'I felt so alone': Navy wife’s struggle with depression turns into a life-changing business

When Alison Edward married a Royal Navy serviceman, she expected the challenges—time apart, long deployments, and raising children while her husband was away. But what she didn’t expect was how deeply it would affect her mental health.

Now, as the UK marked Armed Forces Day on June 28, Alison is speaking out to support the often-unseen struggles faced by military spouses—and to show others that purpose and passion can rise from pain.

“The hardest part wasn’t the moving,” she says. “It was the loneliness.”

For years, Alison followed her husband across the globe, relocating whenever his Navy role demanded. From one unfamiliar base to the next, she raised their young children—mostly on her own—often far from home, family, and friends.

“You don’t just leave your house behind—you leave your support network, your career, your identity. I didn’t realise how much I was losing until I felt completely lost,” she explains.

The weight of solo parenting, endless goodbyes, and the absence of stability began to chip away at her wellbeing. Slowly, anxiety and depression crept in.

“I’d put on a brave face, like most military wives do. But inside, I was sinking. I felt invisible.”

In one of her darkest moments, Alison turned to something that brought order to the chaos: numbers. She began bookkeeping from home—just small jobs for local business owners, something to do between school runs and sleepless nights.

But over time, it became so much more.

“I realised bookkeeping gave me control, purpose, and—most importantly—connection. I could do it from anywhere. I was helping others, and that helped me heal.”

That quiet passion has since grown into a successful business: Simply Balanced Solutions, a bookkeeping firm based in Clanfield, Hampshire. Today, Alison supports clients across the UK while also raising awareness about the mental health challenges military spouses often face behind closed doors.

And she has a powerful message for others walking a similar path: you are not just “the one left behind.” You have value, purpose, and potential.

“There’s strength in surviving what we do,” Alison says. “But there’s also power in building something for yourself. Bookkeeping changed my life—and I want other military spouses to know they can find their ‘thing’ too.”

On this Armed Forces Day, Alison is calling for more recognition, support, and encouragement for the partners and families who hold everything together when loved ones serve.

“Behind every sailor, soldier, or airman is a partner making huge sacrifices in silence. It’s time we spoke up—not just about the struggle, but the strength that can come from it.”