These are the military spouses to watch in 2021. They create, share, give, advocate, educate and love—all online and on social media. They interact with thousands of military spouses and families daily. From sharing a journey of recovery to providing a creative space for families, these military spouses and their projects are worth watching closely this year.
Christina Kimbrough
Navy spouse Christina Kimbrough has been sharing her life and struggles of sobriety for more than a year. She’s taking her followers through the ups and downs of life in recovery and the reasons behind her addiction. Her story is personal, raw, and direct. From panic attacks through deployment to suicidal ideations, Christina doesn’t shy away from much. She’s brave, she’s real, and her followers love her for it.
christinakimbrough.com | Instagram
Marla Bautista
Marla Bautista tells a powerful story of survival. She’s an open book about the abuse she’s suffered as a child and her homelessness. But she is thriving today as a military spouse and mom. She and her Army husband are taking on homelessness in their community with The Bautista Project. Marla is a published author and a motivational speaker, and has a social media following dedicated to service to others.
thebautistaprojectinc.org | Instagram | Facebook
Rachel Carpenter and Amie Glazier
Rachel Carpenter and Amie Glazier are co-owners of the Military Mom Collective (MMC)—a gathering place for thousands of military-connected moms to share, communicate, and shop. MMC has 35 blog contributors from around the globe. They offer a book club, blogs, resources and more.
military.momcollective.com| Instagram | Facebook
Xailli Griswold
Xailli Griswold’s YouTube channel documents her life as a new mom and it’s completely addicting. Xalli is gorgeous, fun, real and shares her life in curated, colored, filtered videos and pictures. She’s a newly married military spouse, living overseas with a newborn baby preparing for a PCS back to the states.
Megan Duesterhaus
Megan Duesterhaus is the owner of the crazy cute DIY website, The Homes I Have Made. Whether you’ve moved only once or more than a dozen times, Megan’s website speaks directly to spouses who have made a stranger’s house a home. A self described chronic creator, Megan has been blogging her projects for more than 10 years.
thehomesihavemade.com | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube| Pinterest
Sarah Streyder
An advocate, organizer, and proud military spouse who is committed to helping other military partners and family members raise their voices on foreign policy issues that affect their lives. Sarah began her career working for the White House’s correspondence office under President Obama’s administration. She later joined the Department of Commerce’s legislative affairs team, where she helped coordinate administration-wide strategy on trade policy advocacy.
securefamiliesinitiative.org | Instagram | Facebook
Katelyn Tinsely
Katelyn Tinsely is a joy to watch on her social media channels. She’s the owner of Homefront Room Revival. You can watch her and her team create amazing spaces and cool events for military families. From art classes to surprise renovations, Katelyn is busy remaking, repurposing, and reimagining military family life.
homefrontroomrevival.org | Instagram| Facebook | Pinterest
Emily Starbuck Gerson
Emily Starbuck Gerson is a writer, award winning journalist, and an Air Force spouse. She’s the owner of the vibrant storytelling website Profiles In Pride which profiles people in the LGBQT community. Emily is also a board member of Military Family Advisory Network and the editor of Modern Military Family Magazine. She is making an impact in the military spouse community and beyond.
Sue Hoppin
A nationally recognized expert on military spouse and family issues working to bridge the cultural gap between government, private and public groups and military communities, Sue is an advocate, published author and consultant with more than 20 years of experience and expertise in military community programs. She has a proven record of developing programs focusing on military issues, serving as spokesperson for various organizations and committees, and reaching out to train top tier military-affiliated groups, veteran/military services organizations, and key leadership within major military commands.
nationalmilitaryspousenetwork.org | Facebook
Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman and Amanda Trimillos, EdD
Stacy Huisman and Amanda Trimillos, both Air Force spouses, have dedicated the last 10 years to issues surrounding military-connected students and public education. They run a Facebook group dedicated to supporting military kids in education. With thousands of parents, teachers, and other invested adults, the group has become a place where parents and educators exchange ideas and ask questions on how best to support military kids in school. They blog, they teach, they advocate. Together, Stacy and Amanda co-authored the award winning book, “Seasons of My Military Student”. Have a school-aged military kid? Join their group!
SeasonsofMyMilitaryStudent.com | Facebook Group | Facebook | Twitter
Besa Pinchotti
As Acting Executive Director, Besa brings leadership at NMFA along with her personal experience as a military spouse to this incredible team. Besa is an award-winning journalist and marketer whose passion for our military began during her time as a reporter and television news anchor. From Jacksonville, North Carolina to Kosovo, her assignments opened her eyes to the post-9/11 military experience, and its cycles of deployment, redeployment, and constant transition. She also covered highly-contentious Congressional hearings and the impact military life has on families, including the effects of water contamination aboard military bases. During Besa’s time covering Camp Lejeune, she met a guy named Dave, whom she decided to marry despite warnings to “never marry a Marine.” Now 15+ years later, they live on Capitol Hill with their 3 kids.
Michelle Norman
Michelle Norman is no stranger to the spotlight. She testified in front of Congress, she was voted 2019 AFI Navy Spouse of the Year, she’s been interviewed by both local and national television outlets, newspapers and magazines. All because of a promise she made to her 17-year-old daughter who has cerebral palsy and multiple other disabilities. After years of successfully advocating and winning multiple legal cases to ensure her daughter receives the minimum education required by law, she promised her daughter she would continue to advocate for her and others. Michelle and her team founded Partners In Promise, a non-profit dedicated to helping families with special needs kids. She’s making more news in 2021, she’s one to watch.
thepromiseact.org | Instagram | Facebook
Kellie Artis
Kellie Aritis has her pulse on the PCS process. She’s chief operating officer of MILLIE—an online community and marketplace that connects military families with information and resources during the PCS. But she’s also an experienced YouTuber hosting the popular show “Baseside Chats.” She harnesses the power of social media in an effort to help military families PCS.
Facebook Group | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | MILLIE Journal