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Hi! I'm Megan, Founder + CEO of Elevated Oats, US Army Vet and Mountaineer.

Megan Militello and her dog, Poncho. — Megan Militello, Founder + CEO

Here I stand, on top of a mountain—sort of Sound of Music style, but think more tats and baseball caps and less nuns and Germans—thinking of the decade spent following an uncertain career path, but now proud to call myself the owner of Elevated Oats.

I traded prom dresses and yearbooks for fatigues and rifles at the age of 17 where I met Lacey and we became fierce friends.

I turned 19 in the sand dunes of Iraq. I was a Sergeant by 21. I am ALWAYS looking for ways to improve things. The Army wasn't.

Megan + Lacey after receiving their deployment awards at COB Speicher, Iraq in 2010

I dropped guaranteed healthcare, a 90K a year salary, and a family to pursue a college degree and work as an air traffic controller in Hawaii.

And then came love…and then the impossible yet vital decision to leave it.

I ran to my dad in Alaska—my safe haven—with 2 bags and Beamer, my 5lb chihuahua. As I flew over the Big Island, I gripped the seat and fought the rubber band tension around my chest. Down below (in paradise no less) was my broken marriage, broken career, and broken dream. But there was one thing I was taking with me that would be the catalyst for change…

A recipe for banana bread granola.

Leaning into this new idea, I took over my dad’s kitchen as I baked from home (it still smells like toasted coconut in there) until I leased an old Pizza Hut. Suddenly, this wasn’t just a side hustle. I was all in.

I posted a picture on Instagram of my granola bags, which prompted a comment from an old friend…

Hey. 👋 I'm Lacey, Co-Founder + COO of Elevated Oats, US Army Vet, and the Brand Builder.

Lacey Ernandes standing on a mountain — Lacey Ernandes, Co-Founder + COO

The small town in Indiana where I lived wasn’t big enough for my ideas and dreams. I needed out—fast.

I joined the army at 19 and found my “battle buddy”, Megan, in the desert sands of Iraq.

I knew I couldn’t go back to Indiana and it was then I met my husband. We were married in 2011 and had our son Grey later that year. I plucked myself out of the military and into civilian life.

And then just for fun 🙄😂 I decided to rejoin and leave again. Did that twice.

Yeah, I don’t recommend it.

Wanting stability for my kid (and if I’m being honest-- for me too), I got my first “grown up” job as a bill collector and watched as it slowly chipped away at me. I was triggered constantly and needed a lifeline. Enter online school where I began to get a degree in graphic design while Grey slept at night.

In October 2018, I walked out after receiving my bonus—vowing never to line the pockets of someone else again.

Little did I know, this would be the darkest area in my life. With more time on my hands, past traumas constantly bubbled to the surface and soon I couldn’t get them to stop.

I felt Alone. Anxious. Depressed.

And then one day, I saw a post on Instagram from my old friend Megan. I hadn’t seen her since Grey was born. The post was a picture of several naked granola bags. On a whim, I commented, “Interested in labels?” Spoiler alert: she was.