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A Garden as Nature Intended: Washington Orchard Thrives Despite No Watering, No Tilling

Arborist and master gardener Paul Gautschi at his orchard on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. (Jennifer Schneider for American Essence)

Paul Gautschi would be the first to tell you that the food from his garden is the best in the world.

To prove it, he’d point to his apple trees. Unlike upright trees grown in commercial orchards, the branches of Mr. Gautschi’s trees bend so low they seem to scrape the earth in a submissive bow.

“When you buy an apple in the store, they’re featherweight. When I hand you an apple from one of my trees, your hand drops. They’re so heavy with water and minerals,” said Mr. Gautschi. “The weight of the fruit bent those trees like that. I had nothing to do with it.”

While Mr. Gautschi’s natural humility compels him to downplay his involvement in the quality of his garden, the fact is that the remarkable soil beneath his feet is the result of decades of dedication, observation, and faith.

And it all began with a lousy well.

Sacred Cover

Mr. Gautschi has always been a gardener. Growing up in Los Angeles during the 1950s, he and his brothers wore out shovels breaking up the heavy desert clay in their yard. This grunt work yielded plenty of vegetables and fruit for the family—and created a mindset in Mr. Gautschi that proper gardening meant lots of backbreaking labor.

In the late 1970s, Mr. Gautschi moved his young family to Sequim, a small city on the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington state, with the goal of growing a garden large enough to feed the whole family. An arborist by trade, Mr. Gautschi found work pruning the region’s tree-filled neighborhoods and woodlots.

Mr. Gautschi’s apple orchard. (Jennifer Schneider for American Essence)

While building his home during the rainless summer of 1979, Mr. Gautschi discovered that his new, 213-foot deep well posed a problem. It produced only half a gallon of water per minute. That wasn’t enough water to irrigate a garden, let alone water his newly planted fruit trees. So, he turned to God.

He asked: “God, how am I going to grow anything without water?”

According to Mr. Gautschi, God instructed him to look around his property. He noticed that while his lawn was parched and yellow, the surrounding cedar trees were bright green.

“I went out to look at how everything in the forest was growing with no water. I realized it was all about covering,” said Mr. Gautschi.

The ground cover he saw on the forest floor was composed of the leaves and needles that had fallen from the trees during the fall. As the material settled into layers as the seasons passed, the lower tiers broke down into nutrient-dense compost. When it rained, water was retained in the compost and became inoculated with nutrients to feed the trees. Just as humans have skin, fish scales, and animals fur, so too does the earth have a protective and nourishing covering.

“By having cover on the ground, you have a constant source of [plant] food,” said Mr. Gautschi. “It turns out that poor well was one of the greatest gifts I ever got, because it opened me up to how nature works.”

With his trees landscaped low to the ground and the ground cover being so soft, Mr. Gautschi can collect the ripened apples after they fall from the tree naturally. (Jennifer Schneider for American Essence)

Changing Habits

Inspired by this divine guidance, Mr. Gautschi mimicked the forest covering by shoveling a thick coating of wood chips around his fruit trees. He didn’t yet think to apply the same principle to his garden.

As he had done in Los Angeles, Mr. Gautschi spent the next 17 years breaking his back to maintain his garden. Thick beds of weeds appeared days after tilling in organic fertilizer, and the compacted dirt quickly turned to mud in the rainy season. He wondered how he was going to keep up.

The orchard, meanwhile, was thriving. This frustrated Mr. Gautschi, since he only pruned the branches and laid down a new bed of wood chips every year. One day, he knelt down and moved the wood chips around with his hand. He was soon up to his elbow in beautifully moist, weed-free soil.

Enraged, Mr. Gautschi again cried out to God. Why had he been killing himself for years just to get a mediocre garden, while the orchard was thriving on no input?

He heard a voice say: “It works in your garden the same way. You just didn’t ask.”

Mr. Gautschi threw away his rototiller and immediately covered his garden with wood chips. In very little time, he began to see that the covering had the same effect on his garden as it had in his orchard. The once hard and compacted soil was now soft and buoyant.

“When I came here, my soil was really deficient, and the wood chips broke down really quickly. I had to keep adding them. Now, after so many years of being here, I’m not adding wood chips anymore because the soil is just beautiful and it’s not breaking down that fast,” he said. “It’s just amazing how nature works. When it’s satisfied, it’s not hungry. It’s really awesome.”

Mr. Gautschi is proud of his orchard, which continues to thrive although he hasn’t watered it for 44 years. (Jennifer Schneider for American Essence)

Thanks to the increased oxygen, nitrogen, and water retention, Mr. Gautschi’s soil had a perfect pH balance of 7, meaning it was neither too acidic nor too alkaline. Plants that traditionally can’t grow together—like lavender, which loves alkaline, and blueberries, which love acid—thrive side by side in Mr. Gautschi’s garden.

“It doesn’t matter what the pH requirement is,” he said. “Root development improves, too, because there is no resistance in the soil. I have dwarf trees with roots that come out in a 35-foot radius from the trunk, which is unheard of.”

Finding Eden

Though his garden’s growth was unprecedented, Mr. Gautschi made no efforts to advertise his success. The plot was, and remains, his personal garden. However, things began to change after his orchard appeared in a short article in a 1990 edition of Sunset Magazine.

From that piece, word of mouth began to spread about this man in Washington State growing enormous, abundantly productive fruit trees, all with no watering, fertilizer, or weeding. Soon, Mr. Gautschi found his property teeming with visitors, all eager to learn what he was doing.

“I was surprised, because it was nothing that I was hoping to do or planning to do. It just happened,” he said.

One of those visitors was a man named Michael Barrett, who had met Mr. Gautschi at a Bible study. Having grown up in a family of farmers, Mr. Barrett was curious to see Mr. Gautschi’s garden for himself. When he returned home and told his family of the amazing abundance he had seen, they encouraged him to preserve it on film. So, Mr. Barrett hired two young college graduates, Dana Richardson and Sarah Zentz, to make the picture. After 11 months of filming and editing, “Back to Eden,” was released for free online. It had an impact Mr. Gautschi never imagined.

To date, the film has been seen by more than 50 million people across 155 countries. Many of those viewers have traveled to Sequim as a kind of pilgrimage. To meet the increased interest, Mr. Gautschi began giving formal guided tours of his garden and orchard on Sunday afternoons.

“It’s incredible to me how far this has reached,” said Mr. Gautschi. He’s received phone calls and written testimonials from viewers in Europe and Asia, many of whom changed their diets and improved their health just by implementing his methods in their own gardens. For Mr. Gautschi, this success is nothing short of God’s favor.

Mr. Gautschi also raises farm animals on his property. (Jennifer Schneider for American Essence)

One early adopter of Mr. Gautschi’s method was Josh Thomas, co-founder of the popular blog and YouTube channel Homesteading Family.

“We came across the Back to Eden film not long after it came out. We became familiar with that quickly and employed the methods within a year of watching it. It was the best garden we ever had,” said Mr. Thomas.

His application isn’t exactly the same, due to the different climate and resources he has available near his homestead in northern Idaho. Mr. Thomas uses wood chips, but also adds animal manure for more nutrients and to recycle the waste from his livestock herds.

Though the lack of input is counterintuitive to everything gardeners are taught, Mr. Thomas’s success speaks to the efficacy of Mr. Gautschi’s methods.

“It really is as simple as he says,” Mr. Thomas said.

In 2021, Mr. Gautschi agreed to be filmed for a Back to Eden gardening class for The School of Traditional Skills, an online learning academy Mr. Thomas co-founded. When he arrived in Sequim, Mr. Gautschi greeted him as an old friend.

“Paul is Paul. You’re not getting one face for the camera and one for the side. We appreciate his heart for working with nature through a Biblical perspective,” said Mr. Thomas.

Easy Yoke, Light Burden

The simplicity of Mr. Gautschi’s garden has served him in ways he couldn’t have foreseen when he set down that first pile of wood chips. For several decades now, he has been losing his ability to walk.

Mr. Gautschi served in the Vietnam War as a soldier from 1968 to 1970. During his service, he was exposed to Agent Orange, a tactical herbicide the Army used to kill vegetation. Though he didn’t know it when he returned home, the chemicals were eating away at the nerves in Mr. Gautschi’s legs.

He can’t remember the exact date he realized. But he recalls he was out in his garden when a neighbor kid fell off his motorbike in front of his house.

“As I’m running across my field to go check on him, my legs start buckling. I’m thinking, ‘What’s this? This has never happened before.’ I realized that something was amiss. It’s just continued ever since,” Mr. Gautschi said.

No-till and no-toil, Mr. Gautschi’s regenerative gardening method has allowed his orchard to become easier to manage as he gets older. (Jennifer Schneider for American Essence)

Today, Mr. Gautschi requires a wheelchair to access his garden and is no longer able to give his long Sunday garden tours—though visitors are still welcome. He can still walk, but his movements are slow, and he requires a staff or cane for support.

From appearances, though, you’d never guess there was anything out of the ordinary with Paul Gautschi.

“You do not see frustration. You don’t see pain. He’s not even wincing when I think there is genuine pain there,” said Mr. Thomas. “I think that’s just a reflection of his attitude and his heart. He can still get out there and run a row with his rake and get some seeds in.”

Those seeds become the “living food” Mr. Gautschi credits with playing a vital role in his good health.

“I haven’t been sick for 35 years. No cold, no flu, nothing,” he said.

