Disclaimer: This is transcribed using AI. Expect (funny) errors.
Mindy Peterson: [00:00:00] I’m Mindy Peterson, and this is Enhance Life with Music, where we explore the ways music makes our lives better and spotlight the resources you can use to enhance your life with music. My guest today has deep and extensive personal and familial ties with the military and with music. Taylor Ullom is a US Air Force veteran who has dedicated herself to promoting mental health awareness and alternative therapies like music for enhancing the lives of veterans and military families. Taylor’s passions for music and veteran’s advocacy intersect in her role as National Development Director for Guitars for Vets. Welcome to Enhance Life with Music, Taylor.
Taylor Ullom: [00:00:49] Good morning. Thank you for having me.
Mindy Peterson: [00:00:50] Thrilled to have you here. Well, starting out, Taylor, just tell us about Guitars for Vets. What is it? Who is it for and what resources does it offer?
Taylor Ullom: [00:01:00] Well, this is my favorite subject to talk about, so I’m happy to tell you. Uh, founded in 2007, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Um, there was a Vietnam vet and a guitar instructor that crossed paths. And the vet had said, you know, I’ve always wanted to learn to play guitar, but I have a PTSD diagnosis and I just don’t think that that would allow me the opportunity, you know, allow me to grasp these skills. And so the guitar instructor said, well, let’s just give it a try. Let’s just try it. And, you know, a few weeks into it, like almost immediately he started to notice the veteran that he it was doing more than just teaching him a new skill. It was impacting him in his entire life across the board. And so the more that they work together, the more they start to realize there’s something here that we need to take to the veteran community. And so in working with our local VA hospital, they developed this program. And so what started in 2007 between just one guy and a vet, um, has now spread to 149 chapters nationwide. The way the program works is usually it’s in conjunction with a referral process for our veterans. And what that means is, you know, for example, me, I would go to my VA, I’d be seeking treatment, mental health treatment or, you know, maybe cancer or something like that.
Taylor Ullom: [00:02:27] You know, you’re going through some heavy treatment and this would be a supplemental resource to that. So I would just ask my doctor for a referral. And in that we would get the veteran enrolled into our program. When they come to us, we provide them with the practice equipment that they would need to be fully immersed in this opportunity. So they get an acoustic guitar, they get a guitar case and a capo and a tuner and everything, everything that they could need. And and I don’t know if you don’t play guitar. I’m not speaking your language. You’re like, I don’t know what any of that is, but it’s just all the equipment that we use to play guitar. Yeah. And then, you know, we only have ten weeks with this veteran and we’re not trying to get them to play like somebody that’s played for 30 years. We’re trying to just establish a base here, an opportunity. And so, you know, I’m not going to teach you theory. I’m going to teach you basic chords and basic strumming patterns. And so what we want to do is individualize this session to the needs of the veteran. Some of them come with memory issues because they’re dealing with traumatic brain injuries.
Taylor Ullom: [00:03:29] Some of them are coming with neuropathy because they have gone through cancer or surgeries or something like that. You know, and sometimes it’s just it’s PTSD and it’s the anxiety, you know, that’s just very confronting. You’re sitting there and I’m watching their hands and they’re just trembling. So we individualize this session and we and we tell the veteran, you’re going to guide this. We’re going at your pace. This is playing guitar having fun. So just relax and like you’re not here to impress me. You’re just here to have fun. So in that what’s your five favorite songs? Five favorite bands. Let’s just start there and talk about music, you know? And then by the end of the ten weeks, our goal is to get them to play one of their favorite songs. What we’ve learned is there’s two types of veterans going through this program the I want to learn to play guitar and the musician, and we get to discover which one this veteran is. By the end of that ten weeks, I want to learn to play guitar. Realizes, oh, I got to practice every day. This is this is a discipline, you know? Um, and maybe they’re not thrilled about that.
Mindy Peterson: [00:04:30] I can’t just take a pill and suddenly be able to play.
