May 31, 2026 · 56 min
More Than a Milspouse: Entrepreneurship, Community, and Not Waiting with Moni Host Ashley returns to the Ruck Up Buttercup podcast after a break and welcomes back guest Moni, an Air Force spouse whose family recently transitioned out of the military and is navigating the learning curve of retirement and new insurance while enjoying reduced stress and more family stability. Moni shares her shift from building military life apps to growing a public relations agency and founding the Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs (AMSE) in 2019 to provide a verified, supportive, 24/7 online community for military spouse business owners focused on collaboration, resources, and making money. They discuss how entrepreneurship can address underemployment, identity challenges, and flexibility through validating offers, pivoting, volunteering to build skills, and using platforms beyond social media. Moni previews the third annual More Than a Milspouse Summit (Oct 7–9 in Arlington, Texas) and closes with advice: don’t wait. 00:00 Welcome Back Update 01:41 Moni Returns 02:56 Retirement Transition 05:17 From Apps to Agency 07:11 Why AMSE Started 11:26 Entrepreneurship Identity 14:27 AMSE Membership Portal 16:31 Elevating Spouse Voices 21:00 Social Media vs Community 24:32 Advice to Start Now 30:33 Volunteer To Break In 31:04 Self Taught Remote Skills 32:12 Winging It And Pivoting 34:35 Support Spouses Simply 34:59 Social Media As SEO 38:33 No Gatekeeping Community 40:17 Barriers And Passive Income 42:37 LinkedIn And Confidence 44:28 More Than A Milspouse Summit 51:13 Summit Details And Tickets 54:25 Final Advice Dont Wait Find Moni Here: Website: https://amseagency.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/amseage IG : https://www.instagram.com/amseagency/ncy LI :https://www.linkedin.com/company/assocofmilitaryspouseentrepreneurs/?viewAsMember=true TW: @theamseagency Reach Ashley at ashleybrown@deployedlove.org