On this week's Military Life podcast episode, I ask Defence Partner Nicole, who is currently posted in the USA with her ADF member and two children, ALLLL the overseas posting questions you didn't even know you needed answered! In PART ONE, Nicole and I talk about; -Why the timing was right for their family to apply for an overseas posting -What happens once you get the official word your family will be posted overseas -Differences between the overseas posting Nicole and her Husband did 10 years...
Aug 01, 2024•46 min•Ep. 173
On this week's Military Life Podcast Episode, Dr Peggy Brown, one of the three commissioners tasked with leading the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, speaks about the release of the lived-experience book Shining a Light: Stories of Trauma & Tragedy, Hope & Healing. The trauma-informed book, authored by journalist Patrick Lindsay AM, showcases the lived experience of suicide and suicidal behaviour of serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members and their famil...
Jun 27, 2024•59 min•Ep. 172
On this week's Military Life Podcast episode, I speak with Acting CEO of Defence Bank Marnie Fletcher about her leadership style and how she aligns her values and purpose while working in the financial services sector. Marnie and I also speak about; -How her parent's past financial difficulties motivate her to help people create a better life through good financial decisions. -Joining Defence Bank in 2021 and leading Defence Bank through a period of growth and innovation. -Learning about the nee...
Jun 20, 2024•22 min•Ep. 171
This week's Military Life podcast episode is about the FREE mental Health service available to Defence Partners, current ADF Members, Veterans, and their immediate Families—OPEN ARMS and the recently introduced Model of Care. This week I caught up with Leonie Nowland, First Assistant Secretary of Open Arms, and Dr Jon Lane, Senior Psychiatrist Advisor with Open Arms and member of the Open Arms National Advisory Committee. In this episode, we speak about; -Who can access support and services thro...
Jun 13, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 170
Re-released Episode- Military Life Community Connectors EXPLAINED PART 2 Maybe you have heard about Military Life Community Connectors, or maybe you want to know more about them. This episode is all about who they are, what they do, and why I felt there was a need for the Military Life Community Connector Program. No one quite gets you like a fellow Defence Partner, but finding and connecting with other partners can be both tricky and nerve-wracking! It took me 10 years to find a Defence Partner...
May 23, 2024•21 min•Ep. 169
Re-released Episode- Military Life Community Connectors EXPLAINED PART 1 Maybe you have heard about Military Life Community Connectors, or maybe you want to know more about them. This episode is all about who they are, what they do, and why I felt there was a need for the Military Life Community Connector Program. No one quite gets you like a fellow Defence Partner, but finding and connecting with other partners can be both tricky and nerve-wracking! It took me 10 years to find a Defence Partner...
May 23, 2024•22 min•Ep. 168
This week on the Military Life Podcast, I speak with spouses Emma and Elise about their participation in Cowork Coplay, an amazing program that aims to give Defence Partners the time and space to focus on their career goals and projects, be they related to study, business, or job-hunting. Emma and Elise went into the Cowork Coplay program, which ran in Adelaide in early 2023, with different expectations, and both walked out of the program with positive outcomes. Emma and I spoke about; -Why taki...
Dec 08, 2023•54 min•Ep. 167
This week on the podcast, my Husband Scott and I talk about our current and past experiences with living apart and being MWDU (Member with Dependants Unaccompanied) or URF (Unaccompanied Resident Family) as it is called now. In PART ONE, Scott and I also talk about; • How our 5th MWDU experience went and the big decisions we needed to make • Why communication and checking in with each other is so important • How different life stages impact how you experience MWDU & living apart • Finding ou...
Nov 30, 2023•27 min•Ep. 165
This week on the podcast, my Husband Scott and I talk about our current and past experiences with living apart and being MWDU (Member with Dependants Unaccompanied) or URF (Unaccompanied Resident Family) as it is called now. In PART TWO (click through and listen to PART ONE Ep165 first), Scott and I also talk about; • Why we decided to wait to tell our children we were moving • How we approached such a huge conversation with our children • Shifting from owning our own home to living in a DHA pro...
Nov 30, 2023•Ep. 166
On this week's Military Life * Parents Edition* podcast episode, I speak with Spouse and Defence School Mentor Bianca about her new business, 'Someone I Love is in Defence'. Bianca and I also spoke about; • Her journey from being an ADF member herself, transitioning out & finding her feet as a Defence Partner • Navigating Defence life, starting a family and deciding to take up a role as a Defence School Mentor • How being a DSM opened her eyes to the need for more and varied resources for De...
