Veteran Wellness Podcast
by Erik Lawrence
The mission doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. Veteran Wellness Podcast with Erik Lawrence is built around real conversations about service, sacrifice, health, resilience, purpose, family, and life after the uniform. Erik sits down with veterans, warriors, leaders, experts, and people with stories you'll want to hear to talk about the things that don’t always make it into the official story. Combat. Transition. PTSD and TBI. Physical and mental health. Relationships. Loss. Leadership. Finding purpose. And figuring out what comes next. Some conversations are difficult. Some are inspiring. All of them are real. No scripts. No pretending. Just honest conversations with people who’ve lived it. Veteran Wellness Podcast with Erik Lawrence. Real stories. Real experience. Life beyond the mission.
Episodes
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Why Veterans Need Each Other: War, Brotherhood & Building Bunker Bros | Eli Shultz
After 21 years of military service, four deployments, combat experiences spanning Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, and a lifetime shaped by military culture, Eli Shultz understands what happens when the brotherhood veterans depend on suddenly isn't around anymore. In this episode of the Veteran...
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The Delta Force Legend Who Helped Build the Unit | Mike Vining
Before Mike Vining became an internet meme, he helped build one of the most legendary special operations units in U.S. military history. In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major Mike Vining, an original member of Delta Force,...
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Life After Special Forces: You're More Than Your Past | Travis Ernst
In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence reconnects with longtime friend and fellow U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Travis Ernst for a conversation about military service, business setbacks, physical fitness, mental wellness, faith, and finding purpose in life's next…
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Your Body Changed. Don't Give Up: Pain, Recovery & Physical Therapy | Dani Williams
Your body may not be capable of everything it once was. But that doesn't mean you should give up on it. In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with Dani Williams, a physical therapist specializing in orthopedic and vestibular rehabilitation, to discuss chronic...
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Turning Business Failure Into Success: JMac Customs, Health & Purpose | Justin McMillion
In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with longtime friend and entrepreneur Justin McMillion to discuss business failure, building JMac Customs, mentorship, fatherhood, health, and finding purpose. Their friendship began nearly 20 years ago when Justin was...
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"I'm Still Out Here": Kit Cessna on Aging Strong, Fitness & Never Quitting
What does it really mean to grow older without giving up? For retired Ranger, Special Forces veteran, and former Delta Force operator Kit Cessna, the answer isn't chasing the body you had at 25. It's making sure you're still capable, still useful, and still living life on your own terms. In this...
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The Night That Changed Everything: A Veteran’s Battle After Afghanistan | Dan Siwak
In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with longtime friend and U.S. Army veteran Dan Siwak for an honest conversation about military service, PTSD, burnout, alcohol, mental health, and the unexpected encounter that changed his perspective on getting help. Dan...
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The Hidden Cost of Special Forces: Growing Up Without Dad | CJ Schwalm
In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with CJ Schwalm, a U.S. Air Force veteran and son of Special Forces veteran Eric Schwalm, for an emotional and deeply personal conversation about the hidden cost of military service on the families left behind. CJ shares…
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The Lost Generation: What Veterans Learned Too Late About Health & Life After Service | Eric Graves
In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with longtime friend and Soldier Systems Daily founder Eric Graves for a wide-ranging conversation about military service, Special Operations, entrepreneurship, veteran health, and the lessons that often don't become clear...
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Special Forces, TBI & the Damage You Don’t Feel Until Later | Mike Green
Mike Green spent years in Army Special Forces, government service, overseas contracting, and training environments where getting blown up, banged around, injured, and simply pushing through was often treated as part of the job. Years later, some of those experiences started catching up. In this...
