The Desk of a Navy Wife
MEET REYNA WORTHY, HELPING SPOUSES WHO FEEL LOST IN THE SHUFFLE THRIVE
A Continuation of our Q & A with Reyna Worthy
MILSPO Social Co. Magazine: Your work is rooted in this idea of a ripple effect between spouses. What do you think that ripple effect actually does?
Reyna: It gives people a sigh of relief. "I've been there" is comforting, but the real value is what you did about it, and how you help someone else clear that same hurdle so maybe they never hit it in the first place.
MILSPO Social Co. Magazine: You just PCS'd to Japan. How has that transition gone, especially with your husband deployed?
Reyna: We actually got pushed up six months early, so I was grateful I'd already pre-packed a year out and started networking ahead of time. Because we'd lived in Japan before, the culture shock was lower. What was new this time was doing household goods completely solo, since my husband deployed almost immediately after we landed. I leaned hard on my support network, posted in Facebook community groups asking for rides and help, and within days other spouses were showing up for me.
MILSPO Social Co. Magazine: A lot of spouses feel like asking for help means admitting they can't figure it out alone. How do you help people get past that?
Reyna: If someone isn't ready for one-on-one conversations, I tell them to go to an event instead, because there's always an icebreaker built in, and if you have kids, they're your icebreaker. Practice in the mirror if you have to, or start online if talking through a keyboard feels safer. You'll be surprised how many extroverts are already out there ready to close that gap for you.
MILSPO Social Co. Magazine: This issue has an advocacy focus. What does advocacy mean to you personally, and how does it show up in your work?
Reyna: Advocacy means owning my story and not letting anyone else control the narrative, whether that's around my health, my family, or my kids. Inside The Desk of a Navy Wife, I built an entire advocacy hub with templates and state representative contacts, because a lot of spouses want to raise their voice and just don't know where to start.
MILSPO Social Co. Magazine: Looking five years down the road, what do you hope Desk of a Navy Wife looks like?
Reyna: I hope it's a recognized name, not a government stamped resource, but a spouse who's lived it from an airman's spouse all the way to an E6 spouse, sharing what actually works. I want the summit to grow and spin off new programs. And on the product side, I'd love an actual pop-up shop bringing these resources straight onto installations.
