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Beyond the Uniform

Beyond the Uniform is a show to help military veterans navigate their civilian career. Each week, I meet with different veterans to learn more about their civilian career, how they got there, and what advice they'd give to other military personnel. www.beyondtheuniform.org
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Now displaying: October, 2019
Oct 31, 2019
Why Listen
Today is a skill episode, where I meet with an expert to learn a skill that will help any military Veteran in their civilian career. Today, I talk with Kerry Meyer about emotional intelligence. And Kerri makes some incredible statements about how - if you are going to pick one skill to learn - emotional intelligence is HANDS DOWN the one to pick, with a clear and direct impact on your earning potential AND very clear ways to start to improve your EQ, no matter where it is today. Often on Beyond the Uniform, my guests talk about how military Veterans are perceived in interviews and in the workplace as being harsh, abrasive, and and un-empathetic. We talk about how to avoid those stereotypes and - just in case they’re true - improve in each of those areas. 
 
If you like this episode, be sure to check out 
BTU #118 - Empathy & Non-violent communication (NVC) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/skills-1-empathy-non-violent-communication-nvc-btu-118?rq=nvc
 
You’ll find links to each of those episodes in the show notes for this episode at http://www.BeyondTheUniform.org, where you’ll also find over 300 other completely free episodes, a whole host of online events, webinars and more.
 
About Kerri
Kerri Meyer is the CEO of Sync Learning. She has spent over 22 years in Corporate America, in Operations, Support and Learning & Development roles, including leading teams at Intuit, Symantec and Veritas Technologies, where she was most recently Director of Learning & Performance.
Oct 28, 2019
Why Listen:
Shortly after leaving the Marine Corps, Mike traveled to Cambodia, where he worked to setup a cross fit gym. He went on to business school… in Malaysia. And then he became a National Outdoor Leadership School instructor, where he teaches civilians and members of the military about wilderness survival and leadership. Which is to say - Mike is a Veteran who is forging his own way, and thinking outside of the box. If you are interested in a non-traditional career path, or just a great story, this is the interview for you.
 
For those of you who enjoy this episode, be sure to check out:
BTU #240 - Self Reliant Leadership (Jan Rutherford) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-240-self-reliant-leadership-jan-rutherford?rq=jan%20rutherford
BTU #268 - How the Outdoors Saved My Life (Stacy Bare) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-268-how-the-outdoors-saved-my-life-stacy-bare?rq=stacy%20bare
BTU #120 - Traveling the world for 4 years after Active Duty Navy (Tim Patterson) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-120-traveling-the-world-for-4-years-after-active-duty-navy-tim-patterson?rq=tim%20patterson
 
You’ll find links to each of those episodes in the show notes for this episode at http://www.BeyondTheUniform.org, where you’ll also find over 300 other completely free episodes, a whole host of online events, webinars and more.
 
About Mike
Mike Titzer is a Field Instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School, or NOLS. NOLS is a nonprofit global wilderness school that will help you step forward boldly as a leader. He served in the Marine Corps for six years. Since his military service, he opened aCrossFit gym in Cambodia, and went to business school in Malaysia. He holds an MBA from the Asia School of Business, a Masters in International Relations from American University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Academy. 
Oct 26, 2019

Why to Listen: 

The Commit Foundation is a fantastic and free resource to help veterans get where they want to go… just a whole lot faster. They take a very individual approach with each veteran with whom the work, and tailor their approach to help instill veterans with information, confidence, and imagination. Having worked with so many veterans over the years, Anne Meree has some fantastic advice for listeners about interviews - it’s some of the best advice this subject I’ve had on the show.

About our Guest:

Anne Meree Craig is the Executive Director and Co-Founder, The COMMIT Foundation, which is changing the way highly talented veterans think about transition and creating serendipity for them by fostering mentorship, networking, and inspiration. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Bunker Labs.

 

Oct 24, 2019
Why Listen:
One aspect that I loved about my conversation with Dan is how his story exemplifies a middle road for Veterans. Often, I interview Veterans who take a wildly different career path after their military experience. I also interview many Veterans who take a career path that is directly related to their military experience. Dan found a way to split the difference. His career path utilized one piece of his military experience, while also allowing him to branch into an entirely different industry. We talk about how we made the switch from submarines into the clean energy space. We talk about the rapid growth occurring in this industry, and why mission-oriented Veterans might love this field. Dan also served during the time of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, and shares his experience of coming out to his wardroom. This aspect of my conversation helped me build empathy and understanding for someone who had the exact same military career path that I did, yet was impacted by a policy in a way that I never had to experience. 
 
