Spending decades of your life in one career makes it very difficult to retire. Retiring from something like the military is even more difficult because the military isn’t just a job; it is a lifestyle. Having a structured lifestyle for decades and then suddenly, after retiring, having no structure or plan becomes life-threatening for a veteran. Olivia J.M. Nunn has two decades of experience in the military, and most of it was helping people exit it.
She found it very difficult to manage divorce and retirement together. Olivia says, “It was like everything around me was shattering.” It is obvious that veterans connect to their job more than other professions. Being a service member becomes a part of their personality. Ripping that personality away suddenly makes many veterans lose their identity, which eventually becomes too much of an emotional burden to bear, and they find solace in suicide.
It was hard to find adequate help. When Olivia contacted veterans services, she was told that assistance would be six to a year away. These were the days when she didn’t know she could make it a week, let alone a year. That is when she decided to take everything into her own hands and start her life from scratch. She wrote a detailed guide on successfully transitioning and helped other service members do it seamlessly.
She went on to create her company, Olivia Nunn Communications, to share stories and tell the world of different people through her Public Relations experience. She is also an Executive Director of a non-profit company, Work Play Obsession, which helps veterans and ex-law enforcement officers with recreational and therapeutic methods to elevate their mental condition. This holistic way of treating mental illnesses is the reason behind her success and why many veterans have been saved from suicide.
Podcasts are the new way to share your stories, so Olivia uses this platform to share her stories, and those of others on her podcast Never Stop Serving. She is also part of the US Army’s Veteran Affairs and volunteers to help whenever possible. She explains in the Instagram post dedicated to this that she is “Humbled to be part of this campaign and excited to leverage my voice.” click here to view the post.
“A memorial that records our stories for future generations to read, remember, and share” Olivia said at the Women’s Memorial Luncheon. This organization supports women veterans and records their stories of heroism and bravery for all to see and be inspired by. She is also seen promoting Pan-Pacific American Leaders and Mentors. In this organization, she encourages and promotes diversity and leadership among the military and across the border. She says, “There’s more work to be done, but the path has been carved, and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
Click here to learn more about Olivia and the different organizations she promotes.
