Return to Base | A VeteranLife Podcast

Host: Cliff Van Rickley Guest: Phyllis Wilson- President, Military Women’s Memorial Foundation Retired Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Phyllis Wilson didn't set out to become the leader of the nation's only major memorial dedicated to women who served in the U.S. military. In fact, despite spending years working at the Pentagon, she didn't even know the Military Women's Memorial e...

Host: Cliff Van Rickley Guest: Brian Ferguson - Former Navy Special Operations Officer, Founder & CEO, Arena Labs In this episode of Return to Base , host Cliff Van Rickley sits down with Brian Ferguson, a former Navy Special Operations Officer and founder of Arena Labs, to explore what separates high-performing teams from those that struggle under pressure. Drawing on experiences from special...

Host: Cliff Van Rickley Guest: Zachary Federico, Director, Veterans and Military Affairs Task Force, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) What happens after service… when the mission shifts to policy? In this episode of Return To Base , Cliff sits down with Zachary Federico to unpack a side of service most people never see—what it looks like to continue serving beyond the uniform by shapin...

Host: Cliff Van Rickley Guest: Steven Grayhm, Writer/Director/Producer/Star of Sheepdog What happens after the uniform comes off? In this episode of Return To Base , Cliff sits down with filmmaker and actor Steven Grayhm to talk about his powerful new film Sheepdog—a story that explores the invisible battles many veterans face after service. Written, directed, produced, and starring Grayhm himself...

Host: Cliff Van Rickley Guest: Steve Weintraub, Marine Veteran + CSO, Vet Tix What if healing didn’t always start in a clinic — but in a stadium seat? In this episode of Return To Base , Cliff sits down with Marine veteran and Vet Tix Chief Strategy Officer Steve Weintraub to talk about purpose after service, the power of belonging, and how shared experiences can literally save lives. With more th...

Host: Cliff Van Rickley Guest: Sally Rejas – 82nd Airborne Combat Veteran, Civil Servant, American Legion Post Commander Service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off — it evolves. In the Season 2 premiere of Return to Base , host Cliff Van Rickley sits down with Sally Rejas, an 82nd Airborne combat veteran whose journey spans from growing up in rural Puerto Rico to jumping out of planes with the...

Welcome back to another episode of Return to Base! Today’s special guest is Josh Duntz, a former Navy EOD tech and current Sales Manager at Shift.org. If you don’t know, Shift.org is a company that helps veterans get introduced to the tech world and the opportunities within. Tech companies need veterans as much as they need engineers, they just don’t know it yet. Shift.org helps companies understa...

After a short break, we’re back with another episode of Return to Base! This time, we’re talking to former Army Cav Officer and novelist Brett Allen. After graduating college and being commissioned through ROTC, Brett went on to serve in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. Luckily, having grown up in Michigan he was used to the ridiculously cold winters and snow. Then the army saw fit to...

On this installment of Return to Base, I welcome Dave Duffy. Dave is a retired Special Forces officer who now, in addition to doing business development in the defense contractor industry, is the proud owner/operator of two Tropical Smoothie franchises in Columbia, SC.  Dave and I dig into his service, to include his time at the United States Military Academy at West Point where he played football...

On this episode of Return to Base, we talk to the CEO of the Purpose Built Families Foundation, Seth Eisenberg. Seth and company have been offering reparative services through the Operation Sacred Trust (OST) Supportive Services for Veteran Families program serving homeless and low-income Veterans in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, and Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills (PAIRS)...

On this episode of Return to Base, we meet up with Cliff Walker, a Veteran of the United States Navy and Air Force and a retired firefighter. Cliff is also the founder and CEO of the USS Battle Series , which is a functional fitness competition that brings a new level of awareness in terms of health, fitness, and mental wellbeing for our United States Armed Forces, First Responders, and those in o...

