Jon Foti is a U.S. Army Veteran and the CEO of Operation Song.

Social Media:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanfoti01/
• Operation Song: https://linktr.ee/operationsong

I’m honored to introduce an incredible guest who embodies leadership, resilience, and dedication. With over a decade of experience leading teams in government, non-profit, aviation, and military environments, he’s a natural mentor and communicator.

Jon is U.S. Army Veteran and former helicopter pilot. Beyond his impressive military and leadership background, he’s now the CEO of Operation Song, an amazing organization using music to tell the stories of veterans, first responders, and their families.

This was such a fun episode! If you have questions about opportunities for veterans or the organizations out there that support them, look no further. Jon Foti is truly a Yoda of knowledge. Even after recording, I’m still researching the incredible resources and insights he shared during this episode and in our previous conversations.

Jon’s vision with Operation Song is nothing short of powerful. At a time when support for our veterans feels like it’s at an all-time low, this episode made me take a step back and really reflect on that reality. Operation Song is doing something extraordinary taking each individual, unique story and transforming it into something beautiful.

This work shines a much-needed positive light on our veterans, ensuring their sacrifices are not forgotten and that a support structure is in place for the challenges of today and whatever the future holds.

Resources Mentioned:

• Networking
• Get out of your comfort zone
• Dale Graham Veteran Foundation: https://www.dalekgrahamveteransfoundation.org
• Wounded Warrior Foundation: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
• Supporting your fellow veterans

We would really appreciate a share and like on IG, FB, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter. I am always looking for veterans or first responders who have PTSD to share how you have raised the quality of your life to hopefully shorten that journey for others. Additionally, if you support, provide services for these groups, or have extensive knowledge of benefits available please reach out. I would love to have a chat and share that knowledge with the community.

If this podcast has impacted you, a friend, or a loved one, and you want to help us support those struggling with PTSD, please consider making a donation today at www.normalizeptsd.com. 100% of all donations go to sponsor veterans, first responders, and organizations supporting them.

Shawn Welsh is the Founder and Co-Host of the VET S.O.S. Podcast.

Social Media:

• Website
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• X
• Instagram
• TikTok

Podcast Platforms

• RSS.com
• Spotify
• Apple

Shawn is a retired U.S. Army veteran with over twenty years of experience as an intelligence professional. As a senior noncommissioned officer, he was dedicated to taking care of his Soldiers and continues that mission today with VET S.O.S. Shawn holds several advanced degrees including a master’s degree in administrative leadership from the University of Oklahoma. A member of the Maxwell Leadership Team, Shawn is also a certified resiliency trainer who lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife and their two children.

Their mission at VET S.O.S Podcast is to educate veterans, service members, and spouses about the various resources available to them to assist with life’s transitions. They offer a military transition focused podcast and have now added a Veteran Entrepreneurial Spotlight and Veteran Educational Resources Spotlight to highlight those resources for our community. We are working to launch a nonprofit organization to capture every veteran and veteran spouse’s transition story and create a sortable database that can be sorted by demographic and psychographic to enable our community to find and watch the stories that will directly help them.

I have no idea how Shawn keeps up, but he’s absolutely crushing it with Vet S.O.S.! It was such a pleasure having him take time out of his busy day to talk about his podcast and the incredible direction it’s heading. If you’re a veteran or first responder navigating a life transition, this is a podcast you don’t want to miss—they’ve got an episode for just about every challenge you might face.

I’m especially excited about the nonprofit they’re launching, Veterans Sharing Our Stories. It’s going to be a powerful collection of stories by veterans for veterans. Your journey is uniquely yours, but how great would it have been to have had a roadmap or even just a few shortcuts along the way?

I hope this episode brings you something valuable, and as always, thank you for your continued support.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Master Resilience Training (MRT) course in the U.S. Army
• Positive Psychology Program
• Hunt the Good Stuff
• Keeping a positive mindset
• Do challenging things and get out of your comfort zone
• Good support group
• Operation Song https://www.operationsong.org
• Veteran’s last patrol https://www.veteranlastpatrol.org
• 988 and Kristen Christy
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help

We would really appreciate a share and like on IG, FB, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter. I am always looking for veterans or first responders who have PTSD to share how you have raised the quality of your life to hopefully shorten that journey for others. Additionally, if you support, provide services for these groups, or have extensive knowledge of benefits available please reach out. I would love to have a chat and share that knowledge with the community.

2024 has come and gone, and what an incredible year it has been. I’ve had the privilege of meeting some amazing people and collaborating with truly inspiring individuals. Looking ahead to 2025, I’m excited about the opportunities to continue building these connections and growing together.

To everyone who has been a part of this journey—whether you’ve listened, subscribed, shared an episode, connected me with a guest, donated, or simply shared something positive you gained from the podcast—I want to express my heartfelt gratitude. Your support has meant the world to me and has been a constant reminder of why I started this podcast in the first place.

This year has been not only a fun and fulfilling adventure but also a deeply meaningful exploration of my own mental health journey. Sharing that with all of you has been an honor, and I wouldn’t be here without the incredible support of so many people along the way.

As we move into the holiday season, I hope you have a blessed and joyful time filled with love, connection, and peace. Thank you for being a part of this community and for inspiring me to keep going.

2025 is going to be amazing, and I can’t wait to see what it brings. Let’s keep building, healing, and growing together. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and here’s to an incredible new year!

Lessons learned this year:

1. Listen to your intuition. It often knows the right path even when your mind is full of doubts.
2. Keep challenging yourself. Growth comes from stepping outside your comfort zone.
3. Consistency builds discipline. Small, steady efforts lead to big changes over time.
4. Surround yourself with people who inspire you to be better. The right environment can shape your mindset and your future.
5. Don’t sweat criticism from those you wouldn’t seek advice from. Trust your instincts and focus on feedback that truly matters.
6. Trust yourself. You’re capable of more than you think.
7. Do hard things. Facing challenges head-on prepares you for when life throws something truly difficult your way.
8. Be ready for opportunities. If you’re not prepared when they come, they’ll pass you by.
9. Find balance and have fun. Life isn’t all about grinding, joy and presence matter too. I’ve struggled with living in the moment, often chasing a “perfect” life just around the corner that never seems to arrive. Take time to live now.
10. No one knows the best way to live your life. Only you can figure that out.

We would really appreciate a share and like on IG, FB, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter. I am always looking for veterans or first responders who have PTSD to share how you have raised the quality of your life to hopefully shorten that journey for others. Additionally, if you support, provide services for these groups, or have extensive knowledge of benefits available for these groups please reach out. I would love to have a chat and share that knowledge with the community.