For listeners who enjoy this episode, check out these three episodes, which I’ll link to in our show notes at Beyond the Uniform;
  1. BTU #186 - Army Veteran to Blockchain and Ethereum at ConsenSys (Donnie Benjamin) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-186-army-veteran-to-blockchain-and-ehterium-donnie-benjamin-consensys?rq=benjamin
  2. BTU #221 - Navy Veteran to the Cannabis Industry @ CannaCraft (Cheriene Griffith) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-221-navy-veteran-to-the-cannabis-industry-cannacraft-cheriene-griffith?rq=cheri
  3. BTU #213 - Navy Veteran to Cyber Security at FireEye (Lauren Burnell) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-213-navy-veteran-to-cyber-security-at-fireeye-lauren-burnell?rq=cyber
 
While these three interviews are not about clean technology, they each share a commonality of covering industries that are new and rapidly growing. They are all also relatively new fields. This means that there aren’t a lot of people who have decades of experience in these fields, so a military Veteran who is a newcomer to the space doesn’t have as much ground to catch up on.
 
About Dan
Dan Misch is the Federal Project Director with the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and the Founder of the Veterans Advanced Energy Summit. He started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served on Submarines for five years, including three nuclear deterrent patrols. He is a member of the Truman National Security Project Defense Council and Energy Expert Group.
Oct 21, 2019

Why Listen:
If you’re interested in sports and entertainment - either as an enthusiast or as a potential career option - you’ve got to hear James’ story. He went from 31 year Army Veteran to being an Executive Vice President for Hornets Sports & Entertainment. Not only does this entail the logistics for each and every Hornets basketball game… but that is literally less than 20% of the events that occur at the Spectrum Center each year, and James oversees all of them. We talk about how much of our military experience translates well to operations. We talk about why Veterans may love a career in sports and entertainment. And we talk about swimming in your own lane. James’ younger brother is a guy you may have heard of - Michael Jordan… the Michael Jordan. Towards the end of our conversation, James and I talk about this, and his response to my question about this made me respect James even more. James has a wonderful perspective on the military transition, and I hope you enjoy this unique conversation.

If you enjoy this episode, I’d recommend checking out four other similar episodes, each listed in our show notes, which are:
1. BTU #93 - Matt Ufford: Marines to Editor & Host at SB Nation - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-93-matt-ufford-marines-to-editor-host-at-sb-nation?rq=ufford
2. BTU #74 - Nate Boyer: Army Green Beret to the NFL - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-84-nate-boyer-army-green-beret-to-the-nfl?rq=nfl
3. BTU #258 - Army Ranger to HBO and Writing & Directing Movies (Brian Hanson) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-258-army-ranger-to-hbo-and-writing-directing-movies-brian-hanson?rq=hbo
4. BTU #302 - Navy SWO to ESPN Reporter and Host (Sal Paolantonio) - https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-302-navy-to-espn-sal-paolantonio?rq=espn

About James:
James Jordan is the Executive Vice President of Operations for Hornets Sports & Entertainment, where he has served for nearly six years. He started out in the Army, where he served for over 31 years, most recently as the 35th Signal Brigade Airborne Command Sergeant Major as a part of 18th Airborne Corps Task Force supporting Combat Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. After his military service, he worked for over seven years as the Director of Operations and Administration for the EPS Corporation, Field Service Company.

Oct 19, 2019

In this informal episode, I go through two announcements, answer one listener question, and delve into more personal info than you’d ever want to know.

Oct 17, 2019

Why Listen:
I’m embarrassed to say this, but my interview with Jason was an eye opening reminder of how many positions there are in public service that are not elected office. When I think of public service, I think of previous guests I’ve had on the show, like Sean Barney from episode #66, who ran for a seat in the House of Representative. However, as Jason points out in this interview - for every one of those positions, there are thousands of others, working behind the scenes, making things run efficiently, all serving their country in their own way. Jason makes some great points about why Veterans might love a career in public service. He is also an exceptional example of someone who has done the heavy lifting to uncover and identify his personal values. As you’ll learn in this interview, this has helped him keep an open mind when new and unexpected opportunities arise, and decide whether this is the right change for himself and his family. Changes such as leaving Intuit after over 8 years in the private sector to make the switch to public service.

