At SEA WAVES, our name isn’t just a catchy acronym — it’s the heart of our mission. Each letter represents a critical pillar in our fight to support service members, veterans, and their families who are struggling with eating disorders. It’s how we’re tackling a crisis that’s too often overlooked in military mental health — and building a future where no one has to face it alone.

Here’s what each letter in S.E.A.W.A.V.E.S. means, and how we’re putting these values into action every single day.

🫶 S — Support

At SEA WAVES, support means so much more than handing someone a phone number or a pamphlet. It’s about actively bridging the massive gap between the military community and the highly specialized eating disorder care they need — care that’s incredibly hard to find.

Eating disorder treatment is already scarce and fragmented in civilian life. In the military community, it’s even more complicated:

• Many providers have little to no understanding of military weight standards, readiness requirements, or the career fears that keep service members from speaking up.
• TRICARE options can be limited, and long wait times or referral hurdles add even more barriers.
• Meanwhile, stigma and fear of repercussions often keep people silent.

That’s why we step in. SEA WAVES acts as a connector and advocate, guiding service members, veterans, and families to trusted civilian eating disorder organizations, specialized treatment providers, and peer support networkswho get it.

We also work tirelessly to help them navigate the financial, logistical, and bureaucratic hurdles that too often stand in the way of getting help. From understanding TRICARE paperwork to identifying sliding scale options or grants, we’re there.

We’re filling a critical gap in military mental health by making specialized eating disorder care more accessible and less overwhelming. Because no one should be left to figure it out alone — not after giving so much in service to our country.

📚 E — Education

Education is a cornerstone of prevention and early intervention. That’s why we created our MEDAL program — Military Eating Disorder Awareness and Literacy.

Through MEDAL, we deliver tailored training to:

It’s the only training of its kind specifically tailored for military life, and it serves three crucial audiences:

🎖️ For military leadership

We don’t just want to make leaders aware — we want to empower them.

Our MEDAL sessions give command teams practical tools they can use right away: how to spot early warning signs that often masquerade as “discipline,” how to open conversations with compassion, and how to create environments where troops feel safe coming forward.

Because strong leadership isn’t just about mission readiness — it’s about knowing how to care for your people.

🩺 For healthcare providers

Even in civilian sectors, eating disorders are widely misunderstood.

Studies show most healthcare providers receive less than 15 minutes of formal education on eating disorders in their entire training.

That lack of knowledge is magnified in military clinics, where providers may default to treating weight issues purely through the lens of “PT standards” or BMI charts.

Our MEDAL program equips them to see the bigger picture — understanding how trauma, deployment stress, and stringent body standards contribute to disordered eating, and why a holistic approach is essential.

🤝 For veteran-serving organizations

We also bring MEDAL to VSOs and community nonprofits. These groups are often on the front lines of post-service support, yet many have never considered eating disorders part of veteran care.

We give them tools, conversation starters, and referral resources so fewer veterans slip through unnoticed.

Because eating disorders thrive in silence — and early, informed intervention doesn’t just change lives, it saves them.

Every MEDAL session we deliver plants seeds that ripple out through units, clinics, and community organizations, helping build a military culture that finally sees and supports those struggling in silence.

🎤 A — Awareness

Awareness is about shining a light on what’s been kept in the dark for far too long.

At SEA WAVES, we’re determined to expose the silent epidemic of eating disorders in the military — to break through stigma, outdated beliefs, and the dangerous normalization of harmful behaviors.

🌟 Speaking out and telling hard truths

Our founder — a retired Navy Senior Chief and someone who knows this fight personally — uses her voice at speaking engagements, conferences, and on podcasts to make sure this issue is no longer ignored. From military symposiums to mental health panels, she shares how eating disorders weave through military life in ways most people have never even considered.

Because so many simply don’t know what they don’t know.

Decades of misinformation — from Lifetime movies in the 80s and 90s to sensational talk shows — taught people that eating disorders are about vanity, teen girls, or food alone. But the truth is:

• Eating disorders are serious mental health disorders — often coping mechanisms for trauma, stress, and identity struggles.
• They do not discriminate by gender, age, rank, or body size.
• And they are profoundly dangerous at any weight.

🪖 Calling out what’s been normalized

In the military, we’ve normalized countless disordered behaviors under the guise of “discipline” or “standards.”

Things like:

• Starving or severely restricting food before weigh-ins
• Wrapping in saran wrap or sauna suits to sweat off pounds
• Abusing laxatives or dehydration tactics
• Exercising through injury or sickness to make weight

These aren’t signs of toughness — they’re red flags of distress.

And by shining a light on these practices, we’re starting hard conversations that ultimately break down stigma and give service members permission to seek help without shame.

🤝 Bringing eating disorders into new spaces

We also raise awareness by partnering on national initiatives, like serving as a coalition member with Face the Fight, to ensure eating disorders are finally included in suicide prevention conversations.

Because when we ignore these struggles, we risk lives.

Through social media campaigns, blogs, interviews, webinars, and telling our own lived stories, we’re making it clear that eating disorders don’t have a single look, they don’t come in just one size, and they don’t discriminate.

They’re complex mental health issues that deserve serious attention and compassionate care.

Because once we shine a light on this — people see they’re not alone, they see that what they’ve been told is “normal” isn’t healthy, and they start to believe they’re worthy of help.

That’s the power of awareness — it cracks open the door for healing to begin.

