Maxine Reyes
Maxine Reyes
Maxine Reyes is a dynamic and accomplished leader, embodying the principles of resilience, service, plenitude and purpose. As the founder of With Courage & Grace® brands and a distinguished combat veteran of both the U.S. Army and Air Force, Maxine exemplifies the strength and compassion of a servant leader.
Guided by her belief in living a life of plenitude, Maxine prioritizes gratitude, simplicity, and meaningful connections in both her personal and professional pursuits. While she appreciates life’s finer things, she emphasizes that true plentitude lies not in material wealth, but in the abundance of intangible treasures—fulfillment, joy, and the impact of authentic relationships. Her vision inspires others to embrace lives of purpose and balance, rooted in what truly matters.
Maxine is a published author of Happily Joint: The Secret to Relationship Resiliency, a book she co-authored with her husband that debuted as a #1 Amazon bestseller in the Military Families category. She is also a certified relationship and transformational coach, international speaker, masterful storyteller, and professional national anthem singer. When asked how she finds time to excel in these diverse roles, Maxine confidently shares that she is living her purpose, leveraging her skills at the most opportune moments.
With a deep passion for helping couples thrive, Maxine is dedicated to empowering them to maximize happiness in their marriage and cultivate a harmonious home. Her mission is to inspire couples to not only enjoy a fulfilling life together but also serve as strong, positive role models for their children.
Maxine Reyes is a highly sought-after speaker who has inspired and engaged diverse audiences, including the President of the United States, Wounded Warriors of the U.S. Army, collegiate students, couples at marriage enrichment events, women’s empowerment groups, and teens striving to live authentically, build confidence, prioritize mental health, and foster healthy relationships.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, and raised as a shy country girl in Manchester, Maxine’s early years were marked by a reserved nature that limited her ability to showcase her talents. Despite this, she harbored big dreams of becoming a television broadcaster and hosting her own radio or TV show. Determined to overcome her shyness, Maxine embarked on a personal journey to build confidence and develop her stage presence by volunteering to sing and speak as often as possible.
Now, she has created a business from those experiences and is a sought after keynote speaker and panelist and national anthem singer for professional sports teams and non-profit galas.
Her distinguished military career, which included commanding troops, presenting to public audiences and senior leaders, honed her communication skills and strengthened her resolve to conquer her fears. Today, Maxine is a dynamic and confident speaker, widely recognized for her expertise in teaching valuable life skills and self confidence to young adults, fostering healthy relationships/marriage enrichment spaces, and her leadership in the military, delivering personal, impactful messages that resonate with audiences worldwide.
She also joined forces with her husband with their “Happily Joint® Weekend” getaway for couples since May 2012. A couples weekend getaway filled with engaging games, enriching workshops, meaningful connection time, and opportunities to bond with other faith-centered couples who share similar marriage and relationship goals.
Fun Fact: She volunteered to start her own live show on the Facebook platform Jamaicans.com, with over 200K followers. The audience loved it and now Maxine is filming a variety of episodes on topics like relationships, Jamaican Trailblazers, business, military life and culture to share some on said platform and her own YouTube Channel. http://www.youtube.com/@maxinereyeslive She has decided that it’s important to share the stories of people who selflessly serve their communities, and lift others while they rise. Also, those who lead confidently and push through fear to pursue “that thing”, a topic she speaks on frequently. In 2021, she created and hosted the “Ignite Your Confidence Brunch” where women and teen girls are provided a space to share their stories and talents. She is also the founder of the “Florida Women Veterans Awards” powered by her 501 (C)3 Courage & Grace Foundation to advocate for and support girl’s confidence, and underprivileged youth education, fine arts and performing arts programs through scholarships and mentorship, causes that supports women veterans and strengthen military families. A new program addition to the foundation is “Lights, Camera, Action”, a collaboration with a previous first responder and entertainer. The program is a social initiative committed to standing against abuse in the entertainment industry.
A community leader of social impact, Maxine is a two-time recipient of the Humanitarian Service Medal and Military Outstanding Volunteer Medal. She has mentored hundreds of personnel and gained notoriety for her exceptional leadership style and community service by being named Military Person of the Year in her hometown of Miami by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and received a Proclamation from the City of Orlando naming July 14, 2016 as forever known as Captain Maxine Reyes Day. Most recently, she was selected by the Florida Cabinet and the Governor as an inductee into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame for class of 2022.
Maxine continues to live limitlessly, and encourage people to pursue their passions intentionally, ignite confidence, wellness & relationship resiliency, and lift others while you rise. She advocates for women veterans and military families. Maxine wholeheartedly believes that investing in building strong families, will in turn build resilient communities. Lastly, her mantra is that in all things, do so with love, courage, grace and gratitude.
Make happiness last!