The VetsConnection Podcast
Join host Scott McLean, a veteran and also a passionate advocate for veterans' well-being. Each week Scott will bring you an episode that will feature insightful conversations with representatives from non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting veterans, as well as experts discussing programs within the Veterans Affairs (V.A.) aimed at assisting veterans with their needs. From discussing innovative therapies to highlighting community resources, this podcast sheds light on the myriad of ways veterans can find support and healing thru nonprofit organizations and also to connect nonprofits with each other in hopes of creating a network that will be beneficial to all.
Episodes
73 episodes
Ep. 77 - Part 1 of a 2 Part Episode. Clark Air Base In The Republic of the Philippines Is Gone, But The Friendships It Built 40 Years Ago Are Still Very Much Alive.
We go back to Clark Air Base in the late 1980s and talk honestly about why that overseas tour still sits in our bones. The stories land on one point we can all prove 30 years later: the people you leaned on back then can still show up for you n...
Ep. 76 - Suzanne MacPhail, Founder and Executive Director of Hands For Healing Equine Located in topsfield Ma.
We talk with Suzanne MacPhail about how horses help people access truth, regulation, and connection when talk therapy alone hits a wall. Along the way we trace her path from trauma counseling to founding Hands for Healing Equine and building a ...
Ep. 75 - Talking With James Jackson, Co- Founder of Call On Me Foundation. Helping Families After A Veteran’s Sudden Death
We sit down with Marine veteran James Jackson to talk about the “creep up” of stress, stigma, and silence that can follow veterans long after service. We also unpack how Call On Me Foundation responds when the unthinkable happens by delivering ...
Ep. 74 - (Recorded on location) HERD Foundation Teamed Up With The Delray Beach Elks To Show Appreciation To Veterans And Their Family Members With A Free Barbecue And Also Meet The Real Stars Of HERD Foundation, The Horses!
Once again I record live from Herd Foundation in Delray Beach during a veteran barbecue that shows how grants, community partners, and horses come together to create real healing. We hear why equine assisted services build patience, calm, and c...
Ep. 73 - Eric Weaver - From Service To Support: Building Broward Vet Working
I sit with Eric Weaver to trace the road from Gulf War service through hidden trauma, the life-changing role of a service dog, and the rise of Broward Vet Working as a practical, human network for veterans across South Florida. The talk blends ...
Ep. 72 - Tomas Coles-Reyes, Founder of A Vets Place - How One Vietnam Veteran Turned Homelessness Into A Lifeline For Others
We trace Thomas Coles-Reyes’s path from a draft-day shock and a brutal homecoming to two years on the streets, a life-saving mentor, and the creation of A Vets Place. He explains why permanent housing beats transitional models, how he built a o...
Ep. 71 - Growing Calm: Veterans, Yoga, And Greens. Talking with NFL Player Turned Urban Gardening Coach Lee Hightower and Army National Guard Veteran and Yoga Instructor Natasha Rector from Points For Patriots
I talk with Natasha and Lee from Points for Patriots to explore Battle Buds, a veteran wellness program that pairs yoga with hydroponic gardening to rebuild structure, lower stress, and deliver fresh food to neighbors in need. Former NFL player...
Ep. 70 - Talking With Tim Roberto - Inside “Stomping Out The Stigma” And A 100-Mile Tribute Walk
We sit down with Marine veteran and counselor Tim Roberto to trace how pain became purpose and why Stomping Out The Stigma offers ten free, confidential therapy sessions to first responders and veterans. We follow his 100-mile Surfside walk, th...
Ep. - 69, Award Winning Director, Richard X. Golphin - How A 17-Minute Short Film Captures Three Generations Fighting For One Veteran
We talk with filmmaker and actor Robert X. Golphin about Chest Candy, a 17-minute short that shows how PTSD reshapes a home and how three generations of women fight for one veteran. We explore craft choices, authentic casting, festival wins, an...
Ep. 68 - Natalie Schibell, Veteran Transitions Made Clear With Mission To Commission
We open the year with a candid look at veteran transition, from hard knocks to a practical roadmap that turns service into civilian success. Natalie Schibell, Navy veteran and founder of Mission to Commission, shares how a 60-page playbook, sec...
Ep. 67 - Hayley Thomas, A Former Navy Dog Handler Shares How Skillbridge, Horses, And Faith Shaped Her Next Mission
We trace Haley’s path from Navy Master-at-Arms to K9 handler, through injury, loss, and COVID isolation, and into a Skillbridge placement at an equine nonprofit that helped her reframe control, connection, and purpose. Candid stories of hypervi...
