Sisters-in-Service
Are you a women veteran who feels unseen and unheard? Do you struggle with finding your purpose after service? Sisters-in-Service is a podcast that gives women veterans the platform to talk about those exact issues and more. Hear from other veterans, military spouses and Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) just like you that have overcome their transition from the military. Every Tuesday this podcast encourages women veterans to stand up and be counted because as a group we have a voice. From your host - Cat Corchado - The Voice Connecting Women Veterans
Sisters-in-Service
We Served too: Still Invisible - The Reality Women Veterans Face Every Day
The images most people see on Veterans Day tell only half the story. K
Cat steps to the mic with a heartfelt solo message that blends pride, grit, and a clear challenge to the media and the public: broaden the lens and see the women who served. Drawing on 20 years in the United States Air Force—including the realities of being a single parent in uniform—she shares why representation isn’t a favor, it’s the truth, and how invisibility shapes who gets honored, heard, and helped.
We dig into what service really looks like beyond the montage: leadership forged under pressure, teamwork that outlasts the uniform, and humor that held units together on the hardest days. Cat explains why she created Sisters in Service—to end the wait for recognition by telling the stories ourselves—and highlights the diversity of women veterans whose work often goes unseen: the mechanic with oil-stained hands, the medic who steadied chaos, the pilot who broke ceilings and lifted others, and the mom who deployed and still led with grace. These aren’t exceptions; they are the veteran story.
You’ll hear a direct invitation to parade organizers, newsrooms, and communities to honor all veterans and to stop defaulting to the same faces. And you’ll get a personal charge to expand your own picture of a veteran by looking at the women you already know—coworkers, neighbors, leaders—who once wore the uniform. We close with a rallying cry to women veterans to take up space, post their photos, and share their stories. If this message resonates, subscribe, share it with a sister in service, and leave a review so more listeners can find these voices and join the movement.
https://www.smallspacepilates.com
Welcome to the Sisters in Service Podcast, the space where stories from active duty veterans, military spouses, and even military brats finally get the spotlight they deserve. I'm your host, Kat Corchado, Air Force veteran, movement specialist, and the heart behind this podcast. I started Sisters in Service because too many stories from our community were going untold. Stories of resilience, transition, identity, and the strength it takes to serve and to thrive beyond the uniform. This podcast is about connection, empowerment, and reminding each of us that our service didn't end when our military chapter closed. It simply evolved. Sisters in Service is proudly sponsored by Fit for Life Alliance, a space where people are committed to feeling better in their bodies every single day, and by MySexy Business, where you can own a business that doesn't own you. So grab your coffee, your journal, or your walking shoes because every episode is an invitation to listen, learn, and lean into the powerful stories that remind us service is a sisterhood that never fades. Hey everyone, it's Kat Corchado and welcome back to Sisters in Service. If you've been listening for a while, you know this podcast is all about amplifying the voices of women veterans, military connected women, and those who keep showing up in service, in litter in leadership, and in life. Today's episode is just a little bit different. It's just me, solo, no guests, no script of questions, just what's on my heart, this Veterans Day 2025. And honestly, it's something I've wanted to say for a very long time. I've said it here and there, but nothing like I'm going to do now. So grab your coffee, take a deep breath, and let's talk about it. You know, every year when Veterans Day comes around, I feel this mix of emotions, pride, nostalgia, and if I'm honest, a little frustration, but actually a whole lot of frustration. I served in the United States Air Force for 20 years, 20 years of discipline, dedication, and sometimes just plain old grit. I joined when the world looked a little different, felt a little different. There weren't as many women in uniform. And when you walked into a room, you could feel the eyes, the surprise, the curiosity, sometimes even the doubt. So for those of you that don't know, I came into the military as a single parent. So I had that whole stigma to overcome. But I showed up. Every single day I showed up. I learned early on that service doesn't always come with an applause. Sometimes it comes with resilience, with standing tall even when no one's clapping. You know, those 20 years shaped who I am today. It taught me how to lead with compassion and strength. It taught me what real teamwork looks like. It taught me how to keep my sense of humor in the middle of chaos, because sometimes laughter was the only thing holding this whole thing together. And when I finally retired, I thought, wow, I did it. I did that. I did that thing. I was proud, deeply proud, still incredibly deeply proud of what I accomplished and the women who came before me who made my service possible. But here's the thing: when I started watching Veterans Day coverage after I retired, something didn't sit right, didn't feel good. I didn't see anybody that looked like me, i.e., female. Thought it was just me. Every year I turn on the TV, scroll through social media, and watch the news anchor say, Today we honor our veterans, our heroes. And the screen would fill with images of men. Men shaking hands, men marching in parades, men standing in uniforms, saluting the flag, all honorable, all deserving, absolutely. But where were the