her service and helped her grow into the leader she is today. She also dives into how her military service paved the way to her for her to launch a fulfilling career in the nonprofit sector, leading a project that combines her passion for yoga and service to fellow veterans. If you're curious about her perspective on women in the military, her advice is simple. Do it. Well, thank you for joining us.

Brianna Renner [: 00:02:44

Thank you so much for having me. What a treat.

Dakota [: 00:02:47

Yes. We're excited to have you on. So how we like to lead into our podcast is, can you please tell us about your childhood and what you were like?

Brianna Renner [: 00:02:56

Sure. So I grew up in Southern New Hampshire. I was born in 19 eighties, so I really did grow up through the eighties. As a child, I think if you asked my mom and dad, they would tell you that I was pretty strong willed, probably rather stubborn and incredibly adventurous. I would push the boundaries as far as I could and probably skirt the line a little more than I should have. But one of my mom's favorite stories used to have this big pine tree in our front yard, and I would climb it all the way to the top. And my mom likes to say my brother would stand down and sort of yell up at me. Mom's not gonna like this.

Brianna Renner [: 00:03:37

So that just sort of sums up my childhood pretty well.

Dakota [: 00:03:44

So did you have anyone in your family that was in the military?

Brianna Renner [: 00:03:48

So not my immediate family. No. Both of my so my mom's dad served. He passed when I was pretty young. I was maybe 5 when he passed, but he was in the army. My dad's dad, my grandfather, was in the army air corps. He joined much later, so he retired out of the army air corps, and he did a full time. Bless you.

Brianna Renner [: 00:04:09

And had a couple uncles who served in various branches, but one of them did go to Vietnam. But that's really kind of it. And I only found out much later that I had an uncle who served in the marine corps, but he didn't tell me until I was, like, halfway through my enlistment. So, information that went helpful years ago.

Dakota [: 00:04:28

Interesting. Thanks.

Brianna Renner [: 00:04:30

But, yeah, that was kind of it.

Dakota [: 00:04:31

So what inspired you to join the military?

Brianna Renner [: 00:04:34

Sure. So I did grow up as a ballet dancer. Ballet was my true passion, and I think it still really is. I started dancing when I was maybe 5, and I still dance now. I'm a teacher. But through my later years, it I didn't have, like, the right body type, right, to be a ballet dancer or ballerina. So about the time I was maybe a sophomore, junior in high school, I was hanging out with a girlfriend, and we were just sort of flipping through magazines. And there was an ad, and I think it was 17.

Brianna Renner [: 00:05:07

And I recognize it now.

Kim [: 00:05:09

I love that magazine, 17.

Brianna Renner [: 00:05:13

It's so great. So I recognize now that it was just a marketing sort of pitch from the marine corps to get females to join. But there was an ad that said you can look at models or you can be 1. It was a female marine in dress blues. And I said, well, that's it. Like, that's what I wanna do. That's where I wanna be. Like, there's no question.

Brianna Renner [: 00:05:33

So when I came home, showed my mom, I think I was dancing at Boston Ballet School at the time. I showed my mom this ad, and I said, this is what I'm gonna do. She said, okay. So I knew very little about the marine corps. I didn't know any women who had served. So I was kind of going in blind, but, there was no question in my mind or my heart that that was what I was supposed to do.

Dakota [: 00:05:57

So tell us about your experience in the military.

Brianna Renner [: 00:06:01

Yeah. The hardest part, honestly, was just being away from my family. We're pretty tight knit despite my rebellious ways. We are very tight knit and close. So that was really the hardest part. I was kinda used to being yelled at, so that wasn't a problem. The physical fitness stuff, that was pretty easy since I was a dancer already. And my dad is a hunter, was a hunter, so I grew up around basic weaponry.

Brianna Renner [: 00:06:28

I have nothing quite to the extent that we got to explore. But so I had a general idea. So most of it wasn't too bad. It was just the 3 months of being away from my family and my friends that was really the hardest part. So when I made it into school and into, eventually, the Fleet Marine Force, I was very fortunate to have some really great mentors and to have some really great people and friends. And I got to travel a little bit as a kid from New Hampshire being able to go and live in San Diego and travel to Japan. It was a really cool experience, and I'm very grateful for it. And I learned a skill.

