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.

Social Media:

• New YouTube Channel: Mark L. Gordon
• On-Line 7-part TBI Lecture Series
• www.MillenniumHealthStore.com
• Latest Podcast with Montel Williams
• Latest Podcast with Joe Rogan and Andrew Marr (700, 1056, 1589, 438, 574)
• Quiet Explosions; Healing the Brain – The documentary film
• http://www.tbimedlegal.com

Dr. Mark Gordon has spent over 35 years pioneering the use of natural ingredients to enhance memory, mental energy, cognition, and physical performance—all without the use of banned or restricted substances. A true thought leader, he has been instrumental in advancing the fields of Interventional Endocrinology and Neuroendocrinology, particularly in addressing the symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). His work has had a profound impact on conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, dementia, Parkinson's, post-concussion syndrome, and more.

As the founder of Millennium Health, Dr. Gordon leads a team of experts in Naturopathic Medicine, Nutrition, Endocrinology, and Complementary Medicine, offering natural, clinically tested products designed to support healthy brain function and psychological well-being. These products are non-GMO, gluten-free, and crafted with natural ingredients, utilizing Liposomal technology for enhanced absorption.

Through the sale of these products, Millennium Health funds the Millennium-Warrior Angels Foundation TBI Project, a groundbreaking initiative that provides critical support to veterans suffering from symptomatic traumatic brain injury.

This episode was especially meaningful for me. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is something that impacts my life every single day, and I know it’s a challenge many in my EOD community face as well. It was an absolute honor to have Dr. Mark Gordon join me to discuss TBI and share his expertise.

This conversation with Dr. Gordon was incredible because I finally had the chance to ask someone knowledgeable about TBI. It was a much-needed dialogue, and I’m excited to share it with you.

Resources Mentioned:

• Neuroinflammation, Oligodendrocytes and Multiple Sclerosis: https://youtu.be/m5GTF9E6q28
• Peptides for Health Series: https://youtu.be/0uM77nPq9Wc
• Quiet Explosions TBI Therapies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X35-SjnJ0ZE&t=681s&authuser=0
• Free TBI Lecture
• Having a healthy lifestyle. (alcohol is horrible for brain health)
• Meditating at least 3x a week for at least 15mins
• Exercising
• No drugs
• Some SSRIs and injectable testosterone can negatively impact your body’s ability to naturally produce hormones.

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.

&

Dr. Cherylynn Lee is a First Responder Psychologist specializing in Police Psychology.

Social Media:

• Website: https://thecounselingteam.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-cherylynn-lee-6a1420120

Dr. Lee is a Police Psychologist and a full-time employee of the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, overseeing the Behavioral Sciences Unit (BSU). The BSU houses four mental health co-responder teams, provides Crisis Intervention Training, engages in Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM), and oversees the department’s wellness unit and peer support team. Dr. Lee serves on the crisis negotiation response teams for both the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Barbara Police Department, and she is a member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP).

Dr. Lee is contracted with The Counseling Team International as both the Clinical Operations Director for the Tri-Counties and as a practitioner. She offers individual counseling and emergency response services across the state of California and has led dozens of critical incident stress debriefings for officer-involved shootings (OIS), line-of-duty deaths (LODD), and natural disasters for local and state agencies. Dr. Lee maintains a private practice in the Santa Ynez Valley, where she exclusively works with first responders, specializing in trauma and post-traumatic stress injuries.

Dr. Lee is a subject matter expert with California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST), teaches officer wellness in the basic academy, and is a volunteer instructor for the FBI's 40-hour negotiators course. Dr. Lee was named one of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) 40 Under 40 award recipients for 2023, and she has been recognized as Crisis Intervention Training International’s (CIT) Behavioral Health Practitioner of the Year for 2024.

I absolutely loved this conversation with Dr. Lee. She is so busy out there making a positive impact in our first responder community. So much of what we discussed is being integrated into how I now think about mental health challenges for first responders. If you’re not yet implementing some of her recommendations into your wellness programs, I encourage you to reach out to her.

