Hey Women Warriors,

Welcome to May, a month that reminds us how much women carry—often without anyone realizing the weight.

This issue is for the women who keep showing up while balancing responsibility, service, family, leadership, and expectations that never seem to slow down. Strength isn’t always loud or visible. Sometimes it looks like pushing through exhaustion, holding everything together, and continuing forward anyway.

This month, we focus on quiet resilience and the reminder that needing support does not make you weak.

You’re not meant to carry it all alone.

Let's GO!
​Carma

WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO DISCOVER:
- Strength After Loss: Gold Star Spouses
- Still Serving: Life in the Reserves
- April Observances
- Resources for Survivors & Service Members
- A Quote for the Season
- WWC Book Debrief
​- VA Claims Corner: Survivor Benefits Simplified

TRIVIA:

What do you call the kind of exhaustion that comes from being the one who remembers everything, manages everyone, stays strong, and keeps functioning… even when you’re running on empty?

There’s actually a term for it. Many women veterans know the feeling long before they ever hear the name.

What is it called?
​👉 Scroll to the end of this issue to find out AND get some tips to help
​

THE WEIGHT WE CARRY

​She didn’t say she was overwhelmed. She said she was “busy.” Because that’s easier.

Women warriors carry a different kind of weight.

It’s not just the mission—it’s everything around it:
- Being the reliable one
- The leader
- The planner
- The one who doesn’t drop the ball

Even when everything feels like it’s stacking up.

And here’s the truth...just because you’re carrying it well, doesn’t mean it’s light.

Some of that weight looks like:
- Remembering everything for everyone
- Managing emotions (yours and theirs)
- Showing up strong in spaces that expect it
- Pushing through exhaustion because stopping feels like failure
And still—you show up.

That counts.
​

FEATURED RESOURCE:



NEW RELEASE — Good Carma Learns About Memorial Day

Most kids know Memorial Day means cookouts, flags, and a long weekend.
But many military families know it means something deeper.

Good Carma Learns About Memorial Day helps children understand the real meaning behind the holiday in a gentle, age-appropriate way—through the eyes of Good Carma, a curious little girl learning about remembrance, sacrifice, service, and why we honor those who never came home.

Because military children often grow up carrying questions that other kids never have to ask.
This book opens the conversation in a way that feels calm, hopeful, and respectful—not heavy or overwhelming.

Inside, children will learn:

- Why Memorial Day matters
- What symbols like poppies and flags represent
- How families remember loved ones who served
- What it means to honor service with gratitude and kindness

Perfect for military families, veterans, classrooms, homeschool lessons, and anyone who wants the next generation to better understand the meaning of remembrance.

Because remembering matters.
And teaching the next generation why it matters… matters too.
​

WHEN 'STRONG' BECOMES HEAVY

“You’re so strong.”

At first, it feels like respect. Then it starts to feel like expectation.

Because strength, for many women warriors, looks like:
- Holding it together in public
- Processing everything later (maybe)
- Getting up the next day and doing it again

But here’s the shift:  Strength isn’t just endurance.

It’s knowing when to stop carrying everything alone.

You don’t lose strength by needing support. You prove it.

FUNNY, NOT FUNNY

“I’ll just push through it” has been my long-term strategy… and also the reason I’m tired.
​

REAL MOMENT

She sat in her car for a minute before going inside.
No phone. No noise.
Just quiet.
Not because she didn’t want to go in—
but because it was the only pause she’d had all day.
​

THINGS ONLY WOMEN WARRIORS UNDERSTAND

- Being the strong one… and wishing someone would check on you anyway
- Hearing “you make it look easy” and thinking, you have no idea
- Carrying everything—and still questioning if you’re doing enough
- Operating at full capacity… with zero margin
​

May is:
​Mental Health Awareness Month-
https://www.nami.org
Military Appreciation Month- https://www.military.com/military-appreciation-month
Military Caregiver Month- https://veteran.com/military-caregiver-month/

May 1- Silver Star Banner Day- https://veteran.com/silver-star-service-banner-day/
May 8- Victory in Europe Day- https://www.war.gov/Multimedia/Experience/VE-Day/
May 8 - Military Spouse Appreciation Day- https://www.military.com/spouse/military-spouse-appreciation-day
May 10 – Mother’s Day-
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mothers-day
May 13 – Children of Fallen Patriots Day-
https://www.fallenpatriots.org
May 16 – Armed Forces Day- https://www.military.com/military-appreciation-month/history-of-armed-forces-day.html
May 25 – Memorial Day- https://www.cem.va.gov/history/Memorial-Day-history.asp

MAY RESOURCES:

Mental Health & Veteran Community Support:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)-
https://www.nami.org
Give an Hour-
https://giveanhour.org
Cohen Veterans Network-
https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org
Military OneSource-
https://www.militaryonesource.mil
​Grace After Fire: https://graceafterfire.org/
WoVeN (Women Veterans Network): https://wovenwomenvets.org/
Team RWB: https://teamrwb.org/
Blue Star Families: https://bluestarfam.org/
The Mission Continues: https://missioncontinues.org/

