Beyond the Uniform

“That's the main takeaway from things for me: to not limit yourself. I never played football until I was 29 years old. I never long snapped a football until I was 31, and  I somehow had a shot in the NFL. And I'm not a good athlete; I'm an OK athlete - I just worked hard. And that's just one example, but we're all capable of that."
– Nate Boyer

Most recently, Nate Boyer was the long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks, but his is also an actor, public speaker and thought leader. Nate started out as a relief worker in Sudan, building camps for refugees of the War in Darfur. He then joined the Army, where he served for six years with the Green Beret as a Sergeant and earning a Bronze Star. After he transitioned from the Army, although he had never played a down of organized football in his life, he went to the University of Texas and was a walk-on to their football team. He became the team's starting long snapper, and played 38 consecutive games for the Longhorns. [He was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 Conference member in 2013-2014, while also being named an Academic All-American in 2012. After Texas, Nate played with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent.

Oh man, where to start with this interview. If you are in need to a shot of jet fuel to your soul, you owe it to yourself to listen to this interview. I want Nate Boyer on repeat during my runs - the man is incredible, and I found our interview inspiring.

The top two reasons to listen to this episode are:

1. Failure - Nate has achieved the impossible - repeatedly in his life. He talks about being a grinder, of just working hard to go after his dreams. And he talks about how it's not about not having fear - it's about having the courage to realize that there is no downside, that the only risk is not taking an opportunity. There are far too many incredible words of wisdom to summarize here, but believe me - it's a lesson every single veteran will benefit from hearing.
2. Passion - Nate talks about how many veterans fall back on what you know. He talks about how tried many things - and failed at many things - in his journey to find his calling and what he enjoys most. Again, these are lessons I found inspiring and hope you do too.

Selected Links

• 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
  • Book Recommendation: Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman
• Conquering Kili Waterboys.org - Nate was cut from the Seahawks and was disappointed. Literally the next day, while trying to think of his next mission, Chris Long (Rams, now NE Patriots) had started a clean water project - Waterboys.org - and reached out to Nate
• Merging Vets and Players - Nate co-founded this with Jay Glazer to connecting veterans with transitioning professional athletes. These groups face similar challenges - going from a position of sacrifice to a dramatic life shift, the locker room and team environment feel, fighting for the person next to you... there's a lot each side from learn from the other and share in common.
• Nate talks about a Shia Labeouf video that's cheesy but strangely motivational. You can check it out here. This remixed version is even better after you've watched the original

• 2:09 - Nate's background in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. He served for six years in the Green Beret in the Army and was a walk-on at the University of Texas for their football team.
• 3:05 - A special disclosure for listeners about my extremely poor background with football
• 3:47 - How Nate has lived his life in the moment, trying new things and diving in, not being afraid of failure and knowing that you are just as qualified as everyone else out there.
• 12:58 - How Nate decided to join the Army after spending time volunteering in Darfur
• 26:14 - How Nate approaches his career now, and advice he has for veterans seeking a career that will make them passionate (hint: it's about trying new things and not being afraid of failing as you work towards what you want to do. If you don't know what you're passionate about you need to try something your'e interested in. Nate tried things he wasn't interested in, knowing he wasn't wasting time if he was exploring. If you're not afraid of what you're getting into, you probably shouldn't do it)
• 32:42 - What resources Nate would recommend to veterans (hint: it all boils down to being open each moment to whatever experience you have, and be open to learning from anyone)
• 36:31 - an overview of Waterboys.org, and how Nate came to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro as a fundraiser from a random connection the day after he was cut from the Seahawks
• 43:00 An overview of Nate's venture Merging Vets and Players, and how it came about. It pairs transitioning veterans with transitioning professional athletes, and you'd be surprised at much these two have in common
• 50: 20 Nate's final words of wisdom...surprisingly to a motivational video from Shia Labeouf, and how you can seize each moment to make the most of your life

"Be willing to take a step down to take go up. As opposed to thinking, 'I'm going to burst right through this' realize sometimes you have to go down, around and then that's where you finally get the push through. Every single job I've taken, I've taken a pay cut. I made it back within three to six months, but those are the steps you have to do."
– Ben Deda

Ben Deda is the Chief Operations Officer at Galvanize, a network of modern, urban campuses where anyone can access the skills, knowledge, and network you need to make an impact. Since their founding in 2012, Galvanize has raised over $63M in funding. Ben started out at Notre Dame, after which he served in the Marines for seven years. After his transition from the Marines he worked at TruStile Doors in Operations, Marketing, and Sales, and eventually as Vice President of Commercial Sales. He then joined the computer software company, FullContact as their VP of Sales & Business Development. Ben also runs Denver Startup Week, the largest startup event in the US, and holds an MBA from the University of Denver

