Tactical as a Mother: Recent Episodes
Sam & Alyssa
A quest for tools to optimize performance and enable work-life balance, geared toward the tactical female athlete. Join Sam and Alyssa-- military officers, wives, and mothers-- as we interview female Army leaders and holistic health and fitness experts.
Episode 9: Interview with Major Tara Troianello
In this Pride month episode we interview Major Tara Troianello, Army occupational therapist (OT).
Join us as we speak about Major Troianello’s military career, and discuss the roles of sleep and stress in our daily lives. Learn about the role of Army OT in both a Combat Operational Stress Control (COSC) unit and the Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) model. Hear her take on the latest performance-oriented wearables to give us insight into our own training, recovery, stress, and readiness.
Want to learn more about any of Major Troianello’s resource recommendations?
- Check out the Huberman Lab podcast (https://hubermanlab.com/)
- Read or listen to Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker
- Read The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal (https://www.amazon.com/Upside-Stress-Why-Good-You/dp/1101982934)
- Explore the Zen Pig book collection with your littles (https://shop.puppydogsandicecream.com/collections/zen-pig)
Have a safe 4th of July, and we hope you’ll join us back here soon as we wrap up this first season of the Tactical as a Mother podcast!
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Better late than never! (At least, we like to think so.) In this episode, Sam takes a deep dive into Army Directive 2022-06 to fill you in on the updates and brand new info in this document. We hope our Army mamas out there will find this useful!
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Episode 7: Military Women's Memorial
In this episode Sam & Alyssa talk about the Military Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery (https://womensmemorial.org/). After a hiatus, we're back and excited to chat about this Memorial and the history of women in service to the United States.
- Want to register your military service or the service of a family member? Do it here. (https://womensmemorial.org/make-herstory/)
- Check out available programming, including the HERstory project, exploring lived experiences of female veterans here. (https://womensmemorial.org/programs/)
- Want to support the Memorial with a donation, or by volunteering? Check out options here. (https://womensmemorial.org/planned-giving/)
- And for those of you (like Sam!) who love a gift shop, check theirs out here! (https://giftshop.womensmemorial.org/)
However and whomever you are remembering this weekend, we thank you for spending some time with us.
We hope you'll join us again next time, as Sam shares everything you might want to know about Army Directive 2022-06 (Parenthood, Pregnancy, and Postpartum). Until then, stay strong, stay tactical, stay you!
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In this episode we continue our talk with 1st Lieutenant Megan Gephart, Army public affairs officer and pregnancy & postpartum athleticism coach. You may know her from her coaching platform, @armedtotheheart.
If you haven't listened to full length Episode 6, we recommend you start there to hear 1st Lt. Gephart's story about how an unplanned pregnancy led her to find a calling as a pregnancy & postpartum athleticism coach, and an advocate for an Army-wide P3T overhaul.
In this episode, 1st Lt. Gephart walks us through a science-based postpartum healing and return to activity timeline. We also get to hear a bit about her coaching philosophy, including how she helps women find work-life harmony while fitting personal goals into the context of their daily reality.
Want to keep up to date with the changes to Army P3T guidance, or learn more about Megan Gephart’s coaching resources?:
- Find her on Instagram or Twitter @armedtotheheart (more resources in her Linktree!)
- Access her postpartum return to fitness guide here https://megangephart.kartra.com/page/kWO189
- Reach out to discuss one-on-one or group coaching opportunities
- Check out more free guides for pregnancy, postpartum and beyond through @Brianna.Battles and @pregnant.postpartum.athlete on Instagram
Be sure to check back in two weeks, when we'll be talking sleep, stress, and mastering mental resiliency with Army Occupational Therapist, MAJ Tara Troianello!
Until then, stay strong, stay tactical, stay you!
As always, what you hear in this episode are the personal views of the participants, which don’t represent the Army or any other agency of the US government.