Taylor Ullom: [00:04:33] My fingers hurt. You know, I always say you can’t fake guitar because all I have to do is look at your fingertips. You’re gonna have calluses or you’re not. Right? So I say, you get out of this what you put into it. But then we can also discover the musician in there that just comes in excited about the lesson and is talking about music. Or maybe they’ve tried to write their own song or whatever, and that’s that’s just a blast. But at the end of that ten weeks, we then graduate our veteran from the program, and doing so we give them a brand new acoustic guitar, uh, a TCL case, Hercules, Stan Kaiser, Capo, snark tuner. These are like brand name items here. Uh, Gibson strings and the accessories and all the works, music, books and everything. And our goal there is to one recognize what they’ve just accomplished to where we’re showing our veterans how much we’ve appreciated their sacrifice. So we’re giving back to them. Um, we’re providing them a skill that they can use when they’re at home by themselves, or when they’re out with their friends or their family. Uh, you know, a tool for connection. And then we offer them a lifetime continuation, you know, support, so you can join and stay with us for the rest of your life if you want to. But we have weekly and monthly jam sessions, and it’s not the same across because it’s location determined by, you know, where you’re having lessons and stuff like that. Some facilities, like only on Mondays can you come in and teach and then others have carte blanche, you know. Okay. For lessons anywhere else. So it’s determinate on where you’re at.
Taylor Ullom: [00:06:10] But, um, you know, we want to keep them engaged, keep growing them as a musician, keep growing their skill. More importantly, just keep them connected. So really, the impact to Guitars for Vets is restoring purpose, passion, joy and community back into the life of our veteran. We’re rehabilitating our leaders back into their homes, back into their communities. We’re restoring self confidence. And even though I know that it’s still I’m like, it’s no big deal. I’m just teaching you how to play guitar. That is what we do, you know? Um, but then you see the tears in their eyes and you see the humbleness and the gratitude and the healing, and you hear it from the families who are like, wow, this completely changed my husband. He’s a whole different person now. Um, I used to I used to go pick up a drink, but now I just go pick up my guitar. Like, now I have a purpose. Now I have something else. Um, I’ve had veterans that say, you know, I hear the airplanes fly around, my PTSD gets activated. Um, and so I used to medicate myself, you know, drugs, alcohol, whatever. But now I grab my guitar and I just play for hours and don’t even think about the planes. Um, and that’s what we want to hear. Uh, we have veterans that ask to come through with their kids, or, like, if we can support that, we’re like, absolutely yes. Come through with your child. We want you to have that support. And then we’ll just see this bonding and healing happen between this parent and this child and so many of our kids.
Mindy Peterson: [00:07:40] Does that mean that their kids are taking lessons along with the parent?
Taylor Ullom: [00:07:43] Yeah. And so and usually they already have a guitar. So it’s not we’re not able to support them in the equipment you know side of the house. Yeah. But um, you know, I mean, this is a community. So we, we’re like, if we need to find somebody a guitar, we will do that, you know? Yeah. But that’s different from Guitars for Vets. That is solely for the veteran. But we definitely want to support the family because I’m a veteran with PTSD and my family all knows like you can’t heal just a veteran and not their family, you know? So just as we can pass along trauma, we can pass along healing. And it starts with a parent and a child bond. So many of us have been ripped away from our families, deployed for months on end. The ops tempo is so quick paced that it’s it’s, um, dad’s gone for a year. He comes back for a few months, he’s gone for six months. He comes back for a few days, he’s gone for three weeks, you know. So you don’t have that that bond with, like, other families where dad was there to teach baseball and take you to school and show up at your concerts. Like, our kids are missing out a lot.
