Podcasts about Air force

After completing 30 years of service in the Air Force, a veteran who struggles with OCD creates a new income source by selling candy. Side Hustle School features a new episode EVERY DAY, featuring detailed case studies of people who earn extra money without quitting their job. This year, the show includes free guided lessons and listener Q&A several days each week. Show notes: SideHustleSchool.com Email: team@sidehustleschool.com Be on the show: SideHustleSchool.com/questions Connect on Instagram: @193countries Visit Chris's main site: ChrisGuillebeau.com Read A Year of Mental Health: yearofmentalhealth.com If you're enjoying the show, please pass it along! It's free and has been published every single day since January 1, 2017. We're also very grateful for your five-star ratings—it shows that people are listening and looking forward to new episodes.

James Longman has the latest on the war in Iran as the U.S. deploys an additional 2,200 Marines to the Middle East while the Trump administration weighs options on how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz; Aaron Katersky reports on law enforcement officials warning of “a significant threat to public safety and national security” after swarms of high-tech drones entered the airspace over a U.S. base housing B-52 bombers and the Air Force's nuclear command; Steve Osunsami looks back at the life and legacy of actor and martial arts master Chuck Norris, who has died at age 86; and more on tonight's broadcast of World News Tonight with David Muir. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us Fan MailPeaches goes solo and unleashes pure unfiltered Ones Ready energy. From Air Force football to government shutdowns, from bogus “Qatari base” conspiracies to the Air Force's mental health meltdown — no topic is safe. He rips into how the military's obsession with “self-care” is starting to sound like a therapy group for quitters, why shark attacks and blood wings need to come back, and how infrastructure and leadership have both gone to hell. If you're tired of the soft, sanitized version of service life everyone's selling… this episode's your reality check. Buckle up, snowflakes.⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – Peaches flies solo: Trent's on vacation, Aaron's on dad duty 02:30 – Air Force vs. UNLV: No defense, all chaos 03:45 – The fake “Qatari Air Base” freakout: calm down, patriots 09:50 – True North mental health program—budget cuts or common sense? 14:45 – Have we gone too far with mental health? Peaches says hell yes 19:50 – Quitting and calling it “self-care” isn't courage 23:40 – The therapy-industrial complex and buzzword bingo 26:00 – POTFF: the one mental health program that actually works 28:00 – Why benching 225 makes you a god among mortals 30:00 – Government shutdown: troops still getting paid (for now) 33:00 – Military infrastructure is falling apart—literally 35:00 – Shark attacks are back, and Peaches loves it 39:00 – Fewer PCS moves: smart retention or lazy policy? 46:30 – Time to close useless bases and stop pretending it's about “the economy” 48:30 – Cold coffee, EOD chaos, and Peaches signs off

Operation Epic Fury continues targeting Iran, principally with airpower. This week, we get the strategist's view from former Air Force planning chief LtGen Clint “Q” Hinote, and it's a mind-blowing doozy. Airpower vs ships. The limits of autonomy. Getting the person out of the loop. Next-war tech. The value of decapitation. Plus the week's headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!

