I Didn't Rebuild My Life By Accident. I Rebuilt It With Structure.
Meet Eric
I’m Eric Gillis—Army veteran, educational leader, entrepreneur, husband, father, and author of the forthcoming book THE REBUILT WARRIOR. I served as a chaplain assistant and deployed to Iraq. When I came home, the battle didn’t end. PTSD, traumatic brain injury, anger, and a loss of identity followed me into civilian life. Relationships strained. Work became unstable. At my lowest point, I attempted suicide.
That night was not the end of my story. It was the beginning of rebuilding.
The Rebuild
Recovery took counseling, discipline, honest self-assessment, and years of learning how to build structure when the military’s structure was gone. Along the way I completed my bachelor’s degree, earned two master’s degrees, and continued into doctoral study in educational leadership. Today I serve as a school leader in Florida, and through The Rebuilt Warrior and Coastal Leadership Consulting LLC I help veterans, educators, leaders, and driven people rebuild through practical systems—not slogans.
The STRUCTURE Framework
The lessons from that journey became the STRUCTURE Framework—nine principles for moving from chaos toward clarity, accountability, and purpose:
Self-Assessment • Translation • Responsibility • Unity of Mission • Controlled Execution • Trust Building • Understanding Systems • Resilience • Evaluation
"You’ll never be who you were. But you can become better."
The Mission
A doctor once told me something that changed how I saw the future: You’ll never be who you were. But you can become better. Rebuilding was never about restoring the past. It was about creating something stronger from what remained.
That is the mission of The Rebuilt Warrior.
Ready To Rebuild?
If you want the story and the framework, start with the free first chapter. If you want a mirror for where you stand, take the free STRUCTURE assessment. If you want me with your team, school, or audience, reach out about speaking or coaching.