2021 MIM_MAY

MILITARY SPOUSES Keeping it Real

Throughout CNN anchor

Brianna Keilar’s impressive career in television news, she has delivered hard-hitting coverage of politics, policy, and breaking stories in Washington and across the world. Her professional prowess is inspiring, but during an exclusive interview for this issue’s cover story, she shared that once in a while, she struggles to maintain her on-camera composure.

She recalled an instance during a 2017 story detailing controversial comments about Gold Star families that brought her to tears. But Keilar didn’t worry about letting her viewers see her with her guard down.

“I think it’s good to understand what you are covering in a personal way,” she said.

And when she reports on military issues — both heart-warming and hardhitting — she certainly does have inside knowledge. Keilar has been married to a Special Forces Green Beret since 2016.

Barrett Baker Kristen De Deyn Kirk Tiffany Eve Lawrence Andrea Downing Peck

I expected Keilar to be interesting, well-spoken, and overall impressive, but she surprised me with how remarkably real she came across in conversation. Turn to page 8 for a candid glimpse into her life both on and off set. Her day-to-day includes juggling deployments, parenthood, a successful yet demanding job, and even working out.

We proudly shine a light in this issue on Keilar and other military spouses who are influencing their families, the business world, and more in creative and dynamic ways.

Don’t miss our profile on Laura Briggs, who decided to start freelance writing

for work-from-home flexibility during military moves and now makes six figures, or Brittany Rhodes, who developed an e-commerce business that inspires girls to love math.

No matter how challenging military family life can be at times, all of these spouses are examples that keeping it real — relating to and learning from one another — is the best way to move forward.

Cover shoot by Trish AlegreSmith at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

Brianna Keilar during a lighthearted moment on the set of “CNN Right Now.”

Melissa Stewart Production Editor

by Melissa Stewart

by Teal Yost

Blake Stilwell

times

Copies are available through participating family service

entrepreneurs,

relocation offices, transition offices, base lodges, libraries, daycare centers, MWR activities and other locations by request. Individuals can subscribe to receive digital editions at https://www. ameriforcemedia.com/militaryinfluencer. Editorial comments can be emailed to managing.editor@ameriforcemedia.com Military Influencer Magazine is published by AmeriForce Media, LLC, Bloomington, Indiana, a private company. Information and advertisements in this publication do not constitute endorsement by any branch of the military or the Department of Defense. No part of this publication may be copied without the express written permission of the publishers. AmeriForce Media, LLC, the publishers, and publisher’s agents make no endorsement of any advertised services or products and none should be inferred.

JOINING FORCES REINSTATED,

MILITARY SPOUSE NAMED DIRECTOR

BY AMERIFORCE STAFF

Joining Forces is back — with a fresh set of priorities.

In early April first lady Dr. Jill Biden announced that the initiative, which she began 10 years ago with Michelle Obama during the Obama administration, would be reinstated. Biden outlined new goals, including a strong focus on military family employment and entrepreneurship.

“Military families are as critical to our national defense as a rudder is to a ship, and we must always act upon that truth,” said Biden during a virtual White House event in early April. “Today we write the next chapter.”

This official announcement came a few months after news broke in January of the appointment of Rory Brosius as the executive director of Joining Forces. She served as deputy director of the initiative from 2013-2017, is the wife of a Marine veteran, and acted as a special assistant to the president and first lady during the Biden campaign.

“It was important to the first lady that the substantive work of Joining Forces begin within the first 100 days of the administration,” said Brosius. “And it was equally important that we keep the experiences of military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors at the center of our work. This is a community

that should be a focus of the White House, both now and in the long-term.”

During its inception in 2011, Joining Forces established a mission to support those who also serve: military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. Today, new priorities for the next four years outlined by Biden include education for military children, quality childcare for families who need it, military family health and well-being, and military family employment and entrepreneurship.

Before the pandemic, the Defense Department

estimated the military spouse unemployment rate was about 22%, Biden pointed out to military family members, advocates, and stakeholders from around the world who joined the virtual event on a plethora of monitors.

“All of you deserve opportunities to do the work you love, whether that means keeping your job when you move from base to base or owning your own businesses.”

Joining Forces has commitments from the departments of defense, labor, and education, and this initiative will take all of our government working together, she noted. “We expect every agency to step up and be part of it,” the first lady said. “This is a community bound together by love, love for our country, love for your service members, and love for the communities you build together. And it’s time that we match that devotion.”

For more information about Joining Forces and to keep up with the accomplishments of the initiative, visit www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces.

First lady Dr. Jill Biden announces the priorities of the newly relaunched Joining Forces initiative at the White House, surrounded by monitors showing the virtual audience for the event. Photo by the White House.

REASONS VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESSES NEED INSURANCE

BY BLAKE STILWELL

There’s no silver bullet to solving the problem of veteran unemployment, but entrepreneurship sure comes close. There are 21.2 million vet-owned businesses in America, occupying 10% of the total number of small businesses and employing more than 5 million more former service members.

Between running their businesses, caring for families, and empowering millions of fellow veterans, these military-connected entrepreneurs have a lot to protect.

Whether starting a new business with skills learned in the service, franchising, or branching out into something altogether different, it’s vital for new business owners to protect those investments as early as possible, said Dale McCary, a commercial insurance agent for Armed Forces Insurance

McCary has spent more than 35 years in the insurance business, working with the industry’s top names. At AFI, he specializes in the needs of veteran-owned businesses. Here are a few things he believes every business owner needs to know — and act on — from the start.

You don’t know what you don’t know.  Even if someone knows their business backward and forward, there’s a lot that can surprise a new business owner about insurance protections required by state and local laws — and what is just a good idea.

McCary said having a good commercial insurance agent is like having a trusted attorney to watch your back and keep you covered, no matter what arises.

“Protecting your business is where we come in,” McCary said. “There will be coverage you need from the start, especially when hiring people.

There may be things you don’t need right away. Knowing what you need and when is what we research and find. When it’s time to activate those protections, we take care of that.”

As your business grows, your insurance needs to grow with it. If you own more than one property for the business, each needs its own policy. If you own more than one business vehicle, they each need a policy. Different kinds of equipment require different policies. A series of construction vehicles will be listed under a policy schedule.

If that sounds complicated, it is.

“Insurance is the simplest thing that every business needs,” said McCary. “If you or your business injure someone or damage someone’s property, you’re liable for that. If your equipment is damaged, you need to repair or replace it. Employees require worker’s compensation, and there are severe penalties for not having it.”

Not having insurance can cost you customers.  Whether working for yourself out of your house or running a full-time bakery, going uninsured is risky for your venture. Certain areas of business are stricter than others when it comes to insurance requirements.

