Athena Ives is a Marine veteran who deployed as a Lioness in Fallujah and Ramadi, where she experienced significant combat and was exposed to the deeply human sides of war. Those experiences stayed with her long after she left the Marine Corps, including moral injuries that would ultimately shape both her personal and professional path.

Her experiences in war, particularly witnessing the impact of conflict and the dehumanization of others, especially women and children, fueled a passion for prevention and helping people who are often unseen or unheard. She went on to earn her PhD and spent years researching and supporting counter-sex trafficking efforts throughout Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

But while Athena dedicated her life to understanding trauma and helping others, she was carrying her own. The weight of her work, combined with trauma from childhood and her military service, eventually became impossible to ignore. She sought help and, over the years, tried just about everything available to her.

Eventually, she confided in fellow Cultural Support Team members who introduced her to the potential healing of psychedelics. In 2026, Athena attended a Mission Within retreat through the TDay Scholarship. The experience was life-altering.

For most of her life, Athena says she was “staying alive to die well.”

After her retreat, that changed.

“Now I’m living to live well.”

That shift was so profound that Athena began changing the direction of her life. She is now pursuing a psychedelic coaching certification so she can better support others navigating their own healing journeys.

After decades of advocating for veterans and people who have experienced significant and complex trauma, while also studying traditional Western approaches to trauma, Athena often struggled with one painful contradiction: how could she help others find healing when she had never found something that truly helped her?

For the first time, she believes she has.

Today, Athena is passionate about helping veterans and trauma survivors discover that healing can look different than they were taught to expect, and that surviving does not have to be the end goal.

There can be something beyond survival.

There can be a life worth living well.