Taylor Ullom: [00:08:47] It’s it’s a family sacrifice. It’s not just the veteran. It’s not just the active duty member that’s sacrificing. Sure. So we have a lot of healing that needs to take place there. We sometimes have spouses that come through as well. There’s friendly competition going on there, you know? Uh, um, but man there, like there’s no there’s not a reward in it for me. But I get so much joy to see that happening. Um, and families, I never want a family to go through what mine has gone through. I don’t want them to go through the suffering any more than they have to. You know, I want them at least to have resources, skills and community to say we’re in a hard place right now and we could just really use the support. And we have those conversations. Sometimes we come together, we’re jamming and whatever. But it’s also like, hi, how are you doing, Mindy? How’s life going? Sure. And if you’re comfortable and you feel safe in this environment, you’re going to say, hey, I’m not doing great at all. I don’t, okay, how can we help you? And maybe we can’t, but maybe we could sit here with you and just having that connection. Yeah. You know, you’re not alone.
Mindy Peterson: [00:09:56] Yeah, I know you said that Guitars for Vets sees guitar as a tool. And as you’ve talked about, it’s not just musical skills and technical skills that veterans are learning when they’re taking these lessons you’ve talked about, they’re also learning coping skills, you know, and they hear, uh, something that triggers their PTSD. They can grab the guitar instead of grabbing a drink or some other self-medicating, um, modality. You’ve talked about community, developing community, whether it’s within their immediate family, with their kids, their partners or more extended community. And they can break some patterns for coming generations rather than passing on trauma. Are there other skills that, um, that you see veterans learning? I know you’ve you’ve said a veteran will come in and say that they’re learning the guitar and you’re saying, yes, you are, but you’re also learning all these other things too. Do you want to elaborate on any of the other skills that. Right.
Taylor Ullom: [00:10:56] Well, that’s that’s true learning.
Mindy Peterson: [00:10:59] Yeah.
Taylor Ullom: [00:10:59] That’s there’s two different paths there that kind of diverge because in that, like I said, we’ll discover musicians, you know, and so we want to open them up to songwriting. But we also had veterans who like didn’t take to the guitar playing side of it, but they’re they’re mechanical and techie. And so they they learn to become a luthier. They’ve learned how to now fix guitars, and they get just as much passion in that. And then we have people who want to, like, build guitars and have that creative outlet. So there are other skills that you can take in that path of the actual guitar. Having said that, the other skills that they’re learning are passed along just through this group setting. For example, the more I educate myself about how to heal myself and learn to live with my PTSD, I get to pass that along to people. Uh, education and awareness is everything. And so when I see a veteran come in and their hands are trembling like they’re like, why? Why am I so scared right now? This makes no sense. And I get to share with them, oh, here’s what I learned. Good stress is still stress and your body psychology degree. So your body doesn’t know the difference. Yeah, sure. Yeah. You know, but but to be in the shoes of it and really be able to say, look, I, me too.
Taylor Ullom: [00:12:15] I get it. Like I, I want to travel, but I will have a panic attack three days before I will not sleep for three days up to it. I’m not eating because I’m activated, because I have stress going on in my. And it’s good stress. I chose the stress, but I now am aware of what’s happening in my body. Uh, this is what my symptoms are. I’m under stress. I don’t feel safe. So how can I then go to my arsenal of resources here and allow myself to feel safe? What self-care do I need to implement now? And it’s having conversations like that where veterans are like, oh, this isn’t my fault. This isn’t something I can just control or just fix or just get over. Yeah. Um, those are important. Another thing I tell my veterans is when you’re you’re holding this guitar, there’s a lot of things happening right now. Number one, many of our veterans were used to carrying a weapon. And so holding a guitar is very similar to holding that weapon. It’s also creating a barrier between me and the other person. And so that creates a sense of safety. You know, there’s something between us. And then that’s just the the physical part of it. Then as you start to, to strum, you know, what we’re doing now is our focus and our attention.