“Warehousing, construction, contracting, these are all areas that require partners to be fully-insured,” McCary said. “Any partnership with a bigger corporation is going to require insurance. The first

thing that company and its attorney are going to do is make sure you have commercial liability. If they don’t, they’ve lost a big contract because they didn’t do their homework.”

It’s not like getting an auto or home policy.  Commercial insurance is a process. While anyone can walk into an insurance agent’s office and get a same-day quote and policy for their car or home if they bring all the necessary information, business insurance is a much more intricate process.

“We advise our clients that just getting a quote for all the necessary policies can take anywhere from seven to 10 business days,” McCary said. “It’s not a matter of punching information into a computer. There are a lot of paper applications involved … and those insurance carriers are going to come back with questions.

The world is unpredictable. Insurers are in the business of analyzing the risks involved with any industry. Some businesses are easy to insure because they’ve been around for so long that the risks are well-known and accepted — places like doctor’s offices and real estate businesses. Others aren’t so simple.  “Handymen are kind of an open question because there’s no saying what they’ll be doing day in and day out,” said McCary. “So, insurers have to underwrite everything they may do. Carpet laying to roofing to car repair under one umbrella could mean a higher exposure situation, and you have to pay for that.”

After she wraps up delivering the day’s most captivating stories to millions of viewers, CNN anchor Brianna Keilar looks forward to retreating to her garage, where her husband, Lt. Col. Fernando Lujan, waits to start a new ritual that Keilar lovingly refers to as “Green Beret Bootcamp.”

During two hours of daily dedication, Lujan, a Special Forces Green Beret, trains Keilar in a home gym he created to help her regain her focus on fitness, something she said she had been neglecting.

“It’s really hard, and for me it’s really taken a family effort,” she said. “I had to sit down with my husband

BY MELISSA STEWART

and say, ‘I don’t feel good. I don’t have as much energy as I’d like to have. I feel really stretched thin.’”

Keilar is no stranger to multi-tasking. She balances a high-profile career in television news with her roles as mom to 2-year-old son Antonio and stepson Teddy and wife to an active-duty soldier who has been on two combat deployments since they wed in 2016. One thing she was having trouble fitting in, however — her workouts.

Thankfully, she says, Lujan has stepped up during what Keilar described as a more relaxed year for the Army officer.

“I am not going to lie —

there are some small marital spats over this, as you can imagine,” Keilar admitted. “I am not always the best at taking direction, but I have gotten much better at it, and it has been a really good practice for us as a couple. ”

Taking the time to connect with her husband in the afternoon has been rewarding, Keilar said, because the rest of her day can be demanding, including the morning “man scramble” of reviewing top stories, a network-wide call, meetings with her executive producer, and making sure she has a live television look before heading to the anchor desk at 1 p.m. EST for “CNN Right Now.” Evenings are reserved for family time.

CNN anchor shares thoughts on television news success, life as a military spouse, and balancing it all

PHOTO BY TRISH ALEGRE-SMITH

It’s not easy, she said, but she has the schedule down pat. And now … it’s all about to change.

Keilar shared that she was preparing to make the switch in mid-April to early mornings, as John Berman’s co-anchor on CNN’s “New Day.” While she said she’s very excited about the move, getting up at 3 a.m. will be an adjustment.

“If you are going to be getting up really early in the morning every day and you are working with someone, you better be excited to work with them, and there is no one I would be more excited to work with than John Berman,” said Keilar, who hopes to now be able

to spend more time with her children during the day.

Family life has taught Keilar to adapt to her fast-paced and ever-changing career.

“When you don’t have kids you don’t have to multi-task as much,” she explained. “I used to talk about putting this hat on or putting that hat on, and now I am just a crazy person wearing multiple hats at once.”

She said her desire to put on the journalism hat began at a young age.

A history of truth telling

Keilar recalled acting as a sports reporter when she was in high school and then

applying for an internship at KTVU in Oakland, California, after one of their local news anchors came to speak to her class at the University of California, Berkley. After graduating, she landed a job as a reporter in Yakima, Washington. She described her early experiences in news as “like being struck by lightning.”

The sparks continued to fly as she moved on to CBS News and eventually began her 15-year (and counting) stint at CNN, which has included roles as a correspondent for CNN Newsource and the White House, lead Capitol Hill reporter, and anchor.

“I love reporting, and I love

the news,” said Keilar, who is motivated by truth telling and the ability to explain important information to a diverse population.

“That’s something that gives me a lot of purpose because there are a lot of things that are complicated or that you really have to break down to explain to people how it is going to impact them. You realize that during a pandemic, that is more essential than ever.”

She said talking to people in their communities and developing a good rapport with her audience also gives her purpose.

“People have become more savvy consumers of the

Keilar, who sits on the board for Blue Star Families, called becoming involved with the organization an “amazing fate.”

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Brianna Keilar’s

The CNN anchor shared that “Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging” by Sebastian Junger is something everyone should read, whether or not they are connected to the military.

“I think it’s important for journalists to be transparent. Trust is something earned over time. It’s not something you build overnight. It’s like a friendship or relationship.”

co-anchoring CNN’s “New Day,” weekday mornings from 6-9 a.m. EST

Read her Homefront column at: www.cnn.com/specials/ politics/homefront

news,” she said. “I think it’s important for journalists to be transparent. Trust is something earned over time. It’s not something you build overnight. It’s like a friendship or relationship.”

Keilar relies on a solid relationship with her viewers, but her most important relationship is one she never expected.

Marrying the military

“It never crossed my mind. I was completely

unprepared,” said Keilar about marrying a man in the military. While her father was in the service when she was born in Australia, he got out when Keilar was 2 and her family moved to the U.S. She remembers hearing her mom talk about it being tough, but that didn’t seem to matter much when she met Lujan.

“I met my husband; I fell in love with him. He was in the military. And there you go. Part of my attraction to him were his qualities

that brought him to be in the military. He really is someone who sees this country as having given him a lot and he loves his country and wants to pay that back.”

Keilar was so in love that she admits to not even realizing at first that he would deploy at all, let alone what that would feel like.

“The first one is arresting,” she said, especially since she found out she was pregnant two weeks after

Lujan left. “There are a few things in life that will surprise the hell out of you. Having a child, getting married, terrible things like losing a loved one, and then a military deployment is truly one of those things that you can try to prepare for, but you really never know until you are in the middle of it.”

Meeting other spouses through her involvement with Blue Star Families helped Keilar sort through the difficulty and loneliness.

Holding up the issues for America to see

In an effort to help civilians and service members better understand each other and the challenges of military life, Keilar pitched the idea for her column, Homefront, to CNN to help bridge the divide.

“There are people who do look at this life and they say that it’s really difficult, but then maybe they aren’t absorbing the gifts that come along with it, too,” she said.

