Milspouse Matters

We talk about the topic of deployment a lot on this podcast, and with good reason. It's such a challenging time for military members and their spouses, families, or significant others. I've been SO excited to bring you this episode, as Becky Hoy and Joanna Guldin-Noll are truly experts on this topic, and they're sharing their insight and encouragement with you. Becky and Joanna are the cohosts of...

Let's talk about homeschooling in the military, as well as a brand-new podcast created to support military homeschooling families! Since all my kids are now grown, one thing you might not know about me is that we were a homeschooling family for a couple of decades and loved that time with our four kids. I was also the managing editor for a large homeschooling magazine for a couple of years! On thi...

A military marriage is not the same as a civilian marriage, and conventional wisdom doesn't always apply. From advice like you have to have a weekly date night to you must communicate about everything , how does this work in keeping your military marriage strong? It just doesn't apply if you're apart a lot or have recently moved and don't have resources like childcare.  I'm sharing some tips from...

Welcome back to a new season! On this episode, I'm answering listener questions and talking about what's coming. Some topics we cover:    Is it ok to call yourself a milspouse or military spouse? What's been the hardest (and best) part of being a military spouse? How much should I share with my spouse when they're deployed? I feel nervous about homecoming. Is this normal? How to stay sane when fac...

On this episode, I'm talking to Julie Tully, the author of the upcoming book, Dispatches from the Cowgirl: Through the Looking Glass with a Navy Diplomat's Wife.  Julie is the spouse of a Foreign Area Officer and has spent the last 18 years living overseas in different countries in Africa and Europe. In fact, Julie recorded this episode from Italy, right smack in the middle of a PCS move! She's a...

On this episode, I'm talking to Jen Pasquale from Pride & Grit.  Jen is a 15-year active-duty Army spouse, mom of two, and champion for seasoned military spouses. In 2018, Jen founded Pride & Grit as a support community, resource hub, and as of 2021, host of an annual personal development retreat for seasoned military spouses. As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Jen also offers identity coachin...

This week, I'm talking to Mary Monrose and Candus Griffin, military spouses, mothers, and hosts of the Shine Sis podcast. I first connected with them on Instagram, where I saw their posts and loved the positive message they were sharing. When I realized they were also military spouses, I knew we had to talk! About Shine Sis: It's hard trying to find your purpose in life, especially when you are co...

Whether you're moving stateside or overseas, making a move with a new baby can be a challenge. Get some tips from experienced military spouses! I was asked about this on social media, and here are some of my tips along with input from other military spouses. We talk about:  Flying with a baby Tips for cross-country travel Preparing mentally Giving yourself plenty of grace! See my extensive list of...

Here's the second installment of the study of my book, You Are Not Alone: Encouragement for the Heart of a Military Spouse , that we've been doing in the Christian Military Spouse Facebook group. As mentioned on the last episode, I decided to share the audio from my talks there on the podcast, and this is the week 2 study covering readings 5-7.  If you'd like to join in the ongoing book study and...

In the Christian Military Spouses group, we've been doing a book study of my book, You Are Not Alone: Encouragement for the Heart of a Military Spouses , and I've been talking via video each week there. I'm sharing the audio from those talks over the coming weeks. This is the week 1 study, going over Days 1-4 in the book.  ( Note : If you'd like to join in the ongoing book study and discussion, jo...

Whether you're a new or longtime military spouse, a sudden deployment can throw you into a tailspin. If you're facing an unexpected deployment of your spouse, this episode is for you. We're talking about ways to cope, how to connect with others (even if you don't think you need to), some conventional wisdom that may or may not apply to you, permission to handle deployment in a way that works best...

Guest Jennifer Barnhill shares the vision behind Partners in Promise, the challenges and barriers EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program) families face, especially as pertains to special education for military children, the results of their 2021 survey findings, and what Partners in PROMISE does to advocate for military families. They offer so many resources, including checklists, videos, a podca...

It's a new year, and by now many of us have already given up on those New Year's resolutions! And you tell yourself, why even bother setting goals when you've just moved, are about to move, or find yourself in the middle of a deployment or some other change? Is it even worth setting personal goals for yourself when the demands of the military always take precedence? But wait a minute! Your goals a...