Taylor Ullom: [00:13:28] We’re working on concentration. I’m watching you. I’m learning. I’m listening. I have music coming in auditorily that’s impacting my brain and my neurons and how my brain is processing information. It’s activating parts that maybe it haven’t been so activated, you know, due to medication, due to trauma. Do whatever. Um, then as you’re learning the skills and finger dexterity and where to put your fingers and stuff, that can be a very frustrating place for veterans. And sometimes that’s the breaking point for them where they want to give up. And I’m like, please don’t give up. What you don’t realize is like, your brain has to get programmed. Your brain is growing right now when you do this. And so even though you don’t feel successful, you are doing so much for your brain. It’s like working out at the gym and lifting heavy weights. You’re not going to have a big muscle right away. You’re going to have to tear a lot of things down to build it all back up. I’m like, so every minute that you spend practicing, even though you don’t on the outside, see it manifesting the way you want to. Um, just be aware of, like, what you’re doing for your inside your brain is is huge. And so neurologically speaking, that’s going on. But then we have the vibrational aspect of the instrument. You’re holding that against your heart, your chest, your stomach, your vagus nerve.
Taylor Ullom: [00:14:45] Your whole nervous system is in tune with this instrument and it’s vibrating. And so now we’re releasing happy chemicals in your brain. Dopamine is a huge one. You know, you get a big dopamine hit now you feel happy. You’re feeling a little bit more excited about life. Um, you want to keep playing. That’s why we lose hours at a time when we pick up that guitar. I can eight hours straight. I can play this thing and not stop. And it’s that dopamine hit, you know? Um, but those feel good chemicals are important. So the many things that are happening in your body, when you commit to just ten weeks of this instrument, it is going to change your life. You’re going to feel something different. Now, I’m not saying it’s a cure all, and I’m not saying it’s for everybody. So if you come to me, we’re four weeks in and you’re just like, this is not resonating with me. You know what? You tried, and I just want you to try because you don’t know until you try. And then perhaps, you know, I align with other nonprofits, so then I can give you other options. I don’t just dump you out on the curb and go, well, too bad for you. You know, I’m like, all right, well.
Mindy Peterson: [00:15:52] Those other partnerships, because I know you’ve said that the guitar is not a one size fits all tool. And while it’s the primary tool that Guitars for Vets utilizes, the organization has tons of partnerships that offer a lot of other resources to veterans, whether they continue with guitar or not. So tell us about some of the organizations that you partner with and the resources that are available.
Taylor Ullom: [00:16:14] Well, for example, one was your prior guest. So with Creative Vets, Richard, his organization, you know, he provides like an art outlet. So there’s there’s so many outside of music and songwriting. There’s the the painting and the crafting and using your hands in other ways that resonates with people, and that is such a tremendous program. So if you haven’t heard of Creative Edge, please go check those guys out there. Yeah. And I’ll put.
Mindy Peterson: [00:16:40] In the show notes to my interview with Richard. That was one of those interviews that really impacted me. And I will never forget, he has such a powerful story and such a powerful mission with Creativets. So yeah, continue.
Taylor Ullom: [00:16:53] Though he’s he’s very special. I’ve enjoyed every time I’ve crossed paths with him. He’s always been like, hey, how you doing? Just like, just always there to greet you and present with you, you know, and just gives you his attention. And that’s so meaningful. And he’s.
Mindy Peterson: [00:17:08] Been there. I mean, he’s been at the bottom where he he just didn’t feel life was worth living. And just his story of how he came back and just his mission for helping others in that same situation is really impactful.
Taylor Ullom: [00:17:23] Yeah, I’m sure that man’s got a book deal in his future, but hopefully.
Mindy Peterson: [00:17:28] Yeah, I mean, I’d love to read it. Yeah.
