On today’s show, we’re thrilled to bring you an interview conducted by Callie Bunter, Deputy Director of Podcast Production, as she chats with today’s guest, Manda Lynn McVey.

Manda Lynn McVey is a holistic nutrition wellness practitioner, master resilience trainer, writer, community builder.  She is the wife of an active duty soldier and advocate for military community wellness who focuses on guiding fellow military spouses in overcoming the overwhelm that accompanies military life.  She was named 2022 Armed Forces Insurance Fort Polk (Now Fort Johnson) Spouse of the Year and has been recognized by multiple organizations for her contributions to the betterment of the military community.

Manda Lynn brings us insight from her experience as a military spouse and her holistic wellness practice to enlighten us on how to utilize resilience and self-care to navigate the stress of this Military Life, rather than living by the archaic “suck it up” mentality of the past.

Listeners, if you would like to learn more about Manda and her practice, you can find her at her social media handles @thehealitaryspouse.  

Resource Recon

We’ve recently had a blog by one of our expert bloggers, George Banker, all about THE TINA KLEIN PLAN: BE CONSISTENT, INSISTENT, AND PERSISTENT

Before Tina Klein’s career in running, she served as a U.S. Army Officer (Lt. Col.), worked in the U.S. Department of Justice, and represented a significant pharmaceutical specializing in women’s health, diabetes, and neuroscience. She earned a degree in Biology and Communication from Southwest Texas University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Troy State University.

The following excerpt from the book “GRIT,” by Angela Duckworth could have been written about Tina Klein: “Talent, is how quickly your skills improve when you invest effort. Achievement happens when you take your gained skills and use them.”

Keep the above in the back of the mind as you read the following and see how Tina improved upon her skills that translated into achievement.

There was nothing that was automatic and there was a shift in her mindset. Exercise programs are never easy and require sacrifice such as giving up time with friends or free time.

The blog continues with a set of interview questions for Tina on how she shows persistence in her running career and offers advice to those looking to get started. This was such an inspiring and empowering blog post on not only getting started with running, but also on improving your health and wellness. 

Empowerment Patrol Report

Today we are spotlighting our MRE team winner, which by the way, MRE stands for Motivated and Ready to Empower. A huge congrats to our very own Katie Henke, Deputy Director of Empowerment.

Katie, originally from Michigan, is an elementary math teacher and sometimes soccer/track and field/rowing coach. She has been married to her Army husband for 17 years and been along for the journey as a military spouse for 14 years. The Henkes, who met at Kansas State, have five children, two energetic dogs and can often be found at a scout event of some kind or on the soccer/softball fields.

They have been stationed at Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, Fort Leavenworth, Nellis AFB, Eglin AFB, and are currently at Fort Eisenhower.  They still have that bin of cords that can never be parted with and a box of pictures that couldn’t properly fit on any walls in their current house.

She has enjoyed volunteering at various duty stations by being a part of and leading various FRG/SFRG groups and volunteering as a neighborhood mayor. In her spare time, Katie loves to read, travel, explore new hiking trails with the kids, try new food, and plan house projects. 

Katie, we thank you for your service in honoring our mission and for doing your part to empower families around the world.

Thank You

Thank you for tuning into this week’s episode. Please leave a five-star rating and review on Apple podcasts, then send us a screenshot of your review to hello@missionmilspouse.org or DM us on Facebook or Instagram @missionmilspouse to receive a special in-real-life gift as a thank you on behalf of MM. We appreciate your engagement and support.

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