April 3, 2025 • 30 mins
Tax Season is upon us…..and if you haven’t filed your taxes yet…..You’re NOT alone. Manny Munoz discusses that and a new tool to help make filing your taxes simpler with Emily DiVito, a former Treasury official and Groundwork Collaborative senior expert.
AND, relationships can be difficult. Marriage takes work. We discuss how to navigate some of those things with former Navy Seal Jason Redman and his Wife, Erica......who’ve written “MISSION: INVINCIBLE MARRIAGE: A Battle-Tested Guide to an Enduring Relationship”
AND, relationships can be difficult. Marriage takes work. We discuss how to navigate some of those things with former Navy Seal Jason Redman and his Wife, Erica......who’ve written “MISSION: INVINCIBLE MARRIAGE: A Battle-Tested Guide to an Enduring Relationship”
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a public affairs special focusing on
the biggest issues in facting you this week.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Here's many Munos.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
And welcome to another edition of Iheartradios Communities. As you heard,
I am.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Manny Muno's yay.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Tax season is upon us, and if you haven't filed
your taxes yet, you're not alone. Let's talk about that
and a tool to make your life a lot easier
and simpler. We bring in Emily DeVito, former Treasury official
and Groundwork Collaborative senior expert. Emily, I appreciate the time,
thanks for joining us.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
This is only the second year Americans can use direct File,
the wonderful tools I mentioned, tens of millions of us
will do so, so I want to get into that
in a few minutes. But let's start off with some
of the basics about tax season if we could. I
was surprised so many, so few Americans actually know tax
day is April fifteenth.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
That's so funny. I feel like I grew up knowing
tax Day with April fifth teenth. But yes, April fifteenth
is officially the last day of tax season. While the
start of tax season changes year to year. The final
day is always pretty consistent.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
So if someone is listening and they haven't filed their
taxes yet, clearly they've waited till the last minute.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
So what's your best advice. What are some rules of thumb?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yeah, I think you know. One of the most important
reasons to file your taxes. Of course, you want to
stay stay in compliance, make sure you don't get charged
for anything because you file late. But mostly most Americans,
especially working Americans, are going to get money back on
their taxes. They're going to get refunds from their withholding,
and then they're also probably eligible for a bunch of
(01:42):
different tax credits. So that's the way to make sure
you get the money you're owed each year.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Is there a difference between somebody who has owed money
and doesn't file taxes and someone who owes money and
doesn't file their taxes by April fifteenth.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
I mean the difference will be whether or not you're
able to get that money. So usually especially people who
have w two income, so any kind of income that
workers gets from a job. Most folks, especially if you
have kids, then qualify for the child tax credit. There's
different student and tuition tax credits. The earned income tax credit.
(02:21):
All of these are different ways that the government can
help families. All these are different ways that families can
stay afloat, and so we want to make sure that
folks can claim the credits they're owed. And because a
lot of these programs course through the tax system, that's
how the government administers them. Filing your taxes each year
(02:41):
to be able to access those payments is really important.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
What are the consequences of failing to file your taxes
on time or missing the April fifteenth deadline.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
You can always ask for an extension from the IRS
in advance. They give you usually until about October of
this calendar year or that calendar year. So if you
know you're not going to be able to file, or
you're waiting for different kinds of paperwork or in a
weird situation right now, you can request an extension. But
(03:12):
if you don't file, you just always run the risk
of the I r S sort of flagging you at
a later date and owing a penalty on the amount
you may or may not have owed for a previous
tax year. So it's always best just to avoid that
headache upfront.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
How does that process work of filing an extension. What
do our listeners need to know about the process.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Folks can go to IRS dot gov or you can
just sort of google how to file an extension with
the i r S and they make it pretty easy.
There's a couple of different ways to do it, and
just make sure you do it through the I would
recommend doing it directly through the i r S to
make sure that you follow the proper procedures and then
(03:56):
of course that they know exactly sort of what your
plans are for filing your taxes and you don't get dinged.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Even if you file for an extension, you're granted an extension.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
If you owe money, you've got to send the money.
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yes, you do have to send the money that you're owed,
but there are a couple of different ways to do that,
depending on how you choose to file. And in a
couple of at least in my tax situations in the
last couple of years, I have owed money, for instance,
my federal tax, but I've gotten some money back from
(04:33):
my state income tax, which obviously sort of dephrased the
cost a little bit.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Gotcha, And I guess we have to estimate if we
if we believe we owe the IRS money. We have
to estimate how much we send them in that situation.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Yeah, yeah, so I pay up fronts. A lot of
people just pay up front, you know. You go and
file your taxes and then you get that number back
and you send in a track. You can also get
on sort certain payment plans you can estimate and pay
in advance so that the shock at the end of
tax season is enough severe each year.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Yeah, no question about it.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
I want to get into some of the tax credits
that you've mentioned and everything else in just a moment.
We're speaking with Emily de Vito, former Treasury official and
Groundwork Collaborative senior expert.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
So talk to me about what direct file is.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Direct File was great. So last year, for the first
time ever, the IRS launched a program called direct File
where you're able to file your taxes for free directly
with the IRS online. A lot of folks file online
every year, but they end up shelling out a lot
of money to private tax prepairs like TurboTax and H
and R Block. So with direct File, you can file
(05:47):
four free and it's just as easy as using some
of those other paid preparation software.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
How simple is It's it's really simple.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
I've been through the program of several times, both to
file and then just to sort of get a handle
on how it works. Last year, in its pilot season,
users reported that sometimes it took them under thirty minutes
to file. So it can be a really easy way
to save time and certainly money each year.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
And this is something that could save taxpayers a lot
of money in the long run.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Right, Yeah, So each year, Americans spend about one point
seven billion hours and thirty one billion dollars filing their taxes.