​Scholarships:
Pat Tillman Foundation Scholarship: https://pattillmanfoundation.org/
VFW Help A Hero Scholarship: https://www.vfw.org/assistance/student-veterans-support
Folds of Honor Scholarships: https://foldsofhonor.org/
Foundation for Women Warriors Scholarships: https://foundationforwomenwarriors.org/
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation: https://mcsf.org/
National Military Family Association Scholarships: https://www.militaryfamily.org/

Retreats, Recreation & Nervous System Recovery:
Boulder Crest Foundation: https://bouldercrest.org/
Project Healing Waters: https://projecthealingwaters.org/
Higher Ground USA: https://highergroundusa.org/
The Pink Berets Retreats: https://thepinkberets.org/
Warrior Surf Foundation: https://warriorsurf.org/
Sheep Dog Impact Assistance: https://sheepdogia.org/
​

“You don’t have to carry everything alone to prove you’re strong.”

                                                                           Women Warriors Connect
.

WWC BOOK DEBRIEF:  Atlas of the Heart

by Brené Brown

Atlas of the Heart explores the emotions we often don’t have words for—the ones we carry, suppress, or push through. Brené Brown breaks down what’s really happening beneath “stress” or “overwhelm,” helping readers better understand and process what they’re feeling instead of ignoring it.

Why this matters for women warriors:

Many women are used to functioning under pressure without stopping to name what they’re carrying. This book helps identify that invisible load—so you can recognize when it’s time for support, boundaries, or rest instead of just pushing through.
​

VA CLAIMS CORNER:  What You Should Know About Mental Health Claims

Mental health conditions are among the most common VA claims—and one of the most overlooked.

What Can Be Claimed:
- PTSD
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Adjustment disorders

What Matters:
- A current diagnosis
- A service connection
- Consistent documentation

Important Reminder:  You don’t have to prove how strong you are.
You just have to tell the truth—and have it documented.

Get Accredited Help
https://www.va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation/index.asp
​

TRIVIA: What do you call the kind of exhaustion that comes from being the one who remembers everything, manages everyone, stays strong, and keeps functioning… even when you’re running on empty?

There’s actually a term for it. Many women veterans know the feeling long before they ever hear the name.

What is it called?

TRIVIA ANSWER:  Invisible Load

Psychologists use several terms to describe the hidden weight many women warriors carry every day:
- Invisible Load – the emotional and mental weight carried behind the scenes without recognition
- Mental Load – constantly planning, remembering, organizing, and managing responsibilities
- Emotional Labor – managing emotions, keeping peace, supporting others, and staying composed even when you’re overwhelmed
- Cognitive Load – the mental strain caused by too many decisions, responsibilities, and demands competing for your attention

For many women veterans, this becomes normal for so long that exhaustion starts to feel like personality instead of overload.

But carrying everything alone was never meant to be the mission.

A few ways to reduce the load:

✔ Stop treating rest like a reward you have to earn

✔ Write things down instead of trying to mentally carry everything

✔ Ask for support before you reach burnout

✔ Create small pauses during the day—even five quiet minutes matters

✔ Let “good enough” be enough sometimes

✔ Notice when you are managing everyone else’s emotions while ignoring your own

Strength is not measured by how much you can silently carry.
Sometimes strength looks like putting some of the weight down.
​

FINAL THOUGHTS

You might be carrying more than people realize.

That doesn’t make you weak.
It means you’ve been strong for a long time.

But strength was never meant to mean carrying everything alone.

You are allowed to rest.
You are allowed to ask for support.
You are allowed to put some of the weight down.

We see you.

We’ll see you next month. 💙

DID YOU SEE THIS? 

The Veteran’s Guide App

Most veterans don’t need more pressure.
They need a place to think clearly again.

When you’ve spent years carrying responsibility, pushing through stress, and handling everything yourself, eventually your brain starts treating survival mode like normal. That’s why so many veterans stay stuck in exhaustion, overwhelm, frustration, or emotional shutdown without realizing what’s actually happening.

At the same time, thousands of free veteran resources exist—mental health support, retreats, financial help, education programs, career support—but most veterans never use them because no one showed them how to connect the dots.

So we built something practical.

The Veteran’s Guide App combines the VETERAN Mindset framework from my book, The Veteran’s Guide to DIY Mental Health, with direct access to veteran resources you already earned.

One place.
One system.
One next step at a time.

You type what’s going on, and the app helps you organize your thoughts, shift your mindset, and connect to resources that fit your actual situation.

Not endless searching.
Not motivational noise.
Just structured support designed for how veterans actually think and operate.

​Because sometimes the strongest thing you can do… is stop carrying everything alone.
​
​Get access for FREE. One FREE coaching session per day.

Are you getting the Women Warriors Connect Newsletter each month?
If not, you’re missing veteran-only resources, mindset shifts, and opportunities most women veterans never hear about.

​​👉 Get the next issue delivered to your inbox:   https://www.womenwarriorsconnect.com/   

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