VET S.O.S. Podcast

Most veterans are taught how to serve—not how to become someone new afterward. Music can help rebuild what comes next.
Taylor Ullom discovered that recovery requires more than a short-term program. After receiving her own PTSD diagnosis, the Air Force veteran recognized that she had spent years trying to “outserve” her own struggles by helping others. That realization eventually helped shape Heroes Encore: a nine-month journey using music to rebuild purpose, identity, confidence, and belonging.
In This Episode, You'll Discover:
• Understand why transition can become an identity problem, especially after years spent in a military system that taught you what to do, how to think, and where you belonged.
• Explore Heroes Encore's three-stage approach using guitar and bass instruction, songwriting, vocal lessons, and live performance to move participants from “peer to performer.”
• Challenge the belief that you have to be musical to belong. Taylor explains why everyone can have a role—from playing an instrument to running sound, setting lights, maintaining equipment, or simply finding another way to contribute.
• Hear what happens when people begin showing up again. Taylor shares how participants who once struggled to speak, make eye contact, or enter public spaces have gone on to volunteer for performances and even release their own music.
About Taylor Ullom
Taylor Ullom is a U.S. Air Force veteran, singer-songwriter, mental health advocate, and founder and executive director of Heroes Encore. After 10 years of Air Force service and more than a decade working in veteran programming, nonprofit leadership, advocacy, and community building, she founded Heroes Encore in 2025 to help veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders rediscover identity, purpose, and belonging through music.
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If this episode helped you, please follow the show and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — open the app, search VET S.O.S., scroll down, and tap “Write a Review.” It takes 30 seconds and puts this show in front of a veteran who needs it right now.
Episode Chapters
00:00 — Introduction: Music, Purpose & Healing
01:07 — Meet Taylor Ullom
02:51 — 10 Years in the Air Force
09:12 — Losing Connection After Military Service
10:15 — PTSD, Recovery & Trying to “Outserve” Your Struggles
12:00 — Why Heroes Encore Became a Nine-Month Program
13:00 — Who Teaches Veterans How to “Detransition”?
14:00 — Stage One: Learning Guitar & Understanding Stress
16:00 — Stage Two: Songwriting, Creativity & Identity
17:00 — Stage Three: Vocal Training & Live Performance
20:49 — “There's a Place for You to Belong”
21:59 — Creativity, Neuroplasticity & Recovery
27:44 — How to Join or Support Heroes Encore
29:54 — Closing & Resources
Explore the Full VET S.O.S. Network
▶ VET S.O.S. — Flagship Show
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Operation Startup
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Learning Lifeline
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Testimony Strong
Connect with VET S.O.S.
Website: vetsospodcast.com
Twitter: @vetsospodcast
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/vetsospodcast
YouTube: youtube.com/@vetsospodcast
Facebook: facebook.com/vetsospodcast
Instagram: instagram.com/vetsospodcast
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#VETSOS #VeteranPodcast #GrabTheLifeline #HeroesMediaGRP #HeroesEncore #VeteranTransition #VeteranMentalHealth #MusicForHealing #PurposeAfterService #Veterans #MilitaryLife #MilitaryCommunity #FirstResponders #Podcast

Veteran homelessness rarely starts with losing a home. It starts when the support system underneath someone disappears.
Veteran homelessness is more complicated than housing—and Bruce Buckley has spent more than two decades learning what it takes to create lasting stability.
In this conversation, Bruce explains how Soldier On evolved from transitional housing into a comprehensive support system serving thousands of veterans. From furnished permanent housing and mobile SSVF teams to peer support, healthcare navigation, financial literacy, and landlords willing to work alongside veterans, this episode shows what can happen when the goal isn't simply getting someone off the street—it's helping them stay there.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• Recognize why homelessness often develops over years, as broken relationships, financial struggles, health challenges, pride, and the loss of a reliable support system begin stacking up.
• Understand why housing alone isn't enough and how Soldier On combines affordable housing with case management, meals, transportation, healthcare coordination, and ongoing support.
• See how mobile SSVF teams reach veterans where they are, including emergency hotel placement, landlord navigation, healthcare assistance, and peer support instead of requiring veterans to find their way through the system alone.
• Learn why Soldier On believes recovery may require multiple attempts, including Bruce's story of a veteran who has experienced repeated alcohol relapses but has retained his housing while continuing to receive treatment and support.
About Bruce Buckley:
Bruce Buckley is President and CEO of Soldier On, a nonprofit dedicated to ending veteran homelessness. Bruce is not a veteran; he is a CPA by training who became involved with Soldier On in 2002, when the organization had only a handful of employees, and eventually developed a deeply personal commitment to the veterans it serves.
Under his leadership, Soldier On has expanded its housing and support programs across Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Bruce also serves as Treasurer of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
🎙️ If this episode helped you, please follow the show and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — open the app, search VET S.O.S., scroll down, and tap "Write a Review." It takes 30 seconds and puts this show in front of a veteran who needs it right now.
⏱️ EPISODE CHAPTERS
00:00 — Introduction: The Fight to End Veteran Homelessness
02:23 — How Bruce Buckley Found His Mission at Soldier On
04:54 — Homelessness and the Missing Support System
06:54 — Why Veterans Can Become Vulnerable Years After Service
09:49 — How Soldier On's Housing Model Works
13:00 — From Transitional Housing to Permanent Supportive Housing
17:00 — Meals, Case Management, Transportation & Healthcare
20:42 — Who Qualifies for Soldier On Housing?
23:08 — Responding When a Veteran Needs Housing Now
23:13 — SSVF: Taking Services Directly to Veterans
27:20 — “Serve the Veteran”: The Culture Behind Soldier On
30:06 — Why Hope and Human Connection Matter
31:45 — How Veterans Can Get Help & Additional Resources
34:01 — Closing & Resources
🎧 Explore the Full VET S.O.S. Network:
▶ VET S.O.S. — Flagship Show
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Operation Startup
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Learning Lifeline
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Testimony Strong
🔗 Connect with VET S.O.S.:
Website: vetsospodcast.com
Twitter: @vetsospodcast
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/vetsospodcast
YouTube: youtube.com/@vetsospodcast
Facebook: facebook.com/vetsospodcast
Instagram: instagram.com/vetsospodcast
TikTok: tiktok.com/@vetsospodcast

