Zander Keig: Trans US Veteran Mental Wellnes Coach

OutBüro - LGBTQ Voices

In this episode of OutBüro Voices featuring LGBTQ professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders from around the world, host Dennis Velco chats with Zander Keig, a US military veteran, a trans man who has dedicated his career in service to others.

After a military medical discharge, his career took a slightly winding path yet always with a focus on being of service to others. He became a local police officer, achieved a degree in conflict resolution with a focus on corporate merger and acquisition. But he then attended seminary focusing again on service to others achieving a Masters in Theology. Afterward, he began working in career services working for the State of California working with US Veterans. An economic downturn led to being laid off. and took the opportunity to relocate to Orlando, Florida to be close to family.

During COVID he was led into his current role of providing consulting and coaching services virtually. Zander provides services through an Employer Assistance Program (EAP). Check to see if you have an EAP as part of your benefits. Familiarize yourself with their offerings and take advance of them. For example, many offer mental health services up to a set number of appointments. Many are now providing special services in response to COVID helping employees cope with stress, anxiety, depression, financial concerns, life coping, relationship coaching, sleep hygiene, and more.

Zander is also through consulting helping to establish wellness and inclusion oriented webinars for companies. There is a gap between policy and practice. Due to COVID, there is a huge burnout issue. All the additional home and at-home care responsibilities and issues resulting from COVID while working remotely from home has made many to feel isolated, disconnected, and burnt out.

Zander shared that he is working on a new educational service exploring childhood adverse experiences, their impact on adulthood health, outlook, and lifestyle, and how to deal with such adversity in a healthy way. He explains the strong study based research that correlates trauma to addiction, homelessness, obesity, diabetes, heart health.

We chatted about how the LGBTQI community member due to social stigma and family ignorance, religious intolerance dogmatic beliefs, bullying, being shunned, being harassed, and so much more are an adverse experience which also can, and often do affect, the LGBTQ persons.

We chat quite a bit about the US Veteran Administrative Health services and in general how great they are. Zander shared how the US VA has two policy directives for the LGB veterans and the second for transgender and intersexed veterans. These policies outline all the rights and entitlements for LGBTQI+ veterans have as medical patients. In addition, all VA centers have at least one LGBTQI+ Patient Care Coordinator who is like a patient advocate. The Affordable Care Act ACA) aka Obama Care opened the VA up to provide Healthcare to all US veterans who qualify based on income. All US veterans are encouraged to check out the VA's website to learn all the facts and see if you may qualify.

To connect with Zander find him on OutBüro here. https://outburo.com/profile/zanderkeig/

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