Women Veterans Recognition Day was created to honor the historic moment when women earned the permanent right to serve in the U.S. military. Yet for many women veterans, the day can spark mixed emotions—ranging from pride and validation to frustration and exclusion. Host Shelly Rood explores what recognition means when equal standing is still questioned, featuring candid reflections from women veterans across multiple branches of service and introducing a unique tool designed to help women veterans better understand themselves and find a sense of belonging.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL DISCOVER

✓ Why Women Veterans Recognition Day can inspire both appreciation and resistance within the veteran community

✓ How women veterans experience recognition, visibility, and belonging after military service

✓ What happens when service is acknowledged but respect and equal standing still feel uncertain

✓ How the Wildflower Assessment is helping women veterans better understand themselves beyond military and VA systems.

Shelly Rood

Host - Hardcore & At Ease

Shelly C. Rood served across 16 years as a U.S. Army Reserves Intelligence Officer — Captain, Company Commander, and S2 — leading covert briefings overseas and overseeing security programs for nearly 4,000 soldiers. A Distinguished Military Graduate of Western Michigan University and a third-generation Detroit business owner, she brought that same standard of leadership into the private sector. She is the founder of a training and leadership development company, Mission Ambition, LLC, creator of the Others Over Self® leadership mindset, and the architect of Be At Ease, Woman Veteran™, a peer support program serving military women since 2019. She is host of Hardcore and At Ease, and author of Mission Wildflower 🌻. Today she leads a team of veterans who continue to serve beyond the uniform.