The top three reasons to listen to today’s show are:

1. Pay cut - Ben has held some incredible roles at great companies, and he talks about how - at every single step he’s taken forward in his career - it started with a pay cut. No matter what stage you’re at in your civilian career, the perspective he has on this is worth hearing.
2. Networking - regular listeners to the show know the importance of networking. Ben not only has some great stories about this, but his current company - Galvanize - is approaching this in a new and novel way.
3. Operations - Ben is the COO for a rapidly growing startup and this is a great story for those interested in startups, in operations, or in sales and marketing.

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

• Ben worked with Lucas Group for his initial job search; he had a favorable experience, but emphasizes that the onus is on the veteran to ensure the opportunity is the right match for them
• Book Recommendations:
  • The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses - essential reading for any aspiring entrepreneur
  • Brad Feld was an investor at FullContact and a member of their board. Ben recommends any books by Brad, but in particular:
    • Do More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup
    • Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist
    • Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City
  • The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers - you may not gain hard skills but you'll understand much more about the startup life and an inspiring story
• Website Recommendations:
  • Meetup.com - anything you're interested in, you'll find a group. Start going to these events and meeting people, regardless of your area of interest
  • Tom Tunguz's blog about Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • Saastr - a great conference around Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation - a great organization for veterans and community to network and meet interesting people
• Ben's company, Galvanize, is a great resource for entrepreneurs.
• Patriot Bootcamp

• 1:46 - Ben's background
• 2:40 - Ben's decision to leave the Marine Corps and how he approaches this decision
• 4:10 - Ben's very first job search out of the Marine Corps and how he found his way to TruStile Doors
• 7:28 - Ben's work with recruiters and his advice for veterans about whether or not to consider using them (hint: give it a try, but the onus is on you to make sure the opportunity is right for you)
• 8:44 - How Ben found FullContact, his second job, and how he made the transition from TruStile Doors
• 9:57 - Ben left a secure job while having a pregnant wife and a lot of personal responsibilities... how he psyched himself up to make this move and take this risk
• 11:04 - What it was like to be the non-technical hire at FullContact and what life looked like in this capacity
• 12:39 - How Ben's work in recruiting in the Marine Corps has helped him in his sales and business development roles
• 13:53 - How Ben made the transition to Galvanize based on connections and people he knew
• 14:54 - An overview of Galvanize and what they do
• 17:25 - An overview of what Ben does as a COO, and what his day-to-day life looks like
• 19:15 - How leadership for Ben in the civilian sector as opposed to leadership within the military and the US Marine Corps
• 21:31 - One of the biggest failures Ben has experienced since leaving the Marine Corps and what he learned from it
• 25:28 - Advice that Ben would provide to veterans interested in starting their own company, based on his experience in startups as well as leading Denver Startup Week
• 27:40 - Resources that Ben would recommend to veterans interested in startups or operations
• 30:45 - Ben's final words of wisdom for veterans

“It's kind of scary when you first get out, because all of a sudden everything about your career is dependent upon you. You're in the driver's seat now; you don't have HRC, the Pentagon to call to ask where you're going next. Where you're going next is where you decide to drive that car. And so, while it might seem like a lot of weight on your shoulders, and something that's a little bit scary, it's also something super exciting because it means you can take yourself wherever you'd like to go, and it's not up to anybody else."
– Sarah Travaglio

Sarah works at LinkedIn, where she is the Senior Manager, Head of Media Account Management for the Americas. She started out at West Point, after which she served in the Army for five years as a Company Commander and Assistant Battalion Operation Officer. While on active duty she obtained her Masters in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and after her transition from the Army she worked at Asurion in Customer Experience positions, before moving on to Accenture. She then moved to LinkedIn, where she has worked for the last three years.

