Nick Koumalatsos: How a Former Marine Raider Turned His Frustrations Into Pages of Life Lessons and Coping Strategies
People who underwent and overcame some of the toughest phases of their lives will wear those triumphs like a king’s crown. While some who have not experienced tribulations may view the circumstance as unfortunate, others grapple on these misfortunes as an opportunity for change.
As an individual who had gone through the whims and caprices of the unfortunate realities of growth, Nick Koumalatsos took these snippets of life lessons and turned them into seven different stages of transition towards the journey of transformation.
Having to undergo some of life’s most nerve-wracking experiences as a military man, Nick thought it best to leave his 12-year career as a Marine Raider in the Marine Corps Special Operations Unit for his mental state. For years, he had let his circumstances get the best of him and would often find himself stuck with feelings of anger, indifference, and bitterness all the time.
However, Nick’s dark path took a different course when he decided to turn mishaps into his consolations. Taking a cue from his frustrations, Nick heeded to the call of his misfortunes and combined his skills as a raider in his journey towards calibrating his life.
With the vision of sparking a revolution in his life, Nick harnessed these negative experiences and turned them into chapters and pages of comprehensible content. As a person who has dealt with losses and trauma, he realized how difficult it was to cope with it. It was like traversing in uncharted territory with no guides and maps to rely on. When Nick recognized this, he immediately reflected upon himself and wrote what he learned in his book entitled “Excommunicated Warrior.”
Being in the military, having unbridled strength in the face of uncertainties, is the goal that every Marine should have. With Nick as a member of the Special Operations Unit, the pressure to keep it all together was even more. The society’s views towards these seemingly invincible individuals have resulted in an alarming perception that Marines are unable to possess any vulnerability. Because of this, they find it hard to come forward and acknowledge what they are going through.
And with that in Nick’s mind, he sets out to build a monument of his trials and triumphs for the world to see, in the hopes of encouraging other military men to be vulnerable too.
In his book, Excommunicated Warrior, Nick talks and shares his experiences battling life and death during his time in the Marines, how he struggled to keep it in, and how he successfully coped with the effects of post-trauma using his seven stages of transition. Nick hopes that through his book, he can help other military men, veterans, first responders, and their family and friends, in overcoming these challenges in life after trading their shields and guns with the simplicities of civilian life.
By writing his stories of trials and triumphs in a book, Nick inspires other members of the army, and readers from other fields and all walks of life, to balance their gilt-edged uniforms with the right amount of fragility. The book has been positively received by mothers, people who went through or going through divorce, professional athletes that have had injuries ending their careers, and many first responders. While the 7 Stages of transition is designed for the military, it has become apparent that it is actually a human being issue. The book is a reflection of Nick’s experience in Special Operations and leaving that community, and serves as a must-have resource for knowledge and wisdom that anyone can use to help them achieve personal success.
Through Excommunicated Warrior, Nick hopes to remind them that strength lies in being able to enjoy life’s victories and accept the pain that goes with it.
Learn more about Nick Koumalatsos and his book, Excommunicated Warrior, by visiting his website and following his Instagram page and Youtube channel.