#VETSOS #VeteranPodcast #GrabTheLifeline #HeroesMediaGRP #VeteranHomelessness #VeteranHousing #VeteranSupport #SoldierOn #MilitaryTransition #Veterans #MilitaryLife #VeteranResources #Podcast

Your military skills may qualify you for the job. Your people skills may determine whether you actually get it.
Meegan Kriley-Mackay knows that distinction firsthand. After watching her former spouse—a highly experienced Air Force C-17 pilot—struggle in civilian job interviews, she realized technical expertise wasn't the problem. He had the skills to do the job but needed the people skills to get the job.
That experience helped launch the Skills for Life Foundation and a methodology designed to strengthen the human intelligence veterans, military spouses, and families need to communicate, adapt, and lead beyond the uniform.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• Translate your military expertise into human connection by understanding why technical qualifications alone may not carry you through a civilian interview.
• Apply the LIFE methodology—Look and Listen, Imagine, Focus, Empower—to recognize old patterns, assess what's happening now, and deliberately move toward a new goal.
• Strengthen your human intelligence by developing EQ, SQ, AQ, situational awareness, nonverbal communication, and other people skills that Meegan says can be learned and improved.
• Understand why AI makes human intelligence even more important, and why Meegan believes developing HI alongside AI will be critical for the future of leadership and work.
About Meegan Kriley-Mackay
Meegan Kriley-Mackay is a military spouse, former U.S. Department of Defense Human Intelligence Specialist, certified interrogator, author, leadership strategist, and founder of the Skills for Life Foundation. Her transition work grew from helping her former spouse, an Air Force C-17 pilot, develop the people skills he needed to successfully move into commercial aviation.
Her work now combines human intelligence, neuroscience, communication, and leadership to help transitioning service members, veterans, military spouses, and families prepare for life beyond the uniform.
If this episode helped you, please follow the show and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — open the app, search VET S.O.S., scroll down, and tap "Write a Review." It takes 30 seconds and puts this show in front of a veteran who needs it right now.
Explore the Full VET S.O.S. Network
▶ VET S.O.S. — Flagship Show
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Operation Startup
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Learning Lifeline
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Testimony Strong
Connect with VET S.O.S.
Website: vetsospodcast.com
Twitter: @vetsospodcast
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/vetsospodcast
YouTube: youtube.com/@vetsospodcast
Facebook: facebook.com/vetsospodcast
Instagram: instagram.com/vetsospodcast
TikTok: tiktok.com/@vetsospodcast
#VETSOS #VeteranPodcast #GrabTheLifeline #HeroesMediaGRP #MilitaryTransition #HumanIntelligence #VeteranCareers #LeadershipDevelopment #ArtificialIntelligence #MilitarySpouse #Podcast #Veterans #MilitaryLife

