My platform is a place to find hope, resources, inspiration, and most importantly inner strength through 4 pillars; fitness, faith, volunteerism, and finding purpose.
Wendi Founder of Strength 4 Spouses
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey so far as a military spouse.
My name is Wendi Iacobello. I have been an Army wife for almost five years and I am a mom to an adorable almost one year old little boy. I am a graduate of Appalachian State University with a Master of Arts in Educational Media and have a BS degree in Early Childhood Education. My professional career, prior to military life, was in education. It spans across nine years in the public education sector to include; middle and high school special education, adult education for incarcerated men, women, & youth, compensatory education, High School Equivalency instruction formerly known as GED, and community college instruction in Early Childhood Education curriculum courses.
In addition to being a stay at home mom, I am a blogger, freelance writer and curriculum content editor and developer. My hobbies include; volunteering in the local community, gardening, teaching group fitness classes on the military installation, and encouraging the military community through my blog Strength 4 Spouses.
2) What does your platform represent as a military spouse? How has sharing your story helped you and others?
My platform is a place to find hope, resources, inspiration, and most importantly inner strength through 4 pillars; fitness, faith, volunteerism, and finding purpose. I believe that by openly sharing my journey through military life, it can help others to not feel alone. All we need as military spouses is to feel understood and to find that one person who is going through something similar. That can make all the difference and help us feel less alone and isolated. My hope is that Strength 4 Spouses gives that inspiration to others.
3) Many people want to get fit and live a healthy lifestyle, but have a difficult time getting started. What would you say to someone that needed that motivation? What resources are out there on base?
My biggest rules for forming a healthy habit is to start on a Monday and start small. You cannot start a new diet, exercise regimen, and stop a bad habit all at one time. You have to start with one area at a time in order to remain motivated and have long-term success. There are many resources here at Fort Bragg, prior to Covid, to encourage healthy living. We normally have a free 5K per month through MWR, several gyms with group fitness classes, an indoor pool with group fitness classes in the pool that includes my favorite and the one that I teach-aqua cycling, a stadium with track, another track with recreational equipment at one end, and several yearly competitive events such as the All American Marathon, the Army 10-Miler, and the Memorial Day Remembrance Run.
4) I noticed you are also very passionate about volunteering. What are ways you give back to the military and your local community? What are different ways military spouses can get involved during the pandemic, as well as when we are able to get back to interacting normally as volunteers?
I LOVE volunteering and miss all of my regular volunteer activities tremendously right now. I have been volunteering with the USO of NC for the last six years and the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County for the last year as a volunteer blogger. I also volunteer at many yearly events at Fort Bragg (which were all cancelled this year-sniff, sniff). Giving back and getting involved in your local community is a perfect way to find strength. It makes you feel good inside and you meet amazing people in the process. I encourage all military spouses to find a cause they are passionate about and reach out to local or national organizations and find out how you can get involved. If you are located at Fort Bragg, there are many ways to get involved in the community. Learn more by clicking here.
5) Where can we find you on social media and what is one main thing you want military spouses to take away from your platform?
Let’s connect on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Also, find me on Pinterest!
I hope military spouses find empowerment, encouragement, and strength when they visit any of my platforms. I’m real about the ups and downs of military life and motherhood (my newest journey). My hope is that through fitness, faith, volunteerism, and finding purpose that you will be encouraged to develop your inner strength in this life too.