So with direct file you can save a lot of
that time and you end up saving We estimated the
average Americans saved about one hundred and sixty dollars using
(06:40):
direct file and avoiding some of those paid alternatives.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
What if you have more complicated taxes, you will properties,
you have multiple jobs, things like that. How simple, in
other words, do our taxes have to be to be
able to take advantage of direct file?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Direct file covers most all of the most common taxes situations,
and it covers most of the most popular credits. So
for a lot of people that's their tax situations are
going to be eligible to use direct file. This year,
it's about thirty two million people in the twenty five states.
The direct File is available in who we think will
(07:17):
be able to use the program. But you know, the
idea was to scale direct File up from its first
tax season last year to this one. We expanded a
lot of different sort of forms and situations and tax credits,
so hopefully the program can continue to grow. But the
program itself is really intuitive, so no matter what if
(07:38):
you need to claim certain credits or you have different
sources of income, it's all just right there and a
pretty intuitive tool to be using. And there are a
couple of different cool customer support features included as well,
including an online chat and then the IRS last year
implemented a callback feature so you don't have to spend
(07:59):
a ton of time waiting on the phone.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Why only twenty five states.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's a really hard program to sort of scale. IRS
did it very very well. It is a tool that
people love, It is intuitive to use. They focused on
user design and obviously tax accuracy, so planning all of
that stuff and planning out how to make sure it
(08:25):
covers folk to meet it the most across all states.
It just takes a little bit of time. States to
have different tax obligations on their own, so figuring out
ways to pair direct files with another state that, for instance,
has its own state income tax just takes time and consideration.
(08:46):
So scaling it up to half of US states and
thirty two million people in two years is really impressive,
and hopefully we can continue to grow the program until
it reaches everybody in all states.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I guess I should ask how we can even try
to direct file? Do you go to the IRS website
or how do.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
We do that?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Yeah, you can go to IRS dot gov slash direct
file to see if you're eligible and then to start
filing your taxes for free.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
What about security measures in place to protect our data?
Obviously many of us concerned about identity EFAF things like that,
and when you're dealing with things like your taxes, your
Social Security number and everything, that's a concern.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Yeah, direct file is completely secure. It allows taxpayers to
sidestep using those third party tax prep services that don't
have as many obligations to safeguard your debt to your
data as the IRS does. And however you choose to
file your taxes, you know your data will ultimately end
up with the IRS. So I think that the safest,
(09:44):
most effective way to keep it secure is to file
directly with the IRS.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Any hidden fees or additional costs when using direct file, No.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
It's totally free. And even if you live in a
state where you can file with direct file, but you
still have a tax a state tax obligation, direct file
will automatically take you to your or it will process
you to your state filing tax software and that will
be free as well.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Why would anybody not use this if they're able to,
is my question? Yeah, yeah, I think you know.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
It's a new program, so we just need to make
sure folks know about it. I think that's the biggest
that's the biggest barrier is that it's pretty new. People
sort of have an aversion to talking about their taxes,
but this this tool makes it really really easy and
can save you time and money.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
IRS dot gov gova slash direct file. A couple more
minutes here with Emily Davido, former Treasury Official Groundwork Collaborative
senior expert. Earlier, you mentioned tax credits. You listed off
a whole bunch of them, child tax credits, college loans
or whatever. How do we find out about those or
if we're using direct file for example, are there are
(10:59):
we asked about those kinds of things immediately?
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Yeah, So if you log onto IRS dot gov slash
direct file, you can before you even log onto the
program itself, you can run through the eligibility screener and
we'll ask you a couple of different questions about what
credits you might be eligible for, what kinds of income
you have, and you can get a run down to there.
You can also find all of the credits and income
(11:23):
sources listed out and states for that matter, listed out
on the IRS direct file website. But again, most of
the most common ones, so the child tax credit, earned
income tax credit, credit for the elderly, or the disabled.
I think IRS designed the program intentionally to make sure
that the tool is maximally useful to the folks most
(11:44):
likely to need a free action.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
What about new tax credits or deductions that might be
available this year for the first time, Are there any
of those.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
That's a good credit? That's a good question. I would
have to I would have to sort of refer back
to last year actually to do that comparison. But yes,
the program has been significantly expanded from last year when
it was pretty limited, just sort of a use case
pilot in only twelve states.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Last few things for you, what are the most common
mistakes you've found in your career the tax filers make
when filing their taxes.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
I think, especially with direct file, making sure that all
of your data is inputted correctly is sort of I
think where people can can go astray direct file actually
import some of your data from previous years if the
IRS has it, so they're sort of solving for that
(12:44):
sort of simple innocent user error. But that's a big one.
You know, inputting data manually from your W two into
a computer can be a little bit tricky, but that's one.
And then, like I said, I think people don't even
realize the credits that they're missing out on. Sometimes each
year about twenty percent of taxpayers don't claim some of
(13:07):
the credits that they're owed, including for instance, the earned
income tax credits. And so making sure you're filing your
taxes like direct file, through a system that is going
to prompt you to answer questions to make sure that
you're eligible is going to be really important. Otherwise you're
leaving money on the table.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
What if you're in the middle of this and you
don't know you're asked a question by direct file and
you just have no idea what is your advice for
somebody in that situation.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Directly is self paid, so you can always just sort
of like pause, figure about, hunt down your paperwork, Google answers,
whatever it is, and return to direct file when you're
ready again. But again, use some of the tools available
to you. Call the IRS if you need to use
the online chat feature. Try to use the resources that
(13:57):
are integrated into the system to be free and helpful
and get the official i RS advice is always going
to be your best bet.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
IRS dot gov, slash, direct files a website, right, yes,
all right, Emily to video former Treasury official and Groundwork
Collaborative senior expert. Thank you for the time. I'm sure
many of us will just be happy when it's all over.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Thank you so much. Have a good one.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Marriage takes work, relationships could be hard, right sometimes before
even having children. But you put all of that together
throw in service to our nation. Now you're talking difficult.
How do those who have managed to navigate all of
those things.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
And more successfully do it? Well, let's discuss it as
we bring in former Navy Seal Army ranger Jason Redman.
