On this week’s Military Life Podcast Episode, enjoy listening to some real talk from a handful of Defence Partners who have previously detailed their spouse journey with us on past episodes.

Episode 162 is all about how Defence Partners support their Mental Health while living Defence Life.

As you will hear from listening to the stories of Defence Partners Chaia, Catherine, Rachael, Nicole, Kim, and Amanda, our journeys are unique yet have many common threads that connect us.

So, get comfy and enjoy listening to this compilation episode that sheds light on the question…

How do Defence Partners Support their Mental Health while living Defence Life?

To listen to the full episode, scroll to Ep136 (15/9/22) for Chaia’s story, Ep111 (26/11/21) for Catherine’s story, Ep131 (11/8/22) for Rachael’s story, Ep89 (15/4/21) for Nicole’s story, Ep82 (11/2/21) for Kim’s story or Ep87 (25/3/21) for Amanda’s story.

Defence Partners + Career = Complicated!

On this week’s Military Life Podcast Episode, enjoy listening to some real talk from a handful of Defence Partners who have previously detailed their spouse journey with us on past episodes.

Episode 161 is all about how Defence Partners focus on and further their Careers while living Defence Life.

As you will hear from listening to the stories of Defence Partners Amelia, Brooke, Jade, Freya, Elle, and Bec, our Career journeys are unique yet have many common threads that connect us.

So, get comfy and enjoy listening to this compilation episode that sheds light on the question…

How do Defence Partners envision their careers actually working alongside Defence Life?

To listen to the full episode’s scroll to Ep54 (25/6/20) for Amelia’s story, Ep56 (16/7/20) for Brooke’s story, Ep63 (3/9/20) for Jade’s story, Ep146 (2/3/23) for Freya’s story, Ep19 (4/9/19) for Elle’s story or Ep41 (27/2/20) for Bec’s story.

On this week’s Military Life *Parents Edition* podcast episode, enjoy listening to some real talk from a handful of Defence Partners who are already Parents or are planning for a family in the future.

Arusha, Bianca, Ashley, Anika and Bec have all previously detailed their spouse journey on past episodes, and as you will hear from listening to their stories, our experiences are unique yet have many common threads that connect us.

So, get comfy and enjoy listening to this compilation episode that sheds light on the question… How do you even plan for a family while living defence life, let alone support defence kids through the challenges and celebrations that come with it?

To listen to the full episode’s scroll to Ep23 (2/10/19) for Arusha’s story, Ep80 (28/1/21) for Bianca’s story, Ep7 (16/5/19) for Ashley’s story, Ep18 (28/8/19) for Anika’s story or Ep17 (21/8/19) for Bec’s story.

This week on the podcast, enjoy listening to some real talk from a handful of Defence Partners who have previously detailed their spouse journey with us on past episodes.

Episode 159 of the Military Life Podcast is all about what it’s really like to become a Defence Partner and live Defence Life.

As you will hear from listening to the stories of Defence Partners Nicole, Rae, Katie, and Amanda, our experiences are unique yet have many common threads that run so deep and connect us.

So, get comfy and enjoy listening to this compilation episode that sheds light on the question… What was your introduction to Defence Life really like?

To listen to the full episodes, scroll to Ep89 (15/4/21) for Nicole’s story, Ep125 (28/4/22) for Rae’s story, Ep86 (18/3/21) for Katie’s story or Ep87 (25/3/21) for Amanda's story.

On this week’s Military Life Podcast episode and as the Defence Community start to receive news of postings and possible moves, I re-release PART TWO of my chat with Defence Partner and Declutter Expert Tara Tuttle.

Tara knows the challenges of Defence Life and moving and packing and unpacking and all the things!

Tara also knows the challenges Defence Families can face when it comes to organisation, clutter, holding onto things, feeling overwhelmed and how physical and mental clutter are often connected.

In PART TWO, Tara and I talk about;

-Just in case items and how they hold us down

-When excess and clutter prevent us from living the way we want to live

-Setting aside time to declutter and organise and starting small in order to avoid overwhelm

-Taking time to find or create homes for our belongings when we post into a new location

-How that can allow us, mentally, to feel more settled

-How deciding to let go of stuff is just the first step in the process and how having a plan and committing to the whole process is key.

PLEASE NOTE: This podcast episode was recorded a couple of years ago, and while the content is still so relevant, it should be noted that Tara does not currently operate the Life Coach/Decluttering business she mentions in this podcast episode and is no longer recording new episodes of her BeUncluttered Podcast. To listen to past episodes, check it out here  

On this week’s Military Life Podcast episode and as the Defence Community start to receive news of postings and possible moves, I re-release PART ONE of my chat with Defence Partner and Declutter Expert Tara Tuttle.

Tara knows the challenges of Defence Life and moving and packing and unpacking and all the things!

Tara also knows the challenges Defence Families can face when it comes to organisation, clutter, holding onto things, feeling overwhelmed and how physical and mental clutter are often connected.

Tara and I talk about;

-The two types of people when it comes to decluttering

-How Defence Life can lead us to be less critical about our belongings

-How saying yes to having LESS physical possessions or mental clutter allows us to make space for what is really important

-All things decluttering and letting go

In PART TWO of this podcast episode, Tara and I talk about just-in-case items and how they hold us down, when excess and clutter prevent us from living the way we want, setting aside time to declutter and organise, and so much more.

