Why Listen:
In this episode, I answer two listener questions that I believe are relevant to our audience: one about following one’s passion and one about podcasts. I also share about an area in my life where I’ve felt out of integrity with Beyond the Uniform. In this episode, I reference two different podcasts I believe listeners would enjoy:
The first is my interview with author, Cal Newport, who talks about how the advice “follow your passion” is B.S. You can listen to that interview here: https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-86-author-cal-newport-so-good-they-cant-ignore-you?rq=cal%20newport
The second is an episode I did about podcasting - why you should consider doing it, and everything you need to know to make that happen. You can listen to that interview here: https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-244-podcasting?rq=podcasting
Why Listen:
In this episode, I share three professional thoughts and two personal thoughts.
Why Listen:
This is a skills episode, where we dig into a specific skill set that is likely to be highly relevant to all listeners. Mike is an expert corporate instructor on many topics, and in this episode we delve into Executive Presence - what it is, why it is so important to the Veteran community, and specific actions they can take - today - to start to further build this. Mike also talks about his own career path, starting his own company, and how Executive Presence has played a role in his success.
About Mike
Mike Figliuolo is the Managing Director of thoughtLEADERS, a professional services firm that offers instruction, coaching and consulting on the subjects of leadership, communications, strategy and operations. He started out at West Point, after which he served in the US Army for five years as an armor officer. His work since then has included work at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He has published three books, all of which will be linked to in the show notes for this episode, and is an author at LinkedIn Learning where you can - along with hundreds of thousands of people before you - watch his videos on a variety of professional topics.
Why Listen:
In the 300+ interviews I’ve completed with military Veterans about their civilian career, one of the most often cited pieces of advice is to understand you’re finances. Many guests have talked about how one’s financial situation can provide you with more time to find your ideal career, and avoid the stress that comes with a career transition. Chris Hogan is one of the world’s foremost experts on personal finances, retirement planning and more. It’s an honor to have him on the show, and I guarantee you’ll walk away from this episode inspired and with tactics you can put to use today.
About Chris:
Chris Hogan is a best-selling author, a personal finance expert, and America’s leading voice on retirement, investing, and building wealth. His goal is to help as many people as possible avoid financial traps and set their families up for the future.
His book Retire Inspired: It’s Not an Age; It’s a Financial Number is a number one national best seller, and The Chris Hogan Show has millions of downloads. Chris is also a regular contributor to the EntreLeadership Podcast, a top podcast on business and leadership.
Along with speaking at events across the country, Chris works with business leaders, professional athletes, and entertainers to help them set goals and navigate their financial futures.
Why Listen:
In this episode, I share four professional thoughts and share three personal thoughts.
Why Listen
Sal has had an incredible career as a journalist, from newspapers, to authoring four books, to being a Veteran of ESPN for over 25 years. With ESPN he covers the National Football League for SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Live and Fantasy Football Now. He also hosts the long-running NFL Matchup show. While Sal’s career has been in journalism and sports, he talks about curiosity, about finding information that no one else knows, about approaching one’s job with a beginner’s mindset, and a whole host of topics applicable to any career.
About Sal
Sal Paolantonio is a national correspondent for ESPN. He primarily covers the National Football League for SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Live and Fantasy Football Now. He also hosts the long-running NFL Matchup show. He has been a mainstay of ESPN’s NFL coverage since he joined ESPN in August 1995, and is a veteran of 25 Super Bowls. Prior to joining ESPN, Paolantonio was a political reporter (1985-93), as well as a beat reporter for the Philadelphia Eagles (1993-95), for the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 1994, he won the Associated Press Sports Editors Award for Reporting, and in 1995, he was named Philadelphia’s Best Sportswriter by Philadelphia Magazine. He also served as a reporter for Philadelphia’s WPHL-TV nightly newscast, Inquirer News Tonight (1994-95), and hosted Saturday Morning Sports Page, a weekly call-in show on WIP-AM all-sports radio (1993-95). Paolantonio began his journalism career as a reporter for the Albany Times Union, where he received the Associated Press Managing Editor’s Award for Enterprise Reporting (1985). He received the 2017 Jack Newfield Courage in Journalism Award from the New York Daily News.
Paolantonio is the author of four books. His most recent, Philly Special: The Inside Story of How the Philadelphia Eagles Won Their First Super Bowl Championship, will be available in September 3, 2019. His previous book, How Football Explains America, was published in 2008 and was the No. 1 selling football book in America for six straight months, according to Amazon.com.
Paolantonio served in the United States Navy (1979-83) as a surface warfare officer in the Pacific Fleet and was awarded the United Nations Meritorious Service Medal in 1981 for supervising the rescue of Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea. He retired as a full lieutenant in 1983. Paolantonio is also a member of the board of the Cooper University Hospital Foundation in Camden, N.J.
Why Listen:
In this episode, I share one professional thought, share a recommendation to listen to BTU #71 - Jeff Tiegs: 25 Years of Army Counter Terrorism to the Guardian Group, and share two personal thoughts.
This September we have interviews episodes every Monday and Thursday, with 9 brand new episodes. We also have "Behind BTU" episodes slated for every Saturday.
