The Coffee, Cake, and Camo Podcast

On our season finale, Coffee, Cake, & Camo hosts Chelsea and Erica reflect on their Thanksgiving holiday and discuss their favorite holiday dishes. They also discuss the evolution of the podcast from their very first episode, plans for the podcast in the coming year, and what service members and their families can look forward to in 2021 including Patriots Pantry, a cooking show, and more!

If 2020 has taught us anything, it's to appreciate every good moment. This special edition of Coffee, Cake, & Camo features Michael Schwarting of our USO HRCV Outdoor Adventure Team and Jon Macaskill of Veteran's PATH. A Retired Navy SEAL Commander, Jon details how mindfulness and meditation healed the invisible wounds of serving, and made him a better entrepreneur, father, and husband. We also hear more about exciting happenings with Veteran's PATH for transitioning service members and veterans, including a partnership with the Chopra Foundation.

For more information on Veteran's PATH, visit https://https://veteranspath.org/

The coronavirus pandemic may have temporarily closed our comfort centers, but it hasn't stopped our mission! Watch our latest episode to see how we went mobile to bring the USO mission to service members all over the Hampton Roads area with the help of our partner, Smithfield. Then, we talk more about Smithfield's Helping our Heroes initiative, which expands upon the company's long-standing commitment to honoring the service and sacrifice of American veterans and their families. The program will encompass Smithfield's three veteran-related focus areas: prioritizing veteran employment and career development; helping power veteran-owned businesses; and strengthening the community and family support systems that veterans rely on every day.

It's the most wonderful time of the year at your local USO! We're recapping how we celebrated Halloween at our Spooky Good Times: Halloweekend and expecting military moms through a virtual baby shower with Target and Heidi Murkoff, author of the What To Expect When You're Expecting book series. We also wish a Happy 245th Birthday to the US Marine Corps and salute all veterans this upcoming Veterans Day. Finally, we touch on how we're celebrating Thanksgiving with our USO Trot for the Troops, a virtual 5K, and our plans for the holidays including our annual Cookies & Cocoa with Santa and Operation Holiday Spirit.

Things haven't slowed down in 2020 for USO HRCV Outdoor Adventure Team (OAT). In addition to paddle boarding, Mommy and Me Workouts, swimming, and cycling, OAT has added adventure racing as one of their offerings to veterans, service members, and their families. Program Director, Michael Schwarting, sits down with Brent Russel to talk more about how ANYONE can get involved in adventure racing, how he's stayed fit during the pandemic, and details about OAT's first adventure race on November 14. More details on registration to come!

Our new normal doesn't have to take away your Halloween spirit! On this episode we're sharing how you can stay safe as you engage in spooky activities for Halloween by following these CDC guidelines. Plus, Gregg Nigro stops by to tell us how Dunkin' is celebrating Halloween with a DIY Donut Decorating Kit, the return of the SPIDER Donut, and the new Spicy Ghost Pepper Donut, which brings the heat with strawberry flavored icing, featuring a bold cayenne and ghost pepper spice blend! Finally, we're giving you an update on USO HRCV happenings!

Rowing is just one of many adaptive sports that the USO HRCV Outdoor Adventure Team (OAT) offers to wounded, ill, and injured service members and any military service member or their family looking to get active. Tune in as OAT Program Director, Michael chats with Michelle Buchanan, Executive Director & Founder of Virginia Beach Veterans Rowing about how rowing is changing the course of recovery for many athletes combating their physical and mental wounds. Plus, hear more about our latest state-of-the-art equipment that you can utilize at our OAT studio on JEBLC!

For more information on the Outdoor Adventure Team, visit: https://hrcv.uso.org/programs/outdoor-adventure-team

For more information on Virginia Beach Veterans Rowing, visit: https://www.vbvr.org/

Special thanks to our partner, T-Mobile, for Being a Force Behind the Forces!

Is your family covered when you head off for deployment? On this episode, our friend Ed Sizer of Geico Military talks to us about some first steps service members should take to ensure they are covered and things are taken care of before they head out. We also chat about some sweet discounts that active duty military, reservists, and transitioning service members can enjoy when they choose Geico. 

Special thanks to our partner, Geico Military, for being a Force Behind the Forces!

To celebrate our 21st episode, we're taking a look back at some of our favorite moments on our Coffee, Cake, and Camo Podcast. We've shared lots of laughs, met awesome guests, and served our military like never before. Let us know what your favorite moments on the show were by using the hashtag #CoffeeCakeCamo!