At the 2026 Military Influencer Conference, I spoke with Olivia Fisher, a U.S. Navy veteran and Program Specialist with Operation New Uniform, about a program for service members, veterans and military spouses who are trying to figure out what comes next after military life. What caught my attention was that this is not industry-specific training. Fisher talked about skill building and information sourcing, but more importantly, she talked about helping veterans and spouses reconnect with purpose and with a sense of self.
That idea stayed with me because I only retired recently. When I think back to who I was before the military, I remember being in high school and wanting to be a journalist. Decades later, here I am covering the Military Influencer Conference for The Hollywood Times. For military veterans and their family members, we not only talk a lot about transition, but we’ve lived it. We’ve grown accustomed to being placed into the next job, showing up and joining the team. But now, with our mature and experienced lives, searching for autonomy and purpose within ourselves may seem out of reach. Sometimes, though, it is really about reconnecting with who we are. And for many people who enter the military young, walking into a structured environment and being told who you are going to be, it may take some time to figure out what you truly desire and what resonates. Sometimes you have to discover that person for the first time. That is what intrigued me about Operation New Uniform.
Fisher explained that the program is offered in person in Jacksonville, Tampa and San Antonio, as well as online, and that the cohorts stay small, capped at 25 participants. I would personally choose the in-person experience because I like being in the room with people, forming alliances, making connections and really allowing myself to be impacted by the experience. But someone else may need the flexibility of the online option, and that is the point. The reach is nationwide, but the experience is still designed to stay personal.
What I heard was less about teaching someone what career to choose and more about helping create drive and direction. The program can help facilitate that process, and maybe that’s one step in the journey.
Two weeks can create significant awareness, fuel a drive or form a source of motivation. It is also a very short amount of time when you consider the number of years many of us spend serving, building careers, raising families and moving through roles that can slowly become our identity. Operation New Uniform is making an investment too. For eligible participants, the program is provided at no cost, and for the in-person experience they are bringing people in and supporting them through the process. What the participant has to bring is time, vulnerability and the desire for change.
There is something compelling about intentionally setting aside two weeks to stop, look at where you are, and think about where you are going. Maybe you already know. Maybe you think you know. Maybe, like many veterans, you have spent so much of your adult life responding to the mission in front of you that you have not had much opportunity to ask what you actually want the next mission to be. I found myself thinking, I am worth that investment.
For me, there is something almost circular about remembering that teenager who wanted to be a journalist and realizing that she never completely disappeared. Military service became a huge part of my story, but it is not the entire story. Reconnecting with who we were, discovering who we have become and deciding who we still want to be may be one of the most important parts of progressing to our next chapter, or even the next book, of the life we call ours.
I do not know exactly what I would walk away with after two weeks at Operation New Uniform. Maybe that is precisely why I am curious enough to find out. If you are curious too, pick a location, pick a date, and maybe I will see you there.
More information about Operation New Uniform and its programs is available at onuvets.org.