His wife Erica.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Together, they've written Mission Invincible Marriage, a battle tested guide
to an enduring relationship.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Jason Eric, I appreciate the time, Thanks for joining.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
Me, thanks for having us on.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Yeah, many honored to be here, man, honored to speak
with you, sir.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
So let me start with this, the difficulties of serving
as I guess.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Being a Navy Seal wasn't enough.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
You decided to be an Army ranger as well, the
difficulties of dealing just with that being a military family.
Before we even get to the rest of your story,
talk to me about that.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Yeah, I mean, definitely, being a member of a special
operations unit is tough. I mean you're gone all the time.
A lot of people don't understand. I mean, not only
are there multiple deployments, but even when you're home, you're
not really home. For the seal teams, we travel all
across the country to train, sometimes even internationally depending on
what we're doing jungle warfare, winter warfare, things like that.
(15:36):
So obviously that place is a tremendous strain and burden
on the family. I think my last deployment cycle year
in not even on the deployment year and the training year,
we were going two hundred and eighty six days out
of that year. So obviously for a spouse, that's a
lot of time that you're raising the kids by yourself,
that you're dealing with all the problems that we have
(15:58):
in life by yourself.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
What was it like for you, because I think that's
something that we as a country don't pay enough attention to,
is the role of the military spouse and everything that
they give up in service to our country as well.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
You know, I really didn't have a lot of military
influence from my you know, my family or personal So
I will say, you know, when Jay met, you know,
when we met, I had no idea of what a
huge military family I was marrying into. And I'll say
from the very beginning, he almost he almost tried to
discourage me. He he told me I should run, which
(16:33):
we've joked about for for the last twenty something years.
You know, I sometimes I'll ask him if I still
have that option. You know, I think it was so
much more important for our communication and for us to
be deliberate and very intentional with our relationship, because you do,
you're you're you're dealing with more strains and stresses that
(16:56):
you know, most average relationships don't have to.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Go through Okay, so there's that part of a relationship.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
And look, let's face it, relationships take work, right, it's
constant give and take. But then you throw in the
military service, as we talked about it being parents and
then Jason, for people that aren't familiar with you your story.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
I mentioned your Navy seal. That wasn't enough, I guess, so.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
You had to become an Army ranger as well, Purple
Heart recipient. And then let's talk about what happened to
you while you were in service.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
What was it? Fallujah?
Speaker 5 (17:26):
Yeah, right outside of Flujah, northeast of Falujah, a little
rural area and Iraq called Karma Mi Keim and I
went after a high value Al Qaeda leader and unfortunately
walked into a very successful Al Kada ambush. Myself, multiple
members of my team were shot up. I was shot
eight times between my body and body armor, including two
(17:48):
machine gun rounds to the elbow which almost took off
my arm and I took a machine gun round to
the face, which obviously did a lot of damage. So
four years and almost forty surgeries to get put back together.
It effectively ended my seal operational career, although I did.
I did finish my career in the military to finish
twenty years, and obviously Erica was right there with me
(18:11):
as I navigated through all of that.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
So, Erica, you two have been through things together that
would have ended I think all but the most special
relationships of marriages. What was that like when when Jason
comes back home and I imagine just happy that you
have him back, but knowing what was in store for
you in trying to get him, you know, to live again.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Yeah, I mean I will, I will admit, you know,
I don't think you know when he deployed that combat
deployment it did, it had, It had a very different
feel to it. I'm not somebody that worries or frets
a lot. I didn't watch the news a lot, but
that that deployment in particular, just it had a different
feel to it. So I don't think you could ever
(18:58):
plan for that. We didn't see that coming, but I
think we were very fortunate that we had built a
good foundation, we had good communication, and you know, I
think for us, fortunately when in versity hit, which I
mean for a lot of other people, injury, illness, I mean,
it can come in so many different forms. Ours just
(19:20):
happened to be battlefield injuries pretty you know, severe that
it actually made us stronger. You know, I think we
were fortunate that our foundation was good, and there's no
doubt that if if there had been underlying problems, I
think it'll make you or break you.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Jason, you've written a number of books obviously on overcoming
and leadership and your story. What made you decide that
you wanted to talk about your relationship and how you
and Erica your marriage had managed to overcome as you
had in terms of just yourself.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Yeah, really it was driven by all the amazing people
that have supported us over the years. In my first book,
to Try It, you know, which really covers our career,
our whole story is in there, from when Eric and
I met, to dating, to challenges to you know, the
highs and lows of my career. You know, leadership, failure,
(20:20):
battlefield injuries, all of that, and a lot of people
that followed us over the years have said, how did
you guys do it? You guys have divided the odds
special operations, the sealed teams have a ninety percent of
worce rate when the warriors have a ninety percent of
wor S rate, so many people wanted to know. It
became a question. We were asked all the time, how
have you guys done this in your relationship? You have
(20:41):
such a strong marriage. So it led us to really
start to write those things down, really look at what
were the things we had done, and we became a
real We began to realize, you know, we were so
intentional about our marriage and the way we communicated and
structure and things that we put in place, that it
all really turned into this book. And while we did
(21:02):
write the book with a military law enforcement fire focus
individuals that are in a high stress kind of high
speed job, we recognize it could work for anyone. I mean,
these are practical things that you can implement into your
relationship to find greater success.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Of a few minutes here with Jason Redman, former Navy
Seal Army Ranger Purple Heart recipient, and his wife Erica.
Their book is titled Mission Invincible Marriage, A Battle Tested
Guide for an Enduring or to an enduring relationship. Erica,
the most trying times for the two of you after
Jason returned with his injuries, initially having to go through
(21:44):
what thirty seven surgeries or whatever. All of that, I imagine
for both of you it had to be an emotional
roller coaster. But I also have a hard time believing
that the Jason was easy to live with. How how
did you both manage to survive all of that?
