Troopster, what a great idea. Starting a business that is designed for the military's needs in mind. Well, it makes sense when the founder of Troopster, Chelsea is Active Duty military. Her business parter, also military so he understands what people are wanting when deployed. Best part about Troopster? It's all online, and you can order a care pac…

Black History Month is when we, as Americans, celebrate the contributions of African-Americans across our country. Let's learn about the history of the month, contributions of African Americans to our military, and the contributions of African Americans to the disability movement. It's a rich history, that inspires others to do more. Learning about…

The Gig Economy, Spouse Employment, and Tricare. It's time to have some frank discusions about all of these topics and more. What's the Gig Economy? It's flexible, contract work. It's helpful for military families, but is it good for long-term? Employment, why talk about employment? I'm talking about employment because it does have value, but it's …

After a lengthy hiatus, Spouse Spouts is back. It's taken Susan a little while to get it together and find new direction, but she did. Has the show changed? Yes it has. Dave has a new full-time job with The American Legion, and Susan is on her own. You'll get to hear all about the changes, upcoming episodes, a wish list of guests, a wish list for t…

Have you seen the "new" TRICARE changes? Totally bizarre to the outsiders, like us, so, we asked our favorite Military.com person Amy Bushatz to come on the show to explain what she has discovered about these changes and give us some skinny she can't put into her articles. She came through, and we're sure you will enjoy this episode! Since Amy live…

Have you ever wanted to go on a tour of the United States? Hop on a train and see what the country has to offer? Anna Blanch Rade did just that, and we have her on Spouse Spouts to tell us all about her American Tour. Anna is more than a traveller, she's a military spouse who is making things happen in her community. Join Susan and Dave as they cha…

I don't know about you, but finding a job is not easy. I don't know about you, but I also can't work a traditional Monday-Friday 9-5 job either. What are we supposed to do? How can we find jobs that offer what we need as military family members? Enter Audrey from Worldwide101. She's a military spouse and it on Spouse Spouts today to tell us all abo…

I don't know about you all, but it's not always easy to do financial planning. It can be confusing, and overwhelming at times. What is you get yourself into debt, and you don't know how to get yourself out of debt? On Today's episode of Spouse Spouts we will have Michael Meese, the COO of AAFMAA on and we'll talk financial planning. The important a…

Insurance company selection can be a daunting process. Wouldn't it be nice to have all the details you may want to know handy, in human-speak? Join Susan and Dave as they interview Lori Simmons from Armed Forces Insurance and discover many cool features of the coverage you can get from AFI! Spouse Spouts is a weekly hour long podcast recorded live …

Last year Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina faced down Hurricane Matthew. This year, Texas is doing battle with Hurricane Harvey. The devastation is unreal, the loss is overwhelming, and help is needed from everywhere. Who can help? Dave and Susan have put together some information to share with you all in order to Help with Harvey. Our C…

Yes, we're on the end of the summer moving season, but guess what, fall moving season is already happening. That means working with moving companies, finding a place to live, do you choose on base or off base, will you buy a house or rent? What about the moving company? How do you deal with them? Today we have some answers to those questions. Join …

Back To School! It's either the best time of the year or the worst. For some of our military kids, they are starting a new school again. They are the new kid, again. For some of our military kids, this is their last year at their school. And for some of our military kids, they will start school for the first time. What can we do as parents and fami…

Behind the Scenes is the title of Cara Loken's book. It's a look into military spouse life and what some spouses are doing to support others. Cara gathered 30 spouses to share some of their stories. What else is Cara up to? She's working on a children's book, supporting veterans through art, and more. Join Susan and Dave in their interview with Car…

The National Military Family Association or NMFA is one of our oldest, most respected military family advocacy and support organizations. Who are they really, and what do they do for us? Today on Spouse Spouts we are fortunate to have MJ Boice from the communications staff at NMFA on the show, sharing with us what is happening in the military famil…

I don't know about you all, but there are times when I worry about cybersecurity. Maybe worry isn't the right word, but I do have concerns. Is my online presence too much and puts my family at risk? What can I do, as my child is getting older, to ensure his online safety? I have so many questions and concerns. Fortunately, today on Spouse Spouts we…

Summer fun at the beach, the pool, a lake, or maybe some camping, right? But for military families, the summer is also all about moving. It's PCS Season!!! With the help of social media, moving isn't as difficult as it used to be. However, people still have questions, still want to see the area they are moving too, and have questions about schools.…

Today's show is all about bullies. Last week, Susan and Dave talked a little about bullies in the military spouse community and promised to talk more about it. Bullies! UGH!!! They are not fun at all, and they are everywhere. Is bullying getting worse? Does social media help bullies? Think about our military kids too. Our children move more than mo…

