By 2018, Jason Kander had already served in Afghanistan, been elected to the Missouri State Legislature, and become Missouri Secretary of State. The logical next step: a 2020 presidential campaign.

Instead, Jason took the political world by surprise and chose to run for mayor of Kansas City, near his hometown of Shawnee, Kansas.

Despite a successful early campaign, Jason made another shocking decision: to end his candidacy, take a break from the public eye, and spend eight months receiving treatment for the PTSD he brought back from Afghanistan.

Today, he joins me to talk about how therapy helped him deal with the trauma he endured during his service, how the U.S. must change the way it takes care of its veterans, and more.

“One of the big things that I worked through in therapy was … this sense that I hadn't done enough. I mean, it was just this constant refrain because I had friends who had been hurt physically. I had plenty of friends who had been overseas longer than me. So I had this real sense that I had not done enough and it drove me for a very long time. And what I realize now is that I actually have done quite a lot and I have done enough. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna do more for my country, but it won't be because I feel I have to, or I owe it. It'll be because that's what I want to do.” – Jason (07:34)

Jason discussed coming to terms with his PTSD diagnosis after more than a decade, and how his diagnosis provided not only validation, but a way forward.