Guest: Lt. Col. Andrew GayForecasts don't just matter for farmers, travelers, or weekend plans — they can influence decisions that ripple across the globe. Few people know that better than Major Andrew Gay, who has served as a meteorologist in the U.S. Air Force, at the White House, and at the Pentagon. In those roles, weather wasn't simply data — it was mission-critical information that could impact safety, security, and strategy at the highest levels. Today, we'll hear how his career has bridged science and service, and what it takes to forecast when the stakes couldn't be higher.Chapters00:00 The Importance of Weather Forecasting02:51 Andrew Gay's Journey to Meteorology05:56 Career Path in the Air Force08:53 Supporting Military Operations11:44 Weather Forecasting at the White House12:30 Break 114:44 Current Role and Responsibilities17:55 Challenges in Weather Forecasting21:52 Emerging Technologies in Meteorology22:26 Break 225:06 Effective Science Communication29:50 Advice for Aspiring MeteorologistsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Best Of 2GG: Tristan's Air Force Picture Package by Two Girls and a Guy

4pm: Air Force Capt. from Covington, Washington killed in Iran war // F.C.C. Chair Threatens to Revoke Broadcasters’ Licenses Over War Coverage // Trump on France’s level of cooperation in strait of Hurmuz // Free Press: "Hours of new footage reveal the yearslong game of cat and mouse Jeffrey Epstein played with the authorities. // Tucker: The DOJ’s latest batch of Epstein files reveals “pizzagate” isn’t the crazy conspiracy theory the mainstream media wanted us to believe it was. // Seattle Supersonics return takes major step forward with potential NBA vote next week

In this episode, Collin Al-Samarrie talks with Dr. Dixie Mobley, an Air Force veteran and founder of Pearl and Pine Dental Studio. They discuss her rapid transition from military dentistry to building a "bomb-shelter" startup in the Florida Panhandle.Episode Timestamps[00:00] Intro & "This or That" with Dr. Dixie.[05:42] The Origin Story: Following her father's private practice footsteps.[08:15] Military Life: The elite training and the "dual military" commute struggle.[14:30] The Turning Point: Why she chose a startup over an acquisition.[18:45] Pearl and Pine: The meaning behind the brand and using AI for logo design.[22:10] The Numbers: A deep dive into conventional loans, interest rates, and down payments.[28:30] Construction: Converting a concrete "bomb shelter" into a modern studio.[34:15] The Floor Plan: Designing for 9 ops and a unique "kids' flex space."[39:50] Decision Fatigue: Learning to make $20k choices on the fly.[44:20] Wellness: Running as "unplugged therapy" for the startup grind.[48:05] Advice for Moms & Veterans: "If you aren't building your dream, you're building someone else's."Dr. Dixie is looking for your advice on:Sound Systems: Sonos vs. Flush-mount ceiling speakers?Signage: Recommendations for national or local sign companies for her interior logo wall.

From combat missions in the F-22 Raptor to more than five months aboard the International Space Station, Lt. Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers '11 has seen it all. SUMMARY In this episode of Long Blue Leadership, Col. Ayers reflects on mentorship, teamwork and building the next generation of warriors and astronauts.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK     TOP 10 TAKEAWAYS 1. Leadership is fluid: sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. On Dragon and the ISS, command shifted between Anne McClain and Takuya Onishi. Everyone alternated between being commander and flight engineer, showing that strong teams normalize moving between leading and supporting roles. 2. Team care starts with self‑care. Vapor repeatedly links sleep, rest, hydration, and health to leadership performance. You can't be present for others if you're exhausted or burned out; taking care of yourself is a leadership duty, not a luxury. 3. People first, mission second (to enable mission success). Whether on deployment with 300 personnel or in space with 7, she focuses on taking care of the human—family issues, logistics, burnout, and emotions—trusting that performance and mission execution follow from that. 4. Trust is built long before the crisis. ISS emergency training with all seven crew, plus years of joint training in multiple countries, builds shared understanding and trust. When emergencies happen, the crew isn't figuring each other out for the first time. 5. Quiet, thoughtful leadership can be incredibly powerful. Takuya Onishi's style—observant, calm, speaks only when it matters, and brings thoughtful items for others—shows that you don't need to be loud to command respect. When he spoke, everyone listened. 6. Leadership means being fully present, especially on others' hard days. In both combat and space, you can't “hide” when someone's struggling. Being reachable, attentive, and emotionally available is a core leadership behavior, not a soft add‑on. 7. Normalize mistakes and share lessons learned. From F‑22 sorties to NASA operations, it's expected that you openly admit errors and pass on lessons so others don't repeat them. A culture where “experience is what you get right after you need it” only works if people share that experience. 8. Plan for “seasons” of intensity, not permanent balance. She frames life as seasons: some are sprints (deployments, intense training, big trips); others are for recovery. Wise leaders anticipate these cycles, push hard when needed, then deliberately create room to reset afterward. 9. Model the behavior you want your team to adopt. If the commander is always first in, last out, everyone else feels pressure to match that. By visibly protecting her own rest and home life, she gives permission for others to do the same and avoid burnout. 