The Words We Don't Say

Why are fire departments, police agencies, and EMS teams bringing therapy dogs in after tough calls? In this episode of The Words We Don't Say, we talk with four First Responder Therapy Dogs handlers, including a fire chief, a former police officer, and the organization's East Coast Director of Operations, about how therapy dogs support mental health and why the program costs departments nothing.

You'll learn how the nonprofit grew from one dog working during a California wildfire season to 450 certified teams across 46 states, as well as how therapy dogs change the room at critical incident stress debriefs and peer support visits. Our guests also cover what it takes to certify a team (handler training and the Canine Good Citizen test), and how funding works for a volunteer organization. They share their personal stories from firehouses, police departments, and bases.

If you're a firefighter, police officer, EMT, dispatcher, veteran, department leader, or dog handler (or know one!) this conversation is for them. Listen to the end to find out how to request a team, get involved, and the key difference between therapy dogs and service dogs.

GUEST

🎙️ Tracy Ryan: East Coast Director of Operations,  @firstrespondertherapydogs2006  & high school guidance counselor; handler of Sparky, the organization's first East Coast certified team

🎙️ Stephanie K.: Former police officer; organizational psychology PhD student; researches mental health risk factors in first responder professions; works with The Counseling Team International and First Responder Wellness; handler of Xena, who is featured in the thumbnail!

🎙️ Cheryl Duddy: Fire Chief in southeastern Massachusetts; member of her county's critical incident stress team; peer support certified through the International Peer Support Network; handler of Wilden

🎙️ Deb Forster: First Responder Therapy Dogs handler, Saint Clair County, Michigan team

RESOURCES

📌 If you or someone you know is in crisis:Veterans Crisis Line — Dial 988, then press 1Free, confidential, 24/7. You don't need to be a VA patient. You only need to have worn the uniform for one day. veteranscrisisline.net

→ First Responder Therapy Dogs: https://firstrespondertherapydogs.org

→ The Counseling Team International: https://frhealth.com/the-counseling-team

→ Canine Good Citizen test: https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen

→ The Service Dog Connection: https://theservicedogconnection.com

CHAPTERS

(00:00) Intro: Therapy dogs and first responder mental health(00:24) Tracy Ryan and Sparky: The firehouse visit that changed everything(05:40) Stephanie and Xena: The dog that makes the guys cry(08:49) Fire Chief Cheryl Duddy and Wilden: The icebreaker(12:32) Deborah's story: "Who's taking care of the first responders?"(15:25) From one dog to 46 states: How the nonprofit grew(19:18) Why dogs change the room after critical incidents(25:44) Certification, volunteers, and why it's free for departments(36:07) What's next, how to get involved, and therapy dogs vs. service dogs(42:44) Personal stories and closing thoughts

WANT MORE CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS?

Give this video a thumbs up and subscribe, then use these hashtags to search for similar conversations:

#TherapyDogs #FirstResponders #FirstResponderMentalHealth #Firefighters #Police #EMS #cism #FirstResponderTherapyDogs #TheWordsWeDontSay

© 2026 The Words We Don't Say Podcast | All rights reserved.

21 to 25 veterans die by suicide every single day. Brandon Beattie has spent his career trying to change that number. Brandon is a former US Army medic who served two combat tours in Iraq, then went on to train at Yale and now serves as Program Director of the George Washington University PA program (one of the oldest in the country) while still working clinically as a VA disability examiner. He sees veterans at every stage: in the trauma bay, in the claims office, and in the gap between who they were in uniform and who they're trying to become.

In this episode, we get into the combat mind. Namely, what it is, why it's a gift in war, and how it can quietly become a burden in peace. We talk PTSD stigma, why symptoms often don't surface until after transition, how to actually check in on a buddy who's struggling, and what the research says about prevention. Brandon also shares why he avoids the word PTSD entirely with some patients, what he thinks about psychedelics as a tool, and the one question he asks his PA students that he borrowed from his own time in a Baghdad trauma bay.

If you've ever felt like the version of you that thrived in service doesn't quite fit the life you're living now, this conversation is for you.

