The Soldier for Life Podcast

The U.S. Army Soldier for Life Podcast shares information about the many employment, education, health and wellness, and Army retirement resources that are available to Soldiers, veterans, and their families (plus much more!).

S15E10 Military Travel Benefits: Space-A, Military Lodging & More! 06/24/2025

S15E10 Military Travel Benefits: Space-A, Military Lodging & More! We've all heard the term Space-A travel, but have you ever wondered what it is and how it works? Or how you can take advantage of Space-A flights, Space-A lodging, and military recreational lodging as a service member, military retiree, veteran with a service-connected disability, and more? You can find out on this week's new Soldier for Life Podcast as we chat with Ms. Stephanie Montague, the spouse of a Retired Soldier and founder of the military travel website Poppin’ Smoke! /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/37030390

S15E9 Why YOU Should Tell Your SFL Story 06/10/2025

S15E9 Why YOU Should Tell Your SFL Story Our Soldiers for Life are Army ambassadors. They are amazing individuals who chose to dedicate themselves to serving their country, to making a difference. They help people in their communities understand - and connect with - our Army. And they help inspire the next generation to serve. And one of the most important ways that they do all of this is by telling their Army and Soldier for Life stories and by encouraging others to do the same. They - and their stories - are, in the words of our esteemed Soldier for Life Podcast guests today, not only aspirational, but inspirational, and they inspire and empower us all. On this week's episode, we had the opportunity to chat with MG (Ret.) Mari K. Eder and CW5 (Ret.) Phyllis J. Wilson - who are both dedicated to helping to tell the stories of our Soldiers and Soldiers for Life in their post-military careers - about how important it is to tell your story and the difference that you make both to yourself and the U.S. Army when you do. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/36820475

S15E8 U.S. Army Medical Retirement and Separation Process 05/27/2025

S15E8 U.S. Army Medical Retirement and Separation Process If you are going through the Army medical retirement/separation process (we're including Soldiers, their families AND their Army commanders in that "you"), there is a LOT to know and do, but like everything we talk about, there are MANY resources out there to help. And on this week's all new Soldier for Life Podcast, Mr. Lemuel (Lem) Chance from the U.S. Army Physical Disability Agency walks you through everything that you need to know about medical retirements and separations. A few of the key resources that were mentioned during the podcast are included below: 👉 Army Physical Disability Agency - or 210-221-3046 👉 Army Service Center - or 888-ARMYHRC (276-9472) 👉 Army Recovery Care Program - 👉 Contact Your RSO – /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/36645785

S15E7 Planning for Your U.S. Army Retirement 05/13/2025

S15E7 Planning for Your U.S. Army Retirement Are you planning for your U.S. Army retirement? If so, this week's Soldier for Life Podcast episode includes everything that you will need to know for your retirement planning journey! Listen as CW3 (Ret.) Lynn Peterson - the RSO Program Manager for the Army Retirement Services Office and our all-around retirement planning guru - shares LOADS of information and resources about planning steps, retirement resources and where to find them, major things to consider (including financial considerations, employment, healthcare, retirement locations, family considerations), veteran benefits, and SO much more! There were WAY too many great resources and links to websites/pages included in the podcast to include them all in this post, but here are a few to get you started (be sure to listen all the way through so you don't miss any of the fabulous resources that are available to you!): 👉 SFL Website Retirement Planning Section/Pages (including checklists, Retirement Planning Guides, briefing slides, Change of Mission newsletter, SBP information, and MUCH more) - 👉 MyArmyBenefits Website - 👉 Contact Your RSO – /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/36460085

S15E6 This We'll Defend: Celebrating 250 Years of U.S. Army Service to Our Nation 04/22/2025

S15E6 This We'll Defend: Celebrating 250 Years of U.S. Army Service to Our Nation On this week's Soldier for Life Podcast, we are excited to talk about the Army’s upcoming 250th birthday celebration and the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War. Listen as we sit down with Captain Jonathan Bratten, the command historian for the Maine Army National Guard and the National Guard Bureau’s Revolutionary War 250 liaison officer to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, to chat about these two important events and why they - along with knowing your Army history AND telling your #SoldierForLifeStory and the Army's story - are important to ALL of us even 250 years later. And be sure to check out these important links from the podcast! 👉 👉 👉 /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/36059055