I really appreciated how real Dr. Lee is. She has a realistic viewpoint on how trauma will—not can—impact the lives and mental health of police officers. We can’t expect our police and first responders to be superhuman. It really resonated with me when Dr. Lee spoke about being purposeful with exercise and lifting. That, along with eating healthy, were the two most important and impactful things I did for my mental health journey. I feel like those two habits gave me the emotional space to then address the deeper struggles in my mind that needed to be resolved.

I hope you all find something rewarding in this episode.

Resources Mentioned:

• Educate yourself on mental health
• Resilience building
• Keep realistic benchmarks for mental health
• Working out and having physical standards
• Healthy eating - Fuel your body properly
• Wellness checks are working
• Only way you fail is if you stop showing up
• Discipline
• Lift heavy shit
• Invest in yourself first
• Spend time in a world that has nothing to do with your job, detach.
• Writing and journaling
• Helping others

I am always looking for veterans or first responders who have PTSD to share how you have raised the quality of your life. 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.

Dr. Erica Zelfand specializes in integrative mental health and functional medicine. Dr. Zelfand is a ketamine prescriber, facilitator of therapeutic psychedelic experiences, trainer of psychedelic facilitators, acclaimed international speaker, and medical writer.

Social Media:

• Website: https://ericazelfand.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drzelfand/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DrZelfand
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLf-uE2JAoUVRVoXMy26LCA
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drzelfand/

Dr. Erica Zelfand is the CEO of Right to Heal, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and empowering people around psychedelic healing and other life-saving techniques that conventional medicine has ignored.

Dr. Zelfand's expertise covers a wide range of both conventional and natural medical approaches. She treats patients of all ages, from newborns to those in their final stages of life. Her family practice focuses on areas such as autoimmunity, endocrinology, and integrative mental health with a strong dedication to patient-centered, root-cause-oriented, and nature-based healing methods.

In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Zelfand facilitates therapeutic psycho-spiritual experiences and is a frequent lecturer on psychedelic science at medical institutions worldwide. She also offers in-person and online training for practitioners and has been recognized by the Portland Business Journal as a pioneer in psilocybin therapy.

Dr. Zelfand enjoys sharing her knowledge, her deep respect for nature, and her lively sense of humor with colleagues, patients, and global audiences. A lover of dark chocolate and group hugs, you can learn more and connect with her at www.DrZelfand.com.

Dr. Zelfand is so much fun to talk to. I love how she is able to simplify the complexities of the science in a way that makes it digestible for those out there like myself who are just beginning to get more curious about psychedelics and their positive impact on those with PTSD and other mental health challenges.

I feel like my favorite part of this episode is when she is speaking about crosstalk. I really enjoyed how she broke that down. It was fun being able to apply more context to my personal experiences and those my friends have expressed. I used to always try and explain how it would remove my ego and I was able to see the stories I was telling myself. Almost like playing a hidden object puzzle but only the items you are looking for have color. It helped me see there were very obvious things in my life I was lying to myself about to justify why I should change. And it also showed me that the change would only provoke challenge and change. It did, and now I’m slowly moving toward my goal and purpose.

Resources Mentioned:

• Stament Stacking
• Stacking (combining positive mental health practices with microdosing)
• ‘A Really Good Day’ by Ayelet Waldman
• Hikes or being outdoors
• https://psychedelic.support/education/
• Meditation, mindfulness practice
• Religious or spiritual practice
• Therapy, group therapy
• T’ai chi, yoga, qi gong
• Joyful movement, exercise
• Journaling
• Making, appreciating art
• Volunteering, helping others

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 sh

Lieutenant Sarko Gergerian is a distinguished member of The Winthrop Public Safety and Health Departments and holds a pivotal role as the outreach, peer support, and health & fitness officer.