Brianna Renner [: 00:07:11

I was avionics, so I got out. It was really easy to translate from the military into the civilian world. So I was very lucky that I was able to just kind of flip my uniform for my civilian clothes, but the job pretty much stayed the same.

Dakota [: 00:07:26

Describe for our listeners what avionics is?

Brianna Renner [: 00:07:29

Yeah. So avionics is aviation electronics. So what I worked on specifically was the communication and navigation systems on the fixed wing aircraft. So, like, just like f eighteens, c one thirties, a couple of planes that are now retired, which kinda blows my mind a little bit. But carriers, e a six b's. And then when I was in Japan, there were because there was a lot of groups that would come in and out, we also had helicopters that would come in. So we worked on some of those communication navigation systems. Every so often, we'd get gear from the Blue Angels, and that was always it was like the whole world would stop you.

Brianna Renner [: 00:08:12

Like, okay. We need to get this going right now. So that was always kinda neat when some of that stuff came in, but that was what I did.

Kim [: 00:08:19

Did you get to work with the Blue Angels?

Brianna Renner [: 00:08:22

No. We didn't. So when we would get gear into the top so we weren't flight line. We were called eye level, so we were sort of off the flight line a little bit. So when gear would come into the shop, each unit had its own, like, code. So we knew the code for the blue angels. So when it came in, that's how we knew. Otherwise, we wouldn't have known because it all kinda looks the same.

Brianna Renner [: 00:08:45

Right? It's all just electronics, really. But when we saw that code, we knew who it was for, and we all got a little excited and wouldn't work on it.

Dakota [: 00:08:54

Yeah. Can you tell our listeners what the Blue Angels are?

Brianna Renner [: 00:08:58

Yeah. So the Blue Angels are a precision performance group. So they are comprised of really the best of the best pilots in the navy and in the marine corps. The pilots that are part of the Blue Angel flight team, they are sort of on duty for 2 years. And in fact, their first ever female pilot just finished her 2nd year with the Blue Angels. But, yeah, they travel the country, and they do air shows, and they do performances. When I was stationed in Pensacola, actually, I went to school in Pensacola, and that's where the Blue Angels are stationed. And between classes, we'd, like, hang out in the spoke pit, and they'd fly overhead and hook up and leave and that kind of thing.

Brianna Renner [: 00:09:42

But, yeah, they're amazing. And if you ever get the chance to see them, don't pass it up. Go see the Blue Angels. They're incredible.

Kim [: 00:09:50

Well, they just had a documentary on Netflix. Yeah. Did you all see it?

Brianna Renner [: 00:09:55

Yeah. It was epic.

Kim [: 00:09:57

Blew me away. Yes. And now they have their first female, which is super cool.

Brianna Renner [: 00:10:04

Yeah. Incredible.

Kim [: 00:10:06

Well, how about take us back to basic training. Did you have were the males and females segregated during Yeah. They were.

Brianna Renner [: 00:10:16

Yeah. So this was in 98. So I went August of 1998. So at that time, yeah, we had our own, like, battalions, really. So the females were 4th battalion, which has since been sadly dismantled and is no longer in existence. But females were 4th battalion, and the first three battalions were all the males. So there was no interaction at all. We were completely separated in every instance.

Brianna Renner [: 00:10:45

I think there were just a couple of times when even, like, crossed paths. But for the most part, we were completely separated from each other.

Dakota [: 00:10:56

So then what was it like? So basic, you were separated. But then once you got into your job and kinda continued with your military career, I imagine you were integrated. So what was that like?

Brianna Renner [: 00:11:09

Yeah. Sort of looking back. And I don't think I realized it at the time, but, you know, as we get older, we learn more and we're a little wiser to what's happening and what's around us. But at the time, the drone structures were very clear. Right? The women were nasty. The men were nasty. Right? Like, you just look. You don't touch.

Brianna Renner [: 00:11:30

You don't talk. Right? You just stay completely separated. And there was no introduction into that integration. It was just, you guys aren't great, and now you have to work together. So I think it really created a hustle. That's not the right word. But there was very little respect, I think, when we started being more when we went out to the fleet. Right? When we got to our jobs, when we got to our shops, it took a while for that to sort of feather away so that we could work together and be somewhat on the same plane.

