Healing Veterans Through Beekeeping Feat. Steve Jimenez ’22 Owl Have You Know podcast

Healing Veterans Through Beekeeping feat. Steve Jimenez ’22

23h ago 40:38

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The transition from military to civilian life can be tumultuous for any veteran. And this was the case for our guest today Steve Jimenez. And he found peace in an unexpected place when a friend invited him to try beekeeping.

In 2018, Steve founded Hives for Heroes, a nonprofit teaching veterans, active-duty military members, and first responders beekeeping skills to help them adapt to civilian life and deal with post-traumatic stress. Hives for Heroes has veterans and volunteers in every U.S. state, serving over 31,000 hives.

Host Maya Pomroy ’22 catches up with Steve in this episode to hear about his journey from studying sociology as an undergrad at A&M, to serving in the Marine Corps, overcoming personal struggles and finding solace in beekeeping. We’ll hear how Hives For Heroes aids military veterans in honeybee conservation, fostering connections and healing through nature and community service.

Tune in to learn more about the organization's growth, it’s core values, and ambitious plans for the future, including cutting-edge technology and how you can help them build a new headquarters right here in Houston.

Episode Guide:

01:17 Steve's Educational Background and Joining the Marine Corps

03:16 Marine Corps Training and Deployment Experiences

05:54 Transitioning to Civilian Life and Career Challenges

09:40 Discovering Beekeeping and Founding Hives for Heroes

15:08 Impact and Growth of Hives for Heroes

20:57 The Hive Mentality

21:10 A Life-Saving Connection: Derek's Story

22:17 Joining Hives for Heroes: The Process

22:42 Mentorship and Community Building

25:13 Awards and Recognition: A Humble Perspective

27:47 Scaling Up: The Need for Support

32:14 Heroes Honey: The Sweet Taste of Freedom

34:46 Future Vision: Connecting People, Nature, and Technology

38:46 A Call for Support

Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

On redefining his identity

23:50: I used to call myself Steve the Marine. Now I'm Steve. That was in the Marines. There's a very different shift there that I love, like, I am now more so a father than a Marine. That's who I am, right? I care about my kids more than the Marine Corps at this point in my life. Doesn't mean I don't honor that service. It just means that I've moved forward. And that's a lot of growth for me personally. And I know we tend to put our identities into things. You get to choose that, so I choose to put that into my fatherhood or being a public servant that we're able to serve the general public in really amazing ways, leading what I consider one of the best organizations on the planet. Those are the types of things that when you take your identity and allow yourself to create your identity, your path, and your journey. It's a super-powerful experience.

On Hives for Heroes’ impact

We never thought that the organization would have the reach and impact that it does today. I think our most important number has always been one. One meaning to serve one person in a capacity that changes their life. And we can do that whether that's a beekeeping experience or even a conversation. When you are around people that genuinely care about you and your successes but want nothing from you, it's a pretty powerful position to be in, especially when you feel alone. So, what our organization has been able to do is connect individuals to individuals in their local areas. So, we call it hyperlocal global impact because that's what we do.

From chaos to calmness

13:31: When I started focusing into the beehive, this experience caused me to really remove every external thing that I was thinking about, anything that was going on at the house, anything with my kids, anything that was going on externally was gone. [13:58] You have this, what we now call chaos to calmness. So, this was the first time in almost 10 years that I actually felt peace. I felt calm in my spirit, in my soul, in my brain, however you want to describe it.

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Healing Veterans Through Beekeeping feat. Steve Jimenez ’22