Building community is the heart of what we’re doing at Twelve Million Plus. Each week, we sit down with a military spouse and share their story. We recently had the privilege to meet up with LaPora Lindsey. We learned A LOT – and we’re still feeling inspired.
LaPora is a nationally recognized speaker on workforce development – and she knows what she’s talking about. LaPora has a Master’s in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s in Organizational Communication and is a Certified Workforce Development Professional AND a Certified Emotional Intelligence Trainer.
She’s also a Navy spouse and working mom of two. In 2022, she published her first book, Bottom of the Food Chain, hoping to inspire readers and remind them that their value goes beyond their job title.
LaPora’s Story
Our Community Initiative Program Manager, Kate Williams, was lucky enough to sit down with LaPora and talk about cultivating your identity.
As military spouses, it’s so easy to get caught up with solely identifying yourself based on your connection to the military, your service member’s branch, or where you’re stationed. While the identifier can be an easy way to find common ground, it’s not the only thing that identifies who you are.
“There’s almost this trap that we fall into. Being a military spouse is such a huge part of our lives. It’s hard to set ourselves apart from being a military spouse,” said LaPora. It’s so important to cultivate your own interests and identity, but that can be easier said than done!
“For me, becoming a spouse, and becoming a mom, I realized that I was not keeping up with LaPora. I wasn’t LaPora for a minute – I lost my complete identity. Being a mom, being a wife, there was nothing outside of that,” LaPora told Kate. “It’s been a process where I’ve learned to find that again. I do the things that make me me.”
We’re guessing a lot of you can relate to that!
You won’t want to miss the rest of LaPora’s story – including her tips for journaling, meditation, and the importance of consistently working on yourself.
Watch LaPora’s story here – exclusively on Twelve Million Plus!