The network supported it, and Homefront became cathartic for her and informative for legions of readers. Keilar got to cover what she wanted, what was on her mind, and what she was going through, she said, including planning a family around a war, surviving the pandemic as a military spouse, and remembering military

heroes who died by suicide.

“I had lived in Washington for years and years,” Keilar said as she reflected on the inspiration for Homefront.

“I had been at CNN for years and years. And I found myself in this very solitary position of being a military spouse with my husband deployed, being pregnant, having a small child (my stepson), and I was exhausted. So for me this was a way to reach out and understand things, and it was personally helpful for me. Now, over time, it’s been just a great way to be part of the military spouse community and to try to hold up these issues so more Americans can see them.”

To combat the issues that come along with military family life, Keilar recommends starting with mental health — counseling for the service member and the family. She encourages them to overlook feelings of pride or fears of negative career ramifications that can be a reflex in the military when it comes to therapy.

“This lifestyle, whether it’s

being a veteran or part of an active-duty family, brings challenges that being a civilian does not, so you need that assistance,” she said.

In her family, she found a couple’s counselor before deployment, which she calls a crucial decision for managing challenges and maintaining function.

Also key? Asking for help when you need it.

“It is hard to balance all of these things,” Keilar noted. “You are never going to get more hours in the day.

But in addition to mental health, connection is hugely important.”

It all comes back to finding balance. For Keilar, that means getting her fill of connections like Green Beret Bootcamp along with breaking news.

“Being a parent and a military spouse has taught me that you have to prioritize. You can’t do everything. You just have to let some things lie. You have to figure out the things that are essential and focus on those.”

“Talking to them, you realize there are things that are true for being a military spouse or military family that look nuts from the outside,” she said.

“There are people who do look at this life, and they say it’s really difficult, but then maybe they aren’t absorbing the gifts that come along with it too.”

Keilar with her husband, Lt. Col. Fernando Lujan, and sons Antonio (left) and Teddy.

Keilar with military children she interviewed for a Father’s Day story on honoring deployed dads in 2019.

FROM COMBAT TO CAMPAIGNING

Veteran entrepreneur Zach Iscol makes his next move into NYC politics

BY MELISSA STEWART

You can refer to Zach Iscol as a Marine veteran, entrepreneur, CEO, advocate, and founder — and now he’s adding politician and, hopefully, comptroller to his growing list of titles. But one name you certainly can’t call this guy is “slacker.”

Iscol joined the Marines just after 9/11 and served two tours in Iraq in the infantry and Special Operations. Post-service he founded both Hirepurpose, a job search site for veterans, and Task & Purpose, an online media company covering military news and issues. To help veterans fight mental health and addiction, he also entered the nonprofit world with Headstrong Project

This native New Yorker has grit, for sure, and he’s

hoping to use some of that tenacity to win the race for NYC comptroller. If elected, he plans to lead the city to financial recovery from COVID-19 and rescue its citizens from years of “failed leadership.”

We talked to Iscol about his background and various endeavors over the years. He shared candid advice about how to translate military experience to success, no matter the chosen path.

Military Influencer Magazine: Let’s start by talking a bit about your military service. I’ve read that joining the military is something you had been thinking about since childhood?

Zach Iscol: Yes, for sure. It’s something that I always wanted to do. I grew up with a lot of family members that served. My dad came from a Gold Star family. I remember growing up, there was a dresser in my parent’s room with a top drawer I wasn’t allowed to go in filled with family heirlooms, and of course, when you’re a kid and your parents tell you not to do something you do it. It had a string of dog tags

that included my father’s, my grandfather’s, and my stepdad’s and from a young age I can remember wanting to add my dog tags to that chain.

MIM: You were set on going to flight school after graduating from Cornell University. But then 9/11 happened. How did that change your plan?

Iscol: Yeah, so, I had a guaranteed spot in flight school. When I knew my class ranking was high enough at TBS to get infantry, I dropped my flight contract to go infantry. Believe it or not, I was worried that if I spent three years in flight school I would miss the war. I got that one

wrong. But I also knew I wanted to lead Marines and that’s really where I wanted to be — not in the cockpit.

MIM: Reflecting on your two tours in Iraq, could you touch on a few of your biggest challenges?

Iscol: We set a standard early on that we were really going to train our Iraqi soldiers — that they would be able to fight in Fallujah. At the same time, we had to make sure that we were patrolling the local town and keeping the peace, doing the training and keeping the base safe with patrols. Really making sure we provided them the training they needed so that if we got called to go into Fallujah, which we did that fall, that they would be ready. It’s about, are you setting a clear mission? Are you making sure your guys have the time and resources they need to accomplish it?

MIM: I am hearing training, a clear mission, relying on your fellow soldiers. Are these a few of the ways your time in the military translated into success with entrepreneurship and now getting into politics?

Iscol: Everything I have done, whether it’s building a staffing company, a digital media company, a nonprofit, you make sure everyone has the resources they need, you set a clear objective, and when you have really good people that have a clear mission, they get to work in doing it. Now Headstrong is treating 800-1,000 veterans every week. We are doing it at one-third of the cost and three times the outcomes of most others in the U.S.

MIM: Speaking of Headstrong Project, you started it because you were seeing a lot of your fellow veterans dealing with suicide and mental health — and trouble finding resources for help?

Iscol: Yes, see, at the time the VA was very regimented in protocol. For them, they are very interested in, ‘We are going to diagnose you with PTSD, here are your 14 sessions of

cognitive behavioral therapy.’ But the fact is there a lot of treatments that work, but it has to be individually tailored because people are coming with different childhood experiences, different types of trauma, different comorbid disorders, so you really need to be able to provide treatment that’s individually tailored.

MIM: So, after enjoying some great success post-military in the nonprofit

world and as an entrepreneur, what made you want to put yourself in the running for NYC comptroller?

Iscol: There is a huge role the comptroller can play in leading NYC’s economic recovery and making sure the city is addressing issues that are solvable if we use resources wisely. We can solve homelessness in New York City, we can stop crime in New York City. All of these things are

possible if we use money appropriately.

MIM: Do you have plan for how you would help veterans in this role?

Iscol: New York City has a ton of veterans who live here. They are affected by the state of the job market here, the quality of life in this town. We have to make New York the best place to be a veteran. Certainly I think it’s taking a lot of the things I worked on in the military and veterans’ communities and expanding

it citywide — mental health being a big one, bringing people together, getting people jobs.

MIM: Can you offer a few pieces of advice to our readers on taking military skills and translating them to starting a business, a political career — whatever they want to do for their next step?

Iscol: Number one is no matter how old you are, don’t be afraid to take an internship. I think also, you really have to spend a lot of

time exploring. One mistake a lot of veterans make is they don’t spend a lot of time studying the civilian job market or what different careers are available to them. They jump into things that are adjacent to the military or similar to what they did. Even if you are retiring at the age of 40 or 45, you are still young. It’s an opportunity to shift into an entirely new career.