Speaker 4 (22:00):
You know, we actually talk about this in the book
that probably him coming back and his battlefield injuries wasn't
actually the hardest point in our relationship, you know, I
think for both of us were we were happy, and
it was I can't say that, you know, every day
(22:22):
was a great day for those four years, but Jay
was very positive, which you know, really helped me support
him and be a good team. But we actually years later,
kind of when all the surgeries were done, we were
running a nonprofit. And I think so many people can
relate to this that he really was depressed and like
(22:47):
feeling down and and I think that it's so common that,
you know, you people can look around and be like
I should be happy right now, Like I'm happy, I'm healthy,
the kids were good, our nonprofit was doing well well.
But he was really in a funk and that was
really difficult when he was shutting me out. So for
me going through his injuries, working together as a team
(23:12):
was easier. Then later on when we were trying to
figure out what was wrong and he was kind of
shutting me out and not working as a team.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
Yeah, and Jason, I imagine that has been a growing issue
in our country, right, especially for a guy, you know,
real macho Navy seal army rangers. I've mentioned all of that.
When you're struggling emotionally, when you're going through depression or
other mental health challenges, how difficult was it for you?
Did you did you? Did you reach out for help?
Did you finally give in and talk to Eric and say,
(23:44):
I'm going through this.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Can we work on this together? How did that work out?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
No?
Speaker 5 (23:51):
And it is a real problem because I think for
those of us type a's who come from us, but
we think we can fix anything. Yeah, we think we
can overcome any obstacle, and oftentimes when it gets to
mental health, we feel like there's a level of weakness
to say, hey, I'm broken, there's something wrong with me.
So we want to fix it ourselves, and we try
and self medicate. I did all the I did all
(24:12):
the things. I pushed people away, I drank too much alcohol,
and really it was Erica. And this this lends itself
to the strength of our marriage and the intentionality because
Erica really gave me some time to try and deal
with it, and then finally she told me that, you know,
we're you're breaking things. And she also brought up, you know,
(24:32):
the potential for the ending of our marriage, which was
really off limits. We had made an agreement that we
would never say that, we would never you know, it
was forever, but it was and I needed it. It
shocked me into taking action and I went to my command.
I was still active duty. I went to my command,
and we have psychologists, and I said, I need help.
(24:53):
And that was the beginning. And I think that's really important,
that communication and building a level of trust and figuring
out how do I communicate with my spouse to understand,
you know, they need to take action. So I really
encourage anybody that's out there, if you're struggling with mental health,
don't do it alone. I talk about in special operations,
we don't we don't do one man room clearances. You know,
we always have a battle buddy, a combat buddy, a
(25:15):
swim buddy, and the seal teams. Let your spouse be
that person.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Yeah, and it's an issue, a growing issue, the whole
mental health aspect, not only obviously in the military, but
first responders, law enforcement, and.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Really every area of our life. Erica.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Communication obviously, as you've talked about, a very important factor
in making any relationship work. But I don't have to
tell you that men and women communicate.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Differently, very differently.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
That alone could be a problem and a source of contention.
How have you two managed to overcome that issue?
Speaker 4 (25:50):
I mean absolutely, I think that there's some fundamental differences,
but you know, every individual is going to have differences.
I think it's learning, learning what how your partner communicates,
learning how they tick. Jay is a very action driven person,
and so he's kind of learned sometimes and I have
(26:14):
to be better about communicating because if I start telling
him my problems, like, he goes into to fix it
most right. So so sometimes I have to get better
and say, you know, hey, I don't want you to
fix this, I just want you to listen to me
right now or you know. So, so it's almost become
(26:34):
a little bit of a joke when you learn that
person and learn your communication style. So sometimes he'll listen
to me then and he's like He's like, Okay, am
I listening or am I fixing?
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Like?
Speaker 3 (26:43):
What?
Speaker 5 (26:44):
Like?
Speaker 4 (26:44):
What?
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Jason?
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Was there anything surprising or unexpected? As as you two
were going through your research and putting the book together,
did you that you discovered about your marriage or relationship?
Speaker 2 (26:57):
You know?
Speaker 5 (26:57):
I think the biggest thing when we first talked about
do this, I was like, who the hell am I
to write a relationship book? And obviously we knew we
had been very intentional in our marriage, But I don't
think until we finally sat down and really wrote all
these things out did we realize how much structure and
how well we had done somethings. Some of the things
(27:19):
we're aware of, some of the things just kind of
happened naturally, and actually laying it out into a relationship book,
I'll be honest, it was so much better than I
expected it to be. And using some real world you know,
the Gotman Institute is a very big, well known marriage
institute that provides tremendous advice. We looked at some of that,
(27:43):
and so much of what we put in paralleled that,
except we put it in this very practical real world
with kind of a military spin on it, you know,
as mission training under fire. So it's been fascinating. I
hope that anybody out there who's in a marriage or
a relationship will take a look at this book because
I definitely think it will help you.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Eric.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
A last thing for you, guys, what what is the
feedback that you've gotten, is there is there one theme
that when somebody couples who've read the book come to you,
they tell you this part of what you talked about
helped us or we could relate to that. Is there
one thing that one big takeaway?
Speaker 4 (28:21):
You know, it's still I mean, we're getting feedback that's
starting to roll in, but I do I think it's
you know, just how practical and how relatable the book is,
which you know was always kind of scary, you know,
like you know, we put you know, our personal stuff
down and we you know, we thought it would work.
(28:42):
We thought it would be relatable and give practical tools.
But to actually hear the feedback that that it is
relatable and makes sense and we we really did. We
hoped that this book that people that normally wouldn't be
open to a marriage book or a book like this
(29:02):
because we don't have you know, psychology backgrounds and in
everything else we're not doc, you know, and with his
military background, we're hoping that this will reach audiences that
maybe maybe wouldn't have been open to reading a marriage book.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Like this, And I think all of us could use
any help we could get right to improve our relationships.