Brianna Renner [: 00:12:08

I while I did work with some really great guys, there were also some who made it very clear that I had no business there and that they weren't gonna listen. They weren't gonna respect sort of move past it. But I hope it's not the same way because there is such an integration now and there is such an emphasis on that teamwork that just wasn't there 20 something years ago now, 25 years ago.

Kim [: 00:12:32

Yeah. How did you react to that?

Brianna Renner [: 00:12:35

I got pissed. I didn't love it. We were in the shop, and we worked in tiny little van pads. So or tiny little, like, vans. So, like, bin container, but they were all stuck together. So that's really what we worked in. And the idea was that, you know, if you had to go in a moment's notice, you tie everything down, strap it all together, and then you just sort of pull and play. Right? So our shop, we were really kinda tight, and there were maybe 25, 30 of us in the shop.

Brianna Renner [: 00:13:02

Well, one of the days we had sort of, like, the e 5, e 6, e 7 where they had their meeting. And I was night crew, and I was the senior e 4 on night crew. So we're sort of hanging out, and I told the day crew guys, look. You need to do this, this, and this before I accept the shot from you. And they sort of jaw jerked, and they're like, yeah. Okay. Whatever. I'm like, no.

Brianna Renner [: 00:13:24

I'm not kidding. Like, you need to do x, y, and z. So they didn't. And when one of their the daycare supervisor came out, he looked at me and he says, do you accept the shop? I said, no. I told them they needed to have this done. It's not done. I'm not accepting it. So he turned around, and, of course, they listened.

Brianna Renner [: 00:13:44

Right? They jumped to attention and just did what they needed to do. So I kinda stood in the middle of the shop, and I'm like, well, apparently, these don't account for anything. You need this to account for something. So my crew, we would wrap everything in bubble wrap because it went to the flight line, so that was the safest way. So my crew made me a beautiful little necklace out of bubble wrap that they put on string that I was able to walk. It was massive.

Dakota [: 00:14:15

I love that.

Brianna Renner [: 00:14:16

So my plaque when I got out actually said, damn it. Where's my penis? So that's how I handled that.

Dakota [: 00:14:25

Wow. That must have been so infuriating.

Brianna Renner [: 00:14:29

Massively so. Yeah. It was another instance like that, but that was ultimately the reason why I got out. It's I remember talking to my mom, and she's like, it's not a whole lot better out here. I was like, it can't be this bad. I don't know that it is as bad as it was at the time, but it was a lot. And you can only be so mad for so long before you just it's no longer worth it to be mad.

Dakota [: 00:14:53

Yeah. So how would you compare, like, your military experience and those interactions to, like, once you got out and went into, like, your civilian career? And what were those interactions? Like, was there a difference?

Brianna Renner [: 00:15:09

Yeah. It was really night and day. So my husband did 2 enlistments. So when he got out, we stayed in North Carolina. He was, stationed at Cherry Point. Our daughter was born on base. So when he got out, she was 6 months old, and they just sort of stayed in the area. And we got jobs working at an aerospace company.

Brianna Renner [: 00:15:30

Actually, Kidde Aerospace and Defense, I think they've been purchased a couple of times since then, but they make the lab the smoke detectors that go in the laboratories and airplanes. So the ones they say don't touch the smoke detector in the laboratory Yeah. We would get the ones that people poked and broke and all that. But those and then all the associated circuitry that went in in all the aircraft. So there's a lot of, like, smoke detection and heat detection systems throughout the entire aircraft. So when I got my job, I worked in the service center, so I repaired all those smoke detectors in the circuitry. And it was a total 180. The gentleman that hired me, he was prior air force.

Brianna Renner [: 00:16:11

He was older at the time, but he was just as sweet as peaches. He was a wonderful human being. Half the shop was all prior militaries. We had mostly air force. There were a couple army that worked in a in adjoining shop, and then we had another marine join us later on. So they were all incredibly accepting and embracing of who I was as a female, as a female marine. It couldn't have been any further different of an atmosphere. So even in that respect, in that regard, I was very lucky.

Brianna Renner [: 00:16:44

I loved my job there.

Dakota [: 00:16:46

Yeah. That makes a world of difference.

Brianna Renner [: 00:16:48

Yeah. It really does.

Dakota [: 00:16:49

That's wild, like, the difference. Mhmm. Do you attribute that to maybe, like, the branch they were in or just, like, the nature of the job?

