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Finding My Voice
If you haven’t caught on, there is a pattern developing here! From now until January, Lifegiver will have a new episode every payday which means two a month! I will be bringing you tips and topics from me during one and the other episode will be an interview with an inspirational military spouse. This week is no exception! Erin Whitehead has achieved what many spouses dream of achieving. She is a Marine spouse who loves her husband dearly and followed him everywhere the Military sent him. In this episode, she shares what it was like right after 9/11 to be a military family. As a counselor, I know the power that journaling and writing can have during difficult times. Erin describes how writing helped her get through several deployments, each unique in their difficulty. She also opens up about how military spouse community surrounded her and helped her through loss and moving forward. Seeing the power of finding her own words, she created Many Kind Regards, a blog-writing and coaching business that has helped hundreds of writers including military spouses find their voice on paper- if not the computer screen. “Our goal is to help writers create meaningful, effective content that engages an online audience. ” Erin WhiteheadFollowing her dreams didn’t end there. Her volunteer work earned her the 2010 Armed Forces Insurance Marine Spouse of the Year and a spot on The American Military Spouse Choir that performed on Season 8’s America’s Got Talent. I encourage you to take a moment and watch their performance here. In this candid interview, listen to Erin’s story of how she got through difficult times separated from her husband, the power of the military spouse community, and the wisdom she has to share as her husband is about to retire. You wont want to miss this one.
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Finding my Stride
In this episode, I interview Lena Steiner. I met TeamSteiner in Colorado during one of the most significant seasons of my life. That deployment changed a lot of us, including my own husband. But it was the support of Corey and Lena Stenier that carried an entire squadron through dark days. TeamSteiner served military families by Corey taking on the heavy responsibility of the Rear Detachment Commander- staying behind while the rest of the Squadron deployed and Lena supporting him and becoming a leader herself. Lena talkes about how losing friends in war has affected her marriage and her process of embracing the military lifestyle. lenafamily When it comes to leadership, Lena describes the impact on marraiges when leadership considers families as priority. Key spouse leaders changed her life by their willingness to create community and introducing her to running. She is now qualified to run the Boston Marathon and has trained even through her current second pregnancy! I have always admired Lena for her compassion for people, but also her fierce approach at life that earned my nickname for her “The Beast”. Here is a picture of pregnant Lena smoking me on a 5 mile run.