Susan is back! She's on the mend slowly but surely and will be recovering from her massive hernia repair for months, but it doesn't matter! Susan is BACK!!! Join Susan and Dave, the orginial dream team of Spouse Spouts today as they talk, surgery, recovery, friendships, family, pain meds, and current events. Hear their stories and laugh hystericall…

Susan hit a snag in her recovery which means she won't be back on the show today....sad face. However, Robin Pruitt, 2017 AFI Kentucky NG Spouse of the Year is helping out. So what will Dave and Robin talk about? Summer vacation of course! School is out in most places or will be finished up this week. What do you do with your kids? Summer camps? Jo…

The Braless Podcast: Unhooked and Unleashed is on the show today! Erin Whitehead is filling in for Susan who is still recovering from surgery. Be prepared to unleash the beasts today with Erin and Dave! Wait...you don't know what The Braless Podcast is? Well check this out: http://www.bralesspodcast.com/ and read all about The Braless Podcast and E…

Today is a little different. Susan is out for surgery for the next 2 weeks which means we will have a substitute host! Join Moni Jefferson on Spouse Spouts today as she fills in for Susan, helps out Dave, and tells us how to quiet the noise that is overwhelming social media and so much more! Moni Jefferson Air Force spouse, Public Relations Strateg…

Employment, finding a job, updating a resume, getting your Linked In profile looking sharp, can be overwhelming! A few years ago the US Chamber of Commerce decided to help transitioning service members, veterans, retirees, and military spouses by creating Hiring our Heroes! Today on Spouse Spouts, Megan Paone Senior Manager, Military Spouse Program…

Have you ever heard of Drew Hernandez? What about A Combat Veteran? Have you watched his vidoes? Hilarious, truthful, and contagious are just some of the words that describe Drew, A Combat Veteran. In 2015 while Drew was deployed as a private contractor, he created his first video, " 10 Way to Identify A Combat Veteran". Drew went viral. From that …

Have you seen her videos? We've shared them on our Facebook page. Do you know who she is? She the Honest Dependa, and we're talking with her on Spouse Spouts today! The Honest Dependa brings humor, and truth to our military life. In hilarious videos, she has already tackled tough topics such as neighbors in housing, hold times with TRICARE, and mil…

Is change possible? An age old question with little answers until today. David Mike, author of Dishonor: One Soldier's Journey from Desertion to Redemption, is on Spouse Spouts sharing his journey as military kid to soldier to deserter, and lastly to serving time in Leavenworth. Listen as Susan interviews David and hears his story about how a troub…

April is Month of the Military Child and we're talking about our kids here on Spouse Spouts! From the littlest warriors born in the military treatment facility to the child that has grown up, and become a service member as well. Military kids are simply wonderful and we can't wait to share their stories of strength and truimph on Spouse Spouts! Joi…

The Exceptional Family Member Program or EFMP is designed to help military families impacted by disability or chronic illness. Is this program working? For the most part the answer is yes, but what happens when EFMP doesn't work? What happens when misinformation is shared? What happens when EFMP doesn't help? The answer to these questions and more …

What a rough episode we had last week! Both Dave and Susan had technical difficulties. Advocacy is such a great topic, so we are here to talk about it again. However, let's look at a specific area of advocacy. Let's talk about healthcare. How do we navigate a system that is full of red tape? How do we navigate a system that is reactionary and not p…

We're talking advocacy and what it means to be an advocate. More than that, we're also talking who needs to advocate, why a person needs to advocate, and where and when it's appropriate to advocate. Why tips and tools do you use to advocate for change? What works and what doesn't work? Get the answers to these questions and so many more on today's …

Have you ever wondered what it would take to reach our potential as a human race? Cerno's Mission, "Help those who aspire to Keep Climbing! We challenge people to think and act differently, step outside their comfort zone, and activate their limitless potential at work and in life." Michelle is more than the co-founder of Cerno, she's a military sp…

Support the military. Support the troops. Support military families. All nice phrases and slogans, but is it actually happening? What about suport within the military? Is that happening? What is meaningful spouse support, and when do we stop being blindly supportive and say "enough"? Also, how do we support each other as spouses? A lot of questions…

For this episode of Spouse Spouts Susan and Dave are talking with Cara Loken, the 2016 Armed Forces Insurance National Guard Spouse of the Year. Cara is the founder of Nebraska Arts for Vets, an organization that brings the arts to our veterans. "Nebraska Arts for Vets is a creative outlet for veterans that suffer from PTSD, mental issues, physical…

We love a great discussion here on Spouse Spouts and expect that a discussion about family support will be both interesting and great. The question before us is this: is family support and family readiness working in its current form? Susan grew up a military kid and remembers what family support used to be. Dave is a Navy veteran and remembers how…

