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

After getting out of the Marine Corps, Rob Bracero found himself stuck, detached from purpose, struggling with chronic pain, and missing the community that used to push him forward. He's not alone. A lot of veterans find that once the structure of military life disappears, it's easy to fall into isolation and let their physical and mental health slip. That's where Warrior Strong comes in. In this...

Blown up. Burned out. Ready to end it all. That's where Sam Peterson found himself after his second deployment as an EOD tech. He nearly took his own life until one unexpected moment changed everything. What followed was a raw journey through trauma, healing, and finding purpose on the other side. In this episode, Sam lays it all out. The silent epidemic of blast-induced brain trauma. The VA's bro...

Kijuan Amey had a plan. He was finishing school, building a business, and still serving in the Air Force Reserves. Then a motorcycle crash changed everything. He lost his sight, suffered major injuries, and had to figure out how to move forward in a world that suddenly looked very different. In this conversation, we talk about what that recovery really looked like. Not just the surgeries or physic...

Jake Rademacher didn't wear the uniform, but the war still shaped his life. His two brothers served in Iraq, and that personal connection drove him to create the documentary Brothers at War . What started as a way to understand his siblings' experiences turned into something much bigger: a tool to help other veterans process their own stories. In this conversation, Jake shares how storytelling, fi...

Not everyone who served in the Global War on Terrorism wore a uniform. Ganpat "Gunner" Wagh started as a Marine, moved into law enforcement, and then spent years as an FBI agent working everything from cybercrime to counterterrorism. Eventually, that led him to Afghanistan, where he deployed alongside Special Forces as part of a quiet but critical support mission. In this episode, Gunner shares wh...

Pain and anxiety don't always show up on the outside, but they can dominate your inner world. That's the reality Ann Swanson lived with until she discovered practical, science-backed ways to reduce her chronic pain and anxiety. Mike Swanson, a former Army intelligence officer, faced a different battlefield. Stress, leadership pressure, and the hidden stigma around mental health in the military. To...

When you've been wrecked physically, mentally, or spiritually, it's easy to believe that you're done. But Marine Corps veteran Brandon Mancine's story proves that strength isn't about never getting knocked down-it's about deciding to get back up, every damn time. After being pinned between two trucks by an intoxicated driver, Brandon was told he'd never return to the kind of elite physical conditi...

We made it to 500 episodes! Honestly, I didn't expect to hit this number when I first started the Drive On Podcast. I figured I'd try it out, see if it helped anyone, and maybe move on if it didn't. But here we are, and that's thanks to you, the listeners who stuck around, shared the show, and kept me going. In episode 100, I said: "I don't think I'll do another one of these milestone episodes any...

Leaving the military doesn't mean your battles are over. It just changes the battlefield. In this raw, relatable episode, Navy veteran and podcast host Mr. Whiskey shares his story from the high-suicide-rate nuclear program to enduring one of the Navy's most toxic command environments aboard the USS George Washington. He opens up about the weight of grief, loss, and leadership failure. And why get...

Coming home doesn't always mean you're back . For Marine Corps reservist Ron Jansen , the toughest battles came long after Iraq, when the mission was over and the noise faded. Like so many veterans, he tried to pick up where he left off. A full-time job. Family life. No time to think about what really happened downrange. But trauma doesn't stay quiet forever. It showed up in his relationships, his...

It's one thing to survive war, it's another to make sure it's remembered. In this powerful conversation, Special Forces veteran Michael "Rod" Rodríguez opens up about his journey through combat, traumatic injury, and personal loss, and how those experiences led him to a new mission: building the Global War on Terrorism Memorial in Washington, D.C. Rod isn't just talking about his story. He's fight...

After deployment, some warriors come home. Others just arrive. Dustin Carter opens up about how writing became more than a hobby-it became his lifeline. From his rough start before service to finding purpose in the Guard, then facing the spiral of isolation, anger, and a VA system that wanted to medicate instead of listen, Dustin didn't just survive-he wrote his way through. His novel, The Veteran...

