The American MilSpouse

Angelina is a Lieutenant Colonel graduated Commander, a mom of two, and a spouse. Her husband is an F-15E pilot and weapons officer. They have been in the Air Force for 18 years.

Be sure to tune in to this episode as Angelina shares with us her experience with postpartum depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideations. A heavy episode, but one that is so valuable. Angelina discusses parts of what she walked through that she didn't necessarily know how to put a name to until she heard someone else talk about it. Maybe you will relate to her story or know someone going through any of these experiences.

In today's episode, Angelina and I discuss

• How she and her husband met (1:59)
• Where military life has taken them (2:25)
• Trying to have kids, going to school, and living on a boat (3:39)
• Writing about her severe postpartum depression (7:47)
• The difficulty in saying it out loud (14:45)
• Normalizing sharing the challenging and scary (19:01)
• Be persistent and be patient (21:33)
• What led Angelina to write about her experience (27:23)
• The response when she shared (35:15)
• What Angelina wants you to know if you are struggling or know someone who is (38:49)
• Changing what strength looks like (43:30)
• Rapid Fire (44:51)

I hope you found today's episode with Angelina and hearing her story and experience with postpartum depression and anxiety helpful. Maybe you will relate to her story or know someone going through any of these experiences.

Resource mentioned

Run toward the fire: My journey through mental illness

Thanks for joining me on today's episode of, The American MILSpouse! If you enjoyed today's episode, please head over to iTunes or wherever you listen, give me a 5 star, and leave a review to help me reach even more military spouses. Also, don't forget to check out my website or hang out with me on Instagram to stay connected with others in the community.

Erica is a Gold Star spouse and the founder of Gold Star Family Resources. I am incredibly thankful to Erica for sharing her story with us. It is heartbreaking, powerful, and truly inspiring. Erica has walked through so many moments we all know are possible but hope to never face. After losing her husband, USMC Major James Brophy in a training mishap in late 2018 Erica has gone on to serve as an invaluable resource to other Gold Star families.⁠

• Please take a moment to support Erica by following @goldstarfamilyresources on social media.⁠ 
• www.goldstarfamilyresources.com

Full service financial firm

American Tax and Financial Planners, LLC exclusively serves Military Survivors in all fifty states for no cost via VA sponsored Financial Point program.

Eric Jackson can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]

Sarah Nannen, Trauma-informed life coach, transformation teacher, and author offering grief support

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @beyond.surviving.sarah or Facebook: sarah.nannen or check out her website: www.sarahnannen.com.

I'm so excited and honored to bring you this episode! Cindy has been an Air Force spouse for 37 years and she is a passionate advocate for service members and their families. She managed a presidential service award program at the White House and also worked as a senior writer for proclamations and messages in the Office of Presidential Correspondence. She has developed innovative support programs for military families and is an incredible mentor for spouses. Having been through multiple deployments and countless TDY's, she shares with us her lessons and tips.

Cindy is married to General Ken Wilsbach who currently serves as commander of Pacific Air Forces. They reside at Hickam Air Force in Hawaii; it's their 23rd move in their nomadic military life.

What do you do when your partner is deployed for a year? What do you do if you do not like the city you moved into or feel powerless in front of the unknown?Cindy answers these questions with brilliance and brings up so much wisdom! I can't wait for you to hear her!

I'm also joined by the wonderful Jen and Kirst from Wives of the Air Force who helped make this interview happen. Keep up with them on instagram @wivesoftheairforce and keep up with Cindy @altogetherlovely.blog.

Highlights of the episode include:

● Introducing Jen (2:39)

● Introducing Kirst (4:14)

● Introducing Elizabeth (5:20)

● Meet Cindy (6:41)

● The challenges of moving as an airforce wife (8:23)

● cindy's advice for this lifestyle (11:34)

● Ways to cope with difficult situations (16:01)

● The power of a spouse group (21:05)

● Don't be afraid to reach out to other spouses (27:32)

● Be open to the unexpected of what your life could be in a location (32:54)

● How did Cindy discuss crossroads in her relationship (36:21)

● How to accept the volunteer role as a military spouse (40:01)

● How did Cindy make it through her partner's several deployments? (48:45)

● Cindy's regrets (60:15)

● conclusions (63:00)

Did I not tell you that Cindy's insights would have a lot of wisdom? If you loved this episode as much as I did, if it helped you shift your perspective on difficult situations that being a milspouse brings, let me know on social media!

Today's episode is special as my husband takes the role of host, and I am the guest for this month.

Elizabeth Smith is an Air Force spouse, an account manager for a digital marketing company, a podcaster, and last but not least, a mother. Kyle and I have been married for eight years and have two amazing daughters. Today, we will talk about this past year, where we are now compared to where we were a year ago, the pandemic, and the loss of Kyle's dad.

Be sure to tune in to this episode as we give you a little peek into us and maybe learn something new about me.

Highlights from today with Kyle and I include:

• Recap of this past year (1:24)
• The transition back into full-time work (3:45)
• Different generational pressures (8:24)
• Big decisions and staying in the Air Force (13:04)
• Hummingbird of passions (18:24)
• Do the ads popping up on your phone come from listening to you? (24:59)
• Self-care, work-life balance and challenges at home (27:36)
• Losing Kyle's dad and the perspective from being a military spouse (33:38)
• Rapid Fire (41:57)

This episode is truly a special one, such a fun opportunity to sit with Kyle for an hour uninterrupted and just chat. I loved it so much. Did you learn anything new? Did you enjoy having Kyle on as the host? I would love to know! Join me on social and chat about it over the next four weeks.

Thanks for joining me on today's episode of, The American MILSpouse! If you enjoyed today's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, give me a 5 star, and leave a review to help me reach even more military spouses. Also, don't forget to check out my website or hang out with me on Instagram to stay connected with others in the community.

Emily Probst is an Air Force spouse, mother, former teacher, and rockstar realtor. Emily is the one who helped us find our house in Florida, and she is such a pro! Emily and her family's journey has been unique, and I can't wait for you to hear all about it.

Don't miss this episode as Emily and I talk about how life is crazy and ever-changing, what it's like being a working mom and wife, balancing the MILSpouse community, and balancing that shift in roles, especially as you go back into the workforce.

This episode is for you if you are ready to feel more aligned with your schedule and roles or want more information on VA loans!

Highlights from today include:

• About Emily (3:02)
• Transitioning into Real Estate (9:26)
• Serving military families (10:55)
• Sanity and identities of a MILSpouse (12:23)
• Finding outlets during downtime (16:26)
• Identifying and balancing your capacities (17:38)
• Buying a house with Emily during uncertain times (22:18)
• Helping first time home buyers (24:32)
• Takeaways for buying a house right now (26:11)
• Conventional loan vs. VA loan (29:23)
• VA appraisals (31:27)
• The limits and eligibility for a VA loan (36:04)
• The balance between real estate and being a MILSpouse (43:14)
• Transforming our roles and schedules (46:14)
• Getting everything done as a MILSpouse (50:57)
• Communicating to work together (56:24)
• Carving out alone time (1:00:39)
• Setting expectations to align schedules (1:01:48)
• Rapid-fire questions (1:03:26)

I told you Emily is a rockstar! How do you feel your schedule and relationship are aligning? I hope that you loved this episode as much as I do. I would love to know! Join me on social!

Connect with Emily

Facebook

Instagram

Work with Emily

Connect with Elizabeth

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Thanks for joining me on today's episode of, The American MILSpouse! If you enjoyed today's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, give me a 5-star, and leave a review to help me reach even more military spouses. Also, don't forget to check out my website or hang out with me on Instagram to stay connected with others in the community.