THIRD HAND
SMOKE
A keynote with practical tools to name survival stress, interrupt the spread, and reconnect.
For veterans, caregivers, first responders, families, and high-stress teams.
A heavy room needs levity, language, and tools.
Third Hand Smoke helps audiences name how stress and trauma transfer through teams and families,
then gives them practical tools to interrupt the spread and reconnect.
Testimonials
“Powerful, Funny, and So Useful!”
-Craig Smith, President, OSV Studios (42+ years experience)
I’ve filmed many speakers. Colin O’Donohoe was the first who genuinely shook me.
His presence on stage is powerful, his delivery is authentic, and his relatable message opened my eyes to new ways of living.
Inspired by our client stories? Get updates to continue your journey.
The Pumpkin
Pop-Tart Protocol
A simple intervention designed from lived experience.
Used to interrupt flashbacks before they spread.
The Pumpkin Pop-Tart Protocol is what I wish my family had. It's a simple system: a code word, assigned roles, and three interventions that work. It won't erase the trauma. But it gives everyone in the room something to do besides freeze.
MAP
A Vietnam War memoir from 1966 written by a Purple Heart veteran buried at Arlington.
No spectacle.
A record of how survival skills are formed.
LEGEND
Learning how to read the map without getting lost in it.
Using a behavioural skills lens, the Legend shows that many skills later taught in therapy already exist in combat.
Not as treatment.
As recognition.
The Legend helps people see reactions clearly, without shame or diagnosis.
LIFE
Survival isn’t replaced.
It’s recalibrated.
Combat skills aren’t deleted.
They’re reassigned.