Work From Home with Kimber

Show Notes | January 21, 2020 | Episode 015

Military Creator Con + Podfest

Do you have a passion for content creation and development? Do you love connecting with others in the military community, to grow and learn together? Then this is the episode for you. Join us as Kimber and James van Prooyen (founder of the Military Podcast Network) share all the exciting details of Military Creator Con and Podfest 2020, including how VirtForce is helping YOU get there.

If you are a new listener to VirtForce Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Links and Resources

VirtForce Podcast 

Kimber Hill LinkedIn

James van Prooyen

VirtForce Ticket GiveawayCoupon Code: wesaluteyou

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Military Creator Con

Podfest

Avery Skipalis (Speaker)

Austen Alexander (Keynote Speaker)

MCC Facebook Group

Purchase Tickets (For a limited time, use discount code “wesaluteyou” for 50% off!)

Join the Conversation

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.  

VirtForce on Facebook

VirtForce on LinkedIn

Check Out More VirtForce Programming

TCDI, A Path for Milspouses into Legal and Cyber Services

Let’s Talk Military Taxes with Brandyn Cox

You are what you speak – with Mark England

Instantly create a profile with Kara of Instant Teams

Show Notes | January 16, 2020 | Episode 016

Stand United

In December 2019, the military community was rocked by two shootings, just days apart, at NS Pearl Harbor and NAS Pensacola. Like many of you, the VirtForce team struggled to process the events and figure out how to move forward as a community.

In an effort to support our community and provide a resource, as well as create a safe space to heal, host Kimber talks with Tesa Saulmon about the psychological impacts of an event like this, as well as how they personally felt in the aftermath of the events. We also speak with Melinda from GFI Apparel to share all the details on their Stand United fundraiser and how you can help support the families of the fallen.

If you are a new listener to VirtForce Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Links and Resources

VirtForce Podcast 

Kimber Hill LinkedIn

Tesa Saulmon

GFI Apparel

ABC News

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

My Abundant Life: Secondary Trauma

Stand United Fundraiser (Purchase you shirt here)

Join the Conversation

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.  

VirtForce on Facebook

VirtForce on LinkedIn

Check Out More VirtForce Programming

TCDI, A Path for Milspouses into Legal and Cyber Services

Let’s Talk Military Taxes with Brandyn Cox

You are what you speak – with Mark England

Instantly create a profile with Kara of Instant Teams

Blog Post

In December 2019, the military community was rocked by shootings at NS Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and NAS Pensacola in Florida. The shootings occurred just two days apart, on opposite sides of the country.

If you are interested in learning more about the events that transpired, we encourage you to read the above articles and to talk to those around you who may have been impacted.

One of VirtForce’s core values is that we believe in the power of true community and advocacy. We wanted to provide a resource to our military community where they can process, speak openly, begin to heal, and hear how they can support our community moving forward.

In this two-part conversation, we cover how we respond to tragedies such as this, what it feels like to be a part of the military community at this time, and what you can do moving forward. 

In Part 1, host Kimber talks with Tesa Saulmon about the psychological impacts an event like this can have on a community. They discuss secondary post-traumatic stress as well as what it feels like for them personally to have significant others who have gone through the aviation pipeline.

In Part 2, Kimber speaks with Melinda from GFI Apparel to share all the details on their Stand United fundraiser and how you can help support the families of those who lost their lives at NS Pearl Harbor and NAS Pensacola.

As always, VirtForce is here to Stand United with our fellow military spouses, veterans, reservists, and active duty military brothers and sisters.

Show Notes | January 9, 2020 | Episode 015

Flexible, PCS Friendly #JobOpp with Tiny Troops Soccer

Have you struggled since joining this crazy #milspouse life to find flexible employment that you enjoy? Your VirtForce fam has all been there, including Tiny Troops Soccer founder and coach Amy Schweizer. Her desire to find flexible work that could fit into her military lifestyle is what inspired her to create TTS. She chats with VirtForce podcast host Kimber all about flexible work, why Tiny Troops Soccer is such an amazing opportunity for both milspouses and military kiddos, and why you should apply.

If you are a new listener to VirtForce Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Links and Resources

VirtForce Podcast 

Kimber Hill LinkedIn

Tiny Troops Facebook

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Tiny Troops Application

Join the Conversation

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.  

