For decades, Americans Working Around the Globe (AWAG) has brought leadership and professional development opportunities to military-connected communities overseas primarily through in-person seminars held across Europe.
But this year, as AWAG counts down to their 70th annual leadership seminar in Garmisch, Germany, in April, the organization is kicking off that milestone with a virtual event designed to reflect both its history and its future.
On January 22, AWAG LIVE, a standalone seminar themed “Legacy in Motion,” will offer participants a full day of training, connection and conversation remotely. The event will mirror the spirit of AWAG’s in-person Area Seminars — bringing together speakers, breakout sessions, and side panels focused on leadership, professional development and community-building — without barriers like travel and multi-day childcare coverage.
Chairperson Meg Mitchener says the goal is simple: meet people where they are.
“We try to make AWAG accessible,” Mitchener said. “I’m just really excited for people who maybe can’t swing an AWAG conference to come and experience some of the magic and soak up all that development.”
That sense of accessibility — and permission — runs through the message of the seminar’s closing speaker, Corie Weathers.
Honoring the season you’re in
An author, active-duty Army spouse, and licensed professional counselor, Weathers has spent nearly two decades navigating military life while shaping a traditionally very unportable career into one she has PCS’d with more than a dozen times, sometimes moving full speed ahead and other times choosing to pause with intention.
Her message to military spouses and military-connected professionals is refreshingly honest: not every season is meant for hustle.
“If you need a break, then absolutely respect that and take a break,” Weathers said. “Hustle culture puts the pressure on you that you can get behind. But honoring what you need to do for yourself is really important.”
For many military spouses, the inevitable resume gaps, pauses in career momentum, and stretches of volunteering are viewed as liabilities. Weathers challenges that mindset by reframing those seasons as good choices rather than failures.
Rest can be strategic, too
That distinction matters in overseas assignments, where professional momentum can stall through no fault of one’s own. Time-zone differences make stateside workdays unsustainable, Status of Forces Agreement (aka SOFA) can restrict employment options, and in some countries, heavy taxation or credentialing barriers complicate even remote work. In those seasons, progress doesn’t always look like forward motion on a resume.
Weathers is careful to note that rest doesn’t have to mean disengagement.
“There’s also ways to rest or do an active rest where you’re building toward something, even if you’re not working,” she said. “Whether it’s a certification, schooling, a class or just getting skills in another area. Sometimes it’s about staying encouraged.”
Rather than viewing those pauses as lost time, Weathers encourages spouses to reclaim a sense of agency.
“I do have control of what I’m going to do while I’m here,” she said. “How can I take control of my narrative?”
For Weathers, the answer often comes back to values. Careers matter — but not at the expense of everything else.
“There are seasons where you simply value something over your career,” she said. “Once you’re able to communicate that, people really respect it.”
Join the conversation
AWAG LIVE takes place January 22 on Zoom, with sessions running across multiple time zones and featuring speakers and panels focused on leadership, growth, and connection within the military community.
Registration details and updates are available on AWAG’s Facebook page, where attendees can learn more and save their spot for the seminar.
For those navigating transition, pause or possibility, AWAG LIVE offers something rare: permission to honor the season you’re in while preparing for the one that lies ahead.
