Women are the fastest-growing group of veterans, but the transition from military to civilian life can be quite a fight — particularly when compared to their male counterparts. Not only are women vets more likely to struggle with loneliness and moderate to severe symptoms of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety, but they also have more difficulty getting care and finding employment, according to a recent report.

Thanks to one org, they don’t have to go it alone: Since 2017, the Women Veterans Network (WoVeN) has connected more than 2000 female vets through small, peer-led support meetings in cities and online. To learn more, we spoke with one of its co-founders, Tara Galovski, and peer leaders, Air Force vet Cat Corchado…

Q: Tara, both you and your co-founder, Amy Street, aren’t veterans. So what motivated you to start a group for them?

Galovski: Both [of our] primary [jobs] are at the Dept of Veterans Affairs — we’re licensed psychologists and researchers. And we work with the National Center for PTSD … so we’ve [had a lot of experience] with women veterans. In 2016, we were approached by foundations [that wanted to work with our academic affiliate, Boston University] to develop something supportive for women’s veterans ... Through our personal and clinical connections and our research ... [we knew] the experience of women veterans is quite unique. Often, after separating from service, women will leave their veteran identity behind because most of the veteran resources are geared towards men … So for women, their service is often discounted and disregarded. [And] they often find there aren’t other women at veteran events, including things like therapy groups … We thought, Why don’t we help women veterans find one another? Why don’t we develop a national network where women veterans can come together and share similar experiences with other women who have walked that life path?

Q: Cat, was that your experience when you left the Air Force?

Corchado: People think going from military to civilian life is super easy ... but the longer you’ve been in, the harder it is. We mourn service. We mourn the fact that we’re not with these people anymore, and we miss them. [I was surprised by] how lonely it [was] ... I thought I was the problem — that I was doing it wrong. But what I found out later is everyone goes through that ... As women veterans, we don’t stand up and say, ‘Hey, over here.’ [Whereas] a man’s going to wear the [veteran] hat. He’s going to say “veteran” ... [Not to mention] that when women get out of the military, they often get out with kids. So they have to find a job. They have to find schools. They have to find daycare. They don’t have time to network and find other women veterans ... [Even when I did network] it was male-dominated. If you had 100 people, maybe three were women ... [And] we’re told we don’t look like veterans, which is something I’ve been through and other women have been through. So then we’re a bit closed-mouthed until we’re in a situation that feels safe enough to talk about our experiences.

Q: Which is what WoVeN provides, right?

Galovski: [When we developed our format], we really relied on the research … Our peer leaders go through a pretty rigorous training process ... so everybody is on the same page. That way, when someone [signs] up for the program, they know what they’re getting — and there’s consistency across the country ... [Each meeting is centered around] themes common to most people [like trust or connection] but are really relevant for women veterans ... And we have discussion questions to help peer leaders generate those conversations. It’s never the case that [they] would just come together and figure it out.

Corchado: WoVeN speaks to each female veteran in a way that makes them feel safe. We talk about transition, loss of our service, losing friendships, health — all the things that matter to us as women … [And] through these connections, we can do almost anything — whether that's starting a business, going into acting, or whatever else you’ve been trying to do. We all rally around this person and say, ‘Yes, you can do that.’

Q: Has there been a specific moment or interaction that’s felt particularly rewarding?

Galovski: It’s not uncommon that we’ll hear a story of ‘how this program saved my life.’ [While] Amy and I built the scaffolding, this is [really due to] the women and the magic that happens in the group. I was talking to one of our veterans the other day, and she’d been at the mall, saw a woman in uniform, and went up to her and said, “I don’t know if you’re getting out soon, but I just wanted to let you know about this program we have.” The woman started crying and said, “I’m really going through it right now … I’m transitioning in a month and I have nobody” … She’s joined a group and [now] she’s walking away from a really important part of her life and walking right into these welcoming arms of her sisters. That’s why we made WoVeN.

Q: Cat, what advice do you have for women getting ready to transition out of the military? 

Corchado: It’s important for active duty women to do some homework and get connected before leaving the military ... Look at different organizations. We don’t have to be the be-all and end-all — we’re not everyone’s flavor. But we are an option to investigate, depending on what you’re looking for … If you do happen to get out and it’s one of those last-minute things, get connected as soon as possible. Don’t just hang out there. Don’t just say, ‘Oh, this is horrible. I don’t like this’ … That makes you feel as if you’re sliding down a dark hole. WoVeN doesn’t fix [that]. But we’re a catalyst to helping, because someone within WoVeN has a resource that can help.