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarko-gergerian-818967233/
• Email: Speakers@LawEnforcementAction.org
• Email: Media@LawEnforcementAction.org
• Website: http://www.lawenforcementaction.org

I'd like to introduce Lt. Sarko Gergerian, an individual deeply committed to reimagining the structure of law enforcement within their community. Lt. Sarko aspires to become a Deputy Chief, where they envision a police department that balances both enforcement and guardianship. Their innovative approach includes an enforcement arm connected to the courts and a guardianship arm integrated with the public health department. This dual structure aims to create lasting, systemic changes that outlive their initial implementation, ensuring that the benefits remain accessible to all who need them.

At the heart of Lt. Sarko’s work is a mission to humanize every individual involved—both civilians and officers. They recognize that the systems we operate within often dehumanize, objectify, and commoditize suffering. Lt. Sarko reminds us that behind every call for service, there is a human being in need, and behind every badge, there is a human being responding.

As Massachusetts prepares to vote in November on joining Oregon and Colorado in reforming certain laws, Lt. Sarko is actively involved with grassroots and national groups working to correct injustices that have been ingrained in the system for decades. They are a strong advocate for MDMA-Assisted Therapy, believing it will profoundly impact how we serve those struggling with PTSD by enhancing therapeutic engagement and enabling deep psychological processing of trauma.

It’s not every day you meet a psychotherapist trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy who also happens to be a peace officer. Chatting with Lt. Sarko Gergerian was a real eye-opener and honestly, a lot of fun. I never thought of police departments as potential hubs for mental health information, but Lt. Sarko really made me rethink that.

One of the wildest stats they shared—something they mentioned in a previous conversation—is that 60-70% of all 911 calls are related to mental health issues. That really highlights just how widespread our society’s mental health challenges are. Lt. Sarko brought up the idea of being proactive, suggesting that law enforcement could start proactively helping people with possible mental health struggles before things escalate to an emergency.

It got me thinking—if I’m all about being proactive with mental health for first responders and veterans, why not extend that same approach to everyone else? Lt. Sarko made a strong case for why we should, and I think it is an awesome idea.

Resources Mentioned:

• Psychedelic Assisted Therapy
• Understanding your spirituality
• Martial Arts
• Blue Courage
• Learning where your baseline is and how to come back to it
• Educate yourself, challenge your mind
• Find your purpose
• Observation based therapy
• Meditation

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.

Dr. Nick Carleton is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Regina whose work focuses on supporting first responders and other public safety personnel.

Links:

• Website: http://www.rcmpstudy.ca/

Dr. Carleton works to build evidence-based solutions that can help mitigate the impact of the numbers and varied stressors on the mental health and wellbeing of first responders and other public safety personnel.

This episode resonated with me. I appreciated the extensive data provided in the study and admired the proactive approach to mental health. Normalizing it from the outset, like any other skill—starting with the basics and gradually advancing—reminded me of my early days in my EOD career. Just as I didn’t begin by learning about IEDs but first had to grasp the fundamentals like explosives, switches, and triggers, there’s a necessary progression in understanding and addressing mental health.

The episode presented numerous striking statistics, one of which stood out: while an average civilian might experience five or fewer potentially traumatic events in their lifetime, police officers and other first responders may encounter hundreds, even thousands, of such events throughout their careers.

Resources Mentioned:

• https://www.ptsd.va.gov/
• https://div12.org/psychological-treatments/disorders/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/
• https://www.cipsrt-icrtsp.ca/
• Approaching mental health is like learning a new skill. (crawl, walk, run)
• Evidence based coping skills
• Practice skills before you need them
• Mindfulness
• Cognitive challenging
• Go to a mental health professional like you would a physician. Don’t wait until there is a problem, be proactive.
• Exercise
• Meditation or stop and take a 60 second break
• Stopping internal dialogue and challenge if there’s truth to it.
• Identify if you are using avoidance coping strategies (alcohol abuse, denying an emotional response, behavior avoidance)

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. I would love to have a chat and share that knowledge with the community.