Women veterans face a war that never makes the headlines, one fought inside the ranks against sexual assault, toxic leadership, and a system that demands silence.
Lorna Sturchio served six years in the U.S. Navy, survived two deployments, and came home to battle invisible wounds that no amount of medication could reach.
In this episode, host Talia Eisenberg and Lorna discuss the largely hidden experience of women serving in the military.
They cover how the VA system often fails veterans with complex trauma, what the path into plant medicine can look like, and what ibogaine treatment at Beond made possible.
Lorna also speaks to her work supporting other women veterans and the creation of a dedicated healing program built specifically for them.
Timestamps:
(2:00) Double standards, toxic culture, and the cost of speaking up
(6:00) Sexual assault in the military, silence, fear, and the 1-in-4 reality
(9:00) TBI, medevac, opioid dependency, and a system that cut her off
(17:00) VA treatment failures and a 2018 suicide attempt that changed everything
(20:00) First steps into plant medicine: ayahuasca, psilocybin, and learning set and setting
(23:00) Ibogaine at Beond: processing trauma, healing TBI, reclaiming sovereignty
(29:00) Building Beond’s first women veteran cohort
Lorna Sturchio is a U.S. Navy veteran who served six years, including two deployments with the Naval Coastal Warfare unit.
After her own ibogaine healing journey at Beond, she became a coach and facilitator and helped design Beond’s women veteran service program — the first all-female cohort of its kind — where she now supports other women veterans in reclaiming their voice, their nervous systems, and their lives.