🌱 W — Wellness

Healing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. That’s why we host and participate in events that center connection, empowerment, and whole-person wellness.

• We co-hosted the Women Veteran ENGAGE Conference, bringing together over 100 women veterans for a day that many described as life-changing, filled with breakout sessions, networking, and camaraderie.
• We also organized the Service to Success Wellness Symposium, which hosted more than 50 veteran business owners, spotlighting how entrepreneurship, self-care, and mental health intersect.
• Beyond our own events, SEA WAVES shows up in community spaces — from having a booth at a Military Sexual Trauma Awareness event at the Lake Nona VA, to attending 12+ other military and veteran-focused events, making sure eating disorders are part of every mental health conversation.

Because wellness is about more than treatment — it’s about community, empowerment, and spaces where veterans can lift each other up.

📢 A — Advocacy

Awareness alone isn’t enough — we’re fighting to change the entire system.

• We fiercely advocate for policies like the SERVE Act, recently passed into law, which expands TRICARE coverage to include inpatient and residential eating disorder treatment — and requires education on eating disorders for military leadership.
• We regularly meet with lawmakers, Pentagon leaders, and veteran service partners to push for implementation of the SERVE Act, ensuring it’s not just words on paper, but real change that saves lives.
• Our founder, a retired Navy Senior Chief, has represented SEA WAVES at Eating Disorder Advocacy Day in D.C., adding the military voice to a national policy agenda.

Because long-term change happens when institutions stop treating eating disorders as fringe issues — and start seeing them as critical to readiness, family stability, and life itself.

💬 V — Validation

Validation is more than listening — it’s proving people’s experiences through data and national recognition.

We’re working to change that narrative with data, research, and advocacy that says: “Your experience is real. And it matters.”

• In 2025, SEA WAVES launched our own research and data team, partnering with world-renowned doctors, scientists, and military health experts dedicated to gathering the numbers and evidence we desperately need.
• This positions us to contribute to groundbreaking studies that will finally quantify the prevalence and impact of eating disorders in military and veteran populations — something that’s long been ignored or underreported.
• Our founder is also now serving on the PRMP review board for eating disorders, ensuring the unique needs of military members are represented in national program designs.

Because when the system sees clear data and hears real voices, it can no longer ignore the truth: eating disorders are a serious, life-threatening issue in our military community that demands action.

❤️ E — Eating Disorders

At our core, SEA WAVES exists because of eating disorders — and because of how deeply they impact military families.

Why does this matter so much?

• 📊 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men in the military community struggles with disordered eating.
• ⚠️ Eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of any mental illness — with suicide as the #1 cause of death.
• 🚨 And still, 90% never receive treatment — a gap that’s even wider for military families facing stigma, career fears, and limited provider access.

That’s why we fill this critical gap in military mental health. Out of the 45,000+ veteran service organizations in the U.S., we’re the only one solely dedicated to eating disorders.

That’s how overlooked this issue has been — and why our work matters so deeply.

🕯️ S — Self-Care

Finally, we champion self-care — not as fluff, but as essential prevention.

Through The Lighthouse Project, we integrate mentorship, peer support, digital campaigns, and practical tools that encourage self-care and build resilience before someone reaches crisis.

Whether it’s hosting virtual workshops, sharing social media stories that break stigma, or giving service members simple self-check tools, we aim to meet people wherever they are — from those in crisis to those who just need a gentle nudge to prioritize their own mental health.

Because real prevention happens when we foster communities of care — and empower people to take those first small steps toward healing.

🌊 Help us keep making waves

At SEA WAVES, we’re on a mission to transform how eating disorders are seen, understood, and treated in military life. Born from lived experience and grounded in compassion, we exist to shine a light on struggles that have long been kept in the dark — breaking through the silence, stigma, and outdated beliefs that too often keep service members, veterans, and their families suffering alone.

Our purpose is simple yet profound: to build a military community where prevention is proactive, care is accessible, and healing is nurtured through connection and understanding. We envision a future where every service member, veteran, and loved one affected by an eating disorder knows they matter, they’re seen, and they never have to navigate this journey alone.

Guided by unwavering commitment and the courage to challenge what’s been normalized for far too long, we work to replace fear with knowledge, isolation with community, and hopelessness with the promise that better days are possible.

Whether it’s through advocacy that drives systemic change, education that empowers leaders and providers, or spaces that foster real conversations and meaningful support, SEA WAVES is here to ensure no one ever has to wonder if they’re worthy of help. Because they are. And together, we’re building a brighter, braver, more compassionate world — one wave at a time.

But we can’t do it without you.

💙 Here’s how you can get involved:

• Serve on our Board or a committee: Help shape strategy and sustain our mission with your expertise.
• Volunteer your time and talents: From outreach and events to sharing your own story, every effort makes an impact.
• Collaborate on a training or webinar: Bring MEDAL or The Lighthouse Project to your organization, military unit, or veteran community.
• Sponsor or host an event: From wellness symposiums to national awareness campaigns, your partnership helps us reach more people.
• Make a donation: Every dollar fuels programs that educate, advocate, and connect military families to life-saving support. 👉 Give on GiveButter

👉 Visit seawaves.org to learn more, sign up for our newsletter, and explore all the ways you can join us.

Because need a light? Be a light. Together, we’re building a military community where eating disorders are seen, understood, and treated with the compassion they deserve.