Military spouses: Craft your best life possible! "... This great resource is full of practical advice as well as real-world examples that will empower spouses to have a life of their own while supporting their partners in the military lifestyle ..."—Ellie Kay, author, military spouse, and CEO of Heroes at Home The unique components of military life can make it challenging for military spouses to pursue careers and other personal dreams. This encouraging book, written by two experienced military spouses, shares lessons learned, success stories of fellow military spouses, life exploration exercises, and research-based ideas that can be applied to any stage of life's journey. Although this book shares examples specific to military life, the information and approach can be used by anyone to pursue your life dreams. Ready to follow your dreams? This book will help you: • Learn five keys to happiness you can apply every day, anywhere. • Explore your passions, strengths, and goals. • Discover possibilities for the life you want to live. • Create an action plan to move forward, even when you think it’s impossible. • Build valuable friendships and support systems along the way. • Enjoy the journey! First Lady of the Marine Corps Recommended Reading List Midwest Book Awards Silver

"A unit's command team is the partnership among the commander, the senior noncommissioned officer (NCO), and a volunteer lead spouse. As the primary advisor, ambassador, and advocate for the spouses and families of members in the unit, finding the right person to undertake the important role of volunteer lead spouse is one of the most important decisions a commander will make. Once a spouse in the unit decides to take on the role, it can be challenging and incredibly rewarding to navigate working with military leadership, state or local government, base programs and organizations, and other military spouses to take care of families. This book captures "words of wisdom" collected by Mrs. Dawn Goldfein, spouse of the 21st Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen David L. Goldfein over their 37-year career. For command teams that seek to understand and leverage the military "spouse network" of command, lead, key, and key spouse mentors within their unit or their installation, it offers a treasure trove of useful ideas and stories"--

“This book will have you laughing so hard you cry . . . As Confessions aptly demonstrates, military spouses lead interesting lives.” —Tara E. Crooks, cofounder of Army Wife Network As the wife of a Marine Corps officer, Mollie Gross learned the hard way to laugh instead of cry at what she could not control—and as she quickly discovered, nearly everything was out of her control. A standup comedienne, Mollie explores everything about the “issued” spouse, from deployment and the stress of having a husband in a combat zone, to the realization that marriage changes when your husband returns home from war. Nothing is taboo or out-of-bounds in this funny, poignant memoir, including the “parties” military wives throw for themselves before hubby returns. (You’ll have to read the book to find out about those.) “Mollie Gross is the Chelsea Handler of the milspouse community. She’s unfiltered, honest, and hilarious, with an underlying message to stop whining and be proud. Think of it as heartfelt humor for the home front.” — Military Spouse magazine “Mollie’s no-holds-barred account of what it was like during her first four years of being married to a Marine, dealing with the moves, wartime deployments, and life on the home front, will leave you laughing, crying, and shaking your head in disbelief asking, ‘Did she really just say that!?’” — Kristine Schellhaas, founder of USMC Life

The vulnerable true story of a journey that changed a military spouse's perspective of deployment, herself, and her military marriage. Like many military couples, Corie and her husband, Matt, an Army chaplain, accumulated significant unshared moments during Matt's deployments. When Matt returned, he and Corie began using the term "sacred spaces" for significant moments they had experienced independently. After multiple deployments, sacred spaces were taking up a lot of emotional room in their relationship. When US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter invited Corie, as the 2015 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year, to join his team on a one-week overseas holiday trip, she eagerly accepted, hoping to gain a better understanding of her husband's deployment experience and lessen the impact sacred spaces had on her marriage. As Corie sat in the belly of a C-17, where her husband had said goodbye to the remains of friends and fellow soldiers, as she touched with her own hands the memorial at FOB Fenty and reflected on her grief as a care team member following the battle of COP Keating, Corie realized this journey was about much more than the push-pull of duty away from loved ones. This was a journey to the heart of her marriage, a place where she would have to leave behind her resentment in exchange for ground she and her husband had surrendered to hurt, misunderstanding, loss--and to Afghanistan. Corie set out on this trip hoping to gain a better understanding of her husband and his deployment experience, but along the way, she discovered a whole new perspective of herself and her military marriage. By sharing her story, Corie hopes to help other military couples strengthen their marriages. Living Now Book Awards - Gold Medal for Best Relationships/Marriage Book ForeWord INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards finalist Midwest Book Awards finalist Featured on the TODAY Show as Kathie Lee's "favorite thing."

You Are Not Alone: Encouragement for the Heart of a Military Spouse is a book of 30 daily readings designed to encourage, strengthen, and uplift military spouses. Whether it's a deployment, move, or raising military kids, Jen McDonald presents real-life solutions and inspiration from someone who's been there. Written from the perspective of faith, Jen includes related Scripture and a short guided prayer with each reading, as well as journal prompts and practical tips. Since its publication in 2016, You Are Not Alone has resonated with military spouses both new and experienced around the world and ranked as an Amazon bestseller in both the Military Families and Christian Devotionals categories.

Ryan and Selena Frederick were newlyweds when they landed in Switzerland to pursue Selena's dream of training horses. Neither of them knew at the time that Ryan was living out a death sentence brought on by a worsening genetic heart defect. Soon it became clear he needed major surgery that could either save his life--or result in his death on the operating table. The young couple prepared for the worst. When Ryan survived, they both realized that they still had a future together. But the near loss changed the way they saw all that would lie ahead. They would live and love fiercely, fighting for each other and for a Christ-centered marriage, every step of the way. Fierce Marriage is their story, but more than that, it is a call for married couples to put God first in their relationship, to measure everything they do and say to each other against what Christ did for them, and to see marriage not just as a relationship they should try to keep healthy but also as one worth fighting for in every situation. With the gospel as their foundation, Ryan and Selena offer hope and practical help for common struggles in marriage, including communication problems, sexual frustration, financial stress, family tension, screen-time disconnection, and unrealistic expectations.