Janie Smith has been a proud veteran spouse and mother for over 52 years. Her husband is a Vietnam era veteran who served 22 years in the US Army. Their oldest son served four years in the US Marine Corps, while their youngest son served 20 years in the US Army, including six combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their oldest daughter sustained severe traumatic brain injuries as a teenager in an automobile accident and currently lives with them. Additionally, they have four beautiful grandchildren. Their family currently lives in the Fort Hood, TX area.
Since 2018, Janie has had the exceptional honor and privilege of being a Peer Leader with the Veteran Spouse Network. The comments she has heard repeatedly in her groups and individual sessions are often that participants feel their friends and family do not understand their challenges and feel alone. Janie understands your challenges because she has also lived them.
There have been times in her own life when she was hanging by her fingernails, unsure if she could face another day, hour, minute, or even the next second. Yet through her own struggles, she found strength and encouragement–and because of her journey, she would love to support you on yours. There is hope when we have others who listen and understand without judgement.
Professionally, Janie is a Certified Life Coach, specializing in trauma. She taught pre-school through high school and served wounded Vietnam veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. She has directed programs for active-duty soldiers and military children in Germany and has taught back-to-work and life skills to traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors. She was also a TBI support group leader and worked with developmentally disabled adults showing extreme behaviors in California. Janie founded Hope Beyond Trauma and authored a book Hope Beyond Trauma…a mother’s journey.