The Bunkhouse Podcast

Juan Perez was a Marine infantryman and Scout Sniper who deployed to Helmand Province in 2010. After the Corps, he spent ten years as a police officer in Chicago. In this conversation with Jon, he explains why so many veterans leave one battlefield and quietly build another at home.

Juan talks openly about carrying survivor’s guilt for about 15 years, a transition he describes as “a playbook of mistakes, and I followed all of them,” and why chaos can feel like home when calm feels uncomfortable. Jon shares his own burnout and isolation in 2023, and both men talk about the role faith played in their turnarounds.

In this episode:

Content note: This episode includes discussion of combat loss, survivor’s guilt, alcohol use, and thoughts of not wanting to wake up. If you’re struggling, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7. Dial 988, then press 1, or text 838255. You don’t have to fight this alone.

Connect with Juan: IG - @juan_perez_peace

Connect with The Bunkhouse: thebunkhousecast.com | [email protected]

Real conversations about veteran mental health and life after service. Be the light in someone’s dark.

JJ Hardy gave the Army 18 years of his life, including 35 months in combat. He came home with a 100% disability rating, a PTSD diagnosis, and a transition he describes as "very, very messy." No clear mission. No sense of identity. Just the quiet, disorienting weight of trying to figure out who he was without the uniform.

In this episode, JJ opens up about what it actually took to climb out of that place, and how he learned to flip post-traumatic stress into what he calls post-traumatic growth. He and Jon dig into the gap between military leadership and what often passes for leadership in the civilian world, and why JJ walked away from job after job because he refused to abandon the people counting on him, a value straight out of "never leave a fallen comrade."

JJ also shares his philosophy of training your mind the same way you'd train for combat: same discipline, same reps, same commitment. Because if you want the fight to go a certain way, you have to train for it, mentally included.

This conversation is grounded, practical, and honest about what healing actually requires. JJ now runs Victory Leadership Coaching and hosts the Speak Up, Show Up, Lead podcast, helping other veterans and leaders do the same work he had to do on himself.

If you've ever felt like your training prepared you for everything except what came after, this episode is for you.

David McCleery served 14 years in the Navy as a heavy equipment operator, saw every continent but Antarctica, and gave everything he had to his service. Then, when his contract expired due to medical reasons, the military handed him his paperwork and pointed him toward the door. No real transition support. No follow-up. Just a pill, a handshake, and a new life he had no idea how to navigate.

What followed was seven years of silence, panic attacks alone behind the wheel of a semi-truck, two failed marriages, and a growing darkness that nearly cost him everything. David's rock bottom came in 2023, a moment so dark he called his wife and begged her to help him. That phone call saved his life.

In this episode, David joins Jon to talk about what those seven years of isolation really looked like, why the culture of "suck it up" nearly killed him, and how he rebuilt himself into one of the most active veterans serving his community today. As Executive Director of Buddy Check 22 and a partner with Project Headspace and Timing, David now devotes his life to the mission of making sure no veteran has to white-knuckle their way through the darkness alone.

This one is raw, honest, and important.

In this episode, you will hear:

Connect with David McCleery and his organizations:

Buddy Check 22 (free counseling for veterans and families, mental health first aid classes, suicide awareness)

Project Headspace and Timing (crisis response, peer support, outdoor activities, spouse groups)

Episode #15: We Refuse to Let Our Previous Wars Win: Sarah Moore on Shedding the Uniform's Identity, Healing the Nervous System, and Becoming Whole Again

What happens when the body decides it's done, even when your mind is still convinced it can push through?

For Sarah Moore, a 21-year Army veteran and Black Hawk pilot, the answer came in the middle of a routine dunker training exercise when her nervous system snapped in front of her peers. No amount of mental toughness could stop the shaking. It was the beginning of a journey she never expected, and one that would ultimately change everything about how she understood herself, her service, and her healing.

In this episode, Sarah and Jon unpack what it really means to carry the weight of a military career, the deployments, the abusive relationships, the no-boundaries culture of high performance, and what it takes to finally set that weight down. Sarah brings a rare combination of lived experience and neuroscience training to the conversation, breaking down why trauma isn't a mindset problem, why the nervous system breaks the same way a bone does under too much stress, and why healing isn't a destination. It's a lifestyle change.

Sarah is also the founder of Blueside Adventures, a program built for veterans and first responders that combines community, adventure, and structured inner work to help people find out who they are outside of the uniform.

In this episode, you'll hear:

Connect with Sarah Moore & Blueside Adventures: 🌐 www.bluesideyoga.com 📱 Instagram & Facebook: @bluesideadventures 📧 [email protected]

Support the Mission (GoFundMe): Blue Side Adventures: The "Back Home" Mission

About The Bunkhouse: The Bunkhouse is a veteran mental health podcast hosted by Jon Cole, a retired Marine Corps officer with 16 years of service and three combat deployments. Every episode follows a guest's journey from their time in service, through their darkest moments, to where they are today. No sugar-coating. No toxic positivity. Just real conversations that remind you: you are not the only one fighting this battle, and you don't have to fight it alone.

🎙️ New episodes drop monthly.

👇 Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who needs it.

https://linktr.ee/thebunkhouse

Be the light in someone's dark.

#thebunkhouse #veteranmentalhealth #bethelightinsomeonesdark

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 the transformative power of faith and community support.