You trained hard, ate right, and stayed in top physical condition in the military. But after getting out? It's easy for those habits to fall apart. Food becomes a comfort, a coping mechanism, or just an afterthought in the chaos of civilian life. And before you know it, the disciplined approach you once had is gone. In this episode, Jessica Setnick, a nutritionist specializing in eating behaviors,...

When Sam Westfall left the military, he felt the weight of transition, PTSD, and loss of purpose. He tried to cope the way many veterans do-through alcohol and firearms, which aren't the best combination-but nothing seemed to work. That all changed the day a friend handed him a bow. In this episode, Sam shares how archery became his path to mental clarity and emotional stability. Through Archery N...

War leaves a lasting impact-not just on those who fight, but on the generations that follow. Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Naughton grew up in the shadow of his father's Vietnam service, ultimately choosing to follow in his footsteps. With a career spanning the infantry, medical corps, and leadership roles in Washington, D.C., he brings a unique perspective on how war shapes identity, leadership, and...

Leaving the military comes with challenges-redefining your purpose, finding a meaningful career, and stepping into an unfamiliar civilian world where your experience isn't always understood. But what if your military skills could be the key to success in one of the fastest-growing and most mission-driven industries today? The cybersecurity field is facing a massive talent shortage, and veterans ha...

Some wounds don't come from the battlefield-they come from within the ranks. Brandon Caserta was strong. Disciplined. Determined. He had a dream to serve in the military, to push himself to the limits, to be part of something greater than himself. But when he faced toxic leadership, retaliation, and neglect from those meant to lead, the weight became unbearable. His parents, Terri and Patrick Case...

Losing the uniform doesn't mean losing your mission. But for a lot of veterans, the transition out of service feels like being dropped into an unknown world without a map. That's exactly what Rob Sarver and Alex Gendzier set out to fix. After years of interviews with veterans, deep research into military transition, and personal experience, they wrote Warrior to Civilian: The Field Manual for the...

What happens when you transition out of the military and the leadership in civilian life doesn't measure up? Jason West, a Marine veteran and leadership consultant, breaks down why leadership matters more than ever when building a business, leading a team, or just trying to create purpose in your post-service life. From his experiences in the Marine Corps to running his consulting firm, Officers E...

The war doesn't always end when you come home. For many veterans, the toughest battles are fought in silence-moral injury, survivor's guilt, and the search for meaning after service. Retired Army Sergeant Eric Donoho lived it. After surviving multiple IED blasts, he returned home to a life that felt shattered, eventually finding himself at the brink of suicide. But that wasn't the end of his story...

We all have demons. Some we fought on the battlefield, others we fight in our own minds. For Army veteran Juan Espinoza, the weight of his experiences nearly crushed him-until he found a way to process the pain. After years of bottling up emotions and trying to "just push through," Juan hit a breaking point. One cold December night, he stepped into the rain, dropped to his knees, and screamed for...

Leaving the military is hard. Finding the right job? Even harder. Veterans often find themselves stuck in jobs that don't match their skills, struggling to translate their military experience into something that makes sense to civilian employers. Jon Safran, a 23-year Air Force veteran and Chief Military Engagement Advisor at MilitaryConnected.org, knows this challenge firsthand. His mission? To b...

Too many veterans are handed a diagnosis and a prescription-but never a real solution. Dr. Fred Moss has spent decades working in psychiatry, only to realize that true healing doesn't come from medication-it comes from connection. In this episode, Dr. Moss shares how veterans can reclaim their mental health by finding their true voice and engaging in meaningful communication. We explore why psychi...

Some sacrifices are too big to be forgotten. When Major Brent Taylor was killed in action in 2018, his daughter Megan Taylor was only 13 years old. Now, at 19, she's carrying on his legacy in powerful ways-through advocacy, remembrance, and leadership in the veteran community. In this episode, Megan opens up about growing up in a family shaped by both military and civic service. Her father wasn't...

Losing camaraderie after leaving the military can be one of the hardest parts of the transition. No one seems to understand, and it's easy to feel isolated-even in a room full of people. But what if there was a way to rebuild that sense of purpose and connection? Enter Charles Watkins, an Army veteran who knows firsthand what it's like to struggle after service. As a former chaplain assistant, he...