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In this episode we interview 1st Lieutenant Megan Gephart, Army public affairs officer and pregnancy & postpartum athleticism coach.
You may know her from her platform, @armedtotheheart! Join us as we hear from 1st Lt. Gephart about how unforeseen circumstances at the start of her military career led her to become a coach, as well as an advocate and advisor for the overhaul of the Army’s P3T program guidelines.
1st Lt. Gephart opens up about the challenges that came with being a young mother and Army officer. She talks about the consequences of rushing her own postpartum timeline and the decision to eventually take charge of her own physical recovery. She shares how these challenges led her to develop a passion for helping other military women navigate their own pursuits of work-life balance in every season.
Want to keep up to date with the changes to Army P3T guidance, or learn more about Megan Gephart’s coaching resources?:
- Find her on Instagram or Twitter @armedtotheheart (more resources in her Linktree!)
- Access her postpartum return to fitness guide here https://megangephart.kartra.com/page/kWO189
- Reach out to discuss one-on-one or group coaching opportunities
- Check out more free guides for pregnancy, postpartum and beyond through @Brianna.Battles and @pregnant.postpartum.athlete on Instagram
We hope you'll join us for a follow-up episode, where we'll dive into postpartum healing and return to fitness timelines, as well as explore some of the tools that Megan uses in her coaching.
Until then, stay strong, stay tactical, stay you!
As always, what you hear in this episode are the personal views of the participants, which don’t represent the Army or any other agency of the US government.
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tacticalasamother/message
In this episode we interview Sarah Walsh, a registered dietitian working in the Army's Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) system.
Join us as we chat about nutrition basics, fueling for specific goals, supplements, the Army's body composition standards, and more! Sarah provides some great recommendations for quick, balanced meals on the go, and even has tips for how to help our littles build healthy relationships with food. We think this episode is packed full of really useful information and tools, and we hope you'll agree!
Find up-to-date nutrition research and evidence-based recommendations at these websites:
- Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS): check your supplements, find the prohibited supplement list, or ask the expert here! (https://www.opss.org/)
- CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/index.html)
- FDA (https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/nutrition)
- USDA (https://www.usda.gov/topics/food-and-nutrition): scroll down for links to Nutrition Resources, Publications, and Research
- NIH (https://ods.od.nih.gov/) for all of your supplement questions
Check out these recommendations from Sarah's reading list:
- Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall (on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Hood-Feminism-Notes-Movement-Forgot/dp/0525560548)
- The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton (on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Final-Revival-Opal-Nev/dp/198214016X)
Finally, check out Sarah's recipe for easy broccoli cheddar soup here! (https://youtu.be/OS1HyCRaEPA)
Enjoy the episode and come on back in two weeks for our chat with pregnancy and post-partum coach and advocate, Megan Gephart!
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tacticalasamother/message
Happy Valentine's Day!!!
In this episode we interview Colonel Heidi Mon, Army Medical Service Corps officer and commander of Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center.
Join us as we speak with Colonel Mon about her military career, motherhood, taking care of people, and her recipe for doing it all well.
We particularly enjoyed hearing about Colonel Mon’s credo of 100/0!, as well as her account of the opportunities and sacrifices that have made her into the successful and inspirational officer she is today.
Want to incorporate Colonel Mon’s recipe for success into your own leadership mix?
- Check out this Ted Talk that inspired her 100/0! credo
- Consider striving for balance each day with the “Rule of Three”: do something for your organization, something for your family, and something for you
- “Be the friend you wish you’d had.” No mean girl business here!
- Follow Colonel Mon on Peloton! @EisenhowerCommander
We hope you'll join us in two weeks, when we chat with Registered Dietitian (and friend) Sarah Walsh about fueling for performance, recovery, and life in the many hats we all wear.
