Mental Health & Life After Service Episodes

Sara Moore spent 21 years in the Army as a Black Hawk pilot. She was tough, high-performing, and completely committed to the mission. Then her nervous system snapped during a routine training exercise, and no amount of mental toughness could stop the shaking. That moment cracked everything open. In this episode, Sara joins Jon to talk about what really happens when a military career ends and the uniform comes off. She breaks down the neuroscience behind trauma and nervous system collapse, why identity loss hits veterans so hard, and why healing isn’t something you fix once. It’s a lifestyle you build every day. Sara is now the founder of Blueside Adventures, a program for veterans and first responders built around community, adventure, and doing the hard inner work to find out who you are outside of your service. If you’ve ever felt like you lost yourself somewhere between the person you were before service and the person you are now, this conversation is for you. Be the light in some…

In this compelling interview, Andrew Stokes shares his journey from military service to law enforcement, highlighting the challenges of trauma, resilience, and personal growth. Discover insights into the realities of policing, mental health, and the importance of vulnerability and support. Andrew Stokes shares his profound journey through trauma, mental health struggles, and finding peace through faith, therapy, and education. His story highlights the importance of seeking help, resilience, and ...

Ira Hearen spent 20 years in the Air Force doing what needed to be done, loading cargo, running air drops, surviving deployments, and keeping the mission moving no matter what. He was good at all of it. But when retirement came in 2018, the mission stopped. And for the next eight years, so did he. In this episode, Ira gets real about what happened when the uniform came off, the loss of identity, the drinking problem that had quietly grown throughout his career, the dark patches where he questioned why he was even getting out of bed. He talks about bouncing between jobs that never fit, feeling like a stranger in a civilian world that didn’t speak his language, and the moment everything finally changed: the day he got fired and decided to burn the boats for good. Today Ira is 14 months sober, co-hosting Bravo Mission Radio, and living by a philosophy that carries this entire conversation: every day is day one. Not a setback. Not a reset. Just another shot to get it right. Jon and Ira al…

Episode 1 (Marine Grunt to Passionate Poet) Host: Jon Talk About The Episode: Brandon Dillon Marine Corps 8 years 2004 to 2012 Military: 0311 Current: Night Shift Manager at Buc-ees Talk With The Guest: What helped him get where he is today? Leadership, the Marine Corps taught me how to lead people and manage not only them but myself What helped you get through the days? Poetry and poetry have saved my life, along with my kids and my future wife Yanet. Personal Story: The things I saw a...