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Kia is the creator and host of The Female Veterans Podcast. She served as a Naval Hospital Corpsman from 1994 to 1999 and inactive reserve from 1999 to 2001. She has an MBA in Finance and Accounting. Currently, she is working on founding Artemisia with the mission of helping homeless female veterans.

Kia never wanted to join the military. But her mom said they didn’t have money for college and it would give Kia a firm foundation for her life. She agreed to join the military, but she did not follow her mother’s recommendation to join the Army and instead enlisted in the Navy.

She went to Naval Station Great Lakes for boot camp and was one of the first integrated companies that included both men and women. She enjoyed her time at boot camp she grew up in a strict household and actually felt more freedom within the constraints of bootcamp and she thrived on the structure. Her tech school was also at Naval Station Great Lakes. She met two women and they hoped they could be stationed together for their first assignment so instead of picking California or Hawaii they all three tried to stay at Naval Station Great Lakes. Two out of three women were able to stay there. They never talked to the third woman as the lost communication when she moved.

She said her time in the military was great up until the day it wasn’t. There were “shenanigans” that happened that colored her experience. She joined at nineteen and had an idealistic view of the world. Her first job was great. She was briefing new students for A-School and C-School and loved it. But her roommate began to change over the months and she was worried about the changes happening. She finally got her to confide in her that she was being harassed at work by a male service member. No one wanted to help. Eventually she attempted suicide and then they finally moved her to a new office where she began to thrive, but she had already started the process to get out of the Navy.

Kia also decided to leave the military when her enlistment was up. She was married and she and her husband moved to Arizona for a year, but she didn’t like it. She began working in the corporate world after leaving in the military and initially had success. But a few years later she found herself jobless, penniless and about to be homeless by her husband. She was able to get help from others and didn’t end up being homeless, but this experience brought her back to the military community and changed her for the better.

Today she helps other veterans and she started a podcast to help share the stories of military women. It is called The Female Veteran Podcast there she shares the good and the bad of military life from the perspective of the women she interviews on the podcast. It is exciting to see the work she is doing and you should go check out her podcast today!

She says the military did give her a firm foundation and she recommends doing your research if you are considering joining the military. Check out the Reserve Officer Training Corps programs or other officer programs and talk to other women and hear their experiences on both the Women of the Military and The Female Veteran Podcast. 

Connect with Kia:

The Female Veteran Podcast Website

The Female Veteran Podcast  on Anchor

The Female Veteran Podcast on AppleInstagram

Twitter

Related Episodes:

Surviving Military Sexual Trauma in the Navy – Episode 26

Giving Back After Service to Find Healing – Episode 56

Seeing the World with the US Navy – Episode 9

Resources:

Women of the Military Mentorship Program

Girl's Guide to Military Service available where books are sold. 

Signed copies of A Girl's Guide to Military Service

Girl's Guide to the Military Series