While studying at the College of William & Mary, Sam Pressler learned about the post-traumatic stress disorder war veterans were facing as they reintegrated into civilian life.  So in 2015, he started Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) to help them re-enter and thrive in their communities. ASAP, based out of Washington DC and Hampton Roads, VA gives veterans a voice by doing something completely unconventional… By offering them free classes and workshops in stand-up comedy, improv, storytelling, and creative writing. But the entrepreneurial journey for Sam Pressler was no joke. He bootstrapped with just two other employees—and during the same week, they both quit. “That was rock bottom for us. I thought we were going to implode,” he said.  “How the heck am I going to do this?” he asked himself. Yet instead of quitting, Sam kept pushing forward. “Time stopped and I immediately went into survival mode." He asked himself one question, "What is the first step to take to get out of this?” and then created an insane schedule for himself—4:30 am workouts at the gym and 6-10 am focused solo time at the desk. “I ruthlessly prioritized my time, segmenting every minute of my day,” he said. Sam's hard work paid off and ASAP was asked to organize a show at the White House. "It was surreal," he said. Since 2015, more than 450 students have taken classes, and there have been over 700 performances in front of an estimated 40,000 audience members. Sam is an Echoing Green Fellow and was recently named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Social Entrepreneurship. Sam Pressler Reading List  Mastery by Robert Greene Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger  Sam Pressler Show Notes Sam Pressler studied political science at the College of William & Mary Back in high school, Sam lost a close family member to suicide Humor and laughter are universal languages that can connect us Growing up, Sam’s passions were service and comedy Sam read Jerry Seinfeld’s biography Sam’s father went to the same gym as Tina Fey. Tina Fey agreed to have an hour-long lunch with Sam! 20 military veterans commit suicide each day in the US Suicide rates in the US are rising Older veterans are seeing the higher rates of suicides Less than 1% of the population has served in combat, so veterans have very few people who understand them when they return home Veterans can face identity issues when returning to civilian life Identity and purpose are important Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger The military gives soldiers a strong sense of community. When they go home, they are abruptly stripped of this community and social bonds. Social clubs and community groups are on the decline At William & Mary, Sam started a writing group and comedy club for 65 veterans from Williamsburg Sam got help from George Srour and Cosmo Fujiyama (my sister) and received a prestigious Echoing Green grant. For Sam, the very firs

51: Using standup comedy & improv to help war veterans — Sam Pressler

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