Milspouse Matters Episode 90 with Becky Hoy and Joanna Guldin-Noll
We’re talking all things deployment with the founders of PILLAR: The Digital Retreat for Deployment Countdowns!
We talk about the topic of deployment a lot on this podcast, and with good reason. It’s such a challenging time for military members and their spouses, families, or significant others. I’ve been SO excited to bring you this episode, as Becky Hoy and Joanna Guldin-Noll are truly experts on this topic, and they’re sharing their insight and encouragement with you. Whether you’re a military spouse, military girlfriend or boyfriend, or a family member, you’ll find support here.
Becky and Joanna are the cohosts of PILLAR, the totally free online retreat for deployment countdowns, which is coming up November 4-6! You may already know of their great support of the military spouse community, as Becky is the Founder of Brave Crate, the deployment countdown box for military spouses, and Joanna is the writer behind one of the largest military spouse lifestyle blogs online, Jo, My Gosh!
This episode is sponsored by the Christian Milspouse Podcast, where we talk about how our Christian faith can be applied to our military spouse journey. We’re talking about all the issues that go along with military life: loneliness, starting over, trusting God, raising kids, strengthening our marriages, finding a faith community, connecting with others, and so much more. Each short episode is 5-10 minutes long, perfect for you to have a spot of encouragement in your busy week!
You may remember that we visited with Becky back on episode 73, where she talked about how to thrive during deployment and not simply pass the time. She shared so much great insight and experience, so I hope you’ll go back and listen to that one.
On this episode, Becky and Joanna share:
- What they learned about themselves during deployment
- Their top tips for making the most of deployment
- When it’s hard, and “thriving” isn’t really happening
- The vision behind the PILLAR deployment retreat, how to connect, and why you should attend!
Not sure the PILLAR retreat is right for you? Becky says this,
“If you are in that space where it feels like you’re in the deployment black hole, I want to encourage you to come join us at PILLAR and just be. Don’t push yourself, just simply be in the room and read the stories that others are sharing so you know you’re not alone.”




Joanna adds,
“Choose one thing you can change. It doesn’t have to be big. For me, it was just getting off the couch and brushing my teeth. That little thing can jumpstart to maybe doing another thing.”




Here’s how to connect!
- Get your FREE ticket to the upcoming PILLAR deployment retreat at www.pillardeploymentretreat.com. Don’t miss out! It’s happening November 4-6, 2022.
- PILLAR @pillardeploymentretreat on Facebook and Instagram
- Jo, My Gosh!
- Joanna on Facebook and Instagram
- BraveCrate
- BraveCrate on Facebook and Instagram
More resources:
Get the 5-day deployment devotional:
More resources for your military life:
- Connect with Milspouse Matters on Instagram
- Christian Military Spouse Facebook Group
- Find the complete Milspouse Matters show archive and listen to every episode
Get Jen’s book, You Are Not Alone: Encouragement for the Heart of a Military Spouse.
Have a topic idea for the Milspouse Matters podcast or know someone who’d be a great guest? Send me a note or fill out our guest application.



