Speaker Judy Davis to Coaching Military - WordPress.com€¦ · BY SAMANTHA SAENZ Spouses Judy Davis admits she didn’t cope well when her husband reenlisted in the Army after 19

6/26/17, 11(20 AMDirection From the Diva: Speaker Judy Davis Shares Her Unlikely Path to Coaching Military Spouses

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Direction From the Diva:Direction From the Diva:Speaker Judy DavisSpeaker Judy DavisShares Her Unlikely PathShares Her Unlikely Pathto Coaching Militaryto Coaching Military

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BY SAMANTHA SAENZ

SpousesSpouses

Judy Davis admits she didn’t cope well when her husband reenlisted

in the Army after 19 years of civilian life. “I did it all wrong,” she said,

when asked how she went from novice to expert on all things

military life-related.

As an active-duty military spouse, coach and entrepreneur, Judy

believes sharing life experiences — the good, the bad and the ugly

— is the key to helping others make a successful transition into

military life and continue to thrive. And through speaking and

writing about her own experiences, she’s doing just that.

Her website, The Direction DivaThe Direction Diva

(http://thedirectiondiva.com/)(http://thedirectiondiva.com/), reaches nearly 7,000 people

around the world every month, offering advice and resources for

juggling military life and small business ownership — and

empowering military spouses to live their best lives.

In a recent interview with USAA, Judy shared some of the biggest

lessons she’s learned as a military spouse. But her insights

on managing money and coping with stress can be helpful for just

about anyone — military or not.

How did you start your blog?How did you start your blog?

I never intended to be a blogger! I’m not a writer — I’m actually a

math major. Long story short: I was mentoring a group of spouses at

Fort Bliss, and when my husband and I got PCS orders, they were

like, “You can’t leave! We need you!” So I started my blog as a way

to support them. Slowly but surely, I gained readership, and then I

was asked to write a book, “Right Side Up,” about the stress and

challenges of military life.

How would you describe your experience as a militaryHow would you describe your experience as a military

spouse? spouse?

http://thedirectiondiva.com/



I’ve been a military spouse for eight years. My husband and I are a

little older than most military couples — we’re both in our 50s — but

we have a lot of life experience, which has helped us adapt to the

military lifestyle. A lot of the same strategies that have always

worked for us in our marriage and our finances, I’ve been able to

apply to our military lifestyle, too.

What are the unique issues military spouses face?What are the unique issues military spouses face?

Learning to handle the stress and worry that goes along with the

military lifestyle. My husband is a combat engineer, so there is some

danger in his job. Between deployments, there’s a stress level that

doesn’t exist in the civilian world. Learning how to manage that and

not let it overtake your life is something we all deal with as military

spouses.

Another big issue is change and dealing with constant uncertainty.

Finances were also hard for me in the beginning, because we took

such a dramatic pay cut. Learning how to budget and save for

retirement was difficult.

Judy Davis and her husband, Army Sgt.1st Class Geoffrey Davis, on a hike in theWashington, D.C., area on vacation in 2016

How did you deal with all these challenges? How did you deal with all these challenges?



I talked to a USAA Financial Planner and as many seasoned spouses

as I could. I asked them what they recommended I do to budget.

One of the things they said was to live on the lowest salary you

possibly can and pocket the rest. Every single raise my husband

gets goes straight into retirement.

And we don’t change our lifestyle as pay goes up — we just

transition that money into savings and investments. We also drive

older cars, we budget for vacation and we don’t spend frivolously.

Learning what is a need versus a want — having that very clear

distinction — helped us get and stay on track.

Do you have plans for Military Spouse Appreciation DayDo you have plans for Military Spouse Appreciation Day

(May 12)? (May 12)?

I’m thrilled to be speaking this year in Aberdeen, Maryland, for the

Military Spouse Appreciation Luncheon. We’re going to be talking

about living right-side-up — that is, embracing the military lifestyle,

learning how to manage its unique challenges and learning how to

have fun as a military spouse. The event will be a way to recognize

and show appreciation for all the spouses on base.

To read more tips from Judy and learn about her work, visit TheThe

Direction DivaDirection Diva (http://thedirectiondiva.com/) (http://thedirectiondiva.com/), and don’t miss

her episode of The Money Drill podcastThe Money Drill podcast

(http://www.usaastories.com/podcast/the-money-drill-22-(http://www.usaastories.com/podcast/the-money-drill-22-

direction-diva-says-make-yourself-a-priority)direction-diva-says-make-yourself-a-priority) to hear more

about her journey as a military spouse and business owner.

To see how USAA is honoringTo see how USAA is honoringmilitary spouses, gomilitary spouses, goto to www.usaa.com/milspousewww.usaa.com/milspouse(http://www.usaa.com/milspouse)(http://www.usaa.com/milspouse)

http://thedirectiondiva.com/http://www.usaastories.com/podcast/the-money-drill-22-direction-diva-says-make-yourself-a-priorityhttp://www.usaa.com/milspouse



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Speaker Judy Davis to Coaching Military - WordPress.com€¦ · BY SAMANTHA SAENZ Spouses Judy Davis admits she didn’t cope well when her husband reenlisted in the Army after 19