Live the Life Podcast with Toni Mattson
How can I feel closer to God? How can I feel inspired, encouraged, and fulfilled? How do I create more space in my day to live a life that really matters? A life with purpose and meaning? How do I create my peace and protect it? How can I grow personally and spiritually?
If these questions roam in your beautiful brain, then you’ve come to the right place.
Live the Life is a practical, roll-up-your sleeves, workshop-style podcast for women who yearn to live a more meaningful life. Each weekly episode is packed with how-to, step-by-step strategies to create the life you’re dying to live.
Empowering women to rediscover their passion, redefine what matters, and recapture time to live a life of purpose is MY passion.
I’m a Midwest gal, a speaker, writer, encourager, a peace-claimer, change-maker, and lover of all things God, family, horses and hope. I’m a founder of Trinity Equestrian Center - Wisconsin’s Leader in Equine Assisted Therapy, specializing in veterans with PTSD.
For two decades, I’ve traveled the US and Canada appearing as a panelist, guest, and key-note speaker on radio, TV and Podcast programs. I’ve spoken at colleges, seminaries, churches, at international conferences, and business development workshops. I’ve testified four times before the WI State Senate and Committee on Veteran Affairs on behalf of veterans with PTSD.
I encourage women to fearlessly ask the provocative question – "What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life on?" And then I go about helping them answer and achieve it. No matter your season in life, what you do, or what you hope to do – I want this podcast to be for you!
We’ll cover topics like: faith, growth, peace, life, death, clarity, simplicity, health, purpose, Veterans, and oh my gosh — so much more! We’ll dive deep into things that bring value to our lives, help us focus and flourish, and set us up to live the life God created us for. And every last episode of the month is Q&A Day, where I invite you to send in their burning questions. I’m so excited you’re on this ride with me! So Mount Up ~ Put your heels into ‘er… this is the “Live the Life” Podcast!
Live the Life Podcast with Toni Mattson
Brave Beyond Service: Part 1 | Who Am I Without the Uniform?
You’re not lost—you’re becoming.
She served. She sacrificed. She took the uniform off.
And now she’s left wondering—Who am I without it?
This first episode of Brave Beyond Service kicks off the conversation so many female veterans are already having—quietly, internally, and often in isolation. It’s about the identity crisis that sneaks in after the mission ends. The part where life gets less structured, less clear, and a whole lot more silent.
If you’ve ever stood in your own kitchen and felt like a stranger in your own life…
If you’ve ever stared at the woman in the mirror and thought, “Where did I go?”
If you’ve wrestled with the fear that the strongest parts of you were left behind with your gear…
You are not alone.
And you are not broken.
This episode is the start of something honest, real, & deeply needed—a journey to help you reconnect with the woman behind the uniform, & the identity that’s still alive underneath it all.
In this episode, we explore:
- The silent unraveling that happens when structure and status fall away
- Why feeling lost after service isn’t failure—it’s the fallout of giving everything you had
- Real stories from the field—of women rebuilding from the inside out
- What horses have taught me about presence, identity, and healing
- Three small, powerful steps to reconnect with who you are (yes, starting today)
You can find resources, tools, and ways to connect with me at tonimattson.com.
While you’re there, check out my book Unlikely Recruits—20 real stories about how God enlists horses to help veterans heal.
And if this episode stirred something in you, I’d love to hear about it.
Email me anytime at toni@tonimattson.com or come say hi at Trinity Equestrian Center.
Resources:
- Toni Mattson Online – Tools, podcast, and more
www.tonimattson.com - Trinity Equestrian Center – Equine-assisted sessions for veterans and families
www.trinity-ec.com | (715) 835-4530 - Toni’s Book: Unlikely Recruits – 20 real stories of healing with horses and faith
Available on Amazon - VA Women Veterans Call Center – Real people answering real questions
1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-6636) | www.womenshealth.va.gov - Veterans Crisis Line – Confidential support, 24/7
Dial 988 and Press 1 | Text 838255 | www.veteranscrisisline.net - Code of Support Foundation – Case coordination, navigation, and peer support
www.codeofsupport.org - Blue Star Families – Resources and community for military families
www.bluestarfam.org - Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) – Advocacy and support for service women and female veterans
www.servicewomen.org - Women Veterans Network (WoVeN) – Peer support groups and community connection
www.wovenwomenvets.org - Foundation for Women Warriors – Housing, childcare, education & workforce development for women veterans
www.foundationforwomenwarriors.org - SHEROES United – Empowerment and trauma recovery resources for women veterans
www.sheroesunited.org - Army Women’s Foundation – Scholarships, leadership development, and support for all Army women, past and present
www.awfdn.org