10. Lean on—and be—a support system. Her twin sister, long‑term friends, and professional peers form a lifelong support network she turns to when she fails, doubts herself, or hits something “insurmountable.” Great leaders both rely on and serve as those trusted people for others.     CHAPTERS 0:00:00 – Introduction & Vapor's Journey (Academy, F‑22, NASA) 0:00:38 – Launch Scrub, Second Attempt & What a Rocket Launch Feels Like 0:03:33 – First Moments in Space, Floating & Seeing Earth (Overview Effect) 0:06:11 – Leadership & Teamwork in Space: Roles, Trust, and Small-Crew Dynamics 0:10:19 – Multinational Crews & Leadership Lessons from Other Cultures 0:14:47 – No‑Notice F‑22 Deployment & Leading a Squadron in Combat 0:18:14 – Managing Burnout: Scheduling, Human Factors & “Crew‑10 Can Do Hard Things” 0:19:46 – Self‑Care as Team Care: Seasons of Life, Rest, and Being Present 0:26:02 – Family, Being an Aunt, and Balancing a Demanding Career 0:28:14 – Life After Space: Mentoring New Astronauts & Evolving as a Leader     ABOUT NICHOLE BIO U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Nichole "Vapor" Ayers is a trailblazing pilot, leader and astronaut whose journey began at the United States Air Force Academy, where she graduated in 2011 with a degree in mathematics. An accomplished F-22 Raptor pilot, Ayers is one of the few women ever to fly the world's most advanced stealth fighter — and she's one of even fewer to command them in formation for combat training missions. Col. Ayers earned her wings through years of training and operational excellence, logging over 200 flight hours in combat and playing a critical role in advancing tactical aviation. Her exceptional performance led to her selection in 2021 by NASA as a member of Astronaut Group 23, an elite class of 10 chosen from among 12,000 applicants. As a NASA astronaut candidate, Col. Ayers completed intensive training at Johnson Space Center, which included spacewalk preparation, robotics, survival training, systems operations and Russian language. Now qualified for spaceflight, she stands on the threshold of a new chapter that led her to the International Space Station. Throughout her career, Col. Ayers has exemplified the Academy's core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All We Do. Her journey from cadet to combat aviator to astronaut is a testament to resilience, determination and a passion for pushing boundaries.   LEARN MORE ABOUT NICHOLE NASA Astronaut Nichole Ayers   CONNECT WITH THE LONG BLUE LINE PODCAST NETWORK TEAM Ted Robertson | Producer and Editor:  Ted.Robertson@USAFA.org Send your feedback or nominate a guest: socialmedia@usafa.org   Ryan Hall | Director:  Ryan.Hall@USAFA.org  Bryan Grossman | Copy Editor:  Bryan.Grossman@USAFA.org Wyatt Hornsby | Executive Producer:  Wyatt.Hornsby@USAFA.org     ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS     FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Host: Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99 Guest: Lt. Col. Nichole "Vapor" Ayers '11   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:00 Vapor, welcome to Long Blue Leadership. We are so thrilled you're here. Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 0:11 Thank you. Thanks for having me. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:12 Absolutely. So the cadets get to spend some time with you at NCLS. Here the Long Blue Line is going to get to hear from you. And you know, we can actually go through the list. You know, F-22 pilot, USAFA 2011 graduate, you've been in combat, you're a NASA pilot. The list is probably shorter what you haven't done. But, frankly, I'm just excited that you're here on Earth with us, because the last time we spoke, you called me from outer space. Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 0:35 Yeah, that was a lot of fun. That was a lot of chat with you then too. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 0:38 So let's just jump right in. So if we can just kind of catapult you, and let's do it in the way that they that NASA does, into space, maybe starting with the countdown, and then the Gs you take, what is that experience like? And maybe, what are some things you were thinking about in those moments? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 0:53 Oh, yeah. So, you know, we launched on March 14. First attempt was March 12, and we actually scrubbed the first launch. So we got all the way down to T minus 42 minutes right before we armed the launch escape system. So that's kind of a big milestone on the countdown. We were having issues with some hydraulics in the clamp that actually holds on to the rocket wall and then let's go. We weren't quite sure whether it was gonna let go, so they scrubbed the launch then, and it was a fascinating — you don't feel like you've got a ton of adrenaline going, but, you know, you feel kind of like you're in a sim. We do some really phenomenal training. And so when you're sitting on top of the rocket, it feels like you're in a simulator, except it's breathing and living, and the valves are moving, and you can hear the propellant being loaded and all of that. And so there's a very real portion to launch date. But then, coming down off of that adrenaline, we got a day off, thankfully. We could just kind of rest and relax and then go again. So everything went smoother the second try. Of course, you know, everybody's nerves are a little less, and everything was — it just felt calmer the whole way out. But, yeah, when that countdown hits zero, I like to say you're being slingshotted off the Earth. That's how it felt. You know, in that moment, you're going. There's over a million pounds of thrust, and it's going. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 2:10 I mean, that sounds like a lot. I can't really fathom in my mind what that feels like. Can you describe it? