What comes after the military? For many veterans, leaving Defence means navigating a new career, rebuilding their identity and finding purpose beyond the uniform.

In Episode 82 of The Grey Man Podcast, Jack Blaine shares his journey from serving in the Australian Army to building a future in the cattle industry. Through Diggers Cattle Company, Jack is doing more than running a business — he’s working to create opportunities for veterans to develop practical skills, enter the cattle industry and find a new direction after service.

Jack opens up about the challenges of military-to-civilian transition, losing the camaraderie of service, planning for life after discharge and the importance of finding a new purpose before leaving Defence.

We also explore veteran entrepreneurship, the realities of building a business and Jack’s efforts to establish pathways that help former serving members take their next step with confidence.

Because leaving the military doesn't mean your next mission has to end.

🎧 Listen to Episode 82 with Jack Blaine on The Grey Man Podcast.

SPONSOR — BALDWIN ADVOCACY & CLAIMS (BAC)This episode is proudly supported by Baldwin Advocacy & Claims (BAC), helping Australian veterans navigate the DVA claims process and access the support and entitlements they may be eligible for.

If you’re a veteran or supporting someone who has served, connect with Baldwin Advocacy & Claims to learn more about their advocacy services.

#TheGreyManPodcast #JackBlaine #VeteranTransition #AustralianVeterans #LifeAfterService #DiggersCattleCo #DiggersxStockmen

What happens when your experiences, your values and the system you trusted collide?

In Episode 79 of The Grey Man Podcast, Dr Nikki Jamieson explores moral injury, suicide prevention and the hidden wounds that can affect veterans, defence personnel, first responders, healthcare workers and others exposed to morally distressing experiences.

Nikki shares her own powerful journey through grief and suicide loss, including the death of her son Daniel while serving in the Australian Army, and how lived experience ultimately led her into suicidology, research and advocacy around moral injury.

We explore what moral injury is, how it differs from PTSD, the role of guilt, shame and betrayal, the impact of military identity and transition to civilian life, and why institutional betrayal can have such a profound effect on veterans.

Nikki also explains why early intervention, connection and simply being present for someone can matter, why lived experience is critical to suicide prevention, and how moral injury can extend beyond defence into workplaces, healthcare, first responders and other professions.

The conversation also looks at recovery and repair — and how people can use their experiences to develop understanding, connection and purpose.

🎙️ Episode 79 with Dr Nikki Jamieson.

Supported by Baldwin Advocacy & Claims (BAC)

The Grey Man Podcast is proudly supported by Baldwin Advocacy & Claims, helping veterans and their families navigate the DVA claims and advocacy process. Find out more about Baldwin Advocacy & Claims and the support they provide through their official channels.

If this conversation raises difficult feelings for you or someone you know, please reach out to a trusted person or qualified professional for support.

🎙️ A Navy medic and an Army gunner-turned-cook, worlds apart in the ADF — now both giving back on the Sunshine Coast through surf lifesaving.

In this episode of The Grey Man Podcast, host Harley Fox sits down with Shane Leahy and Matt Neale — Shane served as a medic in the Royal Australian Navy, while Matt spent his career in the Australian Army, first in artillery before transitioning to catering. Two very different journeys through the Australian Defence Force, now connected on the Sunshine Coast through their shared involvement in the surf lifesaving community.

Shane opens up about life as a Navy medic, treating drunk and injured sailors in port, and the brutal culture around alcohol that defined military life for decades. Matt shares his story of surviving bastardisation and bullying within his regiment, hitting rock bottom with his mental health, and the long road back through a structured recovery program.

Together, they break down why holistic, non-clinical mental health support works better than traditional "white coat" treatment for many veterans, and how they've both found purpose again — through humanitarian disaster response work with organisations like Pacific Guardians, and their ongoing involvement in surf lifesaving on the Sunshine Coast.

If you or anyone you know needs support, please reach out to:

Open Arms (Veterans & Families Counselling): 1800 011 046

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Navigating DVA claims, medical discharges, or military compensation? Baldwin Advocacy & Claims is a veteran-owned, fixed-fee advocacy service built to ensure you get the full entitlements you earned — without taking a percentage of your payout.

👉 Book your FREE, 100% confidential consultation today:

🔗 Website: baldwinclaims.com.au

📞 Phone: (07) 2103 0427

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🎧 LISTEN ON THE GOCatch the full episode on YouTube: The Grey Man Podcast

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#GreyManPodcast #AussieVeterans #VeteranVoices #MilitaryTransition #VeteranMentalHealth #DVAClaims #PTSDAwareness #SurfLifeSaving

What happens when the career you've always wanted is suddenly taken away?

In Episode 77 of The Grey Man Podcast, we sit down with Liam Ervine to discuss six years of military service, accumulating injuries, medical discharge and the difficult transition into civilian life.

Liam shares what it was like to leave the uniform, adjust to a completely different culture outside the military, deal with the mental challenges that followed, and eventually find a new direction through traditional craftsmanship and his own hat-making business.

The conversation covers military service, Army logistics and supply, injuries, medical discharge, veteran transition, mental health, identity, purpose and why having a plan before leaving the military can be so important.

A candid conversation about what happens after the uniform comes off — and how to start building what's next.

🎙️ Episode 77 with Liam Ervine

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SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: BALDWIN ADVOCACY & CLAIMS

Baldwin Advocacy & Claims provides fixed-fee DVA advocacy and support for veterans and their families.

Get a FREE, 100% confidential DVA consultation.

🌐 https://baldwinclaims.com.au
📞 (07) 2103 0427

Paul Archer sits down for an honest conversation on going from a nine-year prison sentence to building a 7-figure landscaping business. This episode unpacks childhood trauma, addiction, drug trafficking, and life inside the Australian prison system, and how programs like Trojan's Trek became the catalyst for real change. The chat also covers military service, studying a business degree behind bars, and mentoring incarcerated veterans through lived experience.

Sponsor: Baldwin Advocacy and Claims

If you are navigating the DVA system and need transparent, ethical guidance for your military compensation claims, reach out to Baldwin Advocacy and Claims. Visit www.baldwinclaims.com.au to get started today.

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Tony Bryson shares the extraordinary story of his journey from a challenging childhood in London to becoming a Royal Marines Commando.

Tony talks about growing up with financial hardship and family violence, finding an escape through sport, and developing the discipline and mental strength that helped him complete one of the world’s toughest military training courses. Of the 56 recruits who started, only 12 finished.

He takes us inside his experiences with 4 5 Commando, Arctic warfare training in Scotland and deployment to Afghanistan after 9/11. Tony discusses combat operations, dangerous helicopter insertions, the loss of fellow servicemen, serious injuries and the lasting psychological impact of war.

The conversation also explores his transition out of the military, work in intelligence and close protection, protecting high-profile clients, and the pressures that came with earning large amounts of money.

Tony speaks openly about PTSD, delayed trauma, addiction, destructive behaviour, relationships, regret and the difficult process of rebuilding a life after military service.

This is an honest conversation about resilience, survival, identity and what happens when the war continues internally long after the deployment has ended.

This episode includes discussion of war, death, suicide, PTSD, drug use and sexual content.

Sponsored by Baldwin Advocacy and Claims

Have you been injured or affected by your work, military service or an accident? Baldwin Advocacy and Claims helps people understand their rights and navigate the claims process.

To find out more about how Baldwin Advocacy and Claims may be able to help, visit Baldwin Advocacy and Claims online or contact their team directly. Make sure you understand your options before accepting an offer or settling a claim.

This is general information only and is not legal advice. Individual circumstances differ, so seek independent advice about your situation.