Couple O' Nukes

• Women On The Front Lines: Firefighting, Trauma, and Transformation With Ashlea Dillard

  Send us a textToday, I sit down with Ashlea Dillard to explore the realities of life as a firefighter and paramedic, the pressures placed on women in first responder roles, and the mental health battles that often remain hidden behind the uniform. Ms. Dillard begins by walking us through her unexpected path into firefighting after initially pursuing nursing. Once she stepped into fire culture, she discovered a tight-knit community defined by teamwork, problem-solving, and high-stakes decision-making. She shares stories from her early years on the ambulance, the transition to the firetruck, and the unique challenges she faced as one of the few women in a male-dominated field.As our conversation continues, Ms. Dillard describes the subtle and overt pressures that come with being a woman in the fire service—from constant performance scrutiny to the emotional toll of proving oneself capable in a culture shaped by masculine norms. She explains how burnout developed not from large-scale emergencies, but from the accumulation of routine calls, constant sleep disruption, and never-ending administrative tasks. We also discuss the shift in fire and EMS work over the past several decades, how unpredictable calls can escalate instantly, and why the belief in being indestructible can put responders at risk.We then transition into the turning point of Ms. Dillard’s career: confronting the emotional, physical, and spiritual effects of burnout while managing graduate school, clinical training, and a demanding 48-hour shift schedule. As she recognized the need to prioritize her own mental health, she made the difficult decision to step away from the fire service and complete her transition into counseling. Today, she works as a licensed professional counselor and clinical hypnotherapist specializing in first responders, military members, and their families. She shares how her podcast allows her to amplify stories, offer insight, and build community by helping individuals reconnect with their identity outside of their uniform.To close the episode, I ask Ms. Dillard what young people should know before they enter the first responder field. Her reality check offers a grounded perspective on danger, complacency, training, and the need for intention behind the mission. https://sitaroundthefire.org/ Website: https://coupleonukes.com Exodus, Honor Your Heart, & Nulu Knives: https://www.coupleonukes.com/affiliates/ Want to be a guest on Couple O' Nukes? Send me a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1726279485588093e83e0e007 Sign Up For A PodMatch Account: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/coupleonukes *Couple O' Nukes LLC and Mr. Whiskey are not licensed medical entities, nor do they take responsibility for any advice or information put forth by guests. Take all advice at your own risk.

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• Observing Humanity: Vanessa The Vivacious On Happiness, Trauma, & Human Connection

  Send us a textToday, I sit down with Vanessa The Vivacious to explore the complex layers of humanity, mental health, creativity, and resilience. Ms. Vivacious shares how her early life shaped her worldview, beginning with a childhood marked by instability and self-reliance. We discuss how her college years became a turning point, where academic pressure, socioeconomic gaps, and a difficult long-distance relationship led to intense bipolar episodes that ultimately forced her to step away from school. She walks me through the reality of these experiences, highlighting the absence of support systems during a time when mental health resources were limited.As we move deeper into the conversation, Ms. Vivacious explains her journey into AmeriCorps, her time in Seattle, and the mental health crisis that left her homeless. Her reflections on being both the person serving food in a soup kitchen and then the one receiving it days later provide a powerful look at the fragility of stability. She describes how public perception shifts dramatically when a person loses their home, and how navigating shelters, public programs, and survival taught her more about human behavior than any classroom could. Throughout this period, her mother and brother played pivotal roles in her survival, even as she continued to process the long-term effects of raising herself.We then transition into her work interviewing strangers across the country, where Ms. Vivacious spent years documenting people’s stories, emotions, and definitions of happiness. She shares how family consistently emerged as the most common source of joy among the thousands of people she spoke with, and how one viewer’s admission that a single video stopped them from ending their life changed the trajectory of her own. This experience led her to create Humanity 2.0, a podcast and video series dedicated to showing the beauty, complexity, and interconnectedness of our lived experiences.To close the episode, I ask Ms. Vivacious the same question she has asked thousands of strangers: “Are you happy?” Her answer is raw, real, and reflective of everything she has survived. We also discuss the deeper privilege of communication—our ability to connect across time, culture, and circumstance—and how one meaningful conversation can change or even save a life.https://vanessathevivacious.com/ Website: https://coupleonukes.com Exodus, Honor Your Heart, & Nulu Knives: https://www.coupleonukes.com/affiliates/ Want to be a guest on Couple O' Nukes? Send me a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1726279485588093e83e0e007 Sign Up For A PodMatch Account: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/coupleonukes *Couple O' Nukes LLC and Mr. Whiskey are not licensed medical entities, nor do they take responsibility for any advice or information put forth by guests. Take all advice at your own risk.

