Coming Home Well

Tyler chats with John Preston, founder of 22 and You , a movement to save lives of first responders and veterans suffering from post traumatic stress (PTS). John started the movement by embarking on a 630 mile hike from Palo Alto to San Diego that caught the attention of many individuals, including first responders and veterans that joined to walk alongside John. Encouraged by John’s perseverance,...

Tyler Pieron chats with Lynn Lennon, the founder and owner of Richmond Peak Performance , in Richmond, VA. Lynn focuses on neurofeedback and biofeedback and how it can be used by veterans. Neurofeedback is a form of EEG-based biofeedback, which helps to directly train brain function. During neurofeedback training, the brain learns to function more efficiently as the brain observes its own real-tim...

Tyler Pieron chats with Dr. John Lukens, PhD , who leads a team of researchers at the University of Virginia investigating the cellular and molecular pathways that contribute to neuroinflammation and central nervous system (CNS)-related tissue damage. Dr. Lukens shares with us the latest research about the intersection of the immune system in neurological issues, such as Traumatic Brain Injuries,...

Tyler Pieron chats with Dr. Adam Darkins , a physician who spearheaded the Veteran’s Administration’s efforts to begin to use telehealth to help veterans achieve better outcomes, increase the quality of care and provide better access. In the 1990s, Dr. Darkins began developing what is now one of the largest and most effective telehealth programs in the country, with a focus on ensuring patient acc...

Tyler Pieron chats with Rick Yount, the Executive Director and founder of Warrior Canine Connection. Rick breeds, train and places service dogs with severely wounded veterans. What makes Warrior Canine Connection special is they include veterans and injured service members in all aspects of preparing a dog as a service animal, from taking care of puppies to socializing them to training. This speci...

Tyler chats with Lt. Col. Sally Maddox, a C5 pilot in the Air Force on her paper Music and Combat Motivation. Sally's takes a dive into the scientific effects of music on military engagement and how it has the ability to boost morale, promote cohesion or potentially push one's ideology. Over history dating as far back as the civil war to present day, music can play a powerful tool in influencing a...

Tyler chats with Dr. Doreen Marshall with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (afsp.org), which is the largest private funder of suicide prevention research. Dr. Marshall shares with us the challenges of depression and suicide and provide insights into how to help those suffering. Suicide in the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and on average 22 veterans commit suicide e...

Tyler chats with Ray Cralle, a physical therapist who has helped pioneer the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen to treat a number of medical issues. Mr. Cralle shares ongoing research and case studies using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) to treat Traumatic Brain Injuries and other issues veterans often face. You can learn more about HBOT here www.oxygenrescuecarecentersofamerica.com/ . Support the Show. T...

Tyler chats with Bonnie Carroll, the President and Founder of Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which provides comfort, care and resources to all those grieving the death of a military loved one. Since 1994, TAPS has provided comfort and hope 24/7 through a national peer support network and connection to grief resources, all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones. Bonnie Ca...

Tyler Pieron catches back up with Dr. Lorin Linder and Matt Simmons, the Co-Founders of the Lockwood Animal Rescue Center (lockwoodarc.org)in the California mountains above Los Angeles. Dr. Linder explains how she and Matt started LARC and their methodology of connecting combat veterans with rescue wolves, and how it can heal both. Wee also talk about the first season of “Wolves & Warriors” te...

We have a guest host this week! Libby Bates interviews Dr. Daniel Perl, a pathologist who studies the effects of Traumatic Brain Injuries on veterans. Dr. Perl was recruited to the faculty of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., as Professor of Pathology. As the director of the congressionally mandated Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, he has...

Tyler chats with Ken Falke, the Founder and Chairman of Boulder Crest Foundation , which uses the proven science of Posttraumatic Growth to heal, train, and advocate for combat veterans, first responders, and their families who have experienced trauma. Boulder Crest has developed, delivers, and scales transformative programs to ensure these remarkable men and women transform struggle into strength...

Tyler chats with Dr. Kent Werner , Lieutenant Commander, US Navy. Dr. Werner is a Sleep Medicine and Neurology Physician who currently works for Uniformed Services University studying sleep disorders in the military and is an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins for teaching and research. He discusses the impact of sleep disorders on Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post Traumatic Syndrome and pro...

Tyler chats with Army Veteran Matt Hesse, the founder of the FitOps Foundation . FitOps helps veterans who are passionate about health and wellness to find success after the military in the fitness industry. The goal is not just to help veterans to get certified as personal trainers, but to create a path for our servicemen and women to use their leadership skills to help improve the lives of other...

Tyler chats with meets with Art and Lee Beltrone, who share the story of the Walker, a troopship that carried soldiers into war and was then mothballed for decades. The discovery of the graffiti and other artifacts led to a project to recover the material for preservation in museums throughout the country. Art Beltrone and his wife Lee formed the non-profit Vietnam Graffiti Project and with other...

Tyler chats with Dr. Chaitra M. Hardison , an industrial psychologist with the Rand Corporation, who authored "What Veterans Bring to Civilian Workplaces - A Prototype Toolkit for Helping Private-Sector Employers Understand the Nontechnical Skills Developed in the Military". This knowledge gives employers great insight as to why hiring veterans is an asset to their company, along with providing ve...

Tyler sits down with Brooke Nowak of the GreaterGood.org and learns about the “GoodPacks”, which are one of the many ways GreaterGood works to help keep people, especially veterans, and their companion animals together during crisis such as homelessness. Brooke also shares some of the other great programs Greater Good does to help pets and people, like a food lending bank for animal shelters and “...

Tyler chats with Dr. Deborah Beidel of the University of Central Florida’s UCF RESTORES, a leading independent research center established to change the way post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is understood, diagnosed and treated. Dr. Beidel shares the unique services they offer at UCF RESTORES to treat PTSD and other trauma, including the use of virtual reality to help overcome wartime stressor...

Tyler talks with Sylvia Muller, Program Manager for Operations Bigs , part of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Virginia. Operations Bigs focuses on helping military children through challenges in their lives, including the deployment of a parent, frequent moves when the military family changes duty locations in a permanent change of station, and everyday challenges that uniquely affect military...

Tyler chats with Mark Whiting, Program Manager of the Military Medics and Corpsman Program (MMAC) at the Department of Veteran Services for the Commonwealth of Virginia. As the first and only program of its type in the nation, the MMAC-Qualified Pathway focuses on recently discharged veterans who served as Army Medics or Navy/Coast Guard Corpsmen or Air Force Medical Technicians. The MMAC also has...

Tyler chats with Barbara Barclay of RightEye to learn how eye-tracking technologies are being used to identify and assist in a wide variety of movement disorders, including Traumatic Brain Injuries and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s. Barbara relates how eye tracking is being used at 10 Veteran Administration hospitals in clinical trials and some of the dramatic examples of how treati...