Life After the Uniform

In this episode,  Erin talks with US Army Master Sergeant (Retired), Darrell Williams. I could list Darrell's complete bio and CV, and I'm sure you would be impressed (I will provide a few key highlights below), but what is truly special about Darrell is that he is so much more than his professional accomplishments. He is a mentor in every sense of the word, he is passionate about helping others, and he is a natural leade...

In today’s episode, Erin talks with Mike Demo. Mike is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran turned CEO. Mike and I got to sit down and just talk about what life was like in the Marines in the early 2000s and how a mental illness misdiagnosis derailed his career. This episode is all about how Mike’s experience impacted his life after separating from the Marine Corps. As many of us know, it’s not an easy or linear path. There are ups and down...

Today’s episode is for military members still serving, veterans, and military spouses. Do you or your spouse have a mentor?  Someone you can talk to, ask questions, and bounce ideas off of? Someone who understands your situation and can guide you to your next goal? What if I told you that my guest today is part of network that provides this type of support? And what if I told you, it was free?

My guest today is Julianne Maioriello. ...

In today’s episode, Erin talks with Bill Kieffer. Bill is a U.S. Army veteran turned career transition coach. His advisory firm focuses on military career transitions, executive coaching, and strategic talent management. Bill is also a coach for the Honor Foundation which is a unique transition institute created exclusively for the U.S. Special Operations community. The Honor foundation works to ensure that every step is dedicated ...

In today’s episode, Erin talks with Sophia Spadacino. Sophia served 9 years Active Duty in the U.S. Air Force before transitioning into the Reserves where she currently serves as a First Sergeant. Sophia earned her graduate degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from UMD and worked for 4 years at the VA as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (Voc Rehab). After the VA, Sophia went to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (...

In today’s episode, Erin talks with Wanda “Sistah Solder” Petty, a 21-year Army Veteran and Chief Voice Officer of She Vet iNC. Erin and Sistah talked about different options for female veterans to get on their feet, be productive citizens, and live a comfortable lifestyle by using their creative talents to work remotely.  Also discussed was how to adapt to change, how to prepare for life after the military, and how resiliency can ...

In today’s episode, Erin talks with Will Orr, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired. Will and Erin had an open and honest conversation about Will’s life. 

In his own words:

“I grew up in a very precarious environment; having been born to two high-school dropouts, we struggled as a family to make ends meet. A blended family of 6, we moved often and were homeless at one point. At 14, my bed was a 3-way folding lawn-chair in the dining r...

In today’s episode, Erin talks with Rob Spedden, USMC. Rob grew up in Omaha, NE and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on October 26, 2004. He had a seemingly typical career – promoted on schedule, deployed, PCSd, took a special duty assignment as a recruiter, got married. For almost 17 years nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

That was until April 13, 2021. On an otherwise uneventful Tuesday afternoon, Rob experienced a full-on mani...

What is your gut reaction when you hear anything about the VA Disability Claims process? Do you feel angry? Confused? Overwhelmed?  

For many Veterans, interactions with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) seems like a necessary evil. You know you need to work with the VA to find out if you can get disability compensation for an illness or injury that was caused by—or got worse because of—your active military serv...

Your military service earned you several education benefits. And maybe you know a little bit about each of the VA Education programs, but aren’t quite sure which one is best for you or your dependents. I know the idea of sitting down and trying to sift through information on tuition assistance, credentialing assistance, Ch. 30, Ch. 31, Ch. 33, and Ch. 35 can seem overwhelming. 

If you want to learn more about each of the different V...

Who am I? We all ask ourselves this question, and it's no different for veterans. For many people, there’s no clear-cut answer. There isn’t just one path, or one identity, that seems to fit. If you’re a multi-passionate, creative type, you may explore many different opportunities and find that each of them fits in some way. This was the case for my guest, Wendy M. Kok.

Wendy is a U.S. Army Veteran, mother to two sets of teenage...

I have talked with numerous veterans who have told me that their identity was so intertwined with their military affiliation that they had a difficult time understanding who they were as an individual. When you aren’t sure who you are as a person, the path from service member to civilian can be a challenging one. We feel lost, unsure of next steps, and look for answers anywhere we can find them. But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

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Think you know just about everything there is to know about the Uniformed Services? Well, you may, BUT, are you familiar with the U.S. Public Health Service? In today's episode, Erin talks with Carma Connor-Marroquin, a Registered Dietitian and retired U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) officer.

Carma is passionate about sharing the career path available to public health professionals in the USPHS. After earning her R...

How to Successfully Navigate the Mil Spouse Life – Alison Woehrman

There is so much more to someone’s identity than what a podcast title suggests. Meet Alison Woehrman, who is not only a 20-year mil spouse, but also a mother, strength and conditioning coach, and podcast host.

After college, Alison spent almost 10 years as a dolphin and sea lion animal trainer with the Navy Marine Mammal Program. After several PCSs, and due ...

In this episode, Erin talks with retired USAF veteran turned Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and author, Curt Sheldon.
 
 Curt discusses his book, Well & Faithfully Discharged: Financial TTP for Military Retirement, and gives tips on what to expect financially when you retire or separate from the military. Several important tactics, techniques, and procedures are covered, including the survivor benefit plan, tax expec...

In 2018, Brian was a U.S. Air Force MSgt (E-7) just starting to prepare for retirement. He was attending transition assistance programs, learning about different retirement options, and trying to navigate how to transition from military member to civilian. But one seemingly innocuous LinkedIn post went viral and changed the trajectory of his path!   

Brian started Vets2Industry (V2I) in 2019 as a free resource library for the milita...

Coming from a 15+ year background as a marketing professional and military spouse, Lindsey Hanson Dumser discovered the path that allows her to merge her two passions by launching her personal branding firm, Evolve to Fly, in early 2021. Lindsey loves to use marketing techniques to teach people how to promote themselves. Whether they are looking for a new job, launching a new business, growing personally, transitioning out of the m...

Welcome to the first episode of the Life After the Uniform Podcast! This is not only the inaugural episode, it’s also my birthday! So, what better way to kick off a brand-new podcast, my birthday, and a new year than by interviewing the woman who has known me since birth, my mother, Terie Hynish?!?

But Terie isn’t JUST my mom. She’s also a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Navy! Terie enlisted in the Navy in 1968, during the Vietnam War, ...

I’m Erin Silver and I want to welcome you to my Podcast, Life After the Uniform. I grew up as a military brat with a mom in the Navy so I did what any reasonable child would do – I enlisted in the Air Force. I was Active Duty, then a traditional reservist, and now I’m an IMA. I’ve lived in 7 different states and attended more schools than I can remember. Who’s with me there? While we may not know each other personally, I already kn...