Elevate: Jovane Marie | Illuminated Women Veterans

Jovane Marie | #Elevate

Jovane Marie is a mom, bonus mom, Marine Corps Veteran, author, journalist, blogger, speaker, former professional model, dancer, mental health advocate, and entrepreneur.

The granddaughter of two Vietnam Veterans, daughter of a proud Army Veteran, and cousin and niece to a host of Marines, Airmen, and Sailors, she is the product of a long military legacy. She joined the Marine Corps in 2008 after modeling professionally and teaching runway in Tokyo, Japan.

While on active duty, she deployed to multiple locations as a combat correspondent, covering various multinational exercises and humanitarian missions in Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines.
She has dedicated a large portion of her life to the Veterans’ sphere writing for U.S. Veterans Magazine, creating The Vet View Talk Show, serving as the chief innovation officer for the women Veteran-focused nonprofit POWERHOUSE, and supporting hospitalized veterans and deployed service members as a Pin-Ups For Vets ambassador. A compelling speaker, she has shared her voice with audiences ranging from seven people to more than 3,000.

A former “child-freeist”, she popped pregnant in her mid-30s and created The Apprehensive Parental blog to catalog her experiences raising her son and bonus daughter. (www.TheApprehensiveParental.com)
She was diagnosed with Type 1 Bipolar Disorder in 2013 and uses her platform to demystify the disorder and end the stigma surrounding mental illness. She currently uses a combination of medication, therapy, dance (she performs with the Cultivate Dance Latin team) and talking to her mama every day to cope.

She wrote her first book, “You Better STRUT: 5 Steps to Navigating Life with the Confidence of a Supermodel and the Fierceness of a Warrior”, in a month during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and published in December of 2020.

Jovane holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Fayetteville State University. She lives in Raleigh, NC with her partner Justin, bonus daughter Ari, and son Justice.

For day 4, I chose the term “Elevate” to describe Jovane. Not only has she accomplished and overcome so much, she’s also hilarious and an all-around wonderful person. Jovane could stand on her own island of excellence alone, but she chooses to elevate voices and lift up others struggling with mental health stigma all the way through navigating the labyrinth of parenthood. In a world where so much can bring you down, Jovane chooses to elevate, to continue growing, and shining a light on life’s obstacles in delightfully relatable ways.

Видео Elevate: Jovane Marie | Illuminated Women Veterans канала MB Dallocchio