Most people don’t pay attention to how much location matters in military transition. If you are really

interested in a specific industry, where you end up settling down will largely determine your success.

MIM: We hope you win, but if it doesn’t work out, where do you go from there?

Iscol: (Laughing) We set fire to all of the ships. We have nowhere to go but victory.

A BETTER WAY FOR VETERANS TO

BUY A HOME

BY BARRETT BAKER — SPONSORED

Valor Home Mortgage and Valor Real Estate were founded by a U.S. Army veteran and his partner, a military patriot and veteran’s daughter, with a specific mission in mind — to build trusted relationships with military families as they make one of most important investments of their lives.

Due to both founders’ personal connection and expertise with the military community, these are companies that veterans can rely on for their real estate and home mortgage needs. In fact, both companies share the goal of becoming the #1 veteran and veteran spouse employers in their industries.

Valor Home Mortgage prides itself on providing unparalleled value for home financing for the military community, including a commitment to no lender or loan origination fees while ensuring veterans receive fast closings and the most competitive rates available. If you are buying a home, refinancing, or looking for cash-out, Valor’s one-stop home buying solution has plenty to offer that stands out.

Jonathan Mullins, founder and chairman of the Board of Valor Home Mortgage, as well as chief mortgage officer for Valor Home Mortgage, pointed out that there is a big problem in the mortgage industry.

“The military community is targeted by real estate and mortgage companies that are taking advantage of them with high interest rates, high closings costs, and their offers not being accepted due to them using VA home loan benefits,” he explained. “Our company’s aim is to change

the veteran’s position for the better, one transaction at a time. That’s why veterans serving veterans is so important — because veterans can trust us; we naturally connect.”

And their clients are speaking out with positive reviews. Valor has earned a 5-star Google rating and more than 5,000 Facebook followers for Valor Real Estate.

Mullins brings more than 18 years of executive-level mortgage experience to the endeavor. His partner, Gina DiResta, comes from a military family and has been serving her customers’ real estate needs for more than 22 years. She is co-founder and chief real estate officer of Valor Real Estate LLC and Valor Real Estate Property Management LLC.

The value that Valor Home Mortgage brings to the table for military families is three-fold: First, it operates as a wholesaler, meaning it has a variety of relationships with some of the top mortgage seller services in the industry, so it can shop the market for the best loan rates.

Second, it never charges any lender fees or origination fees to its

customers, meaning it not only finds the lowest rates on loans, but it can also charge less to service them. Third, and finally, it can close loans as fast, if not faster, than its competitors. The company’s average loan closes in just three weeks.

Mullins urges the military community to do due diligence on the mortgage and real estate companies they deal with before selecting them as the right choice, even if they appear to be military friendly.

“People need to educate themselves,” he said. “You can’t just trust someone with a big marketing budget that doesn’t actually care about the military community.”

Currently, Valor Real Estate serves clients in Georgia. Valor Home Mortgage serves both Georgia and Florida. However, both companies are looking to grow.

As the mortgage company meets its aim of expanding nation-wide, the real estate company will follow suit to provide the best home lending and purchasing experience possible for the people who have sacrificed so much for the country they love.

For additional information on the mortgage and real estate services they offer, visit valorhomemortgage.com and valorrealestate.com.

CHOCOLATES

A deaf and blind former Army EOD tech rediscovers his creativity in the kitchen

BY TEAL YOST

For former Army EOD tech Aaron Hale, the famous line from “Forrest Gump” rings true —,“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.”

After all, in his 43 years he’s been a Navy cook, an Army EOD tech in Afghanistan and Iraq, was injured in an IED blast that left him blinded, fell in love, ran the Boston Marathon, climbed an 18,000-foot peak in the Peruvian Andes, and started a successful chocolate company — all things he says he never imagined happening.

Hale’s professional life began with a career as a culinary specialist in the Navy, despite saying he never planned on joining the military.

“It wasn’t my ambition,” he said. “I didn’t think that was my path. But I realized in college that I needed some discipline, some direction, so the military provided that. I’d been cooking from the time I could reach the kitchen counter, so I joined

as a Navy cook, a culinary specialist.”

That decision brought the opportunity to move to Naples.

“I spent four years there and just found a passion for Italy, for the food, for the culture.”

Then Hale’s cooking took him to the Middle East, an assignment that would forever change the course of his life.

“I went to Afghanistan and was running the chow hall. I was cooking for 300-500 NATO troops.”

It was there where he met some EOD technicians and was immediately inspired by their mindset and mission.

“They had this brotherhood, this calling to serve as

first responders on the battlefield, and I just knew that’s what I had to do.”

Hale transitioned from the Navy to the Army, was trained as an EOD technician, and deployed to Iraq in 2010. The following year he deployed to Afghanistan as an Army team leader.

“Eight months into that deployment, I was injured. An IED blast left me blinded,” Hale recalled.

He had received a call to defuse a roadside bomb, which he did successfully. When sweeping the area, he discovered a second bomb, which detonated. The explosion sent shrapnel flying, and the force broke every single bone in his face. Hale spent the next year at Walter Reed, undergoing surgery after surgery, more than two dozen in all.

It was there he decided he didn’t want this one moment on a roadside in Afghanistan to define him.

“I learned there were blind people all over the world adapting to their injuries, doing amazing things, and living their best lives. I sought these people out and asked them to share their experiences,” said Hale.

Not only did he learn about their experiences, he joined them — whitewater kayaking, running marathons, summiting mountains. Then, two weeks before flying to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, another unexpected setback.

“I contracted bacterial meningitis, likely due to complications from the IED blast. The doctor broke the news to me that I was now totally deaf in addition to being blind.”

Hale received cochlear implants, but it took more than six months to hear well enough to understand the human voice.

“During that time, I fell back on my old passion, cooking as a form of therapy. I couldn’t see the stove, I couldn’t hear what was going on, but I cooked and baked from memory,” Hale said.

His girlfriend at the time, McKayla (who is now his wife), said she saw two things once Hale got back into the kitchen — a smile, something she hadn’t seen in 6 months, and platters and platters of fudge piling up in their home.

“I was having so much fun that I just started making more and more,” Hale said. “She was giving it away to friends and neighbors, and soon, people started asking to buy it for special events and gifts.”

And so, a chocolate company was born. Hale named it EOD Fudge, with the EOD standing for Extra Ordinary Delights.

“The EOD, of course, as a nod to my old career,” he said.

What started in a home kitchen with 14-hour baking days and hundreds of pounds of chocolate eventually needed the support of a commercial kitchen as orders rolled

in from Boeing and other large companies.

Hale loves that he can bring people joy with his chocolates.

“You can hear in a voice when someone smiles. And I was just getting my hearing back, and I could tell, I could hear that people were enjoying what I was creating.”