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• When Our Energy Isn't Enough: Intentional & Aligned Surrendering

  Send us a textToday, I read a chapter from my contributing chapter, titled “When Our Energy Isn’t Enough,” from the Book Of Frequency: Energy And Healing, where I break down what spiritual energy really is, why it fails us during life’s lowest moments, and how surrendering to a higher power becomes the turning point that many of us avoid until we’re forced into it. I explore the difference between daily willpower and deeper spiritual resolve, and I explain how our emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion often signals that our own energy simply isn’t enough anymore. In this chapter, I walk through the reality of burnout, trauma, and the heaviness that comes with moments where life feels impossible, and I share how I’ve personally learned to overcome those seasons through humility and surrender. Throughout the reading, I highlight why so many people remain stuck at the bottom of their “miry pit,” referencing King David, addiction recovery principles, and lived experiences from my own life. I talk about joining the military at seventeen, heartbreak, delayed transitions, and my father’s hospitalization—moments where I had nothing left to rely on except something greater than myself. I emphasize that pride, fear, and the desire for control often keep us from accepting help, whether human or divine, and I explain how surrender is not giving up, but aligning ourselves with a power source stronger and more sustainable than our own. As I read this chapter, I guide listeners through the process of recognizing their limitations, releasing the pressure to “power through,” and learning what it looks like to access healing beyond our own strength. I talk about how surrender leads to change, how change leads to progress, and how progress eventually leads to new levels of energy, maturity, and resilience.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/redefining-love-in-a-loveless-culture-gratitude/id1657865479?i=1000717973425 Website: https://coupleonukes.com Exodus, Honor Your Heart, & Nulu Knives: https://www.coupleonukes.com/affiliates/ Want to be a guest on Couple O' Nukes? Send me a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1726279485588093e83e0e007 Sign Up For A PodMatch Account: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/coupleonukes *Couple O' Nukes LLC and Mr. Whiskey are not licensed medical entities, nor do they take responsibility for any advice or information put forth by guests. Take all advice at your own risk.

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• Burned, Blocked, And Better Than Ever! Joni Woods On Divorce, Relationships, & Rebuilding

  Send us a textToday, I sit down with Joni Woods, a survivor of emotional, physical, and religious abuse whose story highlights how societal pressure, relationship expectations, and toxic conditioning can shape — and distort — a person’s entire life. I open the episode by exploring how culture pushes people into unhealthy relationships and how loneliness often forces individuals to lower their standards. Ms. Woods and I dig into how self-worth is eroded long before abuse becomes visible, and how that emotional vulnerability paves the way for long-term trauma.As Ms. Woods shares her early life, she walks me through the religious pressure placed on her from childhood, the expectations laid on her identity, and the 15-year marriage that grew from insecurity instead of love. We talk about manipulation, abandonment, and how trauma bonds keep people trapped far longer than they realize. I also ask her about her children’s experiences, how she protected them through her divorce, and how she now raises them to understand consent, intimacy, boundaries, and emotional health in a world dominated by social media and distorted relationship models.In this conversation, I examine how men and women alike face abuse that often goes unrecognized — especially for men who feel they must “tough it out.” Ms. Woods and I also discuss the cultural silence around male victims, the damaging effects of toxic masculinity, and why both sons and daughters must be taught about grooming, consent, and manipulation from a young age. We explore how marriages built on fear, pressure, or religious expectation create generational harm that can last decades if left unaddressed.Today’s episode also highlights Ms. Woods’ book Burned, Blocked, and Better Than Ever, which began as a series of late-night journal entries during her divorce. She explains how meeting other people who were silently struggling inspired her to share her story publicly.https://journeylifecoaching.life/ Website: https://coupleonukes.com Exodus, Honor Your Heart, & Nulu Knives: https://www.coupleonukes.com/affiliates/ Want to be a guest on Couple O' Nukes? Send me a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1726279485588093e83e0e007 Sign Up For A PodMatch Account: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/coupleonukes *Couple O' Nukes LLC and Mr. Whiskey are not licensed medical entities, nor do they take responsibility for any advice or information put forth by guests. Take all advice at your own risk.

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• 3 Year Anniversary Reflections: The Evolution And Growth of Mr. Whiskey & Couple O' Nukes

  Send us a textToday, I sit down with Diana Devi as she interviews me in celebration of the three-year anniversary of the Couple O’ Nukes Podcast. Ms. Devi guides me through a conversation about my personal growth, my transition from the military, and the evolution of the show from its early origins to the self-improvement platform it is today. Together, we explore the intense, unexpected, and often chaotic journey I’ve taken over the past few years as I learned how to build a podcast, build a business, and rebuild myself along the way.I share how leaving the U.S. Navy’s nuclear community shaped everything about the way I work, think, and stay committed to long-term progress. Ms. Devi and I discuss the demanding pipeline of becoming a nuclear operator, the mental health battles within the military, and how those experiences became the foundation for the discipline, endurance, and mission that fuel Couple O’ Nukes today. We also talk through the major milestones—from traveling out of the country for the first time, to learning comedy, to navigating adulthood outside the structure of military life—highlighting how each step pushed me into deeper purpose and broader service.Finally, I walk through why I shifted the podcast from a military-focused concept into a global, life-improvement resource for anyone feeling lost, isolated, or unheard. Ms. Devi and I explore the heart behind this show: reaching niche audiences, elevating hidden stories, confronting trauma, and helping others rebuild their dreams in the aftermath of chaos.  Website: https://coupleonukes.com Exodus, Honor Your Heart, & Nulu Knives: https://www.coupleonukes.com/affiliates/ Want to be a guest on Couple O' Nukes? Send me a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1726279485588093e83e0e007 Sign Up For A PodMatch Account: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/coupleonukes *Couple O' Nukes LLC and Mr. Whiskey are not licensed medical entities, nor do they take responsibility for any advice or information put forth by guests. Take all advice at your own risk.

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