Lifegiver Military Spouse Podcast

Happy New Year! Lifegiver is back with an all new episode that is perfect for every parent. This week I interview Jennifer Hamrick- military spouse to an Army Chaplain, homeschool mom, and blogger. She may not say it herself, she is far too humble, but she is a mentor to so many on so many things "motherhood". I have sought her wisdom on many occasions and watched as she patiently disciplined her 4 boys all while homeschooling them all. With a Masters in Early Childhood Education, she has...

After a whirlwind trip to the Middle East with the Secretary of Defense, Matt and I sit down just three days after I returned to talk about what the project was like for both of us. Although I hoped to make a difference in spouses' understanding of their service members, I could not have anticipated how much Matt's voice would also have an impact. Of course, I think he is amazing, but his perspective on what it was like to stay home while I was away resonated for so many military spouses....

I had the most awesome day ever! I got to ride in a MH-53 Helicopter - like 4 times! I got to ride out to the Charles De Gaulle a FrenchAircraft Carrier Vessel in the Gulf. Whats funny is that the press that I was with was playfully arguing over whether it was the Persian Gulf or the Arabian, so we just agreed its best to call it the Gulf. The Charles De Gaulle was filled with mostly 2,000 French Navy and Marines which is significant in the current war on terror and our efforts to partner...

Today was emotional for me. Maybe it was the anticipation of knowing this day would resonate the most for me, maybe it was the jet lag. I only had 2.5 hours of sleep. There is a little bit of a lengthy backstory on why this was emotional and there is no way I can explain it all. If you read The Outpost by Jake Tapper, you would understand how Matts experience during that first deployment made this visit special. I think there is going to be a specific place (or couple of them) for a lot of...

Today I got to fly into Erbil, Iraq and spend a lot of time getting to know what deployment is like with our female soldiers there. Seeing deployment living conditions for them was quite eye opening. Not that they were poor, in fact our service members are well taken care of, but there are so many things we are told that they try to describe to us that cant convey it accurately. Honestly, it has been a challenge to figure out how I could convey them to you in a new way. There are some...

My husband Matt calls the experience of being in theater "Bizarro World." As I got off the C-17 into the dusty air of Baghdad, I was immediately in just that. It smelled like my husband when he first got home from deployment. (Sorry hun, but its true for all of you!) Granted we were forced to change our plans due to fog that limited helicopter take off. Still, so many things were notable. I hear from soldiers that coming home they are hit by the sensory overload of colors, carpet, and...

Hello Air Force! My first day started off with the bright lights of day when it should have been 2am. I got about 4 hours of sleep thanks to the sleepy pills the on-plane physician handed out. I am your normal everyday military spouse who happens to be a clinician, but I am going to do my best to share with you what I experienced today. My hope is that I can take this experience and translate it in a way that will encourage you to invest in your marriage. We landed at INCIRLIK Air Base in...

Matt and I fell in love at Gardner-Webb University. This fall, we had the opportunity to go back and speak with students who are just starting out like we were. With our intention to ease anxiety for students who are still unsure of God's calling on their life, we encouraged them to be diligent with what God has already asked them to do- today. In this interview, Gardner-Webb's radio show asks about our start in wokring with military families and why we love what we do. More than anything,...

We all likely remember our first move in the military. Filled with doubt, excitement, adventure, and fear- we learn to navigate the new community, acronyms, and the importance of that ID card. In this raw interview, Claire Wood shares her story that she recounts in her book: Mission Ready Marriage: My Life as An Active Duty Wife. Claire could not be more vulnerable as she shares the anxiety of leaving everything and everyone she knew to start a new adventure with her husband as an Army...

I have had many opportunities to address the resilience of military families. Like many of you, I dont relate to this word. In fact, I dont want to even say it anymore. I dont feel like I bounce back from things. Often, I feel like I evolve more than anything else. In todays episode, I walk you through my last few months of Jackson Pollock "manic" research on what do military couples really need to get through difficulty. Get ready to put your thinking caps on as I help you understand why...

It is one thing to go through the constant change in my life, its another thing entirely to watch my kids struggle. I feel responsible for their wellbeing, but how do you know when your kids are really struggling with the constant transition of moving, making friends, and leaving friends? Kids and adults feel stress in similar ways, but sometimes their expression of it may look different. This is a season of transition for #TeamWeathers. We spent a year and half in Georgia and will only...

Lena Steiner: Marathons, Leadership Marriage In this episode, I interview Lena Steiner. I met TeamSteiner in Colorado during one of the most significant seasons of my life. That deployment changed a lot of us, including my own husband. But it was the support of Corey and Lena Stenier that carried an entire squadron through dark days. TeamSteiner served military families by Corey taking on the heavy responsibility of the Rear Detachment Commander- staying behind while the rest of the...

You would think that this would be easy for me as I have been using the term "lifegiver" for years to describe the kind of person I want to become.Yetwhen it came time to work on this episode, not only did I have a loss for words- I also went through a challenging week that completely changed my perspective. The military has a way of taking everything you put nicely in an organized box in your mind and then dumping it out and walking on it. Or maybe that's just me... I have a feeling you...

Cyber-bullying has become a trending issue in the MIlitary Spouse world. That may come as a shock to some of you, but it is not justhappening to our kids. This podcast will talk about the growing issue in the military culture and what you can do about it. Everyday, social media tempts to bring out the worst in us. What will you do? In essense we must learn to that we have no control over other people, but we DO have great influence. Learning to control yourself is a big enough challenge....

This is not a new podcast, but a talk I gave in 2010 to New Life Church, Colorado Springs, CO. Many people have requested access to it, so it has been included into the Lifegiver Series. Here I address how you can manage chronic depression as well as how your faith and relationship with God plays a role in our mood. Depression look svery different for each person it effects. From a bad day, to Post Partum, to grief, and Chronic Depression- there are so many kinds and levels. There can be...

If you haven't had a chance to listen to the first episode of Lifegiver Military Spouse Podcast, do it today! You wil hear a little bit of my story as a military spouse as well as the future vision of the Podcast. Look for it to officially launch in late August- full of content that every military spouse can relate to regardless of branch. Listen to Episode 1 Now!

Corie Weathers, LPC talks with Augusta's 88.3 Christian Radio on being named Armed Forces Insurance 2015 Military Spouse of the Year as well as providing ministry to military families. http://content.blubrry.com/lifegiver_podcast/lifegiver-2015-06-20-001.mp3