Amber and Marcus sit down for a married-couple conversation about integration — the work that happens after a psychedelic experience and why it matters more than the medicine itself. Subscribe for new episodes every week.

In this episode of Conversations with the Capones, Amber walks through what integration actually is — the period following a psychedelic experience where the brain becomes malleable enough to create new tracks over deep-rooted patterns. Marcus shares his own integration: how he stopped drinking after his first ibogaine experience, returned to golf and surfing, and worked with a coach weekly for years. Both contribute the everyday tools that make integration work — meditation, breathwork, prayer, community, and the "at least" practice that Amber developed for catching negative spirals before they take hold.

This conversation covers why most people misunderstand psychedelic-assisted therapy (the experience is only 10% of the healing), how the brain creates new neural pathways during the integration window, why discipline has to last a lifetime, and how a married couple supports each other through the work. Marcus shares a real-time example from earlier the same morning — he woke up depressed at 5 AM, used the practice, and bounced back within hours.

This is a peer-to-peer conversation between two people who have lived this. Amber shares her perspective as the spouse and witness, plus the cognitive techniques she developed before psychedelics were ever part of their life. Marcus shares the practices that have kept him whole for eight years and counting.

In this episode:

• Why dosing is only 10% of the healing
• The difference between an intention and an expectation
• How psychedelics create a window of neuroplasticity for new habits
• The stock market ticker analogy for measuring progress
• Marcus's morning bounce-back — and what made it possible
• The "at least" technique for stopping negative spirals
• Why discipline has to last a lifetime, not just six months

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

Subscribe for new episodes every week.

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.

Subscribe to Conversations with the Capones for new episodes every week.

Website: https://thecapones.com/

VETS: https://vetsolutions.org/

TaraMind: https://taramind.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaponespodcast/

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Amber and Marcus Capone are the co-founders of VETS (Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions).

Marcus is the Co-Founder and Chairman of VETS and a former Navy SEAL who served 13 years, including multiple combat deployments. Amber is the Co-Founder and CEO of VETS, entrepreneur, and a leading voice in mental health advocacy and human transformation.

Conversations with the Capones is a space for honest conversations about relationships, healing, leadership, identity, and growth.

Rooted in lived experience, this podcast is for anyone committed to evolving — no matter their past, present circumstances, or where they are starting from. Through real conversations, hard-earned lessons, and the questions people have been asking for years, Amber and Marcus explore what it truly means to level up in life, love, and purpose.

This is about doing the work, becoming unstuck, and building a life aligned with who you are meant to become.

#ConversationsWithTheCapones #Integration #VeteranHealing #MarriageAndHealing

Marcus and Amber Capone open up about their hardest seasons as parents—and the one thing that finally brought their family back together.

• Why military families face unique parenting challenges during deployment cycles and transition to civilian life
• The moment Marcus realized he wasn't looking at anyone's perspective but his own
• How "rules without relationship equals rebellion" transformed their approach to their teenage son
• What consistency and presence actually look like when rebuilding trust with your kids
• The programs VETS offers to support families navigating similar struggles

Parenting is never easy—but when you're carrying pain, trauma, or just trying to survive, it can feel impossible. In this deeply honest conversation, Marcus and Amber Capone share what parenting looked like during their most difficult years, how healing changed their family dynamic, and what they'd tell any parent who feels like they're failing.

Amber reflects on raising two kids largely alone during Marcus's 250-300 days away each year, and how the children learned to rely solely on her. Marcus opens up about the frustration of feeling invisible in his own home—and the hard realization that he hadn't considered anyone's perspective but his own.

They discuss the crushing years when their son Caden was a teenager and the family was in crisis, the turning point when Marcus sought treatment in Mexico in 2017, and how that decision set an example that rippled through the entire family. As Caden says in their Netflix documentary "In Waves and War": "When my dad started working on himself, the whole family started to change."

The Capones also share how their completely different upbringings—Amber raised by a single mom with extended family, Marcus with two parents and constant activities—created confusion about parenting style. They never had conversations about how to parent because Marcus was gone so much. But they figured it out.

For parents listening who feel like they're barely holding it together: It's not too late. With consistency, presence, and a willingness to put on your own oxygen mask first, you can rebuild trust and connection with your kids—no matter how many walls have gone up.

If this conversation resonated with you, please subscribe and share it with another parent who might need to hear it. Your support helps us reach more families navigating these challenges.

• Learn more about VETS and family support programs: https://vetsolutions.org/
• "In Waves and War" documentary on Netflix: https://www.inwavesandwarfilm.com/
• Connect with Marcus and Amber: https://www.instagram.com/thecaponespodcast/

#ConversationsWithTheCapones #MilitaryFamily #ParentingThroughTrauma #VeteranFamilies #HealingJourney

Mikal Vega — Navy SEAL, Kundalini Yoga instructor, and founder of the nonprofit Vital Warrior — joins Amber and Marcus for another foundational origin-story conversation.

Mikal traces the path from a difficult childhood through 17 years in the Navy and two combat deployments to the Bikram studio moment that opened the door to Kundalini Yoga and his teacher Hari Jivan.

Mikal also lays out his warrior-versus-war-fighter framework, shares the integration of grief after the loss of his son Seth, and closes with a simple breath teaching anyone can use the moment a situation tightens.

Educational only. For information about treatment options, visit https://vetsolutions.org/.