We're Out of Time

Redefining the Veteran Narrative: Kevin Schmiegel's Mission Beyond the Uniform

November 11, 2025

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  • Veterans thrive when they maintain the five pillars experienced in the military: meaningful employment, purpose, connected community (tribe), health/well-being, and continuous self-improvement (filling the kit bag). 
  • The pervasive 'broken veteran narrative,' often perpetuated by nonprofits seeking funding, is inaccurate, as the vast majority of veterans (90% or more) are thriving, and this narrative negatively impacts potential recruits and self-perception. 
  • Successful veteran transition requires employers and the community to move beyond simply offering a job to actively investing in the veteran's holistic well-being, including connecting them with community resources for purpose and tribe, especially immediately following treatment for substance abuse or mental health challenges. 

Segments

Podcast Success and Sponsor Thanks
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(00:00:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The ‘We’re Out of Time’ podcast achieved top rankings on Apple Podcasts due to listener support.
  • Summary: The podcast ‘We’re Out of Time’ reached number one on Apple’s Mental Health Podcast Chart, number two on the health and fitness chart, and number 26 overall. A resource number (888-831-1581) for substance use disorder placement is provided.
Kevin Schmiegel’s Military Background
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(00:00:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Kevin Schmiegel is a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel who served 20 years, deploying to over 50 countries.
  • Summary: Kevin Schmiegel served in the Marine Corps from 1989 through 2009, retiring after deployments across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. His commitment to service was instilled by both parents, one of whom was also a Marine. He spent a thousand nights away from his children during his service.
Transition to Civilian Life and Burnout
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(00:03:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Leaving the military for a high-level corporate role at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce led to burnout and depression.
  • Summary: After retiring in 2009, Kevin served as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for two years, meeting with Fortune 500 CEOs. This high-level corporate experience eventually led to personal struggle, prompting him to seek a return to service.
Founding ZeroMils and Addressing the Skills Gap
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(00:04:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Schmiegel co-founded ZeroMils after recognizing the disconnect between veterans needing direction and CEOs wanting to hire veteran talent.
  • Summary: In 2011, veteran unemployment was 10% nationally (30% for those under 24), contrasting with employers needing talent. ZeroMils was founded to counter the ‘broken veteran narrative’ perpetuated by some nonprofits, asserting that veterans are thriving assets.
The Five Pillars of Veteran Thriving
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(00:08:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Thriving post-service requires actively seeking the five elements veterans possess in the military: employment, purpose, community, health, and self-improvement.
  • Summary: The five pillars for thriving are meaningful employment, sense of purpose through service, connected community/tribe, health and well-being (including physical exercise), and continuous self-improvement via education and training. ZeroMils focuses on ensuring veterans seek these elements outside the uniform.
Hiring Our Heroes Success and Personal Struggle
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(00:10:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Leading Hiring Our Heroes helped a million veterans find employment, but stepping away due to burnout caused a severe six-month depression spiral.
  • Summary: Hiring Our Heroes, which Kevin led for three years, raised $40 million and helped a million veterans and spouses find jobs. Leaving this role to prioritize health resulted in losing purpose and tribe, leading to deep depression until he returned to service work.
Biggest Barrier: Self-Belief and Employer Perception
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(00:12:52)
  • Key Takeaway: The primary barrier for veterans is low self-belief, fueled by a pervasive narrative that implies employers are doing veterans a favor by hiring them.
  • Summary: Veterans are the most equipped employees for the current 10.5 million job skills gap, yet the narrative suggests they are broken. Employers claiming to be ‘military-friendly’ must actively support the five pillars, not just offer a job, to help veterans thrive.
Impact of Unemployment on Mental Health
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(00:19:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Unemployment causes veterans to lose identity and dignity, which are crucial components of mental well-being, even if they secure a high-paying job without purpose.
  • Summary: Meaningful employment provides dignity and is a significant part of a veteran’s identity, which is purpose-driven in the military. Even with a better-paying job, a lack of purpose, tribe, and health focus can lead to a severe mental spiral.
Addressing Substance Abuse and Crisis Treatment
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(00:21:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Veterans abusing substances or struggling with mental health require immediate, comprehensive treatment, as support groups or weekly therapy alone are insufficient for crisis situations.
  • Summary: Schmiegel self-medicated with alcohol during his depression and stresses that those in crisis need immediate treatment to stop self-harming behaviors. The VA system is often overbooked, necessitating external, high-quality treatment protocols.
Focusing on Recovery vs. Prevention
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(00:25:02)
  • Key Takeaway: The veteran support ecosystem focuses too heavily on identifying the crisis point rather than studying what successfully pulled veterans out of despair.
  • Summary: While prevention is important, the answer to recovery lies in studying veterans who have successfully navigated crisis using the five pillars. Nonprofits working with veterans in recovery need to be studied to understand the effective pathways out of despair.
ZeroMils’ Mission: Thriving Communities
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(00:31:26)
  • Key Takeaway: ZeroMils aims to create the first ‘military thriving region’ by connecting disparate government agencies, nonprofits, and employers to foster collaboration over competition.
  • Summary: The next focus is creating military thriving cultures by connecting all local stakeholders to empower veterans and families as catalysts for local growth. Collaboration is essential, as competition among the thousands of veteran-connected nonprofits often hinders greater impact.
Integrating Treatment and Employment
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(00:34:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Treatment centers must coordinate immediately with employment programs to ensure veterans have a job waiting upon discharge to prevent ‘dead time’ in bad neighborhoods.
  • Summary: There must be a concert of effort between treatment providers and job placement programs to ensure immediate employment upon leaving care, addressing the dignity and self-support aspect of mental health recovery. This integration must also connect them to nonprofits providing community and purpose beyond the job.