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Asking for Help Saved My Life: A SWCC Veteran’s Journey Back
Isaac Smit spent his career in U.S. Navy Special Warfare as a Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC), operating high-speed boats in demanding environments alongside SEALs, foreign partners, and other special operations forces. But years of pounding across the water came with a cost. In…
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Why I Can't Quit | Erik Lawrence on Purpose, PTSD, and the Mission to Help Veterans Heal
In this special episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, the roles are reversed as U.S. Army veteran, UFC Hall of Famer and longtime friend Randy Couture sits down with host Erik Lawrence to turn the questions back on him. Erik shares his journey from joining the Army at 17 and entering Special...
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When the Shadow Walks You Down: A Marine Veteran & Cop’s Fight to Heal
In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with U.S. Marine veteran and retired law enforcement officer Jack Reed for an honest conversation about military service, nearly three decades in policing, survivor’s guilt, trauma, retirement, mental health treatment, and...
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I Thought I Was Doing Great: A Marine Scout Sniper's Hidden Battle
In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with Marine Corps Scout Sniper veteran Geovanny "Geo" Bautista for an honest conversation about combat, traumatic brain injury, recovery, mental health, and the difficult process of finally admitting when you need help. Geo...
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Randy Couture: From UFC Champion to Fighting for Veterans
In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with longtime friend, Army veteran, UFC Hall of Famer and six-time UFC champion Randy Couture for a conversation that goes far beyond fighting. Randy shares the unlikely path that took him from joining the Army in 1982 as an...
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The Soldier Who Rewrote the Army's Marksmanship Playbook | Ash Hess
What happens when the lessons learned in combat don't match what's written in the manual? In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with retired Army veteran Ash Hess, whose military career took him from Iraq and Afghanistan to rewriting the U.S. Army's official...
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From Chronic Digestive Issues to a Juice Business: Joy Soto’s Wellness Journey
After years of digestive problems and increasingly restrictive diets, Joy Soto reached a point where she wanted to try something different. What began as a personal wellness journey eventually became a business built around fresh juice, plant-forward food, and helping others explore their...
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From Delta Force to Fatherhood: A Lifetime of Service, Loss & Resilience | Kit Cessna
From Delta Force to fatherhood, law enforcement, Hurricane Katrina, loss, aging, and staying physically and mentally strong, Kit Cessna has spent a lifetime learning what resilience really means. In this episode, Erik Lawrence sits down with longtime friend and fellow veteran Kit Cessna for a...
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34 Years in Special Forces: War, TBI & Learning How to Come Home | Eric Schwalm
Eric Schwalm spent more than three decades in the U.S. Army, with the majority of his career in Special Forces and 5th Special Forces Group. From Desert Storm to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, the Horn of Africa and conflicts spanning more than 30 years, Eric describes himself as a “walking history...
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From Mogadishu to Today: Lessons From a Delta Force Operator | Joe Vega
What happens when a lifetime of elite military service catches up with your body? In this episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with longtime friend, retired Delta Force operator Joe Vega for an honest conversation about the physical and mental toll of military service,...
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Healing Through Battle: A Veteran's Journey with Cancer | Scott LaMorte
In this first episode of the Veteran Wellness Podcast, Erik Lawrence sits down with retired Green Beret Scott LaMorte for an honest conversation about military service, combat injuries, traumatic brain injury (TBI), cancer, recovery, and the mindset that helped carry him through some of life's...
About this show
The mission doesn’t end when the uniform comes off.
Veteran Wellness Podcast with Erik Lawrence is built around real conversations about service, sacrifice, health, resilience, purpose, family, and life after the uniform.
Erik sits down with veterans, warriors, leaders, experts, and people with stories you'll want to hear to talk about the things that don’t always make it into the official story. Combat. Transition. PTSD and TBI.
Physical and mental health. Relationships. Loss. Leadership. Finding purpose. And figuring out what comes next.
Some conversations are difficult. Some are inspiring. All of them are real.
No scripts. No pretending. Just honest conversations with people who’ve lived it.
Veteran Wellness Podcast with Erik Lawrence.
Real stories. Real experience. Life beyond the mission.
Hosted by
Erik Lawrence