On Tuesday morning, I received a notification on my phone of an email. It was from my husband with a subject line of “…APPROVED RETIREMENT.” I immediately opened it on my laptop. It contained an attachment of a screenshot from the Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System (NSIPS) of his request for retirement with “Status: Approved.” I also verified the requested retirement date of June 2026.

After reading the email, I walked away from the computer and cried. My sailor has been trying since June to get this approved, and the journey hasn’t been easy. These were tears of relief. We can now proceed with planning for the next steps and begin the mental preparation of separating from military life. It took several months to get to this point. As I mentioned in Our Military Retirement Journey Begins, he submitted his retirement request in June but encountered some hurdles. Issues accessing the system caused problems, and then the system that tracks his achievements needed to be updated. After resolving that problem, the next hurdle was that his admin team in Denver lacked the authority to approve his request. Once the correct people with authority to approve his request were identified, he had to resubmit his request because, of course, the first request had expired. It felt like he was the first sailor at a joint Space Command ever to request retirement. Approval for retirement was not the only good news. By late afternoon, his TAP Capstone was complete, and his admin team was working on his Skillbridge endorsement.

To share my excitement, I posted a video on Instagram of the SpaceX launch from base that very next morning with the caption: “When you find out your husband’s military retirement is officially approved… and @spacex lights a giant candle in the sky the very next morning to celebrate. ” I shared the news with my family, and then we spoke to his parents in the evening.

The week ended just as well. An appointment was set up with legal to update estate planning documents, and my husband left a blue folder for me to review. Inside were “OFFICIAL RETIREMENT ORDERS FOR …” Now, we have the documents to set the pieces in motion, once we have that plan defined. It is a relief to know that we can start the next journey and, importantly for me, I can decide where to take my business and how to grow Homefront Hustle. In other words, now I can build my career. As an Accredited Financial Counselor®, I know estate planning is essential for any family, but especially during transitions like this. It’s not just about documents—it’s about peace of mind, protecting assets, and preparing for the unexpected.

I also know how important it is to build a “transition tribe.” I have dedicated time to networking with more veteran families, and I have joined a few more groups and organizations to not only share my skills and expertise but to learn from entrepreneurs and veterans. I am drawing on family, friends, coworkers, and appreciate the new contacts that have welcomed me and provided support during this time.

What about you–what was your transition journey like? Did you build a tribe or transition team to help you through it? What is one tip that you would share?

Originally published on LinkedIn on September 15, 2025. [Read it here]