Spouse Spouts

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 package for your loved one, from the comfort of your home. That's amazing!  Listen to Spouse Spouts today so you can learn more about this business! 

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 how our African American community survived, when the odds were stacked against inspires many people today.  The US Military has also, changed because of the contributions of African Americans.  Join Susan on Spouse Spouts to learn more! 

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 not the only issue impacting families today.  Military families are not single issue families. Right now we have families in crisis because of Tricare changes. Those families need our support.    Tune in every Wednesday for Spouse Spouts!   

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 topics, and so much more. As always, the intent is to bring quality programming to you all.  Tune in today as Susan returns to Spouse Spouts. 

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 lives in Alaska, and runs a fairly busy schedule, we had to pre-record this episode. All this means is there won't be any calls answered in the show, you can still listen in at the normal time on-hold. Spouse Spouts is a weekly military spouse podcast hosted by Susan and Dave each Wednesday at 0930 EST.

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 chat with Anna about her tour, her career, and her community impact.  Spouse Spouts is a weekly military spouse podcast hosted by Susan and Dave each Wednesday at 0930 EST

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 about Worldwide 101 and they are helping miltiary spouses find jobs and satisfaction. Spouse Spouts is a weekly podcast hosted by Susan Reynolds and Dave Etter. Join them every Wednesday at 0930 EST.   

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 and growing role of the spouse in military family finance Additionally source of income, if the spouse is employed Valuable contributions to the household, which are harder to quantify (childcare, chores, shopping, etc.) The spouse as a key decision-maker when it comes to finances Understanding financial windfalls that may come with military life and how to make the most of them Separation pay Hazardous duty pay Budgeting advice to help families avoid debt Saving and investing strategies to help build up a “rainy day” or emergency fund Understanding your options for protecting your family with insurance SGLI  Supplements and additional offerings from non-profit organizations   Join Susan and Dave every Wednesday for Spouse Spouts at 0930 EST! 

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 (most of the time!) on Wednesdays at 0930 EST by Susan Reynolds, 2014 Joan Orr AF Spouse of the Year and Dave Etter, AFI 2016 Army Spouse of the Year.

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 Coast Guard and National Guard have been  hard at work. It's more than that; first responders are also out and working hard.  What can you do? We'll give you some ideas and some organizations that are already in the area, helping. 

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 Susan and Todd Ernst, from PCSgrades as they discuss moving in the military.  Join Susan and Dave every Wednesday at 0930 EST for Spouse Spouts! 

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 family members to help? There are many resources available. Military One Click has been writing about back to school for the last few weeks and will have a guest host, Tesha Jackson on today to share with us some tips to help our kids out.  Join Susan and Dave every Wednesday at 0930 EST for Spouse Spouts! 

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 Cara.   

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 family community. We'll talk about Tricare, education, military children, and more. With so much happening, it's good to know we have friends and allies like NMFA looking out for us.  Join Susan and Dave every Wednesday at 0930 EST for Spouse Spouts. 

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 have an expert here to help.  Alex Brown knows about OPSEC (operational security) and PERSEC (personal security) and it here today to help us out. Questions about social media? Alex can answer them and give us tips and tools on how to be a little more, or a lot more safe online. Join Susan and Dave for Spouse Spouts every Wednesday at 0930 EST.