The Waiting Warriors Podcast

In recognition of Memorial Day, Debbie shares the story of her son, Marc Lee, who willingly gave his life for others while serving as a Navy Seal. She explains the life she has chosen to live because of his example of love and service, and offers ways to honor and serve those who have sacrificed everything no matter what our circumstances might be. "There is no deeper pain than the loss of a child...

Amy has made it her mission to explore the benefits of being outside every single day. She explains the direct influence she has seen it have on her own family and in her personal life.   "I have seen just countless benefits: mental health, physical health, relationships, creativity, grittiness, perseverance. You name it, it's impacted by the experience of going outside and doing things that are o...

We wrap our our Month of the Military Child series with Jolynn Lee, a returning guest on the podcast. She addresses the common concern of "Is military life going to mess up my kids?" Spoiler, it won't.    "No, it's not going to be like this forever. No, I'm not screwing my kid up forever. It's just a moment."   -Jolynn Lee contact@jolynnlee.com www.jolynnlee.com

Abi and Daena, co founders of Legacy Kids Magazine, share both their personal experiences as moms and professional expertise in mental health and counseling in regard to all of the incredibly positive ways that military life can affect our military kids.   "Parents play a huge role in helping the child navigate their narrative. So the parents have the opportunity to shine a light on the benefits o...

Stephanie shares how the way she approaches her own life as a military spouse has affected her children's outlook on their experiences as a military family.   "I cannot change the fact that [my husband] is doing what he does. I can change my reaction and how we choose to face it."                    -Stephanie Howell @stephaniehowell

We start our Month of the Military Child series with Amy Harding, mother of 7 and military spouse of over 20 years. She shares her experiences of developing strong family rituals and bonds and how that has helped her children handle the constant changes of military life.   "When you make a conscious focus as a family, there's a thousand different daily decisions and priorities that are going to au...

Liz likes to be organized, but has learned over several PCS moves that life doesn't always go according to plan. She shares her experiences and tips for how to plan for the unexpected.   "A lot of it is out of our control, but it's our response to those things that kind of shape our attitude and they shape our growth. Either we grow from it and we become better, or we become bitter."              ...

PCS season can be stressful, emotional, and downright difficult, and if you have kids it can be even more so. Michelle shares four tips that she has personally used to help her own kids deal with the craziness of moving.   "Negative emotion isn't something we need to keep from happening, but we can learn for ourselves and can teach our kids how to process it."    -Michelle Bowler @thewaitingwarrio...

After 13 moves in 13 years, Mallory is the DITY queen. She shares why she chooses to DITY each time, as well as tips on how to stay organized and simplify the move process.   "My goal is to make [DITY moves] less overwhelming. So I'm not saying that you're not going to be overwhelmed...moving is hard and there's a lot that goes into it and it's hard work, but the more organized you are the easier...

As an army veteran herself and now a military spouse, Megan has loads of experience with PCSing. Listen as she shares detailed ways to keep track of current regulations, keep control of your move, and get through your PCS with as little stress as possible.   "What I tell people to not be stressed about [a PCS] is it goes into a lot of planning for your PCS, a lot of organizing."                 -M...

As an experienced army wife and as the executive director of InDependent (a non-profit passionate about military spouse wellness), Evie has come to understand that wellness is not a one-size-fits-all situation. She shares her tips on finding what wellness can look like in your own life, and how it can change depending on your current circumstance as a military spouse.   "For me, wellness is doing...

It's just Michelle today as we dive into ways to keep your marriage thriving and happy. As military spouses and first responder spouse we need to focus on making choices and being intentional with how we interact and love our spouses. Michelle also gives specific ideas on how to stay connected whether you are together or apart during deployments and separations. "I don't want to just wait for prob...

Shea is no stranger to the unexpected changes and challenges that life as a military spouse can bring. She shares her stories of learning to see the roadblocks that are getting in the way of her goals and finding detours around them.  "Life is written in pencil and we get to rewrite our expectations."           -Shea Sines @teamboxops www.boxops.etsy.com      

Katie shares her experiences of learning to communicate her needs and ask for help- both in her marriage and with her friends and family- as she navigated her early years as a military spouse. "I had to learn that if I'm feeling something I need to say it, even if I'm scared of what the reaction might be."                           -Katie Hubbs @forthubbs    

"I created my own community. I was like, if we don't have one I'm going to create one for us and create one for other families...I essentially created something that didn't exist for me."          -Ashley Weinert @countingourheroeshome As the spouse of a Reserve National Guard, Ashley's experience as a Waiting Warrior has been more isolated than most. She shares her experience of finding ways to s...

"Every day, if you're trying to do better than the last, then that's progress and that's what we want to achieve to make yourself happier."  -Elizabeth Shaw @elizaeshaw   Elizabeth shares how she learned to carve out time as a military spouse and a working mom for herself, and how focusing on personal wellness changed her life in many ways.    

"As a military spouse we let our mental barriers stop us so much because we're beaten down, we're exhausted, we put ourselves last- and I was tired of putting myself last."           -Flossie Hall @flossie_hall   As an entrepreneur, military spouse, and mom of 4 Flossie has a lot of experience with the roadblocks that come with pursuing personal goals. She explains the benefits of prioritizing ind...

"Don't give up. There's always a reason and a purpose for what you're going through. We may not see it, we may never see it, we may never know, but just keep pushing through." -Aleida   Aleida shares the struggle she had with getting pregnant, especially during regular moves with the military. She walks us through her journey with IVF and how she was able to have hope throughout the process. aflor...

"Just enjoy the changes, embrace it...Even though it feels like it's going to be forever, it's really not." -Joanna @jomygosh1   Joanna shares the realistic truth of working through hard changes as a military spouse. She explains her process of going from grieving change to embracing it. www.jomygosh.com www.military.com

"A bonus lesson learned, is really taking ownership of the life that we do have- regardless of what's going on around us- and making the most of it." -Austin Bowler @thewaitingwarrior   Your host, Michelle, and her Army Chaplain husband Austin share what this crazy year has taught them in their own lives and invite you to think over what 2020 has taught you. https://teespring.com/stores/the-waitin...

"First adjusting to depending on someone else and then to adjust back [to independence] when the Army takes them...just being able to pick up and say "I remember how to do these things. These are muscles that haven't gone away, I just haven't used them in a while." -Julia @spouseserve The transition from independence to a military dependent when she became a military spouse was an interesting one...

"Whatever you give your energy to- whether it's positive or negative- you put it out it's going to come back to you." -Vanessa @vanessasholisticliving     Vanessa explains how she changed her life by focusing on a positive mindfulness, and how that changed affected her life in almost every way. She gives examples of how she has found peace and connection in her life as a military spouse because of...

"Just because we sign up for something doesn't mean it's not hard. It just means we're going through it regardless and it's going to be hard the whole time, but we're going to get through it anyway." -Christina @themilitaryyogi   Christina is no stranger to the feelings of resentment, anger, and abandonment that often come from a life in the military. She shares her experiences of working through...

"Don't ever wish away one year or two years or whatever of your life, because you're not going to get that back." -Yvonne Coombes @eevee_coombes   Yvonne shares her experiences of finding the good in every circumstance, no matter where you are. She describes her experience at a less-than-desirable assignment, which turned into one of her favorite places to be. She also describes her non-profit, Op...

"Anything you can do to impact someone else's day or life, that matters." -Jessica Manfre @jess_manfre   Jessica shares with us her passion for service, and the benefits gained by both those being served and those doing the service. She gives small, easy ways that we can serve those in our military community. Please join us on Giving Tuesday and find ways to help those around you. www.givingtuesda...