Keri Mills: Juris Doctor, Gold Star Wife, Public Speaker

Using the grief of a husband killed in action to fill a void in estate planning for fellow widows. That’s the mantra of this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast guest, Keri Mills. Her transparent story of being a lackluster student to attending law school is inspiring, as she strives to educate other Gold Star families and service members in planning ahead in the event tragedy should strike. Keri’s husband, Special Operations Chief Stephen “Matt” Mills was killed in action along with 29 other Americans and a working dog when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. With one knock on the door and one sentence, Keri went from being a married woman to a widow. Unprepared as she was for that life-changing event, it sparked her decision to help others be better prepared than she was.

In this episode you will hear:

• Standardized tests are not my forte.
• What I realized about who I am is that I’m a person that does what I say I’m gonna do.
• I have worked for 8 ½ years to solve this problem.
• If I can keep someone from having to figure things out – the way I did – it’s worth it to me.
• The stigma that comes with estate planning is that people think you have to have a pot full of money in the bank. That’s not what it’s about at all. It’s about setting up your legacy.
• I don’t have any stories to tell about Matt because they’re not my stories to tell.
• I’m trying to carry on Matt’s legacy.
• There are 300,000 veterans in Houston.
• The part that I see myself playing is education for the special operators and our community.
• [Marcus] “There needs to be a way to teach you how to get out.”