Samantha Mans

Share your military spouse story:
I'm a military spouse of over 10 years; with my husband serving for over 13 years. We met in my small Wisconsin town, spring semester of his freshman year of college as an ROTC cadet and my senior year of high school. It's been over 15 years of us partnering together to create the life we once dreamed of. Our dreams were different for many years as he started his career in the National Guard for MN but have quickly evolved as we transitioned to a life of active-duty military service. I've used my experiences over the last decade to find joy and gratitude for this life. Though there are many challenges and pivots we make along the way, the perspective of gratitude, even in those challenges, has helped myself, my family, and those around me lead a military life that is connected in community, rooted in partnerships, and founded in friendships near and far. We've grown our family with two kids and a dog along the way through all the moves, adventures, and opportunities we've been given.

Describe any leadership positions or provide an overview of your leadership contributions within the military community.
I look at leadership as a partnership with other spouses' and organizations that can help develop others for leadership, grow my own leadership capabilities, and foster healthy growth for our community. In 2017 I joined our SFRG team, and rose to lead the SFRG from 2018 to 2019 at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. This allowed me to meet and get to know many spouses and help develop them as future leaders in our battalion and company. From 2020 to the present, I have served our PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) in many different capacities to include study facilitator, Publicity chair, 1st VP of Spiritual Life, and Retreats chair. I have also had the pleasure of serving on our Spouses' club boards from 2024 to the present in two different roles. These positions have helped me meet the most wonderful people and find that leadership goes far beyond a title. It's about the impact on families and helping others realize their full potential by mentoring and helping equip others in their roles.

What programs or projects are you currently involved in that support the needs of military families?
Over the last three years I have built my own company to help others find more joy and abundance in life. This has directly impacted those in my community by helping to change the perspectives we have on our military life. I was asked this last year to join Plus One Heros as one of their founding board members and have been assisting them as a local warrior as well. This non-profit has my heart because of the integrity, mission, and vision they have. This unique partnership is allowing me to bring greater impact to this non-profit by helping to provide a military edition of "Simply Grateful" for their spouse deployment boxes in 2026. It's through connections and relationships with others in our community that we can make the greatest impact, and I'm honored to be a small part of that. I'm thankful for the friendships and connections I've made in past leadership opportunities that allow our community to continue to thrive.

What moments best reflect your impact on building inclusive community among military spouses?
Connection is one piece I see as imperative for building an inclusive community among military spouses. That connection has to be real and authentic. It cannot be surface level or built on chats about the weather. It's a piece that many of us do well, but some of us had to learn and grow into. I was one of the latter. I've said amongst those who say that I seem outgoing that the army made me that way. And though I say it with a laugh, I think it's very true. So many spouses come into this life without a mentor or knowing where to find answers to their questions. Showing up for all spouses and meeting them where they are at is one way we can continue to build an active and impactful community. It's one way I strive to do this also. By inviting, asking questions, and most importantly listening to others. We make the greatest impact when people are seen, heard, and valued well.

Identify your main advocacy effort and describe your personal connection to the cause.
I spent a lot of my college years and first few years as a military spouse with a lot of worry and anxiety about this lifestyle which is when I started practicing gratitude daily and finding the perspective shifts throughout my days to bring in more joy. It helped tremendously. And that freedom from negativity being my default is indescribable. My advocacy in everything I do is to help others find that in the military community. Due to the challenges and lifestyle we face each day, there's a lot of negativity. It not only affects individuals, but it infiltrates boards, communities, and relationships. I want to help bring positive perspective shifts that are realistic, without blind optimism so we can continue to build and foster better connections and communities.

Summarize your advocacy outreach strategies, including any events, media involvement, or other communication efforts.
While I use my own newsletter, blog, and social media to help advocate for gratitude and perspective shifts within our lives and communities; this has to be an intentional outreach that is personal. For that the best way is to show that shift in my own life by the way I operate and act, as well as helping those around me find ways to see more positives and joy in this military life. Being there during deployments, training, long work hours, and helping build a robust SFRG that supports not only our spouses and families, but our service members, is how I can make the biggest impact. It's simply showing up, supporting in real life, and real time, and through the hard times that we can make a lasting impact together. Community driven, starting in our own homes, backyards, and units. This is how I want to continue making the impact authentic and real while still advocating in ways I can provide greater reach.

What do you hope to accomplish with the AFI Military Spouse of the Year^® title?
I'm honored to even be considered and nominated. I'm not one to boast or reach for accolades. I quite simply do these things in our community because I enjoy them, feel that they are powerful for others, and worth the effort. With a title like the AFI Military Spouse of the Year I hope that my impact and reach for others to enjoy and find more peace and joy in this life can grow beyond what I am able to do on my own. I hope to help equip others in their own communities so we can see a substantial shift in the military family and spouse culture. And even more, at a local level, I hope to be able to continue making any and all impact I can in my community where I'm at right now, knowing that the military will move my family again and we can start back up where we are next planted to foster growth in a new place and community with more amazing people.