Lt. Col Scott Mann is a retired Green Beret with combat tours in Columbia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Scott’s newest book is “The Generosity of Scars: How Your Stories of Struggle Can Change Lives – Especially Your Own.”
We first met Scott in 2022 with the release of his NY Times best-selling book “Operation Pineapple Express”. Pineapple Express may be one of the greatest rescue missions in history, successfully getting approximately 1,000 of our Afghan allies and their families out of the country after the fall of Kabul. 
Scott did not anticipate having any issues making the transition to civilian life. In fact, he was extremely excited about the next chapter for him and his family. However, a Special Forces Vietnam Veteran cautioned him “Scott, keep an eye on those snakes in the head because they are going to start squirming when you get out. And when they do, call me.”
Within 72 hours of leaving the Army, those snakes started to squirm. Scott began a downward spiral so serious he found himself in a closet contemplating taking his own life. He describes those times as his “transition purgatory.”
His personal journey parlayed into a broader movement to help others share their stories and find healing. “We all have these amazing stories of struggle inside of us. And we can determine whether that hardens and kills us or whether we repurpose it into stories that help other people “. His new mission strikes me as a natural transition. After all, Green Berets are experts at building human connections in low trust, high-stakes environments.
The lessons and inspirations contained in “The Generosity of Scars” are not just for Veterans. Story telling in the oldest modality for communication in the world. Sharing one’s “scars” can make a person more relatable whether they are making a sales pitch, speaking at your daughter’s wedding or presenting to the Board of Directors.
TAKEAWAY: “What if your ugliest scar could become your most beautiful gift?