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 2:17 You know, so I talked about in an F-22 and an afterburner takeoff, which is the most thrust that we have basically in any airplane on Earth. You know, you get set back in your seat really far. And, if you think of an airliner takeoff, you kind of get set back in your seat a little bit. Multiply that by, like, 10 or 20, and then that happened for nine minutes straight on a rocket. You're just being forcefully set back in your seat for nine minutes straight and just thrown off of the Earth, and in nine minutes, you're in orbit. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 2:49 So when you had your practice, did you experience that level for that long as well? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 2:54 For the simulators? So they can't that. We can't necessarily simulate the Gs in the sim. So that's like the one part that, you know, we go through the whole launch, but you're sitting at one G the whole time, and throughout the launch, you know, the Gs build, then we back off the thrust and the Gs build again, and then you have an engine cut off. And I like to explain, like, if you could visualize, like an old cartoon, and everybody's in the car driving, and Dad slams on the brakes, and everybody hits the windshield. And then he slams on the gas again, and everybody goes back to their seats. Like, that's what it felt like when the engine cut off and, you know, main engine cuts off, and then within a few seconds, the second engine lights, and you're set back in your seat again. So I like to give that visual. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 3:33 That's really helpful, actually. Wow. OK, so you're there, you're in space. And I guess my first question would be, what's something that, in that moment, you're either thinking or you're just, are you still just orienting yourself? What is that like? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 3:45 Oh, man, you know, we're still in the seats for the first few moments in space, and we have to open the nose cone. There's some other things that are happening on the spacecraft, and getting ready for a burn, for a phasing burn, to get up to and catch up with the International Space Station. But, you know, then eventually you get to unbuckle and get out of your seat and floating for the first time. I got out of my seat and I'm floating there. It felt like, you know, Captain Marvel when she's, like, hanging out. Yeah, that's, that's how I felt. And, you know, I like to give the visual, because it's like, it's just nothing you've ever experienced in your life, you know. And then you look out the window and the view is something, it's indescribable. You know, I don't think we have the right words in the English language to describe what it feels like to look back at Earth from space. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 4:35 Was there a moment when you're looking out at Earth — did you kind of play back just different things in your life? Did you think about, you know, significance of things, or, like, scope of things, or even just the vantage point? Did it kind of just change things or were you just in awe at the moment? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 4:49 No, I think, you know, we talked about the overview effect, when astronauts specifically look back at Earth, and it hits everybody kind of differently. And for me, I think the biggest thing you know, when you look at a map of the states or a map of the world, you know, every country is a different color, or every state's a different color, and there are lines that describe the borders, right? And those don't exist in in space. Those don't exist like when you can't see different colored states, right? But you can see the Grand Canyon, and you can see the mountains, and you can see the Amazon, and you can see the desert in Africa. And you get to, you know, you get to learn the world geography by colors and terrain. And it's just a really good reminder that, you know, we're all humans, and we're all on this little fragile marble, just trying to take care of each other and trying to take care of Earth. And so I think that's what hit me the most, was just there are no borders, and we're all the same. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 5:44 Gosh, well, it's a unique and probably highly impressive team that you're with. I mean, we know the road to get to becoming a NASA astronaut is certainly one that is very difficult. Starts from many, many, in the 1000s, down to 10. And so, you know, when we think about leadership, and I've heard you share this before with others, you talk about teamwork and leadership, maybe explain a little bit what that's like in space when you're all so highly effective leaders. You know, what does that look like? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 6:12 That's a great question. You know, I think for us, it is a very fluid movement, right? You lead one day; you follow the next. And you know, I'll give you an example. So Anne McClain was the commander of SpaceX Crew-10 for NASA. So she was in charge of Crew-10 is our ride up to the space station, and our ride home, right? It's the capsule, the rocket and the capsule. And then we were on Expedition 73 aboard the International Space Station, where Takuya, who it was, Takuya Onishi, who was our mission specialist on Dragon, soon as we crossed into the hatch and he took command. He is now the commander of the Space Station, and Anne and I are flight engineers, and so it's a pretty fluid movement in terms of leading and following. But ultimately, you know, it's just about being a good team and taking care of each other. And I think that being a good leader is taking care of other people. And, you know, we talk about team care — self-care, and team care are like the huge parts that we actually train and learn about at NASA as we go through our training, because you're on this really small space in the vacuum of space for five-plus months at a time, and it's — there are only seven people up there and everybody's going to have a bad day. We're all humans, and you can't, there's no hiding.