women? So let me say this. I am proud that I serve next to my veteran brothers. And I absolutely think that we that they should be honored, but we should all be honored because we served too. I served too. Where were the stories of the women who served quietly, who led brilliantly, who sacrificed their families, their comfort, and sometimes their health, all while breaking barriers that nobody seemed to talk about? I kept thinking, you know, maybe next year. And then the next year came, and then the next, and then the next. Fifteen years later, I'm still waiting. Waiting to see more women featured on Veterans Day specials, waiting for the parades to have banners that say women veterans, and some do. Waiting for the news anchors to say, we also want to honor the women who've served this nation. Fifte. I've been patient, but my patience has an expiration date. So this year, I'm saying it plainly, it's time for the world to include us, especially when we are still seen as not really veterans, maybe in our own families, when people don't expect us to look a certain way and tell us we don't look like veterans, when you try to park in veteran parking and they assume that you are the spouse, which the spouse could probably park there too. But what I'm saying is we're not seeing. So we've always been here. We're not invisible. We've been here serving, leading, and holding the line, and we deserve to be seen. And honestly, that's the very reason I started this podcast. I got tired of waiting for someone else to tell our stories. I got tired of hoping that the media would catch on, that someone would say, Hey, there's a whole group of women out here who've served too. So I decided to create Sisters and Serves to do exactly that, to make sure our voices are heard, our stories are shared, and our service is recognized. Every interview, every conversation, every single woman who comes on this show and men, the women represent what the public doesn't always see: the diversity, the strength, the humor, and the humanity of women veterans. Because if no one else was going to tell our stories, then I sure as heck would. So I'm putting all news stations, media outlets, parade organizers organizers, and public officials on notice. I have one simple request. When you celebrate Veterans Day, remember all the veterans. Don't just default to the same images, the same voices, the same faces you've shown for decades. Representation isn't a favor, it's the truth. We were there and we're still here. We've earned our place in these stories, in those photo montages, in those interviews. And I'm not saying this from a place of anger. I might sound angry, but I'm really kind of just frustrated. I'm saying it from a place of love, love for this community and for the women who have given so much without ever asking for the spotlight. We don't want to take anyone's shine. We just want to stand next to our brothers and say, hey, we served too. You know, when I think of women veterans, I see faces that tell stories. The mechanic with the oil-stained hands who could outwork anybody on the flight line, the medic who stayed calm under fire, the pilot who broke ceilings and then went back to help others do the same. The mom who deployed left her kids behind and still managed to lead with strength and grace. We are not a footnote in the veteran story. We are the story. So when I see another Veterans Day headline that overlooks us, I can't help but feel the weight of all the women whose names and faces never make the highlight real. But that changes when we speak up, when we share our own stories, when we remind the world that we are a part of this legacy. And I will have to say props to all the women who said we're just going to do this ourselves, and putting things out on Facebook, on social media, all the things. Kudos to all of you because if no one else is going to do it, we have to do it. You know, when I look back at my 20 years in the Air Force, I think about the young woman who joined, unsure if she could do it. I was that woman. I didn't know. And also the seasoned woman who retired, knowing that she could handle anything. I think about the women I served with, the laughter, the long shifts, the camaraderie. We built bonds that outlasted the service itself. And every Veterans Day, I feel that pride rise up again because I know I did something that mattered, something that was bigger than me. But I also feel a responsibility to keep reminding the world that women serve and that our service deserves to be honored equally. So here's my challenge to the media, to the public, and to all of us who support veterans. When you think of veteran, expand your picture of what a veteran looks like. Look at your coworkers, your friends, your neighbors. That woman leading the meeting. She might have led a squadron before that. The quiet woman at church, she might have worn combat boots before she put on her heels for church. That mom of the PTA, do they still have PTAs? Anyway, parent-teacher meetings. She might have been stationed halfway across the world, holding it together in a war zone. You know, this Veterans Day, let's broaden the lens. Let's make sure the word veteran includes every single person who's earned it, male and female. And so my sisters in service, I see you. I'm proud of you. And I hope you celebrate yourself today because you are the heartbeat of this community. You are proof that strength comes in many forms, and that service looks beautiful on all of us. So this Veterans Day, my female veterans, take up space. Post your pictures, tell your story, speak your truth. We've waited long enough for permission, and we're not waiting anymore. Now it's time to show the world who we are because, my sisters, we served. So until then, this is Kat Corchato, host and proud military veteran of the Sisters in Service Podcast. Please stay safe, take care of each other, until next time, and please always remember that it's never too late to start your impossible.