Teaching BRAVERY to the Nation’s Bravest (And What They Taught Me)
I recently had the honor of leading a session at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, with Squadron HSM-60, as part of the U.S. Navy’s Warrior Toughness Initiative. Yes, the Navy invited me to talk about joy. Cue the moment I looked around at a room full of uniforms and thought: “Okay, Allegra…bring your Mary Poppins meets Mel Robbins magic and make this count.”
What unfolded blew me away.
We laughed. We breathed. We practiced presence.
We shook it out with a mini dance party.
We talked about being human beneath the armor.
And they went there with me, every step of the way.
They practiced being present.
They tapped into their imaginations.
They remembered what it feels like to play, to soften, to smile.
And through it all, they reminded me: being brave doesn’t mean staying hard. It means staying open.
What I really learned was this:
Even the toughest need tools to transition.
From the mission back to the moment.
From pressure to peace.
From high-alert to home.
And so do you.
We all do.
So this month’s Brave Life question is one we all need to sit with:
What’s one small RICHual you can start practicing between work and home that gives you the freedom to soften your energy, release the day, and fully return to yourself - before you return to others?
Here are a few ideas to get your wheels turning:
🔄 TRANSITION RICHual IDEAS
3 Gratitude Breaths: Pause. Breathe in something you’re grateful for. Exhale what you’re done carrying. Repeat.
Power Surge Press: Do 10 quick nose-breath shoulder presses with arm movement (yes, like we did with the Navy). It clears stress and re-energizes.
Walk the Block: Before walking into your home, take a lap around the block to shake off the day.
Drop the Armor: Light a candle, take a shower, or even just change clothes—something to symbolically shift states.
Joy Filter: Name one Micro-JOY™ you noticed today. It rewires your brain for optimism in seconds.
Text of Kindness: Send someone a message just to say, “Hey, I’m thinking of you.” That energy will reflect right back to you.
This isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about being intentional.
Because how you transition is how you show up.
And every time you give yourself a moment of RICHual, you’re not just helping yourself. You’re helping the next person you see. Whether that’s your kid, your partner, your team, or the cashier at CVS. You’re being responsible for the energy you bring into the room.
And that, my friend, is next-level bravery.
Here’s what I know - real freedom is an inside job.
It’s the freedom to pause, breathe, and choose how you show up—no matter what’s happened out there in the world.
So as we celebrate our country’s freedom this July, let’s also celebrate the freedom we create inside ourselves.
The freedom to drop the armor.
To come home whole.
To bring more joy to the people we love and the world we serve.
Happy July 4th!
With so much love,
Allegra