Podcast Helps Military Spouses Find Community

When Leslie O'Bryant became a military wife, she admits that she didn't quite know what she was getting into. Together with a fellow "milspouse," she started a podcast to help others in the same position get through the trials that their lifestyle can bring.

"It can be very isolating, and that's really why we're here — just so that person that's by themselves at home, they can at least turn on the podcast and hear us."

Video Transcript

Meet Leslie O’Bryant: podcaster

(Grinding coffee)

Leslie: I'm making my pre-podcast latte in my infamous sheep mug. This is something that my husband grabbed in Ireland.

Hi there. When you marry someone in the military, you really don't know what you're getting yourself into.

(Britni Miltner and Leslie each wear headsets as they talk via computer screens to record a podcast from two different locations.)

Britni: Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of MilSpouse CoffeeHouse.

Leslie: Hey, hey. How is everyone today?

Britni: I am Britni.

Leslie: And I'm Leslie, and I hope that your day is as great as this latte is.

We move every three years, give or take. Every time we move, you're put into a new community where you don't know what's going on, you don't know the culture. Our unemployment rate is four or five times higher. Don't quote me on that. You can research, but we are so much higher than the civilian unemployment rate. It's really insane.

Britni: Regular unemployment or underemployment, regularly finding new friends or really learning how to be alone.

Leslie: It can be very isolating, and that's really why we're here — is just so that person that's by themselves at home, they can at least turn on the podcast and hear us.

Britni: Today, we actually have a listener request: I was curious if you would be willing to talk about this on your podcast.

Leslie: MilSpouse CoffeeHouse came about because we just wanted something where people could listen in and feel like they're sitting with their friend at a coffee shop.

Britni: Her question was: How to put on a happy face when it feels impossible?

Leslie: Britni and I are what we call “seasoned spouses.” It doesn't even sound like he's in basic yet. We've been around the block and we can give really good advice. Well, we think we give really good advice.

Britni: I like to be honest and be like: Look, I'm not really excited about this, but I'm going to be there and support you.

Leslie: We talk about just about everything.

Britni: Please go.

Leslie: The good, the bad, the ugly, the funny. I need you to go to training at least two weeks — two weeks, minimum.

We just really wanted to create that connection no matter where you are. I love it when we get emails from our listeners.

Britni: Leslie and I had no clue how to do a podcast. We just hit up Google search and thought, you know what? Let's just do this.

Leslie: What's the next topic? The podcast is great because we can record from just about anywhere. I have done it just in my car driving.

Britni: We've done library rooms with super echo-y rooms. I think Chick-Fil-A one time. So you can record anywhere.

Leslie: It works because that's how our life works. We just make things happen. Yes, Britni and I have only met in person one time. However, we have a really strong relationship now. We're pretty much BFFs.

Britni: I mean, have you felt that before though, too?

Leslie: I'm very grateful for the connection that we've made through the podcast as a friend who gets it all.

I'm about to move, so it's weighing on my mind, y'all.

And our listeners are our soundboard, I guess. Because we can put stuff out there and then get feedback on: Yeah, this is really relevant. Hey, I'm here too. Or I need help with this. And they're just like the friends from afar.

You guys, it comes down to communication. You're just talking to them via podcast and that's a really, really cool thing for us and I hope for the listeners, too. I just hope I enlightened someone's life today. That's all.

Britni: You enlightened mine.

Leslie: Okay, good.

Leslie: What are we doing today? We're not talking about lattes. Oh, right.