Military Mom Collective

Join Us for Monarch: From Cocoon to Crown – A Virtual Summit for Military Moms

The Military Mom Collective is thrilled to invite you to our inaugural virtual summit, Monarch: From Cocoon to Crown, powered by USAA Life Insurance Company, happening May 1-3, 2025. This transformative event is designed to empower military moms, celebrating the strength, resilience, and determination they bring to every aspect of their lives.

Military moms navigate the unique challenges of military life—frequent PCS moves, family responsibilities, and career transitions—while balancing countless other roles. Monarch is here to uplift and inspire these extraordinary women by offering insights, support, and community, helping them soar from strength to strength.

This summit is more than just an event—it’s a movement. If you’re a military mom looking for inspiration, connection, and strategies to thrive, don’t miss out on this powerful experience. Sign up now for your free ticket and be part of something truly special!

On Day 1 of Monarch: From Cocoon to Crown, we’re diving into one of the most pivotal aspects of military life—PCS moves. Whether it’s your first move or your tenth, each Permanent Change of Station comes with its own unique set of challenges, from the logistics of packing up your home to the emotional readiness needed to embrace change.

These sessions will provide a comprehensive guide to navigating PCS moves with confidence, empowering military moms to handle each step of the process with ease. You’ll learn practical tips on how to streamline the moving process, manage the logistics, and stay organized during the chaos. But we won’t stop there—we’ll also dive into the emotional side of moving, offering strategies to stay resilient, support your family through the transition, and maintain your own sense of balance during this busy time.

Join us to gain the knowledge, tools, and support needed to tackle your PCS move with clarity and confidence, making the journey smoother for you and your loved ones.

Stacey is an Army spouse of 25 years, mom of four, speaker, and author of the book “The Astronaut’s Wife: How Launching my Husband into Outer Space Changed the Way I Live on Earth.” Stacey is also on staff with The MomCo as an executive leadership coach, and the membership manager and lead for military and online groups. Stacey and her family are currently stationed overseas on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, but will PCS this summer to White Sands Missile Test Range in New Mexico.

Katie is a seasoned Air Force of 17 years, entrepreneur, and former registered nurse who has navigated multiple PCSs while balancing a career and business. After experiencing firsthand the challenges of military spouse employment—including unemployment, underemployment, and the complexities of licensure transfer—she reinvented herself as a small business owner. Now, as the founder of Love and Lettering by Katie and the Community Manager for Spouse-ly, she advocates for military spouse entrepreneurship and employment reform. Passionate about helping fellow spouses build sustainable careers despite military moves, Katie brings real-world experience and practical strategies to navigating career transitions with confidence.

Sybil Jones is the dynamic force behind MilSpouse Conversations, a business dedicated to bringing military and non military communities together through real, unfiltered discussions, community, and fun. A Navy wife of 22 years and mother of three daughters (16, 18 & 20), she creates spaces where life’s challenges and joys are met with honesty, laughter, and connection. Under the MilSpouse Conversations umbrella, she also leads Mamas and Coffee®, encouraging self-care and empowerment for moms, and Stroke Talks, where she shares her journey after surviving a severe stroke that happened during her husband’s farewell party April 2021 (talk about being the life of the party!)—due to a rare cause called carotid webbing. Whether through live shows, virtual and in-person events, or powerful storytelling, Sybil is on a mission to inspire others to Know You Be You Love You® and to always Face Everything And Rise (FEAR).

I’m an active duty Navy spouse, mom, and CEO of VirtForce and The Military MLS. Helping military families create financial stability has been at the heart of what I’ve done since I became a military spouse in 2017, and my goal is to empower military families to find it through stable (primarily remote) careers and real estate investments. Based now in Pensacola, FL, I balance career, family, and military life while sharing my expertise through podcasting on YouTube.

Jana Arevalo is an Army spouse of 19 years, a mom to three teenagers, and the founder of The Organized Military Life. After 10 PCS moves (soon to be 11), she knows firsthand the stress of packing, unpacking, and trying to create a sense of home—again and again. She also understands the overwhelm that comes with deployments, daily life, and the extra chaos that clutter brings.

After 20 years in the Navy, Leah Stiles knows the challenges of military life firsthand—as a Senior Chief, military wife, and mom. Now, she’s the founder of SEA WAVES, a nonprofit fighting to bring awareness, education, resources and policy change for eating disorders in the military community. Whether advocating for the SERVE Act or leading The Lighthouse Project, Leah is on a mission to ensure no service member or military family struggles alone.

Lindsay Swoboda is the author of Holding On & Letting Go: A Life in Motion (Memoir, May 2025). Her Substack, The Eleven O’Clock Number, explores the art of what matters most. Lindsay believes in the power of storytelling and loves encouraging and connecting with fellow creatives.

Staci is the Military Spouse Business and Strategy Planning Director for Military Affairs. She joined USAA in 2022 as a Communications Manager on the Reputation Management team in Corporate Affairs. She comes to USAA with extensive experience in program management, strategic communications, training and reputation management. She started out as a L.I.N.K.S. trainer in Kanoehe Bay, HI. She moved to Headquarters Marine Corps in Quantico, VA to enhance and increase volunteer engagement across the enterprise. Prior to joining USAA she worked for Blue Star Families leading volunteer initiatives, national programming and communication strategies.

She has a Master of Arts degree from California Baptist University in Communications and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington also in Communications.