The book is titled Mission Invincible Marriage, A Battle Tested
Guide to an Enduring Relationship. Former Navy Seal Army Ranger
Purple Heart recipient Jason Redman, written with his wife Erica,
thank you both for the book, thank you both for
your time, and sincerely, thank you both for your service
(29:41):
to our nation. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Be well, yeah, I'm merely our honor.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Thank you for having me, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
And that'll do it for another edition of Iheartradios Communities.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
I'm Manny Muno's Until next time, m
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a public affairs special focusing on
the biggest issues in facting you this week.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Here's many Munos.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
And welcome to another edition of Iheartradios Communities. As you heard,
I am.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Manny Muno's yay.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Tax season is upon us, and if you haven't filed
your taxes yet, you're not alone. Let's talk about that
and a tool to make your life a lot easier
and simpler. We bring in Emily DeVito, former Treasury official
and Groundwork Collaborative senior expert. Emily, I appreciate the time,
thanks for joining us.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
This is only the second year Americans can use direct File,
the wonderful tools I mentioned, tens of millions of us
will do so, so I want to get into that
in a few minutes. But let's start off with some
of the basics about tax season if we could. I
was surprised so many, so few Americans actually know tax
day is April fifteenth.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
That's so funny. I feel like I grew up knowing
tax Day with April fifth teenth. But yes, April fifteenth
is officially the last day of tax season. While the
start of tax season changes year to year. The final
day is always pretty consistent.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
So if someone is listening and they haven't filed their
taxes yet, clearly they've waited till the last minute.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
So what's your best advice. What are some rules of thumb?
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yeah, I think you know. One of the most important
reasons to file your taxes. Of course, you want to
stay stay in compliance, make sure you don't get charged
for anything because you file late. But mostly most Americans,
especially working Americans, are going to get money back on
their taxes. They're going to get refunds from their withholding,
and then they're also probably eligible for a bunch of
(01:42):
different tax credits. So that's the way to make sure
you get the money you're owed each year.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Is there a difference between somebody who has owed money
and doesn't file taxes and someone who owes money and
doesn't file their taxes by April fifteenth.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
I mean the difference will be whether or not you're
able to get that money. So usually especially people who
have w two income, so any kind of income that
workers gets from a job. Most folks, especially if you
have kids, then qualify for the child tax credit. There's
different student and tuition tax credits. The earned income tax credit.
(02:21):
All of these are different ways that the government can
help families. All these are different ways that families can
stay afloat, and so we want to make sure that
folks can claim the credits they're owed. And because a
lot of these programs course through the tax system, that's
how the government administers them. Filing your taxes each year
(02:41):
to be able to access those payments is really important.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
What are the consequences of failing to file your taxes
on time or missing the April fifteenth deadline.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
You can always ask for an extension from the IRS
in advance. They give you usually until about October of
this calendar year or that calendar year. So if you
know you're not going to be able to file, or
you're waiting for different kinds of paperwork or in a
weird situation right now, you can request an extension. But
(03:12):
if you don't file, you just always run the risk
of the I r S sort of flagging you at
a later date and owing a penalty on the amount
you may or may not have owed for a previous
tax year. So it's always best just to avoid that
headache upfront.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
How does that process work of filing an extension. What
do our listeners need to know about the process.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Folks can go to IRS dot gov or you can
just sort of google how to file an extension with
the i r S and they make it pretty easy.
There's a couple of different ways to do it, and
just make sure you do it through the I would
recommend doing it directly through the i r S to
make sure that you follow the proper procedures and then
(03:56):
of course that they know exactly sort of what your
plans are for filing your taxes and you don't get dinged.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Even if you file for an extension, you're granted an extension.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
If you owe money, you've got to send the money.
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yes, you do have to send the money that you're owed,
but there are a couple of different ways to do that,
depending on how you choose to file. And in a
couple of at least in my tax situations in the
last couple of years, I have owed money, for instance,
my federal tax, but I've gotten some money back from
(04:33):
my state income tax, which obviously sort of dephrased the
cost a little bit.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Gotcha, And I guess we have to estimate if we
if we believe we owe the IRS money. We have
to estimate how much we send them in that situation.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Yeah, yeah, so I pay up fronts. A lot of
people just pay up front, you know. You go and
file your taxes and then you get that number back
and you send in a track. You can also get
on sort certain payment plans you can estimate and pay
in advance so that the shock at the end of
tax season is enough severe each year.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Yeah, no question about it.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
I want to get into some of the tax credits
that you've mentioned and everything else in just a moment.
We're speaking with Emily de Vito, former Treasury official and
Groundwork Collaborative senior expert.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
So talk to me about what direct file is.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Direct File was great. So last year, for the first
time ever, the IRS launched a program called direct File
where you're able to file your taxes for free directly
with the IRS online. A lot of folks file online
every year, but they end up shelling out a lot
of money to private tax prepairs like TurboTax and H
and R Block. So with direct File, you can file
(05:47):
four free and it's just as easy as using some
of those other paid preparation software.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
How simple is It's it's really simple.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
I've been through the program of several times, both to
file and then just to sort of get a handle
on how it works. Last year, in its pilot season,
users reported that sometimes it took them under thirty minutes
to file. So it can be a really easy way
to save time and certainly money each year.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
And this is something that could save taxpayers a lot
of money in the long run.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Right, Yeah, So each year, Americans spend about one point
seven billion hours and thirty one billion dollars filing their taxes.
So with direct file you can save a lot of
that time and you end up saving We estimated the
average Americans saved about one hundred and sixty dollars using
(06:40):
direct file and avoiding some of those paid alternatives.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
What if you have more complicated taxes, you will properties,
you have multiple jobs, things like that. How simple, in
other words, do our taxes have to be to be
able to take advantage of direct file?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Direct file covers most all of the most common taxes situations,
and it covers most of the most popular credits. So
for a lot of people that's their tax situations are
going to be eligible to use direct file. This year,
it's about thirty two million people in the twenty five states.