Brianna Renner [: 00:16:59

I think a little bit of both. They were also a little bit older than I was too, So they had that sort of real-world experience that young 20 something marines just don't have. So I think that part made a big difference too. I just think that made a big difference. And, of course, they're airports, so they were just nicer anyways than most of the marines were. So I'm sure that attributed to some of that too.

Kim [: 00:17:27

Isn't that the truth? So now you are the CEO of the Veterans Yoga Project. How did this all come about?

Brianna Renner [: 00:17:41

Complete serendipity. So when we left North Carolina, we left North Carolina in 2013. I'm from New Hampshire, and my parents had moved down to North Carolina to help with our kids. And when I got a little older, we shuffled back. So when we moved up here, my husband and I sort of worked it out that I would be able to be a stay-at-home mom and help with the kids, you know, do their vacations when they're sick, whatever. It turns out I was not great at it. So when we moved up here, I was able to get a job teaching yoga. I had only been teaching yoga for a couple of years at that excuse me, at that point.

Brianna Renner [: 00:18:19

So that was summer of 2013. In September, I went to Kripalu. So my 200 hour my initial yoga teacher training is in the Kripalu tradition. And I had stayed back with the kids for a few months while my husband moved up here and got his job settled. So, really, I was kind of single parenting it for the last maybe 3, 4 months while we were down there, so I needed a little bit of a break when we all made it back. So I went to Kripalu in Massachusetts. I met a marine with a service dog, and that was really the first time that I had ever even equated that any other veteran was also doing yoga. So I met him, and I was like, this is really fantastic.

Brianna Renner [: 00:19:01

Like, there's more of us out there. So when I came home, I started just by, like, pure chance, I subbed a class one day, and a woman came into class. I'd never met her before we started talking. She's like, oh, I'm gonna start a yoga class at the VA. Would you like to be a talking. She's like, oh, I'm gonna start a yoga class at the VA. Would you like to be a part of that? I said, yes. I would.

Brianna Renner [: 00:19:20

And then another student was really interested in, like, this training that was happening, and I was going to go with her, but then my husband was in a car accident. He was fine, but it was like one of those icy sorts of days. And so, anyway, at that point, I knew that working with veterans through, like, the yoga lens was something that I really wanted to do. So did a quick Google search veterans and yoga and veteran yoga project came up. So I drove to Virginia from New Hampshire. I drove down to Arlington April of 2014. I met our founder, doctor Van Libby. He was teaching, what I kind of consider, like, our flagship training.

Brianna Renner [: 00:20:00

It's a training that he developed, the mind for resilience for trauma recovery training. It's a weekend long training. And I met him, and through the course of the weekend, we discussed the psychology and physiology of trauma, how it why it sits at the body, and why these tools of mindful resilience, breathing, meditation, guided rest, mindful movement, and gratitude are all effective complementary approaches to support post traumatic growth. So throughout the weekend, just light bulbs kept going off. Like, adjusted at every turn. So at the end of the session or maybe somewhere in the last day, I just went out to him. I was like, this is amazing. How can I help? Like, what can I do? So I started off, like, doing our newsletters.

Brianna Renner [: 00:20:45

I started off doing our merch. And, yeah, I started off volunteering. I was a volunteer for a couple of years. I managed our program department for maybe 6 years or so. Saw us through COVID. Saw us through some of those changes that we needed to make. And then in 2020 2, Dan resigned. So he knew that his time was sort of done.

Brianna Renner [: 00:21:10

He was ready. So in 22, he stepped away, and I took the helm in January of 23.

Kim [: 00:21:18

Oh my goodness. Congratulations.

Brianna Renner [: 00:21:21

Thank you. I can

Kim [: 00:21:22

hear your passion behind, like, talking about the whole project. So having that invite to you and you accepting it is amazing.

Brianna Renner [: 00:21:33

Thank you. It's I'm massively grateful. This job is not easy. There are definitely moments that come and go, but I'm overall just incredibly grateful. We have a remarkable team of dedicated volunteers. So we are about 99% volunteer. So the folks that are here are here because they want to be. They love the mission.

