Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gracie Burgess. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Gracie, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I began Grace of a Military Child and Life in April 2021 to give military children and further, spouses, a platform to share their journey. Many military family members experience many different emotions in the life style ranging from joy to pain. Personally, my story as a military child is a bit different as my dad was injured in combat while on deployment to Afghanistan in November 2011.

Gracie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My journey as a military child began in April 2002 when I was born into a military family. My dad was on a stateside deployment to backfill for a unit who has been deployed to the Middle East after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In 2003, my dad was medically discharged from the U.S. Army with a knee injury. In 2010 – he re-enlisted. In August 2011, he was sent on a deployment to Afghanistan. On November 20, 2011, he stepped on and IED. Upon impact, he had a traumatic amputation of his right leg, a complete degloving of his left leg (losing skin, muscle, tissue, nerves, tendons, etc.), injuries to his right hand, TBI, PTS, and many other injuries.

At that time, my family and I relocated from our hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, to San Antonio, Texas for his recovery. That is when I got my first taste of what it was like being around military children for the first time. It was eye opening for me. I realized that there were other children who were like me whether that be having a parent deployed, on training, injured, or killed in action. I did not feel alone for the first time.

After approximately 3 years of recovery, my dad was able to medically retire from the U.S. Army and our family moved from San Antonio, Texas to Cape Coral, Florida (where we reside now). This was a hard transition for me. I was just getting used to being around military related friends and I moved to an area where no one understood the life I was living. Military children are built different and have a different level of understanding for their peers. Like I said, moving to Florida was a struggle for me. I was not around military children, I felt I had to constantly explain myself, and I did not feel seen at all. If anything, I felt like I stook out like a sore thumb because of my family’s experiences.

In April 2021, I began Grace of a Military Child and Life to share the voices of military children who did not frequently have voices. They were not heard or seen. I learned really quickly, there were other children like me. They did not feel as if they were accepted if they did not live in a military community. Most of the military BRATS I have on the podcast are in their early 20s – just entering the workforce or college – and we can all agree that the hardest question to answer is “Where are you from?” or “Where do you call home?” Most of the time, we do not have one general place that we call home. Even me – having only moved twice, I feel like all three of the locations I have lived have some sort of “home” feeling to me.

My podcast has touched the lives of many individuals and their families by sharing the meaning of the lives of military children and spouses. It is not an easy lifestyle to live and to prosper through, but we make the best of it and end up being super successful in the end of it!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, using my podcast is a huge creativity outlet for me as I am able to share the love and passion I have for military families through my work. My branding has so many meanings of military families that is personal to me. I am also able to give military children and spouses a place to be a storyteller for themselves. They are able to share the journey that they are on as a military dependent and how they are helping other military families in the long run.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

For me, I am in my masters program to be a social media marketer. There are many dimensions that go into it, but I am so grateful for the little corner I have created on Instagram. I am able to connect with so many people and give them a space to feel seen and heard. It is such a joy to be able to post relevant content to the military life and give individuals a space where they are able to feel seen and heard.

Contact Info:

• Website: goamcl.org
• Instagram: @graceofamilitarychildandlife
• Facebook: Grace of a Military Child and Life
• Linkedin: Gracie Burgess
• Youtube: Grace of a Military Child and Life
• Other: IG is the best place to reach me. Also my email – [email protected]