In this powerful conversation, we sit down with Cathy Turner and Jackie Wojtak, co-founders of The Restored Heart Collective, to explore the often-ignored emotional toll carried by spouses of combat veterans. We talk candidly about identity loss, emotional labor, walking on eggshells, and why healing the family—not just the veteran—is critical to real reintegration after war.

This episode dives into trauma stored in the body, why “fixing your spouse” doesn’t work, and how community, somatic practices, and honest connection can change everything for military families.

Resources & Links

The Restored Heart Collective

Alone and Unafraid Podcast: Available wherever you listen to podcasts

Website: https://aloneandunafraid.org

Cadence Wealth Partners – Nick O'Kelly

Guest Info

Cathy Turner and Jackie Wojtak are educators, military spouses, and co-founders of The Restored Heart Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to creating healing retreats and community spaces for spouses of combat veterans. Their work centers on somatic healing, nervous system regulation, and helping women come home to themselves after years of emotional load-bearing.

• “This work isn’t about fixing your spouse — it’s about coming home to yourself.”

• “We heal war by healing the family.”

• “I thought I was protecting him, but I was erasing myself.”

• “Sometimes you don’t even know you’re in the circus.”

• “Community without competition is where real healing starts.”

If this conversation resonated with you—or reminded you of someone who needs it—share this episode.

In this episode, we sit down with a high-functioning professional who has chosen to remain anonymous due to career and personal considerations. This conversation captures an honest, unfiltered snapshot before participating in guided experiences with psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT.

Rather than focusing on outcomes, this episode documents mindset, emotional state, identity, stress, anger, purpose, and intention prior to the experience. In a follow-up episode, we will return and ask the exact same questions to explore what—if anything—has changed.

What This Episode Explores

• Baseline mental and emotional state

• Stress, irritability, and internal pressure

• Identity, ego, and rigidity of self-beliefs

• Intentions vs. expectations

• Parenting, relationships, and meaning

• What it feels like before the journey begins

About the Guest
Our guest is an experienced professional navigating significant responsibility in both personal and professional life. All identifying details have been intentionally withheld to preserve anonymity.

Important NoteThis conversation is not promotional or prescriptive. It is shared for educational and reflective purposes only.

Sponsors:

Polestar Coffee

Cadence Wealth Partners-Nick O'Kelly

In this episode, Thad talks with Dr. Blaine Lints, a former Navy SEAL, ultra-endurance athlete, and PhD researcher who pushed his body and mind to the edge — and found his way back through psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Blaine shares his journey from running 100-mile races at 16 to surviving BUD/S and combat in Mosul, then chasing perfection through pro-level Ironman training and academic performance. Eventually, the same drive that fueled his success nearly broke him — until he discovered Ibogaine and 5 MEO DMT a powerful psychedelic being studied for trauma, anxiety, and brain injury recovery in veterans.

This conversation dives deep into performance, burnout, and brain recovery, exploring how psychedelics are reshaping what it means to be “hardwired for the edge.”

Resources and Links

• Cadence Wealth Partners – Nick O’Kelly

• Alone and Unafraid Podcast

• Pole Star Coffee

• The Mission Within – Veteran Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT therapy

• UT Austin Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy

  UT Dallas Center for Brainhealth

👤 Guest Info:

Blaine Lints is a former Navy SEAL, ultra-endurance athlete, and PhD researcher in Applied Physiology at the University of South Carolina. His work explores human performance, cognitive resilience, and the potential of psychedelics like Ibogaine to repair the brain and reset the nervous system.

💬 Standout Quotes:

• “I’d done everything to optimize my body — Ibogaine was the first thing that optimized my mind.”

• “For warriors, psychedelics aren’t about escape. They’re about coming home.”

• “Performance at the edge isn’t sustainable — it’s what you learn when you finally step back from it.”

If you’re a veteran, service member, first responder, or anyone exploring mindset, performance, and healing — check out Alone and Unafraid wherever you listen to podcasts.
Visit aloneandunafraid.org to learn more.