Taylor Ullom: [00:17:31] Let’s see who else. Um. Oh, uh, we also work with Challenge America, which I believe was started by Vince Gill and Amy Grant. And through that we actually do our cyber program. So we have a if you are not able to get in touch with a physical location, you can apply for our virtual lessons. And we do that with Challenge America. And there are also offering up other avenues of art. If music is not your thing, they offer up other resources that you can explore to see what maybe you’re into. Glassblowing. I don’t know, leather making, you know, there’s so many. I can’t get past guitar, so I don’t know what else is out there, but I hear people do good things. I personally, you know, have never done something for myself as a veteran. I kind of thought I was getting around it by working Guitars for Vets. I’m like, I don’t really need this. Um, and then I got challenged by one of the veterans to do a program. So last, last, last December, I went to a program called Challenge Aspen. And it’s an adaptive sports program. And, um, I learned how to snow ski, and that was much harder than I expected, you know? But there was a little healing moment on the side of the mountain where, like, I had to cry a little bit and come to terms with some things. And once I confronted that, everything just aligned and suddenly I was working that bunny slope. Uh, you know, you know, um, but I did not realize, like, I was like, wow, I do need this, you know, um, this is life changing to me.
Taylor Ullom: [00:19:07] Other veterans to hear their stories to for a minute. We all come together and we click in that military mindset. We all come together. And it was like, we have this to conquer. And the one thing I remember was I was the weak link here on this trip. Everybody else kind of already knew how to ski. And so they were they were going to the bigger parts of the mountain. As I was wiping out five year olds down on the bunny. So and I would be trying to do my thing and I would hear Tyler like just screaming from like across. And it would be all of, all of these new friends that I had just cheering me on. And, and I remember, like on the last day, one of the guys had gotten injured, but I was I was successfully completing the muddy slope finally. And he was like, right there at the end of that slope to like, greet me and like, take my pictures and tell me how proud he was. And like, that was so profound. That was so huge. And like, like we didn’t want to leave after that. We all had bonded so much that we just instantly felt like family, you know? And so now I have a whole nother group of friends and people that I can reach out to if ever I need something, somebody to talk to or anything.
Mindy Peterson: [00:20:15] Yeah, well, obviously if someone’s listening to this and they’re a veteran, they’re part of a military family and they’re interested, they’re intrigued, but maybe kind of thinking, ah, I don’t know if guitar’s for me, try it out. And obviously, as you can see, Guitars for Vets really functions as kind of like a hub. I mean, you can connect people with so many other community members and other resources. I know you have a partnership with Belmont University’s veterans program, so there’s so much more that guitars for veterans vets has to offer beyond just the the guitar aspect. Um, that’s just kind of a primary tool when you’re talking about your experience on the Bunny hill. It just made me think again that you have this very powerful, personal story that ultimately led you to a personal mantra in your pain, you can find your purpose. And it sounds like some of those moments on the Hill just were right in line and congruent with that, that mantra. Tell us a little bit about your journey and how your experiences now inform and motivate your work with Guitars for Vets.
Taylor Ullom: [00:21:23] Yeah, absolutely. I grew up military, as you said, you know, so my formative years, it was kind of different than most peoples. I every three years had a new life, new school, new friends, new everything. And so I had to learn how to adapt. And then when I, when I graduated high school and it was like, what do you want to be when you grow up? I was like, I don’t know, I just want to keep traveling at this point, you know? So I guess I’ll just join the military. And, um, and so I did I went into the Air Force and, um, I’m a non combat veteran. So I, you know, when we sit around to tell our war stories and everybody’s like, oh, I went to Kuwait, I went to Iraq, I did that. They’re like, where’d you go? And I’m like, well, I went to Italy. So, you know. Whoops. So that doesn’t sound cool, but, um, but unfortunately, I did experience trauma. And for me, that was military sexual assault trauma. And, um, that made life really hard. Um, and so I pushed it all down and just tried to ignore it and went on with life and got married and had babies and and nothing was easy. It was very hard to cope with. But I could always blame it on. Well, marriage is hard. Raising children is hard. Life is hard. Um, but it wasn’t until all of that was taken away, um, that I realized I’m obsessively locking doors and I’m, like, withdrawn and very protective.
