Beyond the Uniform

Why Listen:
Michael is amongst the top thought leaders in the Veteran transition space in the country. In this interview, we talk about how IVMF is solving transition problems and opening transition pathways for Veterans and their families. We talk about business ownership, credentialing and licensing programs, and how IVMF helps with all of these - for free. We talk about entrepreneurship, and how fear is the biggest obstacle on this path. We talk about how the military trains people to be planners, and how this can be a major obstacle to success. And we talk about the cure: small, actionable steps.

About Mike:
Dr. Mike Haynie is the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives & Innovation at Syracuse University. He is also the founding Executive Director of Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families. The IVMF is the nation’s first, interdisciplinary academic institute focused purposefully on informing and impacting the policy, economic, wellness, and social concerns the nation’s veterans and their families. Today the IVMF’s educational programs directly impact more than 35,000 veterans and family members annually, and the IVMF is widely acknowledged as the nation’s hub of academic thought leadership related to the post-service concerns of America’s veterans and military-connected families.Michael started out as an Officer in the Air Force, where he served for 14 years. Mike also serves as an appointed member of the U.S. Secretary of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment, Training, and Employer Outreach, and as a member of the advisory committee for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Veterans Coming Home project.

Our Sponsor: 

• StoryBox- People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.

• Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books

Why Listen:
Dennis is a renaissance man. He started his career at Amazon, before transitioning to one of the nation’s pre-eminent nonprofits, Team Rubicon. Along with that, he has done the running of the bulls over 80 times over the last 12 years, and directed a documentary about his experience. Team Rubicon is an organization that should be on every Veterans radar. They unite the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. This meets a need for purpose, connection, contribution and excitement that many guests on my show have expressed they missed after their military service.

About Dennis:
Dennis Clancey is the Deputy Director of Field Operations for Team Rubicon, a non-profit organization that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. He started out at West Point, after which he served in the Army for over six years earning a Bronze Star for combat leadership. Since his military service, he has worked at Amazon as an Operations Manager, and as the Director of the documentary, Chasing Red.

Our Sponsor: 

• StoryBox- People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.

• Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books

Why Listen:
Drew went from Active Duty Army Sergeant to Stanford Law School, which is an incredible leap. He talks about advice for getting into Law School, what it’s like, why Veterans may love (or hate it), what career options it opens, and more. He also talks about his decision to go into the corporate world instead of practicing law. We talk about his work at Hewlett Packard Enterprises, and how he served as Chief of Staff for the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer. We also talk about how Veterans are qualified to do project management and strategic operations work.

About Drew:
Drew Kambicis the Director for Strategy & Planning as well as the Head of Operations for License Verification in the Americas for Micro Focus (formerly Hewlett Packard). He started out in the Army, where he served for over 8 years, most recently as a Sergeant and Infantry Team Leader. While on Active Duty he earned a B.S. and B.A at The Ohio State University, and after his military service he earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School. He has worked at HPE as a Senior Manager for Operations Performance, as well as the Chief of Staff for the Chief sales and Marketing Officer.

Our Sponsor: 

• StoryBox- People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.
• Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books

Selected Resources: 

• Joe Rogen- he interviews EVERYONE and has no problems asking questions. A lot is revealed in his interviews - he has interviewed someone who will be interesting to you. That will lead you to a lot of people, podcasts, and places
• Axios.com - this is where Drew gets his news. It is a news curation site, since he is more interested in content than spin.

Why Listen:
Mike has such an original and transparent take about the military transition. Starting with his own unexpected departure from the military due to an injury, and how he had to overcome this adversity. We talk about the importance of having a “side hustle” and how Mike has published 9 books, one of which was the #1 book on Amazon’s military section (as well as one which was #6). We talk about entrepreneurship and all the things that you NEVER hear entrepreneurs talk about. And we talk about avoiding a comparative mindset, and all the pitfalls that leads to.

About Tim:
Mike Nemethis the Founder of Emlem Athletic, which provides custom athletic apparel to thousands of athletes across the country, from high school teams, private gyms, to members of the US Olympic team. He started out at West Point, was unexpectedly medically discharged, worked in the defense sector in both industry and a government contractor, and then started his own company.  He's also currently on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the Dept. of Commerce. He is also the author of 9 books, one of which reached #1 on Amazon’s best-selling military books list.