He pointed out that vegetables start to lose nutrients as soon as they’re picked. “To go out, pick, and eat, as everything in nature does, is the ideal way to consume food.”

However, what truly amazes Mr. Gautschi is the stories of healing he hears from others. He was recently contacted by a man who had contemplated suicide. After watching the “Back to Eden” film, the man changed his mind. He implemented Mr. Gautschi’s gardening gospel and saved his family’s health.

“It’s amazing,” Mr. Gautschi said. “Gospel is just good news. And this is all good news.”

For more information about Paul Gautschi, and to watch “Back to Eden,” visit BacktoEdenFilm.com

From Sept. Issue, Volume IV

Categories
Features American Artists Arts & Letters

How Two Brothers Found Their American Dream Through Shen Yun

Brothers Lucas (L) and Jesse Browde at home in Upstate New York. (Samira Bouaou for American Essence)

The count was full, the bases loaded. Jesse Browde stepped out of the batter’s box, took a deep breath, and fixed his eyes on center field, like a hunter finding his mark. While his teammates were making a ruckus in the dugout, an eerie quiet fell over the parents on the bleachers. They were nervous—but curious.

Who was this kid?

Jesse had just moved to town the previous week, and since he was an unknown player in his first game with his new team, the Little League coach had slated him last in the lineup. No one knew what to expect.

He stepped into the batter’s box, tapped home plate, and settled his weight on his back foot. The opposing team’s pitcher was a big, strong kid. The late afternoon sun bore down on the side of his face, forcing him to squint in a way that made him look even more menacing. The next pitch came in fast, and a little high. Jesse stepped in, and with a quick pivot of his hips, he swung the bat. 

Crack!

The moment the ball hit his bat, he knew it: It was a laser to dead center field and cleared the fence by more than 20 feet. His teammates went bonkers, and the hush that had settled over the parents erupted into cheers.

Jesse rounded third base heading for home plate, where the entire team had gathered for the age-old ritual of helmet tapping and bear-hugging reserved only for home runs and walk-offs.

After that day, it didn’t take long for Jesse to settle into his new team. 

Jesse and Lucas grew up with a deep love for baseball, they played for a local Little League team and a travel baseball team. (Courtesy of Levi Browde)

These were happy times for Jesse and his younger brother, Lucas, who also played baseball. Their new school was great. Their baseball coaches were knowledgeable and dedicated. And despite the frequent protests of their Taiwanese mother, who fervently believed in home-cooked meals, their dad would often take them to Shake Shack or Five Guys after games.

Many burgers and fries were eaten.

At the time, Jesse and his brother felt that they were living the American dream. Later, they would come to realize that was only half true.

“As I grew older and learned more about our country’s founding, I came to realize that the American dream is not only about making a great life for oneself and one’s family,” Jesse said. “It’s about helping to build and create things that can be a force for good in the world and shared with others. It’s about giving back.”

For Jesse and Lucas, it wasn’t until years later when they joined the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company—Shen Yun Performing Arts—that they found their calling.

An Unexpected Path

At the Browde home, conversations at the dinner table often delved into American history—a subject the entire family is passionate about. (Samira Bouaou for American Essence)

Their parents, Levi and Vivian Browde, describe their sons’ upbringing as quintessentially American—Little League baseball; Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Fourth of July with family; and discussions about American history around the dinner table. The family pored over biographies of America’s founders, spurred on by the family patriarch—Levi’s father is a professor who specializes in constitutional law.

Dance was never part of the conversation.

That all changed on a trip to New York City, when Jesse and his family saw a performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Its programs feature classical Chinese dance, a dynamic and expressive art form that’s thousands of years old. What captivated Jesse most, however, was the message of the performance. Drawing upon a wellspring of legends and stories from traditional Chinese culture, Shen Yun performances showcase timeless themes such as loyalty, compassion, resilience, and faith.

“While they take the form of Chinese stories,” Levi said, “these themes are quite universal and not so different from the stories we discuss around the dinner table. The resilience of Washington and his men at Valley Forge, the loyalty of Lafayette, the faith of the pilgrims—these are values that resonate universally.”

For Jesse, the impact was immediate and profound.

“It wasn’t just the choreography or the message that was being conveyed that struck me. It was the passion of the two lead dancers I saw on stage that day,” Jesse said. “I remember very clearly, it was like, ‘That’s what I can do.’” 

The future is bright for these two young dancers. (Samira Bouaou for American Essence)

To the surprise of his parents, Jesse sought out an audition at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts, the preparatory school for Shen Yun’s dancers. He had trained in tumbling and some fundamentals in classical Chinese dance for a few years, but the audition was still a long shot.

“I was conflicted,” Levi said. “I appreciated the kid having a dream, but at the same time, it felt like a quarterback from some backwater Division III school trying out for the New England Patriots. … He had a long way to go.”

Jesse’s mother, Vivian, was more specifically skeptical. She believed her son was too bulky from years of baseball and didn’t seem to have the lithe, flexible physique required for classical Chinese dance, and didn’t mince words in telling him so. “I just said I thought he was too old to start professional dance training—and too chubby,” Vivian said, with a laugh.

His parents weren’t the only skeptics. One of Jesse’s dance instructors initially gave him similar feedback, saying he was likely too old and inflexible to ever become an elite dancer.

But Jesse was determined.

“He had that look in his eye,” Levi recalled, “the same one he used to have in the batter’s box when facing a dominant pitcher. Sometimes he wouldn’t even see the pitcher and just focused on the center field fence—where he wanted to go.”

Left: Jesse in the dance “The Immortal Poet” at the 10th NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition.
Right: Lucas took on the role of the famous Chinese general in “Loyalty of Yue Fei” at the same competition. (Larry Dye)

For the next several months, Jesse painstakingly trained his flexibility, constantly pushing his own limits. Sometimes, he recruited his parents to help him stretch or work on strength conditioning. 

“Up until that point, I had never really set my heart on anything in my life before. I never had that drive or passion to push my limits for anything before,” Jesse said.

A little more than a year later, Lucas had his own epiphany while watching Shen Yun. For him, however, it wasn’t due to any one particular dance or story, but rather to the effect the artists created. 

“There’s an energy to it, and you feel it when watching the show,” Lucas said. “It doesn’t just entertain people or even just teach about culture; it inspires morality in people and connects them with the divine. If people walk out of the theater with a new sense of virtuousness and faith, I feel this is the greatest gift you can give to people, and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Practice, Practice, Practice

For the next several years, Jesse and Lucas were not only brothers; they were classmates, training partners, and confidants.

“Classical Chinese dance is not easy,” Lucas said. “With the rigorous training, you really have to develop camaraderie with your classmates to help each other through, and you also learn the importance of staying positive.”

 “On a typical day, we do three hours [of training] in the morning, a full load of academics, and I’m usually with friends in the training room for another three hours at night,” Jesse said. “And that’s only if there are no extra rehearsals. So, a minimum of six hours a day.”

Left: Jesse (L) and Lucas at a playground in New York City, early 2006.
Right: Young Lucas and his grandmother. (Courtesy of Levi Browde)

Despite the rigors of their training, or perhaps because of it, Lucas feels a great satisfaction with his life’s path. 

“Sure, at the end of the day, I’m often physically and mentally weary, sometimes literally crawling into bed. But those times are the most fun and give me the best memories and sense of satisfaction,” he said.

And despite the initial skepticism, years of hard work and an affinity for the millennia-old Chinese art form have paid off for both brothers. After winning a gold medal in the junior division of his academy’s dance competition, in 2020, Jesse was invited to join Shen Yun’s annual tour as part of a student practicum. Lucas, who also won gold in the same dance competition, was able to join his brother a year later.

The brothers’ success in such a short time period, however, is not unusual for Shen Yun’s training program. “It normally takes 10 or more years and a grueling schedule for someone to reach a world-class standard, which is why I was initially skeptical about the boys starting when they did,” Vivian said. “But, I have to admit: Shen Yun proved me wrong. They turned my slow, slightly chubby little baseball players into elite dancers. It’s remarkable.”

According to Levi, the success of Shen Yun’s training program is attributable to factors beyond just hard work and dedicated staff. “There’s a special sauce to the Shen Yun recipe that no one else has,” Levi said. “Shen Yun’s artistic director has infused the entire program with a foundation and know-how that had been essentially lost to history.” As an example, Levi points to the twin techniques of “shen dai shou” (the body leads the hands) and “kua dai tui” (the hips lead the legs). Often cited by international dance competition winners as the key ingredient to their success, Levi said these twin techniques have elevated Shen Yun performance art to a whole new level. “No one was even talking about them, let alone able to do them until Shen Yun burst onto the scene,” he added.

“The boys were very fortunate to find an institution that could take their heartfelt aspirations and provide a way to make them reality,” he said. “They are living their dream, and Shen Yun made it possible.”

Today, Jesse and Lucas—now both adults—share the stage together, traveling the world to perform. Yet, as audiences across the globe marvel at the Chinese art form that they exhibit, few may realize that it’s an American enterprise.

An American Company Showcasing Authentic Chinese Culture

Shen Yun Performing Arts was established in New York in 2006 with a mission to revive China’s 5,000 years of traditional culture.

Within a few years, Shen Yun’s shows were routinely sold out wherever they went. Today, the group has eight companies that tour the world simultaneously, performing in more than 200 cities across five continents each season. With groundbreaking innovations in digital stagecraft, the world’s first orchestra to feature both classical Chinese and Western instruments as permanent members, and storylines that draw from the rich tapestry of China’s 5,000-year history, the company quickly raised the bar on what a group of artists could accomplish.

