Your host Fred Johnson has a conversation with Sila Regester, one of the dedicated participants in the Veteran Civilian Arts Ensemble at the Straz Center. Sila served 22 years in the United States Army, retiring as an Administrative Non-Commissioned Officer. Her most exhilarating job was Drill Instructor at Fort Dix, New Jersey, in the mid-eighties. She now works at the James A Haley Veterans Hospital as Supervisor, Whole Health Partner. Sila and Fred talk about her work as a dedicated veteran advocate, always looking for ways to assist and educate veterans. Sila is passionate about her role as a facilitator within the Whole Health program, and she encourages veterans and their families to participate in these opportunities for creative expression.

In this enlightening episode, your host Fred Johnson talks with Moira G. McGuire, retired nurse officer with the US Public Health Service and Assistant Chief, General Internal Medicine and chief of Integrative Health & Wellness at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda. She was the Program Manager of Warrior Clinic, and the founder of the first arts and health program at a military treatment facility for the Defense Health Agency.

The focus of her professional work lies in the belief that creativity and expression are not only essential elements in the treatment of illness and injury, but in the prevention of them as well.

Moira presents some innovative ideas about how we should be including mental health and creative skills as part of standard military readiness measurements. The benefits of allocating time for creative expression are especially evident as military personnel interact with their families, their fellow soldiers, and the general public. Being creative is a crucial part of being healthy and ready for anything!

Fred Johnson, the host and guiding light of these podcasts, sits down for a deep conversation with Theo and Brianne Roading. Theo is an Army veteran who was medially discharged after a severe injury. His road back to civilian life led him and his wife to the Tampa Bay Area, and together were introduced to the Veteran Civilian Arts Ensemble at the Straz Theater. Theo worked with Guitars for Vets in Nashville, and his introduction to music therapist Natalie Quintana opened the door to expressing himself through music. As a veteran Theo was seeing the world as a dangerous place, but working with the Ensemble and experiencing the joy of music helped him to recalibrate his feeling. "The world doesn't have to be a scary place," says Brianne, "and it is wonderful to hear him immersed in his music." Theo often provides the music for the Ensembles performances, and Brianne is still amazed that she is singing and dancing! Together they are sharing this opportunity to create something new.

Guest host Cathy DeWitt invites Dr. Mark Staples into the Gainesville VetArtSpan studio for a conversation about his work at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center. Dr. Staples is a cardiac surgeon and intensive care doctor, but he also serves veterans and their families though music. He and Cathy discuss the reactions he gets when patients see their doctor playing music for them in their room. You'll hear some of Mark's beautiful finger-picking, and Cathy joins in singing on a magical song. 

Intrepid VetArtSpan host Fred Johnson meets with Army veteran Urban Light to discuss her evocative journey toward becoming a spoken word artist. She is active in the Courage and Grace Foundation, which provides resources and support to women veterans. Through arts mentorship and the sharing of stories, the work helps build confidence for these women veterans (and their families) as they reintegrate into civilian life. Her own journey as an artist began with creative writing and grew as she became a powerful spoken word performer of her own poetry. In this episode we are privileged to hear two of her wonderful performances. 

Fred Johnson gets together with Army veteran and poet Samantha Sampson. Her family has deep roots in the military, and she shares some of the inspirations that drive her to create her deeply personal spoken word creations. She is a member of the Vet/Civilian Dance Company at the Straz Center, and her poems were used in a multi-dimensional performance celebrating the 2021 Juneteenth event at the Straz. In this episode we get a chance to hear two of her transformative poems.