Adrianna Domingos-Lupher, Judy Davis Speak at Online Military Spouse Wellness Summit, Oct 19-24, 2015

Adrianna Domingos-Lupher and Judy Davis, coauthors of Stories Around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life, are among key speakers at the first Military Spouse Wellness Summit, held online October 19-24, 2015.

The free online summit is organized by In-Dependent.org and The Army Wife Network and sponsored by The USAA Educational Foundation. The theme is “Invest in Yourself” and is aimed at military spouse health and wellness.  Summit participants will receive ten interviews from health, nutrition, fitness, and financial experts specially recruited for the summit to help inspire military spouses to thrive. Military spouses can register at the In-Dependent.org site.

The schedule for the week includes:

Day 1/Oct 19: Invest in Your Future – Sponsored by the USAA Educational Foundation 

Scott Halliwell of the USAA Educational Foundation will speak about dealing with money stress in a relationship.  Scott is a Certified Financial Planner and financial readiness program lead with The USAA Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving financial readiness for the military and local community.

Adrianna Domingos-Lupher will talk about bringing health, wellness, and balance to your finances.  Adrianna is the CEO of MSB New Media with its flagship online magazine, NextGen MilSpouse. She wrote “Smart Money” in Stories Around the Table. She is also the cofounder of SpouseBox, a subscription box that introduces subscribers to new and exciting military spouse and veteran made products. The White House recently honored Adrianna as a Military Spouse Entrepreneur Champion of Change.

Day 2/Oct 20: Invest in Physical and Mental Health – Sponsored by QALO Rings

Judy Davis, The Direction Diva, will talk about the emotions of military life.  Judy is a motivational speaker, published author, and lifestyle blogger as well as military life and teen suicide prevention expert. She is the author of multiple books including Right Side Up: Find Your Way When Military Life Turns You Upside Down, Warning Signs: Is Your Teen at Risk? and the essay “My Son’s Battle” in Stories Around the Table. A spouse of an active duty Army service member, Judy is known to reveal the unspoken truths of military life and provides action-oriented solutions to military families.

Ruvi Makuni, owner of Fit. Active. Toned., will speak about how to make fitness non-negotiable. Ruvi is a certified fitness and nutrition coach who helps people get FAT online and in person. She is passionate about providing convenient fitness and nutrition solutions to make it easy for people to get back on track with their health and fitness goals. She knows how difficult it can be to try to make health and lifestyle changes on your own, especially if you have a hectic work schedule and family obligations.

Day 3/Oct 21: Invest in Eating Well – Sponsored by MSB New Media 

Capt. Kimberly Elenberg, of Operation Live Well, addresses how to make healthy eating choices on your military installation. Capt. Elenberg supports the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs as the Defense Health Agency Program Manager for Health Promotion. During her career, she has responded to many disasters and in 2009 was selected as the Nurse Responder of the year as well as the USPHS Responder of the Year from among all service categories and service members.

Kiersten Peterson, nutritional therapy practitioner, of the blog Vibrant Life Army Wife, describes how to clean up your diet while maintaining your sanity. Kiersten is an Army wife and after years of digestive distress, thyroid issues, anxiety, and constant fatigue, Kiersten discovered real food and started her journey to heal her body with real, nutrient dense food. She recently opened up her practice as a nutritional therapy practitioner with the goal of helping others find true healing and vibrant health through real food.

Day 4/Oct 22: Invest in Your Relationship – Sponsored by Thrive Market 

Corie Weathers is a licensed professional counselor and the 2015 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year who talks about how to build a strong relationship with your spouse.  Corie is a licensed professional counselor that has worked with individuals and families for almost 15 years. She is certified in Prolonged Exposure for use in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the Department of Defense Center for Deployment Psychology.  She sees many military members and their families who struggle with the hidden wounds of war.

Brad Willis, also known as Bhava Ram, is the founder of Warriors for Healing.  He talks about Yoga for you and your spouse and how to mitigate anxiety and PTSD.  Bhava Ram is a former NBC News war correspondent who covered the Gulf War and Afghanistan.  A broken back and failed surgery ended his career. Dealing with cancer, drugs and alcohol, he healed himself through the mind-body sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda. He devotes his life to sharing the miracle of self-healing with others. Bhava Ram is the author of three books: The memoir Warrior Pose: How Yoga Literally Saved My Life, The 8 Limbs of Yoga: Pathway to Liberation, and Deep Yoga: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times.

Day 5/Oct 23: Invest in Preventative Wellness – Sponsored by MetLife Dental 

Tracey Pearcell is the regional dental benefits advisor for Metlife TRICARE Dental.  She speaks on how stress affects your dental care.  As a dental benefits advisor, she educates the military community about the benefits they are entitled to receive. In addition to working with MetLife, she was an Air Force active duty service member and now serves as a member of the Air National Guard. Tracy is also a spouse of a retired active duty service member.

Leslie Brians, a military spouse talks about how to make Tricare work for you.  A former college athlete with a passion for real food and fitness, Leslie understands the importance of a group setting to motivate and encourage a healthy lifestyle. Leslie married into the military in 2009 and has lived both stateside and in Europe.

Facebook Group and GIVEAWAYS:

All participants of the Military Spouse Wellness Summit 2015 will have access to a private Facebook group (join when you register). In this group, participants will be able to post questions, interact with other summit participants, and win some fun giveaways. Winners will be selected based on active participation in the daily prize discussion thread.

Among the giveaways: a Right Side Up Book Club Kit and a Military Spouse Journey Book Club Kit!

On Saturday/Oct 24 the SpouseBox grand-prize winner will be announced.