She is a military spouse, married to Colonel Jeff Holt, USMC (retired). Together they have moved 13 times, survived 6 deployments, 5 of those combat deployments. She has two children and lives on a ranch outside of San Antonio.

Meagan Allers is the Head of Community and Partnerships at Marco Polo. She has spent her career creating spaces for people to connect. With a background in education, she first started by building communities for students on college campuses. From there, she transitioned to the tech space. An early employee of Marco Polo, Meagan has spoken with thousands of users and cares deeply about working for a company and on a product that truly brings people together. Affectionately known as “Marco Polo Meagan,” you may have seen her sporting her brightly colored beachball skirt! Outside of work, Meagan loves organizing group gatherings, having meaningful conversations, watching a good documentary, or playing pickleball.

Kasie is a Veteran and Active Duty Army military spouse. She worked for Federal Law Enforcement for 10 years in a support role and is now on a mission to help military and civilians transition into new communities and find their people along the way.

I’m an active duty Navy spouse, mom, and CEO of VirtForce and The Military MLS. Helping military families create financial stability has been at the heart of what I’ve done since I became a military spouse in 2017, and my goal is to empower military families to find it through stable (primarily remote) careers and real estate investments. Based now in Pensacola, FL, I balance career, family, and military life while sharing my expertise through podcasting on YouTube.

Day 3 of Monarch: From Cocoon to Crown is dedicated to one of the most important aspects of military life—maternal mental health. As a military mom, you often juggle the demands of family, career, and the unique challenges of military life, which can take a toll on your mental and emotional well-being. This day is all about helping you prioritize your mental health, find support, and practice self-care so you can show up as the best version of yourself for your family.

We’ll explore various aspects of maternal mental health, including coping with stress, managing anxiety, and navigating the emotional complexities of military life. You’ll gain insight into the impact of mental health on both you and your family, with practical tools for maintaining balance, fostering resilience, and seeking help when needed. Whether you’re experiencing challenges related to deployments, relocations, or simply the daily stresses of motherhood, these sessions will provide you with the support and resources to thrive.

Join us on Day 3 to learn how to nurture your mental health, find strength through community, and create sustainable strategies for well-being in the midst of military life’s demands. Prioritizing your mental health is key to living a fulfilling life, and we’re here to help you every step of the way.

Adrienne Griffen, MPP, is an advocate and nationally-recognized expert in the
field of maternal mental health. She is a sought-after speaker and educator,
using her lived experience (laced with humor) to engage audiences on issues
surrounding the mental health and wellbeing of our nation’s mothers.

Adrienne is the Executive Director of Maternal Mental Health Leadership
Alliance (mmhla.org), a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to
promoting the mental health of mothers and childbearing people in the United
States with a focus on national policy and health equity.

MMHLA advocates for improved maternal mental health care and serves as a
trusted source of information related to maternal mental health. MMHLA’s
advocacy efforts have led to almost $70 million in federal funding for maternal
mental health programs at the national and state levels.

As a dedicated healthcare professional, Active-Duty Coast Guard wife, and mother – I know firsthand how tough it can be to balance it all, especially prioritizing our own health. I’ve spent a decade in various settings, including six years helping NICU babies transition home. I’ve seen how essential support and access to care are for a family to be successful in the face of hardships.

Now at Telemynd, I’m focused on making mental health care easier to access for military moms like us—because resilience isn’t just about pushing through, it’s about having the support to care for ourselves, too.

Ashley Comegys is a licensed clinical social worker and perinatal mental health certified provider. She has a multi-state online therapy practice that helps women with anxiety navigate life transitions, and specializes with working with women in the perinatal period as well as military spouses.

Outside of the therapy room she is passionate about empowering women and mom clinicians to build their own online therapy practices, so they can have the time freedom, flexibility and autonomy. Ashley is also the host of the Raised to Empower Podcast. As the spouse of a U.S. Coast Guard Officer, Ashley has lived experience with the challenges of navigating military life in the postpartum period.

Courtney Boyer, M.Ed. M.S., is a relationship and sexuality expert and author of Not Tonight, Honey: Why women actually don’t want sex and what we can do about it. She has been featured in publications including Parent’s, CNBC, The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, The Independent, and Yahoo! Courtney and her active duty Army husband of 20 years have three kids and love living the OCONUS life.

Gaby is a Navy Veteran, Navy spouse, and the Executive Director of The Military Birth Resource Network and Postpartum Coalition. She is committed to filling the gaps in care that exist for growing military families and veterans in the perinatal space. She is passionate about making connections and meeting new people. Gaby is an avid baseball mom and currently resides in Japan.

Dr. Mamie L. Pack is Navy military spouse for over 20 years, momma of four, educator, owner of Mamie L. Pack Media and former Army military kid. With a Ph.D. in Education and over 24 years experience, Dr. Pack started her business in 2018 by creating wellness inspired stationery designed to help women prioritize their wellbeing one page at a time. Her company supports educators and military spouses.

We are proud to partner with USAA Life Insurance Company and USAA Life Insurance Company of New York.

Providing protection for your family. Peace of mind for you.

Life Insurance can help provide protection for the uncertainties in life. Military life is fast paced and it’s important to make sure your life insurance coverage keeps up! Whether you are expecting a new child, preparing for your next PCS, deployment, or even leaving the military, reevaluating and/or obtaining life insurance will bring you peace of mind, knowing that your family’s financial future is secure.

USAA Life Insurance Company and USAA Life Insurance Company of New York offer life insurance with features and benefits designed specifically for military families.