From bomb tech to chocolatier, a career shift he

never saw coming.

“In a sense, my injuries were a gift,” Hale said. “I started living a far better life, started taking nothing for granted. I started doing things that most people say they’ll ‘do someday.’ No someday for me … let’s do it right now.”

After all, you never know what that box of chocolates called life will throw at you next.

FITNESS APPAREL PROMOTES AN UNRELENTING ATTITUDE

BY ANDREA DOWNING PECK

There’s no ignoring the name, NeverFuckingQuit (NFQ). The moniker not only defines the premium fitness apparel brand’s mentality, but also the attitude of the Air Force veteran at its helm.

A fitness junkie, Taylor Ogle founded NFQ from his Cannon Air Force Base dormitory in 2016, relying on YouTube, Google, deployment savings, and his own ingenuity to lay the foundation for a lifestyle brand that borrows its name from the lingo of Air Force pararescue units.

“I was about the life I was living,” said Ogle, whose fitness background includes bodybuilding, powerlifting, and, most recently, boxing. “I always knew I was living the NFQ lifestyle.”

As a teenager growing up on Oahu, Hawaii, Ogle made T-shirt mockups on his computer. When he decided to start a clothing company, he returned to his roots. He purchased a heat press machine and began cranking out custom T-shirts from his military dorm room in New Mexico.

“I began showing my friends and not only did they love the [NFQ] name, they loved the style,” Ogle said. “I knew I was on to something.”

In the three years since Ogle separated from the Air Force in 2018, NFQ has grown from an Instagram page with a home-garage warehouse in Florida to an 11,000-square-foot facility in San Diego that today employs 15 workers. The NFQ e-commerce store has a lineup of premium activewear that includes tops, joggers, compression clothing, outerwear, and accessories for men and women that embrace the NFQ mentality and tagline #ADifferentBreed.

NFQ also is a recent addition to www.GovX. com, a members-only site offering exclusive deals to military and first responders.

“The stars aligned,” Ogle said of NFQ’s partnership with GovX. “We’re going to be planning some cool things.”

Veteran-owned, militaryinspired clothing brands represent an increasingly competitive market niche. Ogle admits it “feels like one new military brand pops up each month.” However, he believes NFQ beats competing apparel

brands on quality and price.

“Quality, functional activewear. That is what we are,” he said. “That’s what we’re all about. I take a lot of inspiration from brands like Nike … Our focus is on creating highquality products that are affordable for our military.”

NFQ releases new collections on specific

— SPONSORED

dates throughout the year, with a goal of adding new merchandise to its lineup every six weeks. Innovation is a constant theme. He says, “We’ve gone through five different models of our shorts, for example, because I’m thinking, ‘What’s the next big thing?’”

For the first four years of merchandise launches, Ogle and NFQ Operations Manager Derek Slack, also an Air Force veteran, cranked out new clothing designs. But as of 2021, the company has a fulltime product designer on the payroll, freeing Ogle to focus his attention on NFQ’s daily operations.

The 27-year-old chief executive is a prime example of the adage “entrepreneurs are born not made.” Ogle’s business education consists of listening to serial entrepreneur Gary

Vaynerchuk’s podcasts “back in the day.” But Ogle has successfully substituted resourcefulness for formal business training.

“If I don’t know the answer, I’m going to find it,” he said.

Ogle admits the commitment and enthusiasm he puts into leading NFQ did not transfer over to his Air Force career, which he labels as underwhelming.

“I’m not going to lie,” he says, “when I was in the service, I was very ungrateful. I could have done a lot more. I separated as a senior airman just because I was lazy, and I didn’t want to do the work per se to make rank.”

Despite falling short of the typical promotion trajectory, Ogle is thankful for his six years in the Air Force as a loadmaster.

He says the discipline he learned in the military has been a key to his success as the founder of NFQ.

“You can’t rely on anyone to get your work done,” Ogle said of running a startup. “Discipline. Being responsible. These are things I inherently learned while going through my time in the military. You have to make a conscious effort to keep that discipline and all those qualities you learn from the military.”

Ogle’s long-term goal is to take NFQ worldwide, but he says his immediate focus is building the brand and extending its reach into different sports.

“I see that [international] potential,” he says, “but I’m not willing to risk where we started. Our demographic. If it takes us 10 years to get there because we want to stay true to who we are, that is what it is. But I see big things and a lot of opportunities. A lot of open doors for different markets.”

COMBATS THE A RETIRED NAVY SEAL ACTIVE SHOOTER EPIDEMIC

BY BLAKE STILWELL

He spent 29 years in both active duty and reserve service, including tours in Ramadi, Iraq, with SEAL Team 3, along with time in Naval Special Warfare units elsewhere in the Middle East and in Europe, Africa, and South America. He later became a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, from which he also retired.

Homeland Security to create an active shooter response training program that taught everyone, from students and teachers to corporate offices, how to respond to an active shooter event.

Hector Delgado, a retired Navy SEAL and founder of ASR Alert Systems, found a way to minimize the harm done by an active shooter.

“The violence is spilling into Walmarts and distribution warehouses now, not just schools,” said Delgado. “And we don’t see schools or the Department of Education making adjustments.”

Mass shootings are an epidemic on the rise. Gun Violence Archive statistics from 2020 show that they increased by 47% in 2020, with 513 deaths and 2,543 injuries.

Delgado’s ASR System alerts everyone in the area, as well as local police officers, of an active shooter, while pinpointing the shooter’s location — with no more effort than pulling a fire alarm.

Delgado used his years of experience as a SEAL and in the Department of

“As a first responder, I see where the gaps in information are,” said Delgado. “I realized during my training that what we were lacking was a way to get critical information to first responders on the scene and to those under attack.”

While every community affected by gun violence is shaken to its core, there is at least one citizen in Florida who’s a little more at ease.

The technological solution not only helps people make informed decisions when an active shooter situation arises, but also informs and aids law enforcement, minimizing the harm they can do.

In the wake of the shooting at Parkland, Florida’s Stoneman-Douglas High School in 2018, investigators found a host of officer-related and communications issues that resulted in a deadly, delayed response from law enforcement. The Parkland shooting became the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history, with 17 dead and 17 more wounded.

“Because of some of the training that we used to do, we have to think as a

bad guy,” Delgado said. “Applying that training and how evil people and good people would think in response has allowed me to develop the technology in a manner that is functional for people that are working in open spaces, closed spaces, offices, hospitals.”

The system Delgado developed is a patented, proprietary warning system that works in multilateral, instantaneous ways. When the shooting starts, the trigger for the alert requires someone to flip up the alarm’s cover and pull a handle, open a mobile app, or press a button on a pendant to sound the alert.

Then the communication starts, through a proprietary platform developed for law enforcement.