Here's a quick look at our lineup:
9/2 BTU #302 - Navy SWO to ESPN Reporter and Host (Sal Paolantonio)
9/5 BTU #303 - Marines to Product Manager at IBM (Richard I. Porter)
9/9 BTU #304 - Army to Production Supervisor (Chris Lee)
9/12 BTU #305 - Lt. General to Arizona State University leadership (Benjamin Freakley)
9/16 BTU #307 - How to prepare for retirement (Chris Hogan)
9/19 BTU #308 - How To Build Executive Presence (with Mike Figliulo)
9/23 BTU #309 - The Intersection of Passion & Talent (with Ken Coleman)
9/26 BTU #310 - Keto Butta (with Arron Barnes)
9/30 BTU #311 - SemperK9 (with Chris Baity)
Why Listen:
In 300 episodes completed, this is a first of a kind - a celebration, backstory, and variety show extravaganza. Thanks to all of you who have supported us in achieving this milestone!
Why Listen:
In this episode, I share lessons learned from two interviews I did this week. These episodes will air in September & October, but there were some important professional lessons I wanted to share in advance. I also share three personal thoughts about relationship and life.
About Robert Irvine:
"With more than 27 years in the culinary profession, Chef Robert Irvine has cooked his way through Europe, the Far East, the Caribbean and the Americas, in hotels and on the high seas. Robert hosts the Food Network series Restaurant: Impossible, where he saves struggling restaurants across America by assessing and overhauling their weakest spots. He also previously hosted Dinner: Impossible and Worst Cooks in America. Robert has authored two cookbooks, Mission: Cook! and Impossible to Easy, and one healthy-living book, Fit Fuel: A Chef’s Guide to Eating Well and Living Your Best Life. He tours with his interactive live show, Robert Irvine Live, and appears regularly as an expert guest on national morning and daytime talk shows.
In 2015 Robert launched Robert Irvine Foods, a company that features a nutritionally improved line of food products without compromising great taste. He recently established his eponymously named nonprofit organization, The Robert Irvine Foundation, in an effort to support military personnel and their families. In recent years he was honored with two very distinguished recognitions for his dedication to the armed services and our country’s heroes. He was first designated Honorary Chief Petty Officer by the U.S. Navy, and later that year awarded the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment and Support of our Service Members, bestowed upon him by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Continuing his support of the military, Robert became the first celebrity chef to open a restaurant — aptly named Chef Robert Irvine’s Fresh Kitchen — at the Pentagon, in the fall of 2016. His other recent projects include the Robert Irvine Magazine in May 2016; the opening of a new Gold’s Gym in Largo, Florida, in January 2017; and the opening of a new restaurant in Las Vegas at the Tropicana in late 2017. For more information on Chef Robert Irvine, visit www.ChefIrvine.com.”
Why Listen:
Brian co-founded a wine business while on Active Duty, which is one of several “side hustles” in his life. Regardless of your interest in wine, entrepreneurship, or side hustles, this is a FANTASTIC interview. We talk about how you can use an existing product while bringing marketing and branding to the table to make it a business. In Brian’s case, he is redistributing wines from incredible vineyards under his own label, which means he doesn’t have to worry about creating and maintaining a product. We talk about how preparation happens well before the opportunity arises, about giving back, about using volunteering opportunities, about cultivating side pursuits while in the military and more.
About Brian:
Brian Retherford is currently serving in the US Army, where he is the team leader for a multi-function cyberspace operations team, and has served for 15 years. He is also the Founder of Claudine Wines, which is what we're going to spend most of our time talking about today. He started out at West Point, and has served in the Army since he graduated in 2004. He has an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
In this episode, I share lessons learned from four interviews I did this week. These episodes will air in September, but there were some important professional lessons I wanted to share in advance.
Why Listen:
After multiple jobs, Laura found a career that is aligned with her personal values and, as a result, feels more energy in what she does. And what she does as Founder & CEO of Freedom Makers is help military spouses gain freedom in their own life. Laura talks about how small businesses can benefit from working with military spouses, about how listeners can benefit by having their own virtual assistant, and a whole host of topics related to any military Veteran.
About Laura:
Laura Renner is the President and Founder of Freedom Makers, which creates freedom for small business owners by providing virtual assistance. Freedom Makers’ assistants are military spouses who also gain freedom because they can keep working no matter when or where the military moves their family. She served in the Air Force for six years as a Public Affairs Officer, earned an International MBA at the Chicago Booth School of Business, has worked in recruiting in the airline industry, and has started a few businesses.
Why Listen
David transitioned from the military… twice. He talks about what he got wrong on his first transition, and advice on pitfalls to avoid. He serves as the Project Manager for a 5 person Military Relations Team at Lockheed Martin who organize over 170 career fairs per year, and has helped countless military Veterans in their career search. We cover a lot of ground in terms of resources Veterans should consider, mistakes to avoid and more.
About David
David Wallace is a Military Relations Project Manager at Lockheed Martin, where he has worked since 2009. He served in the US Navy for over 20 years, first as a Navy photographer on USS Fulton (AS 11), USS Forrestal (CV 59) then became a Navy Reserve career recruiter.
Why Listen:
In this episode, I share two professional thoughts and three personal thoughts.