What People Are Saying About
Which Way Is Your Warrior Facing?
Which Way is Your Warrior Facing is a home run! Barry uses terminology that resonates with transitioning military members and veterans – military terms that translate well to the transition process. He also leans on both his personal experience and the experiences of countless other veterans with whom he’s worked. If you’re a transitioning service member or a veteran, this will definitely hit close to home, and Barry provides tools to prepare, heal, and succeed in your next and most important mission – YOU! With utmost respect,
– Jon Macaskill, Macaskill Consulting, Navy SEAL Commander (Ret.).
The journey of service to the nation presents us all with physiological, psychological, and social challenges. Everyone who has deployed on operations overseas will have experienced some degree of combat stress. Transition from the military can also be daunting. Through personal experience, Barry Zworestine understands, just as you conduct thorough battle preparation before a Mission, you should transition from Defence by undertaking similar processes. This work provides practical tools to assist you in this process. It is communicated in a clear and concise manner that all veterans will appreciate. The expertise detailed in these pages will exceed your expectation.
– Colonel Greg D DSC, AM – former Commanding Officer – The Australian SAS Regiment).
Barry understands the dichotomy of service and the true meaning of selflessness where veterans will give their lives for those they never knew. In his book he captures the essence of how being in service, no matter in what capacity, can truly change you at your core. Barry has defined a map and compass of the territory that can support you to understand and manage the impacts of your service as you struggle to help yourself. He has identified how difficult it can be to tear down the protective walls that veterans and service members build to stay safe. In “Which Way is Your Warrior Facing” Barry invites you to use the book to gain insight to support you to effectively navigate back into your social world and family. The book embodies an operationalised journey that will support your ability to bring the strengths and values of your warrior back home with you, and by doing so, create positive change. Which Way is Your Warrior Facing asks the hard questions and brings reality to the face of those who would look away from it-veterans and those supporting them. Barry speaks the truth of self-awareness and accountability many need after years of trauma and suffering. This book is a good wake up call for those still in the dark. Change is coming. Are you in control of it? Which Way is Your Warrior Facing will help you move from the passenger seat of your vehicle into the driver’s seat.
– Tom Satterly, CSM (R), Delta Force, Co-Founder/CEO All Secure Foundation.
When we experience loss, we are often told – in subtle and overt ways – to “say goodbye and move on.” Veterans whose identities have been shaped within the crucible of military service, whose military Tribe has become family, are given the same message. Zworestine’s book Which Way is Your Warrior Facing spins on the axis of this essential truth – that successful transition is about reconnecting with the warrior within. As a combat veteran and psychologist, Zworestine keeps it real, making seamless adaptations of military concepts and language to help warriors thrive after their post-military lives. Full of powerful bites of wisdom, Which Way is Your Warrior Facing offers practical value to those in transition, including those stuck in limbo following a partial transition from the military Tribe.
– Doc Shauna Springer, Best-selling author of WARRIOR: How to Support Those Who Protect Us and BEYOND THE MILITARY: A Leader’s Handbook for Warrior Reintegration.
The military does a great job of training soldiers how to go to and win wars; however, they are lacking when it comes to training soldiers how to go back home and re-integrate into civilian life following years of military life. Barry has cracked that code in this regard! And he does so with the heart of a true warrior, and the brain of a licensed psychologist who has been there and done that! Right up front, Barry reminds warriors who are battling demons of the core values they once learned while serving in the military, framing the entire book so one is in optimum receive mode and ready to embrace the warrior spirit within. The questions posed by Barry in this book force the reader to critically think through their individual circumstances in order to realize the opportunities that can still be possible. His operational lingo relates to the target audience and easily facilitates simple understanding of neuroscience concepts. This book should be standard issue to every military member transitioning from service… Barry is the real deal!
– Sammy Villela, U.S. Army Counterintelligence.
Barry Zworestine in his book, “Which Way is Your Warrior Facing” eases into your living room, sits down invited, and calmly and compassionately provides insight into your questions before you even know what to ask or think. It’s as if he is not only in your head, but he also knows what you need before YOU even realize you need it. Barry has a gift. An unremarkable gift of giving to those in need. After serving in a warzone, he has faced death like many of us. As a psychologist, he doesn’t just live in an intellectual world. Instead, he gives compassionate and poignant answers you know you can trust because he is one of us. If I were in a foxhole, scared to death, I would want Barry right beside me. Humble, kind, brilliant, and a realist, Barry helps the veteran not only know that he or she is going to be alright, no matter what, but that they too have a gift. Reading this book is one of the best gifts I could ever give myself. Thank you, Barry. Thank you for letting me into this wonderful tribe you have created.
– Lt Col Dr. Rev David F. Tharp,CEO, Project Healing Heroes.
A warrior’s journey home is never complete, lacking a final destination at which point one might say “I’m finally there.” Rather it is a series of engagements along the way that helps train the warrior’s focus on how to live the next chapter of life more fully and purposefully. Barry Zworestine captures that approach beautifully with Which Way is Your Warrior Facing? as a highly engaging workbook. Barry weaves hard-won lessons learned and warrior stories from his own personal journey, as well as those of others, into a practical guide for your own successful transition into the unstructured world of civilian life. No matter what rank you achieved, what military job you had, or how much or how little combat action you’ve experienced, this book is for you. Thank you, Barry!
– Jeffrey B. Kendall, Brigadier General, USAF (Retired).
In working with numerous transitioning veterans in the Special Operations community, there are common themes – fear of loss, lack of community (the brotherhood), cultural shifts, etc. Barry Zworestine helps the reader unpack some of the “inner stuff” that is sometimes not addressed when transitioning alone or without a plan. An excellent read offering relevant models to help a vet (or coach of a vet) address the emotional side of transition. Some veterans do not transition well. This can then lead to depression and poor decision making. Barry’s deep concern and passion for veterans has enabled him to write a piece of work that could potentially save lives – NO exaggeration! Grateful for Barry and his insight!
– Joe Lara, Previous Director of Programs at The Honor Foundation, U.S.A.
I have known Barry for 47 years. He is a great friend. We met in basic training in the Rhodesian Army Medical Corps. We lost contact for 40 years and thanks to social media, recently became re-connected. Being from the same ‘tribe’ it was like we were never apart. I consider it an honour to be asked to review his book. It is one thing to have the knowledge on a subject, it is another thing altogether to also have the personal related experience. When these two attributes are combined with good judgement, that is my definition of wisdom. Barry possesses all three, knowledge, experience and good judgement and has combined them into a practical work of art that is “Which Way Is Your Warrior Facing?” A must read for anyone transitioning.
– Nigel Dickinson, Ex Combat Medic, Rhodesian Army, now a businessman and entrepreneur.