VirtForce on Facebook

VirtForce on LinkedIn

Check Out More VirtForce Programming

TCDI, A Path for Milspouses into Legal and Cyber Services

Let’s Talk Military Taxes with Brandyn Cox

You are what you speak – with Mark England

Instantly create a profile with Kara of Instant Teams

Blog Post

Have you struggled since joining this crazy #milspouse life to find flexible employment that you enjoy? 

Your VirtForce fam has all been there, including Tiny Troops Soccer founder and coach Amy Schweizer. Her desire to find flexible work that could fit into her military lifestyle is what inspired her to create TTS.

Tiny Troops Soccer is a year-round, developmental soccer program that focuses on teaching the fundamentals of the game as well as developing gross motor and social skills, body and spatial awareness, and the ability to thrive within a group setting. This is accomplished through fun games and activities that are specifically designed to support proper early childhood development.

TTS is inspired by military families, with the goal of not only providing flexible employment opportunities for military spouses, but also providing flexible sports for military kiddos.

In this episode, Amy shares with Kimber how she went from a position working for the Jacksonville Jaguars to moving across the country and coming up with the idea for Tiny Troops Soccer. Like many of us, Amy knew that she needed flexible opportunities while she balanced frequent PCSs, being mother to three boys, and the general craziness of military spouse life.

So who is Tiny Troops Soccer looking for? Unfortunately for some of us, they do require that you have some soccer experience. They have what Amy calls, “Soccer Integrity,” and want to make sure that their coaches have at least a basic understanding of the game so they can best support and coach their troop. However, it’s okay if you haven’t played in awhile! 

Most importantly, they are looking for coaches who are fun, silly, and willing to put themselves out there. If you think this describes you, it’s very likely that you have a place on Soccer Island.

Show Notes | December 20, 2019 | Episode 014

Work with a Fortune 100 Company!

In our very first jobisode, Kimber spills all the details on the two of the hottest positions currently on the VirtForce job board. These W2, Salary, and OCONUS-friendly virtual jobs are being offered with one of Fortune 100’s Best Places to Work. This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

If you are a new listener to VirtForce Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Links and Resources

VirtForce Podcast 

Kimber Hill LinkedIn

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Expert Bookkeeper Application

Tax Expert Application

VirtForce Job Board

Join the Conversation

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.  

VirtForce on Facebook

VirtForce on LinkedIn

Check Out More VirtForce Programming

Let’s Talk Military Taxes with Brandyn Cox

You are what you speak – with Mark England

Instantly create a profile with Kara of Instant Teams

Show Notes | December 26, 2019 | Episode 013

TCDI: A Path for Milspouses into Legal and Cyber Services

VirtForce founder Kimber and Caragh Landry, President of Litigation Services at TCDI, sit down to talk about what exactly it is that TCDI provides to their clients and how their commitment to hiring military spouses happened after they accidentally hired a milspouse and started to learn what a powerful community they could tap into. If you are interested in legal or cyber services, this is the episode for you.

If you are a new listener to VirtForce Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Links and Resources

VirtForce Podcast 

Kimber Hill LinkedIn

Caragh Landry LinkedIn

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

TCDI

TCDI Careers

Military Spouse Managed Review (MSMR)

Join the Conversation

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.  

VirtForce on Facebook

VirtForce on LinkedIn

Check Out More VirtForce Programming

Live Q&A With Career Coach, Kristen Earp

How MilSpouses Can Take A Step into Remote Work

Launching a Career in IT When You Do Not Have A Degree

How VetForce Can Help Military Spouses Launch A Career in Tech

Blog Post

Are you interested in legal or cyber services? TCDI could be the place for you.

Kimber and Caragh Landry, President of Litigation Services at TCDI, sit down to talk about what exactly it is that TCDI provides to their clients and how their commitment to hiring military spouses happened after they accidentally hired a milspouse and started to learn what a powerful community they could tap into.

TCDI (Technology Concepts & Design) has been helping corporate and law firm clients with legal and cyber services for the past 30 years. They provide a wide range of litigation support services, including outsourced services such as document review, litigation coding, data entry, marketing, and finance opportunities. They focus on helping legal departments function. While they are part of the virtual workforce, they also have offices in Greensboro, NC and Cleveland, OH.

Recently, TCDI launched Military Spouse Managed Review (MSMR). This program offers reliable and flexible career opportunities for milspouses while also creating a diverse pool of qualified, adaptable and experienced reviewers for TCDI clients. 