GUEST

🎙️ Brandon Beattie, MMSc, PA-C | Army Medic, Yale-trained PA, #gwu PA Program Director, VA Disability Examiner, Co-Founder of  @SOVDEPA 

RESOURCES

📌 If you or someone you know is in crisis:Veterans Crisis Line — Dial 988, then press 1Free, confidential, 24/7. You don't need to be a VA patient. You only need to have worn the uniform for one day. veteranscrisisline.net

→ SOVDEPA (Society of Veteran Disability Examiner PAs) | https://www.sovdepa.com

→ Brandon Beattie on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-beattie-172196103

→ Brandon's publications on Google Scholar | https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LH1z4d8AAAAJ

→ George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Physician Assistant Studies  @GWSMHS  (one of the oldest PA programs in the country) | https://pas.smhs.gwu.edu

CHAPTERS

(00:00) Introduction

(00:17) Brandon's background

(03:31) The Baghdad trauma bay conversation that changed his career

(04:19) The combat mind: when ego protects, when it blocks healing

(05:30) The IED avoidance habit that never left him

(06:10) Why he pushes back on how the VA uses the PTSD diagnosis

(07:28) Combat mind: a gift in war, a burden in peace

(09:00) Why representation matters — being "Doc" for veterans in the clinic

(09:57) The number: 21 to 25 veteran suicides a day

(10:48) The three protective factors: community, relationship, purpose

(12:05) Why you don't bring everything to your spouse (the mechanic analogy)

(13:00) Nontraditional tools: psychedelics, mindfulness, and neuroplasticity

(16:42) A WWII veteran's take

(17:26) From Normandy to Iraq: why transition speed matters

(17:55) Civilians vs. veterans: who's actually more afraid of the word PTSD

(19:35) Why symptoms often surface after you leave — the boxer analogy

(21:46) Two veterans, same trauma, two different outcomes

(23:32) How to check in on a struggling friend — direct language works

(25:19) Listening without fixing: the hardest skill for service members

(26:47) Trail vs. kitchen table

(27:00) Psychedelics and integration: not a magic bullet, a starting line

(29:01) Mindfulness, breathing, and what brain imaging actually shows

(29:26) Getting outside: the 72-hour reset and why it works

(30:00) "Thank you for your service" — intent vs. impact

(33:01) Veteran humor, gallows humor, and the Boston Marathon story

(35:21) Are you indulging a hobby — or muting a wound?

(37:31) The helmet, the grocery store, and 988

(39:17) How to find Brandon's work

#VeteranMentalHealth #PTSD #VeteranTransition #CombatMind #988 #VeteranStories #MilitaryMentalHealth #FirstResponders #VeteranPodcast #veteranpodcast

© 2026 The Words We Don't Say Podcast | All rights reserved.

Most transition programs help you find a job. Fewer help you figure out who you are after service -- and almost none talk honestly about fulfillment, or what it actually costs to buy a business. Pat Flood does.Pat is a 26-year Army veteran, retired Green Beret, and founder of Owners in Honor -- a nonprofit that helps veterans buy and operate small businesses. He holds an MBA from Duke, ran a 300-person recruiting battalion across the LA metro area, and spent years in the financial sector before realizing the veteran transition ecosystem had a massive blind spot: entrepreneurship through acquisition.If you've ever thought about entrepreneurship, this episode is for you. Learn about stepping into an existing business (something with real revenue, real employees, and a real legacy) and stewarding it the way you stewarded every other unit you've ever led.We dig into the four F's of transition, why veterans keep under-negotiating their first salaries, and why buying a business in your hometown might be the most psychologically healthy thing you can do after service.If you're currently serving, recently transitioned, a few years into the corporate grind and feeling it, or you're a family member watching someone you love try to find their footing, this one's for you.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

People & Organizations:

• Owners in Honor | www.ownersinHonor.org (sell a business to a veteran, buy a business as a veteran)
• Patrick Michael Flood | find Pat on LinkedIn to request a 15-30 min conversation |   / patrickmichaelflood  
• The Honor Foundation | www.honor.org (SOF transition program)
• Commit Foundation | www.commitfoundation.org (veteran career transition)
• Special Operators Transition Foundation (SOTF) | www.sotf.org
• Task Force Dagger Foundation — www.taskforcedagger.org (SOF veteran support)
• Folds of Honor | www.foldsofhonor.org (education scholarships for military families)
• National Association of Veteran Owned Businesses | www.navoba.org
• Charity Navigator | www.charitynavigator.org (nonprofit vetting resource)
• Andersen (tax and advisory firm Pat worked at) | www.andersentax.com