Rather than sound an alarm that might force people out of rooms and into the line of fire, the alarm simply alerts everyone in the area via text message. An attachment to the text informs locals of the shooter’s location, complete with a map and picture of the scene.

Based on their proximity to the shooter, employees and students will know whether they should flee or hide, based on their previous training.

Local law enforcement who are provided with an ASR Alert System interface (from the company, free of charge) receive the same information as bystanders, all in less than three seconds.

During the Parkland shooting, it took a full two minutes to relay this information just to the 911 dispatcher, who then had to call it in over the radio for officers to actually respond. Even then, confusion reigned over the shooter’s location. ARS Alert Systems handles all of that in an instant.

“When it comes to the active shooter, everyone needs to be aware of their surroundings,” said Delgado. “We’re not trying to make everyone into a SWAT team; we’re just trying to give everyone a chance by informing them. We don’t know what the future holds, but we can help prepare you for it.”

For more information on ASR Alert Systems, visit www.asralertsystems.com.

A WAY WITH NUMBERS

Military spouse creates a subscription box to conquer negative math mindset

BY TIFFANY EVE LAWRENCE

During these difficult times, when many kids are experiencing educational achievement gaps, math loss, and racial disparities, one military spouse has created a numerical solution.

In fact, Brittany Rhodes is full of spunk and excitement around something that many people find

stressful — math. Her unique perspective, style of teaching, and desire to help others (specifically Black girls) push past a limiting mindset caused her to launch her own subscription box, Black Girl MATHgic (BGM)

In 2018, Rhodes began creating monthly boxes with activities and items centered around building math confidence and strengthening skills. Each box focuses on math basics introduced between 3rd and 8th grade. But, more importantly, the bedrock is to build

healthy mindsets around learning the subject.

As a kid, Rhodes loved school, and this attitude reflected her mom’s natural pull toward education.

“My mother is a retired principal, so education was pretty much a mainstay in my household,” she said. Rhodes earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Spelman College and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. During her sophomore year of college, she became a math tutor and noticed a common dread among her peers for mathematics, which she later learned is

termed math anxiety. She fell in love with tutoring and helping people get past this stress when learning. When Rhodes started working at corporations and nonprofits, she continued to provide private in-home tutoring on the side. After 14 years, she started tutoring at an after-school program, working with

time ranging from ages 8-18, and she quickly noticed a pattern. “Most of them struggled with basic mathematics that they had not mastered.” More specifically, the Black girls commonly used selfdeprecating language and had a defeatist attitude. Rhodes broke it down like this: boys typically approach the problem as a challenge and something to figure out while girls get frustrated and internalize the fact that they aren’t “getting it.”

Rhodes thought, “What else can I do? How else can I have an impact?”

The idea for a resolution came from her husband, a Navy veteran, who was really into subscription boxes because he loved the convenience. “My husband was an early inspiration for me for Black Girl MATHgic, and neither one of us knew it at the time.” And she was fascinated by this model. Each box includes colorful and engaging math activities based on a realworld theme, 3-5 items to bring the theme to life (like a chapter book or math dice), math affirmations,

adult guide to help parents walk their kids through the activities. Rhodes even interviews and features a bio card of a different Black woman every month who has a math degree, so Black girls are aware of the pathways available to them in life.

While her box is tailored to girls, many boy moms subscribe as well, and Rhodes has ideas for a boy box in the works. Aside from the outer packaging, she said, “Most of the boxes are gender-neutral.” She continued, “Boys have to

understand, too, because just like girls, they can feed into those stereotypes. Black girls are not the only people who need to know that they can perform math at a high level.” Rhodes has a wide variety of subscribers, including youth-serving organizations, schools, math teachers, families who do not identify as Black, and white parents who are trying to raise antiracist children.

Parents can also purchase a K-2 bundle or a higher grade-level subscription box as a one-time buy.

As a foundational rule, Rhodes encourages parents and caregivers to, “Use positive and mathpromoting language around your kids” because she said it is a child’s introduction to life skills like problem-solving. Parents should also motivate children to keep trying. Just because it doesn’t come

fast doesn’t mean they won’t get it or aren’t good at the subject.

“Think about the concept of growth mindset,” said Rhodes. “One of the earliest examples of growth mindset in children is when they learn how to ride their bike or when they learn how to walk. They don’t learn how to walk as soon as they start trying. They fall, they get up, they fall again, they get up. And then eventually they start walking. We want to have that same approach and mindset when it comes to learning math.”

No matter which level of math a child is on, Rhodes believes in and always applies this simple equation:

Math Confidence + Representation = A Girl With Options Who Has The Confidence And Skill To Design The Life She Wants.

AMAZON DELIVERY

SERVICE PARTNER

PROGRAM OFFERS VETERANS

ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITY

BY KRISTEN DE DEYN KIRK — SPONSORED

The 46-year-old former Air Force acquisitions officer from Puyallup, Washington, was inspired to pursue both dreams by male role models as he watched his dad dedicate his early years to the Army. Johnson also learned about his two grandfathers’ military experiences during World War II.

“From a very young age, I was excited about the opportunity to serve my country,” Johnson said.

He realized dream number one from 2000 to 2004, after completing his bachelor’s in business from Central Washington University. While stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Johnson was working with Boeing satellite systems while also earning his master’s in business administration from California State University, Long Beach — a degree paid for by the military.

After he separated from the

Air Force and gained 14 more years of experience managing operations, recruiting, and safety for transportation companies, Johnson found himself inching closer to dream number two, thanks to a friend.

Delivering success

“I knew it was exactly what I was meant to do,” Johnson said, referring to an advertisement his friend forwarded to him about Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program.

In his late teens, Johnson had watched his dad build his land surveying services from a one-man shop to a successful business. There have been ups and downs, Johnson says, but his father has always been able to succeed.

“He does it by being a man of the highest integrity and providing great customer service,” Johnson continued. “I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

With his Air Force experience, Johnson felt confident he could thrive

as a DSP owner. What he had learned most during his military training was how to lead a team. He mastered motivating people and helping them reach their full potential. Those skills assisted him in recruiting, organizing, and inspiring employees to put customers’ needs first.

With the DSP opportunity, Johnson saw an interesting way to start a business. Unlike something such as a restaurant or a chain franchise, the upfront investment wasn’t overwhelming. Plus, once he was offered the opportunity to be a part of the DSP program, Johnson was able to participate in a two-week training and lean on Amazon for support with leasing vehicles, maintaining and repairing his fleet, processing payroll, and accessing regulatory and legal advice if needed.

“I learned that there are so many ways that Amazon provides resources for us,” Johnson said. “I felt grateful to have this opportunity to work with them as they’re growing and doing fantastic

Two dreams have propelled Josh Johnson during his life: One to enlist in the military and another to own a business.

things. I tell other veterans that Amazon partners with you to provide the tools and mentorship to help make you successful. If you’re dedicated, and you use the training you got in the military, you can do well.”

