How do you explain to a six-year-old that her father isn't just "away" but serving the nation? For Hayley Boswell, the answer started with a handmade book and a story about saving sea turtles. A former lawyer and youth worker turned CEO and founder of Defence Kidz, Hayley is on a mission to ensure that one in 20 Australian children with a veteran parent are no longer the "invisible" part of the defence capability.

In this episode, Tash Taylor sits down with Hayley to discuss the emotional and practical realities of military life. From successfully lobbying for veteran identifiers in schools to shipping out hundreds of "deployment packs" designed by psychologists, Hayley shares how small tools – like a weighted koala or a T-shirt – can provide the resilience a child needs when their world is constantly in motion.

Hayley reflects on her own upbringing as a "military child", moving from Toowoomba to the Navy life, and how those early memories shaped her mission. From Adelaide Zoo connection days to the magic of a recorded bedtime story sent from Afghanistan, Hayley illustrates how Defence Kidz is rebuilding that lost sense of belonging.

The Progress Report. New voices. Real stories. Big shifts.

Enjoy the podcast, The Progress Report team

THE PROGRESS REPORT: The mission to make military children visible