Taylor Ullom: [00:22:46] And and it took my daughter even commenting like, I noticed that when we’re out in public, you do this and you do that. Um, but there was an incident that triggered a PTSD crisis in 2021, and it was at the pit that I had to come to terms with things. And I wanted out. And I’ll say that as just nicely as I can. I want it out. Um, the one thing that kept me holding on was my children. And they had been through so much at that point that I kept thinking, okay, I have to fight this. I have to fight this like I need help. And I called the VA and I finally got through and got the help that I needed. But I remember at one point the only thing I could literally do was just breathe. I had lost £30, I wasn’t eating, I wasn’t sleeping, I could do nothing but breathe. And so in that moment, I thought two things. Number one, my children have seen me at my worst. And they deserve to see me at my best. Like I’m not going to go out like this. Then two I thought, well, I’m no good for anything right now. I try to quit my job with Guitars for Vets. I tried to hide. I tried to do everything I could to just lock myself into that pit. And, um. And then I really thought, you know, the only thing I can do at this point is educate people on what PTSD looks like, because nobody would ever look at me and guess that I had PTSD.
Taylor Ullom: [00:24:13] Sure. And so I went on Facebook, and in the worst moment of my life, I did a Facebook Live and I said, I want you guys to see and know that I have PTSD. This is what it looks like. This is what it feels like. And it is now my commitment that I will heal out loud and in public so that you can come with me on this journey. Like you can get educated from the standpoint of being the veteran with it and the standpoint of being the family, how do I support somebody with it? How do I make my son do this? How do I make my heat? And I go, you can’t make anybody do anything, but you can sit with them. Can you sit with somebody in an uncomfortable situation when they want to? They say, I want out. I don’t want to be here anymore. Can you sit with that? You know. Um, instead of trying to fix it or it’s not that bad, you’ll be okay. Life will get better. Like, don’t just listen. You don’t even. You just need to be there. You know? You can’t fix it. Um, and so there are days that I wake up and I think, wow, I really wish the world didn’t know my business and I could delete all of that off of Facebook. Um, and then it never fails. Somebody will message me and say thank you for saying that.
Taylor Ullom: [00:25:29] Thank you for showing that, because that’s exactly how I feel. And I didn’t didn’t know who I could talk to about it. And I and I have these conversations and they keep me going. I would never do this for attention. I would never do this for any kind of self gratification. But at the end of the day, I want my children to go, okay, things can get hard, but they can get better. I can fall down and have a community that picks me back up. Um, you know, I want my children to be resilient. Life is. This is not the life I raised my kids for. Just FYI, every day I apologize. Like this was not I did not see this coming. This is a whole different world than I had anticipated for you. But you know, that’s where I made sure that my kids had skills like playing guitar and a love of music and a place that they could turn where, you know, it gives you in those moments, like a meditative place to go, because it does change your brain waves and your brain chemistry. And for me, it’s almost like meditating in prayer that I can just disconnect from the prefrontal cortex and all the things going on in there, and I can just kind of slip out and go, yeah, people are like, how do you do that? I don’t know, I actually blank out when I play guitar, so I don’t really know what I’m doing.
Mindy Peterson: [00:26:47] Well, what a powerful example and model that you’ve left for your kids and for so many others in the broader community about, like you said, resilience. And there is hope, there is encouragement. There is a community here that’s ready to embrace you and walk alongside you and support you and cheer you on. A community that understands to some extent what you’re experiencing and what you’ve gone through, and we’re here for you. We have resources to offer you. So that’s so powerful. And like you said, just breaking the chain of trauma rather than passing it on. And I know your work is totally in line with a quote that I read years ago, and I’ve just never forgotten it. It’s a quote by Father Richard Rohr where he said, if you do not transform your pain, you will surely transmit it, and your work just is just a living, breathing testament to the truth of that and that the converse is also true. You can reverse those trends for those who come after you. So just really appreciate and, um, commend you for all you’re doing, not only for your own kids, but for so many others. You’re featured in an upcoming Hulu docu series called It’s All Country. It’s releasing later this year. I’ll put a link in the show notes so people can kind of stay keep tabs on that, but I’m excited to see that. Um, intertwines your personal journey and your your journey with music and life. Um, tell us a little bit more about how listeners can tap into the resources of Guitars for Vets. You mentioned that a referral from the VA is the first step. Is that right?