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 7:30 What's a bad day like in space?   Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 7:32 People make mistakes, right? We're all human. You might make a mistake on something, you might mess up a procedure. You hope that it's not something that causes a safety incident, right? The main goal for me, at least, was, I know I'm going to make mistakes. As long as I'm not unsafe, I'll be happy. And I think that a lot of us have that conscious decision-making process. But I think that we're also humans and have Earth lives, and your Earth life doesn't stop when you go to space. And so bad days could be something going on at home. Bad days could be something going on in space. Could be an interaction that you had with somebody on the ground that, you know, there's a lot of communication that happens between us on the ground. There are thousands of humans on the Earth that keep the Space Station running. So that day could be anything but it's tough to hide up there. Here, you can kind of like, duck and cover and maybe you just spend the day in an office. But it doesn't happen up there. We have to continue to work and continue to function. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 8:32 So you mentioned that there are seven of you in this tight space. Now, when you go up there, your crew, is it the same seven?   Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 8:38 For the majority of the time. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 8:42 OK, excellent. So one of the things we think about whenever we're leading or we're working with teams is trust, and obviously you have a great amount of trust with the crew that you're going up there with. But then you mentioned you went on to the ISS and you're working with others. What does that look like when it's someone maybe you haven't worked as closely with in a really important mission? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 9:03 So for the seven expedition members, we actually do train together for a little bit of it, not nearly as closely as, you know, the four of us training for Dragon mission. But because the most dynamic parts are launch and landing, we do a lot of training together, just as the four of us, but we train all over the world. So we go to Japan and Germany and Canada, and we go to, you know, Hawthorne, California, and we go to Russia, and we train with them, and we learn about the Russian segment, and we train with our fellow cosmonauts there. And we do emergency training specifically all together, because it takes all seven of us in an emergency doing the right thing and knowing everybody's roles. And so we train that together as well. And then anytime you're in the same country or same city together, then you get to spend the time outside of the training to get to know each other. And so you actually know your crew fairly well. But obviously, everybody's from a different nation. And we had Americans, we had a Japanese astronaut, we had Russians, so you learn everybody's culture, and it's actually, you know, to your point on being in that small — and not necessarily knowing everybody. There's also a cultural aspect; we get to know each other. We get to learn about other people's cultures and figure out how to communicate and live and work, even across the whole world. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 10:19 What was something that you learned from another culture of astronaut, maybe in the leadership realm, or just something that you took away, that's really something that surprised me, or like to emulate? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 10:30 I love Taku's leadership style. So Takuya Onishi — he's one of those more quiet humans, and he's super kind, but he is the most intelligent human I've ever met, and he is super-efficient with everything he does, and he pays attention to all of the little things. And so he only speaks up when he thinks something needs to be changed, or when he thinks that, like, we need to go in a different direction, otherwise, he's pretty happy to let you go, like, let you go as far as you want to go on something. And then when he thinks you're gonna run off a cliff, he pulls you back. So when he speaks, everybody listens. And I love that. I think some of that is cultural, obviously, him being from Japan, but I think it's also just his personal leadership style, but I learned a ton from him in terms of how to interact with people, how to let people be themselves, but also how to run a ship, and everybody knew exactly who was running the ship. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 11:22 Wow. And it shows that respect lens that you're just kind of talking about when he spoke. Everybody listens. Is that something that you feel you already had that kind of leadership style or is that something that you've kind of evolved in yourself? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 11:37 I like to think that that's the way that I lead. That's kind of how I try to be a leader. But we're not perfect, right? Nobody's perfect. And watching him, you know, taking notes from how he interacted with everybody, the things that he thought of, the things that he brought with him for us on station, you know, we get a very limited amount of stuff, personal things that we get to bring with us. And he brought things for the crew that were like, huge milestones for professional careers. You know, just the attention to detail on the human beings around him was pretty phenomenal. So it's one of the things I'm working on to be better at, because I like to think I'm good at it. But I saw the master work. