It's Okay to Not Be Okay: A Combat Veteran's Journey Through Healing, Marriage, and Mental Health
In this heartfelt episode of Chitty Chats with Stacy, licensed clinical social worker and Behavioral Health Officer Stacy Nation sits down with her husband Billy — a combat veteran with over 24 years of military service — for a candid and emotional conversation about men’s mental health, the military stigma around therapy, and the journey toward healing.
Together, Stacy and Billy pull back the curtain on what it’s really like to navigate trauma, marriage, and masculinity after years of deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and the UAE.
Billy opens up about his early years in the military, when seeking help meant risking your career, and shares how Brainspotting and therapy transformed his life decades later.
Billy opens up about his early years in the military, when seeking help meant risking your career, and shares how Brainspotting and therapy transformed his life decades later.
This episode is packed with insights for:
- 🪖 Veterans and active service members wrestling with the invisible weight of trauma.
- 💑 Spouses and partners who want to understand how to better support their loved ones through healing.
- 🧠 Anyone curious about brain-based therapies like Brainspotting — and why they reach parts of our story that talk therapy sometimes can’t.
Key moments include:
- The truth about mental health stigma in the military — then and now
- Why Brainspotting can unlock healing when words aren’t enough
- What “being strong” really means for men today
- How spouses can listen without judgment and help create safety
- The powerful reminder that “it’s okay to not be okay”
Stacy and Billy’s honest, grounded conversation offers hope, perspective, and practical takeaways for anyone navigating life after trauma or trying to love someone who is.
Creators and Guests
Host
Stacy G. Nation, LCSW
Stacy Nation, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker, educator, and military behavioral health leader who has spent two decades helping adults and children regulate, reconnect, and heal. As an early Phase 2 certified clinician in the Neurosequential Model, Stacy blends neuroscience, trauma-informed practice, and real-world classroom experience to help educators steady themselves before they steady their students.
