Your Career. Your Life. Your Goals.
16 Weeks to Build Your Next Chapter.

Lean Forward: A Cohort for Spouses in Transition Who Want Direction, Confidence, and a Next Step.

Next Generation Leaders and the Marine Corps Association have partnered to offer the inaugural Military Spouse Coaching Cohort: a free, 16-week coaching experience for military spouses who are ready to invest in their professional growth and build a community that moves with them.

Applications are open from May 22nd – June 5th, 2026!

Apply Now!

About the Program

Military life asks a lot of military spouses; frequent moves, career interruptions, and the constant work of holding everything together. Your ambition doesn’t disappear during those seasons. It waits.

This Military Spouse Coaching Cohort: Lean Forward: A Cohort for Spouses in Transition Who Want Direction, Confidence, and a Next Step, offered in partnership between Next Generation Leaders and the Marine Corps Association, is designed to give it a home. Over 16 weeks, you will work 1:1 with a certified coach, learn alongside a cohort of 16 peers to build the clarity, skills, and network your next chapter requires.

Fully free. Fully virtual. Fully yours.

Program Dates

• Application Window: May 22nd – June 5th
• Selected applicants notified: *INSERT DATE*
• Cohort Begins: August 1, 2026
• Cohort Ends: November 30, 2026

What’s Included

• 6 1:1 coaching sessions with a certified volunteer coach
• 5 virtual group sessions: Cohort Kickoff, 3 group coaching calls, and a Graduation & Synthesis session
• A curated cohort of 16 military spouses who become your peer board of advisors
• Tools, frameworks, and resources for professional development and personal resilience
• Pre- and post-program impact assessment
• Cost: Free.

What You’ll Gain

• A clearer professional identity; one that travels with you
• A roadmap built for your goals, not a generic checklist
• Skills in resilience, adaptability, and proactive career and life management
• A trusted network of military spouses who push you forward
• A certified coach in your corner for 16 weeks

Who This is For

This cohort is open to any Spouses of Active Duty, Retired, or Reserve Service Members and Gold Star spouses who are ready to invest in themselves. Applicants must be members of the Marine Corps Association. You do not need to have a specific path or goal in mind, just a genuine commitment to showing up, doing the work, and contributing to the cohort community. Complimentary MCA memberships are available to military spouses spouses here.

Application Process

Applications take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. You will be asked to confirm your availability for the time period and group sessions, affirm your commitment to engage in the program, and answer short-response questions about your goals and what you hope to contribute to the cohort.