Happy Monday, Civvie!

The calendar is filling up fast across the Houston veteran community, and there’s no shortage of ways to get connected, get support, and get in the room. From resource fairs and mixers to workshops, networking events, and family-friendly outings, the next few weeks are packed with opportunities to plug in.

Make sure to register for The Civvie Connect on May 27. This is where veterans and supporters come together with no agenda, just real conversations, real relationships, and a chance to stay connected to the community. If you’ve been meaning to get around more veterans in Houston, this is your move.

In this week’s spotlight, we feature an Air Force veteran helping others train their mental fitness the same way they train their body, bringing a deeper understanding of stress, performance, and resilience to the veteran community.

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📆 VETERAN EVENTS
THIS WEEK

🤝 May 4
VetConnect Day

🕡 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
📍Pasadena, TX

Where job opportunities, veteran services, and community resources come together in one place for our veterans. Free and open to the public.

📋 May 7
Veterans Nexus Letter Workshop

🕡 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
📍Houston, TX

Learn why VA claims get denied, how to improve your approval chances, and receive a $50 credit.

👢 May 9
8th Annual Boots & Heroes Kickoff Party

🕡 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
📍Houston, TX

Come out for an evening of patriotism, community, and celebration as we kick off another amazing year of Boots & Heroes!

🗣️ May 11
Public Speaking for Veterans

🕡 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
📍Houston, TX

Join Stay Tuned for Vets for a veteran-only public speaking workshop focused on confidence, communication, stage presence, and helping you share your story with impact.

OTHER MAY EVENTS

⚖️ May 16
Military & Veterans Legal Advice Clinic

🕡 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
📍Houston, TX

A legal clinic for veterans in need of support, with complimentary lunch and museum admission included.

🎣 May 23
Reel Connect: Veteran Family Fun Fishing & Resource Fair

🕡 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
📍Katy

A family-friendly event bringing veterans together for fishing, community connection, and access to valuable resources and support services.

🌹 May 25
Victory for Veterans | Flower on Every Grave

🕡 8:00 AM
📍Houston

Ensure every veteran's resting place is adorned with a flower, symbolizing our undying gratitude and the promise that their sacrifices will never be forgotten.

🇺🇸 May 26
Mini Wooden Flags Workshop for Veterans

🕡 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
📍Friendswood

This is a free hands-on mini wooden flag workshop and create your own custom charred and painted American flag in a fun, supportive setting.

🎖️ May 30
Flags of Honor: 6th Annual Memorial Day Veterans Flag Planting

🕡 8:30 AM
📍Houston

Memorial Day flag planting at Houston National Cemetery honoring fallen heroes.

NEXT MONTH

📋 June 11
Veterans Health & Resource Fair

🕡 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
📍Dayton

An event to connect Houston-area veterans with resources, opportunities, and community support.

🫡 Know an Event We Should Share?

If you’re hosting or attending a veteran-focused event in the Houston area → [Submit here]

🌟 THE CIVVIE SPOTLIGHT

Training the Mind Like the Body. A Veteran’s Approach to Mental Fitness

For many veterans, the transition out of the military is defined by the search for what comes next. For Dr. Jei Pearcey, it became a deeper pursuit to understand how stress changes the functioning of our bodies, especially after a traumatic experience.

Raised in a military family and later serving as an Air Force airborne cryptologic linguist, Jei’s early life was shaped by movement, discipline, and exposure to different cultures, including several formative years living in Japan, England, and Qatar. His service, including a deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, introduced him to the realities of high-stress environments and the lasting effects they can have on the mind and body.

Like many who leave service, the years that followed were not linear. Transition brought challenges shaped by PTSD, uncertainty, and a lack of clear direction. Rather than immediately stepping into a new career path, Jei made a decision that would ultimately shape his future. He sold everything he owned and backpacked across Europe. After six months of persistent travel, he returned from Europe deeply changed and intrigued by how people change when removed from their normal environments.

That experience led to a central question that would guide his work. What kinds of experiences create lasting behavioral changes both psychologically and physiologically?

In pursuit of that answer, Jei earned a master’s degree in human dynamics and leadership, followed by a PhD in psychology with a focus on psychophysiology, a field that examines the relationship between mental processes and physical responses in the body.

Today, his work focuses on helping individuals better understand and regulate their internal systems. Through a combination of mindfulness training, biometric analyses (EMG, heart rate, breath rate, cortisol, etc.), and emerging technologies like wearable tracking and virtual reality, he works with veterans and high-performing professionals to improve how they respond to stress, manage performance, and interpret the signals their bodies are constantly sending.

Jei’s program at the VA, Beyond the Call, approaches wellness from a whole-person perspective, helping veterans identify underlying patterns that are expressed in behavior and thinking. Most people attempt to manage the symptoms of stress. His work centers on understanding its origin.

This approach has proven valuable for individuals dealing with chronic stress, anxiety, chronic pain, gut issues, and performance-related challenges. It is particularly relevant for those who are willing to engage in the process and develop a deeper awareness of how their thoughts, behaviors, and physical responses are connected.

In addition to his private work, Jei is involved in other veteran-focused initiatives at the VA, focusing on work with the Whole Health Department, which focuses on nonclinical modalities for stress and anxiety support. He also contributes to broader efforts aimed at integrating mental fitness into athletics and education, reinforcing the idea that cognitive performance can be trained with the same intentionality as physical performance.

He hopes his work will resonate across the veteran community, empowering veterans to take control of their body’s systems to elevate their experiences with gratitude and wonder. In his opinion, the mind and body are wondrous things and how we train them daily affect how we’ll feel months from that point. The same principles that apply to physical readiness, consistency, discipline, and awareness can also be applied internally. How fit is your mind?

For those navigating transitional periods of life (i.e. new job, marriage, or exiting the service) or seeking to improve how you operate under pressure, connect with Dr. Jei.

👉 https://drjei.com/

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