Author

Erica Klinger

Navy spouse and mother of three with a passion for the outdoors. I enjoy spending time with my family and hiking or mountain biking in my free time. Professionally, I enjoy using sophisticated digital strategies and technology to transform organization culture and processes. I also lead teams on crafting high-value, educational and advocacy content on health-related issues to motivate people for action.

From anxiety to Aloha

by Erica Klinger September 7, 2023

written by Erica Klinger

Continued from Part 6 of Erica’s story.

After spending six years in Washington, D.C., my tenth move as a trailing-spouse Navy wife brought us to the tropical paradise of Oahu in Hawaii.

By this point, with a little nudge from COVID times, my employer had seamlessly transitioned to remote work with no plans to return to a full-time, in-office model. My youngest daughter was also getting ready to leave home for her first year of college at the University of Tennessee. It made sense for me (and Gleyber, our red fox Lab) to join my husband for his two-year tour at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base.

Still, I was taking a leap, not knowing if I could keep my job or continue to feel like a successful part of the team with a six-hour time difference —but I knew if I didn’t try it, I would regret it.

This turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Military Moves Trailing Kids

Cross-Country Culture Shocks and Confidence Gains

by Erica Klinger April 26, 2023

written by Erica Klinger

Trailing spouses are forced to encounter change more than the average human, often without much support. In my 28 years as a Navy wife, my family has experienced close to a dozen house moves, including six different states and one overseas tour. Throughout this adventure, I’ve continued prioritizing my professional advancement as a creative marketing professional. In the past, pursuing your own career dreams hasn’t been expected of military wives — but times are changing and I hope sharing my story publicly inspires others to never give up on their dreams.

Continued from part 5 of Erica’s story.

My family has just packed up and moved more than a thousand miles away for the 11th time, prompted by my husband Jeff’s U.S. Navy career.

As we prepare to move from Hawaii to Maryland, it seems like a good time to reflect on our previous relocations, especially our last two cross-country shifts: from Washington state to Washington, D.C. in 2016, and from there to Hawaii six years later.

Erica and Capt. Jeff Klinger in Fairfax Station, Virginia, May 2020

Driving Distance Military Moves Trailing Kids

From Red States to Blue States

by Erica Klinger January 16, 2021

written by Erica Klinger

Trailing spouses are forced to encounter change more than the average human, often without much support. In my 26 years as a Navy wife, my family has experienced 10 house moves, including five different states and one overseas tour. Throughout this adventure, I’ve continued prioritizing my professional advancement as a creative marketing professional. In the past, pursuing your own career dreams hasn’t been expected of military wives — but times are changing and I hope sharing my story publicly for the first time inspires others to never give up on their dreams.

Continued from part four of Erica’s story…

As a Navy spouse, my family’s frequent relocations have exposed me not only to interesting cultural differences, but to the sharp contrasts in political and moral viewpoints within the same country. In that sense, our biggest move was our 2013 transfer from the “red state” of Tennessee to the “blue state” of Washington. (A 10/15 on the Gupte Scale, for reasons shared in my previous blog post.)

I generally take a bipartisan attitude, marking my ballots based on current issues rather than party loyalties, and try to avoid discussing politics. But, as recent elections have reminded us all, every person’s vote really matters — not just in swing states every four years, but also for local offices and initiatives. During my time in the Pacific Northwest, where the default system of voting-by-mail seems to have led to stronger civic participation than in other places we had lived, I started to learn more about the key issues facing our country and really solidified my passion for working in health care and patient advocacy.

Cost of Living

In addition to switching from politically conservative to progressive circles, we knew that there would be many other cultural shifts to consider in our move from the Mid South to the Pacific Northwest. Instead of “y’all” and sunny bright colors, we’d have to fit into a more trendy world of wearing black and grey, tattoos and people who didn’t immediately invite me into their conversations.

Career Transitions Expat Experiences Military Moves Trailing Kids

Finding Our Middle Ground in the Mid-South

by Erica Klinger September 1, 2020

written by Erica Klinger

Continued from Part 3 of Erica’s story…

After spending four years exploring Europe from our base at Naval Station Rota, the Klinger family headed back to the USA in 2008. This time, we were being introduced to another new culture: the Mid-South, a region nearly as foreign to my New Englander self as Spain had first seemed. This would also be an administrative assignment for my husband, so for the first time, we wouldn’t be living near the ocean.

We decided to live in Lakeland, a Tennessee town with great public schools and plenty of space for our three kids to grow up. It was close to Millington, where my husband was stationed, and only 45 minutes from downtown Memphis.

Career Transitions Expat Experiences Military Moves

Viva la Vida Trailing Spouse

by Erica Klinger May 20, 2020

written by Erica Klinger

Continued from Part 2 of Erica’s story….

Three years after our relatively relaxing relocation from Virginia to New Hampshire, I was ready for my family’s biggest adventure yet: Naval Station Rota, Spain.

Or, so I thought.

Career Transitions Driving Distance Military Moves Trailing Kids

Strategic Disruptions Can Help Advance Your Career

by Erica Klinger March 19, 2020

written by Erica Klinger

Continued from Part 1 of Erica’s story…

After juggling four eventful years as a trailing spouse, military wife, new mom and creative marketing professional in the emerging digital landscape, I was excited to see what life would bring next for my marriage, my career, my 4-year-old daughter and 6-month-old son. At the same time, however, I was also seeking more stability.

Career Transitions Driving Distance Military Moves

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Tough, Independent & Innovative

by Erica Klinger February 20, 2020

written by Erica Klinger

I was a fiercely independent child. Never liked telling my parents what I planned to do next, or even goodnight. It wasn’t that I liked to keep people guessing, but I would do anything to avoid dependence or predictability. While some dreamed of a wedding and kids, my goals were simple: be self-sufficient and travel to beautiful places.

So, when I met my husband in college, a rebellious neighbor who wore a red bandana like Axl Rose yet planned to enlist in the U.S. Navy after graduation, how could I resist? Neither of us came from military families; his plan sounded like an incredible adventure. Looking back now, 26 years later, I clearly had no clue what I was getting myself into!