Growing trust

In September 2018, ASLAR Logistics (named after the five Johnson children — Ammon, Shayla, Liam, Aria, and Rylan) opened with its delivery center in Sumner, Washington, about 30 miles south of Seattle. It’s one of 1,500 such small businesses that opened since Amazon started the DSP program in 2018.

In the early days, Johnson had only a few employees , while his wife, Laura, helped — making business decisions and even completing the Amazon driver training program — and managed their household. Now, Johnson oversees a staff of 90 who deliver Amazon orders to homes and businesses in

the greater Sumner area.

“We’ve been able to hire truly dedicated and hardworking individuals, and I feel blessed every day to have them on my team,” he said.

Most days start with Johnson tackling paperwork and prepping for the day. His team starts at mid-morning with a “virtual standup” meeting to keep everyone safe with

social distancing and learn of any news and safety protocol updates. “Loadout” happens next, with Johnson often jumping in to load packages. As the drivers start their routes, Johnson’s dispatch team stands by to answer questions, monitor routes, and help troubleshoot.

Johnson is proud to have earned Amazon’s trust, which he says his team has done by working hard,

getting packages delivered, and not returning them to the center.

Earning his community’s trust is equally important to Johnson, and he welcomed the opportunity to do so, especially in the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The beginning of that time period was like a second, surprise Christmas, with demand surging in March 2020.

“People were so scared to leave their houses, especially the elderly,” Johnson recalled. “We were able to deliver and keep them safe with social distancing and sanitizing. They could order basic necessities of life — cereal, cat food, toilet paper they couldn’t find anywhere else — without the concern of catching the virus. It helped us feel good about what we do.”

If you’re ready to start your DSP application, visit www.amazon.com/ MIM-DSP

SONGS FOR THE SOUL

Voices of Service uses music to inspire military members struggling with mental health

BY STEPHEN RUIZ

Rehearsals to sing the national anthem should not last 3 1/2 hours.

It’s not that Caleb Green, Jason Hanna, Ron Henry, and Christal Rheams did not know what they were doing. They’re seasoned musicians after all, but this was their first time performing together, and, well, they weren’t watching the clock.

“We just had so much fun,’’ Rheams said.

Collectively, they are known as Voices of Service, all with

ties to the Army (Rheams, a sergeant major, is the only one still on active duty) and a commitment to inspire military members enduring struggles, especially with mental health. Through the years, there have been other members, but Rheams, Green, Hanna, and Henry have been together for eight years.

They finished fifth on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent’’ in 2019.

“Everybody helps to make everybody else better,’’

Green said. “That’s what was brought out about being on this show. Probably the greatest thing for me was the affirmation of who we are and what we stand for collectively and to have a platform that was told the right way.’’

Green, 56, served for more than 30 years and retired as a master sergeant in 2015.

“We’re not bigger than who we are, but we’re certainly not smaller than who we are,’’ he said.

Voices of Service is one of the musical acts formed through Virginia’s Center for American Military Music Opportunities. Known as CAMMO, the organization became a nonprofit in 2010 and was co-founded by Cathie Lechareas, a retired Navy petty officer.

“Their harmonies, the way that they interact with each other, it’s the whole reason why we started Voices of Service,’’ Lechareas said. “It all started because I won an award and didn’t want to speak so much about me

or what I knew. I felt it was more important for them, for people to hear, and they sang. It just grew.’’

Voices of Service, whose music is available on almost any platform, sang the Katy Perry song “Rise’’ during its “America’s Got Talent’’ audition — a choice that, Rheams said, took some convincing of the group’s male members. Since then, Voices of Service has appeared at the Invictus Games. In a non-pandemic year, they performed an average of 15-20 events annually.

“To know that we have touched other people’s lives through our own experiences and our own challenges, it’s just gratifying,’’ said Henry, 52.

Henry, a former staff sergeant, served for 20 years and retired in 2008.

He has been diagnosed with PTSD.

“I’ve been doing music all my life,’’ Henry said. “I know what music does for me, and I’ve experienced what it does for other people. Through my life experiences and military experiences and deployments to Iraq, I understand how music can help a person cope with challenges and difficulties in life and bad experiences.’’

Hanna, 47, retired after 20 years of service on Jan. 1. The former sergeant first class said his daughter suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer when she was 14. Now an adult, she

is a registered nurse and in remission, Hanna said.

While Hanna is pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology as another way to help others, he is committed to Voices of Service.

“I love all of these folks like they’re family,’’ Hanna said.

Rheams, 50, chimed in quickly.

“We don’t love you,’’ she said.

Her quick laugh revealed how easily the group’s members joke with each other. Since appearing on “America’s Got Talent,’’ they said Rheams — as the queen of Voices of Service — is the one most familiar to the public.

One time, a woman recognized Rheams in an airport and asked where

the men in Voices of Service were. The answer should have been obvious.

“We’re right here in front of you, lady,’’ Henry said as he, Hanna, and Green flanked Rheams in the airport.

The kind of recognition that Voices of Service seeks, though, is not escaping them.

They are working on original music for two projects. One is for the PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots

Everywhere) program. The other is a project supporting health-care workers called Give All This Love.

The music will be new. The voices, not to mention the message behind them, will be familiar.

“Our chemistry is so authentic, (like) real brothers and sisters,’’ Green said. “Everything is just so intertwined. It’s really just a natural extension of who we are.’’

“Through my life experiences and military experiences and deployments to Iraq, I understand how music can help a person cope with challenges and difficulties in life and bad experiences.’’

Voices of Service includes, from left, retired Staff Sgt. Ron Henry, Sgt. First Class Jason Hanna, Sgt. Maj. Christal Rheams, and retired Master Sgt. Caleb Green.

— Ron Henry

How to successfully transfer your military skills to a business environment

BY KRISTEN DE DEYN KIRK

Terry Bickham, a 26-year Coast Guard veteran and now dean of Deloitte’s CORE (Career Opportunity Redefinition & Exploration) Leadership Program for transitioning military members, still wants you to do it, though. If you’re thinking about your next step in life, being vulnerable is how you’re most likely to make the right step, he said.

It doesn’t have to be scary. Vulnerability can simply mean searching your heart.

“What is it you really want to do?” Bickham asked. “What are you passionate about? Sure, some people love what they do in the military, and that’s what they want to do with the rest of their life. Many others say, ‘No, actually, now that you asked me, I want to do X.’”

Bickham said soon-to-be veterans should impress no one but themselves. No wondering about what a particular company needs; no trying to make

The best thing you can do when transitioning out of the military is something most people dislike: Be vulnerable.

your experience fit that company’s needs, just zero in on what you need — and how to get it. That way you’re more likely to be on the right side of a sad statistic: Two-thirds of veterans leave their first job outside of the military within two years.

