20 Years Done Podcast

When the military talks about the cost of undermanned, overworked units, the conversation almost always turns to risk: what might break, what might crash, what could go wrong. In this episode, I sit down with Tony Carr, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, former squadron commander, and C-17 pilot who began his career as an F-15 crew chief, to ask whether that framing captures the whole cost. Drawing on our years on the flightline and in command, and on Tony’s time running large operations in corporate America, we explore how burnout is defined and measured, how temporary surges become permanent baselines, what it means to man a force for its worst day, and the culture behind the phrase “failure is not an option.”

Our conversation moves from pilot retention and normalization of deviance to recent strains on the force during the Iran conflict, and to the widening gap between the people doing the work and the institutions that depend on them. It matters because how leaders frame the cost of overwork shapes which decisions get made, which harms get counted, and who ends up carrying the bill. Read more of Tony’s writing on leadership and military affairs at The Radar: https://radarblog.substack.com

I'm joined by retired Marine Dr. Michael McDowell to discuss his thoughts on moral injury.

Michael details his own experience with moral injury both personally and in his interactions with transitioning service members.

I'm joined by Abi Dorhosti to discuss the concept of Moral Injury. We walk through the differences between moral injury and PTS and how both may manifest similarly, but the root of each is different. We also discuss how addressing the cause of moral injury is just as important (if not more) than treating the symptoms.

We also discuss different pathways for treatment that aren't one size fits all.

I'm joined by occasional frequent guest Kevin Traw to discuss his recent retirement from the corporate sector and lessons learned in hindsight about his military transition. Kevin also discusses leadership development outside the military, and how to function within teams with misaligned leadership doctrine.

I'm joined by Chelsea Thomas, founder of Family in Flight, to unpack why families choose GeoBaching, the financial and bureaucratic hurdles that come with it, and the toll it takes on marriages, kids, and retention across the armed forces. We also dig into what support actually looks like for families living this reality, and where policy could catch up.

Learn more about Family in Flight's work at familyinflight.org.

Ryan Sweazey returns to the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on leadership, promotions, dissent, whistleblowers, professional identity, organizational culture, and the forces that shape decision-making inside large institutions.

From fighter squadrons to Inspector General investigations, we explore the incentives, assumptions, and pressures that influence behavior, often in ways that are difficult to recognize while you're living them.

Somewhere along the way, we try to figure out what it means to be woke.

I'm joined by Dr. Kristi Cabiao to discuss her advocacy work around Tricare, military families, and all the nuts and bolts under the hood that many of us don't perceive.

I'm joined by Dr. Pamela Buchanan to discuss her experience working in emergency medicine, and the medical industry generally over the past 20+ years. While our lived experiences differ, we found common in ground as we viewed our respective professional backgrounds through the lens of mental health, burnout, boundaries, and systems seemingly designed for exploitation.

I'm joined by Chris McGhee to discuss professional and leadership development in the corporate sector. We compare that development against how the military develops leadership.

This episode is a wide-ranging conversation with Kevin Traw, starting with the role of chaplains on the flight line and how their presence, trust, and nontransactional support shape maintenance culture and professionalism. From there, we move into military discipline and how commanders approach discharge decisions, including what they consider and what they are expected to ignore. We also walk through a scenario together, modeling the kind of back-and-forth that should exist between a commander and senior enlisted leadership in a healthy unit.