The VetsConnection Podcast

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We talk with Army veteran and MilConnect founder Zach Sisson about building free, searchable tools that help veterans, active duty members, and families navigate benefits, mental health resources, and entrepreneurship without getting lost in the maze. We also get real about purpose after service, learning through failure, and why community and confidentiality can change outcomes. 

• Zach’s adoption story and why 9-11 shaped his decision to serve 
• Combat deployments, loss and the daily mental health weight veterans carry 
• Practical transition advice, including getting civilian work experience early 
• Veteran entrepreneurship lessons from buying and running a coffee shop at 19 
• “Fail fast, learn faster” as an operating mindset for business and life 
• Why discoverability matters, including SEO and being searchable on Google 
• How MillConnect.com helps veterans and spouses build a free business presence 
• How MillConnect.ai simplifies VA benefits, VA disability claims and planning tools 
• Record keeping, document uploads and why platform security and encryption matter 
• Vet Centers, stigma and finding confidential mental health support resources 
• How nonprofits can get found and connect with the military community 

If you like this, share it, hit the subscribe button. Go to millconnect.com or milconnect.ai. 

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Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: [email protected]. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

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We sit down with Army veteran and app developer Sean Wright as he tells the story behind DD420 and the years it took to speak openly about MST, TBI, and PTSD. We talk honestly about what happens when the system offers little help, and how tracking symptoms, reclaiming creativity, and owning your story can loosen trauma’s grip. 

• Sean’s background in Montana and joining the Army straight out of high school 
• Life as a combat medic and the pace of field training 
• Grooming dynamics and why MST often goes unreported 
• The beating, memory loss, and long-term TBI and PTSD impacts 
• Frustration with consequences that feel wildly unfair 
• Transition struggles after ETS and the pull of military camaraderie 
• How alcohol use grows out of unprocessed trauma and shame 
• Marriage and family strain and choosing safety for the kids 
• Experimenting with cannabis for pain and anxiety while staying intentional 
• Why DD420 exists and how it logs strains moods symptoms and PCL-5 
• Building the app with AI prompting and the reality of testing on platforms 
• PTSD beyond combat and why we reject the trauma Olympics 
• The value of telling your story out loud and what it changes 
• DD420 privacy basics and keeping user data on the phone 

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2301762/supporters/new

Go to omomcoffee.com. 
Go to the app store and download TD420. It's free. 
If you like this episode, share it, hit the subscribe button. 

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Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: [email protected]. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

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We talk with Eric Bernstein, co-founder of LendFriend Mortgage, about why so many veterans miss out on the VA loan benefit and how to use it to buy smarter and build wealth. We break down the biggest myths, the real qualification rules, and the traps that cost veterans money when they refinance. 

• why VA loans are underused and what the stats show about eligibility confusion 
• the core benefits of a VA mortgage including zero down and no PMI 
• how to qualify using COE, income rules, and realistic credit expectations 
• why lender experience matters and the question we should all ask before choosing one 
• how the VA IRRRL streamline refinance works and when it makes sense 
• seller and listing agent stigma around VA offers and how a good team counters it 
• Tidewater and the VA appraisal process plus what the escape clause really does 
• self-employed veteran challenges and how to build a timeline that works 
• mailer and call center red flags plus how points quietly inflate the cost 
• using AI to read quotes, run break-even math, and pressure-test claims 
• VA entitlement myths including reusing the benefit and buying again after moving 

Go to oneman one mic foundation.org. You’ll see the OMOM coffee shop. Go in there. 
Go out, go reach out to Eric. 
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Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: [email protected]. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

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We talk with VA accredited attorney Ben Krause about what “VA accredited” really means, why veterans often cannot hire a lawyer until after a denial, and how that power imbalance shapes disability claims and education benefits. We also zoom out to privacy, surveillance tech, and what the country owes veterans when the bill for war comes due. 
• what VA accreditation is and who can legally represent a claim 
• why accreditation follows the individual not the law firm 
• how Veteran Readiness and Employment works and where it breaks 
• how delays and opaque rules wear veterans down 
• fraud narratives versus the reality of evidence, exams, and adjudication 
• risks of unaccredited claim helpers and “claim shark” companies 
• concerns about Flock cameras, data retention, and private surveillance 
• UVLC in Minnesota and bringing veteran perspective into policy 
• why future wars mean future benefit obligations and accountability 
If you like it, share it. If you're watching on YouTube, hit that subscribe button. 

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Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: [email protected]. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

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We build a recovery bridge with Navy veteran Ross Donahue, a leader at Guardian Recovery, and get honest about what actually helps people move from crisis to long-term sobriety. We dig into how purpose, fast access to care, and real human connection beat assumptions, hype, and shortcuts like AI “therapy.” 
• why veteran storytelling and having a mission matter in recovery 
• joining the Navy after 9/11 and how service shapes identity 
• why providers should not assume combat PTSD 
• pre-existing factors like family environment, trauma, ADHD, and rocky transitions 
• “isms” and addiction whack-a-mole, including non-substance compulsions 
• the moment of clarity and why quick admissions save lives 
• what early recovery feels like, including meetings, vulnerability, and drunk dreams 
• how sober living and “get well” jobs support stability 
• what Guardian Recovery offers for co-occurring mental health and substance abuse 
• VA wait times, shifting policies, and why community partners matter 
• rehab industry red flags, marketing claims, and choosing quality care 
• newer treatments like TMS and esketamine and how adoption gets complicated 
• where AI can help operations and where it can seriously harm people 
Go to our brand new website, oneman1micfoundation.org, and if you like it, sign up for it 
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Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: [email protected]. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