Brianna Renner [: 00:21:59

They love what they do, and they love what we do collectively, and they're supportive in every way. And I would not be here without all of them and their work and their passion and their dedication. So yeah. Well, it's not easy. I'm also just filled with nothing but gratitude.

Dakota [: 00:22:18

What would so if veteran came up to you and was like, why should I do yoga? What would you say to them?

Brianna Renner [: 00:22:26

I would say why not? The first time I practiced, I didn't love it. The teacher was beautiful. It's my mom's best friend. My mom took me to the class, and it was a restorative class. For most people, restorative is quite lovely. Right? It's very sort of easeful. You sort of rest into these postures. But for someone who never sits still, for someone who, like, relax is the sort of a 5 letter word.

Brianna Renner [: 00:22:51

Right? It's not anything that I do well or easily. So and I'm a recovering perfectionist. I love that term. So, like, I spent the whole time in class, like, sort of looking around, making sure I was going deeper than everyone else. I was holding everything just a little bit longer. Like, I was not ready.

Kim [: 00:23:10

Of course, you were.

Brianna Renner [: 00:23:15

So I was not ready for what yoga had to offer. So it did take me a while and, again, wise as we get older. So it took me a while to really understand and appreciate what yoga is and what it does. I hear more often than not from the veterans who come to my class that they are in less pain. They sleep better. I have this one veteran who falls asleep in my class every week, and I love it. He just he completely falls asleep, and his wife lovingly, like, hooks him on the hand and, you know, he sort of wakes up. But it's those sorts of moments.

Brianna Renner [: 00:23:51

And I think that this sort of preconceived notion of what yoga is. And I think going over that barrier and taking that step is really the hardest part. But once you do take that step and set aside what you think it is or what you think it should be, and you sort of just let yourself be open to the possibilities, I think you'd be surprised at how beneficial it could really be.

Kim [: 00:24:19

And what's really cool is you all have a yoga veterans instructor program.

Brianna Renner [: 00:24:26

Yes.

Kim [: 00:24:27

And it just so happens that one of the cohosts, Dakota, went through that program. So, Brianna, if you can tell us about the program, and then I wanna hear from Dakota what she thought about it. I already know, but I want the listeners to hear.

Brianna Renner [: 00:24:45

So our 200 hour was something that so our 200 hour yoga teacher training is sort of the it's almost like the associates, if you will, of yoga teacher training. It provides a baseline and a foundation for yoga teachers. So our 200 hour yoga teacher training was something that I kinda really wanted to do from very early on, but sometimes you have to wait for things to come into alignment. So we had applied for a grant in 2019, and conveniently, we started our program March of 2020. We had to do a lot of pivoting, a lot of shifting really quickly. But our grantor was incredibly gracious. What was supposed to be a 6 month program ended out to be more like 18 months. But we still we started with 20 and graduated with 16, so we were still able to continue through the program.

Brianna Renner [: 00:25:37

And the way it's structured, more or less, is that we meet virtually every other weekend for a number of hours. We have a virtual studio as well, so all of our classes are free. So we've incorporated that piece into the training as well. So the participants can go to our classes, and they can watch, like, class management skills. They can look for sequencing and languaging and that sort of thing. And then we have an in person component. So the in person component, it's I feel it's incredibly important for a multitude of reasons. But yoga the idea behind yoga is this idea of connection.

Brianna Renner [: 00:26:13

So the coming together piece really supports that camaraderie that we build throughout the program, throughout those 200 hours. And it's really the opportunity for the participants to teach. For many of them, it's their first time ever teaching anything, but they get to teach a full 60 minute class with breathing, meditation, guided rest, gratitude, and mindful movement. And every single person who has gone through the training has taught a beautiful class. I am always just grateful again, but always just so inspired by every single class that is taught, all the participants that go through because they carry the work forward. It's such a gift to be able to be a part of that and to watch it happen.

Kim [: 00:27:04

So Dakota, you being a participant, how was that beneficial to and for you?

Kim [: 00:27:11

For me, I absolutely loved it. Like she said, the online portion, that was really good. We got a lot of instruction, and we did we slowly, like, started teaching online. So we kind of slowly moved into it to kind of prepare us for the in person, which was nice because I got so nervous trying to teach my first one. But I think the most beneficial part was the in person because you finally get to meet everyone that you've been doing this course with, and there was so much growth in every single person. Like, usually, there was never a dry eye in the room because everyone's on their own journey. And just to see how yoga and the Veterans Yoga Project has played a role in that, it's just so beautiful and inspiring. And when people would teach their class, it was fun because you got to see their personality come through their class as well.

