Do you ever feel like a supporting character in this milspouse life? One of the many life lessons contained in the book, The Astronaut’s Wife, is that you are essential to the mission’s success. Embrace the fact that you are not a side story and jump in with both feet.

First things first – stop trying to do it all by yourself. You have to build your community and that means putting yourself out there and being vulnerable. Find people who you can be your authentic self around. What you are doing is important, even if you don’t get paid for it or society minimizes it.

This is the story of the astronaut’s wife—a journey full of unexpected twists and turns. While the love of her life orbited the Earth, Stacey embarked on a knock-your-socks-off adventure right here at home. Containing behind-the-scenes glimpses into a side of space flight that most of us will never experience, The Astronaut’s Wife is a funny, poignant, and meaningful exploration of living life to the fullest—no matter where you roam.

Stacey Morgan is always ready with a funny or thoughtful story from her own life. Whether it be holding down the home front during Special Forces military deployments, working for the Smithsonian, skydiving, teaching her teens to drive, taking roller-skating lessons, or blasting her husband into outer space. A women’s ministry leader for over fifteen years, Stacey is an executive leadership coach for MOPS International, a nonprofit focused on the unique needs of mothers around the world. She and her husband have four children.

Listeners, if you would like to check out more about Stacey Morgan, check out her website here, or connect with her on social media via Instagram. If you would like to learn more about Bloom, check out their website here, or connect with them on social media via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Resource Recon with Annie and Sarah R.

This week’s Resource Recon is brought to you from our ever-empowering, Band of Bloggers! Today’s featured post is written by Amanda Krieger, entitled: 3 Challenges of Reintegration (And 3 Possible Solutions).

I’ve been writing about deployment and reintegration a lot. It’s my life right now, and it’s harder than I anticipated. I thought it would be magically easy, since my husband and I had some key conversations to prepare us for the changes that occurred for all of us while he was gone.

I was wrong. (I originally entitled this post, ‘Reintegration is For The Birds,’ if that gives you insight into how wrong I was.)

But why? Why is it still so challenging, even though we did our best to plan our hopes and expectations?

Well, it’s simply because we changed our minds!

Empowerment Patrol Report with Amanda B.

Today we are showcasing Army Wife Network’s Everyday Empowerment recipient, Erin Byal. Here is a little about Erin:

My name is Erin Byal, aka “The Short Wife” and I am a blogger and content creator. I’ve been married to my marine husband for 6 years. We currently live in New Bern, North Carolina with our 2 golden retrievers, Kylo and Abby. We got married in Lincoln, Nebraska and soon after PCS’d for the first time to Quantico, Virginia. Since starting this journey of military life we’ve lived in Virginia, Pensacola, Florida, San Diego, California, and now North Carolina.

Being a military spouse has really formed so much of who I am. From the challenges of moving and starting over to experiencing a deployment in Afghanistan, it has been a whirlwind the last 6 years. I am forever grateful to hold the title of military spouse!

As far as my social media brand, The Short Wife, it’s not only become a part time job, but also my creative outlet. All of my content is centered around anxiety & mental health, military spouse life, funny and inspirational reels, and our dogs. I actually began blogging back in 2016 to let friends and family know what we were up to. But I started getting serious about content creation when I began openly writing about my anxiety disorder in January of 2020. It has brought some really cool connections, and I’m so grateful for that.

My biggest goal for my social media is to make connections with other military spouses, people who may struggle with mental health, people who need a friendly face to see, and to spread joy and encourage others to be authentically themselves!

On behalf of Army Wife Network, thank you so much, Erin for doing your part to empower families around the world.

News 6 with Jolene

Here is this week’s News 6 mashup of stories for the week of May 2, 2022, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent, Jolene McNutt:

Online Sexual Harassment Running Rampant for Troops

Online sexual harassment for military members, especially women servicemembers, is running rampant and without much recourse, reported Federal News Network. “Troops are feeling the weight of attacks from peers, veterans and civilians through direct messages, texts, calls, video chats, public posts and internet forums,” reported Federal News Networks.

If you need help for online harassment, you can reach out to the DoD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office 8am-5pm, EST, at 571-372-2657 or DSN: 372-2657.

Army’s Announces New Parental Policies

The Army has sweeping new parental policies aimed to create a better quality of life for military parents, reported Military.com. The policies will impact “400,000 soldiers who are also parents, including 29,000 single fathers.” The policies were a “grassroots effort by midlevel and noncommissioned officers and feedback from parents on social media, not senior leaders who typically craft new rules.”

World’s Oldest Dog Turns 21!

A Florida chihuahua named TobyKeith is officially the world’s oldest living dog. The 21-year-old chihuahua was adopted from a shelter by Gisela Shore. According to Good News Network, TobyKeith has a close friendship with Shore’s “28-year-old umbrella cockatoo named Coco, and often walks around with her.”

You can check out more of this week’s top stories here.

Podcast Brought to You By First Command

We would like to thank First Command Financial Services for sponsoring today’s episode. First Command offers complimentary financial plans for active-duty military, E5+. Visit www.firstcommand.com to learn more and find a financial coach near you.

Thank You

Thank you for tuning into this week’s episode. Please leave a five-star rating and review on Apple podcasts, then send us a screenshot of your review to info@armywifenetwork.com or DM us on Facebook or Instagram @armywifenetwork to receive a special in-real-life gift as a thank you on behalf of AWN. We appreciate your engagement and support.

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