Ep. 66 - Veteran, Jalen Auer from The Fire Watch Shares Loss, Healing, And The Tools That Help Prevent Suicide
We trace Jalen Auer’s path from Air Force rescue pilot to South Florida program manager at The Fire Watch, and we go deep on grief, stigma, and the tools that save lives before a crisis explodes. A full-circle Huey Helicopter story sets up a ca...
Ep. 65 - LIVE at HERD Foundation's Annual Fundraiser, Fall At The Farm
We record live at Fall at the Farm, where veterans, families, and neighbors gather to celebrate HERD Foundation’s Freedom Patch program. Short conversations show how horses teach presence, why aftercare keeps people connected, and how community...
Ep. 64 - Interview With Nick Cannon from the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund. Talking About Smiles, Dignity, And Urgent Help For Veterans
We look at how WVRF delivers urgent financial aid and critical dental care across Florida, why 85% of veterans cannot access VA dental, and how focused partnerships turn donations into fast, visible impact. Stories like 101-year-old WWII vetera...
Ep. 63 - Marine Combat Veteran, John Schrey. From Combat To The Streets To Recovery
We trace John’s path from Marine combat engineer to addiction, homelessness, and back to purposeful service, detailing how brotherhood, hard choices, and real treatment rebuilt his life. We also break down gaps in VA community care and how Have...
Ep. 62 - Bob: From High School Drop Out at 16 to Vietnam At 17 to The Streets For 18 Years to Saving Veterans
A veteran’s life arcs from a 17-year-old paratrooper in Vietnam to 18 years on New York streets, to a late-life mission rescuing fellow veterans. Raw scenes of war, failed recovery, homelessness, and hard-earned redemption shape a clear path to...
Ep. 61 - Art, Hands, and a Flag. Artist Ariel Basso's Journey to the "We Are America" Project
We talk with artist and musician Ariel Basso about a life in art shaped by Miami roots, Brooklyn grit, and a mother’s blindness that sparked a tactile mixed-media method. The conversation builds toward “We Are America,” a community flag made fr...
Ep.60 - From Vietnam Vet to The No White Flags Project: How Art Brownstein Builds Dignity With Adaptive Bathrooms
A veteran’s spark in a public restroom becomes a nationwide mission to restore independence in the most private room of the home. We unpack the tech, the funding grind, the caregiver load, and the culture shift that lets amputees lead with prid...
Ep. 59 - From Marine to Law Enforcement to First Responder Nonprofit Founder: Jeremy Tindall's Operation Mayday 13
Jeremy Tindall, Marine Corps veteran and former police officer, shares the inspiring story behind Operation Mayday 13, his emerging nonprofit dedicated to supporting injured first responders through custom t-shirt fundraising campaigns. After w...
Ep. 58 - Sazha Ramos: How One Navy Veteran Overcame Opioid Addiction and Found Her Path to Helping Other Veterans
Navy veteran Saja Ramos shares her powerful journey from military service to addiction recovery, now serving as VP of Military and Veteran Affairs at American Addiction Centers. After a traumatic brain injury and vision loss from a car accident...
Ep. 57 - Teeing Up Hope: Golf's Impact on Veteran Recovery. Talking With Melvin Azofeifa, Founder And CEO of Stairway For Heroes
Melvin Azofeifa, founder and CEO of Stairway for Heroes, shares how a golf nonprofit is helping veterans heal through camaraderie, connection, and community. His personal journey from military transition struggles to finding purpose through gol...
Ep. 56 - Creating Sanctuary: The Journey of Iraq War Veteran Lucas Lewis And The Founding Of Project Gallantly Forward
Lucas Lewis transforms his family farm into a free mountain retreat for veterans, giving them space to rest, relax, and reconnect through Project Gallantly Forward. The nonprofit offers cabins, RV hookups, and a peaceful natural setting where v...
Ep. 55 - Ryan Woodruff- From Combat to Community: Building Veteran Support Systems Through Clear Path For Veterans Nonprofit
Ryan Woodruff shares his journey from Marine Corps combat veteran to Program Director at ClearPath for Veterans, revealing how his own healing path led him to help fellow veterans through comprehensive support programs.• Established in ...
Ep. 54 - Evan Graver, Disabled Navy Veteran, Author and Veteran Nonprofit Advocate
When Navy veteran Evan Graver's motorcycle collided with a semi-truck in 2001, his life changed forever. The accident left him a T10 paraplegic, abruptly ending his military career just months before 9/11 and forcing him to rebuild his identity...
Ep. 53 - Film Director/Documentarian Jake Rademacher Talks About His Latest Documentary: Brothers After War. The Follow Up to His 2009 Award Winning Documentary: Brothers At war
What happens when the guns fall silent? When a director embarks on a journey to understand his brothers' experiences in war, he discovers a story far more complex than he anticipated—one that spans 15 years and follows the profound transformati...