The top three reasons to listen to today’s show are:

1. Firecracker - Sarah is awesome; she is exceptionally efficient in her advice, the ratio of quality advice per sentence is extremely high, and I think she is spot on in her perspective on the pros & cons of recruiters, remote working, education on active duty, and more
2. Process improvements - Sarah found her first job, which lead her to consulting and then LinkedIn. She fell in love with the field of process improvements, and it’s a great career options that other vets may want to consider. More than just an overview of the role, Sarah’s passion for it comes through loud and clear
3. LinkedIn - Sarah works there and has great advice on how to use LinkedIn and other great resources veterans can use in their civilian career

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

• Cameron Brooks - helped Sarah get her first job at Asurion and had a very positive experience with Cameron Brooks as she conducted her first job search.
• Asurion - Sarah’s first job experience; she speaks really highly of them as an organization in this interview
• Accenture - although Accenture is known for consulting, Sarah didn't work as a consultant with Accenture but as a Global Candidate Experience Channel Manager
• NPS (Net Promoter Score or Net Promoter) - a very common term in business to measure satisfaction with a company, product, service, etc.
• Recommended Resources
  • veterans.linkedin.com - FREE LinkedIn resources for veterans, access to learning courses (Lynda.com), free upgrades for profile, library of resources to have access to
  • Alumni Facebook Groups, Facebook Women's Group (West Point)
  • LinkedIn - the most VALUABLE free resource available - your network, your profile, everything you need

• 2:05 - Sarah's background at LinkedIn
• 2:41 - How Sarah decided to leave the Army and how she approached this decision
• 4:24 - Sarah obtained her master's degree while on Active Duty, and she has a lot of great advice to those on Active Duty on how to best take advantage of this
• 6:55 - Sarah's experience at Asurion - how she found her way there and what her experience was like
• 11:00 - Sarah worked with Cameron Brooks as part of her job search and she talks about what this experience was like
• 14:51 - What lead Sarah from Asurion to Accenture
• 16:50 - What Sarah's day-to-day life looked like while she was at Asurion
• 19:40 - Sarah describes what it's like working remotely (rather than in an office) and the pros and cons of each
• 21:33 - How Sarah made the transition to LinkedIn
• 24:47 - What Media Account Management, Sarah's role at LinkedIn, is and what life looks like in this role
• 27:22 - What Sarah's day-to-day life looks like at LinkedIn
• 31:30 - Resources that Sarah would recommend to other veterans that have helped her in her career
• 38:22 - Sarah's advice for how veterans can craft an effective LinkedIn profile
• 39:05 - One of the biggest surprises Sarah faced when she left the military
• 42:48 - One of the biggest mistakes that Sarah made when she left the military and what she learned from it
• 49:08 - Sarah's final words of wisdom

“Just baby step it; don't think 'Where do I need to be in 30 years,' think about 'where do I need to be in the next year or two to set myself up.'"
– Michael Bradley

Michael is the President & Owner of M3S Networking, a small business that focuses on dynamic problem-solving, particularly with startups and small businesses. He Started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served for seven years as a submarine officer. After his transition from the Navy, he spent two years working on a spy satellite job with the National Reconnaissance Office as an Acquisition/Project Officer. Michael is also the Chairman of the Navy Nuclear Power Officer Career Conference (NUPOCC), a career fair helping veterans transition from the military or find new jobs- those of you who have listened to Episode #55 with Ashley Snyder will remember this as the organization that she credited with landing a job at Google directly out of the Air Force. Finally, he's a husband, dad of 3 boys and is a credentialed baseball media member.

The top three reasons to listen to today’s show are:

1. Work / life balance - I don’t think this is talked about enough, but Michael does a really good job discussing how to factor this in to your career path & decision.
2. Career fair - those of you who listened to Episode #55 with Ashley Snyder remember how she went directly from the Air Force to Google because she attended a veteran organized career fair… well Michael is the one who runs that career fair. It’s free, it helps a ton of vets… I’d go so far to say that NUPOCC is advantageous to veterans in a way that comes at Michael’s expense. Check it out - it’s really great and I know all of you listening on active duty or who have recently transitioned would benefit from it.
3. Startups - Michael has started two different companies, and has great advice on starting small.

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

• NUPOCC - Arlington, VA & Pearl, HI, Bremerton. Events. Google, Palantir, Facebook, Blue Origin, JP Morgan (~20 companies). Grad Schools: Harvard, Wharton, Stanford. High end candidates, high end companies and schools, high end venues. $2-3k table fee - get list of candidates & phone numbers
• Service academy career conference - https://sacc-jobfair.com/
• Related podcasts you may enjoy
  • Ashley Snyder - Ashley went from the Air Force directly to Google, and attributes NUPOCC for playing a big role in that transition