One skill you may not even realize you have as a milspouse, that will definitely come in handy if applying to TCDI, is familiarity with information security. Because of our military lifestyle, we are used to dealing with and managing sensitive information (#OPSEC). Kara points out that milspouses tend to show a much higher commitment to data security. It is almost innate to us and is a soft skill that TCDI doesn’t have to work to explain or train.

The only way to hear all of the tips for applying that Caragh has to offer, as well as how VirtForce is helping our community find opportunities with TCDI, is to listen to the full episode! Subscribe and listen below.

Show Notes | December 19, 2019 | Episode 012

Let’s Talk Taxes

Understanding taxes is a foreign concept to most of us. Host Kimber sat down with taxation expert Brandyn Cox from BMC Accounting LLC to discuss 1099 contractors, W2 employees, the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act, and so much more! Brandyn dives into understanding the difference between a W2 wage employee and a 1099 Independent Contractor as well as what you need to know about the two when it comes to filing your taxes. 

If you are a new listener to VirtForce Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Links and Resources

VirtForce Podcast 

Kimber Hill LinkedIn

Brandyn Cox LinkedIn

Taxes for Independent Contractors and Businesses Master Class 

Book a Consultation with Brandyn - Free if you click the VirtForce Block

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Military OneSource

Join the Conversation

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.  

VirtForce on Facebook

VirtForce on LinkedIn

Check Out More VirtForce Programming

Portable & Fulfilling Work in Your Field with Freedom Learning Group

LinkedIn Hot Tips from Jaime Chapman

Scott Tucker on Finding Purpose & Unlocking Financial Wellness

Milspouses: The Perfect Fit for Aira

Live Q&A With Career Coach, Kristen Earp

How MilSpouses Can Take A Step into Remote Work

Launching a Career in IT When You Do Not Have A Degree

How VetForce Can Help Military Spouses Launch A Career in Tech

Blog Post

As virtual positions begin to grow, so many of us have questions about what it means to work in a virtual workspace. 

What does it mean to work remotely? Will I have to commute to an office? What is the difference between a 1099 contract and a W2 position? 

Quite frankly, these questions will scare you out of the opportunity to work in a virtual environment if you don’t have the resources that can properly answer your questions. Today’s episode will provide helpful insight on what it means to be a W2 employee, 1099 Independent Contractor, and most importantly the tools needed to help you prepare for filing.

VirtForce founder and podcast host Kimber sat down to talk with Army veteran and amazing accounting professional Brandyn Cox of BMC Accounting LLC, to talk all things taxes. Don’t worry, we made sure to leave out all of the things that make you cringe when you hear taxes. Instead we are talking Military Spouse Residency Relief Act, an exciting educational master class available to our VirtForce members, LLC versus S-Corporation for your business, and so much more.

Brandyn was a military police officer in the U.S. Army before he developed an interest in accounting.In 2017 BMC Accounting LLC was born. Brandyn wanted to focus on convenience, value, and affordability for small business owners, not knowing this would turn into a national business with clients in 40 states.

Since 2017, Brandyn has helped countless service members and milspouses wit...

Show Notes | December 12, 2019 | Episode 011

You Are What You Speak 

We all struggle with self-doubt. This week’s episode provides us with the tools and resources needed on how we can reprogram our mind to have architect vocabulary instead of conflict vocabulary. We have all been in a situation where we have talked ourselves out of an opportunity or have experienced self sabotage. TEDx speaker Mark England discusses procabulary and the impact it can have on us when we take away conflict words and replace them with architect words instead. 

If you are a new listener to VirtForce Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Links and Resources

VirtForce Podcast 

Kimber Hill LinkedIn

Mark England Instagram

Procabulary 

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Mark England TED Talk

Scott Tucker on Finding Purpose & Unlocking Financial Wellness

Join the ConversationOur favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.  

VirtForce on Facebook

VirtForce on LinkedIn

Check Out More VirtForce Programming

Portable & Fulfilling Work in Your Field with Freedom Learning Group

LinkedIn Hot Tips from Jaime Chapman

Milspouses: The Perfect Fit for Aira

Live Q&A With Career Coach, Kristen Earp

How MilSpouses Can Take A Step into Remote Work

Launching a Career in IT When You Do Not Have A Degree

How VetForce Can Help Military Spouses Launch A Career in Tech

Blog Post

Finding the right way to verbalize our emotions and feelings can be tricky, often leaving us to feel as if we simply can’t find the words we need in order to say something so simple. 

