LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:
If there is one certainty about life, it’s that at some point, you will be tested.
When faced with slim odds and poor chances for success, you really only have two choices.
You can either:
- Give up and let your circumstances hollow you from the inside out, or
- You can fight through the pain and come out stronger on the other side.
Often how you respond during these moments governs the rest of your life. Tests can take many forms, but they are often handled in the same ways.
It becomes an internal battle between regret or fear.
On the Inner Edison Podcast, we often talk with people who beat tremendous odds and live successful lives in business or otherwise. Our recent guest is no different.
In 2009, Brandi Benson was a soldier fighting two separate wars simultaneously.
At only 24, she was stuck battling two deadly enemies, one trying to kill her from the outside and another trying to kill her from within.
The Enemy Inside
In the midst of a warzone, Brandi spent her days preparing to fight against an enemy abroad, only to end up fighting a war raging inside her.
As bombs dropped over Baghdad, a different kind of bomb was ticking inside her. After the urging of her platoon, she finally went to the hospital to get a lump on her leg checked out.
After multiple hospital stays in Baghdad, Germany, and finally Walter Reed Hospital, her enemy had a name — Ewing Sarcoma.
The five-year survival rate for people in Brandi’s condition is only 15 to 30 percent. As a soldier, she trained for battle. Now she had to prepare for a different kind of fight.
She explains her story of survival in her book The Enemy Inside Me. As part of the surgery to save her life, the doctors removed her abductor muscles.
Through courage, strength, and pure tenacity, she was the lone survivor of all the people in her cancer ward. Fourteen years later, she’s still fighting the battle.
Her test taught her that life had a different purpose for her than the military.
A New Path
Brandi always planned to be in the military for life. Now she had to think about the rest of her life. After medical retirement from the military, she took a class to learn how to transition to civilian life.
During the class, everyone drafted their resumes to try to get work outside of the military. Brandi realized that they all looked the same, and nothing made them stand out from one another.
After receiving a Master’s Degree from Savannah School of Design, she went to work for The Army Corps of Engineers as an HR representative. She gained a lot of knowledge about job placements, hiring, and resume writing.
She realized many of her friends were working crumby jobs, so she decided to help them with their resumes, and before long, they were landing great jobs!
Armed with a new skill, she decided to launch her first business, Resume Advantage. It was the start of her entrepreneurial journey.
She now divides her time between her business, speaking, blogging, and modeling for health and wellness brands.
Advice for New Entrepreneurs
It’s essential to research the industry you’re interested in. Look at what others are doing and see how you can fill a void in the market.
Brandi also advises to get out and network. Join communities where you can share your passion and your knowledge to help grow your business.
Last, she advises just to get going and learn along the way. You can’t grow your business if you never start.
If you’re looking for a career change and need an updated resume, we highly recommend Resume Advantage.
If you’re looking for more great content about entrepreneurship and more, please follow the Inner Edison Podcast with Ed Parcaut.