Madie Odell’s Speech at Servicewomen’s Health and Education Resource Organization’s (SHERO)’s Women Veterans Workshop on 02/22/25

Good morning Everyone, how are you all doing?

First I’d like to say thank you to Tracy for inviting Foxhole out and to Mo, who sadly couldn’t make it, for choosing me to represent today’s event.

I enlisted in the army reserves back in 2021 and was a split op. So I went to basic training the summer after my senior year, came home in the fall for my first year of college, and went to AIT the following summer. I’ve been with Victorious MMA for almost five years, and within those five years they have watched me grow into the adult I am today. I started back when I was 17, and I remember one of my first classes, my coach, Mr. Vic, asked me what I planned to do with my life. I told him I was going to join the military and now my soldier portrait is on his fridge at the gym.

Joining the military wasn’t the hardest part, but the transition from military to civilian is something I still struggle with. So I can’t imagine those who have seen and done more than I have. Just being in those 6 to 10 week training periods of following the same, precise routine to only come home to a civilian life of chaos and disorganization can do a lot to a mind, and I Know I don’t even know half of it.

But I do know that being in the foxhole community helped me not feel so alone. I came home as a fresh soldier… I’m sure you know what I mean, and I didn’t know where I fit in with the rest of my peers. I missed my friends at boot camp and T school and it was really hard for me to flip the civilian switch on. Being at the gym really helped adapt to my new life. I train BJJ and MT on a regular basis, and I mostly do it because of the comradery and feeling like I belong to something bigger than myself. I was only 19 when I enlisted, and let alone a female, but the Foxhole community accepted me regardless.

Foxhole’s aim is to help veterans who are having a hard time with the adaptation of being at home. Everyone talks about how hard it is being in the military, but no one talks about how hard it is when you get out. Yet the suicide statistics are there, and sadly they keep rising. At foxhole you still have your fight. You are with comrades who are going through it with you, and that to me is what’s most important. You’re so far from being alone. Anything you need, you’ve got brothers and sisters ready to support.

I’ve seen how Bjj has helped some of the other vets that train. On Sundays, Mo teaches a vets class and it’s more one-on-one and it’s really neat to see their progress. I’ve seen vets come to their first class kinda shy and unsure and within a week they have become part of our puzzle. Everyone is missing peace, everyone has a spot. The one thing I love the most about the gym is that whenever a new face walks through the door, we are so eager to learn more about them… especially the vets.. Gotta know which branch they are a part of… GO ARMY!

Brazilian jiu jitsu is a great way to push yourself to new limits, and work through problem solving situations. It’s a lot like combatives, if anyone has had the chance to do it while in service. It gives you confidence regardless of age, gender, or the condition on your joints. You see your growth and progress like climbing the ranks and It gives you a chance to prove to yourself that you have what it takes. I’ve been doing BJJ for five years and It’s given me the discipline and confidence that I always take with me in and out of uniform. All 5’0 and 125 pounds of me.

Without the gym and the Foxhole community, I wouldn’t be here today. It has opened up so many doors for me, and I will forever be grateful. I strive to be the best version of myself, and I’ve learned that sometimes that takes help and support from others. That’s What Foxhole is for.