• 1:58 - Michael's background, from the Naval Academy and Submarines into starting his own company
• 3:00 - Michael's experience a baseball media member; it may not generate a lot of money, but it gets him into Pittsburg Pirate games
• 5:29 - Michael's decision to leave the Navy and how he approached this decision
• 7:30 - Michael's experience in the Navy Reserves, and his advice on how to best take advantage of the IRR
• 10:38 - The highlights of Michael's journey from leaving submarines until today
• 14:00 - Michael's thoughts on work / life balance, and what advice he would give to fellow veterans
• 18:20 - An overview of the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Officer Career Conference (NUPOCC)
• 29:43 - Who can attend the NUPOCC conferences (hint: Michael will never turn a veteran away from an event, so contact him)
• 32:45 - A few common mistakes that Michael sees veterans make in the career transition to civilian life
• 41:30 - How Michael started M3S and advice he would give to other veterans seeking to work for themselves or create side income
• 46:00 - Michael's final words of wisdom

“I don't think that it's easy for people to recognize what their calling is. One, you really have to listen. And sometimes you get pulled into things that you weren't ready for. My wife and I did not plan on leaving a very difficult life as a counter terrorism family to pursue... this. To dig into this really vile crime. We thought we were going to retire in the mountains, and kind of gallop off into the sunset and work leadership issues and things like that. And as I got more called to this problem set, there's a certain amount of duty and obedience you have to walk through and sometimes that can be difficult."

– Jeff Tiegs

Jeff Tiegs is a Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Expert with over 25 years in US Army Special Operations. His combat experience includes operations around the globe to include multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is applying this expertise to Counter Trafficking in the United States and is the Chief Operating Officer for Guardian Group. Guardian Group is a non-profit that works with law enforcement to illuminate, disrupt, prosecute and relentlessly pursue child predators. After his transition from the Army, he attended Breakline Education, which we talked about in Episode 54 with Bethany Coates.

The top three reasons to listen to today’s show are:

1. Experience - Jeff joined the Army when he was just 17 years old and served with Army Special Operations for 25 years. He’s one of the few people I’ve had on the show who transitioned into a career that puts these exact same skills to use but in the civilian sector, and it’s an incredible story.
2. Doing Good - Jeff is one of the few people I’ve met - in my life - where it seems like he has a calling rather than a career. I’m inspired by how he followed that calling, even though it wasn’t what he thought he wanted to do after the military. He is putting his skills to use in a way that is clearly making the world a better place, and it’s really inspiring.
3. Second revolution - Jeff talks about WW2’s impact on world and veterans lead a revolution in starting small businesses. He talks about how today is following a second trend, and I found it very energizing.

To help the Guardian Group in their fight against child predators, you can help encourage hotels to go through the Guardian Group Silver Seal program. This will help hotels recognize child trafficking activities, and is a crucial initial step in stopping this pattern. For your favorite hotel chain, you can can use the following template:

• @[hotel chain] please join the @GuardianGroupGG Silver Seal program to help put an end human trafficking http://bit.ly/2icMvhc
  • Example: @marriott please join the @GuardianGroupGG Silver Seal program to help put an end human trafficking http://bit.ly/2icMvhc

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

• Related podcasts you may enjoy
  • Bethany Coates #54 - She runs Breakline, the group that helped Jeff when he first got out of the Army. A great episode and program for all veterans to consider
  • Emily Episode #70 - New Politics, and how it helps veterans on both sides of the aisles get into politics
  • Michael Bradley #72 - I reference this interview; we have a good discussion about how important it is when networking to have very specific and actionable asks
• Book Recommendations
  • The Art of the Start 2.0: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything - stop thinking about, stop over-organizing things and begin to act
  • The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future - stop thinking about, stop over-organizing things and begin to act
• You can donate to the Guardian Group here
• You can follow the Guardian Group on Facebook here
• The Guardian Group Silver Seal program is ensuring hotels are trained to notice indicators of human trafficking. Provides them with a reporting system as well to notify the Guardian Group of child trafficking, and also inform legal authorities

• 2:39 - Jeff's background, joining the Army at 17 and serving in counter terrorism for twenty-five years
• 3:35 - How Jeff decided to leave the Army after 25 years of service, and how this was a very gradual process for Jeff
• 5:50 - Jeff and I discuss how this is a calling - not a career - for Jeff, and he followed that calling
• 7:35 - What lead Jeff to Breakline and what his experience was like while there
• 9:35 - How Jeff was first connected to the Guardian Group and how he found his way to join them. He talks about how callings are never overnight, and that it happened after a chance encounter at a retirement ceremony that - years later - turned into a job
• 11:23 - Jeff provides an overview of the Guardian Group and the work that they do
• 14:15 - How Jeff found a very purpose-driven career after the Army, and one that utilizes his specific training from within the military. He also talks about the trend after WW2 for veterans to start companies, and how we are in a second revolution now similar to this
• 17:25 - Jeff and I discuss the power of passion - how mission and vision can drive us to achieve more in our civilian career
• 21:26 A look at what Jeff's day-to-day life looks like as COO at the Guardian Group
• 24:48 - How listeners can support the Guardian Group; even if you don't want to work with the Guardian Group, tactical steps you can take - today - to support their cause
• 29:29 - Jeff shares a short story, of Emily, and how they helped her. It's a powerful example of what the Guardian Group does
• 33:18 - For listeners who are interested in applying to the Guardian Group or working in this space, advice that Jeff would give
• 40:00 - The most challenging part of Jeff's job (hint... you've heard it before... it's about having to ask for money and fundraise for his company)
• 41:37 - Jeff's final words of wisdom

