Maria Volodkevich
Maria Volodkevich is a Director of Marketing & Communications, Air Force veteran, and founder of Little Wingmen Press, a children’s publishing brand dedicated to creating stories where military kids are the heroes. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, she brings together a background in leadership, operations, and storytelling to build meaningful programs and creative work that serve military families. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and the London School of Economics, she combines disciplined execution with a strong passion for mission-driven communication.
During her seven years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, Maria held high-impact leadership roles in intelligence operations, training, and program management, including leading large teams and supporting global missions. She also served as a parachute instructor with the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Wings of Blue, where she trained hundreds of first-time skydiving students and developed extensive experience in public speaking, instruction, and performance under pressure. Her military career shaped her expertise in leadership, cross-functional coordination, and operational excellence.
After transitioning from active duty, Maria shifted into nonprofit leadership and marketing through her work with The COMMIT Foundation, where she helps veterans and military spouses navigate career transitions and build purposeful futures. Alongside this role, she launched Little Wingmen Press and published her debut book, Operation: Care Package, quickly gaining traction with military families. Driven by a mission to serve both veterans and their children, she continues to expand her impact through storytelling, advocacy, and programs that uplift the military community.
• Air Force Veteran
• Air Force Officer
• The London School of Economics and Political Science- Master's
• United States Air Force Academy- B.S.
• Regent University- M.B.A.
• Charlotte Young Professionals Group (CYPG)
• Charlotte Young Professionals Group (CYPG) - networking and volunteer opportunities
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say it is discipline. I grew up as a competitive swimmer for 10 years, and I swam at the Air Force Academy as a D1 swimmer, so you really learn how to put your head down and focus, even on things you don't like. I think a lot of times people glamorize entrepreneurship on Instagram as this glamorous thing, and I try to be really honest on Instagram where I'm like, it's not always like this. Sometimes it's 8 hours of financial tasks you don't want to do. I really know how to work under pressure, and I know how to stick with something long enough to see success. I think that's so much of entrepreneurship because it's so uncertain. I've spent a year and a half not knowing if this was gonna work. I really was like, well, we have to wake up every day and do it. We have to wake up, and we have to focus, and be disciplined, and that's why I'm here now with 200 books sold in 72 hours.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I'm a huge proponent of getting coaching and getting therapy to work through things. Let's be honest, life in the military is very difficult, and you're wearing a uniform, which I think is symbolic of serving your country, but it's also almost a mask where you haven't found your new identity yet. So get the help, get the therapy, and get yourself in a place of I know who I confidently am. And then once you have that confidence, start looking at what areas of your life have you lit up, where you're like wow, I loved doing that and I lit up, or I was doing this hobby and I lit up. Look at all those different areas of your life and be like, which part could I use and actually create a business around it? Because it's not motivation that lasts, motivation only lasts so long. You have to have discipline. And so if you start with something that already lights you up naturally, you'll be able to hang on for the really tough moments during entrepreneurship.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field include navigating identity transition after military service, managing the risk of burnout, and dealing with the uncertainty that comes with entrepreneurship. At the same time, there are strong opportunities to scale a military-kids brand internationally through books, merchandise, and school programs, while leveraging nonprofit and military community networks to expand impact.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Balance equals boundaries. To have balance in life, you have to have boundaries and say no to things that aren't in alignment with where you're trying to go. That can be as much as friends, activities, watching TV. I think you have to make such intentional choices of is that in alignment or not. I've started putting my phone away at 7pm, I put a timer on my Instagram where I don't go on at certain hours, so I've created this set of boundaries that keep me healthy, like 9 hours of sleep, healthy food, and saying no to things and being okay with saying no. Everyone has the same 24 hours a day, and what are your little micro-choices you make? Those are gonna drive the mental burnout or not. I didn't have boundaries so I hit exhaustion, but now I'm saying no to things and only doing things that bring me joy, scale the business in the right way, and build community. I've created these pillars. I now know what it's like to do something you're not passionate about and it drains you. I make significantly less money working at this nonprofit than I could make doing marketing at Krispy Kreme or Lowe's, probably a fraction of what I could make, but I'm passionate. I wake up invigorated and not drained. Everything comes with sacrifice. I'm sacrificing a big paycheck, but we gotta, we got a short life, so you gotta do something you at least enjoy.