SeaWaves

09/02/2026

Meet Our Board Members! 🌊

Behind every mission is a team of people committed to making meaningful change.

Today, we're proud to introduce Andrew Newby, SEA WAVES Board Member-at-Large.

Andrew brings decades of experience in public policy, strategic communications, nonprofit leadership, and veteran advocacy. As a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Emmy Award-winning storyteller, his passion for collaboration and systems-level change strengthens SEA WAVES as we continue expanding awareness, education, and advocacy for military communities.

Andrew, thank you for helping us create lasting impact.

💙 Need a Light; Be a Light.

09/01/2026

🌊 What is impacting military readiness and the well-being of our military communities beneath the surface?

Eating disorders do not affect only those currently serving. They can affect active-duty service members, members of the Guard and Reserve, veterans, spouses, caregivers, children, and families across the military-connected community.

And they are not always easy to recognize.

They can remain hidden behind discipline and achievement. Behind strength and self-reliance. Behind major transitions and caregiving responsibilities. Behind the expectation to adapt, stay strong, and keep going. Behind a life that appears, from the outside, to be under control.

A service member can continue meeting every standard.

A veteran can carry struggles long after leaving service.

A spouse or caregiver can support everyone around them while quietly needing support of their own.

A military child can be struggling without yet having the words—or the opportunity—to explain what they are experiencing.

This is what can exist beneath the surface.

Too often, signs of an eating disorder are mistaken for discipline, stress, commitment, physical fitness, a phase, or simply part of military life. When those signs go unrecognized, opportunities for earlier understanding and support can be missed.

The effects reach beyond one individual. They can touch health, relationships, families, careers, unit readiness, and the strength of entire communities.

That is why we gather.

Beneath the Surface is more than the theme of our inaugural gala. It is an invitation to look more closely at an issue affecting military readiness and military-connected lives—and to bring overlooked experiences into the light.

On Saturday, November 7, 2026, the SEA WAVES Military Eating Disorder Awareness Gala: Beneath the Surface will bring together service members, veterans, military children and families, leaders, healthcare professionals, advocates, partners, and supporters at The Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

Together, we will raise awareness, strengthen connections, and help create a military community in which no one’s struggle has to remain hidden.

📅 Saturday, November 7, 2026
🕕 6:00 PM–9:00 PM
📍 The Florida Aquarium | Tampa, Florida

🎟️ Learn more about attending, supporting, or getting involved:
https://givebutter.com/c/BeneathTheSurface

Every conversation matters.
Every connection matters.
Every person deserves to be seen.

💙 Need a Light; Be a Light. 🌊

09/01/2026

💜💙 September is National Su***de Prevention Month and eating disorders must be part of this conversation.

At SEA WAVES, we believe eating disorder prevention is su***de prevention.
Su***de is the number one cause of death for someone with an eating disorder. That reality makes awareness, early recognition, informed treatment, and connection especially important within military and veteran communities.

The impact of eating disorders across our military-connected community is significant. SEA WAVES’ educational data highlights that 1 in 3 military women and 1 in 5 military men experience disordered eating, while military dependents are approximately three times more likely to develop an eating disorder than their civilian peers.

Yet these struggles can remain hidden.

Eating disorders can exist beneath discipline, fitness, achievement, strength, self-reliance, and readiness.
That is why su***de prevention within military-connected communities must make room for conversations about eating disorders, too.

We need support. Education. Awareness. Wellness. Validation.

We need to recognize what may be happening beneath the surface, listen without judgment, take concerns seriously, and connect people with informed care before they reach a crisis.

This September, SEA WAVES will continue bringing these interconnected conversations into the light—because no one should have to reach their breaking point before their struggle is recognized.

💙 If you need support, text WAVES to 741741 to connect with Crisis Text Line.
Every conversation matters. Every connection matters. Every person deserves to be seen.

🌊 Need a Light; Be a Light.

***dePreventionMonth ***dePrevention

09/01/2026

🌊 September is National Recovery Month.
Recovery deserves more than recognition. It deserves visibility, understanding, informed support, and hope.

Whether you are recovering from substance use, gambling-related harm, an eating disorder, or more than one struggle at the same time, your recovery matters and your story is not over.

Recovery is real but it is not one-size-fits-all.

There is no perfect timeline and no single way healing has to look. Someone can still be struggling while appearing strong, capable, disciplined, or high-performing on the outside.

Throughout September, SEA WAVES will share education, recovery resources, lived-experience perspectives, military-informed conversations, and visible hope for the struggles that too often remain beneath the surface.

💙 You are not alone. There is a light. We heal through connection and together, we can help bring hidden struggles into the light.

Recovery is real. Hope is real.

🌊 Need a Light; Be a Light.

08/29/2026

We’re heading back to MIC! 🌊

SEA WAVES is excited to return to the Military Influencer Conference, September 23–26, 2026, in Tampa.

For us, MIC is more than a conference.

It is an opportunity to bring a conversation that has remained hidden for far too long into rooms filled with military leaders, veterans, advocates, organizations, creators, and changemakers.

Stop by the SEA WAVES booth to meet our team, learn more about our mission and programs, explore resources for military-connected communities, and discover ways to partner with and support this work.

And there’s more.

