Service Academy Sorority Podcast serviceacademysorority

This episode features Olivia Cream, a 2004 graduate from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In this episode, you’ll hear about Olivia’s endless drive to succeed and the highs and lows of her journey towards becoming an engineer with the Coast Guard. From her experience as an immigrant family from Jamaica, to the many ups and downs she faced during her time at the Academy, Olivia makes it clear that if you want something badly enough, it’s important to stick with it, find your support network, and work hard. As a heads up, this episode mentions sexual assault and also goes into details about some of Olivia’s experiences with racism. Enjoy the show!

This episode features Ashley Keller, a 2010 graduate from the U.S. Military Academy. In this episode, you’ll hear about Ashley’s desire and commitment to serve, as well as a few difficult decisions she had to make to stay true to herself, including giving up the opportunity to pursue a path towards the Olympics. You’ll also learn why Ashley eventually decided to leave the military and how she evolved from being an Army engineer to a mother with a super successful YouTube channel. Enjoy the show!

This episode features Ginni Guiton, a 1985 graduate from the U.S. Military Academy. In this episode, you’ll hear about Ginni’s last minute decision to apply to the Academy, about how she always had a backup plan just in case it didn’t work out - yet ended up having a 20-year career in the military, some of the struggles she had as a woman attending an Academy, and how her constant desire to change and grow ultimately has her working in HR while also developing her own side hustle as a hypnotherapist. Ginni’s mindset about attending an Academy is one we haven’t heard on the show yet, and I think you’ll find it fascinating to hear. Enjoy the show!

This episode features Cheriene Griffith, a 2002 graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy. In this episode, you’ll hear about Cheriene’s struggles making the transition from a small town in California to Academy life on the East Coast; what it was like to become the first female Anchor Woman at the Academy; why she decided to end her career as a Surface Warfare Officer after only 3 years of service; and how she ultimately found her way onto a new career path in the emerging cannabis industry. Cheriene’s story is the perfect example of the magic that can happen when you choose to be open minded and willing to pivot when life seems out of alignment. Enjoy the show!

This episode features Katie Holder, a 2016 graduate from the U.S. Military Academy. In this episode, you’ll hear about Katie’s experience growing up in a household with two parents that went to West Point; the unique ways in which the Academy pushed Katie to develop and accept her own identity; what it was like being gay at the Academy only one year after “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed; and how she’s managed her Army career with her wife who’s also an Academy graduate with her own career in the Coast Guard. If you listened to past episodes, you may notice that Katie has the same last name as one of our past guests - Ann Holder; this is because Ann is actually Katie’s mom and a class of 1989 graduate from West Point. If you haven’t listened to that episode, I definitely encourage you to do so - you’ll quickly see that these two women are extremely humble and it’s fun to see how their experiences compare. I’ll be sure to link to that episode in the show notes. Enjoy the show!

This episode features Laura Springer, a 2004 graduate from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. In this episode, you’ll hear how Laura’s time at the Academy helped her hone in on her intuition and trust her feelings; how a key moment during 9/11 completely altered the trajectory of her career; why she’s not 100% sure Kings Point would be a good fit for her daughters; and how she’s built a successful career in the Coast Guard while also being married to a classmate and raising a family. I encourage you to listen to the interview in its entirety as the conversation gets super interesting towards the end of the interview when Laura reflects upon whether or not she’d make the same decision to attend an Academy if she could do it all over again. Enjoy the show!