The response from audiences around the world was immediate, and heartwarming.

 Lucas says one of the most inspiring things for him is watching the short interviews that people give after watching a Shen Yun performance. 

“Although it’s just a performance, you can tell by watching audience reviews that something very different and special happens at a Shen Yun show. It touches people,” he said. 

After seeing Shen Yun this past year, world-renowned author and life coach Tony Robbins said: “The stories are amazing, the execution and the dance is amazing. … I think this is beautiful because it’s keeping [Chinese culture] alive, and it’s sharing it with the world.” 

(Samira Bouaou for American Essence)

Actor and comedian Tim Allen, who also saw Shen Yun recently, concurred, saying, “I loved it … quite wonderful.”

For U.S. Brig. Gen. Hector Lopez, a former wartime chief of staff, seeing Shen Yun was transformative: “It was a very emotional experience. … It was not just entertaining, but at the same time, it has a message. I believe we become better people just by watching and witnessing this.”

But none of this could be done in China today. For decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has sought to eradicate traditions and impose communist ideology on the people. Because Shen Yun showcases authentic Chinese culture from before the rise of communism, and the CCP views that mission as a threat, the dance company cannot be based in China, nor travel there to perform. For more than a decade, the CCP has pressured theaters and local governments around the world to cancel Shen Yun’s shows.

With no safe haven to nurture authentic Chinese culture at home, elite classical Chinese dancers and musicians have turned their sights on America’s shores to establish Shen Yun.

“At first glance, it may seem strange to have a company here in America whose artistry and cultural foundations are more authentically Chinese than anything you can find in China today,” said Shujia Gong, an associate professor at Fei Tian College. “However, America has long been the place where great ideas grow into great enterprises.

“From the Magna Carta to Locke and Montesquieu, those great ideas unfolded in Europe long before the American Revolution, and yet it was in America where these ideas coalesced into a system of government that inspired freedom and democracy around the world. The Industrial Revolution started in England, and yet it was in America where the automobile, manned flight, as well as computers and the Internet really took off. 

“America was the ‘Great Experiment’ in self-governance, but it has also become the great incubator for industry, culture, and progress in general. So it’s not at all surprising that the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company is an American company.”

That idea isn’t lost on Jesse and Lucas. In fact, it’s a point of pride.

“It’s people from all around the world, America, Korea, Japan, Europe—we are from all over the place,” Lucas said. “People come to America to expand what it is they want to do, to make dreams happen.”

“These artists at Shen Yun are people who want to showcase the truth [of real Chinese culture], and they are from all around the world,” Jesse added.

(Samira Bouaou for American Essence)

A Foundation of Freedom, a Global Reach

With Shen Yun, Jesse and Lucas have traveled around the world, as the company routinely takes to the stage on five continents. This past season, their group ventured into new markets, performing 63 shows in eight European countries, as Shen Yun has become a phenomenon across the Atlantic in recent years.

While the experience has exposed the brothers to a broader range of peoples and cultures, it has also given them a newfound appreciation for America.

Recently, on a rare day off, Jesse and Lucas sat in their living room and reflected on this idea.

 “Being American is about contributing to our country in a way that allows many different opinions and perspectives to flourish,” Jesse said. “I draw strength and inspiration from knowing that I come from a country whose principles dictate that everyone should be treated as human beings blessed with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, no matter who they are.” 

“For me,” Lucas added, “it’s about embracing the liberty we have here that allows us to not only pursue our own happiness, but also have the freedom to share culture and ideas with others. In a way, it’s about having the strength to spread my wings beyond America’s borders. I feel confident and fulfilled traveling the world, partially because I know my home is in America—and that gives me a sense of a foundation to do so much.”

From Nov. Issue, Volume 3

Categories
Features Lifestyle

Finding Beauty in the Chaos: A Case for Slow Living in the Modern World

Home in Southern California. (Rick Feldman)

For all of society’s new tech-driven shortcuts, are we more relaxed and in control of our time? On the contrary, life seems to be speeding out of control, and our personal lives bear the brunt of the ensuing chaos and clutter.

One American found an antidote to the modern frenzy in France. After growing up in casual Southern California, Jennifer L. Scott discovered wisdom in Old World etiquette and the traditional Parisian way of dressing, dining, communicating, and living beautifully at home—a higher standard of living. She shares her advice and inspiration on her blog and YouTube channel, The Daily Connoisseur, and in her best-selling books.

“We, especially as Americans, can really get swept up in the rat race,” Scott said. “But I think that we miss something when we do that: We miss a lot about the beauty of everyday life.”

That’s why, she said, “one of my missions in life is to encourage people to live a beautiful life at home, and to live life as a formal affair. I do think that the home is a sacred space; it’s our most important space. It’s where we spend the most time and our environment affects us. … We have a life at home—and for many people that life is in chaos.”

Fish Out of Water

Scott’s slower living approach is a way that Americans used to follow but that she hadn’t encountered while growing up. All that changed the year she went to Paris on a study abroad program.

“Suddenly, I found myself living with this very formal, traditional Parisian family in the 16th arrondissement in Paris,” Scott said. “It’s a fish-out-of-water experience for me.” Her books—“Lessons from Madame Chic,” “At Home with Madame Chic,” “Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic,” and “Connoisseur Kids”—are full of stories about what she learned from her host family, including “Madame Chic”—her nickname for her host mother—and Parisian culture in general.

On one of her first nights there, for instance, she learned a sartorial lesson she’ll never forget. Scott’s host mother spotted her in the pajamas she had brought from California, an ancient pair of sweatpants with a hole in them. Madame Chic was in disbelief. She let Scott know that there was no need to dispense with self-respecting standards just because you’re at home or the sun’s gone down.

“I think, ultimately, the thread of the books is how I meld both what I learned living with this formal French family with my casual American lifestyle, and make it modern and make it significant to me,” Scott said. Since then, she’s discovered even more wisdom and beauty in everyday living, from her personal experiences as a conscientious homemaker and homeschooling mother of four children, ages 4 to 12. She shares her advice with her followers in videos every week.

A Path Through the Noise

The Daily Connoisseur’s slogan is “Keep calm and remain classy.” But as a busy working and homeschooling mom, how exactly does Scott keep calm? “I have to constantly remind myself of it,” she said. “I frequently find myself operating on low levels of stress, sometimes high levels. … I have to consciously step out of that.”

One grounding pillar she always returns to is faith. Scott is Christian, but on her channel, she keeps the tone comfortable for people of any belief system and freely discusses “the major role that prayer and meditation plays in my life,” she said. “[It’s] the thread that kind of gets me through every single day.”

The “noise” on social media and in the news can be an obstacle. Quiet that down, Scott advises, and think about how you truly want to live your life.

“Living beautifully at home is about expressing your style,” according to Scott, who said that her goal is to open people’s eyes to what a fulfilling journey that is. “I just can’t stress enough that it is a beautiful adventure, and that people should wholeheartedly embrace it, even if you are a woman in her 40s who just thinks, ‘Well, I’m not going on an adventure.’ Yes, you can go on an adventure!

“I think it’s exciting when you embark on the journey to improve yourself. And so just enjoy it.”

Tips for Beautiful Living From Jennifer Scott

Scott is not afraid to point out “not-so-chic” choices her fellow Americans make from time to time; she does it with charm, kindness, and humor. But the power of her advice lies in the practical examples of what to do instead. Here are some ways to start living a more beautiful, formal life every day.

Schedule Your Days Mindfully

Self-discipline is a cornerstone of a beautiful life, Scott said—not something to be afraid of. “I like to encourage people to use a planner to schedule their day, write to-do lists, have a morning routine where you do the same things every morning. I think a lot of people are afraid of a routine or getting stuck in a rut by doing the same things all the time, but there’s actually a lot of beauty in [discipline].”

Scott is candid about the sacrifices she makes in order to write her books, helm a successful YouTube channel, and raise her children. “I’m a very disciplined person,” she said, and “that’s how I do accomplish what I do.” Case in point: She keeps up to 10 notebooks at a time to organize the different parts of her life.

(Fei Meng for American Essence)

That doesn’t mean packing each day with rigid, strictly-business tasks. Scott stresses the importance of taking intentional pauses for the little rituals that nourish you. “Doing the things I love throughout the day, like a scheduled tea time, is something that I’m really known for promoting, because I think it’s so important for people to take a break from their afternoon,” she said. For her, that means making time for meaningful exercise, gardening or going out into nature, taking a long bath with a good book, or writing letters or postcards to friends—“things that you wouldn’t really find on a to-do list, but that are equally as important as our most important items on that list.”

And if it all starts to get too overwhelming, be in tune with that, and adjust accordingly. When Scott finds herself operating on stress, she said, “I have to consciously step out of that and stop my to-do list and say no to commitments, and that helps me remain calm.”

Break Out the Bone China

Or your fine linens, or the nice wine you’re saving—today. A key theme that runs through Scott’s advice is “always using the best things that you have,” she said. “It’s about adopting that mindset of higher living, of allowing yourself to enjoy beautiful things, not saving your best for later.”

That can start small: “Instead of having your afternoon tea in that cracked old mug that you use every day,” Scott suggested, how about “finding that nice bone china tea cup that maybe your grandmother gave you that you never used, and enjoying it.”

