Hello! Allow me to introduce myself: I’m Julie. I’m a wordsmith and storyteller and I will be joining you on a fairly regular basis to chat about those topics and why they matter to military spouses. 

But first things first. Since I believe that armed with the right information we can better understand each other, here are a few things about me to get you started:

• I’m a military spouse (of the Navy variety)
• I’m a mom (to one of the young adult variety)
• I’m a cowgirl-turned-nomadic-military spouse (if you just said “What?” then that’s proof why it’s important we tell our backstories)
• I’m a lover of coffee (a love affair that began when I was a toddler…it’s true, don’t judge)
• I’m a lover of food (food is its own storyteller, but that’s a topic for another time)
• I’m a public speaker (a talent that grew out of my mom forcing convincing me to take a speech and debate class in high school…a class that eventually launched me into a career in public relations)
• I’m a master of reinvention (this gets back to the part about being a nomadic military spouse…need I say more?)
• I’m a mentor (because I had great mentors and believe in paying forward their gifts when and where I can)
• I’m a writer (of questionable success but endowed with a heck of a lot of moxie)

Those are just some of the things that make me….well, me. Do we have anything in common?

Yes? Great. No? No worries! As military spouses, our uniqueness is our superpower. We are a great melting pot of personalities and backgrounds meeting under the umbrella of spousedom…and it’s quite the colorful umbrella! The more varied the better, if you ask me.

But let’s cut to the chase—why am I here and why should you read what I write? Well, it comes down to one thing: empowerment. Without it, where do we stand?

When my friend Kathleen Palmer asked how I defined empowerment during her interview with me on the Mission Milspouse podcast, I didn’t hesitate with my answer: “Empowerment means having a voice.”

But what does that mean, “to have a voice”?

As a writer, I live by the rule that voice is everything. Voice is how the words I put on paper read in your head. Voice is how my ideas are perceived and received. It’s my tone. My subtle jokes. It’s the jab of the knife when I want to drive a point home. It’s the embodiment of who I am as a writer.

However, as individuals it’s really no different. Our voice is who we are and what we stand for. It’s our agency in this world. If you don’t have a voice you can be held down, not included, or unrepresented. Your voice is your power.

And I want to inspire you—military spouses—to find your voice.

In the coming months, I will be sharing with you tips and tools about finding and harnessing your voice. I will share how your voice can help bridge the gap within our own military communities and even further, to help bridge the civilian-military gap. Most of all, I will share about how finding your voice can help you find yourself.

I want you to find your voice. 

I want to you harness your superpower.

*Stay tuned for more from our Storytelling Expert Julie Tully. If you want to hear some of Julie’s stories, check out her Podcast interview with M:M  or her book entitled “Dispatches from a Cowgirl.”