Military Life

This week on the Podcast I talk to Madeline about juggling being an Army spouse alongside being a young Uni student who lives at home with her parents. Madeline and her boyfriend live in the same town and have been together for over 4 years. They have been through separations and a deployment but she says she still feels like she hasn't found her spouse tribe yet and doesn't really fit into a box...

The Military Wife Life Podcast returns for 2020 with Clinical Psychologist Dr Jodie Lowinger who is talking us through coping with traumatic events and natural disasters, like the Australian bush fires. We talk about how significant unfolding events like these can have an impact on our mental health and well being, even if we haven't been directly affected but have just watched on, or our military...

This week on the Podcast I talk to Navy spouse Sal about how living apart from her Husband (MWDU) for, so far, 8 years and two kids has become the norm for their family and actually really suits them. Sal talks about how staying in location was important for her in order to pursue her own career goals, stay close to family support and is all about their families long term goals. It hasn't all been...

This week on the Podcast I talk to Army spouse Steph about making the hard and emotional decision to move away from her seriously sick Mum in New South Wales and join her Fiance on his first posting all the way over in the Northern Territory. Steph talks about finding her spouse tribe in her new location and the support they have shown her despite not knowing each other very long. Steph also talks...

On Part 2 of Episode 31 of the podcast, Air Force spouse and Declutter expert and Life Coach Tara Tuttle and I talk about the just in case items we carry around that hold us down. W hen excess and clutter prevent us from living the way we want to live. Setting aside time to declutter and organise and starting small in order to avoid overwhelm. Taking time to find or create homes for our belongings...

This week on the Podcast (Part 1) I talk to Air Force spouse Tara Tuttle about decluttering and letting go! Tara is a Declutter expert and Life Coach and know's the challenges living the military lifestyle can bring concerning organisation, clutter, holding onto things, feeling overwhelmed and how physical and mental clutter are often connected. We talk about the two types of people when it comes...

This week on the Podcast I talk to Air Force spouse Sonja about how moving to a place she never wanted to go ended up being her favourite posting. Sonja found her Military spouse tribe and embraced spouse life and there was no turning back. Fast forward to today and Sonja has done something that isn't seen as the norm, she has moved for her career leaving her husband and son behind. It wasn't an e...

This week on the Podcast I talk to Army spouse Leah about moving and finding meaningful employment, her and her Husband's long IVF journey, what will happen with their one and only frozen embryo when they post out and the importance of accessing Open Arms to stay on top of your mental health.   Ready to join the MWL community? Click through the link to get connected xx   www.militarywifelife.com.a...

This week on the Podcast I talk to Jenny about the importance of Defence School Mentors (DSM) and their role within our schools across the country.    If you haven't heard about DSM's, they provide a range of services and resources that can assist with the transition between schools and education systems, and are also there to provide support for the unique day to day needs of Defence students.  ...

This week I talk to Air Force spouse Stella about coming to terms with an unexpected deployment, what happened when her Husband came back and the long road to getting to know each other again. Stella also talks about how a mountain biking accident just weeks after her Husbands return turned into nearly a year off work and the impact that had on her and their marriage.    Ready to join the MWL comm...

This week I talk to former Air Force Officer and now Army spouse Laura about her transition from Military Member to Spouse and finding her feet in the civilian world. Laura talks about the road to finding employment, long distance dating after only a few weeks of being official, finally moving to be with her partner and supporting him while coming to terms with the end of her military career. Read...

This week I talk to Navy spouse and University Lecturer Amy Johnson about what she found when she undertook her recent research into the ADF, Military families and our use of social media.   Amy's research led her to come up with the notion of a  'perfect partner'- the expectation that a military spouse is someone who is happily keeping the family fires burning, looking after 2.5 kids, not working...

This week I talk to Navy spouse Sera about coping with her husband being posted to a ship, going MWDU and deploying all while she juggled running a business, teenage kids and supporting her in laws during her Father in laws terminal illness. We talk about how Sera kept her Husband across his Dad's condition during times of no contact and what happened when her Husband had to be pulled off the ship...

This week I talk to Army spouse Arusha about the juggle that is MWDU, kids, working and how taking on a side hustle (when she was already stretched) ended up being the best decision she could make for herself, her health and everyone around her.  If you would like to find out more about the lifestyle and weight lose program Arusha is involved in you can contact via the below link or look up Modere...

This week I talk to US Air Force spouse and Life Coach Becca Brown about her experience as a spouse and how that led her to wanting something more. Fast forward to now and Becca is helping other spouses handle life better, finding purpose, drive and passion in our lives and facing deployments and separation with confidence. We go deep and talk about how stepping into emotional adulthood (don't wor...

This week I talk to Army spouse Lisa about the heart break of infertility and how she and her husband Nathan went from thinking maybe they wouldn't ever have children to having 6! Lisa talks us through the process of becoming a Foster Carer and their long journey to adopt. You can follow Lisa's journey via her Instagram page @thegoodthebadandus  Ready to join the MWL community? Click through the l...

This week I talk to truly inspirational Air Force spouse Kerrie about the day her husband Nathan had a freak service injury that would completely change their lives. Kerrie talks about the moment she was told Nathan would probably never walk again and the months and months of rehab that followed and continues. Kerrie is all that a military spouse HAS to be and so much more and with her support Nat...

This week I talk to Elle about what it's like to be in a long distance relationship from the very start after she and her Army partner met at an interstate wedding late last year. Elle and Andrew stayed in contact and decided to give interstate love a go. 7 months on and they are navigating separation for months on end, applying to go Defacto and Elle has made the decision to move (with her dogs,...

This week I talk to Anika who recaps 5 years of being an Army family. Anika definitely takes everything in her stride, including posting across country at 38 weeks pregnant with their first baby! We also talk about how important securing work in each posting locality is for her relationship and her mental health and how Darwin went from being at the bottom of their posting list to one of their fav...

This week I talk to Bec who has been with her Army partner for 3 years. Both came into the relationship with children from previous partners and just a few months after being together they fell pregnant and went on to have a baby together. Bec talks about their decision to go MWDU at the start of this year, how they came to the decision that MWDU just wasn't working for them and what now needs to...

This week I talk to my Husband Scott who has, just days ago, returned from a 6 month deployment. We talk about deployment from the Military member's perspective. What happens when that ship pulls away from the wharf and sets off on its journey. How it feels for the Military member to be away from their family for long stretches and all those little questions you might have but never get the chance...

This week I talk to Susan who has just hit the one year mark of being a Navy spouse. Susan talks us through the huge changes she and her Husband have gone through during the past 12 months and what she expected Military life to be like versus the reality. From months and months of separation, giving birth to their second child without her Husband by her side, a few tears and a couple of hospital t...

This week's podcast episode is a compilation of some of the words of wisdom offered by the beautiful military spouses I have already had on the podcast. What they do to make life easier. How they juggle all they have to juggle while living this military life. What self care means to them and how they look after themselves so they can continue to look after everyone else. We are all in this togethe...

This week I talk to Taryn, an Air Force spouse, who embarked on what was supposed to be a one year MWDU stint that eventually turned into three years with a deployment thrown into the mix. Taryn talks about how she cope's with MWDU and two young kids, a new business that is helping other defence partners on their re-employment journey, PEAP funding and how she still finds small but important ways...

Following on from last week's Podcast Episode I talk to Kiri about her Husband Luke's medical discharge from the Army, his decision to admit himself into hospital to get the help he needed and what happened when he told her he was walking away from their marriage. Kiri stood by her Husband for nearly two years while he got the help that he needed for his PTSD and got himself well enough to be able...