Simplify Your Wardrobe To Amplify Your Style

Scott encourages “dressing well for the day, every day”—whether you’re going out or at home. To put that goal within reach, enter the “10-item wardrobe.” It’s a life-changing lesson Scott picked up from her Parisian mentors who owned, by American standards, very few clothes, but high-quality ones that they wore often and took good care of. Each item fit well, looked great, and was timeless and elegant, and most or all of them were chosen so that they could be mixed and matched seamlessly. This approach is the subject of a chapter in Scott’s book—and a 2014 TEDx talk—that she says has enduring and universal appeal.

“I think a lot of men and women, they have way too many clothes, and because of this, their style is confused,” Scott said. “Personal style is such an important part of our lives, so paring that down and expressing your true style through the 10-item wardrobe is a big one.”

The concept isn’t as extreme as it may sound. For each season, pick a few tops, a few bottoms, and for women, a skirt and dress or two. Not included in the 10 items are your jackets, hats, scarves, gym clothes, pajamas, and so on. Unneeded pieces go into storage. Closet space is freed up. Some people choose 12 items; for others, 20 is more appropriate. This capsule wardrobe stays put for about 12 weeks, then you swap it out to your heart’s content.

Bring Formality Back to the Dinner Table

“My favorite thing about living in France in particular,” Scott said, “was every single meal involved conversation, community, and nice, formal manners.” She pointed out that American families used to sit down together to enjoy their meals, but that the pressure to join the “rat race” may have sabotaged the tradition here. Eating has become a casual affair.

Making mealtimes more formal—not stuffy—is one way to slow down, pay attention to quality of life, and replace chaos with order, which begets beauty. Scott has also found a fulfilling creative outlet in setting a pretty table with fine trimmings for her young family at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

(Fei Meng for American Essence)

There’s a wellness benefit here, too: “If you’re walking down the sidewalk stuffing a sandwich in your face, because you’re late for something, that is not a good way to digest your food,” Scott said. “When you’re sitting down with good posture, a beautifully laid table, and conversation, you’re able to digest your food properly and get that nourishment you need. And it helps with your stress.”

Welcome Whimsy Into the Home

Life is hard, Scott admits, and homemaking can become monotonous. She proposes an antidote: Introduce some whimsy to the everyday. A perfect example is her “Gemstone Homemaking” series, in which she chooses one gemstone at a time as a theme, and allows it to “inspire us at home.” Emerald, for instance, might show up as an accent color in an outfit of the day, the focal point in a bouquet of flowers for the table, and a recipe for a matcha-flavored hot drink or delicious pesto pasta dinner.

Scott said she believes this is her signature characteristic. There is no shortage of homemaking YouTube channels, for example, that cover nitty-gritty tips for cleaning, decluttering, meal planning, or etiquette basics. “But I like to explore a more whimsical, different dynamic,” Scott said.

Pursue the Arts and Learning

Scott understands the power of looking good, and she shares plenty of style tips from her wardrobe and home decor, but she always emphasizes that our cultivated inner worlds are what truly make us elegant, beautiful, and attractive.

Art appreciation plays a big role in that for Scott. She studied theater in university, and while studying abroad in Paris, she took an art history class that included weekly trips to museums like the Louvre. The class “totally transformed my life,” she said. “I fell in love with these paintings, because not only are you seeing the painting, but you know the story behind it, about the artist and the time period. There’s history—there’s so much.”

Her video series “Seek Out the Arts” is a monthly appointment with a curated selection of paintings, poems, music, and more. In adulthood, she’d longed for the fine arts again in her life but found few opportunities to include it; she created the series to give herself and others the chance to return to some of their most fulfilling pursuits.

“I love embarking on new ideas and implementing them into my life,” she said. “I’m constantly reading, I’m constantly listening to audiobooks, constantly watching YouTube channels, trying to improve myself, and I’m still learning things every single day of my life.”

From Aug. Issue, Volume 3

Categories
Arts & Letters American Artists Features History

Gary Cooper’s Daughter Shares Uplifting Lessons From Her Dad

Maria Cooper Janis holds a photo of herself with her mother, actress Veronica Cooper (née Balfe), and her father, Gary Cooper. (Samira Bouaou for American Essence)

Gary Cooper is synonymous with the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was one of its most successful box office draws. He was nominated five times for the Best Actor Oscar and won twice for “Sergeant York” and “High Noon.” Handsome, strong, and with an honest stare, Cooper became the country’s model of masculinity, integrity, and courage.

His roles were varied. They ranged from military heroes, like Alvin York, the most decorated U.S. soldier in World War I, and Billy Mitchell, considered the Father of the U.S. Air Force; to a Quaker father in “Friendly Persuasion”; the tragic baseball player Lou Gehrig in “The Pride of the Yankees”; and a tamer of the Old West, none better known than the fictional Marshal Will Kane in “High Noon.”

Maria Cooper Janis, the daughter and only child of Cooper and Veronica Balfe, recalled her father saying that he wanted to try to portray the best an American man could be. These dignified and masculine roles surely captured the ideal, but they also captured something else. Janis said the man that millions of moviegoers saw, and still see today, was, in so many ways, playing himself.

Gary Cooper waits on set. (Courtesy of Maria Cooper Janis）
(L to R) Actors Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper, and James Stewart enjoy a laugh during a New Year’s party held at Romanoff’s restaurant in Beverly Hills, Calif. (SSLIM AARONS ESTATE/Getty Images)

Rugged and Sophisticated

From the rough-and-tumble Western stereotypes to the sophisticated man-about-town, he was “as comfortable in blue jeans as he was in white ties and tails,” she said.

There is a famous photo called “The Kings of Hollywood” of Cooper standing alongside Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, and Van Heflin in their white ties and tails, cocktails in hand, having a laugh. It is the elegant and sophisticated version of Cooper—the quintessential image of Hollywood’s leading man. Indeed, Cooper was one of the kings for several decades.

But he was also an everyman. Cooper grew up in early 1900s Montana. He was born in Helena just a few years after it was named the state’s capital. It was a rich town despite being part of the recently settled West. It was an environment―both rugged and luxurious―that Cooper would go on to personify.

The Cooper family enjoying a romp in the snow. (Courtesy of Maria Cooper Janis)

Janis said her father’s first friends were the local Native Americans. They taught him how to stalk and hunt animals and perform his own taxidermy. His friendships helped him understand the plight of the Indians. His father, Charles Cooper, a justice on the Montana Supreme Court, had long been concerned about the Native Americans.

“My grandfather was always working for the underdog,” she said. “My father must have heard a lot of those stories. [My father] always felt he should defend those who needed defending, especially those who didn’t have the clout or standing to win.”

Cooper and the cast on the set of “High Noon.” (Courtesy of Maria Cooper Janis)

The Defender

Cooper found himself defending others on film and in real life, and sometimes those two mixed. Although he stated before Congress that he was “not very sympathetic to communism,” he was sympathetic to those in Hollywood―actors, writers, and directors―who were targeted by the Hollywood blacklist movement. One of those with whom he was sympathetic was Carl Foreman, who had written the script for “High Noon” and had refused to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee. After “High Noon,” Foreman left for England, where he would write “The Bridge on the River Kwai.”

“My father was actually very close to Carl Foreman,” Janis said. “My father told Stanley Kramer [the producer], ‘If Foreman’s off the picture, then Cooper is off the picture.’” Foreman remained, and Cooper performed one of his most definitive roles as a marshal who stands against a criminal gang in a town where everyone is too afraid to help. “High Noon” is believed to be a representation of the Hollywood blacklist era―a belief that Janis holds as well.

“My father passionately believed you were free to believe what you wanted to believe,” she said. “He was threatened that he would never work in Hollywood again. But he knew what he believed and he lived his life.”

Cooper in the ring with a bull in Pamplona, Spain. (Courtesy of Maria Cooper Janis)

Lessons From Cooper

Cooper kept working in Hollywood for nearly a decade more until his tragic death from cancer. But Janis wants people to know that there was so much more to her father than his time on the big screen. It is one of the reasons she wrote her book “Gary Cooper Off Camera: A Daughter Remembers,” which focuses on his family life.

“We had a very close family bond,” she said. “If you have loving parents who show you discipline, that’s a leg up in life. I think the importance of a loving, strong father figure for a girl is excruciatingly important.”

Her mother and father were both a source of encouragement. Despite growing up the daughter of Gary Cooper, she never felt pressured to go into acting.

“He basically left it up to me. He and my mother were very realistic. I came to my own conclusions about what I wanted in my life,” she said.

She studied art at the prestigious Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and began a successful career as a painter. She said that being an artist was apparently in her DNA, as her father, her grandmother Veronica Gibbons, and her great-uncle Cedric Gibbons, who designed the Oscar statuette, were gifted artists.

Family time at Cooper’s Brentwood, Calif., residence. (Courtesy of Maria Cooper Janis)

Cooper―at home and on-screen―had given his daughter the proper perspective of what she should look for in a husband. He had thoroughly educated her on the fact that there were some men who “don’t act very gentlemanly.” So he taught her boxing and self-defense.

“He told me, ‘Don’t let any man intimidate you. You are going to be a beautiful woman. Stand up for yourself,’” she recalled. “It was enough to give me a sense of confidence.”

When her father died in 1961, she continued her career in art and retained that confidence. In 1966, she married another artist, Byron Janis, one of the world’s greatest classical pianists. She said marrying Janis was “the greatest fortune that could have ever happened to me.” The two celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary this April.