Our Sponsor: 

• StoryBox- People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.
• Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books

Here's a quick look at what's in store for October, with new episodes coming out every Monday and Thursday at BeyondTheUniform.io

About Tim:
Tim Mossholderworks at Bradley-Morris as a Digital Candidate Outreach as well as their podcast host for the Veterans Influencer Podcast, where he has produced over 116 podcast episodes.. He started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served as a Surface Warfare Officer for over six years, serving aboard the destroyer the USS Barry (DDG-52). He has worked for Bradley-Morris for over five years. He also works at MBA Veterans in Candidate Marketing and Digital Marketing.

Our Sponsor: 

• StoryBox- People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.
• Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books

Why Listen:
Those of you who smoke cigars have probably heard the phrase “knuckle burner.” Well, this is a “knuckle burner” of an interview - I found myself trying to use every last second to get Liz’s insight, and Liz and I cover a lot of ground in this interview. We talk about Liz’s unexpected departure from the military due to an injury, and the importance of being prepared for one’s transition to a civilian career. We talk about her experience in grad school admissions consulting: the importance of telling a story, translating one’s experience, and emphasizing one’s strengths. And we do a deep dive on the Healthcare industry, including DaVita, graduate school, a healthcare startup, healthcare consulting, working at an academic hospital… so many facets. And we also talk about having a side hustle, and how to best utilize headhunters.

About Liz:
Liz Callahanis a Healthcare Consultant at Callahan Partners. She started out at West Point, after which she served as a MedEvac Blackhawk pilot in the Army for nearly five years. After her military service, she worked at Davita as a Program Manager, she earned her MBA from UC Berkeley, she served as the Chief Operating Officer at Advon Healthcare, and she worked at the Stanford Health Care system as both a Program Manager and a Director of Transition Strategy.

Why Listen:
If you’re aspiring to enter the High Tech Industry, Tech Qualled is designed to help you get there… for free. They offer a 7-week program that teaches you the skills you need to succeed in your first job, and they pair you with employers at the end of your training. Nick talks about his experience starting Tech Qualled, which is also a great perspective for listeners who aspire to start their own company. We talk about training, about the scars of entrepreneurship, about sales and how important this is to entrepreneurship, about education and the tradeoffs a degree entails, and much more.

About Nick:
Nick Breedloveis a co-founder and the CEO of Tech Qualled, the nation's first enterprise dedicated exclusively to training Veterans and Early in Career individuals for customer-facing roles in the High Tech sector. Through a competitive, immersive and intense training program, Tech Qualledhelps motivated Veterans achieve new levels professional potential in the Tech sector. He started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served as a helicopter pilot in the Navy for ten years, achieving the rank of Commander while serving as an Instructor Pilot for a Navy Boeing 737 squadron. After his military service he got his Masters in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, prior to starting Tech Qualled.

Our Sponsor: 

• StoryBox- People trust each other more than advertising. StoryBox provides the tools and supports businesses need to take the best things customers say about them, and use them to drive more sales and referrals. StoryBox offers a 10% discount to companies employing veterans of the US Armed Forces.
• Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books

Why Listen:
I found my conversation with Mike inspiring; 15-minutes into our interview, I donated to IRONBOUND Boxing. Mike is a great example of an entrepreneur - his passion, determination, and resilience come through in everything he says. His company is also a fantastic example of a hybrid organization that is both for-profit and socially driven. If you are considering entrepreneurship, or just want to hear about an incredible Military Veteran who is doing good in the world after his military service, this is the interview for you. If you are interested in supporting IRONBOUND Boxing, you can donate to their organization, or support them through introductions to companies (Prudential in particular) or by providing technical assistance.

About Mike:
Mikeis the Founder of IRONBOUND Boxing, which helps employees get fit, have fun, and support a great cause. They provide on-site boxing classes to corporations of all sizes in order to improve participants' self-confidence, morale, and health. IRONBOUND Boxingis also a fundraising tool for the IRONBOUND Boxing Academy, our nonprofit boxing gym which provides free recreation to Newark youth & young adults. He started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served as a Marine Corps Officer for five years. He is in the process of earning his MA from Rutgers University, and graduated from the Stanford Ignite program.