VET S.O.S. Podcast
VET S.O.S. is a military transition focused organization dedicated to helping service members, veterans, and military families navigate transition and thrive in civilian life. Through four targeted shows, we deliver resources, insights, and inspiration: Military Transition Resources Show shares tools and programs for a smoother transition; Veteran Entrepreneurial Spotlight features veteran business journeys; Veteran Educational Resources Spotlight highlights learning opportunities; and The Scoop offers engaging discussions and fresh perspectives.
Trauma thrives in silence. Healing begins when you stop carrying it alone.
Anissa Hudak knows trauma from multiple sides: as the daughter of a Vietnam veteran, a military spouse, and a two-time sexual assault survivor. In this conversation, she explains why trauma recovery must involve the body and nervous system—not only the conscious mind—and why healing should never require someone to repeatedly relive the worst moment of their life.
What makes this episode different is Anissa’s direct challenge to the idea that talk therapy is always enough. She shares how yoga therapy, neurosomatic techniques, and long-term coaching can help women move trauma out of the body, retrain neurological patterns, and build a recovery path as individual as their experience.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
• Recognize how military transition affects spouses and families, including financial fear, loss of community, and unexpected isolation after retirement.
• Understand why Anissa believes trauma becomes embedded in the nervous system and cannot always be resolved through conscious conversation alone.
• Explore how yoga therapy and neurosomatic techniques can support healing without forcing survivors to describe or relive traumatic events.
• Build a personalized recovery path based on awareness, body-based healing, unconscious neurological work, and continued coaching support.
Connect with Anissa Hudak
Anissa Hudak is the Founder of the Phoenix Women Healing Institute. As a military spouse, daughter of a Vietnam veteran, and two-time sexual assault survivor, she brings lived experience to her work with women navigating PTSD, military sexual trauma, secondary PTSD, and other forms of trauma. Through online yoga therapy, one-on-one neurosomatic work, and extended coaching, she helps women move from survival mode toward lasting resolution.
Website: https://phoenixwomenhealing.com
🎙️ 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 – Trauma Thrives in Silence
05:53 – The Military Spouse Transition Experience
12:34 – Losing Community After Military Retirement
16:13 – Why Anissa Created Phoenix Women Healing
21:46 – Healing Through Yoga Therapy
22:54 – Why Talk Therapy May Not Be Enough
25:56 – How the Online Healing Program Works
27:15 – Moving Trauma Out of the Body and Unconscious
31:32 – Who Anissa Helps
33:35 – Closing and Lifeline Message
🎧 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: https://vetsospodcast.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vetsospodcast
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/vetsospodcast
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@vetsospodcast
Facebook: https://facebook.com/vetsospodcast
Instagram: https://instagram.com/vetsospodcast
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@vetsospodcast
#VETSOS #VeteranPodcast #TraumaRecovery #MilitaryMentalHealth #MilitarySpouse #PTSDHealing #Veterans #HeroesMediaGRP #GrabTheLifeline
Recent Video Content
Podcast Details
- Military Transition Resources Show (MTRS) - Description:Episodes address the challenges and steps involved in transitioning from military service to civilian life, offering expert insights and real-world solutions by highlighting the work of organizations and personnel dedicated to supporting veterans and their families.
- Veteran Entrepreneurial Spotlight (VES) - Description:Showcasing the veteran and military/veteran-spouse entrepreneur journey and the resources that supported their business ventures; providing support for others to explore entrepreneurial opportunities.
- Veteran Educational Resources Spotlight (VERS) - Description:Highlighting institutions of higher learning as well as educational programs, certifications, and academic opportunities tailored for veterans and their families to support continued learning, credential obtainment, career growth and personal development.
- The Scoop (Variety Show) - Description:A variety show that offers panel discussions on important transition topics and an exploration and discussion on books that focus on topics related to the military experience and transition with the author, offering readers additional tools and perspectives for navigating civilian life.
About the host
Shawn Welsh
Shawn Welsh is the Co-Founder and Co-Host of the VET S.O.S. Podcast. The show features information and resources about veteran support organizations and key personnel in the veteran support community. With a passion for helping others, he started VET S.O.S. to provide a lifeline to veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses.
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.
Keith Cassant
Keith Cassant is an Army Veteran with over 22 years of service. Keith resides in Virginia Beach, VA where his post-military journey has included organizations like Navy Fleet & Family Support, Wells Fargo, a federal civilian with the US Coast Guard, and now his current employer, DHS’ Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), where he serves as the Veterans Program Manager.
Keith has provided services, training, mentorship, consulting, and advice for numerous non-profits such as Hire Heroes USA, American Corporate Partners, USO Pathfinders, Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Family Members, LinkedIn, Veteranti, G.I. Jobs, Vet S.O.S, Lessons Learned for Vets Podcast, Military Transition Roundtable, Hire Vets Now, Virginia Values Veterans, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, and many more. To date, Keith has helped hundreds of Veterans in their transition and provided hundreds of volunteer hours in this endeavor. Maurice Murphy
A Retired Naval Officer turned real estate professional, Maurice brings the same discipline and dedication from his 24-year military career into every transaction. Originally from Montgomery, Alabama, he holds a Business degree from Auburn University and a master’s in military Operational Art and Science. Since stepping into real estate in late 2019, Maurice has closed over $23 million in sales across Northeast Florida, specializing in VA loans, physician loans, and probate real estate. His passion? Helping people through life’s biggest transitions, whether it’s PCS orders, relocation, divorce, probate, or downsizing. He’s lived it, and because he’s been there, he now leads others through it with the clarity and confidence that only experience can provide.
Dr. Hira Paulin
Dr. Hira is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She specializes in working with those with late-in-life or military service-connected disabilities. Her passion for working with the military community stemmed from observing her grandfather, a WWII POW Army Air Corps veteran and his late-in-life adjustment to his military service-connected disabilities and trauma.
Hira is the spouse of a career enlisted Marine. Her nomadic life has provided the opportunity to work in a variety of settings. For over a decade Dr. Hira has been supporting the military community in her formal roles and through extensive volunteering. Her work aims to demystify disability topics, simplify rehabilitation services or programs and how to engage with providers. She pays it forward to the next generation of students through mentorship on how to navigate the higher education landscape. Kingsley Scott
Kingsley serves as the Director of Career Services at Divergence Academy, a leading provider of immersive and accelerated learning programs in technology. With over 20 years of honorable military service, he brings a proven track record of leadership, excellence, and resilience to the role. In addition to his position at Divergence Academy, he is an Authorized Trainer for the Resilience-Building Leader Program (RBLP), which equips leaders with the skills necessary to build resilient teams across various industries. As an Ambassador for the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program (AFW2), he conducts briefings that highlight the transition space, and the resiliency required for veterans moving from active duty to civilian life.
Kingsley specializes in helping Veterans leverage the skills they learned in military service, guiding them on how to translate those skills to navigate their new journeys in the civilian sector. He leverages extensive career counseling and data analysis skills to optimize the department’s performance, achieving impressive results in student satisfaction, retention, and academic outcomes.
Passionate about coaching and training clients in the leadership skills required to overcome challenges and thrive in adversity, he utilizes the RBLP framework and methodology. With a unique blend of military experience, career counseling expertise, and dedication to continuous learning, Kingsley is committed to supporting transitioning service members and Veterans in achieving their career aspirations and maximizing their potential in the dynamic technology industry. 