On this episode of Return to Base, we welcome Ricky and Leo of Task Force Hydro 1, a 501C3 non-profit organization focused on veterans and first responders.  TF Hydro 1’s mission is to come together as a community of waterman for Active Duty Military, Veteran and 1st Responders to actively help them cope with PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety and suicide by creating meaningful connections and sha...

On this episode of Return to Base, we talk to Dean Wegner, the founder and CEO of Authentically American, a Veteran owned, American made, premium apparel brand.  Dean graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point where he played hockey before going on to fly helicopters. During his service, Dean did what very few aviation officers get to do, attend and pass the grueling U.S. Army...

On this episode of Return to Base we talk to former Army Ranger Alex Brammer. Alex served as an infantryman in the illustrious 75th Ranger Regiment before transitioning to “the dark side.” that is going to West Point and being commissioned as an officer. Alex and I go into great depth about his service in the Rangers and what led him to leave the military. While transitioning, Alex’s girlfriend sa...

On this episode of Return to Base we are pleased to present former U.S. Navy SEAL Commander and the co-host of the Men Talking Mindfulness Podcast, Job Macaskill. Jon served for 26 years in the Navy, mostly in the SEALs, before transitioning in 2020 and embarking on his civilian journey. Along the way, Jon’s journey was altered by a global pandemic and coming to the realization he was working in t...

On this episode of Return to Base, we get N.A.K.E.D. with former Navy SEAL and the founder of NAKED Warrior Recovery, William Branum. William served 26 years in the United States Navy, where he deployed 10 times as a SEAL. Like many Veterans, when William retired, his years of service caught up to him both physically and mentally. Again, like many Veterans, William self-medicated to turn off the p...

On this episode of Return to Base we are pleased to present Alex Bertelli, the CEO, founder, and inventor of HavenLock. Before kicking down doors, literally, on Shark Tank, Alex was flying the world’s most advanced helicopters as a member of the fabled 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment -- The Night Stalkers. It was there that he first ideated what would become the HavenLock. Alex noted ba...

On this episode of Return to Base, we teamed up with Eric Horton and Michele Olive. Eric Horton retired from the U.S. Army after 26 years as a logistician. As he was experiencing his transition into the civilian world he was forced to take stock of what really mattered to him. It took pulling over on the side of the interstate and making the decision to leave a toxic job to lead him to where he is...

CONTENT WARNING  On this episode of Return to Base, we welcome Army Veteran Scott DeLuzio.  Scott is the host of the DriveOn Podcast and the author of the book Surviving Son which is available wherever you prefer to purchase books.   In Surviving Son he speaks about his service as a National Guard infantryman, and about losing his younger brother just miles away while they were both deployed to Af...

On this episode of Return to Base, we welcome Natalie Oliverio. Natalie is a veteran of the United States Navy and the founder of Military Talent Partners , a company that cultivates military talent through mentorship and career discovery.  After working as a corporate recruiter for over a decade, Natalie recognized that a gap existed between what the military was able to prepare service-members f...

Some men see world events and say “someone should do something about that”; other men, men like Nate Boyer say “I should do something about that.” On episode 3 of Return to Base, we welcome former Green Beret, Nate Boyer. Nate is what some would call a renaissance man. Moved by a Time Magazine article, Nate bought a one-way ticket into the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur. Once there, he was put...

In this episode of Return to Base, we welcome Alden Mills. Alden graduated from the United States Naval Academy and went on to serve as a Navy SEAL before leaving the military, inventing The Perfect Pushup, and authoring the bestselling books Be Unstoppable and Unstoppable Teams . It was no accident that Alden learned the secrets to being unstoppable. From being the kid with two left feet, scoring...

In this, the inaugural episode of Return to Base podcast, we welcome Dr. Bessel van der Kolk M.D .. Van der Kolk is a psychiatrist that has been conducting research in the field of Traumatic Stress Studies for decades. He’s also the best selling author of The Body Keeps the Score . In Return to Bases’ first ever podcast with Bessel van der Kolk, we discuss the nature of trauma, how trauma rewires...