Spark Spotlight Veteran: Dr. Ja’net Bishop-Nesbit

Photo credit: Vision Balm Photography

Dr. Ja’net Bishop-Nesbit, Ed. D., CPEC is a veteran, author, speaker, Education Consultant, and Self-Care Coach. She enlisted in 1982, and received her officer commission in 1985. Today she helps veterans and women of all walks of life “make the rest of their life, the best of their life” using the 8 Dimensions of Wellness as a framework.

1. What inspired you to enlist?

What inspired me to join the military began as competition with my brother, who had already joined the military. But ultimately it was to build my leadership skills and lay a strong foundation for my employability after college.

2. How did you imagine military life before you joined?

Before I joined, I imagined military life to be an opportunity to travel, an opportunity to have mentors in my leadership development, and an opportunity to build my mental and physical resilience. And in fact, when I completed basic training, I felt like there wasn’t anything I could not achieve once I returned back to civilian life, because of the mental and physical resilience that I developed. Through participating in different trainings and becoming familiar with different weaponry, it was just a really empowering experience as to preparation, fulfilling an assigned mission, and evolving in my own personal and professional growth.

3. What was the most significant experience you had during your time in the military?

I would say that my significant experiences while in the military were both personal and professional. I actually met my late husband–we were married 28 years and have two wonderful sons who are now also veterans–but we met as I was about to go on a plane to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. We were both about to participate in basic training in Fort Jackson. Professionally, I think a pivotal point would be the trainings that built my mental and physical resilience, in addition to my leadership development. During [my] time in the military, I have served in the Army Reserves as a finance officer, and then as a public affairs officer in the National Guard. The other professional aspect of my experience that I think was pivotal was my active duty time during Operation Desert Storm. Overall, even though I spent a total of 18 years combined Guard, Reserve, and active duty, the experience in the military really laid a strong foundation for a lot of my professional successes in life. I appreciate having had those experiences, as they developed my servant leadership.

4. What occupies your time nowadays?

When I became suddenly widowed in 2016, I was experienced as a former school counselor and principal. As an Education Consultant, Self-Care Coach, speaker, and author, I conduct professional development and coaching opportunities for those in leadership and education, so that they can build their resilience through the research-based 8 Dimensions of Wellness. My military experience jumpstarted training folks to be all that they can be. I’ve served on the Service to the Armed Forces with the American Red Cross here in Charleston, SC. The experience enabled me to do workshops [on] resiliency training for veterans in the local area. That has been very rewarding! In addition, I’ve facilitated empowerment seminars, masterclasses, and coaching for women entrepreneurs, caregivers, women in leadership positions, and most recently, professional development for educators in the area of teacher well-being through Boots to Breakthrough LLC, which I launched in 2018.

5. What is most rewarding about what you do now?

My family, foremost. When I reflect on my life, I’ve always been a Type-A person, driven, and thrived off of ‘burning the candle on both ends’. But when my late husband passed away, I realized that sometimes we get so ‘busy being busy’ that we lose sight of being fully present in the moment, and appreciating the life that we’re building. We must take into account that this life is no dress rehearsal. We need to live our lives in a fulfilling way. So what I love most about what I do now is that I introduce to people the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. As you are building your career, as you are developing relationships, remember to build yourself as well. It’s not enough to go through life working to live, but it’s so important that we learn to live well. This is the premise for what I inspire women to do–as a veteran, as a mom of sons, as a new grandmother, as a newly-remarried woman in mid-life, but most of all as a woman who has a very strong spiritual foundation in realizing that it’s never too late to create a better version of yourself.

6. What do you recommend to women who are interested in enlisting in military service?

I recommend that they research the various military branches as thoroughly as possible and see what resonates with them. There are many high-achieving women who are in the enlisted ranks and officer ranks. Both of those experiences empowered me in my military, school, and community leadership moving my life forward. I would encourage them to find mentors to help them navigate various stages of career development. Whatever specialty they choose, be able to pinpoint–whether that’s through a recruiter or another service member–how that can be transferable in terms of their civilian skills. Choose a specialty (or a branch) that can be in alignment with their civilian goals, and have mentors who are part of their personal and professional community of support.

You can follow Dr. Ja’net on Facebook and LinkedIn at @drjanetbishop, and on Instagram at @boots2breakthrough. You can learn more about her coaching and speaking services, as well as purchase her books at bootstobreakthrough.com.