Nicole Zettlemoyer

Share your military spouse story:
As a 4-year Marine and 4-year Air Force veteran, I take immense pride in military service. While in the Air Force, I met my husband. We got married and had our first child right at the end of my contract, where we both decided we did not want to raise our children in a mil-mil family. (I certainly do not judge those who do!) Simultaneously learning how to navigate motherhood away from family and friends, as well as losing my identity as an active duty service member to new role as spouse was jarring. The only piece of my original identity that I still had was running my business, where I hand craft wreaths made from real military uniforms. After a year of practical isolation, I decided to branch out and meet other milso's, leaning towards those who’s husbands also worked at Basic Military Training. I started to volunteer at multiple organizations, such as our community's HOA, the 321st's Key Support Mentor, and other organizations through my small business.

Describe any leadership positions or provide an overview of your leadership contributions within the military community.
I began my journey as a Key Support Liaison in October 2024, before the birth of my second child. I immediately hit the ground running, volunteering to help organize multiple events for the unit. In 2025, we organized 10 separate events for Military Training Instructors and their families, where we worked with a budget of over $10,000, providing support for over 70 MTI's and their families. In addition, I worked closely with the commander to ensure new families integrated into the unit, and those expecting children were taken care of. Because of my hard work, I was awarded the squadron's KSL of the year, as well as the group-level KSL of the quarter. Since then, I have trained to become the unit’s Key Support Mentor, who not only assists with families but mentors other Key Support Liaisons. This, in addition to my contributions on our community's HOA, and supporting other military spouses through my small business, are some of my greatest achievements this year.

What programs or projects are you currently involved in that support the needs of military families?
Besides running my business and acting as our squadron’s KSM, I also am on our neighborhood’s HOA board. Our neighborhood consists of about 60% military families, out of the 670 houses that occupy it. Because the neighborhood is so new, this was the first year homeowners are on the board, so we have a lot to learn and more to fix. Since February 2025, we have installed security cameras at the pool, Flock license plate readers at the entrances and exits, built a dog park, added a shaded structure to the playground, negotiated a $350,000 budget, planned 4 neighborhood events, as well as other small tasks like approving invoices, negotiating current contracts, and communicating with members of the neighborhood, rounding out to about 400 volunteer hours. As a milso with children, I wanted to ensure that the neighborhood was a comfortable and safe living space for all its residents, especially for the military community, where family and friends are not close by.

What moments best reflect your impact on building inclusive community among military spouses?
I have many moments of community building - firstly through my business, Wreaths By Nicole P. When I exited the military, I focused on veteran entrepreneur benefits, but the more I dug, the more I realized how there is an entire network of milso-owned businesses! I joined several groups like Spouse-ly and cohorts such as Points for Patriots to network and promote other businesses. I’ve also appeared on 10 veteran-run podcasts this year, promoting milso-owned resources, as well as sharing my personal journey with entrepreneurship, to encourage other spouses to do so as well. I volunteer with a military transition program, giving guidance to those exiting the military, where I share resources for spouses and veterans on how to start up a business. Whenever I need contracting work for my business, I only hire military spouses, since I understand that finding a job can be difficult whilst moving so much. I love trying to give back to this community that so often times goes unnoticed!

Identify your main advocacy effort and describe your personal connection to the cause.
My main advocacy effort is championing military spouses as entrepreneurs and leaders while honoring the service of veterans and their families through my business. I feel personally connected to this cause because I am living the realities of military life myself, now solely as a military spouse preparing for our first family PCS to California. As I work to move my business nearly 2,000 miles, I have spent countless hours learning how to transfer licenses, rebuild networks, and tap into spouse-specific resources, so other spouses do not have to start from scratch like I did. Through Wreaths by Nicole P, I create handcrafted wreaths from real military uniforms, giving families a tangible way to honor their service and sacrifice. Alongside that, I am dedicated to mentoring and promoting other military spouses with their businesses. Whenever possible, I purchase items from their businesses, and I work to share their businesses with other clientele.

Summarize your advocacy outreach strategies, including any events, media involvement, or other communication efforts.
My advocacy outreach spans multiple medias to amplify support for milso entrepreneurs and veteran families. This year, I have been featured on 10 podcasts, where I share my personal entrepreneurship journey, discuss the realities of being a milso–owned business, and point milso’s toward resources that can help them start or sustain their own businesses. My advocacy also reached a wider audience through a 5-minute feature on San Antonio’s KENS 5 news and a spread in Woman’s World Magazine, where I highlighted both my story and tools available to military spouse business owners. In previous years, I have also been featured on CBS, Fox News, People Magazine, and ABC News, using each platform to normalize military spouses as capable, innovative business leaders and to spotlight the story of how my business began. Across all of these outlets, I consistently promote the message that while owning a business is challenging, it is absolutely feasible with the right mindset and tools.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
I would be BEYOND honored to receive this title for multiple reasons. Firstly, I’d love to represent my milso business owners and promote the amazing things these women can do. Owning a business is no small feat, and to do that in the realm of the military, and some while also raising families, is an immense challenge that does not get highlighted or praised as much as it should. I would use this platform to encourage everyone to try and shop small, and especially to shop veteran and spouse-owned businesses. It would also be great to represent Military City, USA, as San Antonio is often called. There are many veterans and active duty members who live in this city, and to represent them as a whole, and try and give back to this community that has housed us since 2018 would be exceptionally gratifying. I would love to use this as an opportunity to connect with other military spouses and see how we can all raise each other up, especially if they own small businesses.