Finding Your Voice After the Uniform | Serena Monay USN VET
Serena Monae, U.S. Navy Veteran, stand-up comedian, tells their story to Vegas Veteran Voices, a Veteran-led nonprofit in Las Vegas.
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- In this story
- Serena Monae, U.S. Navy Veteran, stand-up comedian
- Service branch
- U.S. Navy
- Published
- Running time
- 40 minutes (40:03)
- Production
- Filmed by Vegas Veteran Voices, a Veteran-led nonprofit in Las Vegas
“My family also gave me the confidence to be creative.”
About this story
In this episode of Vegas Veteran Voices, comedian and United States Navy Veteran Serena Monae sits down with Ronnie Long, USMC Veteran, for a real, unfiltered conversation about identity after the military, finding your voice again, and using humor as a survival tool when life gets heavy.
Serena opens up about being a secretly introverted performer, navigating anxiety and agoraphobia, and what it feels like when leaving the house is harder than people think. Together, Serena and Ronnie talk honestly about life after service, the loss of self-respect many Veterans experience when they get out, and the strange adjustment to civilian work culture where freedom and autonomy suddenly matter more than rank or routine.
The conversation also dives deep into comedy as therapy, crowd work, and adaptation. Serena breaks down why bombing is part of the craft, why Veterans handle silence differently, and how learning to read the room mirrors the way service members learn to adapt under pressure. They explore how different cities have different comedy cultures, and why improvisation becomes a form of survival.
Serena Monae is a stand up comedian and U.S. Navy Veteran. She shares her journey from joining the Navy unexpectedly, working across multiple rates, getting out, working as a mail carrier, and eventually committing fully to comedy. She also talks about the role her family played in marketing her early on, building confidence, and helping her develop her creative voice long before the industry noticed.
This episode is funny, raw, and honest, but at its core, it is about becoming who you are after the uniform comes off.
If you are a Veteran trying to figure out who you are now, or someone navigating anxiety, identity loss, or transition, this episode will resonate. And if you just want to laugh while hearing the truth, you are in the right place.
Learn more at www.vegasveteranvoices.com
Follow Serena Monae and her new podcast, The Velvet Gossip, on X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube by searching The Velvet Gossip.
If you are in Las Vegas, you can catch Serena every Wednesday at Evolve Brewing in Summerlin hosting trivia from 7 to 9 PM.
For guest recommendations, partnerships, or Veteran organization collaborations, contact host@vegasveteranvoices.com
In their words
“I’m happy that I was able to make it through my enlistment and make it home safe because it don’t happen for everybody.”