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In this BONUS episode, we return to last week's conversation with Major Robin Cox, national podium finisher at The Tactical Games and mother of two. If you haven’t listened yet, we recommend you start there. Listen on for inside info about how to get involved with the Tactical Games. We’ll also hear Robin talk about the fierce female competition at the national elite level, and get her resource recommendations for all of you tactical mothers out there. Hope you enjoy!
Want to learn more about the Tactical Games? Check out these resources:
Train like Major Cox, following Zach Forrest's "Tactical Games Protocol" or other online training programs
Find a competition and become a Tactical Games athlete
The Tactical Games training camp is April 1-3!
Check out battles, skirmishes, and highlights on The Tactical Games' YouTube channel
Book recommendation: Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron, available at Amazon and other retailers
Until next time: stay strong, stay tactical, stay you!
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tacticalasamother/message
In this episode we interview Major Robin Cox, Army intelligence officer and national podium finisher in The Tactical Games.
Language and trigger warning on this episode for a few swear words and talk about suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know is struggling, there is help! The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day here or by calling 800-273-8255
Join us as we speak about Major Cox's military career, motherhood journey, and Tactical Games career. We get an overview of The Tactical Games competition and ask about her training regimen, to include nutrition, sleep and stress management (Holistic Health & Fitness anyone??).
Major Cox opens up about her mental health struggles, and how being a valued member of a team on deployment literally saved her life.
Want to learn more about the Tactical Games? Check out these resources:
- Train like Major Cox, following Zach Forrest's "Tactical Games Protocol" or other online training programs
- Find a competition and become a Tactical Games athlete
- Check out the Tactical Games on YouTube
- Book recommendation: Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron, available at Amazon and other retailers
We hope you'll join us for a follow-up BONUS EP, where we'll take a deeper dive into some Tactical Games resources and recommendations with Major Cox. Until then, stay strong, stay tactical, stay you!
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tacticalasamother/message
In this episode, we chat with a good friend, Captain Maureen Brunetti. Captain Brunetti is a physical therapist and mom of three who recently made the jump from Active Duty to the U.S. Army Reserve. Maureen brings a fresh and humorous perspective to any situation, so getting to talk with her about Army service and motherhood was a real treat! We had a great time doing this interview, and hope you'll enjoy listening.
Topics covered in this episode:
- Meet Captain Brunetti
- Balancing career and family
- Maternity leave
- APFT sit ups (0/10, do not recommend)
- Transition from Active Duty
- Childcare
- Building your Mom tribe
Captain Brunetti's Recommendations:
- The Army Mom Life (Facebook Group)
- Bluey (Disney TV show)
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In this Bonus Ep we give an overview of the Army's Holistic Health & Fitness (H2F) system and talk about how it was a large part of our inspiration to start this podcast. Sam gets on a soapbox about how H2F done right will shake up how we view toughness and success. We also give a little sneak peak of some of the interviews you can expect to hear during this first season! We hope you'll join us for just a few minutes, and we'll see you back next week with our first fierce tactical leader interview!
Here's the link to NPR's Podcast Startup Guide that we mention in the episode!
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In episode one of the Tactical as a Mother podcast, you'll meet us: Army officers, wives, and moms Samantha & Alyssa. In this intro episode we talk about ourselves, our kiddo, and our love of the outdoors and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest (PNW); and introduce you to what we hope this podcast will become.
We talk about the need to consider many realms or "domains" in conversations about holistic health and fitness/ wellness, and our desire to have those conversations with a female focus. (We don't talk about the ACFT in this episode, but we will!) We introduce you to our concept going forward, in which we'll interview female military leaders and experts in everything from tactical fitness and nutrition to mental and spiritual health.
We discuss our own shifting priorities, and talk about New Year's resolutions, and whether they're still worth making in a COVID world. We hope you'll join us for this first chat and subscribe to catch all of our future episodes!
Have a suggestion for a tactical leader we should interview, or a recommendation for Sam's 2022 reading list? Shoot us an email: tacticalmothers@gmail.com
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