“The thing that I would say to veterans is that I know that it's scary, I know that it's not something that they maybe thinking of doing, and I know that it seems like a very weird thing to get involved in politics. But our country needs you and our democracy needs you. Regardless of what side of the aisle you're on, we need leaders who are going to put the country first, now more than ever."
– Emily Cherniak

Emily is not a veteran, as I usually have on the show, but she’s built an organization that is helping vets. So I wanted to give you a quick overview on her company - New Politics - and then a bit of background on Emily.

New Politics identifies top talent, helps them build a winning campaign infrastructure, and provides mentorship and support throughout their campaigns. New Politics supported 5 national service candidates in key state and federal races across the country. They won three of those five races, including Congressman Seth Moulton’s unprecedented win in Massachusetts’ Sixth Congressional District. In 2016, New Politics is supporting 23 candidates in local, state, and federal races across the country. They have won 17 primaries and 13 general elections.

Emily has run New Politics for the last four years. Emily has worked with AmeriCorps, City Year AmeriCorps, and part of the founding team of Be the Change--where she led a coalition of over 200 organizations to engage 250,000 people for a Day of Action in support of the $6 billion Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009. Emily graduated from George Washington University with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology and a Masters Degree in Education Policy.

The top three reasons to listen to this episode are:

1. Politics - Emily is not a veteran, but she started an organization - New Politics - that is helping veterans who are interested in politics, regardless of which side of the aisle you come from. She helped out Sean Barney from Episode #66 in his congressional race, and I’m hoping she will be helping a listener to this show very soon. It’s an exceptional program, and something I believe our country greatly needs.
2. Weaknesses - Although Emily talks about veterans in politics, everything she says parallels incredibly well to weaknesses that veterans have in business - talking about oneself, asking for help, etc. Her thoughts on this are really worthwhile.
3. Star Wars - Emily has this epic analogy about 28 minutes in on the interview between politics and Star Wars that is simply awesome

Selected Links

• Sean Barney, from Episode #65, ran in a recent Congressional race and was helped by Emily and her team. It's definitely worth checking out.
• City Year - $100M organization, where Emily started out
• AmeriCorps
• Candidates Journey Manual - available end of january

• 1:44 - Emily and New Politics background
• 3:30 - An overview on New Politics and how they are helping veterans
• 4:36 - Emily's "Theory of Change" and how less than 18% of leaders in office have a military background, whereas this used to be over 70%.
• 5:50 - How Emily went about starting New Politics, and her background in politics. Her belief that politics is broken, and how vital politics is. 
• 9:07 - Emily works on both sides of the aisle, rather than embracing one political party. Rather than finding this difficult and conflicting, she finds this invigorating. She focuses on leadership, and realizes that she disagrees with people from both parties - what they're about is trusting good leaders to make the right decisions for our country
• 12:10 - An overview of the process of working with New Politics
• 14:06 - From Emily's work with veterans, a few of the most common misconceptions she sees. A lot of veterans don't have a political party allegiance, so having conversations around why they find important is really crucial. Politics is hard in a different way, and its important for veterans to understand the daily grind of raising money and constantly promoting oneself. 
• 18:21 - Fundraising... how this is the most dominant portion of any election, and Emily's advice on how veterans might go about this
• 24:03 - Emily shares a few other stories of veterans who have run for office. Often, it doesn't matter if the candidates wins - it's about gaining the experience for a career of public service.
• 25:30 - Indications that New Politics might be right for you... and an encouraging note to reach out if you're interested, as New Politics is willing to speak with any veteran and answer any questions they may have
• 26:10 - Other common weaknesses Emily sees in veterans that listeners should be aware of... and an amazing Star Wars analogy
• 29:42 - Emily's final words of wisdom

