In this episode, we talk about the importance of mentoring vertically and laterally, ambition, and the hard work of business and National Security.

Maggie Feldman-Piltch is the Founder and CEO of Unicorn Strategies, an innovative human capital management company widely known for its project, #NatSecGirlSquad. #NatSecGirlSquad is an intentional community and ecosystem focused on building competent diversity in national security and defense. Maggie also serves as Co_chair of the Initiative Committee at LCWINS.

Learn more about #NatSecGirlSquad at https://www.natsecgirlsquad.com/ 

Careers in national security come in all different shapes and sizes. Guest Shannon McGarry, a retired National Security expert, with over 30 years supporting the US Government in a variety of roles.  After retiring from the FBI with over 20 years as a Special Agent she now runs MCGARRY STRATEGIES, a boutique consulting firm dedicated to a small number of customers with high-end technical expertise dedicated to furthering the mission of National Security.

In this episode, Shannon provides spot-on advice about going lateral during your career and she keenly reminds leaders how important it is to pick up their own brass.

Affecting change, understanding your environment, and then leading forward is clearly prescribed by Amanda Orson. She was among the first group of women to graduate from the Citadel and is currently Head of North America for Curve, a popular financial technology startup from the UK. During this episode she clearly walks through the importance of understanding intent, mission, winning people over, organizing effective teams, executing operations, and how teamwork compounds.

You can connect with her on Twitter @amandaorson, learn more at curve.com/careers/ , or directly reach out to her. And if you’re interested in being one of Curve’s first US consumers, feel free to join the waitlist at curve.com/usa/

For more leadership talks go to https://colonelcandid.com/

Guest Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jessica Ruttenber describes her work with the Air Force and assisting this service to reach its full potential. She's an Air Force pilot currently serving at the Pentagon with experience in cyber, Headquarters Air Force program management, and operational leadership roles. She works tirelessly on the Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Group Women's Initiative Team leader focusing on changing barriers to employment, accessions, advancement, and retention of women both civilian and military.

During this episode, she provides great detail in how her combined efforts to remove legacy policies when combined with systematic engineering work to create space for a larger number of candidates to enter into the dynamic field of fighter pilots.

If you want to learn more about her great work please check out her blog https://hidden-barriers.org/blog/.

Colonel Dan Blackmon, an Army Brigade Commander, discusses the importance of peer mentors. The episode discusses intersections of careers and why it’s important to have someone at your work who helps you engage with your employees. Colonel Blackmon talks about advocacy in positions of leadership. He provides examples of how to champion others for leadership positions and how giving feedback from a place of trust allows the recipient to make changes in their communication methods and in leading.

For more Candid Leadership visit https://colonelcandid.com/

Dr. Marisa Porges, known for her work on leadership, education, and national security talks about her book, “What Girls Need: How to Raise Bold, Courageous, and Resilient Women.” She provides lessons learned from her time in the Navy, serving in national security at the White House, and now as she heads The Baldwin School, a 130 year old all-girls school outside of Philadelphia renowned for academic excellence and for preparing girls to be leaders and changemakers.

In this episode, Dr. Porges references the importance of competition and why collaborative problem-solving skills are critical for the future workforce. She speaks to academic research on empathy and how key leaders in national security reference its importance. Lastly, Marisa makes great points on why cognitive flexibility remains pertinent to our adaptability quotient and how we handle uncertainty.

Enjoy the great tips on how to better parent and raise courageous women. Dr. Porges aptly ends with great advice to remember that little things make a big difference.

For more leadership interviews go to www.https://colonelcandid.com/

Guest Melissa “Mel” Kepler is a Training Consultant and a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach(TM) and has spent over a decade in government she gives great insight into followership. In this episode, she speaks about leadership as a muscle, the pertinence of trust, and sends praise to the people grinding out work. She’s a Certified Culture Facilitator and she’s got incredible energy and desire to inspire.

Her website is http://capital-humans.com

For more leadership interviews go to www.https://colonelcandid.com/