Drive On: Helping Veterans Navigate PTSD & Life After Military Service

Cheri Carandanis spent her career caring for others as an Air Force nurse and later in hospice. After two brain injuries forced her to retire, she had to face life without the role that once defined her. What began as a simple attempt to follow medical advice led her to something unexpected: painting. Through it, she found healing, direction, and a deeper understanding of herself.

In this episode, Cheri talks about growing up in...

When your mission shifts from the battlefield to the bedside, how do you keep going? This episode features Dan Contreras from Disabled American Veterans, who opens up about the emotional realities of becoming his wife's caregiver after her cancer diagnosis and how that experience reshaped his understanding of service. Dan shares how DAV's Caregiver Support Program empowers those who carry the invisible weight of caring for a loved ...

After serving in the Air Force, Billy Rudd spent over two decades leading massive teams in corporate America. On paper, he had everything figured out. He had a great title, a solid paycheck, and constant travel. But something had to give. With two growing kids and a business idea that wouldn't leave him alone, Billy took the leap and turned his side hustle into a full-time gig.

In this episode, he shares what it takes to walk aw...

He thought he'd miss the war, but fate had other plans. Marine aviator Don Eggspuehler's story begins with a stack of letters written from the jungles of Thailand during the last year of Vietnam. Those letters, saved by his mother and rediscovered decades later, became the foundation for something bigger. A way to connect generations through humor, heartbreak, and hard-won wisdom.

In this conversation, Don opens up about the fea...

Sometimes healing feels more like trial and error than progress. Brian Livesay knows that firsthand. After a decade in uniform and years working in veteran care, he's learned that recovery is about connection, honesty, and finding what actually works for each person. In this conversation, Brian and Scott talk about how therapy can go wrong when it's too rigid, the fear of making that first call for help, and why moral injury still ...

Aaron Hale's story is about what comes next after tragedy strikes. After serving as a Navy cook, he switched to the Army to become an explosive ordnance disposal tech, leading teams through dangerous missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. A blast left him blind, and years later, meningitis took his hearing. Instead of giving up, Aaron focused on how to move forward. He learned new ways to live, connected with other veterans who had face...

Getting out of the military doesn't come with a manual. You leave one world behind and step into another that doesn't always make sense. In this episode, Air Force veteran and counselor Timothy Wienecke shares how he rebuilt his life after service and helps other vets do the same.

Timothy opens up about how the Air Force turned things around for him, what he's learned about masculinity, and why finding real connection,  not just...

Sleep can feel like the enemy when nightmares, racing thoughts, or old deployment habits keep you wired at night.

In this episode, Dr. Leah Kaylor, a prescribing psychologist and sleep expert for the FBI, explains why so many veterans and first responders struggle to rest and what happens in the brain when we avoid sleep altogether.

This episode will help you understand how REM sleep helps process trauma, and learn why caffei...

What happens when the war follows you home, and no amount of alcohol, drugs, or violence can silence it? Andrew Jones lived that reality. After Iraq, PTSD nearly destroyed him. Nightmares, hallucinations, broken relationships, and suicidal thoughts became his new battlefield. But when he reached his breaking point, he dropped to his knees and cried out to God. That moment changed everything.

In this episode, Andrew shares how f...

The toughest battles don't always happen overseas. Sometimes they hit when you're back home, trying to figure out how to live with injuries, stress, or changes you never saw coming. Karen Hetherington knows this firsthand. She's part of the team at Semper Fi & America's Fund, and she has spent years walking alongside service members and their families during some of their most challenging moments.

In this conversation, Karen...

Sometimes the hardest battles aren't fought overseas. They're fought in living rooms, late at night, when the weight of war refuses to let go. In this powerful conversation, Ashley Sylvester shares the story of her husband, Army Sergeant Jason Sylvester, whose deployments to Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan left invisible scars that followed him home.

Ashley walks us through the subtle shifts she saw over time: sleepless nights, ch...

For many veterans, the hardest battles often come long after the uniform comes off. Erik Lawrence knows what that feels like. After years in Special Forces and contracting, he found himself running on fumes, mentally and physically, until he started digging into why he felt the way he did. From TBIs to toxic exposure, he explored every option available and built a resource to help others find their way.

In this conversation, Eri...

Losing your sense of identity after service feels like freefall. For Lee Freeburg, that struggle was real. A Navy hospital corpsman who fought to find his place in uniform and beyond, Lee spiraled into what he calls his weak man phase, living for temporary pleasures, drifting without direction. It took a violent quad accident and a broken collarbone to spark a 180 that changed his life.

Lee opens up about finding purpose throug...

Leaving the military can feel like stepping off a cliff. One day, you've got steady pay, housing, and a community that's always around. The next day, it's all gone. That's the reality Robert Wheeler faced when he left the Navy. He went from structure and purpose to bills stacking up, silence from the people he served with, and depression that pushed him past 300 pounds.

In this conversation, Robert opens up about why he once th...

Losing the uniform can mean losing identity, reputation, and even the sense of mission that kept you moving forward. For many, the transition feels like starting from zero. That is exactly what Stephen Bump faced after 12 years in the Air Force. His journey carried him from aerospace engineering to Eli Lilly, through business school, and finally into building his own consulting firm. Along the way, he learned to trust others, embra...

Jennifer Ballou's deployment to Afghanistan was supposed to overlap briefly with her husband's fourth combat tour. They'd have a couple of months in-country together, then he'd head home to the kids while she finished her year. That plan ended the night she learned he'd been killed in action.

She came home with his flag-draped casket and stepped into a new reality: single parent, senior leader, and a grieving spouse trying to ma...

The battlefield changes you, but the real fight might start when you get home.

Ben Sykes went from web designer to Marine machine gunner during the invasion of Iraq, living through relentless firefights, surreal moments in Saddam's palaces, and the strange calm of enemy fire becoming routine.

But nothing prepared him for the turbulence of reintegration. Restless nights, the crash of losing combat's adrenaline, and the struggl...

After two deployments and a solid run in the Marine Corps, Susannah Stokes did what a lot of vets do-she took her leadership skills into the corporate world. But even with a great job at Facebook and everything looking good on paper, something still felt off.

This episode talks about what happens when the structure goes away, and you're left trying to figure out who you are. Susannah opens up about feeling undervalued, disconnec...

You served your country, endured physical pain, and now struggle to get the benefits you rightfully earned. If navigating the VA disability claims system feels like a second battle, this episode is your lifeline.

Dr. Adam Weissman, an emergency physician turned veteran advocate, pulls back the curtain on the VA disability rating process. He shares insider knowledge to help you sidestep common pitfalls, clarify confusing terms, a...