Business
Amanda Huffman served in the Air Force for six years as a civil engineer. She got married and was expecting a baby when she decided to transition to civilian life. The transition was harder than she thought it would be as she discovered her identity was tied to the military. She didn’t really feel like she fit in with veteran groups or training programs, because she was a woman and wasn’t looking for career opportunities. She was going to stay at home with her baby and identified more with military spouses. She began writing about her experience and started the Airman to Mom blog. Through her work, she discovered that military women had interesting stories to tell, and she wrote Women of the Military: A Compilation of Stories from American Women Service Members which also led to her Women of the Military Podcast where she talks to military women and gives them an outlet to share their stories. We chat about Amanda’s story, veteran organizations, and some of her favorite stories. We also talk about how her and her husband handle their finances, tools they use, saving or paying for college, and retirement possibilities. Highlights from Episode 24 [00:58] Amanda served in the Air Force for 6 years as a civil engineer. She is now a stay-at-home mom and a military spouse. Her husband is in the Air Force. [01:22] After leaving the military, Amanda was struggling and having an identity crisis, so she decided to write about it in her blog Airman to Mom. [01:28] In 2017, she did a series on deployments. She had an overwhelmingly female response, and she realized she was in the right place at the right time. [02:00] She started collecting stories about military women, and that's what Women of the Military is all about. [02:08] She features 28 stories about military women. She also podcasts about the same topic. [02:37] Amanda was surprised by how much her identity was tied to her military service. She was transitioning out of the military and just had a baby. It threw her for a loop she didn't expect. [04:16] There weren't any available resources for people getting out of the military to be a stay-at-home mom. [05:08] Amanda has been out of the military for 6 years, and she's just now getting involved with veterans organizations. [06:41] The first organization Amanda got involved with was Wreaths across America. It brought back her connection to the military. [08:45] Amanda began writing on her blog and now mostly focuses on her podcast. [09:32] One of the most moving stories that Amanda recorded was about a woman who was raped twice while serving. This woman became an advocate for another rape survivor and turned her story into positive action. [12:02] Amanda's book has a lot of anonymous stories, but they are great stories. [12:56] Amanda met the first female cadet from the Air Force Academy. This woman was kicked out of the academy for failing calculus even though men who failed were not kicked out. The story explains how the odds were stacked against the over 100 women who graduated. [14:26] Her husband travels a lot. It's like deployment where they have to drop everything and go. [15:42] They track their finances with mint. It's more accurate than a spreadsheet. [19:14] We talk about the blended retirement system. [20:04] They have GI bills for their kids college fund. [23:58] Amanda and her husband were able to save a lot so now Amanda doesn't have to work, and they have an emergency reserve. Links and Resources Women of the Military: A Compilation of Stories from American Women Service Members Women of the Military Podcast Airman to Mom Amanda Huffman on Facebook Amanda Huffman on Twitter Amanda Huffman on Instagram Wreaths across America VETTYS Service Women’s Action Network Mint Tiller