Sara Wilkinson lost her husband in 2018. Seven years later, she’s choosing to live big while still carrying what she’s lost.

In today’s episode of Conversations with The Capones, Amber and Marcus sit down with Sara Wilkinson, Gold Star spouse and founder of the Step Up Foundation, for a deeply honest conversation about military life, grief, and the ongoing process of healing after loss. Raised in a military family and married to Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson, Sara understands the unique pressures placed on service members and their families, from constant relocation to the realities of repeated deployments. After Chad’s suicide in 2018, she has become a thoughtful and respected voice in the veteran mental health space, sharing her experience with care while advocating for greater awareness and support.

Sara reflects on the community built through CrossFit in Virginia Beach, the role that connection plays during and after service, and how grief evolves over time. She also shares the story behind Chad 1000X–a global fitness event inspired by Chad’s training–and how it has grown into a way for people around the world to honor loved ones and support veteran-focused organizations.

The conversation also explores mental health and healing, including Sara’s personal experiences with therapy, journaling, and alternative approaches such as psilocybin and ibogaine. She highlights the quiet discipline of choosing to Live Big without pretending the hard parts don’t exist.

This episode is for veterans, military families, and anyone navigating loss, identity, and rebuilding after life-changing events.

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Learn more: https://thecapones.com/

VETS: https://vetsolutions.org/

Step Up Foundation: https://stepupfoundation.org/

Chad 1000X: https://chad1000x.com/

Disclaimers: VETS employees, staff, volunteers, and Ambassadors are not practitioners; all psychedelic-assisted therapy treatment takes place at vetted, third-party facilities that are monitored by medical professionals. VETS does not advocate for decriminalization or legalization of psychedelic modalities, but rather the monitored, clinical use of psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Amber and Marcus Capone share what it was like to stand in the Oval Office on April 18, 2026, as President Trump signed a historic executive order on psychedelic-assisted therapy.

They answer the questions everyone has been asking since the news broke. How did you end up there? What was it actually like? And what does this executive order really do?

In this conversation, Amber and Marcus walk through the executive order itself, the inside story of how they got on the guest list, the moment Caroline Leavitt pulled Marcus from the crowd when his name was missing from the lineup, what President Trump and Secretary Kennedy were like in person, the Joe Rogan text that set the timeline in motion, and a tribute to Dr. Nolan Williams and the Stanford ibogaine study that changed everything.

The executive order directs the FDA to fast-track psychedelic therapies that have received Breakthrough Therapy designation, establishes a Right to Try pathway for eligible patients, commits $50 million in matching federal funds for state-level psychedelic research, expands VA clinical trial collaboration, and instructs the Attorney General to fast-track rescheduling after Phase 3 approval.

This is not legalization. It is regulated, clinician-guided access, moved through the system years faster than business as usual.

For veterans, military families, couples, first responders, and anyone navigating healing, growth, and reinvention.

Disclaimers: VETS employees, staff, volunteers, and Ambassadors are not practitioners; all psychedelic-assisted therapy treatment takes place at vetted, third-party facilities that are monitored by medical professionals. VETS does not advocate for decriminalization or legalization of psychedelic modalities, but rather the monitored, clinical use of psychedelic-assisted therapy.

When someone says “mental health,” most people freeze. Marcus and Amber Capone are changing the conversation. Subscribe for new episodes every week.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

✓ Why “mental wellness” opens doors that “mental health” closes

✓ What helped Marcus release the weight he’d been carrying for years

✓ What the default mode network has to do with repressed trauma

✓ Why healing as a couple requires both partners doing their own work

✓ The difference between mental toughness and mental wellness

Marcus Capone, Navy SEAL veteran, CEO and Founder of Tara Mind, and co-founder of VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions), spent decades carrying the invisible wounds of war, until he found a path forward.

After years of antidepressants, talk therapy, and brain clinics, in 2017, he underwent ibogaine treatment - an experience that fundamentally shifted how he understood his past. In this episode, Marcus describes how the psychedelic experience allowed him to see his childhood through a new lens, releasing self-blame he had carried since he was a boy.

Amber Capone, co-host and co-founder of VETS, shares how faith, prayer, and daily practices supported her own growth alongside Marcus’ healing. The Capones explain why couples who heal separately but show up together create the strongest outcomes, and how the wrong environment can impact that progress. The Capones explain why couples who heal separately but show up together create the strongest outcomes, and how the wrong environment can impact that progress.

The Capones reveal why individual healing - and mutual accountability - both matter in a relationship. They discuss the default mode network, how the ego builds narratives that keep trauma locked in place, and why vulnerability is the greatest show of strength.

This conversation covers psychedelic therapy, ibogaine treatment, childhood trauma, and its connection to military service, mental wellness habits including meditation, breath work, journaling, and gratitude, and the critical role of spouse support in veteran healing. Marcus and Amber also preview upcoming episodes on bullying, gratitude practices, and deeper dives into integration tools.

Subscribe to Conversations with the Capones for honest conversations about healing, resilience, and building a life worth living.

ABOUT THE CAPONES

Marcus Capone is a decorated Navy SEAL veteran, CEO and Founder of Tara Mind, and co-founder of VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions). Amber Capone is a veteran spouse advocate, co-founder of VETS, and leader in the movement to expand access to psychedelic-assisted therapy for veterans and their families. Together, they have helped thousands of veterans access life-changing treatments.

FIND THE CAPONES HERE:

Website: thecapones.com

VETS: vetsolutions.org

Tara Mind: taramind.com

Instagram: @marcus_amber_capone

#ConversationsWithTheCapones #MentalWellness #VeteranHealing #PsychedelicTherapy #Ibogaine