Fort Hood is near and dear to my heart. We have a home there. It was the longest duty assignment for my family. We spent six years there, and my babies always seem to gravitate to those memories. They were there from the time they were 3 and 5 up until they were 9 and 11 years old. It was where I was stationed when I deployed both to Iraq and Afghanistan.
So I was pleased to hear that Fort Hood was one of the initial chapters to launch with AMSE!
With as much that is going on at Fort Hood right now, I definitely felt like it needed some love. What better way than to highlight the good things that are happening - including the AMSE Chapter and the ladies that are running it.
So who are Anna and Selena, the Fort Hood Community Chapter leaders?
They each have different backgrounds yet came together to collaborate in order to bring something to the table together. Anna and Selena are both military spouses, who came together to run a social media and marketing business just one year ago. And this was prior to becoming chapter leaders!
Due to the pandemic and safety restrictions, there are eight military spouses in the chapter. Yet this has not stopped Anna and Selena from staying strong and staying motivated. They have virtual weekly check-ins and mixers that include goal setting to keep up the morale and encouragement. The chapter members have gone so far as offering up their own ideas to keep the engagement going within the chapter.
What I loved hearing from these ladies is that they are both big nurturers. They love being able to nurture what they have with the small group of spouses that are current members. They have also used skills and resources from AMSE to assist them as leaders.
“We really loved the Goal Setting online Master Class that is offered by AMSE. We were able to download the packet and tailor it to our needs”
I enjoy speaking with those that are like minded and hearted. They chose to lead from the front and be mentors, advisors, and friends with other military spouses in the community. This is so needed when you arrive at a place that is new and sometimes conflicted. Community is needed and this is exactly what AMSE is doing.
“AMSE is a sense of community in knowing that you are in a space that understands what the Milspouse Life is like as well as the Entrepreneurial Life.”
Ana and Selena are very engaging in the community to help foster more relationships with other entrepreneurs so that they can advocate for what AMSE can do for them. They look to AMSE founders Flossie Hall and Moni Jefferson for guidance. “One of the things that I admire about Flossie and Moni is that their idea is about ‘collaboration and not competition’ and that there is space for everyone.”
Both Anna and Selena are rays of sunshine and are the best pick to lead these military spouse entrepreneurs. Here is a little more about them, and you can listen to our entire interview below.
Anna Larson is a long-time military spouse, homeschool mom of two amazing kids, fur baby owner, and entrepreneur. She started her own business after nearly 20 years in marketing and program management. NomadAbout is your social media consultant helping businesses and entrepreneurs with copywriting, social media management, and marketing strategies.
She contributes monthly to a number of publications, hosts a weekly podcast and livestream business show called "15ish Minute Coffee Chat," sits on the board as the Director of Operations for a non-profit that offers support to cancer patients, and co-leads the Fort Hood chapter of the Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs. In her spare time, she likes to travel the world with her family.
You can find Anna on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and her website.
Aloha, I’m Selena. Some call me their Social Media Gal, Website Designer Extraordinaire Guru, and Genius (their words not mine). I’m also a military spouse following my husband with my kid & dog in tow to wherever the Army sends us. So, let’s just add Rockstar Mom and Ah-mazing Wife to my list.
H A U O L I, the name of my small boutique-y business, means “happy” in Hawaiian and has a special meaning that became the inspiration for this small business journey. It also represents me in a nutshell. I live, breathe, and work for the happy.
My goal is to bring to your table dedication and results. I want your business to succeed and in today’s world, social media plays a big part in that. I enjoy this crazy game of hashtags and algorithms; of helping you optimize the crap out of your online presence so when things point at your brand/product/whatever it’s GAME ON!
Anna and Selena believe you should join AMSE because-
“AMSE gives you so much support and is a great community to be a part of; it is a ready-made community of people doing the exact same thing and doing it together”
So what are you waiting for? Click here for more membership information and how to get started!
Annette is a military spouse of over 21 years, mother to two teenagers, and a veteran who served in the Army for over seventeen years as a Chemical officer including a deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. She retired and decided to trade in her boots for Converse sneakers to be able to make up for lost time with her children. Since her retirement, she has PCSd from Fort Polk, LA to Fairfax, VA to support her husband's military career. Her blog A Wild Ride Called Life™, LLC. incorporates stories from her post-military life. She shares how she lives life as being a mom and military spouse living with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Along with writing, she also hosts a podcast titled “The Truths We Hide” where she shares her story and also hosts guests who share theirs and offer advice to others to help them know that they are not alone.
Annette is a mentor for veterans on Veterati and for military spouses on Ementor. She has a passion for volunteering and volunteers as a mentor for TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for children survivors, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Trauma Survivors Network. She has also been offered a volunteer position with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in which she will be teaching and speaking to college campuses across Northern Virginia and the DC area.
You can check out more about Annette here.