Our vocabulary is such a big part of who we are and has a big impact on how we view our life and what’s happening around us. So much so, that we are what we speak. What if I told you there was a way that we can change our vocabulary to help us change our mindset?

In today’s episode, that is exactly what we are talking about. We discuss conflict vs. architect vocabulary, the kind of impact those words have on our daily life, and most importantly how we can change our vocabulary to Procabulary.

VirtForce had the amazing opportunity to shine this week’s spotlight on Mark England. Podcast host Kimber sat down with Mark to discuss procabulary and how we can transform our mindset to talk like a professional. Mark is a TEDx speaker, with a background of business and international education where he uses his skills to help others. He has professionally coached thousands and transforming the lives of so many with the strategy he uses in his courses.

As we get ready to close out this year, this decade, listen closely as Mark shares a few gems with our VirtForce community. We want you to use these gems and apply them to your goals for 2020. May they be big or small, there is no right or wrong. Change your perspective on how you view your life, by changing the way you talk to yourself. We want you to use your words to not only influence yourself but those who are around you.

Show Notes | December 5, 2019 | Episode 010

Instantly create a profile with Kara of Instant Teams

If you are looking for inspiration, or for something to light a fire in you to finally make that leap into remote work, this is the episode for you. We are diving into a deep discussion with VirtForce Power Partner, Instant Teams! Kimber talks with Kara Smith, who is the Director of Customer Operations for Instant Teams. As an Army spouse and seven year remote career veteran, Kara is a subject matter expert on remote work and personal life balance. 

If you are a new listener to VirtForce Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Links and Resources

VirtForce Podcast 

Kimber Hill LinkedIn

Kara Smith LinkedIn

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Instant Teams Profile: Click Join As Talent

Join the Conversation

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.  

VirtForce on Facebook

VirtForce on LinkedIn

Check Out More VirtForce Programming

Live Q&A With Career Coach, Kristen Earp

How MilSpouses Can Take A Step into Remote Work

Launching a Career in IT When You Do Not Have A Degree

How VetForce Can Help Military Spouses Launch A Career in Tech

Blog Post

We’ve all been at the point where we didn’t realize that virtual work was an option or a possibility for us. On top of that, as military spouses our community is often times overlooked because employers think we don’t have the necessary skills because we move so often.

If you are looking for inspiration, or for something to light a fire in you to finally make that leap into remote work, this is the episode for you. We are diving into a deep discussion with VirtForce Power Partner, Instant Teams!

Kimber talks with Kara Smith, Director of Customer Operations for Instant Teams (previously MadSkills). As an Army spouse and seven year remote career veteran, Kara is a subject matter expert on remote work and personal life balance. 

As active duty milspouses, we need portable jobs in order to maintain careers. We want to PCS and know that our professional life is one thing that will remain constant. There is so much out of your control not only with virtual careers, but in the military lifestyle. It is incredibly easy to get into a negative mindset and think things like “I’m not worthy of this position” or “they’re going to judge me for being a milspouse.” Kara recommends owning what your life is. Do you like your life? Show that! Be honest with your potential employer and talk about your journey and what has brought you to remote work.

“If there’s one thing I can say to anyone applying for remote positions: Don’t have the mindset that I did. Think like you’re going to get it and let the person on the other end know that you want it. It’s definitely possible,” says Kara. Basically, you should be treating every opportunity like it is the opportunity you are going to get.

So what is Instant Teams? They build remote teams for their customers, who may have never worked with a virtual team before. They also focus on building up the culture of a remote workspace.

Show Notes | 11.21.2019 | Episode 009

Freedom Learning Group: Portable & Fulfilling Work in Your Field

Finding fulfilling work in your field sometimes seems impossible with virtual employment. Host Kimber sat down with Kristin Arkema from Freedom Learning Group to learn more about what it really means to develop educational content, how Freedom Learning Group is helping military spouses and veterans, and why this is the ideal role to both enhance and develop professional skills in your field.

If you are a new listener to VirtForce Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Links and Resources

VirtForce Podcast 

Kimber Hill LinkedIn

Kristin Arkema LinkedIn

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Kristin Arkema Email

FLG Career Opportunities

FLG Subject Matter Expert Profile

Join the Conversation

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.  

