This is Chapter 8 in the Transition Memoir. Catch up here.
I had been blogging for about five years and felt that I had made little progress in growing a business. I was lost. I was a voice in a sea of voices. I didn’t know how to stand out or how to move forward. I didn’t know that when I started a podcast highlighting the stories of women veterans that it would change my life.
I didn’t initially focus on women veterans; if you read this whole series, you will know that it took me a long time just to find myself back to sharing military stories at all. But when it came to considering military stories, I was more interested in deployment stories. The Iraq War (Operation Enduring Freedom) had ended, and it seemed that the war in Afghanistan would be ending soon. My deployment to Afghanistan in 2010 changed my life in so many ways. The main thing it taught me was I could do more than I ever expected — I just had to jump.
This life experience left me curious. I wanted to hear if others experienced similar life changes through deployment. And while my initial question wasn’t answered in my first interview session an interesting trend did emerge. I started collecting stories of women. And their experiences were vast and often surprising. It led me to follow up my initial series on deployment with a pivot toward women veterans.
I couldn’t have told you then that I also was lonely. I knew I was struggling but I couldn’t put the word on what made me feel so off. But then I began talking to women veterans. Lots of women veterans. My initial survey request, which was intended for a blog series, had over 100 responses. I emailed back everyone and in turn got about 25 completed questionnaires. I thought I was really getting to the stories of women veterans, but it wasn’t until I shifted to virtual recorded conversations for my “Women of the Military” podcast when I really began to connect with the women who shared their stories.
These early conversations helped me know I wasn’t alone. Other women out there had experienced the same thing as me. I felt seen. I felt validated. And as the popularity of the podcast continued to grow, I started finding a new purpose: sharing the stories of women veterans.
For six years, I dedicated my energy to telling the stories of women. Producing over 300 podcast episodes to highlight the stories of women. I have learned so much about the amazing journey women had to take to get to the point that women can now serve in every combat role. But even more important than sharing stories, I got to connect and become friends with my guests. I have reconnected at conferences, collaborated on projects, and got to watch them on their own journey.
Today, I am at another turning point. I produced the final episode of the Women of the Military podcast, episode 308, in December 2024, and I’m not sure what is next. People keep asking, assuming I’m putting one thing down to pick up the next. But the truth is I don’t know where I’m going to go. I have some ideas, but I want to take some time and use all that I have learned before chasing my next big dream. And I know that it will be something amazing that I can’t even begin to understand all the twists and turns on the road ahead.