Veteran Influencer Podcast

John Hawley is a Naval Officer, Nuclear Engineer by training, Building Construction major, and has been improving high performance/high stress teams as a design thinking expert. He has created and facilitated course work to 7,000+ people via intimate workshops and off-site events across the Navy, DoD, and now increasingly within civilian organizations and companies. He has received numerous accolades in human centered design including recognition as THE premier course for the Navy and considered among the top programs of the Department of Defense.

John has done all of this while still serving actively, juggling his responsibilities to his "day job" while simultaneously planning his transition to entrepreneurship in the spring of 2020.

We had an opportunity in this episode to discuss:

• How he began leading facilitated leadership and planning engagements
• His approach to building teams and his process as a facilitator
• The careful steps he has taken to create a business while still active duty
• Valuable lessons learned from his work to develop awareness for his brand

Check out John's website here and connect with him on LinkedIn here.

Matthew J. Louis is an expert in career transition for veterans and public service professionals. He coaches individuals on their transition efforts and advises employers on hiring programs designed to successfully assimilate these valuable talent pools.

He is the author of the forthcoming book Mission Transition, a practical guide for veterans in transition and their employers.

In this conversation, we had a chance to hear some of his advice from the book, through the lens of his own transition story which began in the mid 90's with business school. When I reflect on the conversations I've had with other officers about what to do outside of the military, I struggle to imagine a more successful or competitive path than that which Matthew has followed throughout his career. His perspective on transition is also a compelling approach to career management and self-promotion in general, and follows a deliberate model to walk job-seekers through the process.

I was also surprised at how closely his advice aligns with the advice I've given other officers who were working with Bradley-Morris during their transition. Having seen a sneak peek of his manuscript, I found myself nodding my head as I was walking through his process step by step.

If you're interested in learning more about his upcoming transition guide, check out this episode! If you want to learn more about where to find your copy, go to Matthew's website by clicking here.

Chandra Adusei is a 2005 graduate of the US Naval Academy, former Surface Warfare Officer, and Senior Managing Partner at Veteran Wealth Partners, a firm dedicated to helping Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners discover innovative and alternative solutions to the traditional model of planning, scaling, and protecting a business.

After serving aboard a Frigate and a Cruiser, as well as spending a year deployed overseas to Afghanistan, she transitioned to the civilian sector as a Systems Engineer. After promoting through a variety of roles at several major companies in southern CA, Chandra made the decision to become an entrepreneur and start her own business.

In this conversation, we discuss how she planned her transition, some of the leadership challenges she faced after leaving the active duty, and how she approaches her current line of work serving a variety of customers from small and family owned businesses.

Defense Health Agency's Connected Health Branch is the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) innovative provider of behavioral health technologies, supporting DoD's goals for increasing access to care, establishing best practices and standards and reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health services.

Dr. Julie Kinn works for Defense Health Agency's Connected Health Branch to help develop mobile apps and online resources to improve the lives of service members, veterans, and their families. These mobile and online tools are free, easy to use, and trusted by members of the military community. Some of the apps include: Breathe2Relax, DreamEZ, Virtual Hope Box, and T2 Mood Tracker.

In this conversation we discuss why and how the DHA is working to bring these resources into the lives of service members, veterans, and their families through technology and how beginning small habits like a few minutes of daily reflection and meditation can be a great way to care for your mental health and wellness during your career transition out of the military. We also had a great opportunity to dive into the way this transition impacts families, and what the DHA has done to address children that are navigating the transition process along with their military parents.

Check out the DHA podcast page here or on iTunes at the following links:

A Better Night's Sleep, Military Meditation Coach and Next Generation Behavioral Health

You can also follow Connected Health on Facebook and Twitter

In this episode I was excited to talk to Kirk Petty, a candidate Bradley-Morris placed about 12 years ago as he transitioned from the Marine Corps to a career in the power-generation industry. Kirk's time at Capstone Turbine has exposed him to a variety of roles and functions, leading to his current title as Senior Vice President of Manufacturing.

Capstone manufactures a comprehensive lineup of clean-and-green microturbines that are able to run on a variety of gaseous or liquid fuels ranging from Natural Gas and Propane to things like Landfill Gas or Aviation Fuel. This flexible fuel format along with their small size and modular design allow these power-generation turbines to be located remotely or within a distributed power generation grid in order to meet customer needs for power production wherever or whenever their work necessitates.