Cooper and little Maria at the Grand Canyon. (Courtesy of Maria Cooper Janis)

In Cooper’s Memory

Although Cooper has been dead for more than 60 years, his legacy remains. That legacy has been entrusted to his daughter’s care. She has worked to champion her father’s causes as well as his name.

Janis established a scholarship at the University of Southern California in Cooper’s name for Native American students who wish to pursue an education in film and television. She also advocates for continuing research into the terminal illness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), famously known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Along with her book, she collaborated with Bruce Boyer on his book “Gary Cooper: Enduring Style” and contributed to the documentary “The True Gen,” about Cooper’s friendship with Ernest Hemingway. She also established the official Gary Cooper website dedicated to his memory.

Janis said she has understood her past and that of her father’s better over the years, quoting the Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” In a broader sense, her efforts are to ensure Gary Cooper will be better understood by all as the years go by.

The family loved making music together. (Courtesy of Maria Cooper Janis)

From Aug. Issue, Volume 3

Categories
Features

Emmy-Winning Costume Designer on ‘Creating a Fantasy’ for TV

Emmy-winning costume designer Janie Bryant with her beloved poodle. (Gregory JM Kasunich)

Hand carved wooden buttons, a hat with the perfect amount of crease, a tie of just the right width—every visual detail in a great film or show adds to the creation of a world, and Janie Bryant knows how clothing can tell a story.

“Reading the script is like reading a great novel. … A script is like my road map to understanding the character, which leads my imagination, and the costume,” said Bryant, an Emmy award-winning costume designer whose career has been filled with era-defining drama series. The latest, screenwriter-director Taylor Sheridan’s “1923,” is set in a time of contrasts, when “chic” fashion and haute couture found its roots. It’s also a world where different cultures often clashed.

“There’s these worlds with restrictions and boundaries, and then the other side of it is freedom and letting loose and going wild,” said Bryant, who worked on both prequels to the hit “Yellowstone” TV series, “1883” and “1923.”

Scarlett, My Icon

Classic films have served as an inspiration throughout Bryant’s life. As a child, the Tennessee native would watch “Gone With the Wind,” “Wuthering Heights,” “My Fair Lady,” and “Guys and Dolls” regularly with her family, and she still revisits these favorites frequently.

“I mean, Walter Plunkett, he’s probably my favorite costume designer,” said Bryant. Plunkett worked on no fewer than 150 projects during his Hollywood career, including Scarlett O’Hara’s iconic dresses from “Gone With the Wind” which so inspired Bryant as a child. Initially, though, she had no idea this was a career option; Bryant pursued fashion design and went to Paris, then New York, before serendipitously meeting a costume designer and learning about what she did.

‘‘Deadwood’’ gentlemen at the saloon. (MovieStillDB)

Getting into the industry was a hustle, and staying in it was a bigger one. She designed more than costumes—sets, hair and makeup, and anything else that needed designing—and worked long hours on commercials, independent films, and television. Bryant, who has always had poodles, was about ready to quit and design dog clothes instead (“If I had at that point, I probably would have been a bazillionaire now, but I didn’t do it!”)—when she got a phone call from TV writer and producer David Milch, asking her to work on “Deadwood,” a Western series set in 1870s Deadwood, South Dakota, during the time of prospectors.

“I’d been asking God to please, just let me design a period piece,” Bryant said. “And, you know, it came to me. You ask, and you have to believe that if you are asking, it’s already yours. That’s what I would tell my younger self. Timing is not up to us, but believing and receiving is.” Bryant ended up winning an Emmy in 2005 for her costume design on “Deadwood.”

All the Stars Aligning

“Costume design is bespoke,” Bryant said. It is about creating clothes for specific characters based on the specific events happening in the script, based on the things they say. These costumes are often built from scratch, and sometimes in multiple copies, then aged and distressed to show passage of time and the toll of the environment.

This creativity flourishes greatly, then, with great collaborators. When show creators have already built an immersive world through words and are visualizing the colorways of certain characters; the plot points to an item of clothing or accessory that could carry the story forward; and growth and contrast can be shown through costuming; then the results can be iconic.

Accessories also played an important role in showcasing characters’ personalities. Here, a ‘‘Deadwood’’ character with a bird-feather-adorned hat. (MovieStillDB)

“I’ve been so blessed to work with so many creators that are incredible, and incredibly talented, like David Milch, Matthew Weiner, Marc Cherry, Taylor Sheridan,” she said. “They’re so passionate about what they write about, and they’re so passionate about the characters that they create, so it’s so inspiring for me to be able to do my work.”

After “Deadwood,” Bryant went back to work on films—when she got a call about a 1960s show. She worked on the critically acclaimed “Mad Men” for the next eight years, and she was nominated for best costume design in the Emmys another four times for her work on the show.

Bryant liked to incorporate vintage pieces on ‘‘Mad Men.’’ (MovieStillDB)

“I always describe ‘Mad Men’ as all the stars aligning. It was like there was magical fairy dust sprinkled on that production, because it just changed so many of our lives in profound and amazing ways,” she said. “For all of us working on the show, … but also at that time people just gravitated to the whole entire design of that show, not only the costume design, but the production design, and hair and makeup. … It had global impact—this resurgence of appreciation and love for mid-century modern.”

The 1960s was another period of culture clashes, and it actually changed greatly from the beginning of the decade to the end in terms of fashion. The looks remain iconic in the American mind. “I’ve always felt the reason the clothing feels accessible to this day: … People can still relate to the period,” Bryant said.

The character of Peggy Olson, played by Elisabeth Moss, in ‘‘Mad Men,’’ dressed for Easter Sunday. ‘‘I always tried to incorporate checks [patterns] for Peggy because I felt they were indicative of her earnest, schoolgirl nature,’’ Bryant said. (MovieStillDB)

The success of the show, and its cultural impact, led to several fashion collaborations. Bryant designed a “Mad Men” edition Brooks Brothers suit; created three collections with Banana Republic; wrote a book on fashion; designed uniforms for the Watergate Hotel staff in Washington, D.C.; and made a dress collection for high-end fashion brand Black Halo and a shoe collection. She was about to leave film for fashion when actress Eva Longoria invited her to work on “Telenovela.” “We had so much fun, and telenovelas are so over-the-top,” Bryant said. The soap opera was filled with lavish gowns and matching shoes.

Television is experiencing what many refer to as a golden age, and even the global pandemic couldn’t put a dent in the amount of programming coming out of every studio. The pandemic was a blessing in that Bryant got to spend three months with all her family, longer than she had since college. After that break, in the past three-and-a-half years, she’s been busier than she’s ever been.

Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren co-star in the “Yellowstone” prequel, “1923.” (MovieStillDB)

The Fantasy

Bryant’s own personal style runs toward the feminine, romantic, and glamorous. At work, she dresses in all black, or all white, and boots—always high-heeled. Her team likes to joke that it’s going to be a bad day if they ever see her in sneakers off the tennis court.

“I love the 1770s—French Rococo. The men are fancier than the women in some cases. I would love to design a fantasy Disney movie, I would love that. Anything that’s period fantasy would be a dream,” she said. A Rococo-period project hasn’t come calling yet, but Bryant has begun working with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence on “Bad Boys 4”; will be back to work on “1923”; is the resident designer for outdoor clothing brand Tom Beckbe; and is designing the uniforms for Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana. The Western theme is a timeless one.

Bryant’s schedule is packed, but she’s become well-versed in work-life balance. “I always say to my team, do not let this job rob you of your beauty.” These days, joy is found in the daily, little things—meditation, practicing gratitude, dinners with friends, being in nature. “The lesson that I still learn is just relax, and believe in yourself. Especially as a creative person, we have to remind ourselves of that a lot. It all works out as it should.”

Perhaps the pinnacle of creation is being able to bring a new world to life. It’s certainly rewarding for Bryant. “I’m truly passionate about designing period pieces, because it is creating a whole entire world,” Bryant said. “It’s part of creating a fantasy in a way. It’s like time travel.”

From Aug. Issue, Volume 3

Categories
Features

How Fear Motivates Dennis Quaid, Who Will Play Reagan in New Film

(Samira Bouaou for American Essence)

Dennis Quaid is drawn to projects that strike fear on first encounter.

“You take that fear and you channel it, and you use it. Then what it is is energy,” said Quaid, actor and, some may be surprised to know, singer-songwriter. Fear is what ignited some of his most inspired moments while writing his latest album, “Fallen: A Gospel Record for Sinners,” and what drove him to say yes to playing Ronald Reagan in the upcoming biopic “Reagan,” which spans the life of the late president and is told from the perspective of a KGB agent.

“Fear is really inspirational,” Quaid said with a laugh.

Seeking God

“Fallen,” the album, was 30 years in the making, he explained, built around a song he had earlier written for his mother, “On My Way to Heaven.”

“I was coming out of addiction at that time, and I wrote the song to let my mother know that I was okay,” said Quaid, who has been open about his struggle with cocaine in the ’80s. The song was released with the addition of a bridge he penned within minutes, on the soundtrack of the 2018 faith-based film “I Can Only Imagine.”

Quaid is releasing his second music album after four decades of touring the country with his music. (Samira Bouaou for American Essence)

“So it took me 30 years and 15 minutes to write the song,” Quaid said. After her passing four years ago, he felt compelled to write a song about her vision of heaven. She was religious, and a bit literal about it, he said; he himself has always been more of a spiritual person.

