The Independent Dependent Podcast

Would you believe it's April already? Time flies! Our first quarter of 2022 has been BUSY. We stayed on track only thanks to our productive daily routines. So we thought it would be a good idea to share with you some tips and tricks for your daily productivity. In this episode, we will talk about daily routines from the time when we worked in our 9 to 5 jobs versus now, when we are self-employed and work remotely. We discuss the differences in our daily routines, the disadvantages & advantages of working remotely, and how to increase your productivity. In this episode, we chat about: - Our daily routines when we worked in 9 to 5 jobs and what we hated about it - What we did wrong when we started to work remotely - Hustle culture is toxic - How to beat procrastination - Reflecting on your daily routine - Tips and tricks to increase your productivity - Differences in our daily routines Are you ready to shake up your daily routine and skyrocket your productivity? Grab your headphones and tune in! Send us a DM on Instagram. We LOVE hearing from you!

Do you ever take time to recap the previous year and set intentions for the upcoming year? And we don't mean just coming up with goals “in your head” and never taking an action to achieve them (don't pretend like you've never done that). We mean genuinely sitting down with pen and paper and writing it down. People tend to think about reflection as something negative like “I should've done this better” but we prefer to take a positive on it. When you recap 2021 and set goals for 2022, try to learn from what happened, from the actions you took, and what you would do differently in 2022. We took it a step further this year and we shared our intentions and goals with all of you guys! In this episode, we chat about: - Our accomplishments over the course of 2021 - How Amber and Nina met for the first time - When and why the Independent Dependent was born - Birthing The Independent Podcast - If we could go back to the beginning of 2021, knowing what we know now, what would we do differently in our business and personal lives - What we want to focus on in 2022 - Procrastinate to make plans, setting intentions and you are going to find yourself in the same position as you were in the year before - Amber's hack to stay on track with a budget for your goals - Promoting independence and being more of an independent dependent in 2022 What are your goals and intentions for 2022? Send us a DM on Instagram. We LOVE hearing from you! For full show notes and more resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-11

When it comes to starting a business, there is a lot of challenges and unknowns. Often just the thought feels exciting and scary at the same time. Unfortunately, we often give in to our fears, focus on the negative side of things, and overlook opportunities that are right in front of us. But we want to turn your perspective around! And that's why for this episode, we invited Kristen Baileys, who talks about her personal journey, how she got affiliated with the military, how she turned her passion into a successful business, and she shares seven business advantages of being a military spouse that you might not be realizing! In this episode, we chat about: - How Kristen entered the military lifestyle and how it impacted her life - Kristen's journey of starting a business and how the military community helped her - 5 ways to leverage your military network to launch and grow your business (forget about cold pitching) - Why you should begin building social media presence NOW and how you can turn your passion into a business - How and why Nina & Amber started their own businesses - Bouncing off ideas with your spouse is beneficial for multiple reasons If you have been thinking about starting a business but you feel like something has been holding you back, you must listen to this episode! So much good stuff coming your way! For full show notes and more resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-10.

Do you follow personal development gurus on social media? They're great, right? They're so inspiring and share so many productivity routines, and you tried them all, and they're totally changing your life, right? Unless they are not…. You follow the routine for a couple of days, but then you fail to keep up. How do others do it? Am I do only one who can't make this work? Let us stop you right there before you get into the full gaslighting mode. It is NOT your fault. That routine simply doesn't work for you. More about this topic will tell us - Jayla Rae, an expert in personal development. We invited Jayla to share her story about becoming a military spouse later in life, pivoting into the online space, how she started her personal growth journey, and much more! In this episode, we chat about: - What is a late career military spouse - Resisting planting yourself in the military community - Jayla's personal development journey - Stepping out of victim mentality mode - Acceptance of being a military spouse - Gaslighting yourself, toxic positivity, and invalidating your feelings - What is Enneagram and Human Design - Using Enneagram and Human Design for your personal growth - Finding a productivity routine that works for you - Common Enneagram mistake and how to avoid it If you are all about personal development and you're struggling with your productivity, this is THE episode for you! For full show notes and more resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-9.

We have a juicy episode for you! As you might know, we have been military spouses for about two years and we really wanted to bring a guest on our show who could share an experience about military lifestyle from a seasoned spouse perspective. And that's why for this episode, we invited Alissa Stocking to tell us about her journey as a seasoned military spouse. Alissa opened up about her story and gave us so many wonderful tips for military spouses to help them along their journey. In this episode, we chat about: - Alissa's story of becoming a military spouse - Alissa's high-risk pregnancy before her husband left for extended deployment - Becoming a new mom and so far away from family - Battling mental health struggles - Dealing with imposter syndrome as a military spouse - Difference in being a military spouse in the early 2000s vs. now - Tips on supporting children through military lifestyle - Balancing school, motherhood, and the military spouse lifestyle You do not want to miss this episode! Get comfy, grab your headphones and let's tune in! For full show notes and more resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-8.

Are you guilty of putting dating in your marriage on the back burner? Girl, you're not the only one! Sometimes life happens and you don't make dating a priority, especially if you've been together for some time and you get comfortable with your spouse. That's why we recorded this episode, we talked about the importance of dating in marriage, what our dating looked like before and after we got married, and obviously, we'll share some ideas to spruce up your dating life and maintain a healthy marriage. PS: Stay until the end of the episode. We prepared a little surprise for you! In this episode, we chat about: - Our dating life before and after we got married - Compromises and changes we had to do when we started living together - How to prioritize dating your spouse when life gets busy - Setting up couple goals, vows renewals, and how to grow together as a couple - Our favorite dates - Date ideas for long-distance relationships, deployments, and PCs - Date nights don't have to be expensive, low budget and free date ideas Did you enjoy the episode and our little surprise? Do you have any dating tips? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram, we love hearing from you! For full show notes and more resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-7.

