Sara Wilkinson is a mother, small business owner, suicide prevention advocate, and the widow of Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson.

SCPO Chad Wilkinson was born into the Navy. Both his uncle and father were SEALs (before his dad became a Marine One helicopter pilot). After a year at UCF, Chad enlisted in the Navy and successfully completed BUD/S. After three deployments with SEAL Team Eight, Chad left service for almost three years. He re-rejoined and was selected to screen for SEAL Team Six out of VA Beach. Chad served for 21 years, deploying to combat zones around the globe. Chad was on active duty in Virginia Beach when he died by suicide on October 29, 2018.

Sara talks very openly about the unique dynamics required to survive and thrive while married to an active duty Special Operations soldier, as well as the terrible toll that it can take on tier one operators. She talks through the “what ifs” and all the looking back she has done to see if there were signs of Chad’s unseen injuries which ultimately led to his death.

# 116 Self-Awareness