“At this point, I don't think I really could have a boundary [between professional and personal life]. It's not about a forty-hour work week, and being able to accomplish everything in forty hours; I get that. It's about constantly thinking about the product, thinking about the customers we have and the customers we want, where we're going to go and what the next steps are. I just can't turn it off: I dream about it, I think about it every minute, and there is no separation. Maybe that's unhealthy and a bad thing, but at this point if no one is fanatically excited and obsessed with the product we're trying to create than the founders then I don't think it can work at this stage."
– Alex Martin

Alex Martin is the CEO & Co-Founder of AC Global Risk, a company that creates solutions to transform how companies & governments vet, screen and assess internal and external human-based risk. Alex started out at the Naval Academy and served in the Marine Corps for seven years as a Infantry & Ground Reconnaissance Officer. After his transition from the Marines he founded Skye Maritime - maritime security services to commercial shipping - as well as the Kenya Team Leader for the non-profit, Nuru International. Alex is currently a Major in the Marine Corps Reserves.

The top three reasons to listen to this episode are:

1. Service - Alex has continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserves, he worked in Kenya with the organization Nuru helping local farmers grow their income, and his own company - AC Global Risk - has a service element as well. He’s a great role model for keeping service an active component in his life, and talks about how to serve as a for-profit venture
2. Startups - Alex started his first company straight of the Marine Corps and it failed. He learned from it, and is on his second company, AC Global Risk. He is very honest and balanced in this interview about failure, about mistakes, and how these are essential for entrepreneurs
3. Stanford Ignite - Alex goes in depth on the Stanford Ignite program as well as many other really valuable resources for those of you interested in startups

• A great article on Alex and his company: http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/job-hunting/from-marines-to-entrepreneur-alex-martin.html
• • Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
  • The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
  • Get Backed: Craft Your Story, Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, and Launch the Venture of Your Dreams - more on technical side, the top 15-20 pitch decks. Can take this and pick and choose what you like and choose your ownBook Recommendations
  • The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law, 4th Edition - save $1000's on legal
• Related Podcasts
  • Great EO Fire podcast episode that talks about the power of obsession in startups. I reference this in the interview and think it’s really relevant to entrepreneurship. Be Obsessed or Be Average, it’s that simple says Grant Cardone 
  • Don Faul interview - referenced as a huge resource of support

• 2:08 - Alex's background
• 2:50 - Alex's decision to transition from the Marine Corps to a civilian career
• 3:39 - Alex's experience being part of the Reserves and how it has impacted his civilian career
• 5:32 - Alex's experience as part of the Stanford Ignite program and how this impacted his entrepreneurial experience
• 7:49 - An overview of Stanford Ignite as a program for veterans
• 10:22 - Alex's experience at Nuru International
• 15:15 - The genesis of Alex's second company, AC Global Risk
• 17:40- An overview of AC Global Risk
• 19:21  - What Alex's day-to-day life looks like as the CEO of AC Global Risk
• 21:11 - Alex's lifestyle as an entrepreneur married to another entrepreneur
• 24:27 - How long it took Alex to be able to pay himself as salary while he was starting his own company
• 28:43 - Alex's biggest mistake in starting his own company and what he learned from it
• 33:03 - Alex's team size at AC Global Risk and what his team looks like
• 34:22 - Advice for any veteran thinking of starting their own company
• 35:36 - Resources Alex would recommend to any veteran thinking of starting their own company
• 37:53 - Advice for veterans seeking to raising capital for their own company, and the fundraising experience
• 43:40 - Habits that Alex had to break when he left the military in order to be successful in his civilian career
• 45:55 - Other mistakes that Alex made since departing the military and what he learned from them
• 48:47 - Final words of wisdom for veterans of the Armed Forces

 “Listen, life is a journey and all of my failures - which were plentiful before EOFire - added to the success of EOFire. They were all life lessons and all experiences I had to learn from and go through in order to launch and run a multi-million dollar a year company, which EOFire has grown into. It's just really looking at life as a marathon: you're 26 when you get out of the military, or you're 36, or you're 56 - whatever it is. You have a LOT of life left. So stop trying to rush, stop trying to sprint everywhere. Just look at life as a marathon, set your site on your goals and then just take them one step at a time."
– John Lee Dumas

John Lee Dumas is the fonder and host of EOFire, a daily podcast that interview entrepreneurs 7 days a week, where, as reported by Forbes, he has generated #2M in sales by his second year in the business. He started out at Providence College where he did Army ROTC, after which he served in the Army as an Armor Platoon Leader for eight years. After his time in the Army, John enrolled in Law School, but left after his first semester. He then worked in corporate finance at John Hancock in Boston, and later at a tech startup in New York. In 2009 he moved to San Diego to work in real estate. During his long drives, he started listening to podcasts, until he decided to start his own podcast, which launched in September of 2012. He is the author of Podcast Launch, the creator of Podcasters’ Paradise, and has been named the Best of iTunes in 2013, with over 7.4 Million downloads. and subscribers in 145 countries. John is very open about his financials - they’re available on his website - it’s worth checking out because the numbers are staggering.

