Healing Protectors: A Place to Heal and A Path to Lead- For Veterans

10/13/2026

🔥 Some of the burdens we carry began long before we ever put on a uniform.

As children, we learn ways to survive. We learn to be strong, hide our pain, take care of others, and carry things that were never ours to carry. Sometimes those patterns follow us throughout our lives.

During our Healing Protectors Veterans Nature Retreat, veterans walk five minutes down a forest path in silence, unaware of what awaits them. At the end, they discover a fire built by veterans returning from previous retreats to honor them and the work they're about to do.

We gather around the fire to acknowledge what we've carried—from childhood experiences to military service—and create space to let go of the burdens we're ready to release.

The look on their faces when they arrive at the fire is something truly special. There's something powerful about realizing that other veterans have walked this path before you, and they came back to welcome you.

We're preparing for our next Women's Veterans Nature Retreat this November, and we need your help to make it possible.

❤️ Please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to support the next round of veterans who need to be here. Every bit of support makes a difference.

Donate at https://healingprotectors.org

A Place to Heal. A Path to Lead. 🇺🇸

10/12/2026

This past weekend, a group of veterans walked onto this land as strangers. On Sunday, they stood together for this picture as brothers.

Our Men’s Fall Veterans Nature Retreat (October 9–11) was one of the most meaningful weekends we’ve had at Healing Protectors. Over the next few posts, I’ll share what happened out there: the arrival, the work, and the fire. But first I need to say thank you.

To everyone who donated this year: you made this weekend free for every veteran who came. No veteran had to choose between his healing and his budget.

To everyone who forwarded a link, made a phone call, or told a buddy “you need to go to this”: you’re the reason these men were here. For many veterans, a trusted person’s word is what gets them in the door.

To our guides and volunteers: thank you for holding space with skill and heart.

As a Marine and a trauma therapist, I’ve seen both sides of this. I know how much our protectors carry, and I know what can happen when they finally get a place to set some of it down. This weekend I watched that happen.

Thank you for being part of it. More soon.

Our next veterans retreat will be in November and will be our first women's retreat. So if you would like to support us, please reach out, or you can simply go to the website below to make a contribution. Every dollar helps, so no veteran has to heal alone!

Beau Laviolette, LCSW-BACS
Founder & President, Healing Protectors
healingprotectors.org

09/22/2026

🌿 WOMEN'S NATURE RETREAT — FOR VETERANS 🌿

November 13–15 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana
FREE FOR VETERANS

Over the years, through my work with veterans, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside many women who have served. I’ve seen the strength they carry, the responsibilities they continue to carry after service, and how easy it can be to put themselves last.

That’s part of why I wanted Healing Protectors to create a retreat specifically for women veterans.

Women often carry so much—being a mom, managing work, caring for our families, and trying to balance everyone else’s needs while still finding time for ourselves.

This retreat is an opportunity to step away from all of that for a few days.

To be in nature.
To connect with other women who understand the military experience.
To slow down.
To breathe.
And to have some space to reconnect with yourself.

You don't have to carry it all alone.
You don't have to choose between being there for your family and taking care of yourself.
You deserve a place where you can simply be.

We still have a couple of spots available for our November women's retreat, and there is no cost to attend.

If you're a veteran and something in you is saying, “Maybe this is what I need,” I'd love for you to reach out.

And if you know a veteran who might benefit from this experience, please share this post with her.

You never know who needs to see this today.

If you'd like to sponsor a veteran and help make retreats like this possible, we'd love to have you be part of the mission. Your support helps us continue providing these experiences at no cost to veterans.

🌿 Healing Protectors
A Place to Heal. A Path to Lead.
healingprotectors.org

09/21/2026

🚨 VETERANS — YOU MAY KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS THIS RIGHT NOW. 🚨

We have a couple of spots still open for our upcoming Healing Protectors retreats in Baton Rouge — and they are completely FREE for veterans.