Once you’ve brainstormed your biggest dreams, learn to talk about your military experience with a punch and a pivot. The punch: Highlight what you do well. And the pivot: Explain the steps you’re taking to prepare for a new field, if that’s the case.

Bickham explained: Instead of just saying, “I was a company commander, and I led 200 soldiers in very stressful conditions,” add, “I’ve experienced leading a multicultural team in what you can imagine is a highstress environment. What I learned from that is that I’m very good at encouraging others to do the best they can. I’ve also learned that I’m fascinated by finance. I’ve been doing a lot of reading about it, and I’ve

taken some MBA classes online. I want to work in corporate finance.”

Then it’s time to meet your people — your new network of experts. They’re waiting for you on LinkedIn, said Bickham. Search for people who are veterans and work in your new field. Send a message asking if they’ll talk to you about their work.

Follow Bickham’s three steps — identify your dream; link your experience and new learning to your dream; connect to those living your dream — and you’ll be ahead of most in transitioning from the military.

“You’ll be infinitely better off than those taking a ‘shotgun approach’ to their careers, thinking ‘anything will do,’” said Bickham.

CORE, a two-and-ahalf-day, free program at Deloitte University in Westlake, Texas, is on hold because of COVID-19. (Deloitte instead offers a condensed, half-day CORE fundamentals

virtual course.) Pre-COVID, participants worked through Bickham’s first two steps on day one and early on day two. A veteran coach guided their discussions and reflections, and they took turns sharing their personal brand. Speed networking, one of the program’s most popular activities, took place the second evening.

“It’s networking in five minutes,” said Bickham. “Meet someone; introduce yourself; talk about your experience and what you want to do; get feedback. Then a bell rings, and you meet a new person.”

A mentor match-up happens the last morning, with each participant paired with an experienced veteran for feedback on resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and networking tactics.

“We have over 2,000 past CORE participants,” Bickham shared, “and they’re working in every industry you can think of, which just speaks volumes to the program.”

Tips for a successful transition

Be vulnerable. Search your heart for what you really want to do.

Go beyond summarizing your military experience. Highlight what you did best and what steps you’re taking to prepare for your next career.

Build your network online; connect with veterans on LinkedIn who work in your intended field.

Repeat numbers two and three — over and over again.

Make the most of your mentors. Whether it’s a mentor assigned to you through a formal program or one you’ve cultivated yourself, ask for and listen to his or her insight on your resume, LinkedIn profile, and other job-seeking tools and activities.

To ask questions about the CORE Leadership Program: coreleadershipprogram@ deloitte.com.

Navy spouse earned flexibility and a six-figure salary through freelance

Laura Briggs, a former military spouse and the author of “How to Start Your Own Freelance Writing Business” and “ Figure Freelancer,” knew exactly what she wanted to say during her 15-minute speech at a January 2020 annual Upwork employee meeting in San Francisco. She’d share how freelance writing opened doors for her — doors to coaching freelancers, doors to selling books, doors to giving TEDx talks.

She didn’t plan on mentioning the newest door — one she was slowly creaking open.

“I had thought about an idea and talked to a few people,” Briggs said, “but I didn’t have a board of directors. I hadn’t filed paperwork with the IRS. I didn’t have a name.”

Yet Briggs found herself explaining that the most recent “door opened” was a self-founded nonprofit focused on training military spouses and veterans about freelance writing.

Minutes later, that door flew open.

As she stepped off the stage, Briggs was approached by an employee of Upwork, a freelance gig site, asking if she could speak with their new CEO, Hayden Brown. “What was going on?” she wondered.

The answer: The Upwork CEO wanted to donate $20,000 to Briggs’ nonprofit.

“That was a generous amount for me to train a lot of military spouses and veterans,” said Briggs. “I decided, ‘I’m not going to

turn down this opportunity. I’ll figure out how to make this launch and run.’”

Finding flexibility

“Figuring out” is something Briggs does well — and how she became a freelancer. She met her husband on Match.com in 2009 while in grad school studying political science. John was in medical school after serving in the Navy and planned to return after completing his degree with a Navy scholarship. The night of their first date, he offered to drive her to a talent practice the next day for the Miss Virginia pageant, three hours away. As Miss Hill City, Briggs — then Pennington — would be

tap dancing for the talent portion of the competition. Scholarships earned at that competition and earlier ones made it possible for Briggs to partially self-fund her education, all the way to a Ph.D.

Unfortunately, her advanced degrees didn’t ease the challenge of regular job hunts brought on by military moves. When the couple was stationed in Maryland, Briggs was under-employed working for an insurance broker, separated from the Navy as an occupational medicine physician answering phones and filing paperwork. She tried teaching in a middle school

but soon questioned if the profession would suit regular changes of station. “I wanted a way to earn more and have flexibility. I Googled ‘how to become a freelance writer,’” Briggs said.

An English professor at then Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (now Randolph College) had pulled Briggs aside one day after class and asked if she’d consider changing her major from political science and economics to English.

“I said, ‘No, I’m almost done with college. I’m not going to start over,’” Briggs said with a laugh. “But he made me feel like maybe I had some skill in writing.”

In 2012, she taught herself how to write more than college papers, including sales-generating content such as blogs, newsletters, emails, e-books, and more. She often freelanced for busy lawyers. Two years later, Briggs freelanced full time and taught others to do the same with her www.betterbizacademy.com

courses. Through moves from Maryland to North Carolina, and Indiana to Minnesota, she earned more than $100,000 a year.

Sharing freelance success

“I thought ‘What’s next?’ in 2019,” Briggs said. “I had conquered the challenge

of chasing revenue. What was going to light me up now? I talked to a lot of people and sought their advice.”

An idea that resonated with her grew from her past generosity: She had mentored one or two military spouses and veterans every quarter — and had always wanted to help more people for free. She formed her nonprofit, Operation Freelance, to accomplish her goal. The first cohort of 20 completed 12 weeks of free virtual training in spring 2020. Students in Japan, Germany, and the U.S. learned about types of freelance writing jobs, developed marketing plans, wrote pitch letters,

and landed their first clients. Now they’re in a graduate group on Facebook, networking and sharing their writing wins. Briggs’ next Operation Freelance cohort is in the works for late spring or summer 2021.

“My business manager, Melissa Swire, and I love doing it. It’s powerful when someone overcomes a mindset issue of feeling like she’s not going to be successful, and then she lands her first client,” Briggs shared. “We had someone who completed our course, and she gave her two weeks’ notice at work and went full-time freelance. That makes me feel like I’m on the right path.”

Look for Laura Briggs’ newest book, “The Military Spouse’s Guide to Remote Work,” in 2022.