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

Scott DeLuzio
  • 5.0 (93)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Are you a veteran struggling with PTSD, combat stress, or adjusting to civilian life? Tired of feeling isolated and unsure where to turn for support? You deserve solutions from mental health experts, veteran nonprofits, and fellow veterans who truly understand what you're facing. Each week, host Scott DeLuzio, an Army veteran and Gold Star Brother, shares interviews and practical steps to help you regain purpose, rebuild confidence, and thrive after military service. Find hope and take the next step forward.

  1. Rebuild Your Identity Before it Snaps

    23H AGO

    Rebuild Your Identity Before it Snaps

    Life after service can look calm on the outside, while your nervous system stays stuck in alert mode. Ryan McDermott breaks down the chain reaction that can follow major stress: isolation, fractured sleep, anxiety spikes, and that familiar urge to grind harder instead of getting support. His story moves from leading troops early in the Iraq war to navigating a civilian career that suddenly turned uncertain, and how that kind of instability can wake up things you thought you packed away years ago. Along the way, Ryan shares why reconnecting with other veterans matters more than most people admit, how writing can slow the spin and help you process what your brain keeps trying to outrun, and what shifted when he stopped trying to carry it solo. At the center of this episode is a durable way to think about identity after transition. Not tied to a title or a paycheck, but rooted in the people you love, the community that understands you, and a purpose that still holds when life gets loud. Timestamps: 00:01:00 - A career shock that turned the volume up on combat stress 00:04:30 - The cost of family separation and staying mission-focused 00:12:45 - Reconnecting with the guys who lived it too 00:16:00 - Why writing can calm triggers and bring clarity 00:32:55 - The identity trap that wrecks vets after transition Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.downrivermemoir.com Follow Ryan McDermott on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574923281283 Follow Ryan McDermott on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warriorpoet2025/ Follow Ryan McDermott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-mcdermott-3560258/

    48 min
  2. Healing Moral Injury and Trauma in Veterans

    MAY 5

    Healing Moral Injury and Trauma in Veterans

    Some war stories do not stay in the past. They follow you into work, marriage, fatherhood, sleep, and the quiet moments when your mind starts replaying what happened and what it meant. This conversation goes straight at that weight by unpacking moral injury, the kind of wound that hits when combat collides with your deepest values. It gets into why so many veterans carry pain that standard conversations about PTSD do not fully explain, and why healing takes more than time. Dr. Edward Tick brings nearly five decades of work with veterans into a discussion about what war can do to the soul, the body, the family, and the community around the veteran. He explains why early support matters, why civilians need to stop relying on a Hollywood version of war, and why veterans often need a path to atonement, service, and reconciliation to move forward. You will hear powerful stories about returning to Vietnam, facing the damage left behind, building something good in response, and finding a way to live with dignity after events that still cut deep. This episode is for veterans who have ever felt trapped between what they had to do and who they believed they were. It is also for families, friends, and civilians who want to understand how to stand beside a veteran without turning away from the hard parts. Stay with this one through the stories about immediate healing, community rituals, and the kind of service that helps a man believe he can still be a force for good. Timestamps: 00:13:04 - What moral injury is and why it cuts so deep 00:20:40 - Why troops should be taught that killing hurts 00:25:49 - Healing journeys back to Vietnam and the role of atonement 00:36:34 - Marines don't kill children, and the moment that changed everything 00:47:00 - Why civilians must help take the war out of returning veterans Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.edwardtick.com/ Follow Edward Tick, PhD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdwardTickAuthor/ Follow Edward Tick, PhD on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentorthesoul.guide/ Follow Edward Tick, PhD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-tick-ph-d-59177111/