🌿 MEN’S RETREAT
October 9–11, 2026

🌿 WOMEN’S RETREAT
November 13–15, 2026

These retreats are a place for veterans to step away from the noise, spend time in nature, connect with other veterans, and begin a deeper process of healing and connection.

You don't have to know exactly what you need. You don't have to have the right words. And you don't have to do it alone.

If you are a veteran who could benefit from this, reach out.

And if you know a veteran who might need this, please share this post with them.

You never know who needs to see this today.

If you would like to sponsor a veteran and help us continue providing these retreats at no cost to veterans, we'd love to connect with you as well.

A place to heal. A path to lead.

🌿 Healing Protectors
For Veterans
https://healingprotectors.org/retreats/upcoming

08/18/2026

It's amazing how a mission can introduce you to people you never would have met otherwise.

One of the greatest blessings of leading Healing Protectors isn't just serving veterans—it's the relationships that are formed along the way.

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend time with Kelli from LUBA Workers' Comp, one of the community partners who has chosen to invest in our veterans. Every organization has the opportunity to make a difference, but it takes special people to see a need and decide to be part of the solution.

Healing happens through relationships. We see it every weekend at our retreats as veterans reconnect with themselves, with one another, and with hope. But those relationships extend far beyond the retreat. They include people like Kelli and organizations like LUBA Workers' Comp, whose generosity helps make these life-changing experiences possible.

Thank you, Kelli, and thank you to everyone at LUBA Workers' Comp, for believing in our mission and in the men and women who have served our country. Your support is creating opportunities for veterans to heal, grow, and discover they never have to walk this journey alone.

We truly couldn't do this without our community. ❤️🇺🇸

08/07/2026

Imagine waking up tomorrow morning, opening your email, and reading that someone you've never met is putting a $10,000 check in the mail for you.

What would be the first thing you think?

If you're like me, you'd probably think, "This has to be a scam."
That was exactly my reaction this morning.

A while back, our Director of Veteran Outreach and Development, Charles Williamson, told me about a company called Enbridge .
He said they were known for investing in nonprofits that make a difference in their communities. So I reached out, shared our mission, and honestly didn't think much more about it.

Then this morning, I opened my email.

Enbridge had chosen to award Healing Protectors a $10,000 grant. Because they believe in the work we're doing, more veterans will have the opportunity to attend our nature retreats this year than we had originally planned.

When I asked what they wanted in return, their response caught me off guard.

"You're already doing it."

Those four words meant more than they probably realize.

To everyone at Enbridge, thank you for believing in our mission.
Thank you for believing in the men and women who have served our country. Your generosity will help provide hope, healing, and community to veterans who need it most.

Sometimes all it takes is one person willing to believe in your mission.

Today, Enbridge did exactly that.

Healing Protectors: A Place To Heal and A Path To Lead- For Veterans

Healing Protectors offers free trauma therapy and nature retreats for veterans in Louisiana. Led by Marine veteran Beau Laviolette, LCSW. Specializing in EMDR, IFS, and PTSD treatment.

08/04/2026

Less than two months ago, we had an idea.

What if we held a raffle to help fund our Healing Protectors Veterans Nature Retreats?

Because of your generosity, that idea became a reality.

Together, we raised $7,000.

That will cover almost the entire cost of one retreat, where 10 veterans come together to begin their healing journey, supported by 10 returning veterans who come back to serve as Trail Guides and mentors. There is something incredibly powerful about being welcomed by someone who has walked the path before you.

To everyone who purchased a ticket, shared our posts, donated a prize, volunteered, or encouraged us along the way—thank you! You didn't just support a raffle. You invested in hope, healing, and a community where veterans never have to heal alone.

If you didn't get a chance to participate in the raffle but would still like to support our mission, you can donate through our website at www.healingprotectors.org

But if I'm being honest, I'd love something even more than a donation.

I'd love to connect with you.

One of the greatest lessons I've learned through this nonprofit is that healing happens through relationships. We were created for connection. I genuinely enjoy hearing people's stories, learning why veterans hold a special place in their hearts, and sharing the vision of what we're building together.