The top two reasons to listen to this episode are:

1. Entrepreneurship - JLD is a legend as an entrepreneur and has extremely relevant and tactical advice for any veteran interested in working for oneself, earning extra income on the side, or wanting to grow a passion product.
2. Resources - JLD is a storage vault of resources for entrepreneurs and the interview is full of practical steps veterans can take - today - to get started on their startup journey.

• Fizzle - two weeks of a free trial, reasonably priced, and a great community of early stage entrepreneurs (no affiliation with JLD or EOFire)
• Patt Flynn's Show, The Smart Passive Income Blog
• Fill in the Blank
• Freedom Journal - 16k sales, changes being made in people’s lives. Set & Accomplish one big goal.
• Podcasters Paradise - a great community of podcasters
• John's Free Podcast Course
• Recommended podcasts
  • Tony Robbins
  • Aaron Walker - view from the top
  • Tim Ferriss
  • Gary Vaynerchuk
  • Barbara Corcoran
• More info on John and his background
• A great Forbes article on John and EO Fire

• 3:20 - John's decision to leave the Army and how he approached this decision
• 4:53 - What habits John had to break from the military in order to be successful in his civilian career
• 5:37 - Johns road to EOFire and advice he'd give to veterans seeking to start their own company
• 8:21 - How long it took for John to be able to pay himself a salary while starting his company, EOFire
• 10:26 - One of the biggest mistakes that John has made with EOFire and what he learned from it
• 12:07 - What resources John would recommend to veterans thinking of starting their own company
• 15:01 - The episodes of EOFire John would recommend most to Beyond the Uniform listeners 
• 16:15 - John's final words of wisdom for veterans

“There is the expectation - at least at the places where I've been fortunate to work - that growth and advancement come from a series of thoughtful mistakes. I've had to really learn in my career: being open and transparent when you make a mistake, being willing to talk about it and embrace it,  as a leader can be very hard.  I think early in my career there was this expectation that if people were looking to me to lead, that talking about any sort of mistake or misstep was a sign of weakness. When in fact I think that the best way to build trust is in fact  - with your team and with people you work with - to be open and transparent and create an environment where other people feel comfortable as well."
– Don Faul

Don is the CEO at Athos, a company that offers a wearable technology that is fully integrated in workout clothing, and can track your muscle groups, heart rate, breathing level and more. They have raised over $50M in funding since their founding 4 years ago. Don started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served for five years as an Marine Corps as part of the Force Recon. After his transition out of the Marines, he went to Stanford Business School, after which he joined Google in 206 as a Manager of Online Sales and Operations. Two years later, he joined Facebook as the VP of Online Operations, and four years after that Pinterest as the Head of Operations. He serves on the Board of Nuru international, which listeners may remember from Episode #68 with Nuru’s founder, Jake Harriman.

Many people I’ve interviewed on the show have recommended I interview Don. Brad Bonney from episode #4 and Jimmy Sopko from episode #6 both credit Don as being an enormous help in their careers at AriBnB & Pinterest respectively. Don not only has an incredible background at the most famous companies in Silicon Valley, but he’s also a constant advocate for veterans and frequent mentor for those going through career transitions.

This episode is shorter than normal but it is chalked full of great advice not just for those of you thinking about a career in tech, but any veteran seeking to get the most out of their career.