    1h 3m
  3. Rapid Fire Comedy For Troops

    APR 28

    Rapid Fire Comedy For Troops

    Life after the uniform can feel disconnected, even when everything looks fine on paper. The routines change, the circle gets smaller, and the stress stacks up in ways that are hard to explain at home or at work. Michael D'Angelo lived that shift and found a way to push back through standup comedy. He shares how Marine Corps humor shaped him, why he walked onto an open mic anyway, and how the fear of bombing on stage became fuel rather than a stop sign. When the comedy scene tried to keep him on the outside, he took the initiative, as many veterans do: he created the opportunity himself. He wrote 400 letters to Marine units, offered shows, and kept going until it turned into the Rapid Fire Comedy Tour. The result is a traveling lineup that brings laughter to people carrying heavy weeks, plus a nonprofit model that aims to keep the mission going through donors and sponsors. Timestamps: 03:15: How Marine humor gets forged and why it sticks after the uniform 05:00: First open mic fear and choosing to stay on stage 08:45: Sending 400 letters and creating his own opportunities 13:30: Rapid Fire Comedy Tour feedback and what lands with the troops 26:45: Building a 501(c)(3) and chasing sponsors to pay comics and grow the mission Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.rapidfirecomedytour.org/ Follow Michael D'Angelo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rapidfirecomedytour/ Transcript View the transcript for this episode.

    39 min
  4. The Selfless Path To Healing

    APR 21

    The Selfless Path To Healing

    Military transition can strip away structure, identity, and the sense that your life is aimed at something that matters. This conversation follows what happened when that loss of purpose collided with anxiety, PTSD, and the frustration of trying to build a meaningful civilian life. The story moves from feeling disconnected after service to finding direction through advocacy, community involvement, and one of the most selfless decisions a person can make. Lindsay Gutierrez shares how she became part of the first living donor chain in VA history, what led her to donate a kidney, and why she later chose to donate part of her liver as well. She also explains the part most people never see: the recovery, the emotions after surgery, and the lack of long-term support donors can face once the procedure is over. This episode matters because it puts real language around purpose after service. It shows how service can continue in civilian life, how meaning can be rebuilt through action, and why healing often requires both sacrifice and support. It also brings attention to the policy and psychosocial gaps Lindsay is working to address through her doctoral research, so future donors are not left to navigate the aftermath alone. If you have ever left the military and felt unanchored, this conversation offers a clear message: purpose is not gone, but it may need to be rebuilt in a new form. Timestamps: 06:30: The identity hit after separation and the fight to redefine herself 12:30: The VA living donor chain milestone 21:05: Becoming a dual living donor 25:30: The emotional crash after donation 34:45: Transition advice Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.lindsaygutierrez.com/ Follow Lindsay Gutierrez on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingtoservethroughdonation/ Follow Lindsay Gutierrez on Instagram: https://instagram.com/linds_gutierrez Follow Lindsay Gutierrez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsayngutierrez End Kidney Deaths Website: https://www.endkidneydeathsact.org/ Congressional link: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2687/text

    45 min
  5. Turning PTSD Into Creative Work

    APR 14

    Turning PTSD Into Creative Work

    PTSD does not always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like overthinking, staying busy, and trying to keep your mind from going places you do not want it to go. This conversation is about what happens when a veteran finds a healthier outlet and actually commits to it. Ken Webb talks about leaving the cycle of contract work behind, building a new life in Peru, and using writing to deal with fear, betrayal, and stress that did not disappear after service. He gets into the discipline it took to finish a novel, why he wrote the first draft by hand, and how reading and writing forced him to slow down and focus. He also shares how parts of his book were pulled from real experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the personal betrayal that pushed him to finally get the story out. This episode will connect with veterans who feel stuck in their own head, miss having a mission, or need a reminder that productive work can still be part of healing. It is honest, grounded, and useful. It also gives a clear look at how creative work can help someone process what happened without pretending the past never happened. Timestamps: 00:03:15 - He decides to stop waiting and start living 00:08:39 - The hard truth about PTSD and the past 00:11:15 - Why writing the villain was cathartic 00:21:30 - Ken talks honestly about fear in Iraq 00:30:31 - His advice for any veteran who wants to write Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.kenwebb69.com Follow Ken Webb on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574048104781 Follow Ken Webb on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/webbinator2000/ Transcript View the transcript for this episode.