If you'd like to learn more about Healing Protectors or explore ways to get involved, send me an email at [email protected]. I'd love to hear your story (both veterans and non veterans)

Thank you for believing in this mission.

Together, we're ensuring that no veteran has to heal alone.

Healing Protectors
A Place to Heal. A Path to Lead.

Healing Protectors offers free trauma therapy and nature retreats for veterans in Louisiana. Led by Marine veteran Beau Laviolette, LCSW. Specializing in EMDR, IFS, and PTSD treatment.

07/29/2026

There is a path every veteran walks at our retreats.

It begins with uncertainty, but it doesn't end there.

This video captures the beginning of one of the most meaningful moments of the weekend. As each veteran walks this trail, they are greeted by fellow veterans—our Trail Guides and mentors—who have already walked this path themselves. Waiting at the end is a fire they have carefully prepared.

After a weekend of courage, vulnerability, and connection, we gather around that fire to begin letting go of the burdens we've carried for far too long—burdens from childhood, military service, and life itself.

There is something profoundly healing about being welcomed by someone who truly understands. When we gather in a place like this, surrounded by nature and community, something sacred happens. Whether you call it God, nature, or simply the human spirit, I believe healing has a spiritual dimension that reaches beyond words.

This is where hope begins.

This Saturday is also the **final day** to purchase a ticket for our Veterans Raffle. Every ticket helps provide free Healing Protectors retreats this fall, giving another veteran the opportunity to walk this same path toward healing.

Right now, there is a veteran who needs to be here.

Your support helps make that possible.

🎟️ Purchase a raffle ticket here: **[https://veteransraffle.lovable.app/](https://veteransraffle.lovable.app/)**

And please share this video. You never know who might see it—a veteran who has been searching for hope, or someone who can help make their healing journey possible.

**Healing Protectors**
*A Place to Heal. A Path to Lead.*

07/28/2026

"If I wouldn't have had this experience when I did, I may have taken my own life by now."

This, along with many other testimonials, are what we're hearing from veterans who do our nature retreat programs.

If you or someone you know is interested in supporting this we are raising money for this year's nature retreats for our veterans. The raffle will be held this Saturday on zoom (you do not have to be present to win). Our program is a life changing exprience for these men and women who have sacrificed so much for us. Here are some of the testimonies

"This nature/IFS retreat was, by far, the single best mental health engagement I have ever experienced. I've never felt so engaged and revived as with the retreat. Life will still beat us up, but the lessons learned here will always make me feel like we at least have a guide to help us steer through it all triumphantly. I am reaching out to others to try to get them interested in upcoming retreats. We all need something like this in our lives."

"Woke up completely invigorated and could have gotten up and run a marathon."

"I'm still on an emotional high from the weekend."

"I was practically near rock bottom and was blessed with this opportunity. I walked away with a better understanding of my inner parts and a way to better help those parts that were lacking. This retreat provided a path forward to healing and hope."

"Was able to confide in other veterans and continued to during monthly meetings."

"Without the technology distractions, I was able to get back to ground zero in nature."

"The group talks for me were the best. It was a time where I was able to open up and feel heard and then receive feedback from others from similar situations or events that really allowed me to think about the problem in a different way."

"Being in nature and disconnecting from the outside world was great. It allowed me to focus on the issue within myself and really dive deep into a meaningful look at how I could handle situations to become better."

"No matter what could be going on in life I have found a family that I can lean on and trust to help with what I could be going through at that time."

"Once I arrived I felt a sense of ease that I could just be myself and open up and feel safe about it. I wasn't sure of how deep it would get or if I would find someone who I would connect with. And after the first lesson I knew that I was meant to be there and that I would leave with the tool and support system that could help me overcome anything that would stand in my way."

"It was critical to the mission. I have a deep connection with nature and feel closer to God there."

please give if you feel called to support this amazing opportunity to our veterans. Click the link below to donate and get a chance to win some amazing stuff in the process!

Enter our raffle to win amazing prizes while supporting veterans through transformative Nature Retreat programs.