Taylor Ullom: [00:28:30] Right. Well, and that varies from location to location. So the best thing that a person can do is go to our website Guitars for Vets. Org. And on there you can find our chapter locations. And if you can’t find the information you’re looking for, you can also email info at guitars for for vets org. And we can get that information that you’re looking for there. But um, you know, we have a new website design coming and so it’s going to be chock full of information and it will be really easy to find. So yeah, either that or just contact your local VA and hopefully they can direct you there as well to our program. Uh, if not people can email me at Taylor at Guitars for Vets org and I will help guide them to.
Mindy Peterson: [00:29:14] Wonderful. And if listeners are listening to this and thinking, wow, what this woman is saying is really resonating with me. This sounds like a really powerful organization. Um, that that’s really helping those who serve our country. I’d like to get involved, but maybe I’m not, uh, a veteran or don’t fit the bill of being a military family member. Maybe I don’t have any close loved ones who do. How can they get involved and support the work that Guitars for Vets is doing?
Taylor Ullom: [00:29:44] Yes, we need volunteers and you do not have to be a veteran or a guitar player to start a chapter. If you want to be a chapter coordinator and you’re just somebody really good at work in the community and the connections and all of that, you’re qualified to be an instructor. You you can. I learned to play from drunk Marines like that’s the bar, okay. As long as long as you can teach basic chords and basic strumming patterns. And we have an acronym page. As long as you have patience, acceptance, gratitude, and empathy for our veterans. Like that’s what we’re looking for because we’re non-discriminatory. We have we take all of our vets that come through. And so we want people with with those qualifications that can sit with our veterans and work with them. But yeah, you don’t have to be a vet or, um, let’s see what else we do. We take donations. If you’re somebody that has equipment that you’d like to donate and not just guitars, we take all kinds of equipment. Um, you know, that’s a way that you can support the program, go like and share our social media pages. That’s a way you can support the program if you have tech skills especially. That’s a beautiful way to support the program. So many of our chapters struggle with like the social media aspect of doing like updates on social media, posting pictures and things like that. So those are always skills that are helpful to and just any, any kind of talent that you’re able to bring to the table that you feel would contribute to making this a better program for our veterans. I don’t ever close anything out. I’m like, bring it. I’m open to creative ideas. What can we do?
Mindy Peterson: [00:31:17] Love it. So tons of ways to help support the work you’re doing. And as simple as just helping spread the word. Uh, liking your posts on social media, sharing them, sharing this episode. Just I know you’ve mentioned before, we can’t help our veterans if they don’t know we’re out there, so anything that listeners can do to help spread the word is, is really helping those who serve us serve our country. You’re a nonprofit, so I’m sure monetary donations are an option as well. All information can, I’m sure, be found on your website, which we’ll have links in the show notes to that. I know in your email you said something to me about you’re excited to share your personal experience and knowledge in the hopes that you can help one person find a way to face their silent war. I’m here to heal families so that they don’t have to endure the hell that mine has. So really just love the the mission and the heart that you have. You’ve redefined post-traumatic stress disorder to path of self-discovery, getting that PTSD in there, and, uh, just really vowing to continually strive to become the best version of yourself for the benefit of those around you. So just really admire that. Kudos to you for all that you’re doing to make the world a better place. And it’s, I’m sure, uh, one foot ahead of the other at a time type of, uh, endeavor. Beyond your advocacy work, you’re an accomplished guitar player and emerging songwriter. You’ve released three songs, you’re currently working on a debut album, you perform with your daughter, and your daughter talks about what it’s like for the family to have a parent go through PTSD, so we’ll have links also in the show notes to where listeners can access your music as well. Well, as you know, Taylor, I ask all my guests to close out our conversation with a musical ending a coda by sharing a song or story about a moment that music enhanced your life. Do you have a song or a story you can share with us today in closing?
