This week I talk to Brooke about finding her feet as a new spouse and navigating all that comes with being a defence family. We also talk about: Her husband's decision to join the military and why it was important it was a joint decision The pull her husband felt between his young family and training whilst they all lived on base Making use of any and all available support services as soon as possible The isolation Brooke has felt due to working from home & now COVID restrictions The importa...
Jul 16, 2020•25 min•Ep. 56
In this weeks podcast episode I talk to New Zealand Navy spouse Rose about what it's like to do an international posting in Australia. We also talk about her career goals taking a backseat and the positives that have come from that and accessing support for your children and yourself when you are classed as New Zealand Navy in Australia but still have the same needs as any other Defence family. Ready to join the MWL community? Click through the link to get connected xx www.militarywifelife.com.a...
Jul 02, 2020•28 min•Ep. 55
This week I talk to Amelia about her spouse journey, defence life and following her heart to pursue her passion. After giving birth to her 3rd daughter, while on an overseas posting in Canada, Amelia decided she wanted to write children's books. Fast forward to now and Amelia is an author with two books on shelves and another 4 on the way! Amelia talks about how spouses can do anything they put their mind to (with a little help from helpful you tube tutorials) and the importance of setting aside...
Jun 25, 2020•25 min•Ep. 54
Partner employment, if it was a relationship on socials it would be listed as "its complicated." It's an area that almost all ADF partners will face challenges in at one point or another whether it be because of relocation, unconscious employer bias, the extra responsibilities we take on that may restrict us and our capacity and the list goes on. The last ADF families survey showed 14% of partners are unemployed (double the unemployment average), 12% are underemployed and 81% say they have made ...
Jun 18, 2020•31 min•Ep. 53
This week on the Podcast Part 2 of Sarah's story. In Part 1 Sarah talked about how her last minute decision to join her Husband in a regional location ended up resulting in a diagnosis for her son and uncovering his "mysterious" medical condition. Sarah walked us through the process of becoming recognised as a family with special needs and what happens when they post. We also talked about Sarah's determination to continue her teaching career in various locations across the country despite the ma...
Jun 11, 2020•45 min•Ep. 52
This week on the Podcast I talk to spouse Sarah about how her last minute decision to join her Husband in a regional location ended up resulting in a diagnosis for her son and uncovering his "mysterious" medical condition. Sarah walks us through the process of becoming recognised as a family with special needs and what happens when you post. We also talk about Sarah's determination to continue her teaching career in various locations across the country despite the many curve balls her family hav...
Jun 04, 2020•39 min•Ep. 52
In this weeks episode, as part of Domestic Violence Prevention month, I talk to Domestic Violence Case Manager and Military spouse Jess about the cycle of violence DV victims experience and how military life sometimes adds to the isolation they go through. We also talk about how a spouse can safely leave a DV relationship, what supports they can access and why DV victims can't "just leave" an abusive relationship. I also talk with former spouse Sarah who has recently left a 15 year abusive relat...
May 28, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 51
Welcome to something a little different! Today's episode is made up of some of the best moments from past episodes in celebration of the podcasts 50th episode. This week we also hit 20k downloads and this month marks ONE year since the MWL podcast started. So, so, so much to celebrate but what those milestones actually mean is that for one year the MWL community has been supporting me and has been supporting you. That we have all listened to 50 episodes of spouses telling their stories and...
May 21, 2020•41 min•Ep. 50
This week on the Podcast I talk to spouse Clare about the red tape and cost that comes with posting to different states when you're a Lawyer. Clare also talks about how she manages a chronic illness and the importance of having a support network and interests outside of defence and her career. Ready to join the MWL community? Click through the link to get connected xx www.militarywifelife.com.au
May 14, 2020•24 min•Ep. 49
This week on the Podcast I talk to Lisa about what it's like to be a spouse with 30 years of Military life under your belt. Lisa talks about how she is navigating having to post away from her adult children, the transition back to spending time with her Husband and being a couple again and how she found it going back to work without a defined career path and now that she is older. Ready to join the MWL community? Click through the link to get connected xx www.militarywifelife.com.au...
May 07, 2020•20 min•Ep. 48
This week on the Podcast I talk to spouse Courtney about first postings, moving and managing chronic illness. We also talk about how she navigates knowing her Military member will be at sea a lot and her decision to move to be closer to family and friend supports while her Husband is deployed. Ready to join the MWL community? Click through the link to get connected xx www.militarywifelife.com.au
Apr 30, 2020•34 min•Ep. 47
This week on the Podcast I talk to spouse Suze about how she moved past a bad first deployment and decided to learn the skills and coping mechanism needed to not just survive but thrive future separations and deployments. Suze talks about how some bad advice from others to not tell her partner that she wasn't OK, affected her mental health. We also talk about finding employment, accessing Open Arms and everything inbetween. Ready to join the MWL community? Click through the link to get connected...
Apr 23, 2020•30 min•Ep. 46
This week's podcast episode is the third in a series dedicated to bringing you current information relevant to you, as a spouse and as part of an ADF family, during COVID19. This week I talk to Military spouse and Nutritionist Katherine Ramsden about all things nutrition, food and our health. How can we best navigate this time while making sure we're still looking after ourselves despite limited resources and food stocks. To find out more info about Katherine follow this link https://www.linkedi...