“My dad passed back in ’87, and my mom passed four years ago, and it led to a lot of thinking about what’s after this, and what is all this for?” Quaid said. “It’s about a personal relationship with God.” Quaid grew up on the hymns of the Baptist Church and loved the music even though he had grown “disillusioned with church-ianity,” he said. In his teens, he read the Herman Hesse novel “Siddhartha” about the life of the Gautama Buddha, and he started on a journey of reading books and sacred texts from different faiths.

“They’re really all about the same thing,” he said. “It’s man seeking God and knowing God.”

When he overcame his addiction, …

…

(This is a short preview of a story from the Aug. Issue, Volume 3.)

Categories
Features

Chef Andre Rush Is Committed to Serving Others—Whether Presidents, Fellow Veterans, or Underprivileged Kids

Rush does 2,222 push-ups daily to raise awareness about the issue of veteran suicide: On average, 22 veterans take their lives every day. (John Fredricks for American Essence)

Standing at 5 feet, 10 inches and some 270 pounds with his famous 24-inch biceps, chef Andre Rush is used to drawing looks. But these days, they’re usually from excited 10-year-olds wanting a hug and photo with their “superhero,” he says.

Rush, a retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant, was a White House chef through four administrations, cooking during the Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump years. He now hosts the Gordon Ramsay-produced show “Kitchen Commando” to kick struggling Washington, D.C., restaurants back into gear.

Armed with heart and hospitality, Rush uses cooking to create community and raise awareness about mental health, especially for fellow veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), preaching love and service everywhere he goes. He’s proud that his message reaches young people—because the future generations need it, Rush says.

“There may be one little nugget in there who’s going to be Chef Rush times a thousand, and he or she is going to … find someone else to keep pushing it along,” Rush said.

With many kids among his fans, Rush hopes to be an inspiration for younger generations. (Courtesy of Andre Rush)

An Unexpected Path

Cooking was never meant to be a career, said Rush. Growing up poor in Mississippi, cooking was caring and love in action.

One of Rush’s brothers was a Marine, the other was a Navy officer, one of his sisters was an educator who helped the blind, and his mother “cooked for everyone in Mississippi,” feeding all who needed it. Their father led the siblings—five girls and three boys including Rush—to pick food on local farms by hand, to embed fortitude and hard work in their characters. It taught him always to be the hardest worker in the room. It impressed upon him the value of service.

So Rush, who said he had earned an art scholarship, a track scholarship, a football scholarship, and Olympics prospects, decided to join the military himself. He soon joined the food service team only to learn it was nothing like what he thought cooking was about. “It’s mass feeding,” Rush explained. “Feed and go.”

But less than a year into his military career, Rush said a Sergeant Major came up to him out of the blue, told him about a culinary competition, and asked him to train for it.

(John Fredricks for American Essence)

“I didn’t even know what ‘culinary’ meant,” Rush said. He went down to train at the United States Army Culinary Arts Team annual competition in Fort Lee, Virginia, and saw that the hobby he grew up with, cooking alongside his mom, was a serious culture in and of itself. Sugar pulling, ice carving, pastry creation—it ignited the artistic side of Rush. “I just became infatuated with cooking,” he said. In the pre-internet era, he bought books he couldn’t understand to try to learn techniques he’d never heard of, and he used those competitions as his training ground. He went on to win 150 medals and trophies with the United States Army Culinary Arts Team.

A few years into food service, a call came from someone Rush once helped, asking if he wanted to go to Washington. It took him by surprise—even more so when he was told it was to cook at the Pentagon. There, and later when he cooked part-time at the White House, Rush learned much about diplomacy.

“They take food very personal, … it’s one of the main duties,” Rush said. “Food is morale. … Food can save lives and end lives, start wars and end wars.”

Salvation in Service

Rush is a combat veteran who stayed enlisted in the Army during his cooking career. On September 11, 2001, he was inside the Pentagon when the plane hit; it motivated him to return to combat duty and led to tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He retired from active duty in 2016, and he continued to cook, consult, and prepare major events at the White House—while learning to cope with the acquired trauma.

Rush was in a Wounded Warrior unit, realizing that being surrounded by low energy was dragging him down, too. He decided to go to the gym instead, and, by chance, another veteran from the United Service Organizations (USO) next door decided to join him. “He was a kind of heavyset guy, and in two weeks, his body had changed,” Rush said. It stunned the others around him, and that workout team grew to 5, then 10, then 20.

Rush realized that working out to relieve stress was all well and good, but stress management had to be incorporated into one’s daily life to actually stick. He was cooking for himself at home when it dawned on him: What could be more vital than eating?

“I remembered my mother, I remembered everything that she taught me, and how I felt with it, so I held onto it and I decided to bring it over to the USO,” Rush said. He organized cooking classes for the group, and his own experience with cooking primed him to help others see it the same way. He would ask, “What’s your fondest memory of food?” Maybe their mother or grandmother used to make a favorite dish for them.

Cooking was supposed to be a vehicle for caring and connection, and so Rush grew the classes to include their spouses and children, pulling the veterans out of their isolation. He remembers a man breaking down into tears, apologies, and gratitude when he realized how much care and effort went into preparing a meal—what his wife had been doing for him every single day. A colonel was inspired to start a food truck for mental wellness after participating.

Rush shot to fame in 2018 when, while cooking at the White House’s Iftar celebration, a breaking of the Ramadan fast, a reporter’s photo of Rush and his 24-inch biceps went viral on Twitter.

He used his newfound platform to speak out about mental health and what veterans face, with initiatives like Mission 22, doing 2,222 push-ups every day to raise awareness about the fact that an average of 22 veterans take their own lives in America every day.

“We’re always going to struggle, it’s always going to be there. There’s not a perfect world of perfect people out there, it doesn’t happen that way,” Rush said. “What’s not OK is to not get support, because it’s not only about you, it’s about everything else that you do, everybody that you meet, and it’s also about future generations.”

“I have to break it down for people who think that ‘they’ll be better off without me.’ That’s an absolute lie. You know what, if that’s the case, dedicate your whole entire life that you were going to give up to doing something for everybody else. It’s that simple.” And Rush helps them do it—he takes his fellow brothers in arms to cook for underprivileged kids, people who look at these veterans who think they have no worth like they’re superheroes, too. “If it’s going to save [a] life, it’s going to help someone, then I’m going to do it.”

“It’s humbling to see that you can change someone in so many different ways from just food alone,” Rush said.

(Per Bernal)

Food and Fitness With Chef Rush

You are what you eat—it’s a cliche, but it’s true, says Rush. “What you put in your body is what you’re going to give your body, and don’t say I’ll do it later—you have to do it right now, every day.”

Rush is an endurance trainer, but a core part of fitness is knowledge, he says, and that means understanding how to listen to your body and what it tells you it needs, because every ideal diet and regimen is individual.

“The first thing I tell people is always get your blood work checked out, get your body checked out,” he said.

Then, think about your goal. “When I say goal, I mean life goal, not your fitness goal. Life goal is ‘I want this for the rest of my life.’ They should be hand-in-hand.” Building a body is like building a country, Rush says, not a plywood house. To have a solid foundation, you have to think about your sleep cycle, your lifestyle, your mind, your environment, and everything in concert—it’s not just counting macros.

Rush starts his day with early morning meditation, followed by push-ups for his cause, and affirmations: “looking at myself in the mirror and telling me, ‘I can do anything, never give up, keep going,'” he says.

Southern Hospitality

“My mother showed me how to cook. It didn’t start with a recipe but with respect to others. … Whether she was serving her sons and daughters or a complete stranger, Mom always showed love and affection with the food she made. She instilled in me the same desire with the meals I would go on to create. It didn’t matter if they were presidents and kings and queens or homeless people. Hospitality means putting your heart into your work, every single time.” —Andre Rush in his 2022 memoir, “Call Me Chef, Dammit!”

“Call Me Chef, Dammit!” by Andre Rush (Harper Horizon, 2022).

RECIPE: Angry Chicken

From July Issue, Volume 3

Categories
Features

Anxiety Can Help Us—Here’s How to Make It Work for You

Dr. Chloe Carmichael is a licensed clinical psychologist and author and the author of the self-help book “Nervous Energy." (Courtesy of Dr. Chloe)

Successful people at the pinnacle of their careers often find themselves juggling more things at home and at work and struggling with stress. But what if anxiety could be transformed into an asset? Dr. Chloe Carmichael, the author of the self-help book “Nervous Energy,” said there are ways and tools to redirect anxiety into productive change.

“A lot of people don’t understand that anxiety does have a healthy function, which is to stimulate preparation behaviors,” Carmichael said. When patients ask her to help them get rid of their anxiety, she explains it would be like asking to get rid of all their body fat. In other words, she said, “it’s true that if it becomes excessive, it can be unhealthy, but we actually need certain amounts of it in order to function at our best.”

Instead, when they experience an anxious impulse or feeling, rather than wishing the stress away, Carmichael encourages them to dialogue with the anxiety and ask it, “What is the healthy action that you could be stimulating me to take?”

(Sander Sammy/Unsplash)

Say, for example, that a job candidate is apprehensive about an interview. In this case, taking a deep breath and dreaming of a beach would not help. Instead, Carmichael advised, he or she would be best served by looking “at the extra adrenaline and awareness that comes with anxiety and [saying], ‘Well, maybe I’m going to use this energy to make a list of the questions I anticipate they’ll ask me, and I’ll work out some answers to them. And I’ll try a mock interview with a friend.’”