Taylor Ullom: [00:33:20] I do so my birth father was a Vietnam veteran who died from PTSD when I was three, so I grew up not knowing him. People didn’t talk about suicide. They didn’t talk about these things. So I really didn’t have any memory of him. But it wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I saw a picture of him for the first time, and he was look just like me. I looked just like him, but he was holding a guitar. And that’s when I understood. Like I lost my person. That was the person that was supposed to teach me guitar. And I’ll never know what his favorite song or what kind of music he liked. You know, um, the one thing I remember growing up was my name was Taylor, everybody else was Frye. And, um, I thought for some reason, with my obsession with the guitar, I thought James Taylor was my dad, so I really. I don’t know, man. I just made stuff up, But I really liked his music. And so I grew up loving the song Fire and Rain. And so as I came to terms with, I got my love of guitar from my birth father. This this program encompasses, like all of that journey, the whole journey of, you know, now I’m serving Vietnam vets and and to me, that’s like serving him. Um, so in honor of him, I start all of my gigs with Fire and Rain in tribute to him, to acknowledge this man that I never knew, but not only gave me this life, but this passion for guitar and somehow that, like, spiritually, resonates. That I have that divine connection with him, you know? Um, and that’s just very special to me.
Mindy Peterson: [00:34:52] Love that story. I’m going to squeeze in one more coda, a bonus coda, and have you tell us about your song On the Road.
Taylor Ullom: [00:35:01] Oh, so that’s a funny story. Uh, so as I use guitar from for my work now, I don’t get the same therapeutic level out of that. So in my journeys, I’ve met a lot of veterans, musicians who have written their own music. And I was like, how do you just, like, write a song? And they’re just explaining it to me, you know? And I was like, wow, I’ve always wanted to write a song, but, you know, I’ve never been able to do it. Dog, car, you know, basic, you know, I couldn’t get anything together. So, um, last year I made a commitment at the January 1st. I never do resolutions, but I was like, all right, I commit this year that by the end of this year, I will have written a song. And I don’t care how stupid the song is, I’m going to write it. So I started every night writing lyrics and it was terrible. It was horrible. I was like, so frustrated. I’m like, how do people do this? But in October, which is the month of my birthday, I remember walking into my daughter’s office and just saying, hey, you know, I really want to go out to Colorado for my birthday. I just, just feel like I’m being drawn out there, and I really just feel like I want to go out there, and that’s where I’m going to write my my song. So we made a trip out there. Uh, Colorado in October, though. Oh, gorgeous. But so I was very inspired. I’m out at garden of the gods, and I’m watching, like, the solar eclipse and stuff, you know? So I go home, I pull out my guitar case, I open it, no guitar, and I was like, no, no, this can’t be happening.
Taylor Ullom: [00:36:31] So we run to the nearest guitar center and my daughter actually ends up buying me a guitar for my birthday. Actually, this one right here behind me. And so I take that guitar out on this deck, looking at this huge, beautiful mountain, and I end up writing on the road. And what that song is about is me growing up, traveling so much that I don’t have one place that feels like home, that it’s only when I’m traveling, actually, that I feel like I’m at home. So I came home from that trip and I was like, I’ve got a song. And. But I was like, I’m never going to share this song, but I did it like I wrote my own song. And then right after January, Hulu Disney contacted me and they’re like, we heard you on a podcast. We like your story. We want to tell your story. Also, do you have any any music? And I was like, well, I’m so matter of fact I do all right. But so now was all this pressure like last minute to like teach other people my song and record my song and do all these things with the song that, like I just wrote, I had no idea what I was doing. So I don’t know, I still love the song, but, you know, uh, now it’s out there for the world and it’s called On the Road..
Mindy Peterson: [00:37:45] And here’s a little clip of it.
Transcribed by Sonix.ai