Please join us in welcoming Frances Brown to the Operation Healing Forces team as our Wellness Coordinator! 🎉 At Operation Healing Forces, Frances working closely with members of the Special Operations Forces community who are seeking or currently engaged in virtual wellness coaching through our partners at HatchPath. She earned a master's degree in psychology and holds multiple certifications, including Board Certified Coach, advanced #yoga instructor (500 hours) from Yoga Alliance, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessor, and a Personal Training certification from National Council on Strength and Fitness. Frances is an active, multi-disciplined fitness instructor who has volunteered for other benevolent #SOF organizations following her passion in functional medicine and #holisticwellness in service of our nation’s protectors. With a family background deeply rooted in various military branches, she has a profound respect for the sacrifices made by service members. Having experienced constant deployments firsthand, Frances is married to a retired west coast SEAL with 26 years of service. She understands the challenges faced by military spouses and has a deep compassion for the SOF community, recognizing the mental and physical hurdles during and after military life. Her life's work revolves around researching ways to cultivate gratitude in the present and excitement for the future through a growth mindset. Her dedication to #wellness drives her to connect healing modalities to the SOF community and discover unique methods to ease the transition from military to civilian life. Frances's journey into alternative health practices was influenced by personal experiences with family members facing severe age-related illnesses, depression, suicide, and trauma. Her own life was nearly cut short by a severe motorcycle accident in her 30s, which left her in an induced coma with both a severed and collapsed lung. She leverages her experiences and education to provide valuable insights to those navigating changing situations. We’re excited to have Frances on board as we continue our mission to support the health and #resilience of SOF service members and their families! #welcometotheteam #CreatingBondsThatCure (fb)

As a military nonprofit that supports the whole family, survey findings like these from the National Military Family Association are important to review and consider when shaping programs that truly meet the needs of military families. According to the survey, 40% of spouses reported that their families are struggling financially, and 61% said they experience anxiety. These numbers are a clear reminder of the real and ongoing challenges faced by our nation’s heroes—and the families who stand beside them. This is why support beyond what government services provide matters—and why Operation Healing Forces is continually listening, learning, and adapting to meet those needs. (fb)