Jessica Lauren Walton, at The Blogs

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Sep 26, 2023, 2:55 PM

Envy is Brutal. We’ve All Been There.

When I was working in the Israeli security field, I once met a man who brought out the worst in me. It wasn’t his fault; it was mine. I was envious of him, of all the things he possessed...

Aug 31, 2023, 5:03 AM

Why Are We So Afraid of Public Speaking?

I stood paralyzed in the center of the room, water gushing around my ankles. A pipe had exploded in my dorm room in Jerusalem and I needed the campus repairman to come stat. “Hello?” said the man over the phone....

Jun 12, 2023, 6:40 AM

A Cross-Cultural Perspective of PTSD & Resilience

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect soldiers anywhere, no matter their country. (courtesy, created using AI tools)

Trauma can happen to any one of us, regardless of our background or where we live in the world. How we address trauma determines whether we have power over it, or it over us. For Dr. Alana Siegel, a clinical...

May 3, 2023, 8:12 PM

Why Storytelling Matters in the Military

Storytelling creates bonds and comprehension among soldiers

It all started with a horde of wild pigs attacking an Israeli military post on the border of Lebanon. Or so it seemed. Shortly after completing my military service with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), I hosted a Friday night...

Apr 9, 2023, 5:41 PM

The Freedom That Enriches Us All

Finding freedom matters.

Imagine you have been in solitary confinement for over a week. You don’t know how long it’s going to last. You’re talking to yourself to prevent losing your mind. With each day, you’re becoming more and more of a...

Feb 27, 2023, 3:10 PM

Pride and Perfectionism

Back in 2009, I was an ambitious student doing my master’s degree in security intelligence at the University of Pittsburgh, and I had a dirty little secret: I was the last student admitted into the program, given barely three...

Jan 29, 2023, 10:32 PM

Disappointment and Determination in the IDF

The author in basic training at Niztanim Base (c. 2013)

One of the biggest crises I experienced while serving in the Israeli military was being told I was useless during a war. It was the summer of 2014 when Operation Protective Edge broke out between Israel and Gaza; everyone...

Jan 12, 2023, 6:09 AM

Stigma in the security field

The author as a student at the Hebrew University (Jerusalem, c. 2010)

That time I trusted a mentor with a personal secret, and immediately rued the day

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About Me

Jessica Lauren Walton is a writer, communications strategist, and video producer in the U.S. defense industry. She writes articles on a range of security and mental health issues and conducts interviews with military leadership, psychologists, journalists, CIA officers, filmmakers, and more at www.jessicawaltonwriter.com.

Contact Me