PILLAR: Supporting Military Families, One Deployment at a Time
By: Julie Clark
We’re excited to feature the founders of PILLAR in this month’s newsletter. As an organization dedicated to supporting military families, PILLAR is near and dear to many at Powerhouse Planning because we are comprised of veterans, military spouses, retired military spouses, and super fans of military families. PILLAR’s next digital retreat is coming up soon, and our very own Jessica Bertsch will be speaking once again this year. Needless to say, it’s the perfect time to talk with PILLAR founders Joanna Guldin-Noll and Becky Hoy.
PH: As far as leadership, do you feel you both were natural-born leaders, or did you fall into this role and find it suited you to lead, inspire, and support others?
PILLAR: We stepped into our roles to support military families (Joanna with Jo, My Gosh! and Becky with Brave Crate) to fill specific needs we saw in the community. We came together to work on PILLAR for the same reasons.
PH: PILLAR is a currently a digital retreat, which we know is a huge convenience and blessing to milspouses, but we’d love to know if there are any plans in the future for an in-person retreat or meetup?
PILLAR: While our team believes that we should “never say never,” we are also fully committed to making sure that military significant others have access to support and inspiration during deployment seasons—regardless of their location, schedule, or financial circumstances. PILLAR’s structure as an online retreat was crafted in an intentional effort to ensure that any military significant other who needs support can access it. With that said, if there are future opportunities for in-person connection that fall in line with this core value of accessibility, we would certainly entertain them!
PH: In October, Powerhouse is all about giving back and sharing the goodness. We understand that PILLAR is supported by sponsors big and small. Are there any founding sponsors, bloggers, milspouses, organizations, etc. that you have that “we wouldn’t be here without their support” appreciation for? We’d love to give them a shout-out on your behalf!
PILLAR: In 2020, our Founding Sponsor USAA was the first organization to recognize the deep need to provide deployment support for military spouses and has stood behind our mission to encourage and inspire military families since our inception. Our 2022 Presenting Sponsors USAA Life Insurance Company and USAA Life Insurance Company of New York continue to support that mission and make all that PILLAR is accomplishing this year possible.
PILLAR exists thanks to the support of all our sponsors, speakers, ambassadors, and attendees. There are truly too many incredible supporters to name, and we are grateful to all who contribute to the energy, vision, and success of the PILLAR Retreat.
We would be remiss if we didn’t shout out a special thank you to Jessica Bertsch and the Powerhouse Planning team. Jess has been so supportive since the very beginning by connecting us to other military spouses (including our amazing video editor!), sharing PILLAR with her circles, and being a fabulous speaker for all three years of the retreat.
PH: PILLAR is all about connecting milspouses, providing community, pooling your resources and knowledge, and connecting with and serving others, essentially passing all your firsthand experience, tips, tricks, life hacks, and more on to those who could use a hand or a hug. What would you say are one or two of the main takeaways a milspouse can expect when attending PILLAR?
PILLAR: Outside of the hands-on advice for everything from navigating homecoming to helping children cope with the realities of deployment, PILLAR attendees can expect to leave the retreat with a stronger sense of community and the confidence that they are not alone in their deployment season. One of our favorite things about this three-day event is the incredible sense of comradery that is shared among attendees, many of whom offer their own personal advice, experiences, and encouragement for others.
Our mission is truly to shift the paradigm around the deployment countdown so that military spouses transform the way that they approach this season of life. It is a joy to see military significant others walk away with the realization that their partner’s deployment (while challenging) can truly provide the opportunity for personal growth, new connections, and a deeper sense of self.
PH: We know that with two POWERful women such as yourselves at the helm, you are sure to have goals and dreams for the future of PILLAR. Can you give us the inside scoop on what we might see in terms of the growth of and your dreams for PILLAR in, say, the next three to five years?
PILLAR: While there are countless ways we hope to grow this community, one of our greatest focuses over the next three to five years is increased connection. As the technology available for online communities evolves, we have our ears to the ground as we consider how we can create innovative opportunities for more authentic and personal connections during and after the retreat. We believe that expanding opportunities for more personalized connection during the retreat will help us to serve military significant others during deployment in an even more substantial way.
PILLAR DIGITAL RETREAT DETAILS
DATE: November 4-6, 2022
FREE TICKETS: pillardeploymentretreat.com