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 12:18 I love that. And something you said about him, he always has attention to detail, and he saw the little things. He paid attention to the little things. I remember a past conversation we had. You had a little nugget from Col. Nick Hague, also USAFA — '98 I believe. And I think he said to you, something about, you know, “Nicole, don't forget that you're squishy,” or something like that. And so have you had more of those moments in there where they're like little nuggets or little moments that actually give you a big return or big lessons in your life? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 12:46 Oh, definitely, yeah, that one's a funny one, because the space station is metal. Everything is metal, and it's hard and so we still have weight, well, mass. We still have mass. We don't have weight, right, because we're in microgravity. But if you're cooking around a corner and you run into a handrail, it's gonna hurt, you know, if you imagine going 10 or 15 mph into something metal, it's gonna hurt — you're squishy. So that was a great lesson in slowing down and making sure you're watching your surroundings. But one of the things that Anne McClain says that cracks me up, but every time it happens, like, “Yep, this is definitely—," she says, “Experience is that thing you learn right after you need it.” And so we had a lot of those moments where you learn a lesson and you're like, “Ah, I wish I knew that five minutes ago.” And so that's something that applies everywhere. Experience is that thing you always needed right before that happened. But we also like to say Crew-10 can do hard things. That's another thing that was just kind of our motto, whether it's training — some of the training can be really physically demanding. It's really mentally demanding. And it's a lot of travel. When you get assigned to a mission, it's probably a year and a half to two years of training, and then you're gone for six months. So out of that two to two and a half years, you're not home for over a year. So you're all over the world, traveling to train and work. And like I said, we're all humans. We have Earth lives, we have homes, you get situations back home. And so navigating personal lives, navigating professional lives, navigating tough training. Crew-10 can do hard things. We like to say that. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 14:22 I like that. It also talks a bit about your grit. Crew-10 grit. So, talking about hard things, I'd like to take us to the time when you've been piloting the F-22 and you've seen combat. I heard you speaking a little bit before about a no-notice deployment. Let's visit that time in your life. What were you doing? What was your role, and what was something you experienced? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 14:47 Sure. So I was actually flying the day that we got notified. And, you know, just a standard training sortie — had landed, and some of the maintainers were like, “Hey, have you heard what's happening?” And I was like, “No, what's happening?” And then we had a big squadron meeting, and that's when we got notified, like, “Hey, we're deploying.” We were on the GRF, is what it was called at the time, Global Response Force, and I think some of that structure has changed since I left that squadron, but we knew that once we were on the GRF, there was a chance that we would get activated and get moved somewhere. Didn't necessarily expect it to be quite that quick. I think it was like the next week we got this deployment. So we got notified on a Thursday, I think, and then on Monday, I was taking off.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 15:31 Oh, really no notice.   Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 15:33 Yeah, so, four days later, we were taking off, and then seven days later, we were flying missions from — we were stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, so we're flying out of Al Udeid within a week. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 15:45 How many with you?   Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 15:47 So when we deploy, we actually deploy with our maintenance squadrons, 300 people. Twenty to 30 of them are the pilots, and then the rest are the maintainers. And so it's the entire squadron. We morph into an expeditionary squadron. And so there are 300 people that head out. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 16:03 So I imagine, you know, on top of the fact that it was such a rapid movement, there's probably things that people had to obviously work through family. This needs to happen. But what were some things that you experienced in that deployment, or even in just that transition? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 16:21 Again, I go back to taking care of people. I was a flight commander at the time. We had two flight commanders, so I'm in charge of basically half the squadron, and we had a really wonderful commander who gave us the authority and the autonomy to leave the squadron. So, you know, it's about saying, like, “How are you guys doing at home?” Half our squadron didn't even have tan flight suits. You know, we're trying, we're working with logistics. We're trying to get everything ready. Like, does everybody have a go bag? Does everybody even know what a go bag is? Do you have the things you need? So working all of that. And then do you have the childcare figured out? Do you have the — how is all your family doing? Are you ready for this? And then we had to do a bunch of last-minute training before we left. And so it's a really busy time, but it was one of the first times where I felt like I had an influence on the people that were under me, that I had supervised. And so it was a really great experience to solve those problems, figure it out and help people get off the ground in four days successfully, and leaving something, some semblance of structure at home. