The Power of Military Women Stories

This week on Women of the Military podcast we are celebrating the power of military women stories with the release of episode 250! I am so excited to share this episode with you. Five of my amazing past podcast guest were able to join me for this fun conversation. We highlighted the importance of sharing the stories of women, resources for women veterans, joining the military and of course advice for the next generation of women considering service.

The power of military women stories

This week I’m bringing back five special guests that have not only shared their story on my podcast but are inspirations to me and friends that I can reach out to.

Annette Whittenberger, Army

Annette was a guest in the early days of the podcast in episode 11 we focused on mental health. A theme that still runs through all aspects of her business. Back then she was a blogger just getting started. Today she continues to be an advocate in the mental health space through her writing, speaking, and songwriting. She has also written a book, The Truths We Hide. You can learn more about Annette here.

Retired Major General Mari Eder, Army

Mari was on the cusp of launching her book The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line when I interviewed her for episode 70. Today, she is not only the author of that book but has also released a second book, The Girls Who Fought Crime, and was recently honored as the 2023 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year. You can learn more about Mari, here.

Tab Bartley, Marine Corps

Tab and I met when she was running for State Senate in Indiana, although she didn’t win her election she continues to be an advocate. She was a guest in episode 95 where we talked about her experience in the Marine Corps. Today, she works for the US Department of Agriculture. She also hosts the podcast, The Oath We Took. You can learn more about Tab, here.

Jennifer Vollbrecht, Marine Corps

Jennifer and I met when we were both finalist for the Melissa A. Washington Small Business Award. I immediately connected with Jennifer and as we worked on our group project as a finalist I was more and more enamored with her. She ended up winning the grant. Then she went on to use the grant money to work through the Skillbridge program and has helped six veterans find employment after service and is currently helping another two veterans. After connecting I couldn’t wait to have her as a guest and had the chance to share her story in episode 171. She is the owner of JVollbrecht Consulting. You can learn more about Jennifer, here.

Trish Alegra-Smith, Air Force

Trish and I connected before I started the podcast. She was one of the women who filled out my call for stories before I even knew it would become a book. Her story is in the Women of the Military book. And then it took a few years but she was a guest on the podcast sharing her story in episode 167. She also has worked with me to be interview me for the Women of the Military podcast. In episode 166, she talked to me about my experience of creating the podcast and what I had planned for the future. And then recently, episode 247, we talked about my experience of going through the VA disability process and registering for VA Health Care.

Besides being a supporter of the work I am doing. She is also an amazing photographer. She owns Photography by Trish. Her work has been featured on the cover of both Military Families Magazine and the Reserve and National Guard Magazine. She offers photography service for events in the DC, Richmond and Hampton Roads area. You can learn more about Trish, here.

In this episode we highlight the power and importance of stories of women. How there are not enough stories by women that people know and how sharing our stories helps the next generation. We also highlighted resources for women veterans. I’m going to do a full blog post on the resources coming out on Thursday. We also talked about the challenges people are facing when joining the military and how we can help. And ended the episode with advice for the next generation of women considering service.

 

 

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