[00:00:00] Scott DeLuzio: Some days in uniform, the danger that we face is not overseas. Sometimes it’s right down the hall behind somebody else’s rank. Hiding in paperwork meetings and various threats that make you second guess your own reality. Serving in the military. When you speak up, you expect that. The military, the system there will protect you.

[00:00:21] Then somehow the system starts protecting itself and you’re left carrying the weight, the fear, and the constant pressure to stay professional while your life gets rearranged. Now, picture the opposite path where you keep your head clear, you. Keep your eyes open. Stop letting other people bait you into reactions that can get you written up.

[00:00:42] A path where you build a paper trail and find a place to reset your nervous system and make decisions that protect your future, even if the organization refuses to. Chelsea Woodard, our guest today lived this shift from feeling supported to being [00:01:00] boxed in by politics, retaliation, and career games. After reporting a sexual assault, she walks through what helped her survive it.

[00:01:08] Documenting everything, sending follow up emails, using her leave, leaning on the vet center off base, and knowing when to bring in an attorney. This conversation is for anyone who’s ever felt targeted, dismissed, or watched while trying to do the right thing. Before we get into this episode, though, I wanna take a moment to raise awareness for something that’s deeply important to our community.

[00:01:29] The Global War On Terrorism Memorial Foundation. This organization is working to build a permanent national memorial in Washington DC to honor the service members, families, and civilians impacted by the global war on terrorism. This memorial will be both a tribute to those who have served and a way to ensure that their sacrifices are recognized and remembered for generations to come.

[00:01:52] If you’d like to learn more or find out how you can support their mission, visit GWOT memorial foundation.org. Now, let’s get into today’s [00:02:00] episode.

[00:02:00]

[00:02:13] Scott DeLuzio: Hey Chelsea, welcome to the show. Really glad to have you here.

[00:02:17] Chelsey Woodard: Thanks for having me. I’m excited to be here and excited to share my story and testimony and I hope we can reach some folks and help heal donation, you know.

[00:02:25] Scott DeLuzio: Oh yeah, absolutely. And that’s, that’s kind of like we were talking before we started recording here a little bit about the show and you know, that’s what, that’s what it’s all about. Just, just getting out there, getting messages out there of, of other folks who’ve maybe. Been through difficult situations and and how they got through it and or, or, you know, other organizations that have helped people get through things.

[00:02:45] And so we talk about all those things really to give hope to, to folks. And that’s what we’re trying to do with the, the listeners here today is give, give some hope, give some encouragement, and be, before we dive into to everything here, can you just give us a little bit of background for the listeners who aren’t [00:03:00] familiar with you and so they, they can know a little bit about who you are, kind of your, your back.

[00:03:03] Run in the military and that, that type of thing.

[00:03:06] Chelsey Woodard: Absolutely. So my...