The Professionals Playbook

This is not a typical episode, but I felt it was worth sharing. It's a speech I gave for Memorial Day. The audio quality isn't great, but it's meaningful to me. If I can use this podcast and platform to help keep the memory of the fallen alive, then it will have all been worth it. 
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Freedom isn’t free. I had the chance to take a history class with the man who coined that phrase, Col. Walter Hitchcock. His point was that living in a free democracy costs money, effort, and more than anything young men and women willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice.

Though I didn’t quite understand it at the time, I do now. These young people traded in their lives and dreams so that we can live ours. Honoring their memory and sacrifice, along with their family’s sacrifice, is a small way we can begin to repay our tremendous debt to them.

Jeff Nielsen, also known as “Capt. Jeff” is the host of the very successful "Airline Pilot Guy" Podcast. After seven years in the U.S. Air Force as a C-141B and T-37 Instructor Pilot, he was hired by a very large, international “legacy” airline (we refer to it as “Acme Air”). His 30 year airline career has included flight time in the B-727 (all seats), L-1011 (First Officer), and the “Mad Dog” MD-88/90 (Captain).

I had a great time talking with Capt. Jeff. He has the calm demeanor and soothing voice you'd expect from a senior airline pilot. He has a wide breath of aviation knowledge and is the subject matter expert on being an airline pilot. In order, we talk about:

• Day in the life (minute 8:30)
• Difference between Air Force and civilian flying (minute 12:30)
• Routines-traveling (minute 18:45)
• Routines-flying: (minute 20:30)
• How flying in the airlines changed over the years (minute 24:45) 
• The function of a flight engineer (minute 29:00)
• Future of the industry including automation (minute 41:30).  
• Advice for people getting into the airlines (minute 49:00)
• Common issues new airline pilots have (minute 51:00)
• His podcast--Airline Pilot Guy (minute 52:30)

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Check out all the interviews at https://www.professionalsplaybook.com

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Felicity Aston is a British Polar Explorer living in Reykjavik, Iceland. In 2012 she became the first person in the world to ski alone across Antarctica. The journey of 1744 km (1080 miles) took her 59 days and gave her a place in the book of Guinness World Records. 

More than a decade before, her first journey to Antarctica was as a meteorologist with the British Antarctic Survey to monitor climate and ozone activity. She went on to complete numerous journeys in Antarctica and other polar regions of the world including Greenland and Siberia.

Felicity regularly speaks to audiences around the world about her expedition experiences as well as polar science, Antarctica and meteorology. She has written three books which have now been translated into several languages.

In this episode she talks about (in order):

• Her career
• How she puts together expeditions
• What type of people she selects
• Her leadership philosophy
• Why Antartica is so amazing
• Why it's so difficult to navigate during polar trips
• Being utterly alone on the fringe of the world
• Her mental training
• Her physical training
• Projects she's working on now

Check out all the interviews at https://www.professionalsplaybook.com

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Check out all the interviews at https://www.professionalsplaybook.com

Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot

Chad Hennings is is a three time NFL Super Bowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys, a former A-10 fighter pilot, an author, a speaker and an entrepreneur.

Chad attended the United States Air Force Academy. There he was honored academically as well as on the gridiron. Named most valuable athlete at the Academy, he also earned: defensive player of the year honors from the Western Athletic Conference, a spot on the WAC’s All-Decade Team, the 1987 Outland Trophy, MVP of the 1988 Freedom Bowl, two-time Academic All-American, Academic All-American Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, and several other accolades. These achievements earned him a spot on the Dallas Cowboys’ roster. 

However, he postponed his entry into the NFL to fulfill his commitment to the U.S. Air Force. Chad entered the Euro-NATO training program and went on to fly 45 missions in operation “Provide Comfort” behind the controls of an A-10 Thunderbolt II. The operation provided support to the Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq. He received two aerial achievement medals, a humanitarian award and an outstanding unit award for his actions. Chad then joined the Dallas Cowboys, earning a starting position as a defensive lineman. He spent his entire 9-year professional football career with the Cowboys, retiring with three Super Bowl rings.

He is active in several veterans’ initiatives and speaks to both businesses and non-profits on the topic of commitment. He is the author of the books, “It Takes Commitment”, “Rules of Engagement”, and “Forces of Character”. 


In this episode we talk about (in order):

• Where Chad got his passion for aviation and football
• Who his mentors were growing up
• What he does to surround himself with the best people
• Why true strength is vulnerability 
• What his process is for setting large goals
• His techniques for performing at a high level
• Reframing failure
• What is was like being a 25 year old rookie for the Cowboys
• Balancing large goals with having a family
• The power of relationships
• Character
• Projects he's working on now

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Check out all the interviews at https://www.professionalsplaybook.com

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Alex Hollings writes on a breadth of subjects. His writing can be found on a number of websites; most notably FighterSweep.com, where Hollings serves as editor, TheNEWSREP.com, where Hollings serves as a Senior Staff Writer, and Popular Mechanics. He can also be heard regularly on SOFREP Radio and on All Marine Radio. 