Less than a week till Valentine's Day. Is this a day that's special for you, or is it just another day? What is your spouse is deployed or training? What do you do? How about if you can't get a sitter to go to dinner? What about remembeing cards for your kid's classroom? There's so much to remember! Join Susan and Dave on their "It's All About Love…

Nomination are over and it's time to start voting. But who do you vote for? Join Susan and Dave as they look through the profiles and share who the nominees are for the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year! Susan and Dave will go base by base, post by post, to read to you the nominee information and the new voting rules and timeline f…

Susan and Dave are pleased to have Babette Maxwell on the show! Babette will be here telling us all about MilSpouseFest and how it will be in six locations this year! From the event page: "During the event, you’ll participate in hands-on activities and interactive discussions. There are no lectures or PowerPoint presentations here. We promise that …

Money, money, money. Finances, and more money. It seems so complicated, but is it? When Susan was in college, she got into serious credit card debt. Susan also learned some tough lessons. But there's more that Susan wished she would have known when she was younger. With this being a new year, Susan and Dave thought it would be helpful to bring Doug…

I'm not one for resolutions, how about you? Every year I would try and stick to my resolutions and every year I would fail miserably. So, I stopped making them and so did Dave. However, resolutions work for some people. Maybe you're one of those people they work for. What about a goal? Or what about a theme? Maybe goals and themes work for you inst…

It's our third and final episode on Mental Health and the Holidays. For today's show we'll have Keita Franklin, PhD and Wendy Lakso from the Defense Suicide Prevention Office as our guests. We will talk about what the Department of Defense is doing to help combat suicide with our service members and their families. We will also discuss the myths th…

Well we had to change things up a little this week. Due to illness, conflicting schedules, and meetings, our show is a little shorter than usual, but it still has the charm of Susan and Dave! We're talking holidays and holiday traditions. We might even throw in a little early Festivus celebrations! Join Susan and Dave for Spouse Spouts the holiday …

As we learned in our last show, the holidays can be a stressful time for so many. Sometimes it's finding the perfect present, or having the perfect holiday. For those of us who have lost a friend or family member, the holiday season can serve as a remind of what we have lost. On today's show we have guests from the Tragedy Assistace Program for Sur…

It's the holiday season. It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year! For some it isn't. For some people, this is a stressful and lonely time. For our military, who is far from home, deployed, or has lost a loved one, the holidays can be some of the darkest times. Join Spouse Spouts for a three part series about the military, mental hea…

It's Thanksgiving! It's a time for parades, food, football, and family. For military families stationed away from home, Thanksgiving can be a lonely time of the year. As always we rise to meet the challenge. Join Susan and Dave as they share their Thanksgiving stories. You will laugh, cry, and enjoy the show the day before the holiday where you stu…

Call-in line: (323) 870-4358. Did you know that not all healthcare is covered by TRICARE, the military's health insurance? That's right. We have children who are repeatedly denied access to quality and timely healthcare. Children end up depending on charities and crowd-funding like Go Fund Me to cover the costs of healthcare. People like Susan Reyn…

Come and hang out with Susan and Dave as they discuss military housing. The Stars and Stripes newspaper published a recent article about military housing and the finding from an Inspector General report. You can find the article right here: http://www.stripes.com/news/inspector-general-report-finds-widespread-hazards-at-military-housing-1.435535 In…

In our third installment of spouse employment, today we have Amanda Crowe on the show with us. Amanda is the Executive Director for In Gear Career, a military spouse employment and networking organization. In the last year, In Gear Career partnered with Hiring our Heroes and the US Chamber of Commerce to better help our military spouses in their qu…

Episode 12 was the first part of a three part series on Spouse Employment. Why is this topic such a big deal? What is being done about it? As usual military spouses have taken matters into their own hands and done something about spouse employment. On today's show you will hear from Sue Hoppin, the founder of National Military Spouse Network. She'l…

Spouse Spouts is tackling military spouse employment. But why? Is it that big of a deal? Short answer? Yes! Well, what are the barriers to finding gainful employment? Is state licensure one of those issues? Yes! What about lack of education? Yes! What about lack of employment opportunities in certain duty stations? All of this and more! Today's sho…

Since Military One Click is doing a voting push and since it's getting close to the cut off for absentee ballots, let's talk about voting. Why will you, or why not? Call us and let's talk over some coffee!Av Spouse Spouts

We military spouses make plenty of sacrifices, but what do YOU do for love? Do you venture out of your comfort zone? Do you make your spouse do something new? Let's talk about it, in preparation for the upcoming Military Spouse Wellness Summit in OctoberAv Spouse Spouts