Next time you get symptoms like a racing heart or sweaty palms, keep in mind that “oftentimes it’s just a raw excess of energy that could actually be used to our favor, if we know how to shape it strategically.”

Learning to harness this nervous energy not only decreases stress in that particular moment, but it also shapes a positive thought spiral and sets up a growth mindset that ultimately leads to more productivity and fulfillment.

“Nervous Energy” by Dr. Chloe Carmichael (St. Martin’s Essentials, 2021).

Authentic Self-Care

A day off from work or some time at the spa is often part of a self-care self-prescription. But Dr. Chloe says self-care can be much more strategic. Enter her “To-Do List With Emotions” technique. Here’s what to do:

  1. Look at your to-do list.
  2. Think of what emotions come up with each item (for example, a stressful situation).
  3. Have a self-care plan that’s specific to the emotion (schedule an event with friends right afterward to provide social support).

She adds this reminder: “Self-care can actually also be making sure that we drink in life’s positive events, too, because the joy, the happiness, and the fulfillment, those are all there to balance out some of the challenges.”

(Nik/Unsplash)

If You Can’t Stop Worrying

Depending on the type of worry you’re experiencing, Dr. Chloe has the following tips.

Dealing With Dead-End Topics

If the topic is a problem that you’ve already learned from, but that your mind keeps on reliving, use the Mental Shortlist technique. Redirect your mental energy into a list of five things you can work on. The list can be broad, from holiday shopping to making weekend plans.

Find the Right Place, the Right Time

Some worries pop up when you can’t do anything about them, such as when you’re in the grocery line and suddenly you remember that you haven’t revised your will in a long time. In that case, use the Worry Time technique. Set aside a time to address those worries. It might be 10 minutes a day for some people; for others, an hour a week. Since you know your concerns will be addressed at a set time with your undivided attention, you’re then free to relax in the moment.

From July Issue, Volume 3

Categories
Features

American Luxury Car Brand Packard Motors Gets a Revival

(Three Driveway Media）

From the time Packard Motor Car Company opened its doors in 1899 to the moment when the last Packard rolled off the line in 1958, the brand has been well regarded in the American automotive industry as a symbol of speed, luxury, and quality. With time, the industry changed, and Packard had to shut down operations. But the company was recently revived through the singular vision of a watchmaker and inventor, Scott Andrews—who believed so deeply in the value of American manufacturing that he acquired the rights and intellectual property to the brand and jump-started the company from scratch.

Now Packard Motors, a new company founded in 2019, has taken it upon itself to become Packard Motor Car Company’s successor in the world of luxury cars and timepieces. American Essence spoke with Packard Motors founder Scott Andrews to find out more about how he unexpectedly discovered the company’s story and revived the brand.

Packard Motors founder Scott Andrews is a watch enthusiast. (Three Driveway Media)

Q: When did your love for Packard cars and timepieces begin?

A: My love for Packard cars began in 2019 and timepieces long before then. My great-uncle taught me how to fix clocks. I applied my skills to watchmaking as a hobby. In 2010, I decided to do watchmaking for part-time income. In spring 2019, I was driving to an event and saw a 1951 Packard for sale. I stopped, studied its unique design, then called my father who is a retired auto mechanic. He explained how Packard was the pinnacle of the U.S. auto industry for years—the one all others looked up to. I researched the company and found Packard is an American automobile industry icon that made amazing inventions which defined exclusive American elegance and automobiles for generations. I fell in love with what the company came to represent: pure American beauty. I then learned how one of the two Packard brothers who founded the company had a watch collection and high interest in mechanical watch movements.

Q: What’s the story leading up to your decision to found Packard Motors in 2019?

A: I found both my passions in Packard: elegant artwork expressed by stunning innovation. Given the amazing American icon Packard is, I knew if properly nurtured back to life, it will thrive and be enjoyed once again. Also, I didn’t want its history to fade away with the passing of the prior American generation. To save and revive Packard is to save and revive America, and give my fellow Americans a new hope and inspiration. I decided to go for it, and it’s been amazing to watch this American prime rise again.

(Three Driveway Media)

Q: What does the legacy of the Packard Motor Car Company mean to you?

A: The legacy means the “north star” of durable innovation seamlessly woven together with pure beauty and elegance. It represents the bravery and perseverance required to keep our heritage and traditional values. A legacy many can identify with and become a part of. We are continuing the standards of honesty, good business ethics, and goodwill within the company and with our clients and visitors.

Q: How similar is Packard Motors’s processes and products to those of Packard Motor Car Company’s? What kinds of upgrades or unique touches may we see from Packard Motors in the future?

A: Similar to the first Packard company, we listen to what people need and want and make it better than anyone else. We then add wonderful surprises to delight and bring joy in owning and using something we make. There will always be one more thing when you think you’ve seen it all.

Q: What is your hope for your company?

A: My hope for the company is to be the shining light on the hill: a liberty-focused heritage, luxurious style, and absolute good moral values for the next generation to embrace.

Q: What does a day at Packard Motors look like for you?

A: Absolute joy and fun. From drawing up a new creative masterpiece for the retail shop to the amazing work on automobiles together with the entire team of people. All for the delight of our clients and visitors.

Q: What’s been your reaction to the feedback you’ve received from the automotive industry and community?

A: A big smile. Many wonder what we’re going to do next, and wonder they should. They know the legend has returned and are watching closely. Will we repeat its demise, or return to its roots and be the guiding light once again? I can’t help but smile knowing the best is yet to come from Packard.

The 1934 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Convertible Victoria by Dietrich. (Three Driveway Media)

Q: Packard Motors has released a limited edition debut timepiece, the 1899 model. Is there anything specific that went into the design to make it special as Packard’s original debut timepiece?

A: Yes, it was inspired by the very first Packard car. It was designed by J.W. Packard in 1899. He was challenged to make his own car after complaining about the poor quality of another brand he bought. Challenge accepted, and the response changed the world forever.

  • Packard cars were the first to have factory-installed air conditioning.
  • The first U.S. car to use tubeless tires was the 1954 Packard Clipper.
  • The 1901 Model C Packard was the first in America to feature a steering wheel.
  • Packard built the world’s first V-12-engine-powered production car, the Twin Six of 1915.

From July Issue, Volume 3

Categories
Features

Following Injury, Veteran Becomes Inventor to Help Disabled

(Courtesy of Dr. Rory Cooper）

It all began in an automotive repair shop in the hilly Northern California town of San Luis Obispo.

Born into a family of tinkerers and mechanics, Rory Cooper had always been a curious young man and frequently looked over his parents’ shoulders as they addressed a myriad of mechanical problems at their automotive repair shop. “I didn’t really want to be a mechanic,” Cooper recalled. “What drove me was an interest in becoming an engineer: to understand how things work and design new things, rather than fix other people’s things.”

But many members of the Cooper family had also served in the military, including his father. So young Rory joined the Army as a volunteer in 1976. Four years later, tragedy struck in Germany when a vehicle hit Cooper while he rode his bicycle. The accident damaged the 20-year-old’s spinal cord, and Cooper was paralyzed from the waist down.

In 1978, Cooper was promoted to the rank of Army specialist. (Courtesy of Dr. Rory Cooper）

Back home, he underwent intensive therapy. Along with his wife, Rosemarie, Rory’s wheelchair became the center of his life. Via the GI Bill, he was admitted to California Polytechnic State University, earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. But San Luis Obispo was a hilly town, and Cooper said he had to do everything in his power to make it through each day. “When I got out of the hospital I weighed 80 pounds. I worked myself up to 130 pounds. I was about 160 pounds before I got injured. So an 80-pound [manual] wheelchair was a lot of weight to carry up those hills … and I just thought, ‘This can’t be right.’”

Frustrated, Cooper went to the family shop to design a lightweight wheelchair for himself. Thus began his crusade to make life better for any veteran or civilian who was, or would be, wheelchair-bound. He then went on to attain a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Equipped with specialized knowledge and a plethora of passion, Cooper gained a deeper realization of the magnitude of the issues faced by those in wheelchairs. He was determined to make things right, and on a massive scale.

Cooper and his wife, Rosemarie, in Germany, 1978. (Courtesy of Dr. Rory Cooper）

An Outpouring of Ideas 

“As I got advanced in my education, I learned that people were developing sores on their hands­­­­, including myself, and then wrist injuries and shoulder injuries that were making their lives more difficult,” Cooper said. He set out to reduce those repetitive injuries. The result was the invention of an ergonomic push rim requiring less forceful gripping with improved propulsion. Users reported less hand and wrist pain and fewer wrist and shoulder injuries.

In 1994, as Cooper’s work on repetitive stress was in its final stages, he co-founded Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a biomedical engineering partnership of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Pittsburgh, where he remains its director.

Starting with a staff of three that now stands at about 60, the multidisciplinary team has thrown its energies into finding solutions to everyday problems that plague the paralyzed. Using robotics, “we created this bed and wheelchair that worked together so the wheelchair sort of pours you into bed while the bed pulls you into bed,” assisting the caregiver. Cooper took a prototype to a Veterans Administration care facility. There, a woman who noticed the testing and whose husband had been confined to the hospital for a year requested the apparatus and soon got to take it, and him, home.

