If you’re a seasoned military spouse thinking about the future, raise your hand. If you are a military spouse who wants to grow as a person, raise your hand. And if you are a military spouse who would love guidance and community to reach those goals, join an upcoming event created by military spouses, for military spouses.
The 2nd Annual Evolve Retreat hosted by Pride & Grit will take place virtually April 30th through May 1st and is largely focused on helping seasoned military spouses navigate personal identity and create a path forward that harnesses their unique, individual strengths.
Block off Saturday, April 30th to join four military-connected speakers dive deep into personal identity. Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to the following sessions:
- Dr. Patrice Carter (Board Certified Life Coach): Mapping Your Journey
- Tammy Meyer (Certified Life Coach): Defining Your Identity
- Jenn Whitmer (Leadership & Enneagram coach extraordinaire): Managing the Burnout Cycle
- Leah Brown, a Certified Leadership & Life Coach and facilitator of the Brené Brown Dare to Lead™ program: Using Stories to Move Forward
The Sunday, May 1st virtual workshop will delve into attendees’ personalized CliftonStrengths® profile, an assessment designed to identity how you operate best – your talents. The workshop will be hosted by Jen Pasquale, Gallup Certified Strength coach and the founder of Pride & Grit, will spearhead this discussion. She is most definitely leading the charge to help seasoned spouses find their voice and path.
Last year was the first iteration of the Evolve Retreat and while it was entirely virtual, this year it has evolved into a hybrid experience. Using Remo, a virtual event platform, attendees feel like they are experiencing the Retreat in person. This fairly new product eliminates the dreaded ennui most of us feel when we have to sit in front of a computer to attend a conference. You “sit” at a table for discussions and breakaways. The algorithm manipulates the tables so that each time a speaker has concluded, you “meet” new friends. 100% of last year’s participants preferred this to the usual virtual options. One 2021 retreat attendee even noted that Remo “was the perfect format as it was very conducive to making connections with other seasoned spouses without overlapping conversations and awkward silence!”
For those spouses in the National Capitol Region (NCR), you can still attend Saturday virtually or at a watch party. If you attend in person, you have the benefit of interacting with people in the room as well as online. It’s the best of both worlds; two times the benefits for the same price!
Last year, the retreat hosted spouses from 7 countries as well as fourteen states. Around 75% of the spouses had been associated with the military for over sixteen years and expected to transition within the next 5 years. But don’t let those statistics scare you. Jen Pasquale assures us that “this is really an ideal conversation for anyone who is thinking about what happens after military life.” You don’t need to be “finding yourself” as a spouse for this event to be relevant. “I loved connecting to the other seasoned spouses…and sharing our current stories and our future fears,” stated a MilSo.
Intrigued? You should be. Registration is currently open but numbers are limited to encourage meaningful conversations during the breakout sessions. There are currently four options to register:
Virtual Day One–$97
In-Person Day One–$107
Virtual Two Day–$157
Hybrid Two Day–$167
Saturday’s sessions take place from 10am-6pm EST. Sunday’s virtual guided discussions of your CliftonStrengths assessment will run from 1-5pm EST. With your registration, you will have access to a private Facebook group, printed workbook, and exclusive access to Pride & Grit’s transition inspired podcast. Jen also plans on having giveaways during the event; both virtual and in-person participants will be eligible for those.
So, come join a group of spouses who are navigating the brave new world to come. You can walk away with new tools to help lead the charge as well as forge your own path. Make this investment in yourself and connect with fellow spouses along the way.