When a Podcast Becomes a Megaphone: “Eye on Veterans” and the Stories We Don’t Hear

If you think you’ve heard all the veteran-healthcare stories already — think again. Eye on Veterans, hosted by Navy vet–turned–journalist Phil Briggs, has become something more than just a podcast: it’s a bridge between what’s said in committee rooms and what’s felt in hospital rooms.

Each week, Briggs (who’s lived both sides of the uniform and the mic) unpacks the tensions, myths, and breakthroughs in veteran life — from PTSD and TBI to renegade therapies, benefits fights, career transitions, and more. What makes it powerful is how he leans in — not with empty slogans or politicking, but with veterans’ voices themselves, asking: What’s broken? What’s healing? What’s next?

Episode Spotlight: “Is Psychedelic Therapy the Suicide Solution?”

One episode that hits deep is “Is Psychedelic Therapy the Suicide Solution? Combat vet says ‘I am still here because of Ibogaine’”.

In it, Clayton Smith, a former Army paratrooper and Purple Heart recipient, shares how he nearly ended his life — and how, in desperation, he turned to ibogaine, an intense psychedelic therapy seldom considered in mainstream veteran mental health circles. Two moments stand out:

• When Smith says trauma doesn’t always come from combat — it can be sexual assault, childhood wounds, betrayal, or one crushing moment.

“We don’t compare trauma,” he explains — reminding us that one person’s invisible pain is no less valid than another’s.

• When he describes the ibogaine experience — torrential visions, catharsis, rebirth, and the sense of finally having some equipment to inhabit a mind that once felt permanently blasted.

Throughout, Briggs doesn’t interrupt or sanitize. He presses when necessary, but mostly listens — letting Smith’s narration (and pain) do the work.

This isn’t a “therapy commercial” episode. It’s messy. It’s raw. It raises hard questions:

• Should the VA acknowledge or even fund such alternative treatments?
• How do we protect veterans desperate enough to try them?

And …

• Is mainstream mental health finally evolving to meet the reality of veteran suicide?

Why This Podcast Matters More Than You Think

• It fills the gaps the media often skirts …
  Veteran healthcare isn’t one neat headline. It’s a stew of bureaucracy, stigma, breakthroughs, and tragedies. Eye on Veterans meets listeners right in those gaps.
  
• It normalizes tough conversations …
  Briggs tackles what press releases won’t: drug-assisted therapies, service dog breakthroughs, AI in claims processing, and the identity crisis that often follows service.
  
• It connects macro to micro …
  In one week, you might hear about VA staffing shortages or legislative shifts. The next, you hear from a vet struggling to get an appointment — or finding a therapy that saved their life. That’s the tension veterans live with every day.

Why You Should Tune In …

Eye on Veterans isn’t just another podcast. It’s a mirror — reflecting both the struggles and resilience of those who’ve served. Whether you’re a veteran, a family member, or simply someone who cares about the truth behind the headlines, it’s worth a listen.

👉 Coming up in our next blog: how podcasters are calling out cuts to VA anti-discrimination and DEI policies — and why those voices matter more than ever.