Episode 89

full
Published on:

18th Jun 2026

The Tactical Pause: Army Veteran Felicia Hammond on Survival Mode, Motherhood, and Healing After Service

Summary:

What happens when the strength that helped you survive starts keeping you from truly living?

In this heartfelt episode of Dog Tag Diaries, Captain Kim sits down with Army veteran, author, and women’s healing mentor Felicia Hammond. Felicia shares her powerful journey from growing up in Liberia as a firstborn daughter with adult responsibilities, to homelessness in the U.S., military service, motherhood, divorce, and learning how to slow down after years of living on high alert. Through her memoir, The Tactical Pause, Felicia opens up about emotional suppression, faith, nervous system healing, and the brave work of coming back to herself. Her story reminds military women that healing is not weakness. It is a return to truth, safety, and self-love.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Felicia Hammond’s childhood in Liberia
  • Growing up as a firstborn daughter with early responsibility
  • Coming to the U.S. at 17
  • Facing homelessness while still in high school
  • Why she was drawn to the Army uniform
  • Joining the Army as a financial management specialist
  • Serving as a woman of color in uniform
  • Motherhood, single parenting, and military expectations
  • The pressure to overperform as a woman in the Army
  • Life after military service and divorce
  • How impulsive reactions showed up after service
  • The meaning behind The Tactical Pause
  • Journaling, meditation, faith, and emotional healing
  • Turning her private healing work into a memoir
  • Why women veterans need to know they are not alone

Notable Quotes & Moments:

  • “Every second counts.” Felicia Hammond on the military mindset that shaped her reactions [00:36:32]
  • “I need you to take five minutes before you respond.” Felicia on the homework that became The Tactical Pause [00:39:43]
  • “I felt like I was about to die.” Felicia on learning to pause after years of survival mode [00:40:45]

Episode highlights:

  • 00:01:48 - Meet Felicia Hammond and her memoir The Tactical Pause
  • 00:04:22 - Felicia’s childhood in Liberia
  • 00:06:17 - Life as a firstborn daughter in West Africa
  • 00:15:27 - Coming to the U.S. at 17
  • 00:16:30 - Facing homelessness while finishing high school
  • 00:20:36 - Walking into the recruiter’s office
  • 00:27:18 - Being a woman of color in uniform
  • 00:29:47 - Motherhood, childcare, and military demands
  • 00:34:28 - The meaning behind The Tactical Pause
  • 00:42:51 - Turning journals, meditation, and healing into a memoir

About Felicia:

Felecia Hammond is a U.S. Army veteran, memoirist, and women’s healing mentor in development. She is the author of The Tactical Pause, a deeply personal memoir exploring trauma, awakening, and reclaiming identity after years of living in survival mode. Through her writing and future coaching practice, she is passionate about helping women regulate their nervous systems, break emotional patterns, and reconnect with themselves through compassion and clarity.

Connect with Felicia:

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Dog Tag Diaries wherever you listen to podcasts.

Learn more about the Reveille and Retreat Project:

reveilleandretreatproject.org

Instagram: @reveilleandretreatproject

Facebook: Reveille and Retreat Project

You aren’t alone.

If you’re thinking about hurting yourself or having thoughts of suicide, contact the Veteran crisis line: Dial 988 then press 1, chat online, or text 838255.

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About the Podcast

Dog Tag Diaries
Sharing True Stories from Women in the Military
Dog Tag Diaries provides a platform for military women to tell their stories and speak their truths. We are not only raising awareness about military trauma, and mental health but fostering a supportive community where women can find strength and inspiration in each other's stories. It's an informative way to reduce stigma and promote healing through open dialogue and exploration of therapeutic modalities. Our goal is to increase connections among women to offer empowerment, encouragement, and a sense of belonging as we each navigate the unique challenges and experiences faced by women in the military.
Each week we’ll invite a woman who has served in the military to share her experience and how it has impacted her, or we will bring in a guest who can speak about the healing abilities of specific therapeutic methods. This is a podcast you don’t want to miss.

About your hosts

kimberly Liszka

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Kim served in the United States Army/Reserves as a Combat Medic, Combat Nurse, Flight Nurse Instructor and one of the Top Female athletes in the Army.

Kim worked 20+ years as an ER nurse and decided to explore the world as a travel nurse. She's an Advanced Wilderness Expedition Provider and Chief Medical Officer for numerous endurance/survival expeditions in different countries.

Kim has a son, Jace and a daughter in law, Sammy and 2 grand animals, Joey & Bear. Her dog Camo is her best buddy. Camo is the sweetest yellow Labrador Retriever to walk this earth. He loves licking snow, riding the ocean waves, visiting carnivore food trucks and loves belly rubs and treats.

Fun Facts: Kim's lived in the Reality TV World! Fear Factor, American Ninja Warrior-Military Edition, American Tarzan, Spartan Namibia and more to come!

Dakota Olson-Harris

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Dakota is currently serving in the Army National Guard and has been for the past 15 years. She enlisted as a tank mechanic then earned her commission as a Combat Engineer Officer. She has two deployments, Iraq and United Arab Emirates.

On the civilian side Dakota works as a counselor providing readjustment counseling for Veterans, current service members, and their families.

Dakota is a wife and a bonus mom to four kiddos. They have recently added to their family with a baby girl, totaling five kids. They also have two dogs, Paco and Elsa.

Her family loves to go on adventures whether it's walks, hiking, camping, or just going on a road trip to visit family.