EPISODE PREMISE
AI is changing the workforce. Veterans can fear the change—or learn how to put it to work.
AI doesn't have to replace your experience—it can extend what you already know.
Ted Adair and Kris Saling break down how AI Mission Ready helps veterans, military spouses, and caregivers move beyond AI hype and build practical tools for real problems. The bigger conversation goes deeper than technology: identity after service, rebuilding structure, finding purpose, and preparing yourself for a workforce changing faster than traditional transition programs can keep up.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• Learn why Kris says AI takes over tasks—not jobs—and why your experience and domain knowledge still matter when evaluating what AI produces.
• See how an 82nd Airborne veteran built an AI agent to triage community emails, prioritize issues, and turn hours of administrative work into roughly 15 minutes a day.
• Recognize why trying to copy and paste the entire military ecosystem into your first civilian job can leave you struggling with identity, structure, community, and purpose.
• Understand the AI Mission Ready model: practical training, live coaching, small "fire teams," and a requirement to finish with a functional asset—not just another certificate.
About Ted Adair & Kris Saling
Ted Adair is a fourth-generation Army combat veteran and former field artillery officer who completed two deployments, including a 14-month combat tour in Iraq. After two decades in federal consulting and growth strategy, he founded Oath & Oak to help veterans, military spouses, and caregivers build economic agency in an AI-enabled world.
Kris Saling is a people analytics and talent management expert, Director of Workforce Transformation at IBR, author of Data-Driven Talent Management, and founder of the Navigator Foundation. Her experience at the intersection of workforce transformation, data, technology, and people brings an important perspective to understanding what AI can—and cannot—do.
🎙️ If this episode helped you, please follow the show and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — open the app, search VET S.O.S., scroll down, and tap "Write a Review." It takes 30 seconds and puts this show in front of a veteran who needs it right now.
🎧 Explore the Full VET S.O.S. Network
▶ VET S.O.S. — Flagship Show
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Operation Startup
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Learning Lifeline
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Testimony Strong
🔗 Connect with VET S.O.S.
Website: vetsospodcast.com
Twitter: @vetsospodcast
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/vetsospodcast
YouTube: youtube.com/@vetsospodcast
Facebook: facebook.com/vetsospodcast
Instagram: instagram.com/vetsospodcast
TikTok: tiktok.com/@vetsospodcast
#VETSOS #VeteranPodcast #GrabTheLifeline #HeroesMediaGRP #ArtificialIntelligence #AIWorkforce #MilitaryTransition #VeteranEmployment #VeteranTransition #Veterans #MilitaryLife #Podcast #MilitaryCommunity #FutureOfWork

VET S.O.S. — Veteran Transition, Resources & Brain Health
What if your lingering concussion symptoms aren't coming only from your brain—but from an injury everyone missed?
A veteran can have clear scans and still battle headaches, brain fog, dizziness, sleep problems, and hypervigilance years after a mild traumatic brain injury. Army veteran Dr. Chris Slininger believes part of the problem may be that we're examining the brain while overlooking what happened to the neck during the same blast, impact, or concussion.
In this episode, Dr. Slininger breaks down his research into the craniocervical junction and explains why asking "What did the kinetic force do?" may be more useful than simply asking where someone was hit.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• Recognize common long-term MTBI symptoms—including headaches, migraines, dizziness, brain fog, cognitive decline, sleep disruption, and persistent fight-or-flight responses.
• Understand why Dr. Slininger believes the upper cervical spine deserves greater attention after blast exposure, concussions, airborne injuries, vehicle accidents, and other high-force events common in military service.
• Learn how neurological communication, blood flow, and cerebrospinal fluid flow factor into his theory about the relationship between the upper neck and brain function.
• Explore the veteran MTBI research he's building—from an initial 10-person pilot to a planned 400-person randomized controlled trial comparing brain-focused and craniocervical interventions, including former NFL players as a comparison group.
About Dr. Chris Slininger
Dr. Chris Slininger is a U.S. Army Reserve veteran who deployed to Kuwait in 2004–2005 and served in both the Engineer Corps and Medical Corps. His exposure to service members dealing with blast-related injuries helped drive his focus toward brain health and the invisible wounds associated with MTBI.
Today, his clinical work focuses on complex neurological conditions and the craniocervical junction. He is leading research examining whether upper cervical correction can affect persistent symptoms associated with mild traumatic brain injury in veterans.
Learn more:
cerebralchiropractic.com
mtbiresearch.com
Support VET S.O.S.
If this episode helped you, please follow the show and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — open the app, search VET S.O.S., scroll down, and tap "Write a Review." It takes 30 seconds and puts this show in front of a veteran who needs it right now.
Episode Chapters
00:00 — Introduction: Back Pain, Brain Health & the Invisible Wound
03:36 — Dr. Slininger's Army Service and Transition
08:33 — Fighting Red Tape to Continue the Mission
09:31 — How Does the Spine Affect the Brain?
15:07 — What a Concussion Can Do to the Neck
19:38 — Building a Veteran MTBI Research Study
21:36 — Battlefield vs. Playing Field: Veterans and NFL Players
24:28 — Precision Upper Cervical Correction Explained
28:17 — Headaches, Brain Fog, Dizziness & Hypervigilance
31:12 — Dr. Slininger's Own History of Multiple MTBIs
33:18 — Research, Resources & How to Get Involved
35:06 — Closing & Resources
Explore the Full VET S.O.S. Network
▶ VET S.O.S. — Flagship Show
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Operation Startup
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Learning Lifeline
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: The Scoop
▶ VET S.O.S. Presents: Testimony Strong
Connect with VET S.O.S.
Website: vetsospodcast.com
Twitter: @vetsospodcast
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/vetsospodcast
YouTube: youtube.com/@vetsospodcast
Facebook: facebook.com/vetsospodcast
Instagram: instagram.com/vetsospodcast
TikTok: tiktok.com/@vetsospodcast
#VETSOS #VeteranPodcast #GrabTheLifeline #HeroesMediaGRP #VeteranBrainHealth #TBI #MTBI #TraumaticBrainInjury #ConcussionRecovery #InvisibleWounds #VeteranHealth #MilitaryHealth #MilitaryTransition #Veterans #MilitaryLife #Podcast