Lauren Grigsby | PART 2 | Wisdom Beyond My Years

During her second tour to Iraq, Lauren learned a lot. Overseeing her company's wellfare, and specifically, mental health challenged her at 24 years old. "That stuck out to me, because at that age you really are still just a child yourself"

When she returned home she felt her mentality was 30 years ahead of her peers. That and a new marriage made it difficult to assimilate into civilian life. But she was left with a sense of survivors guilt after two tours into combat and seeing her comrades suffer. Her own mental journey began.

Today, she oversees operations at the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch and facilitates the natural healing of local veterans through agritherapy. Relearning to appreciate "awe" is key, she says. And the ranch allows a variety of ways to heal since mental health doesn't have a one-size-fits-all solution. "I didn't know how to fundraise or run a non-profit, but I understood the mission," she says. The mental battle in theveterans is very similar to watching the battle of Fallujah from her Iraqi base, except now, those battles reside in the minds of her fellow veterans.