About Jason:
Jason Jackson is the Director of Administrative Services and Chief HR Officer to the Governor for the State of Nebraska. He started out at the Naval Academy as part of the illustrious class of 2002, served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy for over five years, worked in a variety of roles at Intuit for nearly nine years, and has been working for the State of Nebraska for nearly four years. He holds an MA in Political Science from San Diego State University and a Juris Doctorate from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Oct 14, 2019
Why Listen:
Well, normally on the show I interview military veterans about their civilian career, what they do, how they got there, and advice for other veterans seeking to do the same. Today, however, is a skills episode, where I meet with a world-class expert on a topic relevant to our listeners, regardless of your career path. And the topic may surprise you, because today is all about storytelling. We talk about why storytelling may make or break your success as a leader, interviewer, and even parent. We talk about how storytelling is one of the most efficient and lasting ways to influence people and organizations. 
 
About Paul:
Paul Smith is one of the world’s leading experts in business storytelling, one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers of 2018, a storytelling coach, and bestselling author of the books The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell, Lead with a Story, Sell with a Story, Parenting with a Story, and Four Days with Kenny Tedford.
 
His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Forbes, Fast Company, The Washington Post, PR News, CIO Magazine, Investors Business Daily, Marketing Research Magazine, the American Banking Journal, and London’s Edge Magazine, among others.
 
In his 20 years with Procter & Gamble, Paul held leadership positions in both research and finance functions, and most recently served as director of consumer and communications research. Prior to P&G, Paul was a consultant for Arthur Andersen & Company.
 
His keynote speaking and training clients include international giants like Google, Hewlett Packard, Bayer Medical, Walmart, Kaiser Permanente, Ford Motor Company, Luxottica, and Procter & Gamble among dozens of others.
 
Paul holds a bachelors degree in economics, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives with his wife and two sons in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio.
 
Oct 12, 2019

A plug for our events, a request for recommendations, and a recap of an interview this week that will be broadcast in mid-November.

Oct 10, 2019

Why Listen: 

Sign me up for the Danny Hwang fan club. We cover some fresh terrain for Beyond the Uniform, as we follow Danny’s story of leaving the Army - and just weeks later - traveling to Shanghai, and growing an education startup until - three years later - he and his brother successfully sold their first company. In doing so, they achieved a lifelong goal they committed to at age six, of being able to retire their parents and move them from their home in Atlanta back to Seoul, Korea. Now, Danny is at it again, this time in Vietnam, joined by co-founders who were his classmates at West Point, and friends in the Army. If you are interested in taking a risk in your career, in setting goals and achieving them, in maintaining a great family life in addition to a great work life, in starting companies, or just hearing a story from an inspirational veteran doing great things in the world. This episode is for you.

If you enjoy this episode, two similar episodes that I would recommend are:

  1. BTU #114 - Founding an Inc 500 Company While Traveling Southeast
    Asia (Justin Cooke)
    - where Justin Cooke talks about founding Empire
    Flippers all while traveling through Southeast Asia.
    2 - BTU #11 -BTU #111: Two sibling Army Vets and Their Two Successful
    Startups
    - the story of Jon and Chris Boggiano, both West Point grads
    and Army Veterans who co-founded two different successful startups
    together.

About Danny:

Danny Hwang is the Founder & CEO of Point Avenue. Based in Vietnam, Point Avenue is a private education technology company offering K-12 educational services and admissions consulting across Southeast Asia. He started out at West Point, after which he served as an Army Ranger for six years, including two tours in Iraq and over 25 months overseas. After his military service, he co-founded New Pathway Education & Technology Group with his older brother, Sam, in Shanghai, China, which was acquired in 2014 by CVC Capital Partners. He currently serves as the Chairman of Ignite, a professional services company that specializes in human capital development, and CEO of Odyssey, a joint venture company developing AI technology. Danny's hobbies include traveling the world with his wife, Honda, racing in ultra-marathons and Ironman competitions, reading, and spending time with his family.

Our Sponsor: 

This episode is sponsored by Point Avenue. Based in Vietnam, Point Avenue is a private education technology company offering K-12 educational services and admissions consulting across Southeast Asia. We are grateful for the financial support of Point Avenue on this episode, which helps us further our mission at Beyond the Uniform and have a bigger impact on the military Veteran community.

