LIFEGIVER
Deployment
The USO Presents
"You're Leaving Again?"
with Matt & Corie Weathers
Listen to the following episodes in order if you are just beginning a deployment or separation. Each episode includes:
The webinar that was recorded LIVE with Q&A with military couples.
A Listening Guide (PDF) that helps you apply the content to your own life and relationships.
An audio version of the webinar if you would prefer to listen rather than watch.
Want the Audio-only Playlist??
Part 1: The Tension Before You Go
So many couples struggle with tension and intense emotions before you “rip the bandaid” and say good-bye. Matt and Corie cover what they went through and what many other couples describe as one of the most challenging times a couple can go through in the military.
Listen to the audio version on the Lifegiver Podcast:
Part 2: Ripping The Band-Aid
Let’s talk about the feelings that come with having to say goodbye. Everyone knows it is hard, but what if you feel a little bit of relief? Is that wrong? How do you set your mind forward and get on mission? Plus a special guest joins in the discussion…
Listen to the audio version on the Lifegiver Podcast:
Part 3: Apart During the Holidays
How can you as a couple stay connected and on the same page during especially difficult holidays? Whether it is Christmas, Birthdays, or even an Anniversary, holidays can be rough apart. Listen as Matt and Corie authentically share how they are doing and what tools they are using to stay connected.
Listen to the audio version on the Lifegiver Podcast:
Part 4: Parenting
This episode answers some of your biggest questions about parenting- especially while apart. Regardless of which stage you are in, there will always be times where you parent out of an imprinting from your own childhood or clash with your spouse on parenting techniques. Listen in as Matt and Corie share some of what they have learned.
Listen to the audio version on the Lifegiver Podcast:
Part 6: Intimacy from a Distance
Intimacy is a HUGE topic, especially for service couples. In this episode, Matt and Corie address sexual intimacy and many of the other types of intimacy couples can use to connect. Believe it or not, experts say there are between 5 and 40 different types of intimacy. We take some of the most popular questions surrounding intimacy, especially for couples who have to spend time apart. Don’t miss this one!
Listen to the audio version on the Lifegiver Podcast:
Part 7: Communication
Communication is the top issue couples ask for help with. We all have different types of communication styles and often that clashes into conflict and hurt. On top of that, no one teaches us how to communicate in healthy assertive ways. Instead, we grow up with passive, passive-aggressive, or aggressive examples to model. Join Matt and Corie as they share their challenges to communicate over the distance of a deployment and tips for how you can make improvements in your own connection with your spouse.
Listen to the audio version on the Lifegiver Podcast:
Part 8: Restoring Trust After Deep Wounds
Restoring trust after it has been broken can be scary, confusing, and difficult to navigate. Depending on if you are dealing small of large infractions, deep hurt in your relationship can be healed and restored. In this episode, Matt and Corie talk about how you can ask for trust to be restored, or do the hard work to earn it back. Even if you have been devastated by betrayal, there is hope. Listen in and find out how.
Listen to the audio version on the Lifegiver Podcast:
Part 9: Reintegration
Matt and Corie join the USO to talk about how they are handling Reintegration in the “You’re Leaving, Again?” series. Reintegration never gets easier, it just changes depending on the season you are in. Coming off a year of COVID and a deployment, Matt seemed to be in a much better spot than Corie was. In this episode they share their ups and downs and how they are navigating bringing our two separate worlds together.
Listen to the audio version on the Lifegiver Podcast:
Part 10: Our New Normal: Creating Positive Change After Being Apart
Matt and Corie join the USO to finish the series with sharing lessons learned from the deployment as well as answering YOUR questions. Learn how to vision cast for your family and get your marriage to a new healthier place.
Listen to the audio version on the Lifegiver Podcast:
A Note from Us...
About the Weathers
The Weathers are a military couple and have been married for almost 22 years. They have devoted their careers independently and together in service to military families. Known for their “real and authentic approach”, Matt and Corie mix personal stories with their clinical background to encourage couples to fight for their marriage and home. Matt is a Chaplain, homebrewer, and Captain America fan, and Corie is a mental health clinician, speaker, and Wonder Woman fan.
Going into our first deployment, we were flooded with fear, excitement, and confusion. Matt felt pulled towards finally being able to do what he had been training for but also the weight of leaving us behind. And me? I, anxiously, had no idea what I was walking into. Raising two toddlers for a year, alone, was not what I had envisioned when we married. “Could a marriage really stay connected while living two separate lives,” I wondered.
“How would he change?”
“How would I change?”
“What if we grew apart?”
Spoiler Alert: We survived. In fact, in some ways, we even thrived. It wasn’t easy, though. It was actually through those difficult moments that we matured and evolved the most. You might say we were able to mine gold in the rockiest of mountains.
And because of that, we are thrilled you are about to start the “You’re Leaving, Again?” journey with us. Over the last 13 years we have survived not only that first deployment, but additional deployments, trainings, and temporary duty assignments. Unexpectedly, we even experienced a rare role reversal when I, as a military spouse, was invited to visit overseas deployment locations. Since then, we have devoted our entire life and careers to our passion of encouraging military marriages. We are convinced that each of us can bring meaning and purpose out of the difficulty of this lifestyle. So when the USO offered to follow us during our latest deployment, we knew we wanted to bring you something real.
“You’re Leaving, Again?” follows Matt and I over the course of a six month deployment. You will listen in as we authentically share everything from the tension before the tearful goodbye to the struggle to reintegrate on the other side. Along the way, we will touch on important topics that we believe every military marriage has questions about. We cover parenting, communication, intimacy while apart, and even how to restore your relationship after deep emotional wounding. We will also share what we decided to do during this deployment to connect and grow as a couple, all while the unexpectedness of life (and COVID-19) attempted to sabotage everything.
Through our vulnerability, our deepest desire is that you remain convinced that you are not alone. Whether this is your first deployment or your tenth, facing an unaccompanied tour or enduring geo-baching, this series is for you. Military life often requires sacrifice, but it should not be at the cost of your marriage or family. We hope that authentically sharing our story ignites a spark in you to bring meaning out of whatever circumstances you face and make each day count.