Andrew Stokes's military background and transition to law enforcement

Andrew Stokes

Mental health awareness

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Andrew Stokes

Resources

Law Enforcement Trauma Resources - https://www.police1.com/mental-health/articles/trauma-resources-for-police-officers/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewstokes

In this episode, Ira and Jon explore the deep and often overlooked aspects of transitioning from military service into civilian life. They discuss the importance of community, purpose, and self-care in healing and redefining identity after service.

Key Topics:

Timestamps:

This episode highlights the importance of vulnerability, community, and purpose for veterans. Ira and Jon remind us that healing is ongoing and supporting one another is key. Whether you're in transition or years into civilian life, your story matters, and you're not alone.

This is the announcement of the relaunch of The Bunkhouse Podcast.

Episode 1 (Marine Grunt to Passionate Poet)

Host: Jon

Talk About The Episode:

• Brandon Dillon

• Marine Corps 8 years 2004 to 2012

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

• Poetry and poetry have saved my life, along with my kids and my future wife Yanet.

• The things I saw and did in Iraq and Afghanistan, obviously, how I treated some of my Marines, during our time in Afghanistan, my ex-wife, and the things we have said and done to each other, my childhood, so many of my brothers taking their own lives. How I handle it I used to drink A LOT, but I started therapy in 2014 and did 5 years my therapist pushed me to share my poetry, and poetry has saved my life, now I write to cope and deal with my darkness.

• The VA sucks but use it, find a therapist, and learn healthy coping mechanisms. Learn mindfulness and how to meditate. Find something to occupy your mind and time, something that you actually enjoy and get some sort of fulfillment out of.

Closing:

Brandon Dillon

https://linktr.ee/nollid20

You can contact the show by sending an email to [email protected]

Follow on Twitter with @BunkhouseCast

Follow on TikTok @bunkhousecast

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/thebunkhouse

I created this podcast using version 3.0.3 of Audacity(R) recording and editing software[1].

[1] Audacity® software is copyright © 1999-2021 Audacity Team.

Web site: https://audacityteam.org/. It is free software

distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License.

The name Audacity® is a registered trademark.

Host: Jon

Talk About The Episode:

• Kyle Moschetto

• Marine Corps, just under 12 years.

Talk With The Guest:

• He did Lots of IT side hustles before the military. “I’m a geek-of-geeks! 😀”

• Large complicated Cloud Adoption/Migration/Transformation programs!

• READ and PRACTICE. We’ve never been in a time where learning was so easy, it just takes time and practice.

Closing:

Kyle:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-kmo-moschetto-5100a761/

https://anchor.fm/task/force/phoenix

Title

Author

Link?

Leadership Gold: Lessons I've Learned from a Lifetime of Leading

John C. Maxwell

https://www.audible.com/pd/Leadership-Gold-Audiobook/1400222761?ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_&pf_rd_p=80765e81-b10a-4f33-b1d3-ffb87793d047&pf_rd_r=81G8KFGSMBKBX50EQX26

Thinking for a Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work

John C. Maxwell

https://www.audible.com/pd/Thinking-for-a-Change-Audiobook/B002UZMSMG?ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_&pf_rd_p=80765e81-b10a-4f33-b1d3-ffb87793d047&pf_rd_r=81G8KFGSMBKBX50EQX26

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

Patrick Lencioni

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Five-Dysfunctions-of-a-Team-Audiobook/B002V08E64?ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_&pf_rd_p=80765e81-b10a-4f33-b1d3-ffb87793d047&pf_rd_r=81G8KFGSMBKBX50EQX26

The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business

Patrick Lencioni

https://www.amazon.com/Advantage-Organizational-Health-Everything-Business/dp/0470941529/

You can contact the show by sending an email to [email protected]

Follow on Twitter with @BunkhouseCast

Follow on TikTok @bunkhousecast

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/thebunkhouse

I created this podcast using version 3.0.3 of Audacity(R) recording and editing software[1].

[1] Audacity® software is copyright © 1999-2021 Audacity Team.

Web site: https://audacityteam.org/. It is free software

distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License.

The name Audacity® is a registered trademark.

Hey everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Bunkhouse; I’m your host Jon.

I know it’s been 4 months since the last episode, but I have some updates and news about the show.

First the show itself:

• After the new year I will continue to release one episode of the show.

• I already have a couple guests lined up, just have to work our schedules out.

• Veterans to share their story and how they beat their inner battles.

Now the extras:

• I have started journaling to help deal with my own anxiety, and stuff, and then I started sharing them on TikTok.

• If you want to check them out, you can go my TikTok handle @thebunkhousecast

• It also has links to other individuals, and or organizations that I support or am a part of.

• I am a board member for Hackers 4 Vets

• Nonprofit that helps veterans get into cyber by providing awards, vouchers, courses and more.

• Mission 22 provides support to Veterans and their families when they need it most: right now. Through a comprehensive approach of outreach, events, and programs, we’re promoting long-term wellness and sustainable growth.

I hope everyone has enjoyed the 10 episodes I’ve released so far and continue to be on the lookout for the upcoming episodes.

If you want to contact the show, or want to be a guest, send an email to [email protected]

Or use the LinkTree link and click “Contact”.

Again, I want to thank everyone for their support with the show, I can’t wait to see where it takes us next year.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year; and as always, Be The Light In Someone’s Dark.

Links

https://linktr.ee/thebunkhouse

[email protected]

Hackers for Vets (thehauntedhacker.com)

Mission 22 I National Veteran Non-Profit Organization