Cassy Van Rythoven joined the Royal Australian Navy on 24 April 2000. More than two decades later, after a long Navy career, she stepped into civilian work carrying habits shaped by service – discipline, accountability and a strong sense of responsibility to others. What changed was not what she brought with her, but the setting in which she was expected to apply it.
Cas transitioned from permanent full-time Navy service in 2022 and now works for Serco, a business-to-government organisation and a proud Soldier On corporate partner. Moving from Navy life into civilian systems was not seamless, but it brought exposure to different ways of working and to parts of organisational life that had previously sat outside her experience.
‘Service is my core value,’ Cas says. ‘That’s really aligned to the work Serco does.’
That alignment helped her find her footing early on. In the Navy, service operated within clear structures and expectations. In civilian work, Cas found herself having to be more deliberate about how that value translated.
‘Even beyond the Defence portfolio, what Serco does outside of that, I can align my core value to,’ she says.
Beyond Defence Force routines
Leaving the Navy also meant stepping away from a life built around routine, shared experience and close professional bonds. Like many veterans, Cas spent time adjusting to the absence of those structures while building connection elsewhere.
Staying involved through sport, coaching and volunteering provided continuity during that period. These settings offered familiar rhythms – turning up, contributing, being accountable – without rank or hierarchy.
At work, the adjustment was practical as much as cultural. Civilian roles exposed Cas to areas she had not encountered during her time in Defence.
‘I’m finding it a really good and safe area to grow in aspects that I didn’t get to experience in Defence,’ she says.
She points to business development and financial understanding as examples – areas that influence how organisations operate, but which are rarely visible within military career pathways.
‘All those little bits and pieces we don’t get that exposure for,’ Cas says. ‘I’ve been really fortunate to be exposed to that and really grow my professional skill set.’
The people around her played a significant role in that experience. Cas describes a workplace where effort was noticed, and engagement was met with support.
‘The people around me see that in me,’ she says. ‘And when I lean in, they lean in at the same time.’
Exploring the unfamiliar
That response mattered. It created space to ask questions, take on unfamiliar work and build confidence without relying on rank or predefined roles.
Cas is thoughtful about how workplaces support people coming from different backgrounds. For her, support is less about labels and more about how people respond to one another.
‘I don’t think workplaces have to specifically “get” Defence,’ she says. ‘They just need to be open and aware. I’ve got a history, just like a police officer would, just like a nurse would. For me, it’s more about being in a workplace where people are open and empathetic towards different experiences.’
Outside work, Cas has become more deliberate about reflection. She says that practices such as journalling, mindfulness and coaching helped her check in regularly and adjust expectations as she navigated change.
Three years on from leaving full-time Navy service, Cas describes transition as something that continues to shift over time. Work, identity and connection have evolved, shaped by the environments she has moved through and the people within them.
Understanding matters
For Soldier On, it’s experiences like these that reinforce why workplaces matter. Veterans do not arrive as blank slates. They arrive with established ways of working, and the settings they enter influence how those attributes are recognised, developed and carried forward. Cas’s own positive transition from Defence life offers a clear view of how that adjustment can unfold when people are willing to listen, respond and meet one another with understanding.