Nov 09, 2023•22 min•Ep. 164
On this week's Military Life Podcast Episode, enjoy listening to some real talk from a handful of Defence Partners who have previously detailed their spouse journey with us on past episodes. Episode 163 is all about accessing Defence-related Support and making Spouse Friends. As you will hear from listening to the stories of Defence Partners Hana, Emma, Jeni, Catherine, Chaia, Cheree, and Chantelle, our journeys are unique yet have many common threads that connect us. So, get comfy and enjoy lis...
Nov 01, 2023•22 min•Ep. 163
On this week's Military Life Podcast Episode, enjoy listening to some real talk from a handful of Defence Partners who have previously detailed their spouse journey with us on past episodes. Episode 162 is all about how Defence Partners support their Mental Health while living Defence Life. As you will hear from listening to the stories of Defence Partners Chaia, Catherine, Rachael, Nicole, Kim, and Amanda, our journeys are unique yet have many common threads that connect us. So, get comfy and e...
Oct 19, 2023•24 min•Ep. 162
Defence Partners + Career = Complicated! On this week's Military Life Podcast Episode, enjoy listening to some real talk from a handful of Defence Partners who have previously detailed their spouse journey with us on past episodes. Episode 161 is all about how Defence Partners focus on and further their Careers while living Defence Life. As you will hear from listening to the stories of Defence Partners Amelia, Brooke, Jade, Freya, Elle, and Bec, our Career journeys are unique yet have many comm...
Sep 20, 2023•24 min•Ep. 161
On this week's Military Life *Parents Edition* podcast episode, enjoy listening to some real talk from a handful of Defence Partners who are already Parents or are planning for a family in the future. Arusha, Bianca, Ashley, Anika and Bec have all previously detailed their spouse journey on past episodes, and as you will hear from listening to their stories, our experiences are unique yet have many common threads that connect us. So, get comfy and enjoy listening to this compilation episode that...
Sep 13, 2023•30 min•Ep. 160
This week on the podcast, enjoy listening to some real talk from a handful of Defence Partners who have previously detailed their spouse journey with us on past episodes. Episode 159 of the Military Life Podcast is all about what it's really like to become a Defence Partner and live Defence Life. As you will hear from listening to the stories of Defence Partners Nicole, Rae, Katie, and Amanda, our experiences are unique yet have many common threads that run so deep and connect us. So, get comfy ...
Aug 30, 2023•28 min•Ep. 159
On this week's Military Life Podcast episode and as the Defence Community start to receive news of postings and possible moves, I re-release PART TWO of my chat with Defence Partner and Declutter Expert Tara Tuttle. Tara knows the challenges of Defence Life and moving and packing and unpacking and all the things! Tara also knows the challenges Defence Families can face when it comes to organisation, clutter, holding onto things, feeling overwhelmed and how physical and mental clutter are often c...
Aug 18, 2023•20 min•Ep. 158
On this week's Military Life Podcast episode and as the Defence Community start to receive news of postings and possible moves, I re-release PART ONE of my chat with Defence Partner and Declutter Expert Tara Tuttle. Tara knows the challenges of Defence Life and moving and packing and unpacking and all the things! Tara also knows the challenges Defence Families can face when it comes to organisation, clutter, holding onto things, feeling overwhelmed and how physical and mental clutter are often c...
Aug 17, 2023•30 min•Ep. 157
On this week's Military Life *Parents Edition* podcast episode, I speak with Defence Partner Chrissy who went on a blind date with an ADF member 13 years ago and never looked back. Chrissy and I also talk about; -Why, after backpacking solo for five years, the Defence lifestyle really suited her -How her attitude to the unknown of defence life changed once children came into the picture -Balancing Defence life with career & the needs of her son, who is autistic with a mild intellectual disab...
Aug 03, 2023•37 min•Ep. 156
On this week's Military Life podcast episode, I caught up with Defence Partner Jeni, who was a guest on the podcast on ep98. Back in 2021, Jeni and I spoke about her upcoming move across the country for her husband's first posting, the transition from civilian to defence family life after being together for 13 years, leaving friends and family and helping their kids start fresh in WA. We also spoke about acknowledging your capacity when taking on the mental and physical load of the household whi...
Jul 26, 2023•38 min•Ep. 155
On this week's Military Life *Parents Edition* podcast episode, I speak with spouse Simone about the first 5 years of Defence Life and supporting her two kids through huge changes. Simone and I also talk about; -Her husband's connection to Defence & how that played into his decision to join -Why Defence Force Recruiting told her Husband to come back in a year or two -The importance of making the decision to become a Defence Family together -Why no amount of research or advice could prepare t...