    38 min
  6. Paragliding Recovery for Wounded Warriors

    APR 7

    Paragliding Recovery for Wounded Warriors

    A missed bus. A dead phone. Smoke over lower Manhattan. A life that should have ended at work that morning went in a completely different direction, and years later, it turned into a mission to help wounded warriors feel alive again. This conversation carries the weight of 9/11, the long shadow of war, and the hard truth that many veterans come home with pain nobody around them fully understands. It also brings something a lot of men need to hear. That healing does not always begin in a clinic or an office. Sometimes it starts when someone builds a place where veterans can breathe, move, and remember they still have a future. Lyubim Kogan shares how surviving the 9/11 attacks in New York City shaped the way he sees service and sacrifice, why the Red Cross became a major inspiration in his life, and how Wings 4 Heroes grew from a paragliding idea into a hands-on mission that includes physical therapy, community, and a deeper sense of purpose. Scott also opens up about grief after losing his brother in Afghanistan, the slow slide into anger and self-destruction, and the moment he finally reached for help. For veterans carrying loss, transition stress, survivor's guilt, or the feeling that nobody gets it, this episode might be what you were looking for. You will walk away with a stronger sense that recovery can take many forms, that support is out there even if you don't see it, and that one person taking action can change far more lives than you think. Timestamps: 00:07:52 - The missed bus that kept him out of the towers 00:29:06 - How the Red Cross changed the way he sees service 00:39:00 - Scott explains how grief wrecked his life after Afghanistan 00:47:07 - The veteran resources too many people still do not know about 00:53:21 - How paragliding and physical therapy became Wings 4 Heroes Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.wings4heroes.org Follow Wings 4 Heroes on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wings4heroes Follow Wings 4 Heroes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wings4heroes Transcript View the transcript for this episode.

    1h 19m
  7. What Keeps Vets Alive After Service

    MAR 31

    What Keeps Vets Alive After Service

    The stress does not stay at work. It follows you into your sleep, your marriage, and your patience with your kids. Guest, Johnnie Gilpen, talks about a stretch in pediatric emergency medicine where he lost six kids in a short time and had to face a direct question from a colleague about how he was coping. He explains the three supports he relies on: faith, three people he can call without hesitation, and counseling plus honest conversation. He connects it to a simple military idea, the three-man foxhole, and shows how to set that up in civilian life so you are not isolated when things get heavy. He closes with writing and storytelling, including Warhorse Journal, and how putting events on paper can help your spouse understand what you have not been able to say out loud. Timestamps: 03:15: Losing six kids fast and the coping question 04:45: The three supports he uses every time 06:15: A Vietnam-era dad and the cost of staying silent 11:00: Building a three-person call list and using it early 28:30: Writing small stories that change home life Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.johnniegilpen.com Follow Johnnie Gilpen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnniegilpen/ Transcript View the transcript for this episode.

    44 min
  8. A Veteran Uses Poetry To Process

    MAR 24

    A Veteran Uses Poetry To Process

    A civilian job can pay well and still leave a veteran feeling irritated and restless by the end of the day. Alan Brown breaks down the parts of military life that disappear first after retirement: the uniform, the PT, the daily contact with soldiers, and the built in group that understands the standard without a long explanation. He retired in January 2020 after 23 years in the Army, and he describes the mix of frustration and trial and error that followed while he searched for work that felt like it mattered. The conversation also gets practical. Alan explains how he uses writing as a focused way to slow down and sort out memories from active duty and the pressure of family life. He spent the summer of 2025 revising poems he wrote years earlier, then published a collection in September 2025 on Amazon titled When the Uniform No Longer Fits: Reflections on Military Service, Family, and Being a Veteran. Many of the poems are autobiographical and written for veterans, active duty service members, and family members who want a clearer view of what service leaves behind. Key moments are below. Timestamps: 01:30: Retired after 23 years and still sorting out the next job 08:12: The loss of camaraderie 16:30: Working at full speed while coworkers move slower and the anger that builds 17:00: Writing started in college and turned into a way to put thoughts on the page 35:52: When the Uniform No Longer Fits Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 When the Uniform No Longer Fits Book: https://www.amazon.com/When-Uniform-Longer-Fits-Reflections/dp/B0FSYTQ777/ Transcript View the transcript for this episode.

    50 min
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About

Are you a veteran struggling with PTSD, combat stress, or adjusting to civilian life? Tired of feeling isolated and unsure where to turn for support? You deserve solutions from mental health experts, veteran nonprofits, and fellow veterans who truly understand what you're facing. Each week, host Scott DeLuzio, an Army veteran and Gold Star Brother, shares interviews and practical steps to help you regain purpose, rebuild confidence, and thrive after military service. Find hope and take the next step forward.

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