Determined to make a positive impact, one Air Force spouse is trailblazing the way for military spouses to flourish through education, empowerment, community, and collaboration.
Verenice Castillo is the founder and CEO of Military Spouse Advocacy Network. She is a seasoned military spouse, advocate, thought leader, and military spouse mentor. Truly, her efforts in creating pathways toward support and education for military spouses is transforming the landscape in the military community as we know it.
An immigrant from Mexico, Verenice came to the United States when she was only 16 years old. Faced with the challenges of learning a new language and grieving the loss of her community, she found herself feeling disconnected. After marrying an active duty service member, the same familiar thoughts and feelings bubbled to the surface.
“I felt out of place and that I did not have a community. I needed someone to talk to, but there was no one to talk to or mentor me,” Verenice said.
When her husband decided to transition from the Army to the Air Force, Verenice realized the disconnection and frustration she was feeling wasn’t an isolated experience. It became clear to her that she was not the only one feeling overwhelmed or underprepared.
“If I wanted to see something different, I needed to do something about it. So, I became a volunteer and began to be a military spouse mentor,” she said.
Military Spouse Advocacy Network is a 501c3 non-profit organization that exists to create stronger military families by serving military spouses through education, mentorship, and leadership.
There is a shared sacrifice held by military community members. We suffer through hard things and endure long separations. We have all felt left behind or passed over at one point or another. Because of MSAN and Verenice’s commitment to change, military spouses are more equipped today than ever before.
In addition to taking over the world through advocacy and impact, Verenice runs this organization with flexibility at her home office. Military spouses, by nature, are multi-taskers. A home office allows us really to have the best of both worlds.
“Discipline is about commitment and is about being able to accommodate everything you have to do in a given time. And being disciplined doesn’t mean fitting everything into a 9-5 schedule,” Verenice said.
Being an organization of full circle support, MSAN has three main categories of focus: mentorship, education and leadership development.
Military spouses worldwide have access to 24-hour mentorship, an online library of training and educational resources, and an amazing new resource called the Leadership Development Program.
Sponsored by the Defense Credit Union Council, MSAN’s Leadership Development Program offers micro-certifications in mental health topics, exclusive training from the McChrystal Group, and a leadership certificate from the Harvard University National Preparedness Leadership Initiative.
Currently, MSAN reaches over 418,000 mentors, educators, and participants. But the numbers aren’t what motivates MSAN’s founder. What really matters is the story.
“Numbers represent stories. If there are no stories, there is no impact,” Verenice said.
Empowering the next generation of military spouses really is the mission and vision behind the Military Spouse Advocacy Network. The heart of the organization, and its leader, seem to be centered around the notion that everyone deserves to experience connection and to be equipped to rise to the challenges of military life.
To learn more about MSAN, visit militaryspouseadvocacynetwork.org or follow them on social media @MilSpouseAdvNet.