PLEASE NOTE: This podcast episode was recorded a couple of years ago, and while the content is still so relevant, it should be noted that Tara does not currently operate the Life Coach/Decluttering business she mentions in this podcast episode and is no longer recording new episodes of her BeUncluttered Podcast. To listen to past episodes, check it out here  

On this week’s Military Life *Parents Edition* podcast episode, I speak with Defence Partner Chrissy who went on a blind date with an ADF member 13 years ago and never looked back.

Chrissy and I also talk about;

-Why, after backpacking solo for five years, the Defence lifestyle really suited her

-How her attitude to the unknown of defence life changed once children came into the picture

-Balancing Defence life with career & the needs of her son, who is autistic with a mild intellectual disability

-Why their family is now living apart after her RAAF husband received a posting to Richmond

-The reasons that forced her hand when it came time to decide whether to post with her husband

-The lack of support and services available for Defence families with a child with additional needs

-How living apart has been going and being faced with living apart for another 7+ years

-Questioning whether choosing stability and support for their kids over living together was the right decision

-Stepping back into the workforce after an eight-year gap and balancing all the things

-Staying connected thanks to Facetime and spending quality time together on weekends

Did you know that Defence Partners, defence children and those considered to be a recognised other person, who have additional needs, can apply to get those additional needs recognised?

Defence may provide special needs benefits for resident family members with physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, sensory impairments, learning or behavioural difficulties, speech disorders and other medical illnesses or impairments.

To apply, your ADF member will need to download a copy of the Application for Recognition of member with dependant with special needs (AC832) form from the Web Forms portal on the Defence Protected Network (DPN).

To find out more info visit the Defence Member and Family Support (DMFS) website here

https://pay-conditions.defence.gov.au/register-resident-family-members-special-needs

You can also access support online or in your area via the Defence Special Needs Support Group (DSNSG) here http://dsnsg.org.au/

On this week’s Military Life podcast episode, I caught up with Defence Partner Jeni, who was a guest on the podcast on ep98.

Back in 2021, Jeni and I spoke about her upcoming move across the country for her husband’s first posting, the transition from civilian to defence family life after being together for 13 years, leaving friends and family and helping their kids start fresh in WA.

We also spoke about acknowledging your capacity when taking on the mental and physical load of the household while also figuring out Defence Life.

In this episode, Jeni updates us on how the move went and what the first few years of Defence Life have been like for their family.

 We cover it all. Settling kids, experiencing their first deployment, finding employment, living in DHA housing for the first time, being on the other side of the country from friends and family and everything familiar.

Scroll back to ep98 if you would like to refresh your memory by listening to Jeni’s original episode, but be sure to come back and listen to this ep (155) because it has such great insight regarding the first few years of Defence Life!

Ready to join the ML community? Click through the link to get connected xx

www.militarylife.com.au

On this week's Military Life *Parents Edition* podcast episode, I speak with spouse Simone about the first 5 years of Defence Life and supporting her two kids through huge changes.

Simone and I also talk about;

-Her husband’s connection to Defence & how that played into his decision to join

-Why Defence Force Recruiting told her Husband to come back in a year or two

-The importance of making the decision to become a Defence Family together

-Why no amount of research or advice could prepare them for living Defence life

-The true toll separation takes on the spouse, the kids and the ADF member

-Expectation of what Defence life would be like vs the reality

-First Posting, First Deployment and Everything in between

-Supporting kids who had to get used to Dad not being home every night

-The balance of looking after her needs, the kids needs & the ADF members

-The pros and cons of posting to the same location they lived in before joining Defence

-The first deployment and why it helped connect Simone to the bigger Defence picture

-Possible future postings and why Defence might not be a ‘for life’ option

NEW to Defence Life? Pop over to the Defence Partner Info Hub. I’ve translated all that ‘defence speak’, untangled information and laid it all out in one easy-to-navigate space in easy-to-understand language https://militarylife.com.au/defence-partner-info-hub/

Ready to join the ML community? Click through the link to get connected xx     www.militarylife.com.au

In this week's podcast episode and as part of Pride month, I re-release my chat with Racheal Cosgrove, President of DEFGLIS, the Defence LGBTI Information Service.

Racheal and I spoke about;

• How and why DEFGLIS started
• Who DEFGLIS support and represent
• How DEFGLIS has changed and evolved over the years
• The impact DEFGLIS has had on the lives of LGBTI Defence members and their families
• Why it is important to have a group like DEFGLIS
• The safe and secure space DEFGLIS offers for LGBTI members and their families
• Why DEFGLIS are working to stamp out discrimination in the workplace
• Some of the ways DEFGLIS have helped change Defence policy & practices
• Why it is so important DEFGLIS continue to advocate for policy change
• How DEFGLIS help connect the LGBTI defence community
• The impact of not feeling as though you can come to work as your whole self creates
• Why feeling misunderstood or unsupported at work leads to a reduction in output and how that impacts capability
• How to be an ally for fellow defence families who are part of the LGBTI community
• How those who are part of the LGBTI Defence community can reach out for help and support

If you would like to find out more information about DEFGLIS or pass on the links to someone who might be interested, there are a few ways to do so;

Website- https://www.defglis.com.au/

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/DEFGLIS

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/defglis/

Ready to join the Military Life community? Click through the link to get connected xx     www.militarylife.com.au