Are you a military girlfriend, fiancee, newer spouse, or maybe you're just looking into a military lifestyle? We know how daunting the military lifestyle might seem from the outside! Especially when you hear all the milspo stereotypes about how your entire life is going to revolve around the house and supporting your spouse through the lifestyle that they chose. Girl, forget it! It doesn't have to be that way! In this episode, we invited Alexis Garrett who is a life coach for military spouses to talk about military stereotypes, how to find your fulfillment and become independent despite the military lifestyle. If you strive to be the best version of yourself and have your own life (whether that's through career, hobbies, or your passions) while supporting your partner, this is an episode for you! In this episode, we chat about: - Alexi's hesitations about military life as an introvert - Milspo stereotypes that civilian families project when you marry into the military - How Alexis's grew to love her military life - Starting her online business as a life coach for military spouses - Being a supporting spouse is not your entire identity - Alexi's shares her process on how to successfully achieve your goals & how to deal with mindset blocks - Tips for newer military spouses, fiances, or girlfriends that are looking into this lifestyle Grab your headphones, get comfortable and tune in! For full show notes and more resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-6.

We invited so many amazing guests in the past to share stories of how they became military spouses, but we didn't share our story or why we started The Independent Dependent in the first place. So let's do it now! As military spouses, we take on the supporting role, and often our passions get pushed on the back burner because of the lifestyle that we chose to marry into. It's really hard as we move across the country (or on the other side of the world), we're away from family, from our close friends, and it's hard to build a new network of people. That is a big reason why The Independent Dependent is so important to us! Because it enables us to connect with one another, support each other and share how we can all become independent dependent no matter where we live. In this episode, we chat about: - What were our lives like before we became military spouses - Our passions and how marrying into the military has affected our paths - How starting our online businesses has paved a way of independence but also brought new financial freedom along with our husbands' income - How we connected and started the idea for this community (even though we never met face-to-face) - Our beginnings (and mistakes) as online service providers - Overcoming imposter syndrome - First coaching we invested in and how it scaled our businesses So many exciting topics, right? Come and join us! Also, DM us on Instagram if you have any ideas for future episodes. We LOVE hearing from you! For full show notes and more resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-5.

Have you been thinking about starting your own business, perhaps a blog or an Etsy shop? Maybe you're really excited about the idea, but you feel like it's too hard, so you throw in the towel before you even start. Girl, we get it! You're not alone, we all have been there! Sarah Curtis is a military spouse and mom who went through a similar journey, and that's why we invited her to join us in this episode to speak about her experience. Sarah shares how she started an online business, how blogging became her source of income, what mindset blocks she had to overcome, and much more! In this episode, we chat about: - How Sarah started her blog and turned a hobby into a business - Fighting perfectionism, procrastination, and imposter syndrome - Setting up an Etsy shop is easier than you might think - Sarah shares tips on how to get started with Etsy shop - Mindset blocks we run into as we continue growing our businesses - Don't let society tell you what to do, especially if you're a military spouse - Everybody has an opinion but it doesn't mean you must listen to them - Importance of setting REALISTIC goals for yourself and quit comparing yourself with others So many goodies right?! Grab your headphones and tune in! For full show notes and more resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-4.

Mental health is a big topic that we touched upon in the previous episodes, and many of you got back to us with positive feedback. Therefore, we are bringing you another podcast episode about mental health struggles and military spouse experience in general. We invited April Guffey to share her journey of becoming a military spouse, transitioning out of the military, and talk about mental health struggles such as anxiety, postpartum depression, and adoptee trauma. In this episode, we chat about: April's story of becoming a military spouse Separating shortly after getting married Overcoming postpartum depression Ditching stereotypes around therapy April's experience as an adoptee Transitioning out of the military Finding a community when you struggle with mental health issues Grab your headphones and get comfortable. Are you ready? Let's tune in! For full show notes and more resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-3.

One of the most under-talked topics in the military spouse community is mental health. We often feel like we must “keep it together” to support our service members and forget that our spouses and their role in the military is just as important as us. We want to end this stigma so we can openly talk about addiction, alcoholism, drugs, anxiety and mental health in general. For this episode, we invited Christina Kimbrough to share her story and overall experience as a military spouse who struggled with mental health, anxiety and alcohol addiction. In this episode, we chat about: How and why we started our online businesses Christina's story of bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression while dealing with alcohol addiction Reaction of Christina's friends & family when she came out about her mental health struggles Getting sober without AA meetings or in-person therapy during COVID-19 Learning to navigate spaces sober in military drinking community Disappointing lack of support when celebrating sobriety milestones How to talk openly with recovering alcoholics and avoid awkward situations Christina's journey to getting sober is truly inspiring! Don't miss out on this episode. For full show notes and more resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-2.

As military spouses, we often face big challenges when it comes to money. If you want to build a career, start a business or become financially independent, moving around and military spouse lifestyle doesn't make it easy. That's why in this episode, we talk all about money! We invited Hannah Butler, Young Wealth Coach, to share her journey as a milspo, tell us more about her course that helps young military families with finances, and give us some juicy money tips! In this episode, we chat about: Hannah's journey to entrepreneurship and how she became a financial coach for military spouses Breaking from “paycheck to paycheck” lifestyle Hannah's course, what makes it different from other courses and her clients' transformations Money mindset and biggest obstacles around it How is money mindset formed at a young age, and how it might damage your relationship with finances Tips on how to get your finances under control and budgeting tips for military families How we handle finances in our lives as military spouses We told you, this episode is full of good stuff! Grab your headphones, and let's tune in! For full show notes and resources, visit milspolifestyle.com/episode-1.