Loyalty: the first word that came to Jodi’s mind when thinking about honor. “It means showing your loyalty to something you believe in, whether that’s your country, your family, your marriage, or your parents.”Jodi explained that one of the first things she was attracted to in her husband when they were dating was his loyalty to his country, friends and family. In fact, she was shocked that he even considered her and honored her enough to include her in his decision to join the National Guard while they were still dating. “He valued his future family enough to consider others in his choices.”

She went on to open up to me about how tough things were for her when they were first married. Jodi and her husband were spending more time apart than together due to his deployment, and they had to move…away from the security and comfort of family and friends. In the process of connecting with new people and places, she had to fight off that little voice saying that she wouldn’t be able to make new friends. In our conversation I remember trying to wrap my mind around how hard those changes must’ve been all at once. Though she had the choice to return and stay with family while her husband was deployed, Jodi persevered through those long days alone and discovered how to be comfortable and confident just being herself. In that time, she learned the importance of not putting her life on hold while her husband was away and how to be independent. “I had to learn how to be comfortable with things like going out to eat by myself”.

In choosing to use that time to grow and really find herself, she was able to keep her heart and emotions in check when talking to her husband on the phone. She explained that if he knew that she could handle things at home, then he could handle what he needed to do without worrying about her. “Life is inconsistent and always changing. If you get too comfortable, your life can get turned upside down.”

Loyalty and honor within their marriage and family is number one. They honor their marriage by not letting work, busyness or a focus on kids to put their relationship on a backburner. They work to spend time together and maintain a strong relationship even if it’s something as simple as working at home on a project, working towards a common goal together, budgeting together or just sitting and talking about their dreams.  They honor their two boys by setting aside intentional family time, providing a dependable schedule and routine, and to answer their hard questions with honesty. To Jodi, this is the ultimate picture of honor. “It’s a daily decision to dig deep and discover what YOU want to honor, respect, and show your loyalty to.”

Not only is she the wife of a Captain & Aid to the Commanding General of the Missouri National Guard, but she is a Health & Wellness Coach, and a kick butt mom. Jodi is an incredible, genuine woman of strength. She doesn’t pretend to be anything but herself and exudes a sense of quiet confidence of being exactly that. I really admire her and so appreciated her taking time to chat with me. I learned a lot, and way more than just about honor. In fact, I’ll share a little nugget of wisdom she gave me. She told me that it’s easy to get caught in the perception that everyone else has the perfect life especially in our world of social media, so many times we also try to portray a perception of perfection. You’ll find though that, “it’s more difficult to live up to the person you’re trying to be rather than just being the real you.” If you’re interested in connecting with Jodi, you can follow her on Instagram @jodi.phillips08 or if you’d like to reach out with questions about her health and wellness program, you can email her at Jodi.lynn.phillips@gmail.com.