Welcome to the "Militarily Speaking" podcast with Tom McLean and Jodi Vickery.

In this episode of “Militarily Speaking,” Tom and Jodi talk with Dan Bozung, author of This Civilian S**t is Hard. They discuss Dan’s military career and his transition to civilian life. Dan also gives advice on how to make that transition easier. Tom and Jodi also play the next round of Military Minute.

“Militarily Speaking” is a podcast produced by Armed Forces Bank that is dedicated to the military lifestyle and all the things that makes military community who they are. 

Episode 7: Meet Dan BozungIntroducing Dan Bozung

Jodi begins by listing Dan’s many accolades including enlisting in the U.S. Navy at age 17, graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1997, after which he became a naval pilot, and leaving active duty in 2005. 

• Jodi continues by listing the many different roles Dan has held since leaving the military, which includes writing his book This Civilian S**t is Hard.
• Dan then gives the background on how his book ended up with that title, even though that ultimately ended up making it unavailable in the Army and Air Force Exchange Services.
• He then continues by relaying his reasons behind writing the book.

Tom asks after being a U.S. Navy pilot, and then graduating from Harvard Business School, what happened next as he made the transition to a civilian career.

• Dan starts by saying that what happened was entirely predictable, but only in retrospect.
• He describes his story as an extreme case, but believing in his abilities, even after he was fired five months after starting his first civilian job.
• Jodi continues this line of thought by asking what advice he would give to people that are about to make the transition, or are going through that transition right now.
• Dan hesitates, realizing that every situation is different, but ultimately he gives some advice that he thinks everyone should follow.
• He also gives words of wisdom for those leaving active duty and returning to civilian life, that may help them process and deal with the transition.
• Jodi and Tom weigh in on his advice and relate it back to their own experiences.

This Civilian S**t is Hard

Tom notes that both he and Jodi have read his book. He asks Dan what kept him motivated to keep moving forward when facing challenges along the way?

• Dan starts by saying he didn’t really have a choice other than to move on, noting all of his responsibilities and duties.
• Dan continues by describing his mentality of refusing to be defeated by the civilian world, believing in himself and his capabilities.

After some jokes thrown back and forth, Jodi says that people can find out more by visiting Dan’s website at www.danbozung.com. There you will find a section on “stories.” So Jodi asks Dan to elaborate on the why the storytelling side was important to him.

• Dan describes the reason behind the numerous stories posted on his website.
• He also says that even though the stories were intended to serve a specific purpose, he found value in exercising his writing muscles.
• Dan continues by saying that he’s working on a second book, which he is hoping to release within the next year.
• He then dives into why he enjoyed the publication process so much, after initially being hesitant.

Life After the Military

Tom pulls a quote from Dan’s book, “Being in the military is easy. Being a civilian is hard.” Tom asks how those coming from the military can make civilian life less difficult.

• Dan says that it depends on what your role was in the military, noting that some will have an easier time than others.
• He continues by relaying some advice that he received from one of his professors at Harvard.

Jodi pulls out some advice Dan gave in his book, and then asks Dan if there is else he thinks people should know about.

• Dan begins by stating how the civilian world can use more ‘servant leaders’ that are found in the military.
• He continues by noting how is honor and purpose in the struggle of the transition from military to civilian life.

Tom asks Dan what other resources he has used and would point people to, such as What Color is Your Parachute.

• Dan looks over his bookshelf saying that he has read everything but couldn’t point to anything in particular.
• He continues by then giving two pieces of advice to those anyone, not just those making the transition to civilian life.

Military Minute

Jodi introduces the Military Minute segment of the show, beginning by closing out last episode’s Military Minute.

• Last episode’s Military Minute: How many military families PCS annually?
• Answer: Between 450,000-500,000
• This week’s Military Minute question: What is so special about Dan Bozung’s hair?
• Watch for Facebook and Instagram posts about this episode.
• Answer with the correct answer and you plus a charity of your choice can each win $50.

Tom closes out the episode by asking listeners to out to www.afbank.com and subscribe to the show, as well as leave a rating and comment on your favorite podcast platform such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

He thanks Dan for joining them on the show, as well as Brent Bowen from Sparkcade Marketing for the introduction, and for all of the other work his company does for them.

Join us to hear how to better navigate your finances, military life, and the crossroads of the two.

Visit www.afbank.com