In this episode we talk about (in order):

• How he starts an article
• What his process is for developing an idea
• How he structures his writing
• What the timeline is for a major magazine article
• What happens to the article once he submits it
• How social media has changed the landscape
• How journalists have changed
• Does not paying for news cause bias due to clickbait articles
• Advice for new people in the industry
• Common mistakes by new writers
• Upcoming projects

Check out all the interviews at https://www.professionalsplaybook.com/listen

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Terry Virts is a U.S. Air Force test / fighter pilot and a NASA veteran of two spaceflights – a two-week mission onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 2010 and a 200-day flight to the Space Station in 2015. He is a leader, speaker, and author who is currently working on multiple projects, including a new book and television series.

His seven months in space included piloting the Space Shuttle, commanding the International Space Station, three spacewalks, and performing scientific experiments, all while working closely with multiple international partners. Virts flew with and led Russian Space Agency cosmonauts during some of the most tense relations with Russia since the Cold War.

While in space he took more than 319,000 photos – the most of any space mission. These images are an integral component of the IMAX film A Beautiful Planet, which Virts helped film and appears in.

In this episode we talk about (in order):

• What it's like to take the elevator up to the space shuttle
• His launch day routines 
• Launching into space
• Re-entering the earth in both the space shuttle and Soyuz
• How the space shuttle glides compared to an F-16
• Commanding the ISS 
• Leadership
• What he looks for in future astronauts 
• His vision of space exploration in the next decade
• What an astronaut debrief is like
• Projects he's working on right now

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Check out all the interviews at https://www.professionalsplaybook.com

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Michele Rigby Assad is a former undercover officer in the National Clandestine Service of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Trained as a counterterrorism specialist, Michele served her country for ten years, working in Iraq and other secret Middle Eastern locations. Upon retirement from active service, Michele and her husband (also a former agent) began leading teams to aid refugees, including a rescue mission to Iraq that was featured on ABC's 20/20. Michele holds a master's degree in Contemporary Arab Studies from Georgetown University. Today she serves as an international management consultant, splitting her time between the Middle East, Florida, and Washington, D.C.

In this episode we talk about (in order):

• Building rapport with members of Al-Qaeda
• Mental toughness
• Emotional Intelligence 
• Living in combat zones for nearly a decade
• What she does to de-stress
• What traits new CIA officers should have
• What to do during an attack
• Who she was allowed to tell that she worked in the CIA
• What inspired her book
• What projects she's working on now

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode

I've also started a monthly newsletter where I send out a few useful or insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here or going to:
https://www.professionalsplaybook.com/newsletter

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This episode was edited by Trevor Cabler

If you got value from this episode, please give the show a review by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Thanks for the support 👊

Jell-O has been the most requested guest since this podcast started. Today he was kind enough to be interviewed and lived up to the hype.

Jell-O spent nearly 25 years in service flying mainly the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet but also the F-16 Fighting Falcon during an adversary tour. He accrued over 3,800 flight hours and 705 carrier landings, having served as a TOPGUN instructor and air wing operations officer. Jell-O left the Navy in 2017 and now flies for a major airline. He also started the "Fighter Pilot Podcast" which explores the fascinating world of air combat.

Jell-O is a great speaker with lots of stories. He has the wisdom of an experienced fighter pilot and is able to communicate it in an easy going way--a trait he shares with the first guest I interviewed, Matt "Freq" Casey. In this episode we talk about his advice to a new fighter pilot, what it feels like to land on a carrier at night, his favorite aircraft to fly, his views on leadership, and more.

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode

I've also started a monthly newsletter where I send out a few useful or insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here or going to:
https://www.professionalsplaybook.com/newsletter

Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
LinkedIn-- Justin Lee
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot

If you got value from this episode, please give the show a review by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Thanks for the support 👊

Minute 47:00 of this episode has a story that nearly brought a tear to my eye.  Having been deployed to combat, I've seen the incredible team effort to save lives that he talks about.  It's truly awe inspiring to see the military men and women, most under 30 years old, come together and sacrifice so that others may live.  I am confident that as long as I live, I will never see a focused team effort like I did in the mountains of Afghanistan.  It's unfortunate that war seems to be the catalyst for this cohesiveness, but for those who had the experience, it's a memory that won't be forgotten. 

Dr. Patten may be the newest person to hold the title "Most Interesting Man in the World."  He was an F-16 fighter pilot in the Air National Guard for 10 years before going to medical school and becoming an emergency room doctor.  He has also remained a fire fighter for the Millbrook Fire Department since 2001.

In this episode he talks about time management skills, goal setting, overcoming high pressure situations, and staying passionate.  He also shares several amazing stories along the way. 


Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Check out all the interviews at https://www.professionalsplaybook.com

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Gunnar Jeanette is a professional race car driver. At the age of 18 he became the youngest ever driver to finish the 24 hours of Le Mans. He has since raced there an additional seven times. He also competed in the American Le Mans Series, the Rolex Sports Car Series, and the World Endurance Championship—winning the 2005 Gran Am Cup team championship, the 2011 ALMS LMPC Driver Championship, and the 2013 ELMS GTE Team Championship. He currently races in the IMSA Weathertech Championship.

In addition to being a professional race car driver, Gunnar is an avid skydiver, having logged thousands of skydives and hundreds of base jumps. Gunnar has participated in several world record skydives and has been featured on MTV, People Magazine, and USA Today and more.     

I this conversation he talks about racing on the world stage at 18, his physical and mental training, and what makes a great driver. He describes the unique requirement of endurance racing and how he “rests” on the straightaways traveling over 200 mph. He also talks to commercial off the shelf simulator he uses at home to prepare for race day. 

Check out all the interviews at https://www.professionalsplaybook.com

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