“We wanted to give our military community a space to share their stories and connect with others across Medline, so we kept things open so guests could speak from the heart and share whatever felt right to them,” said Joesie Capeles, a Medline human resources partner who leads M-VET’s advocacy efforts in addition to serving as its communications co-chair. “One of the episodes is with Doug McGinnis, who’s relatively new to Medline. His episode is about the challenges of transitioning from his military career to Medline and the support that Medline provided him. Another guest is Ashley Brady, a military spouse. Her episode is more about supporting the uniform and some of the challenges she faced juggling her family and her corporate career. There are some episodes talking through values and leadership styles in the military and how they translate to corporate and civilian life.

“We really tried to get a variety of experiences – veterans, those currently serving and their support systems and how they navigate the challenges they’ve faced in both worlds.”

All six podcast episodes are available to listen to here:

• Episode 1: Communication is Key: From Army Comms to Medline Leadership

  Skyler B. Wilson, warehouse manager, Perryville, Md., distribution center; U.S. Army veteran

• Episode 2: From Boots to Business: Adapting and Thriving in New Environments

  Doug McGinnis, vendor relations manager, Northfield, Ill., former U.S. Army major

• Episode 3: Precision, Process & Purpose in Manufacturing

  Curt Carpenter, senior engineer, Dynacor manufacturing site, Williamston, Mich.; U.S. Navy veteran

• Episode 4: Navigating Dueling Duties: When Military and Civilian Life Collide

  Eric Dian, business operations supervisor, Chicago; company commander, Marine Corps Infantry Reserve

• Episode 5: Supporting the Uniform: Insights from a Military Spouse

  Ashley Brady, senior recruiter, Nevada, military spouse

• Episode 6: From the Corps to the Shipping Docks

  Nicholas Brewer, warehouse operator, Mebane, N.C.; U.S. Marines veteran

Capeles (right) believes there’s information in each episode to inspire and guide veterans and active military members who might be feeling out of their element when out of uniform. As a former Army combat medic, she knows what that’s like.

“I really struggled when I made the transition from the military to the civilian world,” she said. “It almost feels isolating in a sense. It seems nobody is experiencing the same thing you are, and you’re losing this big sense of community when you leave the military.

“Listening through these podcast episodes, I think we achieve that community feeling. Veterans can take away snippets to apply to their own careers, maybe make some connections and not feel as isolated as they make this transition to the civilian workforce.”

Perhaps they might even find a future opportunity at Medline, which prides itself on its commitment to the veteran community.

“It’s part of the culture,” Capeles said. “A lot of Medline’s values align closely with what we take from our military service. We have a get-things-done mentality here. We’re very gritty problem-solvers. Military is the same way, right? We’re expected to get things done. Those values translate from military service into the Medline community.”