The Corie Weathers Podcast

Finding my Stride

In this episode, I interview Lena Steiner. I met TeamSteiner in Colorado during one of the most significant seasons of my life. That deployment changed a lot of us, including my own husband. But it was the support of Corey and Lena Stenier that carried an entire squadron through dark days. TeamSteiner served military families by Corey taking on the heavy responsibility of the Rear Detachment Commander- staying behind while the rest of the Squadron deployed and Lena supporting him and becoming a leader herself. Lena talkes about how losing friends in war has affected her marriage and her process of embracing the military lifestyle. lenafamily When it comes to leadership, Lena describes the impact on marraiges when leadership considers families as priority. Key spouse leaders changed her life by their willingness to create community and introducing her to running. She is now qualified to run the Boston Marathon and has trained even through her current second pregnancy! I have always admired Lena for her compassion for people, but also her fierce approach at life that earned my nickname for her "The Beast". Here is a picture of pregnant Lena smoking me on a 5 mile run.

What is a Lifegiver?

You would think that this would be easy for me as I have been using the term "lifegiver" for years to describe the kind of person I want to become. Yet when it came time to work on this episode, not only did I have a loss for words- I also went through a challenging week that completely changed my perspective. The military has a way of taking everything you put nicely in an organized box in your mind and then dumping it out and walking on it. Or maybe that's just me... I have a feeling you have been there, too. I admit that I am not especially strong at adapting to change quickly which you can imagine makes being a military wife tough. Yet, in that moment, I thought about all of you. I was reminded of how much grit it takes to be a military spouse, regardless of branch or circumstance. Some days are easy, others can feel excruciating- yet we find a way to push through and find a silver-lining. In this episode, I describe what a Lifegiver is and the three things that I have found in common with every Lifegiver I have ever met. If we want to make a difference in our home and in the world, these are three things we MUST do. I hope it challenges and encourages you to work towards your purpose and potential. She must know her current passion and calling. What is it you love to do? What fires you up and makes you angry with the world? A Lifegiver must define or begin to define what she is currently passionate about and then be working towards her future purpose. What can you do right now to keep growing despite where the military sends you or whether it takes your spouse away? Creativity is crucial, knowing your purpose will help provide the hope as your place, the people, and seasons change. Secret: Our calling is rarely tied to things like your business, your crafts, or your ideas. The most fulfilling calling will always involve people who need the lifegiving hope our wisdom carries. Here is a short talk from Brene Brown on understanding the power of empathy. A Lifegiver must be able to protect her calling. Protection involves both offense and defense. You must first be able to know how to take care of yourself. Each of you likely know what state you are in and what you are “needing to do” or being asked to do to take care of yourself- so do something today that moves you in that direction- at least one thing. But a Lifegiver must also work in Defense. Once you know your calling, it is much easier to say no to the energy wasters be it tasks or people that suck the life out of you. Knowing your calling gives you the words you need to say no to other things. My challenge to you is to make a mission statement if you haven’t already. A Lifegiver must give her marriage and family her first fruits. As much as I hate hearing the phrase often used by the military to “put your household in order”, there is much truth in that no person can be mission ready if those she is responsible for are neglected, in conflict, or in trouble. The place where you have the most impact and influence is at home. Think of it this way. What you may have to offer someone else, multiplies when you invest in it at home. What someone else might walk away saying, “Gee that was nice of her” gets a “That was exactly what I needed in my life today” from our husband or children. Our calling is something that is a life journey, we will often need to take sabbaticals to give our first fruits to those that mean the most to us. This does not mean you lose your calling, but if you don’t take care of your first responsibility, you CAN lose your family. Bring life to the garden in your own backyard before starting a greenhouse business. Here is a great TedTalk by Benjamin Zander on how to define whether you know you are making a difference. He is a Classical Musician and uses music to make an incredible point.

Parent Fail

It is one thing to go through the constant change in my life, it’s another thing entirely to watch my kids struggle. I feel responsible for their well-being, but how do you know when your kids are really struggling with the constant transition of moving, making friends, and leaving friends? Kids and adults feel stress in similar ways, but sometimes their expression of it may look different. This is a season of transition for #TeamWeathers. We spent a year and half in Georgia and will only spend 6 months here in South Carolina. Knowing this, I saw my youngest begin to struggle. When school started, he picked up a cold that kept him home for a few days. When I noticed his cold was not getting worse and he was avoiding school I felt in my gut that something was off. Mixed with frustration and selfishness (to be transparent) I needed to figure out what my child was feeling but could not express. In this episode, I walk you through my own experience of working with my son. The heartbreak of hearing his stress and the battle of guilt I had to walk through myself. I will give you some tips on behaviors to look for in your children if they are trying to tell you they need help as well as what you can do to help them. Even more, I will address the internal struggle moms go through when we sometimes get it wrong. - Here is a little bit of what I cover: - Hidden Clues to look for when your child is struggling - Why we can’t read their minds- no matter how hard we try - How kids control their world when it feels out of control - How to not spiral into guilt and shame when you miss the clues you child is giving you Special thanks to Kelly Keesecker and her son Carter for the incredible “Shout Out” thanking an important friend who supported them during transitions. This one is definitely worth listening to and sharing with other moms you know. Let’s all be honest… Parenting is hard and you will never get it right every time. But we can all begin to be pick up some tips and be graceful with ourselves. Most of the time (if we allow it) imperfection leads to breathing hope into someone else’s life. Hopefully this will inspire you to do this in your child’s life.

Cyberbullying

Cyber-bullying has become a trending issue in the Military Spouse world. That may come as a shock to some of you, but it is not just happening to our kids. This podcast will talk about the growing issue in the military culture and what you can do about it. Everyday, social media tempts to bring out the worst in us. What will you do? In essense we must learn to that we have no control over other people, but we DO have great influence. Learning to control yourself is a big enough challenge. Learn what you can do to address cyber-bullying in our military spouse culture or as a parent. Included are great tips that can be shared with your children and teens as they enter the digital world. For fun, we take a few minutes to talk about why I believe every military spouse should be a fan of Wonder Woman, and it's not just because of her awesome fashion sense.

Bonus- Depression & the Bible

This is not a new podcast, but a talk I gave in 2010 to New Life Church, Colorado Springs, CO. Many people have requested access to it, so it has been included into the Lifegiver Series. Here I address how you can manage chronic depression as well as how your faith and relationship with God plays a role in our mood. Depression look svery different for each person it effects. From a bad day, to Post-Partum, to grief, and Chronic Depression- there are so many kinds and levels. There can be hope, though. And God does not intend for us to walk that road alone. This talk is full of scripture and doesn't discourage the use of medication either. I hope it will bring hope to those who struggle with it personally as well as the caretakers of family members who fight it everyday.

Corie talks to Christian Radio

Corie sits down and talks with 88.3 FM Family Radio on what it means to serve the military as a ministry team as well as her recent 2015 AFI Military Spouse of the Year Award.

Lifegiver Episode 1

Corie Weathers, LPC and AFI 2015 Military Spouse of the Year shares a little bit about her own story as a military spouse and her vision to make Lifegiver Military Spouse Podcast as a place for other military families to be encouraged. Information on how you can send in your shout out is available and you get to hear the first inspirational shout outs to Lifegiver!