The VetsConnection Podcast

Ep. 80 - Rick Sherak from ZEEN - The VA-Approved Mobility Device That Blends Walker And Wheelchair

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2301762/fan_mail/new] I talk with Rick Chirac from Exokinetics about ZEEN, a lift-assist mobility device that blends a walker and wheelchair to help people stand, move, and transfer with more safety. We connect the origin story to Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown, then get practical about fit, training, fall prevention, and how veterans can get ZEEN through the VA.  • Garrett Brown’s Steadicam history and how it inspires ZEEN  • What ZEEN is and who it helps: balance, strength, endurance issues  • How the gas-spring lift works and why the seat and strap improve safety  • Real-world use: ramps, turning radius, terrain, restaurants, storage  • Fitting and customization: spring levels, height setup, Zoom training  • Transfers and daily living tasks, including bathroom and bed height changes  • VA access: Federal Supply Schedule, physical therapy clinic workflow, medical necessity  • Why naming fear of falling matters and how pride can block care  • Warranty, repairs, and simple maintenance expectations  • Financial help for civilians through Project Elevate Mobility grants  Go to the website and check it out. Go to the VA when you see this product and you say, I want it, I need it. Talk to your physical therapist. “I have a fear of falling. I don’t want to fall. Put that in my medical record.”  Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: vetsconnectionpodcast@gmail.com. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

Ep. 79 - What Changes When Veterans Trust A Free Money Tool

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2301762/fan_mail/new] We talk with Andrea Sok about what a nonprofit fractional CMO actually does, how she prices and scopes the work, and why boards often need a reality check grounded in data and comparable benchmarks. Then Blake Allison walks us through Lifecents and Vetcents, a free, veteran-focused financial wellness toolkit built for trust, privacy, and real outcomes without selling anything to users.  • fractional CMO work as executive-level nonprofit marketing leadership without full-time cost  • smooth transitions during leave coverage through overlap and clear handoffs  • pricing based on time, deliverables, team structure, and budget realities  • board dynamics and how proof and peer examples reset expectations  • blurred line between marketing and development for fundraising events and sponsorship materials  • warning signs of broken nonprofit marketing, including doing nothing or repeating stale tactics  • founder-led growth challenges, especially letting go and prioritizing highest ROI actions  • storytelling as a core marketing lever, shaped by audience and delivery channel  • LifeSense as a digital financial coach focused on outcomes, not “butts in seats” education  • VetSense tailored guidance for veterans, with trusted resources and no monetization of participants  • partnerships that add credibility, including VA-connected pathways and veteran-serving nonprofits  • success story of delaying a home purchase to improve credit and save tens of thousands  • web-based access at vetsense.org, quick intake, personalized coach report, and crisis resources  Check them out once again, Vetcents.org  For the nonprofits, soakinfluencerpr.com.  If you like this, share it.  Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: vetsconnectionpodcast@gmail.com. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

Ep. 78 - Part 2 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.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2301762/fan_mail/new] I sit down with lifelong friends from Clark Air Base and tell the stories that shaped our bonds, from culture shock and terror threats to moments that still hit decades later. We also talk about what happens when young troops face trauma with no real support, and how friendship, recovery, and purpose can finally fill that gap.  • arriving at Clark Air Base as teenagers and feeling instant culture shock  • a fellow airman assassinated off base and the operational ripple effect  • the night escaped horses hit razor wire and the long tail of that memory  • “kids taking care of kids” and the habit of going right back to work  • K9 patrol life on a dark jungle perimeter with intruders and wildlife threats  • earthquake response at a collapsed school and the weight of seeing children lost  • Mount Pinatubo, lahar, ash, looting, evacuation choices, and coming home  • post-military transitions into law enforcement, corrections, sobriety, and the VA  • traumatic brain injury, delayed diagnosis, and what clarity looks like later  • therapy through building things, podcasting, and blacksmithing  If you like it, share it.  Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: vetsconnectionpodcast@gmail.com. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

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.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2301762/fan_mail/new] 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 now.  • why Clark Air Base felt different from stateside duty  • arriving in the Philippines and the culture shock of Manila and Angeles City  • Security Police and canine work on a huge perimeter with constant pressure  • how the assassinations and threat level changed daily life and schedules  • why reunions turn old coworkers into brothers over time  • the hard parts of transitioning out and starting over as a civilian  • what it means to call a friend first when life falls apart  • a real example of veterans helping veterans on short notice  • living closeted in the 1980s military and the fear of being found out  • how acceptance and friendship outlast time, distance, and loss  If you like vintage collectibles, give Paul's Picker Palace. Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: vetsconnectionpodcast@gmail.com. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast

Ep. 76 - Suzanne MacPhail, Founder and Executive Director of Hands For Healing Equine Located in topsfield Ma.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2301762/fan_mail/new] 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 hands-on veteran program where the animals lead the learning.  • Suzanne’s route into mental health counseling and trauma work  • How early horse experiences shape a lifelong attachment  • Why EGALA-style groundwork differs from riding programs  • What separates equine-assisted therapy from equine-assisted learning  • How horses respond to heartbeat, emotion, and body language  • Suzanne’s personal trauma story and using EMDR for healing  • The bond with a “heart horse” and why it matters  • Building a 501(c)(3) and what nonprofit life really requires  • The Windrush Farm partnership and an eight-week veteran curriculum  • Meet the herd: Mama, Sophie, Poe, and Autumn  • Donkey behavior, protection instincts, and what “stubborn” really means  • Fundraising realities when the horses’ care comes first  If you liked this, share it.  Like, Subscribe and Share. If you have comments or suggestions email us at: vetsconnectionpodcast@gmail.com. You can also find the video of this podcast on our YouTube Channel - Vetsconnection Podcast