• 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

• 1:08 - Don's background
• 2:31 - How Don decided to leave the Marine Corps and how he decided to go to the Stanford Graduate School of Business
• 3:50 - How Don used grit and determination to get his first role at Google, and how a veteran at Google ultimately made the difference in getting Don's resume through the door and coaching him through the interview process
• 6:15 - Don's advice on how veterans can better tell the story of their military background, and how important (and rare it is) for a candidate to be exceptionally well prepared for an interview. He talks about anticipating what an interviewer might not know about your military background or misconceptions they may have about it, and how to address this. He also talks about how veterans can come across better by being the MOST prepared person for the interview, and by having some well crafted and practiced stories to tell in the interview.
• 10:25 - Don's risky move from Google to Facebook, and how it was based on following a mentor, Sheryl Sandberg. He left Google much earlier than he had expected, but was excited by the team and learning opportunity
•  13:45 - How Don followed a similar path when he left Facebook for Pinterest
• 15:18 - After Pinterest, Don took a break before starting at Athos. After having moved from one company to another for so long, Don reflects on wanting to have taken more time in between each company to reflect. 
• 17:05 - One of the biggest mistakes that Don made since leaving the Marine Corps and what he learned from it. He talks about how he loves tech because there is the expectation that growth and advancement will come through a series of thoughtful mistakes.
• 20:20 - Having mentored so many veterans, a few of the more common mistakes Don sees veterans make. First, vets assume that roles are off the table and not possible. The second is that veterans commonly underrepresent the skills that they bring to the table, namely leadership and responsibility. He has great advice for combatting both of these two misconceptions. Don't take anything off the table and recognize how impressive your background is. 
• 23:50 - Don's current role as CEO and how he found his way into the wearable technology space (even though he ended his time away from work sooner than he had expected). In finding Athos, Don followed advice he often gives to veterans to start their career search. He made a list of the companies who's products or services resonated with him personally. He used popular tech blogs and conversations with friends (especially with investors) to add to and help build that list. What stood out for him with Athos was the mission "to build better athletes" and help everyone get the most out of their training. It sat at the intersection of his love of technology and his love of fitness and sports. Being an early adopter of gadgets and in particular health gadgets, he found himself getting really excited each day thinking about this. The second was the mixture of 50% familiarity with a role and 50% the challenge of something new and unexpected.

“I think many of us served because we love this country and love what it stands for. I think - like many people - I'm frustrated that our representatives are not as good as the country they represent. They've allowed the American Dream to fade; they've allowed money to become the dominant influence over politics; they've failed to address some of the defining issues of our time like climate change. And I think that our democracy is our inheritance as citizens and that as citizens we deserve better. And I think that veterans have that love of country that can motivate us to run into the breach and I think we have a lot to offer."
– Sean Barney

Sean Barney is a public defender. He started out at Swarthmore College, after which he served for five years as a Machine Gunner in the 25th Marine Regiment, where he was awarded the Purple Heart. Since transitioning from the Marines, Sean has worked at the Think Tank, Third Way. He has also been extremely active in politics - one of the main things we’ll talk about today - his experience here is extensive but a few highlights are serving as both the Campaign Manager and then Policy Director for Governor Jack Markell  and a Candidate for Congress. Sean holds a Master of Arts from Columbia University, a Masters of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of government, and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of topics, including:

1. Purple Heart: Sean shares the story of his life threatening injury in Iraq, and how this shaped his thoughts on career and life
2. Public Service: Sean recently ran in an extremely close race for Congress in Delaware. His motivation for seeking office is inspirational and one that would benefit any listener
3. Openness: Sean was one of the first veterans - if not the first veteran - to openly discuss his experience with PTSD while he was on the campaign trail. He talks about how this was motivated out of an obligation to help others and set an example.

• New Politics - the organization that helped Sean (and other veterans) run his campaign for office.
• Vote Vets - continues to focus on matters including, but not limited to, foreign policy, energy security, veterans’ unemployment, and opening military service to life-long Americans born to undocumented immigrants, as well as continued investment in care for veterans.
• Team Rubicon - Disaster Response Veterans Service Organization on Team Rubicon.

• 1:40 - Sean’s background
• 2:30 - The story behind Sean’s Purple Heart
• 6:10 - How Sean’s brush with death affected his view of life and career
• 8:44 - How Sean’s life-threatening injury lead to one year of recovery and an unexpected departure from the Marines
• 11:00 - Sean’s advice for other veterans who may face a career transition earlier than they expected
• 13:45 - A look at Sean’s recent, hard-fought democratic congressional race in Delaware, and how he first decided to run for office
• 16:37 - An overview of New Politics, and how they helped Sean prepare for his campaign
• 20:00 - What life looks like on the campaign trail
• 23:30 - What it was like having to raise money as part of a campaign, and how much time this takes
• 28:30 - How Sean was amongst the first (if not the first) veterans to talk about his personal experience with PTSD on the campaign trail
• 32:20 - What it was like to come forward very publicly with something that - until that moment - had been a private matter
• 33:53 - What day-to-day life is like on the campaign trail and how Sean managed his campaign
• 37:11 - The most difficult moment in Sean’s 10 months of campaigning
• 39:35 - How this influenced Sean and how it would affect a future campaign
• 43:17 - Resources Sean would recommend to veterans considering a career in public service
• 45:02 - How much money Sean raised during his campaign
• 47:15 - Final words of wisdom