Jun 28, 2023•46 min•Ep. 154
In this week's podcast episode and as part of Pride month, I re-release my chat with Racheal Cosgrove, President of DEFGLIS, the Defence LGBTI Information Service. Racheal and I spoke about; How and why DEFGLIS started Who DEFGLIS support and represent How DEFGLIS has changed and evolved over the years The impact DEFGLIS has had on the lives of LGBTI Defence members and their families Why it is important to have a group like DEFGLIS The safe and secure space DEFGLIS offers for LGBTI members and ...
Jun 15, 2023•25 min•Ep. 153
On this week's Military Life *PARENTS EDITION* podcast episode, I check in with the University of New England's Dr Marg Rogers to find out how the Children's Family Resilience Programs have been going. The programs and related resources were developed following Dr Rogers' PhD studies and research that found there was a huge gap in the understanding and support of 2- 8-year-old defence kids. Marg and I also talk about; -Why giving 2- 8-year-old defence kids a voice was important. -The lack of age...
Jun 01, 2023•28 min•Ep. 152
On this week's podcast episode, I speak with new spouse Emily about deciding to move with her ADF member after dating for just ONE month and how they are ensuring Defence life works for both of them. Emily and I also talk about; Meeting on a dating app and finding out about his ADF career Having open and honest conversations one month into dating Deciding to move from Newcastle to South Australia Telling family and friends and the varied reactions What happens when you post, and you are not in a...
May 24, 2023•26 min•Ep. 151
Welcome to the 150th episode of the podcast! What a huge milestone for ALL of us to celebrate. 4 years of the podcast, 150 episodes and 80,000 downloads!!! I want to say thank you to all of you for sharing your stories, listening, supporting, for getting it! YOU. JUST. GET. IT. Thank you for this community we have all built and for this amazing space of connection and belonging we have all created. It has been 4 years, 150 episodes and 80,000 downloads of Defence Partners and Families being seen...
May 11, 2023•25 min•Ep. 150
On this week's podcast episode, I caught up with Defence Partner Leah who was a guest on the Military Life podcast a few years ago on episode 29. Back in 2019 Leah and I spoke about her quest to find meaningful employment, a long IVF journey and what happened to their remaining and only frozen embryo when they posted out of their location. On this episode, Leah updates us on the last few years, where have they posted to, what was the result of their final round of IVF with that one last frozen e...
May 03, 2023•40 min•Ep. 149
On this week's podcast episode, I speak with spouse Chantel about how COVID lockdowns gave her and her ADF partner the time and space to establish their relationship and start a family. Chantel and I also speak about; How they met and why after only knowing each other for three weeks, Chantel kinda moved in Her ADF partners fears starting a relationship, and the toll deployments take on a couple Why Chantel used time apart as a chance to focus on herself and her own busy life The pressure of bei...
Mar 29, 2023•50 min•Ep. 148
TRIGGER WARNING- There is some discussion of suicide in these episodes. If these episodes bring anything up for you, please get in touch with FREE ADF mental health service Open Arms on 1800 011 046 or, in case of emergency, call 000. This week on the Military Life Podcast, in celebration of the launch of my collaborative 'YOUR VOICE' campaign with Julia from The Home Post, a re-released episode, WHY YOUR VOICE MATTERS! Find out more here about how you can get involved with our 'YOUR VOICE' camp...
Mar 16, 2023•57 min•Ep. 147
TRIGGER WARNING- There is some discussion of suicide in these episodes. If these episodes bring anything up for you, please get in touch with FREE ADF mental health service Open Arms on 1800 011 046 or, in case of emergency, call 000. This week on the Military Life Podcast, in celebration of the launch of my collaborative 'YOUR VOICE' campaign with Julia from The Home Post, a re-released episode, WHY YOUR VOICE MATTERS! Find out more here about how you can get involved with our 'YOUR VOICE' camp...
Mar 16, 2023•58 min•Ep. 147
On this week's podcast episode, I speak with spouse Freya about her quick introduction to defence life after meeting her RAAF guy through Tinder and three months later posting across the country with him. Freya and I also talk about; · Why she decided to follow her heart and jump in feet first · Making the hard decision to leave her cats behind in WA · Why they could not move into a DHA property and finding a rental · Going into defence life with no expectations or information · The first year t...
Mar 01, 2023•31 min•Ep. 146
So you've decided that now is the right time to look at buying a house....yay, go you! If you're like me, you have so many questions (so many) and need answers STAT about the potential home buyer grants and ADF schemes and entitlements you and your military member may be able to apply for. But…. those answers need to be explained in plain old non-military speak, which is why Defence Bank's Kym Bowles and I talk you through ALL.THE.THINGS when it comes to buying a house. In this episode, Kym and ...
Feb 22, 2023•49 min•Ep. 145