Kim [: 00:28:13

And they were just doing amazing things, and I'm very grateful for the program. So I teach at the vet center. And sometimes I just look around the room, and it is so moving because these veterans finally get a place where they feel safe. They're allowed to let down their guard. They do fall asleep, and it's beautiful. Like, they're snoring, and it just makes you wanna cry because they don't get that. And it's sad, but to be able to provide that for them is just I'm so grateful to be able to be a part of that program and be able to teach it. So, yeah, beautiful experience.

Kim [: 00:28:50

And, Brianna, you should see Dakota at our retreats because we just had a multi day rafting retreat, and we were in the sand right next to the river, and she led the most gorgeous class. And everyone was so grateful that she was there. So both of you together combined just

Brianna Renner [: 00:29:12

Awesome.

Kim [: 00:29:13

Provide magic. So thank you.

Brianna Renner [: 00:29:15

Thank you. Great work, Dakota.

Dakota [: 00:29:18

Thank you. You're welcome. Tell us how if someone was interested, how they could go about getting into the program and becoming certified.

Brianna Renner [: 00:29:28

Sure. So we are getting ready to launch our 2025 applications and our 2025 program. So the hope is that we'll launch our applications in November, and we will begin the program the end I think it's the end of February, and we'll be graduating mid May. So if anyone is interested in parts participating in our 200 hour, stay tuned. Our applications will open up. They'll be read on the website. It'll be just after Veterans Day. The application process, there's a a questionnaire to fill out.

Brianna Renner [: 00:30:04

It incorporates a video. So we do the idea of the program is also to write pay it forward and to give it back. So we are interested in knowing how you're going to do that or what you're thinking you might do post to graduation and a letter of recommendation. So once we have all that information, read through the applicants, and we make a really hard decision of the I think we'll be bringing in 15 for this next cohort. So we'll select the 15, and then we move forward from there.

Dakota [: 00:30:34

Can you also talk about the app that's available?

Brianna Renner [: 00:30:38

Yeah. So when we shifted so we were very fortunate in that. We were already a virtual studio coming into or a virtual organization coming into 2020. So we were pretty poised in maintaining what we did. So when we realized that we could no longer do in person classes, we flipped to virtual classes. And over the course of a year and a half or so, it turned into an app, and it turned into a virtual studio. So our app is Veterans Yoga Project. It is free to download, and the app just shows you all of the classes that we have on a daily basis.

Brianna Renner [: 00:31:17

So we do offer, depending on the day, anywhere between 3 to 6 classes per day. They're all free. They all range from shorter breathing or meditation practices, maybe shorter movement practices to longer practices. Chair yoga, we have gentle yoga. We have some power yoga in there. Guided rest or our yoga nidra is sort of a it's a guided rest, so we offer that in the evening. And those tend to be some of our more popular classes. Some participants practice in bed, and they they'll even be like, hey.

Brianna Renner [: 00:31:53

Here we are. And they just practice right from there, and all they have to do is turn off the computer when they're done and they go to sleep. So, yeah, that's our app. So the app and then you can go to the website too. All of the classes are there on the website, and you can register and participate right from a laptop. I talked to someone the other day who doesn't have a smartphone. So, just making sure that that is known also. You don't have to have a smartphone or a tablet to participate.

Dakota [: 00:32:21

And so Veterans' Gratitude Week is coming up. Mhmm. Can you tell us more about that?

Brianna Renner [: 00:32:26

Yeah. So we are a nonprofit. We are a 501c3, and we operate on the generosity of others truly. And we so we do grants. We receive funding from the foundations, and we work on donations. So Veterans Gratitude Week began in 2014 where we did sort of a call to action. Yoga teachers around the country, would you mind holding a donation-based yoga class for us? In that very first year, we had 96 or 95 classes around the country. We raised just over $20,000.

Brianna Renner [: 00:33:05

And each year, it's continued to grow and continue to adjust. We've had to make adjustments since 2020. But, yeah, so this year, our veteran's gratitude week is November 8th through 17th. I think that's right. The 8th through 17th. So we've partnered with we started making partnerships with nationally based yoga organizations, so Core Power, Yoga 6, Lifetime Fitness. Yoga Vibe is another one. Hugger mugger, they provide the gear for our participants who go through the 200-hour training.