Leah Stiles will be speaking at MIC, bringing together lived experience, military leadership, and advocacy to continue shining a light on eating disorders within the military community.

Every conversation creates an opportunity for someone to understand this issue differently.

Every connection helps the mission travel farther.

And every person willing to talk about what has remained beneath the surface helps us create another wave of change.

📍 Tampa
📅 September 23–26, 2026

Will YOU be at MIC? Tell us below—we would love to connect with you.

08/28/2026

Comfort that gives back. 💜

Sometimes supporting a mission can be woven into the everyday choices we already make.

Through Leah Stiles' Comfrt Ambassador partnership, you can receive 15% off your order, while 10% of sales made through Leah's link supports SEA WAVES.

Those proceeds help SEA WAVES continue its work providing education, advocacy, resources, and connection for service members, veterans, military families, and caregivers impacted by eating disorders.

So when you choose something comfortable for yourself, you're also helping us continue building something meaningful for someone else.

A resource.

A conversation.

A moment of recognition.

A reminder that someone isn't alone.

Small actions can create waves much larger than we realize.

🛍️ Shop through Leah's exclusive link:
comfrt.com/LEAH892

🏷️ Use code: LEAH8924828
💜 Receive 15% off
🌊 10% of sales supports SEA WAVES

Thank you for helping us carry this mission forward—one wave at a time.

Need a Light; Be a Light 🌊

08/28/2026

🌊 Coming up September 9–10!

SEA WAVES Founder & CEO Leah Stiles will be joining the Veteran Social Summit 2026 as a featured speaker, sharing lessons from building a purpose-driven nonprofit and creating meaningful change within the military and veteran community.

We’re looking forward to connecting, learning, and being part of conversations that strengthen the veteran ecosystem.

📅 September 9–10, 2026
💻 Virtual Event

We hope to see you there!

💙 Need a Light; Be a Light.

Connection creates community. Community creates change.

SEA WAVES is excited to share that Founder & CEO Leah Stiles will be a featured speaker at the Veteran Social Summit 2026, taking place virtually on September 9–10. During her keynote, "So You Want to Start a Nonprofit: Purpose, Pain, and the Responsibility to Get It Right," Leah will share lessons from building the nation's first and only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to eating disorders in the military community. Her presentation encourages veterans, nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, and advocates to build organizations rooted in collaboration rather than competition.

Every partnership strengthens our mission.
Every conversation expands our reach.
Every connection creates new opportunities to serve those who served.

At SEA WAVES, we believe meaningful change happens when organizations come together, share knowledge, and lift one another up. Because when we connect our lights, we illuminate a stronger path forward for the entire military and veteran community.

We hope you'll join us for this inspiring conversation.

📅 September 9–10, 2026
💻 Virtual Event
🔗 Register for the Veteran Social Summit: https://2026.veteransocialsummit.com/checkout/select-tickets/

💙 Need a Light; Be a Light. 🌊

08/28/2026

Breaking the silence begins with courageous conversations.

SEA WAVES is honored to share that Founder & CEO Leah Stiles is one of more than 30 featured speakers participating in The Breath That Breaks the Silence, a free online summit hosted by the One Breath Institute throughout September in recognition of Su***de Prevention Awareness Month.

This summit brings together respected clinicians, researchers, advocates, and leaders in psychotherapy, trauma healing, nervous system regulation, relational healing, breathwork, and mental health to explore an important question:

What does it truly take to support mental health and well-being—for ourselves, our families, our clients, and our communities?

Leah's session, "Need a Light; Be a Light: Breaking the Silence on Eating Disorders and Su***de Risk in the Military," will explore the often-overlooked connection between eating disorders and su***de risk within military and veteran communities, while highlighting the importance of early recognition, reducing stigma, and creating pathways to hope, healing, and support.

At SEA WAVES, we believe meaningful change begins when we are willing to have the conversations that too often go unspoken.

We hope you'll join us.

Registration is free, and each session will be released throughout September inside a private online community designed for reflection, learning, and meaningful connection.

🔗 Register today: OneBreathSummit.com

💙 Need a Light; Be a Light. 🌊

***dePreventionAwarenessMonth

08/26/2026

🎙️ The wait is over—the conversation is here. 🌊

Last month, we gave you a first look at a special conversation between SEA WAVES Founder & CEO Leah Stiles and internationally recognized eating disorder expert The Carolyn Costin.

Today, we’re excited to share that the episode is officially available.

Together, Leah Stiles and Carolyn Costin explore the unique experiences of service members and veterans, the importance of military-informed eating disorder care, the power of lived experience, and why collaboration is essential to expanding access to treatment and reducing stigma.

This conversation is especially meaningful to SEA WAVES. Carolyn also wrote the foreword to Leah’s book, Battle Scars & Body Wars, connecting two voices committed to changing how eating disorders are recognized, understood, and addressed.

These are the conversations that help bring what has remained hidden into the light.

🎥 The episode is available today on Carolyn Costin’s YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts channels.

Youtube: www.youtube.com/
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1xGZJnNMWoafsqZShOWXyI
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/becoming-recovered-body-and-soul/id1893757996

Listen. Share. Help us continue the conversation about eating disorders in our military and veteran communities.

💙 Need a Light; Be a Light. 🌊