Olivia Nunn knew from a young age that she would join the Army one day; her father had been a combat engineer. She planned to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, but low test scores in math prevented her admission. Nunn’s parents supported her decision to join the military, but they insisted that she receive an education and become an officer, so she enrolled at Radford University in Virginia and joined the school’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.
After college, Nunn wanted to become an armor officer and be part of a tank crew, but when she joined the Army in 2001, women weren’t allowed to fill certain roles in the military. Instead, she spent a decade as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Officer in the Chemical Corps and served multiple tours of duty in Iraq before moving into public affairs. For several years, she helped to produce the Army’s Soldier for Life podcast and eventually hosted the program.
“It looks easy, it looks glamorous,” Nunn says of podcasting, “but the truth is there’s a lot of work that goes into it.”
Nunn spent a total of 20 years in the Army and recently retired. Afterward, she became a communications consultant and a beauty queen.
“Your identity is wrapped up in your uniform,” Nunn says, “whether you do it for two years or 20 years.”
While she was still on active duty, Nunn suffered a mental health crisis and contemplated suicide. In this episode of Borne the Battle, she opens up about her experience and talks about how she found the help she needed, the challenges of transitioning from soldier to civilian and the need for better mental health resources for military personnel.
EXTRA LINKS
#154: Benefits Breakdown – VA Center of Faith and Opportunity Initiative
#153: Perry Firoz - Air Force Veteran, CEO Epic Music LA
#152: Denise Loring - Army Veteran, Camp Valor Outdoors, World Class Competitive Marksman
#151: WWII Weekend Part II - Walter Stitt and Victor Marulli
#150: Benefits Breakdown – VA Home Loan Program
#149: WWII Weekend Part I - Pearl Harbor Survivors Richard Schimmel and William Bonelli
75th Anniversary of D-Day
#148: Army Veteran David Lucier, Green Beret Medic, Vietnam Special Forces, Security Contractor, Veteran Advocate
#147: Marine Veteran Brett D’Alessandro and Alexa Modero: Backpacks for Life
#146: Dave Coker: Army Veteran, President of Fisher House Foundation
#145: Jan Ohrstrom: Army Veteran, Professional Wrestler, Documentary Producer, VA Employee
#144: Joseph Pennington - Navy Seabee Veteran, AllState Director of Military Affairs
#143: Stephen Holley - Navy SEAL Veteran, Naval Academy Quarterback, CEO of Carry The Load
#142: Carroll Harris - Marine Veteran, Postal Inspector, Marine Corps Historian
#141: BourBiz - Military Veteran/MilSpouse Networking Event
#140: Danny Chung – Marine Veteran, Microsoft Chief of Staff of Military Affairs
#139: Jennifer Marshall – Navy Veteran, Actress (Stranger Things, Hawaii Five-0)
#138: Sean Ricks – Navy Veteran, CEO of Ricks Roasters Coffee Company
#137: John Buckley II – Army Veteran, Koch Industries, Veteran Advocate, Wichita Kansas
#136: Valroy Williams – Army / Navy Veteran, Queens NY Submariner to NC Farmer
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