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 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.

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 networks who get it.

We also 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Bringing Eating Disorders Into New Spaces

We raise awareness by partnering on national initiatives — like our coalition work with Face the Fight — to ensure eating disorders are finally included in suicide prevention conversations.

Through social media campaigns, blogs, interviews, webinars, and sharing lived stories, we’re making it clear:

Eating disorders don’t have a single look.

They don’t come in just one size.

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

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.

• Women Veteran ENGAGE Conference: Over 100 women veterans connected in a life-changing day of networking and workshops.
• Service to Success Wellness Symposium: More than 50 veteran business owners explored how entrepreneurship and mental wellness intersect.
• Military Community Outreach: SEA WAVES has shown up at 12+ military and veteran events to ensure eating disorders are part of every mental health conversation.

Because wellness is about more than treatment — it’s about community and connection.

Self-Care as Prevention

Self-care is not fluff. It’s a frontline defense.

Through The Lighthouse Project, we offer mentorship, peer support, and digital campaigns that encourage service members to care for themselves before they reach crisis.

We create simple, accessible tools that empower people to take those first steps toward healing — and remind them they deserve to.

Because real prevention happens when we foster communities of care — and lift each other up.

A — Advocacy

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

• We champion policies like the SERVE Act, expanding TRICARE to cover inpatient/residential eating disorder care — and requiring leadership education.
• We meet with lawmakers, Pentagon officials, and VSO partners to ensure real implementation — not just promises.
• We represent the military voice in national advocacy efforts, from Capitol Hill to national coalitions.

Because when institutions finally recognize eating disorders as a readiness, retention, and suicide prevention issue, real change happens.

V — Validation

Validation is more than being heard — it’s being seen and believed.

• In 2025, we launched our own research and data team, partnering with top experts to quantify the prevalence of eating disorders in military populations.
• Our founder now serves on the national PRMP review board, bringing military perspectives into federal eating disorder policy.

Because when we back lived experience with real data, systems can no longer ignore the truth: this is a life-threatening issue in our ranks.

E — Eating Disorders

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

📊 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.

🚨 90% never receive treatment — and the gap is even wider for military families.

That’s why we’re the only veteran service organization in the country solely focused on eating disorders.

We fill a gap no one else does — because the cost of silence is far too high.

S — Suicide Prevention

Eating disorders are not just about food or weight. They’re about pain, identity, trauma — and too often, they end in tragedy.

That’s why suicide prevention is our final pillar. We refuse to let this connection go unseen.

• Webinars with CE credits like “Eating Disorder Prevention IS Suicide Prevention” are reaching clinicians, VSOs, and leaders with the tools they need to intervene early.
• The Lighthouse Project builds connection and belonging — protective factors proven to reduce suicide risk.
• National advocacy and coalition work ensure eating disorders are represented in military suicide prevention efforts.

Because saving lives requires more than crisis lines. It requires listening earlier, acting sooner, and building cultures where people aren’t afraid to say: “I need help.”

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.