During our conversation, Kirk and I talk about his transition and the process of rising through the ranks and promoting to his current role as an operations manager. We cover certifications and academic credentials that he was able to tackle while still on the active duty, and how he was able to take his aviation flight-line experience and bring that into this new manufacturing environment while also developing a brand new set of skills.

Today I spoke with Lieutenant Colonel Robin Johnson, Employment Director with the Army's Soldier for Life (SFL) program. Recently completed with Battalion command, Robin has joined the SFL team with the goals of raising awareness of the program and developing a culture of life-long engagement beyond merely the transition assistance program. In this episode we discuss her career and approach to the program, what the Army is doing to bridge the gap with employers and create a more opportunities for soldiers transitioning to civilian life, and the larger impact on force readiness and career development that a strong transition program lends to the operational military.

This is an important conversation because we discuss most of the key resources soldiers should be looking into when planning their transition. There's a lot we didn't touch on, but I'm glad our conversation created something of an action plan for those who are listening and beginning the process of planning a civilian career.

Robin's Email

Robin's LinkedIn

Soldier For Life LinkedIn

Soldier For Life Website

David Gutierrez is an active duty naval officer and co-founder of Storehouse 3:10 Ventures, a turnkey real estate business focused on offering cash-flowing real estate investment opportunities to the military and veterans, while upholding the ideals of honesty, integrity, and giving back to the community.

In this episode we speak about his company, how he and his Naval Academy room mate made the decision to go into business as partners, and how he's managing these responsibilities while also serving as an XO in the active duty Navy. David shares his thoughts on generating passive income and how that might enable others to execute their own transition with more security and financial stability.

If you're interested in connecting with David or learning more about turnkey real estate investment, check out his website here or email him at [email protected].

Book recommendation: Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Resource recommendation: Active Duty Passive Income

Today's guest is an alumnus of the Bradley-Morris placement process. Barrett Scruggs graduated from West Point and served in the Army as an officer for 5 years before making the transition to corporate banking via the Military Officer Leadership Program at Citi. He is now the Director of the Workforce Management Department at leading investment and banking firm Sofi based in Salt Lake City, UT.

Barrett began his journey working with another recruiter and made his way to Bradley-Morris during his transition when our team reached out about a role with Citi on their consumer banking team. In this conversation, we catch up about how that program shaped him to do what he's doing today and cover topics like:

-His decision to follow a mentor to SoFi from Citi.

-Banking Operations - what is the difference between consumer or investment or corporate banking?

-Differences between understanding military organization and structure, adapting to the culture.

-Attacking the first 90 days at his new job.

-Learning to trust the team and your peers without a shared service background.

-First major project wins and seeing the fruits of a good plan.

-How to know when the time is right to transition from the military.

Book recommendation: The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

How to contact Barrett: Twitter @CBScruggs Instagram BarrettScruggs

I had an opportunity to interview Chris Moreira, US Marine Corps Aviator and the CEO of TeleDrip - a platform that uses AI to connect consumers and businesses. Chris and I met a few weeks ago at the LeadsCon 2019 trade show for marketing and technology where he was a panelist discussing how companies are keeping pace with advancements in marketing technology. Chris was gracious enough to offer to share his time and his transition story on the podcast, as well as his advice about how to create a vision for what you want to become as you exit the service.

In this episode, we talk about how he made his decision to pursue an MBA at UNC Chapel Hill while finishing his time on active duty, his choice to leave the service, and how he found his way in the world of technology and entrepreneurship.

Today's guest is Tom Kent - CEO and Founder of CareerNerds.com, a professional coaching and networking strategy site aimed at offering insights and strategy to those in career transition.

Tom began his military career after graduating from West Point in the mid 90's, serving as an Intelligence Officer stationed in Europe and Asia. After transitioning to a civilian career in Project Management, Tom pursued and earned his MBA from the University of Texas Austin with a focus in Marketing.

Following his master's studies, Tom spent 14 years in various senior level Marketing positions within the software and tech industry, helping companies identify and acquire new customers, brand themselves effectively, and grow their sales figures.

In his current role at CareerNerds.com he helps career minded professionals market themselves to employment opportunities with a focus on personal brand and Unique Selling Proposition, future goals and growing without the past getting in the way, and optimizing social media profiles and strategy to help job seekers network more effectively to land their desired job interviews.

You can connect with Tom and learn more about his work at:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tom-kent-coaching/about/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaskent/