May 2025 Mentorship Success Story
Meeting You Where You Are
How ACP Mentorship Empowers Military Spouses Amidst Uncertainty
For Active-Duty Military Spouses, who deal with frequent upheaval, surprises (welcome or not) and last-minute changes of plans, one of the most reassuring aspects of an ACP mentorship is that your Mentor will meet you exactly where you are. You don’t need to have your professional path laid out or even to know where you’ll be six months from today. Just bring a positive attitude and willingness to learn!
Christie May had just moved to the UK with her husband, a Technical Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, when she signed up to work with an ACP Mentor. She’d never PCSed before, and most of her work experience was in in-person health care as a behavioral technician and youth advocate. May wasn’t sure how to transition her budding career in digital marketing and holistic wellness to an overseas setting.
Jen Maffeo-Morrissey was the perfect Mentor to help Christie steer through this tricky transition. Maffeo-Morrissey, an ACP Mentor since 2022 and a fellow Air Force spouse, spent nearly 20 years working stateside for large nonprofit organizations before the military sent her family to Germany. She successfully launched a second career as a strategic partnerships consultant after working with her own ACP Mentor in 2023, and she was excited to pass her knowledge and insights on to a fellow spouse stationed abroad.
From their first introduction, May was thrilled to be working with a Mentor whose experience so closely reflected her own. “Just hearing that there was someone else I could connect to who has experience overseas, especially as a [military] spouse, was really exciting and encouraging,” she explains. Maffeo-Morrissey agreed, noting how many similarities the two women shared: “We were both navigating a new professional landscape, which led to each of us ultimately pursuing an entrepreneurial journey.”
ACP mentorships are completely individualized, allowing you and your Mentor to work at the pace that feels comfortable. Although May's ultimate goal was to build a successful business, she and Maffeo-Morrissey centered their initial conversations around topics like short-term goal-setting, bolstering personal and professional confidence, and salary negotiation.
Maffeo-Morrissey enthuses about how ACP’s model gave her the requisite time and resources to help May: “Because of its corporate and military networks, ACP is uniquely suited to provide one-on-one mentoring that elevates the type of professional development support being offered in [the Military Spouse] space.” The pair utilized multiple resources, including the ACP Village, which is a hub of information and connections for entrepreneurial Veterans and Military Spouses.
May, who became passionate about young women’s holistic wellness after dealing with her own health challenges, says that Maffeo-Morrissey “really validated that passion” and advised her to embrace it, knowing that passion would fuel business performance. She shared practical tips and resources, like business podcasts and YouTube channels, so that May could benefit from a wide variety of advice.
“I’ve noticed there are a lot of people in the same boat as me, struggling to get the help they need [with health conditions],” May says. “It’s been refreshing and reassuring to hone in and focus on helping those people.” With Maffeo-Morrissey’s help, she is excited to see what 2025 has in store!
Whether you’re a new Active-Duty Spouse on your first assignment or a Veteran retiring after 20+ years of service, ACP has the right Mentor for you. Visit our website to check our eligibility criteria and to sign up for a year long mentorship! Active Duty service members and post 9/11 Veterans, apply here.
This Mentorship Success Story was written by Hailey Brindamour, a Senior Operations Associate here at ACP. A Military Spouse herself, Hailey joined us in the summer of 2022 and plays a vital role in ensuring incredible experiences like this are possible for our community.
