Our Mission
The Valkyrie Project, Inc., 501(c)(3), works in the realms of human performance, education, research, and advocacy to provide American female service members the tools they need for success across the full spectrum of military service. We remain committed to providing intuitive workout programming for FTAs (female tactical athletes) while also expanding and amplifying advocacy, education and research on their behalf through our nonprofit business model. VP also hosts the annual Military Women's Symposium: see our symposium page or social media for details!
Why "Valkyrie?" In Norse mythology, the Valkyries were Odin’s army of female demi-gods that had the power to influence battles and choose who would or would not be let into the gates of Valhalla after dying. To us, the Valkyrie represents the woman warrior's capacity to determine defeat or victory on the battlefield.
Meet Our Team
Meg Tucker, MA, MS
Founder
President- Board of Directors
Podcast Host
Meg spent fifteen years in service: two years in the National Guard, and thirteen on active duty in the US Army. She has 13 years of coaching experience, ranging CrossFit to boot camps to individual personal training. Meg competed in the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Regionals, and has been published in The CrossFit Journal, Task and Purpose and Special Warfare Magazine. She holds a Bachelor's and Master's of Arts Degrees in Modern Languages from Winthrop University, and a Master's of Science degree in Information Strategy and Political Warfare from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Meg has witnessed--and believes in--the boundless potential that all humans possess. She saw the need for more community support and precision athletic training for women warriors after the US Armed Forces announced all jobs and schools would become available to women in 2016. She has a passion to support military women seeking to grow professionally through training and job specialties that were unavailable to them until recent years.
Meg believes that all it takes for today's military woman to reach her dreams is to be willing to put in the work, and push the boundaries physically, mentally, and emotionally a little bit every day. Small bites of short-term success lead to long-term dreams realized. "Do today what others won't. Do tomorrow what others can't."
Emily Valdovinos
Head Programmer
Coach
Social Media Manager
Em is currently Active Duty Air Force Serving at Special Warfare as a human performance and rehab specialist where she oversees training for injured students within their pipelines starting from Basic Training. She attended Eastern Washington University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and Liberty University where she received her Master’s degree in Human Performance specializing in Strength and Conditioning.
She currently holds both NSCA Specialized Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F) Certifications, is a POSE Method Running Technique coach, and is FMS 1&2 Certified. She has over 8 years of coaching experience in both military and civilian group fitness and individualized strength training. Recently, she was the first enlisted airman to be assigned to NASA where she was able to rehab and train astronauts upon their arrival back to Earth.
Em understands the importance of finding time for fitness as she is a mother to a very busy toddler and works a full-time job in the military. Her approach to coaching is to be adaptable to the athlete and make the absolute best use of their time. She believes that with a lot of sweat, some tears, and maybe a little blood; that any woman can get to not only where they want to be, but crush it the whole way there.
Candace Esquivel
Member of the Board of Directors
Candace Esquivel is an active-duty Senior Chief with over 18 years of service in the United States Navy. Over the course of her career, she has served in diverse senior enlisted leadership positions afloat, within special operations, and in national security policy development.
From the beginning of her Navy career, Candace has played an active role in continuing to integrate women in naval service. She was amongst the first women to integrate a guided missile cruiser, USS Bunker Hill in 2006 and continued to be a catalyst for change during her service at Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) and Joint Cyber Operations Group (JCOG).
She gained an appreciation for policy development through her experience in the Navy intelligence, cryptologic, and special operations communities leading to her selection as a Department of Defense (DoD) Fellow for Congressman Seth Moulton.
Candace understands and appreciates the challenges associated with military service. Using her experience as a DoD fellow, she is passionate about ensuring service members are empowered and have the resources they need to succeed and push the boundaries of what they are capable of through policy change.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in management studies and is pursuing a master’s in interdisciplinary studies in management specialization. Finding a passion for Olympic weightlifting, she is working towards her first weightlifting competition and a 200lb clean and jerk.
Tiffany Myrick-Woodley, MBA
Member of the Board of Directors
Tiffany Myrick-Woodley served two decades in the United States Army’s Military Police Corps. Throughout her service, Tiffany supported a wide array of tactical and strategic organizations. She held every direct leadership position, culminating her career as a First Sergeant and Sergeant Major Academy- select.
Tiffany played an essential role in the gender integration of the Army’s Combat Arms occupations. She served as a member of Cultural Support Team – Two (CST-2), enabling 75th Ranger Regiment and Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) by engaging the Afghan female and adolescent populations prior to the lift of the Combat Exclusion Policy. Further, she was selected to observe and advise on the implementation of standards during the integration of Ranger School, the Army’s premier leadership course.
Tiffany fully understands the physical and mental toughness necessary to perform under high stress in both conventional and Special Operation Forces (SOF) environments. She believes that with proper physical and mental conditioning, anything is possible.
Over the span of her military service, Tiffany discovered that real change comes through policy and education. This prompted her to leave the military to influence policy on a broader scale while continuing to provide inspiration, mentorship, and advocacy to future generations. Tiffany is married with a blended family of four. She holds a master’s in business administration with a concentration in international business and is currently working to complete her public leadership credential.
Tristan Irwin, MPP, MF (May '24)
Secretary of the Board of Directors
Tristan is a nine-year veteran of the US Army, where she served as a Transportation Officer and a special operations Civil Affairs Officer. As a Civil Affairs Team Chief, she led a four-person team in Moldova, conducting community-level development assistance to strengthen Moldova’s resilience and support its partnership with the US. Right now, she is pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at Yale University. Tristan graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2012 with a BS in International Relations and a BS in German. She is also a longtime CrossFit athlete with a passion for fitness.
Alissa Newman, PhD (May '24)
Research Grants Manager
Nonprofit Advisor
Alissa is a PhD candidate in the department of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State University, studying physical and psychological readiness and resilience in military populations. She holds a Master’s degree in Health and Exercise Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Sport and Exercise Science, as well as a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Administration. Alissa oversees physical readiness training for the Army and Air Force ROTC programs at Colorado State University. She has over 15 years of coaching in both civilian and tactical environments and is passionate about human performance and empowering people to be their best through education and support.