Oct 17, 2025
On this episode of the VinnyRoc Podcast, I sit down with actor, writer, and advocate Lisa Regina—founder of A Write To Heal and creator of the veteran-driven TV project Heroic Episodes (EP: Joe Mantegna). Lisa opens up about surviving domestic violence, healing through writing, and how working with veterans reshaped her mission to employ vets on set, mentor at-risk youth, and tell authentic stories about trauma, resilience, and community.
We get into:
- Lisa’s assault in 2005 and the road back through therapy, faith, and the page
- How a blind Army captain and amputee crushed an acting workshop and sparked A Write To Heal
- Why Heroic Episodes will hire veterans, bring teens in as apprentices, and spotlight VFWs/Legions and veteran-owned brands
- Funding realities, distribution hurdles, and a simple ask: “five bucks” from the community to move the series forward
- Practical pathways for veterans: Part 107 drone training, set work, writing rooms, and authentic consulting
If you’ve lived through trauma, support veterans and first responders, or care about rebuilding community with real mentorship, this conversation is for you.
Support & Learn More
A Write To Heal (nonprofit): https://awritetoheal.com/
Heroic Episodes (series + donate): heroicepisodes.org/donate
About Lisa Regina
- NYU-trained actor/screenwriter; former faculty at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
- Founder of A Write to Heal (writing as a pathway to recovery)
- Creator of Heroic Episodes, an ensemble drama that employs veterans and mentors at-risk teens
About the Host
VinnyRoc Podcast—real conversations with veterans, creators, first
responders, and leaders building things that matter.
Timestamps
00:00 — Opening: Lisa’s story and speaking publicly
about domestic violence
01:18 — How we likely first met (Range 15 era) and the Hollywood
dominoes
04:59 — Lisa’s path to film: NYU, coaching, and early breaks
07:02 — The veteran connection begins: Capt. Leslie Nicole Smith
enters the class
09:50 — Set life with veterans: camaraderie, competence, and
healing
12:31 — The assault: April 2, 2005—what happened and what
followed
15:47 — Aftermath, shock, the stranger who stayed, and the long
week missing
21:28 — PTSD common ground: civilian survivor meets combat vets
24:42 — A Write to Heal: why writing works when nothing else
does
30:05 — “Heroic Episodes”: premise, Joe Mantegna, and employing
veterans
42:17 — The five-dollar campaign, VFWs/Legions, and sustaining the
mission