Clare Taber on her self-care evolution during empathetic service and advocacy

Summary

In this engaging conversation, Clare Taber shares her journey from military service as a combat medic to her current exploration of spirituality and advocacy. She discusses the influence of her family legacy on her choices, the challenges of parenting, and the importance of self-care for caregivers. Clare's experiences with personal loss and resilience have shaped her perspective on life, leading her to write a book and advocate for accessibility in her community. Throughout the discussion, she emphasises the significance of connection, empathy, and the ongoing journey of personal growth.

Keywords

military, spirituality, personal growth, advocacy, self-care, resilience, relationships, writing, accessibility, family legacy

Takeaways

Clare joined the military at 19 to help people.

She faced challenges during basic training but persevered.

Family legacy influenced her decision to join the military.

Clare met her husband while working as a medic.

Parenting and military life brought unique challenges.

She transitioned from the military to legal administration.

Clare experienced personal loss and its impact on her life.

Writing became a form of self-discovery for Clare.

Advocacy for accessibility is a passion for Clare.

Self-care is essential for empaths and caregivers.

Titles

From Combat Medic to Spiritual Writer

Navigating Life's Challenges with Resilience

Sound bites

"I always wanted to make my dad proud."

"I went back to school when I was 40."

"I joined the military when I was 19."

Chapters

00:00 Clare's Military Journey

02:59 Family Legacy and Personal Choices

05:52 Love in the Line of Duty

08:45 Navigating Life's Challenges

11:36 From Military to Spirituality

14:31 The Impact of Personal Loss

17:59 Finding Purpose Through Adversity

20:46 The Journey to Authorship

23:37 Embracing Spirituality and Creativity

26:17 Life Lessons and New Beginnings

29:16 Connecting Through Shared Experiences

32:18 Exploring New Activities and Social Connections

34:37 The Power of Connection

39:04 Navigating Relationships and Boundaries

43:48 Empathy and Self-Care

49:46 Advocacy and Accessibility

55:52 Personal Growth and Future Aspirations

 

Transcript

 

Clare Taber (00:00)
table.

Melanie Suzanne Wilson (00:02)
Hello Claire Taber, thank you so much for being on the podcast.

Clare Taber (00:07)
Thank you for having me.

Melanie Suzanne Wilson (00:10)
We were just talking before we got started about how you are ex-military and how you journeyed into that, and your family was in the military. Would you like to share more about that experience?

Clare Taber (00:25)
Sure, I joined the military when I was 19. I became, it was called a combat medic. And so I really wanted to help people. At the time, I thought about joining either the Peace Corps or ⁓ the military, but ⁓ you needed a degree to join the Peace Corps. so I was kind of midway through college. So I decided to join the army and became a medic, and I was in for six years, met some of the best people that I've ever met ⁓ and it was, bless you, it was ⁓ definitely ⁓ a challenging and exciting experience. ⁓ I actually went to basic training twice because they gave me the wrong prescription for my glasses.

And so about week nine out of 10, we're all out in the field with camouflage on our face. And they pulled me over and they said, we don't know what to do with you. You can't graduate because you can't qualify with the weapon. And I kept hitting 19. And at the time, you needed at least 24 out of 40.

And I was like, well, I can't see the 300-meter targets. so they were like, well, you can either go home or you can do it again. And so I was like, well, my father was in, and I'm not going home a failure. So I was like, I'm going to do it again. And they thought I was crazy. And ⁓ so basically I went back to week two.

and kind of did everything, all the ⁓ training exercises, the road marches, all the physical things again. The only thing I didn't have to do again was the gas chamber. So I was very thankful for that.

Melanie Suzanne Wilson (02:38)
You got through the training, and you got into the work that you wanted. You were telling me before about how the previous generation had been in the military in your family. And so it was a bi