Vetted Conversations

In this episode of Vetted Conversations, country artist and philanthropist Jay Allen www.jayallenofficial.com shares how losing his mother to early-onset Alzheimer’s inspired his mission to raise awareness and support to caregivers. He discusses his care facility concert tour, his connection to the military through friends and film projects, and the healing power of service. Jay also highlights hi...

In this episode, Super Bowl champion Dominique Easley discusses his mission to promote mental health awareness and the power of vulnerability. Easley shares how his own journey inspired his work with Same Here https://samehereglobal.org and the Easley Foundation. https://www.easleyfoundation.org He also talks about the parallels between veterans' and athletes' transitions while encouragi...

SEASON 3 EPISODE 7 | Jackie Chang from the NFL In this episode of Vetted Conversations, we talk with Jackie Chang, Director of Media Strategy and Business Development at the NFL, about her path from West Point and Army intelligence to a career in media. She shares insights on her transition out of the military and her work with NBCUniversal, Peacock, and the NFL. Jackie also highlights a new veter...

In this episode of Vetted Conversations, we talk with Daryl Johnston, Executive VP of Football Operations for the UFL. He shares how spring football is growing and opening doors for athletes to return to the NFL. We also discuss his personal ties to the military, the value of everyday service, and why building a culture of community matters now more than ever. https://www.theufl.com/ • Vetted Conv...

In this episode, former Green Beret and NFL player Nate Boyer shares his remarkable journey from military service to the football field, and how both paths ultimately led him to co-found Merging Vets & Players (MVP)—a nonprofit that fosters community among veterans and pro athletes. Nate reflects on the parallels between military duty and elite sports, the identity challenges that arise after...

In this episode, Founder Ben Keiser sits down with Marine veteran BJ Ganem, founder of Sierra Delta, to explore how a bond with a dog helped BJ heal after injury and loss—and sparked his mission to provide every veteran with access to canine companionship. BJ shares how Sierra Delta empowers veterans through dog training grants, a strong sense of community, and a “good foot” mentality rooted in pu...

In this episode, Founder Ben Keiser speaks with NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain to discuss racing, farming, and family legacy. Chastain shares insights on the competitive NASCAR points system, reflects on growing up as a watermelon farmer in Florida, and explains how smashing a watermelon after a win became his signature celebration.  • Vetted Conversations is available on:  Apple Podcast:...

In this episode, Founders Ellen Gustafson and Ben Keiser speak with Dave Woodruff from the Bob Woodruff Foundation to discuss the foundation’s mission and its partnership with the NFL’s Salute to Service initiative, including its presence at the Super Bowl. They also highlight the impact of the Wheelchair Football League, which empowers veterans through adaptive sports, and the VIVA Program, which...

Bonus episode! With Election Day fast approaching, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of the We the Veterans & Military Families, Ben Keiser, speaks with Arizona Secretaries of State Adrian Fontes and Francisco V. Aguilar to discuss the systems and processes in place to ensure safe, accurate, and transparent elections in their states. Support the show For more, check us out at www.wetheveterans...

With the 2024 elections fast approaching, were focusing this episode on the people who are working hard to make sure America continues to have the safest, most secure, and most accurate elections on the planet. To begin, Matt Reisinger (1:40) , the Director of Elections & General Registrar for Warren County Virginia joins us to talk about how local elections are run, why early voting is import...

We're sure it comes as no surprise that this world is filled with people who want to manipulate you - to shape your thoughts and feelings so they can influence your behaviors. This episode is all about how humans construct our realities with our five senses and the information we gather beyond our senses. And this is a garbage-in garbage-out process - when we consume bogus information, we ten...

This episode is all about the many contributions women have made to our national defense and how the military services are changing to better leverage the full talents of the American people. Leading off today's conversation, Joe speaks with U.S. Marine Corps attack helicopter pilot and combat veteran, Katey van Dam (1:33). Katey deployed in support of combat operations in Afghanistan and cou...

