LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:
Milspouse Matters Episode 71: Support for National Guard Spouses with Julie Provost
Are you looking for support as a National Guard spouse? Wondered how to find your community or make connections? This is the episode for you!
This episode of the Milspouse Matters podcast is sponsored by SpouseLink, which was created in 2012 by AAFMA, the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association. The goal of Spouselink is to support, inform, and inspire military spouses. Learn more at Spouselink.org.
Mentioned on this episode:
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Jen’s “favorite things” this week:
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About this episode and guest Julie Provost:
We’ve had a lot of requests for a National Guard spouse to come on the podcast, so this is the episode for you! First, I’m sharing some ideas from National Guard spouses from my Facebook group for ways to connect with other spouses and your military community. Next I’m talking to National Guard spouse Julie Provost, who you may know from her popular blog Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life.
Julie Provost was an active duty army wife for about nine years, and has been a national guard spouse for seven. Julie is a freelance writer and editor and lives near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with her National Guard husband and three boys. In her free time, she loves to read all the books, watch movies, and spend time with family and friends.
Connect with Julie and Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn
Julie is also looking for National Guard spouse guest bloggers for her site! Contact her with the link to her site above for more information.
Some of the topics we discussed:
The transition from active duty to National Guard.
When Guard spouses wonder if they’re “really” a military spouse.
Some misconceptions people have about Guard families.
Outlets for support for Guard families, since they’re often not living near a base or military community.
Julie’s experience living overseas in Germany as an active duty family, and why she recommends taking the overseas assignment!
When looking for support as a National Guard spouse, Julie says:
“I would look and see what your local community has. You might be surprised. Sometimes the town will have a church support group or a local support group. You never really know what’s out there unless you look. If you feel up to it, you might even want to start a group yourself and see if you can find other Guard families. It doesn’t have to be anything big…just meet for coffee once a month. You may feel like you’re the only person, but most likely there are other Guard families in your area. You just have to find each other.”
With the perspective as both an active duty Army wife and now a National Guard spouse, Julie says:
“Sometimes I hear National Guard spouses say, ‘Am I really a military spouse?’ My spouse puts on the uniform. He can be deployed. He goes and serves his country. Yes, we are military spouses!”
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