n this episode of the Great Guns Podcast, James sits down with Annette Berry — Army veteran, former Theatre Sister, brain haemorrhage survivor, and now Programme Lead for the Military Women Programme at the Forces Employment Charity.

Annette’s journey is anything but linear.

From joining the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, commissioning as a theatre sister, and loving life in uniform — to being medically forced out of nursing due to severe allergies — Annette opens up about the grief of losing not just a job, but an identity.

She shares candidly about:

1. Grieving the loss of a military career
2. Reinventing herself in civilian life
3. Divorce, relocation and single parenthood
4. Surviving a life-threatening subarachnoid haemorrhage
5. Building the Military Women Programme from scratch

This is a conversation about resilience, identity, equity, transferable skills, and why supporting veterans — especially women — is a privilege, not a task.

Takeaways

1. Losing your military career can feel like losing part of your identity — and it is okay to grieve it properly.
2. Resettlement is not always a “soft landing” — even highly skilled professionals can struggle with the transition.
3. Transferable skills are often invisible to the person who holds them. Sometimes it takes someone else to reflect them back.
4. Optimism and resilience are not denial — they are conscious choices to see opportunity in adversity.
5. Significant life events force clarity. They make you reassess where your true “happy place” is.
6. Military women often underestimate their value, capability, and readiness for civilian roles.
7. Job descriptions are wish lists — you do not need 100% of the criteria to apply.
8. Equity is not everyone getting the same bike — it’s everyone getting a bike that fits.
9. Supporting veterans is a privilege. Being an ally means helping people feel safe enough to receive support.
10. The right guidance can turn confusion into direction by asking better questions, not giving quick answers.

Sound Bites

1. “Losing my career felt like downhill and out of control.”
2. “You have to grieve properly when you lose the uniform.”
3. “If money were no object, what would your dream job be?”
4. “Job descriptions are wish lists.”
5. “Men apply at 50–60%. Women wait until they’re at 75%.”
6. “If veterans could see themselves as others see them, life would be easier.”
7. “Equity is giving everyone a bike that fits.”
8. “Supporting veterans isn’t a task — it’s a privilege.”
9. “You are far more than the sum of your parts.”

Connect with Annette

LinkedIn

Forces Employment Charity

#MilitaryTransition #Veterans #MilitaryWomen #Resilience #GreatGunsPodcast