Kristin Beck: A Navy SEAL, a Purple Heart, and a Transgender Activist

Christopher Beck served for 20 years as a Navy SEAL.  He deployed 13 times over two decades, including stints in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He received the Bronze Star award for valor and the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in combat.  In 2013, after retiring from the Navy, he came out publicly as a transgender with the new name Kristin.  A documentary was produced about her life called Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story. 

 

Some interesting insights from this episode: 

• Hear a glimpse of what daily life is like during the Navy SEAL BUD/S training. 

• Becoming a Navy seal is as much mental as it is physical. 

• Hear about his nerve-racking brush with death during combat. 

• Learn the trigger that pushed her to finally come out publicly as a transgender. 

• Gender and sexual orientation are really two different things. 

• Learn about the many challenges she has faced in being accepted as a transgender. 

• “Excellence is about being the best you that you can be.”