The direct File is available in who we think will
(07:17):
be able to use the program. But you know, the
idea was to scale direct File up from its first
tax season last year to this one. We expanded a
lot of different sort of forms and situations and tax credits,
so hopefully the program can continue to grow. But the
program itself is really intuitive, so no matter what if
(07:38):
you need to claim certain credits or you have different
sources of income, it's all just right there and a
pretty intuitive tool to be using. And there are a
couple of different cool customer support features included as well,
including an online chat and then the IRS last year
implemented a callback feature so you don't have to spend
(07:59):
a ton of time waiting on the phone.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Why only twenty five states.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
It's a really hard program to sort of scale. IRS
did it very very well. It is a tool that
people love, It is intuitive to use. They focused on
user design and obviously tax accuracy, so planning all of
that stuff and planning out how to make sure it
(08:25):
covers folk to meet it the most across all states.
It just takes a little bit of time. States to
have different tax obligations on their own, so figuring out
ways to pair direct files with another state that, for instance,
has its own state income tax just takes time and consideration.
(08:46):
So scaling it up to half of US states and
thirty two million people in two years is really impressive,
and hopefully we can continue to grow the program until
it reaches everybody in all states.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
I guess I should ask how we can even try
to direct file? Do you go to the IRS website
or how do.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
We do that?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Yeah, you can go to IRS dot gov slash direct
file to see if you're eligible and then to start
filing your taxes for free.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
What about security measures in place to protect our data?
Obviously many of us concerned about identity EFAF things like that,
and when you're dealing with things like your taxes, your
Social Security number and everything, that's a concern.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Yeah, direct file is completely secure. It allows taxpayers to
sidestep using those third party tax prep services that don't
have as many obligations to safeguard your debt to your
data as the IRS does. And however you choose to
file your taxes, you know your data will ultimately end
up with the IRS. So I think that the safest,
(09:44):
most effective way to keep it secure is to file
directly with the IRS.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Any hidden fees or additional costs when using direct file, No.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
It's totally free. And even if you live in a
state where you can file with direct file, but you
still have a tax a state tax obligation, direct file
will automatically take you to your or it will process
you to your state filing tax software and that will
be free as well.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Why would anybody not use this if they're able to,
is my question? Yeah, yeah, I think you know.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
It's a new program, so we just need to make
sure folks know about it. I think that's the biggest
that's the biggest barrier is that it's pretty new. People
sort of have an aversion to talking about their taxes,
but this this tool makes it really really easy and
can save you time and money.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
IRS dot gov gova slash direct file. A couple more
minutes here with Emily Davido, former Treasury Official Groundwork Collaborative
senior expert. Earlier, you mentioned tax credits. You listed off
a whole bunch of them, child tax credits, college loans
or whatever. How do we find out about those or
if we're using direct file for example, are there are
(10:59):
we asked about those kinds of things immediately?
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Yeah, So if you log onto IRS dot gov slash
direct file, you can before you even log onto the
program itself, you can run through the eligibility screener and
we'll ask you a couple of different questions about what
credits you might be eligible for, what kinds of income
you have, and you can get a run down to there.
You can also find all of the credits and income
(11:23):
sources listed out and states for that matter, listed out
on the IRS direct file website. But again, most of
the most common ones, so the child tax credit, earned
income tax credit, credit for the elderly, or the disabled.
I think IRS designed the program intentionally to make sure
that the tool is maximally useful to the folks most
(11:44):
likely to need a free action.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
What about new tax credits or deductions that might be
available this year for the first time, Are there any
of those.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
That's a good credit? That's a good question. I would
have to I would have to sort of refer back
to last year actually to do that comparison. But yes,
the program has been significantly expanded from last year when
it was pretty limited, just sort of a use case
pilot in only twelve states.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Last few things for you, what are the most common
mistakes you've found in your career the tax filers make
when filing their taxes.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
I think, especially with direct file, making sure that all
of your data is inputted correctly is sort of I
think where people can can go astray direct file actually
import some of your data from previous years if the
IRS has it, so they're sort of solving for that
(12:44):
sort of simple innocent user error. But that's a big one.
You know, inputting data manually from your W two into
a computer can be a little bit tricky, but that's one.
And then, like I said, I think people don't even
realize the credits that they're missing out on. Sometimes each
year about twenty percent of taxpayers don't claim some of
(13:07):
the credits that they're owed, including for instance, the earned
income tax credits. And so making sure you're filing your
taxes like direct file, through a system that is going
to prompt you to answer questions to make sure that
you're eligible is going to be really important. Otherwise you're
leaving money on the table.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
What if you're in the middle of this and you
don't know you're asked a question by direct file and
you just have no idea what is your advice for
somebody in that situation.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
Directly is self paid, so you can always just sort
of like pause, figure about, hunt down your paperwork, Google answers,
whatever it is, and return to direct file when you're
ready again. But again, use some of the tools available
to you. Call the IRS if you need to use
the online chat feature. Try to use the resources that
(13:57):
are integrated into the system to be free and helpful
and get the official i RS advice is always going
to be your best bet.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
IRS dot gov, slash, direct files a website, right, yes,
all right, Emily to video former Treasury official and Groundwork
Collaborative senior expert. Thank you for the time. I'm sure
many of us will just be happy when it's all over.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Thank you so much. Have a good one.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Marriage takes work, relationships could be hard, right sometimes before
even having children. But you put all of that together
throw in service to our nation. Now you're talking difficult.
How do those who have managed to navigate all of
those things.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
And more successfully do it? Well, let's discuss it as
we bring in former Navy Seal Army ranger Jason Redman.
His wife Erica.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Together, they've written Mission Invincible Marriage, a battle tested guide
to an enduring relationship.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Jason Eric, I appreciate the time, Thanks for joining.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
Me, thanks for having us on.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Yeah, many honored to be here, man, honored to speak
with you, sir.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
So let me start with this, the difficulties of serving
as I guess.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Being a Navy Seal wasn't enough.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
You decided to be an Army ranger as well, the
difficulties of dealing just with that being a military family.
