This month, we are talking to Shannon and Cory Nowell about their lives as a Military - and Veteran – family. This episode is part one of two. In it we talk about the challenges that come with relocations, IR, and Out Can postings. We also talk the medical release process, PTSD, the transition from being a Military to a Veteran family – and the imp…

In this April edition of our Military Family Life podcast - in honour of the Month of the Military Child - we are focusing on Military children. Kayla Lamrock has experience as a military child, a military spouse and working at an MFRC with children and youth. In this episode Kayla talks about her experiences of deployments and postings from the pe…

In this month's episode we are speaking with Lt(N) Wendy Duguid, a Regular Force Military Chaplain. Wendy has been serving at Garrison Petawawa since 2019. She was previously the Chaplain for the medical units, and is currently supporting the Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) and 2 Signal Squadron. In this conversation we chat with Wendy about: the day…

This month we are talking with three former MFRC Executive Directors who have recently retired from their positions in Goose Bay, Greenwood and Shilo. Our co-host Claudia Beswick also added some insight, as she too recently left her position as the ED in Petawawa to take on a different role supporting military families. With all of this experience …

This month we are talking two members of the Canadian Military Wives Choir in Petawawa. They tell us about how the choir helped them to connect with new friends in the community, their best memories performing with the choir, and their advice for people who are thinking about joining their local choir. About our guests: Melissa Perry-Biezing has be…

Our Guest this Month Ainsley Christensen is the curator at the Garrison Petawawa Military Museum and has worked at the museum in some capacity or another for the last 20 years. Ainsley was born in Manitoba -moved to Petawawa in 1995 and haw been here ever since - minus a few years to attend post-secondary school in Kingston, ON). Ainsley is a milit…

About our guest: Andrea Nauta is a military spouse - her wonderful husband Dustin has been serving in the military since 2007. They have two beautiful girls who are 11 and 9. Andrea and her family have moved back and forth between Comox and Petawawa, and they are currently happily settled in Comox where Andrea works as a support worker at a local s…

In this episode we talk about all things deployment with our guest Sandra Pinard. Topics include: what are the things families can do to prepare for a deployment, some suggestions for items to include in a morale mail package and tips for re-integration. We also have an interesting discussion about the differences between Army and Navy deployments.…

About our Guest: Denver Hilland grew up in the GTA and was a professional level ballerina until she left for university. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Kinesiology and Physical Education from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Master of Arts Health Promotion from Dalhousie University. Denver served as the Project coordinator for the Early Childhood C…

As many of you know April is month of the Military Child. It is an opportunity for our community to recognize the sacrifices and contributions made by the children Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans. So this month we wanted to hear from some military kids about their experiences and lessons learned. Our Guests Kim Mills has been a military …

This month we are speaking with Trisha MacLeod, the Commanding Officer at 2 Field Ambulance in Petawawa and Champion for the Petawawa Defence Visible Minority Awareness Group. Trisha is a lifelong learner whose current pursuits are centred around understanding, acknowledging and deconstructing systemic racism within healthcare settings and CAF over…

This month we are talking with Crystal Donak about: the importance of being resilient taking risks (including her recommendation that everyone should travel alone at least once in their life); and how her career and education journey lead her to create Kaper Kids. About Crystal: Crystal has been a military partner for 12 years. In that time, she wa…

This month we are chatting with Laura Frey. Over the years Laura has worn a number of hats including: Military Spouse, Mom, CAF Member, Fitness Competitor and Grandma. Laura is currently posted to Halifax and is serving on the HMCS Charlottetown. As Army Spouses – living on a Garrison that is mostly Army – our hosts had plenty of questions about li…

This month we are speaking with another couple – Norma and Tom Cartwright - about their lives as a Canadian Military family. Having weathered eight postings and numerous deployments, our guests have some great stories and important lessons to share. About our Guests Norma Cartwright has been a military spouse for almost 35 years. She grew up on a f…

As military families, we have the opportunity - and the challenge - of moving from community to community. In the process we can make friends with people from across the country. Sometimes when you move somewhere new, you have the good fortune of reconnecting with an old friend - someone you knew years ago in another time in another place - and to …

About our guest: Tamara Kleinschmidt is the Executive Director of the Trenton Military Family Resource Centre. As a military spouse Tamara experienced the privilege of living across our country and beyond. Over a twenty-six-year span Tamara experienced 11 postings, the final one to Trenton in 2005. During this period, she completed a Bachelor of Ar…

Since the launch of our podcast, we have been talking to members of Military families about some of the unique challenges they have face living with a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. But what happens when there are two people in the family that are members of the Canadian Armed Forces? In this episode we are talking to a service couple about h…

This month we are chatting with Christina McFadden. Christina was born and raised in Germany and was living there when she met her husband, a Canadian Military member. She came to Canada to start a new life with her husband. In this conversation Christina tells us some of the challenges she faced, and what surprised her about living in Canada and l…

April is Month of the Military Child. This month we speak with Tammy Barclay – mother of 6 military children – about how her children have dealt with challenges such as postings, deployments and the transition to civilian life. In our conversation we talk about how: · to help children stay connected with a deployed parent (00:08:45); · living in an…

In this month’s episode we speak with Dr. Heidi Cramm about the research that she - and her team at the Families Matter Research Group - are doing about the impact of Military life on the family. Trigger warning: In this discussion we do talk about suicide and suicide ideation as it pertains to CAF Members and their families. This discussion begins…

Welcome to Military Family Life This month we are speaking with Ariel from PMQ for two. Ariel is the voice behind the blog PMQ for two, where she creates bright, bold, creative interiors, DIY and lifestyle content. Ariel is also the first Home and DIY creator in Pinterest Canada's creator class of 2021-2022, and her work has been featured online an…

Welcome back to Military Family Life. In this episode, Julie and Claudia discuss: · the inspiration to start a podcast for Military family members (0:01:15) · our hopes for this podcast; · the conversations we would like to have in the coming months (0:18:00); and · our go-to advice for new Military family members (0:09:47) If you have a story or e…

Welcome to Military Family Life! Since this podcast is about Military family members sharing their experiences and advice, hosts Claudia Beswick and Julie Hollinger kick off this podcast by sharing their own stories. Claudia Beswick is a Military Spouse and Military Child! In this episode she talks about her many postings, her childhood memories an…

Military Family Life does not come with an instruction manual! Each month we will bring you the stories of people who have ‘been there’ – and they are here to share the lessons they have learned along the way … to help you live your BEST military family life.By Julie