S15E5 Warrior-Scholar Project 04/08/2025

S15E5 Warrior-Scholar Project The Warrior-Scholar Project hosts intensive, one-week college-prep academic boot camp programs for enlisted service members and veterans at America’s top universities to help ease their transition from the military to higher education. Learn more as we chat with the CEO of the Warrior-Scholar Project, Ryan Pavel. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/35887430

S15E4 Up Your Military Talent Game: The Value Of a Veteran 03/25/2025

S15E4 Up Your Military Talent Game: The Value Of a Veteran Want to hire some incredibly talented employees at your company or organization? (We know you are, of course, emphatically nodding your head yes.) Then you should really be thinking about transitioning Soldiers, veterans, and military spouses! On this week's brand new Soldier for Life Podcast, we talk with Ms. Lisa Rosser, the CEO and Founder of an organization called The Value Of a Veteran, about what you can do to up your military connected talent game and WHY this is so important for your organization. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/35726530

S15E3 Pathways to Military Talent: 50strong 02/25/2025

S15E3 Pathways to Military Talent: 50strong Looking for a resource to help you find your next career OR valuable military talent for your organization (because I hope we all know what a smart move that is for any company!)? On this week's Soldier for Life Podcast, we chat with Kandi Tillman, the Co-Founder of 50strong, an organization that helps connect service members, veterans, military-connected students, and spouses with employers AND employment across the country. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/35337410

S15E2 NPower: Tech Training for the Military Connected Community 02/11/2025

S15E2 NPower: Tech Training for the Military Connected Community NPower offers free virtual tech training programs, job placement assistance, and professional development opportunities for military and veteran families. Learn more as we sit down with Kendra Parlock, the Vice President of Partnership Development for NPower. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/35101430

S15E1 MyArmyBenefits 01/14/2025

S15E1 MyArmyBenefits The MyArmyBenefits website is the U.S. Army’s official one-stop shop for information about all of the federal and state benefits that Soldiers, veterans, and their families have earned from serving their country in the United States Army. The website even includes planning calculators to help with things like Army retirement, survivor benefits, and deployment! Learn all about this fantastic resource as we chat with the Program Manager for the MyServiceBenefits Program in the Army Retirement Services office, Ms. Chelsea MacDougall. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/34729380

S14E13 From Military to Manufacturing: Heroes MAKE America 11/26/2024

S14E13 From Military to Manufacturing: Heroes MAKE America The Manufacturing Institute's Heroes MAKE America program provides training and resources to help prepare individuals in the military and veteran communities for careers in the manufacturing industry. On today's Soldier For Life Podcast, we chat with Amy Thomas, the National Director of the Heroes MAKE America program, about their efforts to build a pipeline of military-trained and industry-certified candidates for manufacturers around the country. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/33837097

S14E12 National Veterans Small Business Week 11/12/2024

S14E12 National Veterans Small Business Week National Veterans Small Business Week is November 11-15, so today, we are talking about the importance of celebrating NVSBW AND all of the fantastic resources that the United States Small Business Administration offers to help our military families on their entrepreneurial journey. Our guest on the show is Mr. Robert Yannuzzi, the SBA's Assistant Administrator for its Office of Veterans Business Development. Links mentioned in the podcast: NVSBW - SBA OVBD Veterans Resources - /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/33818338

S14E11 Resources for Entrepreneurs from the USPTO 10/22/2024

S14E11 Resources for Entrepreneurs from the USPTO The U.S. Patent and Trademark office offers numerous resources for entrepreneurs in the military community to help them make their business ownership dreams a reality. Learn more about what the USPTO can do for you as a new or future military-connected business owner from this week's Soldier For Life Podcast discussion with the USPTO's Christina Whitaker. And be sure to visit the USPTO's Entrepreneurship Resources page for links to the many resources they offer for the military community at ! /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/33508137

S14E10 Pursuing Your Education with Service to School 10/08/2024

S14E10 Pursuing Your Education with Service to School Are you a Soldier or veteran who is interested in pursuing an education degree? Then this brand new Soldier For Life Podcast episode is just for YOU! Tune in to hear our discussion with Service to School CEO Alec Emmert about the free college and grad school application counseling, mentorship, and resources they offer to veterans and service members. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/33289802