Before we even get to the rest of your story,
talk to me about that.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
Yeah, I mean, definitely, being a member of a special
operations unit is tough. I mean you're gone all the time.
A lot of people don't understand. I mean, not only
are there multiple deployments, but even when you're home, you're
not really home. For the seal teams, we travel all
across the country to train, sometimes even internationally depending on
what we're doing jungle warfare, winter warfare, things like that.
(15:36):
So obviously that place is a tremendous strain and burden
on the family. I think my last deployment cycle year
in not even on the deployment year and the training year,
we were going two hundred and eighty six days out
of that year. So obviously for a spouse, that's a
lot of time that you're raising the kids by yourself,
that you're dealing with all the problems that we have
(15:58):
in life by yourself.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
What was it like for you, because I think that's
something that we as a country don't pay enough attention to,
is the role of the military spouse and everything that
they give up in service to our country as well.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
You know, I really didn't have a lot of military
influence from my you know, my family or personal So
I will say, you know, when Jay met, you know,
when we met, I had no idea of what a
huge military family I was marrying into. And I'll say
from the very beginning, he almost he almost tried to
discourage me. He he told me I should run, which
(16:33):
we've joked about for for the last twenty something years.
You know, I sometimes I'll ask him if I still
have that option. You know, I think it was so
much more important for our communication and for us to
be deliberate and very intentional with our relationship, because you do,
you're you're you're dealing with more strains and stresses that
(16:56):
you know, most average relationships don't have to.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Go through Okay, so there's that part of a relationship.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
And look, let's face it, relationships take work, right, it's
constant give and take. But then you throw in the
military service, as we talked about it being parents and
then Jason, for people that aren't familiar with you your story.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
I mentioned your Navy seal. That wasn't enough, I guess, so.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
You had to become an Army ranger as well, Purple
Heart recipient. And then let's talk about what happened to
you while you were in service.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
What was it? Fallujah?
Speaker 5 (17:26):
Yeah, right outside of Flujah, northeast of Falujah, a little
rural area and Iraq called Karma Mi Keim and I
went after a high value Al Qaeda leader and unfortunately
walked into a very successful Al Kada ambush. Myself, multiple
members of my team were shot up. I was shot
eight times between my body and body armor, including two
(17:48):
machine gun rounds to the elbow which almost took off
my arm and I took a machine gun round to
the face, which obviously did a lot of damage. So
four years and almost forty surgeries to get put back together.
It effectively ended my seal operational career, although I did.
I did finish my career in the military to finish
twenty years, and obviously Erica was right there with me
(18:11):
as I navigated through all of that.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
So, Erica, you two have been through things together that
would have ended I think all but the most special
relationships of marriages. What was that like when when Jason
comes back home and I imagine just happy that you
have him back, but knowing what was in store for
you in trying to get him, you know, to live again.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Yeah, I mean I will, I will admit, you know,
I don't think you know when he deployed that combat
deployment it did, it had, It had a very different
feel to it. I'm not somebody that worries or frets
a lot. I didn't watch the news a lot, but
that that deployment in particular, just it had a different
feel to it. So I don't think you could ever
(18:58):
plan for that. We didn't see that coming, but I
think we were very fortunate that we had built a
good foundation, we had good communication, and you know, I
think for us, fortunately when in versity hit, which I
mean for a lot of other people, injury, illness, I mean,
it can come in so many different forms. Ours just
(19:20):
happened to be battlefield injuries pretty you know, severe that
it actually made us stronger. You know, I think we
were fortunate that our foundation was good, and there's no
doubt that if if there had been underlying problems, I
think it'll make you or break you.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Jason, you've written a number of books obviously on overcoming
and leadership and your story. What made you decide that
you wanted to talk about your relationship and how you
and Erica your marriage had managed to overcome as you
had in terms of just yourself.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Yeah, really it was driven by all the amazing people
that have supported us over the years. In my first book,
to Try It, you know, which really covers our career,
our whole story is in there, from when Eric and
I met, to dating, to challenges to you know, the
highs and lows of my career. You know, leadership, failure,
(20:20):
battlefield injuries, all of that, and a lot of people
that followed us over the years have said, how did
you guys do it? You guys have divided the odds
special operations, the sealed teams have a ninety percent of
worce rate when the warriors have a ninety percent of
wor S rate, so many people wanted to know. It
became a question. We were asked all the time, how
have you guys done this in your relationship? You have
(20:41):
such a strong marriage. So it led us to really
start to write those things down, really look at what
were the things we had done, and we became a
real We began to realize, you know, we were so
intentional about our marriage and the way we communicated and
structure and things that we put in place, that it
all really turned into this book. And while we did
(21:02):
write the book with a military law enforcement fire focus
individuals that are in a high stress kind of high
speed job, we recognize it could work for anyone. I mean,
these are practical things that you can implement into your
relationship to find greater success.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Of a few minutes here with Jason Redman, former Navy
Seal Army Ranger Purple Heart recipient, and his wife Erica.
Their book is titled Mission Invincible Marriage, A Battle Tested
Guide for an Enduring or to an enduring relationship. Erica,
the most trying times for the two of you after
Jason returned with his injuries, initially having to go through
(21:44):
what thirty seven surgeries or whatever. All of that, I imagine
for both of you it had to be an emotional
roller coaster. But I also have a hard time believing
that the Jason was easy to live with. How how
did you both manage to survive all of that?
Speaker 4 (22:00):
You know, we actually talk about this in the book
that probably him coming back and his battlefield injuries wasn't
actually the hardest point in our relationship, you know, I
think for both of us were we were happy, and
it was I can't say that, you know, every day
(22:22):
was a great day for those four years, but Jay
was very positive, which you know, really helped me support
him and be a good team. But we actually years later,
kind of when all the surgeries were done, we were
running a nonprofit. And I think so many people can
relate to this that he really was depressed and like
(22:47):
feeling down and and I think that it's so common that,
you know, you people can look around and be like
I should be happy right now, Like I'm happy, I'm healthy,
the kids were good, our nonprofit was doing well well.
