5: Community Building Skills of a Military Spouse

On this week’s episode of Conversations with the Hostess, I’m talking with my dear friend Felicia Fernandez, a fellow military spouse.

Her experience is rich with advice about building a network of friends, resources, and a supportive community that anyone can use in their life.

Read on to see even more of what we talked about on the podcast.  And listen in right here, or on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

What I’m Binge-ing

This past week was a tough one, wasn’t it.  I think it made a lot of people reflect on their personal stance on racism and figure out ways to grow and do better.

Here are some of the people, accounts, and places I’ve turned to to learn more about systemic racism and how to be an ally to the Black community.  Because I believe that Black Lives Matter.

Instagram accounts to learn from:

• Latasha Morrison, creator of Be a Bridge Builder
• Be a Bridge Builder, a racial literacy organization empowering people and culture toward racial healing, equity and reconciliation.
• Occasions by Shakira, a blogger who shares a lot of Black character books for kids, I’ve already purchased several she’s recommended.
• sgardnerstyle, Shavonda is a Black designer in Sacramento with amazing style, and even better social media boundaries, that continually fights for representation in the creative space.

Documentaries I’ve Watched:

• 13th on Netflix
• Just Mercy on Amazon Prime or Apple TV

I plan to make changes moving forward by doing several things.  First of all, this is an ongoing process of learning and growing.  So by no means is there an end in sight of doing these things.

I plan to pray for racial reconciliation, healing and more love.  I will be following and sharing more Black owned party shops, accounts, and influencers on Instagram.  I for one know how much a share and follow is worth. I’ll also be doing a lot of research when it comes to voting for people that will do the right thing once they hold a position of power.

Another great way to vote is with your money.  Vote for Black owned businesses!  Use your money to shop there for gifts, for your home, your fashion and beauty.

Don’t know any Black owned businesses?  Go read this post from @younghouselove that’s a directory of over 200 black owned businesses.  Special shout out to Brooke, the owner of the gourmet popcorn business that has fun flavors and ships nationwide.  I went to high school with Brooke, and totally think you should ship some popcorn to your Dad for Father’s Day.  Buy some here and follow them @gopogourmetpopcorn on Instagram!

Interview with Military Spouse Felicia Fernandez

During this week’s interview Felicia and I caught up after I moved away about a year ago.  It was so great to talk with her again and just goes to show that the unwritten rule amongst military families is that no matter how much time has gone by you can just pick right up where you left off.

So many other things we talked about as well:

• The struggles of being a military spouse.  How a supportive community is essential to surviving the unique situation of a military spouse.  Plus, the resources the military community offers is like none other.
• How non-military people can support military families.
• Have a move coming up?  Got kids?  Felicia has great advice and actionable steps about how to get your kids excited about moving to a new place.

• Felicia shares the challenges of being a female leader in Scouts BSA and how asking questions has led her to growth in that community, while helping her to navigate difficult situations.

• She raves about her neighborhood, and I can tell you it’s really special!  Listen to the podcast to learn what makes it so great.

Plus, we talk a lot about some amazing parties she and her husband host.

Check out the amazing Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party her husband threw for her.

This Harry Potter baby shower has some really special details.  I mean check out that growth chart!

Links You Might Like

Click below to learn more about some of the things we talked about on this podcast episode.

• Scouts BSA
• Stroller Warriors
• MOPS
• DBar, where Felicia’s amazing Alice in Wonderland birthday cake was made.

Join us!

What was your favorite part of this episode?  Tell us in the comments here or join the conversation in our free Facebook group, Conversation Connections.  It’s a great place to connect, which is what this is all about!