S14E9 Combating Suicide Through Connections and Hope 09/24/2024

S14E9 Combating Suicide Through Connections and Hope Every life that is lost to suicide is one life too many. On this week's all new Soldier For Life Podcast, we talk to mental health advocate and motivational speaker David Woods Bartley about his struggles with depression, mental health, and suicide; and about how connection leads to hope, and hope saves lives. Resources mentioned in the podcast: 👉 988 Lifeline - 👉 Veterans Crisis Line - call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or visit (resources and online chat) 👉 /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/33075032

S14E8 Army Emergency Relief 09/10/2024

S14E8 Army Emergency Relief Army Emergency Relief, the official nonprofit of the United States Army, has been Supporting Soldiers and their Families Since 1942 through grants, interest-free loans, and scholarships. Learn more about the important work that AER does to support our Army Family on this week's all new #SoldierForLifePodcast as we talk with Tony Grinston, the Chief Executive Officer of AER and the 16th Sergeant Major of the Army (Ret.). Get more information and donate to AER at . /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/32878966

S14E7 The Coffee Bunker 08/27/2024

S14E7 The Coffee Bunker Having a battle buddy or a tribe for support is just as important when you're making the transition into the civilian world as it was when you were serving. On this week's Soldier For Life Podcast, we chat with Dr. Robby Hedrick, the Director of Transition Services for the Coffee Bunker, an organization that refers to itself as a tribe, battle buddy, or wingman for military and veteran families in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area and beyond as they move into the civilian world. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/32578257

S14E6 Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services 08/13/2024

S14E6 Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services On this week's Soldier For Life Podcast episode, we talk with U.S. Marine Corps COL (Ret.) Duncan Milne, the President of Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services, about the work that Dixon Center does to help organizations across the country improve the lives of our military and veteran families. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/32480752

S14E5 Soldier On: Ending Veteran Homelessness 07/23/2024

S14E5 Soldier On: Ending Veteran Homelessness Soldier On is a nonprofit organization based in western Massachusetts that is committed to ending veteran homelessness by providing needs-based housing, direct supportive services, and temporary financial assistance to veterans who are at-risk of homelessness. Listen as COL Jarrett Thomas chats with Soldier On CEO, Mr. Bruce Buckley, about Soldier On and its efforts to help put an end to veteran homelessness. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/32122912

S14E4 Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army Program 07/09/2024

S14E4 Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army Program Have you met your CASA yet? Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army are civilian business and community leaders from each U.S. state and territory that are appointed by the Secretary of the Army to advise and support Army leaders across the country. Learn more on this week's all new #SoldierForLifePodcast as we chat with the director of the CASA Program, Ms. Angie RItz, and CASA Angela M. Odom (Georgia - North) and CASA Mabry E. “Bud” Martin (North Carolina - Central) about the important role that CASAs play as a bridge between the Army and communities across America. Find out more information about the CASA Program at https://www.army.mil/casa. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/32022767

S14E3 Healing Through Humor 05/28/2024

S14E3 Healing Through Humor We have a high-impact, high-energy Soldier For Life Podcast for you this week to help close out Mental Health Awareness Month, and it is one that you definitely do NOT want to miss! Join us as we talk with stand-up comedian, motivational speaker, suicide prevention advocate, Certified Humor Professional, CEO of the Best Medicine Brigade, President and Founder of HEAL*ARIOUS, AND the creator and former host of the Soldier For Life Podcast, LTC (Ret.) Robin Johnson (we almost ran out of space there!), about her new mission to heal people with humor. This episode includes discussions on everything from the mental health benefits of humor to inside secrets about Robin's comedy career to fantastic advice for transitioning Soldiers to FUN-erals (yes, we learned that was a thing), so be sure to listen all the way to the end! /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/31472207

S14E2 Military Spouse Employment Initiatives with LTG Kevin Vereen, Army DCS, G-9 05/14/2024

S14E2 Military Spouse Employment Initiatives with LTG Kevin Vereen, Army DCS, G-9 Keeping our military spouses happy is obviously important on many levels, but making sure that they have access to meaningful employment also plays a critical role in Army readiness and retention. On this week's all new SFL Podcast, COL Jarrett Thomas got the chance to sit down with LTG Kevin Vereen, the U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-9, to talk about the many ways the Department of Defense and the Army are working to help improve the quality of life of our military families and, more specifically, the employment opportunities for our military spouses. Resources mentioned during the podcast: ✅ Army Quality of Life Spouse Employment Resources - ✅ Army Spouse Employment Toolkit - ✅ Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot - ✅ Military Spouse Employment Partnership - ✅ Military OneSource Spouse Education and Employment Guides - ✅ USAJOBS - /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/31201967

S14E1 Our Community Salutes 03/26/2024

S14E1 Our Community Salutes Our Community Salutes helps communities around the country recognize, honor, and support high school seniors who are enlisting in the U.S. military after graduation. Learn more on this week's all new Soldier For Life Podcast as SFL's Director, COL Jarrett Thomas, talks with the President and Founder of OCS, Dr. Ken Hartman. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/30497598

S13E11 MilGears 12/12/2023

S13E11 MilGears MilGears is a customized career-building tool offered by the U.S. Department of Defense that is designed to help service members, veterans, potential Soldiers, their family members, and more plan and achieve their career goals by highlighting career possibilities and helping them visualize how to reach those goals. Learn more on this week's brand new Soldier For Life Podcast as MSG James Wire chats with Mr. Keith Boring, the Acting Division Director of Strategy, Innovation, Credentialing, and Voluntary Education for the Naval Education and Training Command. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/28945818

S13E10 Hiring Our Heroes 11/28/2023

S13E10 Hiring Our Heroes On this week's Soldier For Life Podcast, we talk with Hiring Our Heroes Senior Director COL (Ret.) Adam Rocke about the resources and opportunities Hiring Our Heroes offers to help connect the military community with meaningful employment opportunities. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/28804638

S13E9 Veteran Shark Tank 11/14/2023

S13E9 Veteran Shark Tank Veteran Shark Tank was created in 2012 to promote and assist veterans who are starting or growing their businesses. This year's pitch competition is happening next month on December 4, 2023. On this week's Soldier For Life Podcast, we talk with Veteran Shark Tank Founder Alex Archawski and 2022 Veteran Shark Tank winner and CEO of TORCH Warriorwear Haley Marie McClain Hill about the Veteran Shark Tank experience and what it takes to be an entrepreneur. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/28507523

S13E8 Moving Your Business When You PCS 10/24/2023

S13E8 Moving Your Business When You PCS If you have your own business while your family is serving in the military, what do you do when it's time for a PCS move? On this week's Soldier For Life Podcast, we talk with two military spouse entrepreneurs, Lizann Lightfoot and Lauren Hope, about how to move your business when you PCS. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/28376126

S13E7 Universal Technical Institute and BMW MSTEP 10/10/2023

S13E7 Universal Technical Institute and BMW MSTEP The Universal Technical Institute (UTI)/BMW Military Service Technician Education Program (MSTEP) is a 16-week on-post Career Skills Program at Fort Liberty and Camp Pendleton that trains transitioning service members to become Certified BMW Technicians. Learn more about UTI and MSTEP on this week's all new Soldier For Life Podcast as we chat with UTI VP of Military Admissions John Decoteau and BMW of North America Military and STEP Recruiting Manager Robert Witte. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/28201841

S13E6 RecruitMilitary 09/26/2023

S13E6 RecruitMilitary RecruitMilitary connects employers to military community job seekers via recruiting, career fairs, a job board, and career services that are free of charge to the military community. Learn more on this week's Soldier For Life Podcast as we chat with RecruitMilitary CEO and Army veteran Tim Best. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/28105394

S13E5 Being A Military Spouse 09/12/2023

S13E5 Being A Military Spouse We all agree that military spouses are the backbones of our military families. But what is it really like to be a military spouse? On this week's #SoldierForLifePodcast, we talk with three military spouses - Laura Torres, Lydiah Owiti, and Laura Abubekr - about the highs, lows, challenges, and victories military spouses face every day. /episode/index/show/usarmysoldierforlife/id/27957264

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