Amanda Huffman: Empowering Women Veterans on her Journey from Airman to Mom
Founder and CEO of Airman to Mom LLC
Amanda Huffman had a successful career as a civil engineer in the Air Force, serving for six years, and went on a combat deployment with the Army in Afghanistan. However, after becoming a mom, she decided to leave the military and support her husband’s career in the Space Force. Amanda started her blog, Airman to Mom, as a hobby and a way to rediscover her identity while staying home with her two boys. Writing about her military experiences and those of other veterans sparked her readers’ interest, and she found her niche.
Today, Amanda is the founder and CEO of Airman to Mom LLC, a successful author with two books under her belt. Her first book, Women of the Military, tells the stories of 28 military women who served in the military. Her second book, A Girl’s Guide to Military Service, is a guide for high school girls considering military service to help them build a strong foundation for their future careers. Amanda is also the host of the Women of the Military podcast, with over 200 episodes and over 100K downloads. As a freelance writer, she has been featured in several military publications.
Amanda uses her platform to help military veterans transition to civilian life, find their purpose, and navigate the challenges of being a parent and military spouse. Her decision to leave the Air Force was influenced by her husband’s active duty in the Space Force, making it difficult for them to live in the same location. As a civil engineer, she deployed regularly and did not want to leave behind a six-month to one-year-old baby during her postpartum phase. For Amanda, being present for her family was a priority, and she wanted to avoid the strain that frequent relocations can put on military families. Her nine-year-old son has had to say goodbye to many friends due to their moves, which has been tough for him.
When Amanda first started writing her second book, A Girl’s Guide to Military Service, she intended to provide a resource for those transitioning out of the military. However, after receiving some advice, she shifted her focus to creating a resource for those joining the military. Although she still plans to write more books and focus on the transition process, Amanda is currently keeping an eye on the research of PhD students who are women veterans studying the transition process. She plans to incorporate this research into her future work, as she believes that women veterans face many common challenges during the transition process.
Amanda hopes to create a community for these women to connect and find support. She knows from personal experience that transitioning out of the military can be very isolating, and talking to other veterans and getting involved in the veteran community can be incredibly helpful. Amanda emphasizes the importance of civilians asking questions and being aware of boundaries to show support for veterans.
Her podcast, Women of the Military, features stories of women who have served in the military. She finds the stories to be a mix of inspiring and difficult and has made friends with many of her guests through the podcast.
Amanda is also passionate about sharing the stories of women who served during World War II. She highlighted the erasure of progress made by women during the 1940s and the lack of recognition for the women who served. She shares stories of women pilots, spies, and codebreakers who did amazing things during the war but are not well-known. Amanda emphasizes the importance of sharing these stories to inspire young girls and boys to see the military as a career field open to anyone, regardless of gender.
Amanda is currently dedicated to expanding the impact of Airman to Mom LLC and planning for the future. Her efforts include promoting her book in recruiting stations and high schools across the United States, specifically targeting young women. Amanda believes that providing women with a better understanding of what the military entails can potentially inspire them to join. As she is passionate about making a difference and addressing the military’s recruitment issue, Amanda aims to ensure equal opportunities for both girls and boys in the military. With only approximately 20% of women currently serving, she thinks that placing equal emphasis on both genders could potentially increase recruitment and solve the issue.
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