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We sit down with Marine veteran, chef, entrepreneur, and author Joseph Randall and follow the road from WestPac and Desert Storm to a life shaped by trauma, responsibility, and hard-won healing. Along the way, we dig into why telling the truth out loud can lighten the load for veterans and the families who carry it with them. 
• One Man One Mic Foundation mission to teach veterans podcasting and storytelling 
• Growing up in St. Louis and joining the Marine Corps at 17 
• Being assigned as a cook and learning what “WestPac” really means 
• Near-death storm at sea and the lesson that ends curiosity fast 
• Desert Storm preparation, reassignment to a new unit, anxiety in the unknown 
• Daily life in the sand: bunkers, moving forward, delivering meals as morale 
• Why cooks, admin, and docs keep the force alive 
• Coming home to “forget it” debriefing and the long shadow of unprocessed stress 
• Alcohol, a catastrophic crash, and choosing responsibility over excuses 
• How insomnia, sleep apnea, and VA battles push the memoir into motion 
• From chef to author: Forged In Heat and the start of a four-book series 
• Building a future around writing, public speaking, and veteran-focused spaces 
go to onemanonemicfoundation.org 
www.orioncopper.com 

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Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: [email protected]. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

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We sit down with Lisa Archer from Howe Foundation USA to talk about how hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps veterans reclaim sleep, clarity, and day to day life after PTS and TBI. We also unpack what it takes to fund 40 consecutive treatments nationwide when insurance and FDA approval still lag behind the results. 

• our mission at One Man One Mic Foundation to help veterans publish podcasts and tell their stories 
• Lisa’s path into nonprofit development and why relationship building drives funding 
• how Howe Foundation USA starts and why PTS went unnamed for decades 
• what hyperbaric oxygen therapy is and why medical grade oxygen matters 
• the cost reality of HBOT and why insurance often will not cover it 
• sleep improvement and cognitive testing as early proof points 
• expanding from local support to a national network of vetted facilities 
• who can apply beyond veterans including first responders and student athletes 
• concussion risk in youth sports and why repeat hits change grades and sleep 
• why some trauma is harder to treat when the images will not leave 
• keeping aftercare human through ongoing contact and the new How Hub 

Go to howfoundationusa.org and give them your money. 

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Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: [email protected]. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

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We talk with Sonia Phillip about her journey from Trinidad to the U.S. Navy, and how tough transitions, discrimination, and loss can turn into purpose-driven service. We also break down how The Firewatch trains everyday people to respond to suicide risk with calm steps that can keep a veteran alive long enough to get real help. 
• immigrating from Trinidad and Tobago and adapting to New York life 
• joining the Navy with an identical twin through the buddy program 
• serving on USS Essex in Japan and growing up fast at sea 
• navigating a male-dominated engineering space and earning respect through performance 
• leaving active duty in 2015 and the mental shift into veteran status 
• using VSOs, the GI Bill, and school benefits to build a new plan 
• working a frontline nonprofit role with homeless veterans and severe mental health needs 
• learning the cost of carrying other people’s crises and why breaks matter 
• joining The Firewatch and defining suicide prevention as a community skill 
• why 988 then press 1 matters when the call comes 
If you're interested and you want to learn how to podcast, you can go on the website and sign up at one man1mike foundation.org 

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Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: [email protected]. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

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We talk with Jennifer Puentes and Brandon Hants, two U.S. veterans in Colombia, about what earthquake relief looks like when hospitals collapse, water runs out, and communications fail. We share the uncomfortable truths about safety, logistics, bureaucracy, and how to help in ways that actually reach the families who are being missed. 
• what Jennifer and Brandon experience during and after the quake 
• why veterans shift quickly into action and coordination 
• water, communications, and shelter as the real early priorities 
• security risks people do not want to discuss, including looting and assaults 
• why aid gets oversupplied downtown while outskirts go without 
• how bureaucracy and politics slow down international relief 
• medical response in tents, training gaps, and the need for triage 
• protecting children and supporting pregnant women amid disruption 
• how influencers and media can drown out legitimate information 
• practical ways to donate safely and demand transparency 
If you do what you can, or if you know somebody that can help out, help out. 

Support the show

Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: [email protected]. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

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We talk with Army veteran Barbara Diaz about how bullying, stigma, and unaddressed trauma can follow you from childhood into the military and into adulthood. We also break down attachment styles, nervous system healing, and how her Living Garden Framework turns hard psychology into practical emotional skills for veterans, parents, and kids. 
• growing up between Puerto Rico roots and North Philly survival 
• joining the Army young and learning adulthood fast in Korea 
• being bullied by peers and leaders and how chain of command can trap you 
• coping through emotional eating, shame, and staying quiet to stay safe 
• noticing PTSD later in life and understanding trauma stored in the body 
• living multiple military transitions as soldier, reservist, spouse, and federal employee 
• why programs like SHARP matter and what changes when systems finally listen 
• leaving a toxic marriage, naming domestic violence, and doing deep self-work 
• understanding attachment styles and the zero to two imprint on trust 
• using no contact, boundaries, and repair to heal intergenerational trauma 
• building the Living Garden Framework with somatic tools and trauma-informed education 
• teaching emotional literacy with simple, usable vocabulary for teens and adults 
If you like this, share it. Go to oneman one mic foundation.org. 

Support the show

Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: [email protected]. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast