Women Veterans Are Not a Diversity Initiative—They're a Leadership Advantage
From Navy Hospital Corpsman to Corporate Security Leader: Why Women Must Mentor Women
For much of my life, I have belonged to communities where women are often the exception rather than the rule.
I served in the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman—better known to the Marines we cared for as "Doc." That title carries a sense of trust and responsibility that never truly leaves you. Later, I found a second family in law enforcement, working as a crime analyst for the Texas Department of Public Safety and alongside local and federal agencies on complex investigations. Today, I continue that mission in the corporate world through global security and risk intelligence.
At first glance, those careers may seem very different. In reality, they share something profound: they expose you to humanity at both its worst and its very best.
When you witness violence, tragedy, and loss, you learn to treasure the simple things—your spouse, your children, your friends, and the quiet moments that many people unintentionally take for granted. You also learn that resilience is not something you are born with. It is something you build, one difficult day at a time.
For women, especially those in the military, law enforcement, first responder, and security professions, there is often another challenge waiting for us: learning how to carry the weight of the job while continuing to grow our careers in environments that have traditionally been led by men.
You Can Learn From Every Leader
I have been fortunate to have incredible mentors throughout my career. Some were women, many were men, and all of them taught me something valuable. One of my instructors in Navy Corps School shared a lesson that has stayed with me for years:
"You can learn from every leader—even the bad ones. If they teach you how not to lead, they may have taught you the most important lesson of all."
That philosophy shaped my leadership style.
It also shaped one of my greatest disappointments.
Throughout my career, I have sometimes found that female leaders can be difficult to approach or hesitant to mentor other women. That has certainly not been true of everyone, but it has happened often enough to leave an impression. For women who have fought hard to earn a seat at the table, there can sometimes be an unspoken fear that there is room for only one of us.
I believe the opposite is true.
Women should be the first to celebrate each other's success. We should remember what it felt like to be underestimated, overlooked, or questioned. We should remember what it was like to walk into a room and wonder whether we belonged there.
For female veterans and military spouses, those feelings can be amplified. We are part of a remarkably resilient community filled with talent, discipline, and perseverance, yet many of us have experienced feeling invisible or undervalued in the civilian workforce.
That is exactly why we need more women willing to mentor, encourage, and advocate for one another.
Lessons for the Next Generation of Professional Women
If I could share a few lessons with the next generation of professional women, they would be these:
Always have goals. Complacency is the enemy of growth. Whether your ambitions are small or bold, short-term or long-term, continue moving forward. Growth creates opportunity.
Find mentors who challenge you. The best mentors strengthen the areas where you feel least confident. A weakness remains a weakness only if you refuse to work on it. Some of the greatest advocates in my career were male leaders who took the time to invest in my development. Today, I also have the privilege of working with an exceptional senior female leader who embodies everything I hoped leadership could be—organized, tactical, empathetic, supportive, and willing to lead by example.
Never forget where you came from. There were people who believed I would never earn certain positions or achieve certain goals. Many of us have heard those words in one form or another. The criticism hurt, but I learned something important: doubt can become fuel. I have come to appreciate being underestimated because I know that consistent action will always speak louder than someone else's opinion.
Reach back and help someone else move forward. Mentor the young professional. Encourage the intern. Be a reference for someone deserving. Offer guidance, listen without judgment, or simply check in. Those moments may seem small to you, but they can change the course of someone's career—and sometimes their life.
Have confidence, even when you are uncomfortable. Many accomplished women struggle with feeling underqualified. I know I have. There have been opportunities I almost did not pursue because I questioned whether I belonged in the room. The truth is that most of us are far more capable than we allow ourselves to believe.
Leadership Assets
What I know with certainty is this: every industry would benefit from having more women veterans and military spouses in leadership positions.
We are resilient because resilience has been required of us. We are adaptable because life demanded it. We know how to solve problems, remain calm under pressure, read situations, and care deeply about the people around us. We have seen extraordinary hardship, but we have also witnessed extraordinary courage.
Those experiences are not simply part of our past. They are leadership assets.
The greatest mistake we can make is keeping those lessons to ourselves.
My hope is that we build a culture where successful women do more than break barriers—we hold the door open for the women coming behind us. We become the mentor we once needed. We celebrate one another's victories. We create workplaces where talent is recognized, grit is rewarded, and leadership is measured by how many others we help rise.
Because the true measure of success is not the title we earn. It is the legacy we leave.
And somewhere, there is another woman watching us, wondering whether she belongs.
Let's make sure she knows that she does.