Cooper with his invention, a Mobility Enhancement Robotic Wheelchair (MEBot) that allows the disabled to explore rugged terrain. (Courtesy of Dr. Rory Cooper）

Originally, robots were used for “dirty, dangerous, and remote jobs and a little bit of entertainment,” Cooper noted, prompting him to explore how robots could work in tandem with people. “If you didn’t have hand and arm function or you didn’t have hands and arms, could you use a robot to take a drink or eat a sandwich or pick up a remote-control for a TV?”

Looking farther into the future, HERL is working with Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and other organizations on an autonomous passenger vehicle. Currently, Cooper said, automobile travel by the disabled is extremely difficult. “If you’re in a wheelchair, you have to be able to secure the wheelchair or transfer the wheelchair into a vehicle,” in contrast to a government mandate that requires public buses to install ramps for the handicapped. 

Autonomous vehicles would benefit blind people “immediately” because they can’t drive a car right now, said Lee Page, senior associate advocacy director at PVA, who said the blind also have trouble hailing a taxi because many cabbies will see their service dog and pass them by.

HERL is also working with PVA on smart-home technology, said Mark Lichter, the nonprofit’s director of architecture. While smart-home technology in kitchens has come a long way, he said, a program to open windows would be “a huge benefit.”    

HERL’s 13,000-square-foot machine shop, which makes parts for wheelchairs and prosthetics, also engages in “destructive testing” to ensure that inventions are safe and compliant with government and industry standards. Members of the public also test prototypes across the country.  

An old photo of Cooper with his family on vacation in Mexico. (Courtesy of Dr. Rory Cooper）

Helping Millions

Cooper said millions of people around the world have used HERL’s inventions. “It’s probably 15 to 20 million people that have been impacted by our work in one way or another. I mean directly impacted. Of course, then you’ve got their families, their caregivers or friends.”

The boy who was fascinated by his parents’ mechanical prowess is now 63 and shows no sign of slowing down. “I’m still alive and I’m still working. And I’m still married to the same woman [as] before I was injured.” 

More than half a lifetime ago, Cooper won a Bronze Medal in the 4×400 meter relay at the Paralympic Games in Seoul. Now, he meets longtime friends at wheelchair games stateside and delights in mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Cooper will have another chance to inspire young inventors when he is inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame at its 50th anniversary celebration this fall. This year’s group of 16 notable patent-holders brings the organization’s total number of inductees to 624.

“I’m just very grateful despite the health setbacks I’ve had over the years to be able to make a difference in people’s lives,” Cooper said.

From July Issue, Volume 3

Categories
Features

Football Star Jared Allen on Our Duty to Honor Veterans

(Minnesota Vikings-Steve Smith Photography)

After 12 seasons in the NFL as a defensive end, Jared Allen took part in a United Service Organizations tour to Iraq in 2009 and discovered a new passion: helping veterans. He returned home and founded Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors (JAH4WW), a nonprofit organization that raises money to build and remodel homes for veterans who sustained life-altering injuries while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Each house is made injury-specific and tailored to the needs of individual veterans, to ensure that their homes are as accessible and comfortable to live in as possible. To date, JAH4WW has completed 22 houses since 2009, with more being planned.

American Essence spoke with Allen about his work with veterans, as well as his other interests outside football.

(Minnesota Vikings-Steve Smith Photography)

American Essence: Why are you especially passionate about helping veterans?

Jared Allen: My grandfather was one of my heroes. He was a 23-year Marine Corps vet. I have many family members that are vets and was always taught that the men and women who serve this country are the reasons we get to chase our dreams.

AE: What was the most memorable moment from your USO trip to military bases in the Middle East?

Mr. Allen: Hanging with SEAL Team 5.

AE: What is unique about the homes that Homes for Wounded Warriors builds?

Mr. Allen: We build our houses for the specific needs of the recipient, and they own the home mortgage-free when we give them the keys.

(UNrestricted MKTG)

AE: Could you please tell us about some of the veterans you’ve met through the project? What were the most touching stories you have heard about their dedication to this country?

Mr. Allen: All our recipients were injured in heroic acts for our country. I’m extremely humbled every time I read their stories and get to know them personally. The most touching story about all of them is that they all believe someone deserves it more than themselves.

AE: What would you like the younger generations to understand about veterans?

Mr. Allen: That we are 100 percent a volunteer military and that these men and women are always on the road away from family and friends fighting for the U.S. That men and women lay it down for people they don’t even know so we can enjoy all the little things in life. So, everyone who enjoys that should support those vets.

Former NFL player Jared Allen meets with Army soldiers during an event for his charity organization. (UNrestricted MKTG)

AE: As an entrepreneur with several businesses in different industries, what would you say is the key to success when starting new ventures?

Mr. Allen: Passion for whatever you are doing.

AE: What have you been passionate about recently? Any new projects to share with us?

Mr. Allen: I’m trying to make the Olympics in curling.

(Courtesy of Jared Allen)

From July Issue, Volume 3

Categories
Features

Marine Finds New Mission for Vets: Help Protect the Oceans

Rudy Reyes embraces stormy weather conditions in Santa Monica, Calif., on Jan. 14, 2023. (John Fredricks/American Essence/The Epoch Times)

Transported to an underwater world, Rudy Reyes finally felt at peace. He was scuba diving in the Cayman Islands, stunned by the sheer beauty that surrounded him. It was a completely different experience from his time as a combat diver for the Marine Corps, part of an elite reconnaissance team that often performed dangerous missions in Iraq.

“Ten kicks in, you’re in the most gorgeous reefs,” he said. “For a whole week, I was immersed in the beauty of God’s creation.” In those restorative waters, he found healing—and a new purpose.

It was a turning point for Reyes. Only days earlier, he was on the brink of taking his own life. 

His Calling

Through a childhood protecting his younger brothers and a grueling journey in the Marine Corps, Reyes gained a profound understanding of what it means to serve. “There is a standard of character in which a young man must fight for the good. A young man must discipline himself and let go of the child and embrace manhood. Manhood means protecting, it means sacrifice, it means a humble nobility that only comes from the pursuing of truth and leaving oneself—leaving oneself as an individual to the side and embracing leadership of community,” he reflected in a recent interview. 

Rudy Reyes walks along the boardwalk at the Santa Monica pier in California. (John Fredricks for American Essence)

Growing up, Reyes and his brothers had to fend for themselves. Following their parents’ divorce, their mother battled depression with drugs and alcohol, and they were left to the care of relatives. When their grandparents passed away, they became adrift in the Midwest, with no permanent home, until eventually they were taken in by a boys’ group home in Omaha, Nebraska. Housed together with other boys who grew up in tough backgrounds, life was like the “law of the jungle, … very ‘Lord of the Flies,’” Reyes said. He took up physical training in order to protect his brothers. At 17, Reyes emancipated himself so that he could later become their legal guardian.

Reyes worked various odd jobs to support his brothers. In 1998, when he was 27, he watched a documentary on children in Kosovo who were orphaned as a result of the conflict there. Their plight motivated Reyes to enlist in the Marine Corps. His superior performance earned him an opportunity to try out for the reconnaissance team. He was accepted. 

“Our country is one of the very few countries in which, through military service, any man or woman of any color, of any religion, can sacrifice their individual identity, become part of a collective, to then forge—completely merit-based—a new identity,” Reyes marveled. “And that will transcend the hard streets, and the gangs, it can transcend the poverty and the abuse. … We can transcend and supersede anything that’s limiting us if we’re willing to sacrifice and throw ourselves totally into the mission.”

Purpose Lost and Found

Reyes was an effective fighter. But after all that he witnessed during tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he returned home a broken man. “I did not believe in good anymore. I didn’t believe in human beings anymore. I didn’t believe in anything,” he said. He struggled to readjust to civilian life. “I felt completely like a stranger in a strange land.”

He turned to drugs and alcohol, and he tumbled in and out of toxic relationships. “I was just trying to numb or fill the hole that was inside my heart,” he said. It was a rapid downward spiral. After he lost his job and his son was taken away from him due to his emotional instability, Reyes felt there was no point in living. “I felt completely useless and worthless.” He put his gun in his mouth. 

Suddenly, he heard a higher power call out to him. “This voice, this power said, … ‘Everything’s going to be OK. And you’re needed, Rudy Reyes.’” From that moment on, he embarked on a different path.

(John Fredricks for American Essence)

A few days after the epiphany, Reyes bumped into a former colleague from a previous acting gig. “He could tell that I was not well, like a shadow of who I used to be,” Reyes said. So his friend invited him to go diving together in the Cayman Islands. Reyes accepted the invitation, but he didn’t expect to be so deeply moved by the experience. “Just seeing the beauty and what was at stake—[I thought] that we cannot lose this,” he said. It sparked an idea: What if veterans like him could retool their combat diving skills to fight for coral reefs instead? 

In 2016, Reyes launched Force Blue, a nonprofit that trains veterans in marine conservation efforts. Marine scientists teach participants how to identify marine animals, preserve coral reefs, survey underwater environments, and remove invasive species and marine debris. 

“We have a fighting force that fought all these other wars. But we can use this fighting force that has skills like no one else has, under the water to fight a battle that we all believe in—which is to protect our planet, to make it beautiful for our children and grandchildren,” Reyes said. He hopes that by helping veterans find purpose in civilian society, and immersing them in the healing natural environment, Force Blue can play a part in preventing veteran suicide. 

Reyes is grateful for the veteran community that has shown him support in the years since. “A lot of young people and old people look up to me, so it’s a great reminder about my responsibility as a leader,” he said. “That’s a great reminder to keep my character super sharp, and to keep my pursuit of truth pure.”

From July Issue, Volume 3