VirtForce on Facebook

VirtForce on LinkedIn

Check Out More VirtForce Programming

Live Q&A With Career Coach, Kristen Earp

How MilSpouses Can Take A Step into Remote Work

Launching a Career in IT When You Do Not Have A Degree

How VetForce Can Help Military Spouses Launch A Career in Tech

Blog Post

Freedom Learning Group: Portable & Fulfilling Work in Your Field

Finding fulfilling work in your field with the opportunity to learn, grow, and develop new skills while using your professional background sometimes seems impossible with virtual employment. Today’s episode will not only show you that, yes, this opportunity does exist but also give you the tools necessary to apply.

VirtForce is putting our virtual employer spotlight on Freedom Learning Group. They focus on educational content development. VirtForce founder and podcast host Kimber sat down with Kristin Arkema to learn more about what it really means to develop educational content, how Freedom Learning Group is helping military spouses and veterans, and why this is the ideal role to both enhance and develop professional skills.

Kristin has been a military spouse for the past 14 years. She has PCS’d nine times (make sure to listen to the episode for a pro packing tip) and has mothered three boys, all at different duty stations. She is a project manager and attorney while also controlling recruiting at Freedom Learning Group. She has been with the company since Summer 2017 and has filled several roles - subject matter expert, project manager, and now staffing.

So what exactly are you doing when creating educational content? You might be developing supplemental resources to go with textbooks (i.e. exam banks, quiz questions) or creating a curriculum for specific courses. Other projects Freedom Learning Group tackles include accuracy reviews and accessibility work.

Freedom Learning Group helps milspouses stay in their own field, work virtually, and try new things. What could be better than that? The company was founded on the idea of giving opportunities to unemployed and underemployed military spouses and veterans. 

Show Notes | November 14, 2019 | Episode 008

LinkedIn: Engage, Engage, Engage

In this Do’s and Don’ts episode, Kimber talks with LinkedIn evangelist and military spouse Jaime Chapman about how to set yourself up with a killer LinkedIn profile. Not only do you have to make sure you have great photos (that’s right, photos, plural) and content, but you also have to make sure you are engaging with the community. It’s not enough to make your profile and leave it. You have to be active, current, and engaged.

Jaime walks us through her top three tips for LinkedIn. With over 3,500 hours of experience in the military community, Jaime is an incredible resource for the VirtForce family. 

If you are a new listener to VirtForce Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today!

Links and Resources

LinkedIn Do’s and Don’ts Master Class

VirtForce Podcast 

Kimber Hill LinkedIn

Jaime Chapman LinkedIn

Jaime Chapman Consultation

Explore these Resources

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Military Spouse Advocacy Network

Begin Within

Join the Conversation

Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section.  

VirtForce on Facebook

VirtForce on LinkedIn

Check Out More VirtForce Programming

Scott Tucker on Finding Purpose & Unlocking Financial Wellness

Live Q&A With Career Coach, Kristen Earp

How MilSpouses Can Take A Step into Remote Work

Launching a Career in IT When You Do Not Have A Degree

How VetForce Can Help Military Spouses Launch A Career in Tech

Blog Post

So what’s the big deal with LinkedIn? Do I need to be that active? Is it enough to just make my profile and let people come to me?

If you are asking yourself questions like this, this is the episode for you. Military spouse, Army veteran, and LinkedIn evangelist Jaime Chapman shares her tips and tricks for standing out among the crowd and outsmarting the algorithms. As a military spouse employment advocate, Jaime has helped over 1,000 veterans and has advocated for over 10,000 military spouses in the Military Spouse Advocacy Network.

Jaime is a VirtForce vetted career coach and we are thrilled to continue to grow our relationship with her.

According to Jaime, we should start thinking about LinkedIn as our living, breathing personal websites. We would never put the time and energy into building a beautiful website and then never think about someone looking at it! No, we would want to drive traffic, post updates, interact with viewers, and make sure we were presenting ourselves in the best way possible.

In this episode, Jaime shares her top three tips (really six tips) to turn your LinkedIn profile around. Above all else, she says you have to, “engage, engage, engage.” Whether you are liking other people’s posts, sharing content, commenting, or writing your own posts, engagement is key. 

Jaime and Kimber cover everything from headshots (spoiler alert: all you need is a friend and a phone with Portrait mode) to bullet versus block formatting.