Mary-Catherine LaBossiere

Share your military spouse story:
“So she’s the reason I had to buy you a tennis racket?” My husband and I met in high school, but it wasn’t until years later when his mom asked that question that I learned he had had a crush on me for so long! We first reconnected after he graduated Airborne School. At the time, he was about to PCS to Italy, and I was heading back to college in Texas to become a registered dietitian. We decided it wasn’t the right time so we put a pin in things. Well, they say the third time’s a charm and that rang true for us. He was coming home for PCS leave. This time, I was living in Boston working full-time and earning my master’s in public health. He wanted to go to a Red Sox game, and I conveniently lived not too far from Fenway. Months of anticipation for the game turned into long-distance dating, and I’ve never stopped dating my best friend since then. We’ve endured two moves and added two four-legged children to our family. I’ll admit, it was terrifying to “marry the military” and move with him given my career trajectory, but I focused on my ability to adapt and overcome. In 2019, I started my business, Defy Nutrition, LLC. The jump into entrepreneurship was inspired by both wanting career stability while being a military spouse and wanting to fill the gap in my local community by making dietitian services more accessible. As a result of my husband’s service, I am fortunate now to be pursuing my Doctorate in Health Sciences with a focus on Organizational Excellence in Healthcare. My goal is to use that degree to advance into leadership roles that further enable me to advocate for and serve the military community. Though, like any military spouse, our journey hasn’t been without challenges, it’s one I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Share an example of your leadership experience within the military community:
Since becoming a military spouse I have held several leadership roles within the military community. As the Operations Assistant for InDependent, I helped drive the development of standard operating procedures to optimize the volunteer experience. Additionally, after being an Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs (AMSE) member for 2 years, I became an AMSE Coach/Industry Expert in March 2021. In that role, I co-facilitated monthly group coaching calls for AMSE members as a representative of the health and wellness field. Most recently, I served as the team lead for our last 5by Reset™ where I was responsible for coordinating with the funder’s point-of-contact and preparing all pre- and post-reset travel arrangements for the operators who attended. I am a firm believer in volunteering to contribute my skills the best I can in any role that I take on.

Describe your involvement in the military community:
Throughout my military spouse journey, I have been privileged to advocate for and provide healthcare services to service members and their families. I have been volunteering as the Operations Assistant with InDependent, a nonprofit dedicated to military spouse wellness, since 2021. I also serve as a dietitian for 5by5 Performance Therapy and Shields & Stripes. 5by5 Performance Therapy helps military special operators and their spouses optimize their physical and mental performance through holistic care. Shields & Stripes is a nonprofit that helps military, veterans and first responders overcome their traumas through a comprehensive program. I also manage the social media for the Pararescue Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the Pararescue community. Lastly, I previously served as an AMSE Coach for the Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs and worked with another military spouse to create a military-informed curriculum for the Arizona Coalition for Military Families.

Describe how you support your community:
I am incredibly passionate about promoting the health and wellness of servicemembers and their families. I believe in not only advocating for but directly serving members of the military community. I support my community through my roles as a registered dietitian, operations volunteer, and social media manager. More informally, I have mentored several military spouses in starting their businesses. While entrepreneurship can be a rollercoaster, it can also be liberating for military spouses since it allows for career mobility despite all the PCSes. I had help getting my business off the ground, and now I work to give back that same fortune that was granted to me. I truly believe there is room for us all to succeed, and we can only do so by standing together. Currently, in my doctoral program, I use weekly discussion posts to shed light on military-related issues so that non-military-affiliated civilians can better understand our culture, triumphs, sacrifices, and struggles.

What do you advocate for? Why?
When I was in high school, I held my mom on her deathbed. Just 11 days earlier she had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I truly believe that it could’ve and should’ve been caught sooner and my mom would have had a fighting chance of being here today. Instead, obesity stigma interfered. “Just lose weight,” they said. It was while I was lying in that hospital bed with her that I became determined to work in healthcare, focus on preventive care, and advocate for every person to be their own healthcare advocate. Fast forward to now, and I have continuously seen the toll taken on the health of our force and their families. Whether patients or providers are PCSing, continuity of care struggles, and preventive care is often an afterthought. Add to that the stigma around getting help or the fear of being deemed nondeployable, and we have major areas to address

How have you spread the message of your platform/advocacy?
I spread the message of my platform through my roles as a dietitian, military spouse wellness volunteer, and social media manager. As a business owner, I have used social media, blog posts, and email newsletters to advocate for these areas. I have also been quoted on several major websites, featured in a variety of podcasts, and written guest blogs. Lastly, I believe that by supporting and working with organizations such as 5by5 Performance Therapy and Shields & Stripes, our voices are amplified in this area.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
If fortunate enough to hold the AFI Military Spouse of the Year® title, I would use this opportunity to craft a megaphone for health and wellness among servicemembers and spouses. I would leverage this platform to not only focus on my passion areas but also elevate the voices of others. Since isolation and loneliness can be a harsh reality for many of us, I would use this to champion connections and create a national network of support. This title would also help me in educating civilians, including policymakers, on the pain points that many of us face and in amplifying the solutions proposed by so many amazing military spouses. Lastly, I would continue using my experience to mentor young spouses and embody what it means to maintain your personal and professional identity while simultaneously supporting your service member spouse. This title wouldn’t be about me; it would be about amplifying the collective voices, needs, and aspirations of military spouses around the world.