I've had a lot of requests for more Navy spouse interviews, so I'm happy to bring to you my talk with Chelsea Davis from The Submerged Life! I first discovered the Submerged Life through their funny memes on Instagram and knew I had to reach out to these great ladies.  Chelsea Davis, Meagan Guise, and Kaileigh Lear are Navy spouses and founders of the blog "The Submerged Life." As newly-christened...

Are you torn between traveling to see your extended family and staying put to create your own holiday memories? Are you spending the holidays without your spouse due to deployment, training, or a remote assignment? Have you just moved and don't know a soul and are missing all your family and friends? Let's talk about it! On this episode, I discuss your first holiday season as a military spouse, ma...

November is National Adoption Awareness Month, and this week's guest is sharing why military families can make amazing foster and adoptive families. In the U.S., nearly half a million children are in the foster care system on any given day. While those numbers are staggering, there's much that we can do to help, whether it's becoming a foster or adoptive family ourselves or supporting those who do...

This week, I'm talking to Air Force spouse and missionary Megan Brown! Megan B. Brown is a seasoned military spouse and military missionary. She is the Military Liaison for the Speak Up Conference Global Missions Military Scholarship and the 2019-Armed Forces Insurance Robins AFB Military Spouse of the Year. She is passionate about military mission work and teaching and preaching about Jesus in an...

On this episode, I'm talking to Becky Hoy, who is a U.S. Army military spouse of 10 years and the Founder of Brave Crate- the deployment countdown box for military spouses, and co-host of PILLAR- the digital retreat for deployment countdowns. She shares about both those ventures, and talks about how she learned to make the most of the time apart from her husband vs. just wishing for it to be over....

Welcome to this short bonus episode! I hear from a lot of you about the topic of friendship, and I know how difficult it can be to find friends as a military spouse. It's not easy to roll into a new location and not know a soul. On this short episode, I'm sharing some thoughts about how to be a friend, how to find friends, and the friends every military spouse needs, along with reading a brief exc...

This episode of the Milspouse Matters podcast is sponsored by SpouseLink, which was created in 2012 by AAFMA, the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association. The goal of Spouselink is to support, inform, and inspire military spouses. Learn more at Spouselink.org . We've had a lot of requests for a National Guard spouse to come on the podcast, so this is the episode for you! First, I'm sharing so...

This episode of the Milspouse Matters podcast is sponsored by SpouseLink, which was created in 2012 by AAFMA, the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association. The goal of Spouselink is to support, inform, and inspire military spouses. Learn more at Spouselink.org . The guest for this episode is the amazing and insightful Trevor Romain, who you may remember from episode 63 when we talked about his...

It's so important to feel connected as a military spouse! We're talking about that today with Lizann Lightfoot and hearing about her brand new book, Open When: Letters of Encouragement for Military Spouses , a collection of letters for military spouses straight from her heart and experience. You don't want to miss this! On this episode, we talk about the process and her vision behind this book, as...

This episode of the Milspouse Matters podcast is sponsored by SpouseLink, which was created in 2012 by AAFMA, the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association. The goal of Spouselink is to support, inform, and inspire military spouses. Learn more at Spouselink.org . Someone wise once told me many years ago, What kind of marriage do you want in 30 years? What you do now determines what it will be t...

This episode of the Milspouse Matters podcast is sponsored by SpouseLink, which s upports, informs, and inspires military spouses. Learn more at Spouselink.org . I'm so excited to be talking about Milkid Mailkit™ , a pen pal program for military children, with one of the program's co-founders, Brunella Costagliola. Brunella and her husband Michael Gosselin created Milkid Mailkit™ to encourage and...

Welcome to the latest Listener Q & A episode! Just a reminder, you can send questions to me on the Milspouse Matters Instagram or email me for possible inclusion in the next round! Today, we're covering questions like:  What are your thoughts on planning weddings in the military? Or just trying to plan anything as a milspouse with this unpredictable lifestyle? (or is it not really as unpredictable...