Website: http://www.pointavenue.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PointAvenue/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Point.Avenue/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5A3YP-6-Ir4UAIeCLA4SzQ    

Oct 7, 2019

Why Listen
Well, you know you're enjoying a conversation when midway through, you're already planning the next interview. Tyler is awesome. I just really appreciated so much about this interview. The thing that stands out to me most is his mastery in sales. He talks about his career, which is a variety of different experiences in the functional role of sales while also having most of that in the industry of energy. What I appreciated about his story is hearing about how throughout his career he's picked up different tools, different tricks, different skills that over time have allowed him to really have a mastery of this field in sales. I also appreciated his ability to communicate extremely effectively why veterans are well suited to sales, why this may be an appealing career path, even if you think it's the least likely career path that you would want to pursue. We talk about executive MBA, why he chose to pursue it, which is pretty unique for most guests that I have on the show, and a whole lot more.

About Tyler
Tyler Johnston is a Sales Director on Black & Veatch’s Corporate Strategic Accounts team. He is responsible for managing global relationships in the technology sector and helping his clients build critical infrastructure solutions that consolidate the EPC’s power, water, telecom and consulting offerings. He started out at the Naval Academy, served as an Infantry Officer in the US Marine Corps for 5 years, and has held positions at NRG Energy, Genera Electric, and Shift.org. He earned his MBA at Columbia Business School.

Oct 5, 2019

Why Listen:
In this episode, I answer three listener questions, talk about our upcoming webinars, and review three upcoming interviews and what I learned.

Oct 3, 2019

Why Listen:

What I appreciate most about my conversation with Tom is his authenticity. After 30 years in the Army, it took Tom a while to find his new home in the civilian workforce. While he was able to land incredible opportunities - General Manager at Mercedes Benz USA, Senior Manager at Amazon, Academic Dean at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy - each of these proved to be a poor fit for him. I respect Tom’s willingness to talk about what this process was like - the frustrations, the disappointments, the uncertainty - these are all challenges I’ve faced in my own career, and challenges other guests have experienced as well. Yet, Tom brings an openness to this conversation that I found refreshing. More importantly, the new home that he has found is incredible. Tom’s career journey has led him to work as the Financial Wellness Vice President at Wounded Warrior Project. I have to say, I was extremely fired up about learning more about the work that Wounded Warrior Project is doing. Not only are they providing an incredible support to the military community, but they’re also supporting other organizations in a way that is broadening their impact. Every Veteran would benefit from learning about Wounded Warrior Project and their mission, and I hope you check them out.

About Tom:

Tom Kastner is the Financial Wellness Vice President at Wounded Warrior Project. He started out at West Point and served for 30 years in the Army, including serving as the Director of the Dean’s Staff at West Point. His career since the Army has included time at Mercedes Benz USA, where he worked as the General Manager for Learning and Performance, Amazon, and St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy among others. He holds a Master of Arts in National Security Studies at the Naval War College, a PhD in Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech, an MS in statistics from Georgia Tech and an MS in applied mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Oct 1, 2019
Coming to Beyond the Uniform this October, 2019, we have three, free, live webinars - the first we’ve done in a long while, as well as brand new episodes every Monday and Thursday, including:
 
BTU #312 - The Wounded Warrior Project (Tom Kastner)
BTU #313 - Mastering Sales (Tyler Johnston)
BTU #315 - How to be a better storyteller (Paul Smith)
BTU #316 - Navy to Nebraska State Government (Jason Jackson)
BTU #317 - Army to EVP @ Hornets Sports & Entertainment (James Jordan)
BTU #318 - Navy to Clean Tech & the DOE (Dan Misch)
 
Plus - 
stories from a serial entrepreneur in Southeast Asia, an instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School, and an expert who’s going to teach us the ins and outs of emotional intelligence.
 
If you’re not on our newsletter - get on it - today - there are about 3 new programs we’re launching in the next 30 days and you do not want to miss out. Also, stay tuned for our informal, Saturday episodes - Behind BTU - where I answer your questions, provide takeaways from upcoming episodes, and share personal thoughts about life, love, leadership, and more. We’ve got a killer line up for October - don’t miss out.   
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