But he was really in a funk and that was
really difficult when he was shutting me out. So for
me going through his injuries, working together as a team
(23:12):
was easier. Then later on when we were trying to
figure out what was wrong and he was kind of
shutting me out and not working as a team.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
Yeah, and Jason, I imagine that has been a growing issue
in our country, right, especially for a guy, you know,
real macho Navy seal army rangers. I've mentioned all of that.
When you're struggling emotionally, when you're going through depression or
other mental health challenges, how difficult was it for you?
Did you did you? Did you reach out for help?
Did you finally give in and talk to Eric and say,
(23:44):
I'm going through this.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Can we work on this together? How did that work out?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
No?
Speaker 5 (23:51):
And it is a real problem because I think for
those of us type a's who come from us, but
we think we can fix anything. Yeah, we think we
can overcome any obstacle, and oftentimes when it gets to
mental health, we feel like there's a level of weakness
to say, hey, I'm broken, there's something wrong with me.
So we want to fix it ourselves, and we try
and self medicate. I did all the I did all
(24:12):
the things. I pushed people away, I drank too much alcohol,
and really it was Erica. And this this lends itself
to the strength of our marriage and the intentionality because
Erica really gave me some time to try and deal
with it, and then finally she told me that, you know,
we're you're breaking things. And she also brought up, you know,
(24:32):
the potential for the ending of our marriage, which was
really off limits. We had made an agreement that we
would never say that, we would never you know, it
was forever, but it was and I needed it. It
shocked me into taking action and I went to my command.
I was still active duty. I went to my command,
and we have psychologists, and I said, I need help.
(24:53):
And that was the beginning. And I think that's really important,
that communication and building a level of trust and figuring
out how do I communicate with my spouse to understand,
you know, they need to take action. So I really
encourage anybody that's out there, if you're struggling with mental health,
don't do it alone. I talk about in special operations,
we don't we don't do one man room clearances. You know,
we always have a battle buddy, a combat buddy, a
(25:15):
swim buddy, and the seal teams. Let your spouse be
that person.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Yeah, and it's an issue, a growing issue, the whole
mental health aspect, not only obviously in the military, but
first responders, law enforcement, and.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Really every area of our life. Erica.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Communication obviously, as you've talked about, a very important factor
in making any relationship work. But I don't have to
tell you that men and women communicate.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Differently, very differently.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
That alone could be a problem and a source of contention.
How have you two managed to overcome that issue?
Speaker 4 (25:50):
I mean absolutely, I think that there's some fundamental differences,
but you know, every individual is going to have differences.
I think it's learning, learning what how your partner communicates,
learning how they tick. Jay is a very action driven person,
and so he's kind of learned sometimes and I have
(26:14):
to be better about communicating because if I start telling
him my problems, like, he goes into to fix it
most right. So so sometimes I have to get better
and say, you know, hey, I don't want you to
fix this, I just want you to listen to me
right now or you know. So, so it's almost become
(26:34):
a little bit of a joke when you learn that
person and learn your communication style. So sometimes he'll listen
to me then and he's like He's like, Okay, am
I listening or am I fixing?
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Like?
Speaker 3 (26:43):
What?
Speaker 5 (26:44):
Like?
Speaker 4 (26:44):
What?
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Jason?
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Was there anything surprising or unexpected? As as you two
were going through your research and putting the book together,
did you that you discovered about your marriage or relationship?
Speaker 2 (26:57):
You know?
Speaker 5 (26:57):
I think the biggest thing when we first talked about
do this, I was like, who the hell am I
to write a relationship book? And obviously we knew we
had been very intentional in our marriage, But I don't
think until we finally sat down and really wrote all
these things out did we realize how much structure and
how well we had done somethings. Some of the things
(27:19):
we're aware of, some of the things just kind of
happened naturally, and actually laying it out into a relationship book,
I'll be honest, it was so much better than I
expected it to be. And using some real world you know,
the Gotman Institute is a very big, well known marriage
institute that provides tremendous advice. We looked at some of that,
(27:43):
and so much of what we put in paralleled that,
except we put it in this very practical real world
with kind of a military spin on it, you know,
as mission training under fire. So it's been fascinating. I
hope that anybody out there who's in a marriage or
a relationship will take a look at this book because
I definitely think it will help you.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Eric.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
A last thing for you, guys, what what is the
feedback that you've gotten, is there is there one theme
that when somebody couples who've read the book come to you,
they tell you this part of what you talked about
helped us or we could relate to that. Is there
one thing that one big takeaway?
Speaker 4 (28:21):
You know, it's still I mean, we're getting feedback that's
starting to roll in, but I do I think it's
you know, just how practical and how relatable the book is,
which you know was always kind of scary, you know,
like you know, we put you know, our personal stuff
down and we you know, we thought it would work.
(28:42):
We thought it would be relatable and give practical tools.
But to actually hear the feedback that that it is
relatable and makes sense and we we really did. We
hoped that this book that people that normally wouldn't be
open to a marriage book or a book like this
(29:02):
because we don't have you know, psychology backgrounds and in
everything else we're not doc, you know, and with his
military background, we're hoping that this will reach audiences that
maybe maybe wouldn't have been open to reading a marriage book.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Like this, And I think all of us could use
any help we could get right to improve our relationships.
The book is titled Mission Invincible Marriage, A Battle Tested
Guide to an Enduring Relationship. Former Navy Seal Army Ranger
Purple Heart recipient Jason Redman, written with his wife Erica,
thank you both for the book, thank you both for
your time, and sincerely, thank you both for your service
(29:41):
to our nation. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Be well, yeah, I'm merely our honor.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Thank you for having me, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
And that'll do it for another edition of Iheartradios Communities.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
I'm Manny Muno's Until next time, m
Host
Manny Munoz
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