Brianna Renner [: 00:33:39

They're partnering with us. I may be missing 1 or 2, but so, yeah, it's an open call for any yoga teachers or fitness teachers. It doesn't necessarily have to be a yoga class to hold a donation-based practice, and the funds all go towards ensuring that our mission remains accessible and that our classes remain free. It ensures that we're able to have scholarships and that the 200 hour is accessibly priced and that scholarships are available to the veterans to participate. And they keep doors open. True.

Dakota [: 00:34:13

If someone was interested in taking one of those classes, is there a place where they could find someone that is doing participating in that?

Brianna Renner [: 00:34:22

Yes. So veteran yoga project.org/vgw24. And even if you just go to our home page, you'll see it there too. But the vgw24 takes you right to our veterans' gratitude week page. In that, when a teacher registers their class, it shows up on this handy dandy little map. So you can click on a pin in your area, and you can see a class that's that may be happening nearby. The I believe it's the whole week of Veterans Gratitude Week. All of our in-person or all of our virtual classes will also be listed on that map too.

Brianna Renner [: 00:35:00

While we don't typically solicit donations through those practices through our virtual studio, we will be opening that week for anyone who's interested in donating. So even if there isn't in a class or there isn't a class locally, you're welcome to join us online too.

Kim [: 00:35:16

That's amazing. And so, Dakota, are you holding a donation-based class?

Dakota [: 00:35:22

I'm gonna work with Alex to do one. So because I can't solicit at the VA, which is where I teach, so I have to figure out something else. But yes. Awesome. Thank you.

Kim [: 00:35:34

Well, speaking of yoga, I do have to ask because I have this visual from you telling me you were a ballerina. Do you flow through your yoga like a ballerina?

Brianna Renner [: 00:35:46

Probably. Yes. In fact, the only reason I started teaching was the exact wrong reason. I used to go so after our second daughter was born, I practice yoga a little bit while I was pregnant with our first daughter. That's really what started it all. And then when our second daughter was born, I had what I sort of recognized now is, like, some postpartum depression. I was probably drinking a little too much. I was a little too angry most of the time.

Brianna Renner [: 00:36:11

So I started going to yoga because movement is just such an important piece of, like, my fiber. So one of the teachers pulled me aside after class, and she's like, you're really flexible. Do you wanna teach yoga? So I was like, sure. I'll teach. I had no business teaching those first few classes, but I had very patient students. But, yeah, it's I can be staccato, but flowy is definitely more my go to.

Dakota [: 00:36:41

Yeah. What a beautiful journey, like, you we did it postpartum. And then now you're the CEO of Veterans Yoga Project. Who would have thought? Wow. What an amazing journey.

Brianna Renner [: 00:36:54

Thank you.

Kim [: 00:36:55

You are an amazing woman, and we thank you so much for being on from being a marine, a woman in the marines, to being a single mom for a little while, but still single motherhood is not easy. And then having the postpartum and not really sure what all those feelings were and turning that into something beautiful like Dakota said. Yeah. We are so happy that you went through all that, and then you were able to come out on the other side and be CEO of this beautiful yoga project. So thank you.

Brianna Renner [: 00:37:32

Of course. Thank you. You're both incredible and amazing, and I'm so grateful to be here and to share space with you both. What an honor.

Kim [: 00:37:39

Thank you.

Brianna Renner [: 00:37:40

Thank you.

Kim [: 00:37:44

Thank you for tuning into Dog Tag Diaries. We appreciate your willingness to listen and engage with these stories as we understand the challenge that comes with sharing and hearing them. Your support in witnessing the experience of our military women is invaluable. These stories are meant to inspire and provide meaning, and we hope they can help you find your own voice as well.

Captain Dakota [: 00:38:07

If you or anyone you know are in need of immediate help, call the crisis line by dialing 988, then press 1. There are resources available to help and provide guidance during difficult times. Please visit our website, www.reveilleandretreatproject.org, to learn more about the Reveille and Retreat project, including upcoming retreats for military women and resources. The link is in the show notes. We'll be here again next Wednesday.