America's founders knew that if our experiment in democracy was to survive, and people were to effectively govern themselves, the citizenry needed access to good information. While freedom of the press was enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, public libraries were equally important to the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. In this e...

In this episode, Ellen and Joe speak with Dr. Shawn Healy (01:57) of iCivics about what the Electoral College is, why the Founders created it, and why it's so dang confusing to many Americans. Next, we have a very interesting conversation with Gregory Miller (07:51), the COO and co-founder of the Open Source Election Technology Institute - a non-partisan non-profit 501(c)(3) public benefit co...

What would happen if you didn't register for the Selective Service, aka "the draft?" In this episode, Dr. Mike O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution joins Ellen and Joe for a quick civics lesson on why it's important to have civilian control of the military. Next, Navy veteran Joel C. Spangenberg, the acting director of the Selective Service System, discusses how his agenc...

In this episode, Dr. Shawn Healy of iCivics joins Ellen and Joe for a conversation about what the Founders intent was with Congress and why they designed the legislative process to be deliberately slow. Next, long-time Capitol Hill staffer Mike Johnson joins us to discuss his new book Fixing Congress: Restoring Power to the People where he details out what the current challenges between the politi...

Episode 12 asks the question: how do immigrants contribute to our national security. America is a country of immigrants, and this episode explores how the best teams are built from people with different backgrounds, skill sets, and cultures.  We kick things off (00:47) with U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran and current Deputy Chief of Citizenship and Applicant Information Services at the U.S. Citiz...

Episode 11 explores how veterans can get involved in local government. Local government decisions often have a more direct impact on daily life than those at the state or federal level. We begin (1:24) with Dr. Shawn Healy, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at iCivics, who addresses the question, "What are our responsibilities as citizens?" (5:55). Next, Navy veteran Mike Cantwell d...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Shawn Healey, PhD of iCivics (1:07) on why it's important to have civilian control of  the military. And Kori Schake, the Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute shares her perspectives on the topic (7:33). Finally, Vet the Vote coalition member Chris Purdy of Veterans For American Ideals joins us...

Joining us are two guests - Navy veterans Todd Connor and Eric Bronner. Todd is the founder of the veteran business incubator Bunker Labs, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Presidential Leadership Scholar, and author of Third Shift Entrepreneur. Eric is the Co-Founder of Show Me Integrity Education Fund, Missouri. He holds a JD from Washington University...

Joining us today are The Honorable Jocelyn Benson from the Great State of Michigan, and The Honorable David Scanlan from the Great State of New Hampshire.   Support the show For more, check us out at www.wetheveterans.us and at https://linktr.ee/vettedconversations

In today’s episode, we’re diving into a vital discussion with three experts on the frontlines of safeguarding our elections:  Jennifer Morrell, U.S. Air Force veteran and CEO of The Elections Group. Jennifer is a nationally recognized authority on election audits, a subject matter expert for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and a member o...

In 2022, America faced a significant challenge: we didn’t have enough election poll workers. Each election, around 1.2 million volunteers are needed to set up polling places, verify IDs, issue ballots, tally votes, and report the results. In this episode, we dive into how a dedicated team of American patriots—both veterans and civilians—stepped up and filled more than half of that need in 2022. We...

In this episode, Ellen and Joe chat with long-time NY Times Pentagon reporter Thom Shanker and Army veteran, author, and investigative journalist Kelly S. Kennedy about the role of a free and vigorous press in our democracy.   Support the show For more, check us out at www.wetheveterans.us and at https://linktr.ee/vettedconversations

In this episode we hear from retired Navy Admiral Steve Abbot who served as the deputy homeland security advisor to the President of the United States. You'll also hear from retired Marine Corps Colonel David Lapan who served as the press secretary and deputy assistant secretary for media relations during the last administration. They both join Ellen Gustafson and Jeremy Butler (USN) to dispe...