• Transition Assistance Program (TAP) | the DoD's official transition program
• Post-9/11 GI Bill | GI Bill benefit transfer rules (including Purple Heart waiver options)

#VeteranTransition #MilitaryToEntrepreneurship #VeteranOwnedBusiness #SmallBusinessAcquisition #GreenBeret #SpecialForces #MilitaryMentalHealth #VeteranEmployment #OwnersInHonor #HonorFoundation

CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Introduction: Today's guest, Pat Flood(00:02:35) The "bad breakup" feeling when you leave service(00:06:27) The four F's of transition: faith, family, finance, fulfillment(00:08:08) Don't skip the money phase: salary negotiation and market value(00:11:26) Acquisition vs. startup: why buying a business fits the military mindset(00:12:30) The "Buyer Base Camp": Owners in Honor's six-phase program(00:14:19) Why businesses fail after acquisition (and how veterans avoid it)(00:25:00) How the program works: finding businesses, cutting out bad brokers(00:29:39) What makes veterans great small business owners(00:31:25) Case study: how a veteran beat out 11 other offers(00:36:13) Recruiting Command: a shared experience and what it taught both of us(00:43:00) Community re-integration: coming home as a business owner(00:50:11) Servant leadership, unconditional love, and what drives good commanders(01:03:08) The outsized impact of veterans in small communities(01:05:21) Fear vs. love as the two drivers of human behavior(01:11:29) If you could fix one thing about veteran transition...(01:18:53) First steps: how to get started with Owners in Honor(01:20:50) How to support Owners in Honor (time, talent, and treasure)

© 2026 The Words We Don't Say Podcast | All rights reserved.

Writer-director-actor Steven Grayhm joins retired US Army Colonel Fred Dummar to share the 15-year journey behind Sheepdog, a feature film born from a single conversation with a veteran tow truck driver who had never told anyone what he'd been through. We cover filmmaking, OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) and OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) veterans, the limits of a PTSD diagnosis, and what healing actually looks like beyond the therapist's office. If you've served, love someone who has, or work in the mental health space, this one's for you. It's also our inaugural episode!

ABOUT THE FILM

Sheepdog follows a combat veteran ten years after his last deployment as he battles the wolf at his own door. The award-winning film stars writer and director Steven Grayhm, Virginia Madsen, and Vondie Curtis-Hall. It was produced independently to protect the authenticity of the story, with 17 veterans and 5 Gold Star family members working in front of and behind the camera.

▶ Watch Sheepdog: ⁠sheepdogthemovie.com

YOUR LIFE MATTERS

If you're struggling, you are not alone. Reaching out is hard, but it's one of the most courageous things you can do. People are waiting to help right now. Call or text 988. Veterans: Press 1 after dialing 988, or text 838255. Healthcare Students & Pros: Call 1-888-409-0141. It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to ask for help. Your life matters. Your story is not over. You are needed, and you are loved.

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

(00:00:03) Introduction to The Words We Don't Say (our first episode!)

(00:00:29) Who is Steven Grayhm? Filmmaking roots and a Polish POW grandfather

(00:03:20) The tow truck driver who started it all

(00:09:13) Meeting actor Matt Dallas and deciding to make the film

(00:10:12) First veteran interview: Staff Sergeant George Rice and the memorial band

(00:13:33) Fred's story: Running 40+ marathons with a blind veteran brother

(00:21:52) The sheepdog metaphor: Col. Grossman's framework and where the film takes it

(00:25:31) The problem with a PTSD label and why we should consider the "combat mind"

(00:29:43) Why Steven chose not to show combat flashbacks in the film

(00:35:47) Director Ron Howard's advice: "Every movie will break your heart"

(00:39:31) The VA, alternative healing modalities, and finding your tribe again

(00:41:40) Veterans in the workforce and "one-size-fits-all" failures

(00:48:13) "Thank you for your service" (and what the heck to say instead)

(00:50:40) Audience response: Vietnam vets, Gold Star families, and lives saved

(00:57:48) Steven's "Words We Don't Say" (don't miss it!)

(01:03:58) Where to watch Sheepdog and our closing thoughts