Apr 16, 2020•47 min
This week's podcast episode is the second in a series dedicated to bringing you current information relevant to you, as a spouse and as part of an ADF family, during COVID19. This week I talk to Vonnie Balmer, Coordinator of the Gallipoli Barracks Community Centre about what they're doing now that spouses can't actually physically make use of their community centre. We talk about how they, like all centres across the country, have had to adapt the support and services they offer and how some pos...
Apr 09, 2020•49 min
This weeks podcast episode is the first in a series dedicated to bringing you current information relevant to you, as a spouse and as part of an ADF family, during COVID19. Support, info and services are changing and adapting to try and meet our needs which is why I thought it was important to bring you as much updated and useful information as I could at this time. This week I talk to National Convenor Maree Sirois, from Defence Families Australia, about how DFA are advocating for families duri...
Apr 02, 2020•33 min
This week on the Podcast I talk to Clinical Psychologist Dr Jodie Lowinger about how we can thrive as Military spouses. Whether we are just entering the role of a spouse or have been doing it for years and years, Jodie talks about how being kind to ourselves, understanding that our best is good enough and focusing on the certainty within the uncertainty can help us cope with the ups and downs of spouse life. We also talk about getting on the same page as the military member, helping them underst...
Mar 26, 2020•28 min•Ep. 45
This week on the Podcast I talk to Army spouse Bec about a service dog called Gus and how he saved her husband, her marriage and her family. Gus was matched to her Husband through the Defence Community Dog Program, a program that is funded by the Defence Bank Foundation. The DCD program provides highly trained service dogs to serving and ex-serving ADF members who need support to deal with injuries and illnesses including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Every dog in the program is rescued from a...
Mar 20, 2020•32 min•Ep. 44
This week on the Podcast I talk to spouse Hannah about her first posting, the isolation you can feel even though you might be living in a City, accessing couples counselling through Open Arms and the plan for her Husband to possibly transition out of Defence. Ready to join the MWL community? Click through the link to get connected xx www.militarywifelife.com.au
Mar 12, 2020•14 min•Ep. 43
This week on the Podcast I talk to Claire, a Navy partner who is using her personal and business experience to make a difference for all of us. Claire has a passion for supporting woman achieve their goals through coworking spaces (her coworking program is currently underway in Canberra). Think a space and place you can go to and work alongside other's with onsite childcare. For many of us spouses who have recently posted, work or study from home and are without childcare or even just those of u...
Mar 05, 2020•33 min•Ep. 42
This week on the Podcast I talk to Army spouse Bec about what it's like to post in and out of the same few locations while juggling mum and work life, separation and deployments. Bec also talks about the day she was told her Husband, who was just a few weeks into a deployment overseas, had been diagnosed with Cancer and the years that followed that diagnosis. But the one constant Bec talks about is that the Military community went above and beyond rallying around her and her family and that she ...
Feb 27, 2020•39 min•Ep. 41
This week on the Podcast I talk to Shayne Vining, Deputy Director of National Operations at the Defence Community Organisation to get the low down on what DCO do and when and why we should access information and support from them. We touch on the broad range of programs and services focusing on the 24 hour Defence Family Hotline, the SMART programs, PEAP (Partner employment assistance program) and the Welcome Days, Coffee meetups and Walk and Talk mornings. To find out more information about DCO...
Feb 20, 2020•32 min•Ep. 40
This week on the Podcast I talk to spouse Anastasia about how she brushed off a bad first deployment. Anastasia talks about how she started to resent her military person and felt she didn't cope with the 6 month separation very well. She became depressed and really felt like she was in a holding pattern while her partner was away. But Anastasia was determined to go into a second 6 month deployment prepared and with a positive mindset and she says it made all the difference. Ready to join the MWL...
Feb 13, 2020•35 min•Ep. 39
This week on the Podcast I talk to Jess about the pros and cons of working for yourself when you're a Military spouse. Setting up your own business is often an appealing option to a lot of us due to the nature of the Defence lifestyle and needing to be able to take your work with you from state to state. Jess lets us in on just what goes into moving your family and your business across country. To learn more about Jess's business look her up on Instagram @jaylee_photography or visit her website ...
Feb 05, 2020•27 min•Ep. 38
This week on the Podcast I talk to Kat John, speaker, coach and someone who's mission is to help us master our minds so our souls can come back to life! This episode is about us focusing on sparking that connection with what WE really want out of life. We talk about how we can follow through with the vision for our life despite the brick walls we come up against and the lack of control we might feel we have because of the Military lifestyle. We also talk about what it means to shift the plan to ...
Jan 29, 2020•40 min•Ep. 37
This week on the Podcast I talk to Shari about what it's like to be the spouse of a Submariner. We talk no communication for months on end, the tight knit community that Shari calls the Navy within the Navy and how that community and Defence rallied around their family when their 16 year old son was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Ready to join the MWL community? Click through the link to get connected xx www.militarywifelife.com.au
Jan 22, 2020•34 min•Ep. 36
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 when it comes to support. Madeline also talks about the worry she feels about finishing her double d...
Jan 15, 2020•39 min•Ep. 35
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 member has been recalled and deployed to those affected areas or maybe we have a family member who ...
Jan 08, 2020•35 min•Ep. 34
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 smooth sailing but Sal and her Husband are committed to making it work for as long as it works and ...
Dec 18, 2019•24 min•Ep. 33
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 about an issue that isn't often highlighted and that is the struggle to get back to visit family, e...
Dec 11, 2019•36 min•Ep. 32
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. When 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 when we post into a new location and how that can allow us mentally to feel more settled. How decidi...
Dec 04, 2019•27 min•Ep. 31
