This episode features Kerri Bicskei, an active duty military spouse, psychotherapist, and founder of the nonprofit organization Mindful Warrior Alliance. Kerri shares her ongoing family building journey, taking both holistic and Western medical approaches before being diagnosed with unexplained infertility, later complicated by endometriosis. Kerri and her husband ultimately decided to travel out of state for IVF, since as an active duty military family, lack of insurance coverage for treatment made cost a major barrier, fertility support at their local military installation had a several year waitlist, and they wanted to be closer to family for support during treatment.
Throughout their journey, Kerri has experienced firsthand the unique and massive challenges military families face. Kerri explains how Tricare fails to cover most fertility expenses and how seeking mental health care through the military system is “truly not confidential,” potentially flagging the service member’s record and jeopardizing their career. She started Mindful Warrior Alliance to directly address these gaps, providing $5,000 financial scholarships to military members, spouses, Guard, Reserve, and veterans and offering six free mental health counseling sessions using a 100% confidential, HIPAA compliant platform, ensuring client information is not shared with command or insurance. Throughout the episode, Kerri highlights the importance of support systems, emphasizing the power of community, resilience, and the importance of seeking help and support during a complicated family building journey.
Connect with Kerri at Mindful Warrior Alliance.
Need additional support as a military-connected person navigating family building challenges? Check out AllPaths’ monthly free/virtual Building Military Families Support Group.
Kerri Bicskei is a licensed psychotherapist, certified yoga and meditation teacher, and the founder of Mindful Warrior Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting military service members, veterans, and their families through free mental health counseling and fertility grants. As a former Division I and professional volleyball player, Kerri brings a unique perspective to her work, combining her athletic experience with clinical expertise to help high performers navigate challenges related to anxiety, perfectionism, and overthinking.
In addition to her nonprofit work, Kerri is the host of the Mindful Warriors podcast, where she explores topics at the intersection of mental health, mindfulness, and high performance.
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