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 17:24 So you said it was the first time where you kind of really felt that you had that impact. What would you say kind of maybe crystallized within yourself in learning that? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 17:36 I think it really solidified. I think I said, “I try to lead by taking care of people,” right? I truly believe if you take care of the human, they're going to do a really great job. You don't have to ask much of people at work and in their professional life, if their personal and the human side of them is taken care of and so that's kind of what I mean when I say that solidified it for me, like, make sure that the humans are good to go, and they'll go do anything you want to do. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 18:04 Wow. So while on that deployment, you're leading half of that squadron. What were some of the challenges maybe that you experienced, and how did you grow as a leader during that timeframe? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 18:14 Scheduling is definitely a tough one. So we flew daytime and nighttime. We basically had an F-22 airborne for almost 24 hours a day for the entire six months, six and a half months. We left and we were told it might be two- or three-month deployment, and then it turned into six months. And then we got delayed up coming home. And so then we stayed through Christmas. And those are the things that really are tough for people. But we have a limited number of jets that we took. We have a limited number of pilots; we have a limited number of maintainers and parts. And so I think for us, managing a schedule between me and the other flight commander, managing a schedule, managing quality of life for everybody, and make sure that we're not burning people out, or that they're not —we're flying eight-, nine-, 10-hour sorties, right? And that's exhausting. It's just you and that airplane with your wingman and a different airplane. And so you have to manage, again, that human factor. The human capital is probably the toughest thing to manage. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 19:15 Wow, and you talked about how the deployment kind of got extended. What were some things, because many of our listeners and our viewers are leaders, and at different levels of leadership and different times in their lives where they're doing that. When you were leading, and you had some of those subordinates, or those that were working with you that really experienced some troubles, through emotions, through some of that. How did you help navigate them through that when you were all in that as well? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 19:46 Right. You know, I think at NASA especially, we talk about self-care being a huge part of team care. And so making sure I do this in my regular life too, but, you know, making sure that you're getting enough rest, making sure that you're taking care of yourself and your personal life, so that you can truly be present for the other people that need you. And I think being present for others is one of the biggest things that you can do. You know, they may not need a ton of help, or they may not need the solution, but being there, being available and being present for people is really important. But you can't do that unless you're good to go yourself. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 20:18 Did you see that from someone? Did you learn that from someone you saw doing that? Or just, how did, I mean NASA's — you said, NASA, but did you see that at the Academy? Or where did you kind of gather that? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 20:28 You know, I think one of the things that hit me hard about showing up and being present was actually more professional. I kind of skated through the Academy on minimal sleep, and I was able to manage everything. But I wasn't flying a $143 million airplane. And so, in pilot training, we started to talk about crew rest and pilot rest. That's the first time that I had heard this concept of, “You need to go home and get rest so that you can be on your game.” Because flying airplanes, your decisions have real consequences, right? And you have to be present and available, and you have to be on your game to fly airplanes and do well in airplanes. And then the faster and the higher and the better the airplane gets, the more on your game you have to be. So I think it's something that has just kind of evolved in me. And then, as a leader, I realized, if you don't have any gas in the tank, you cannot help somebody else. And so for me, it's just kind of been, over the last decade and a half, of, wow, I need my sleep. I need to make sure I'm good to go. I need to make sure my human is good, so that way I can help other humans. And yeah, when your decisions have real consequences, it's important that you're present and you're ready to go. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 21:43 Have you seen some of the fact that you prioritize that for yourself, for you as your own human? Have you seen others kind of like see that, view that, and actually take that on as well themselves. Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 21:53 Yeah, I think they do. And I think, as a leader, it's really important to set that example. The commander cannot be the first one in last one out. Like, you just can't do that, because everybody's going to stay until you leave. So setting the example, setting the example of having a good home-life balance as well. Like, home and work have to be balanced. Sleep has to be balanced. Again, self-care is the biggest part of team care, I think. And if you model that, people start to realize it's important. You know, the younger people that might burn themselves out trying to get somewhere, trying to get to the next step, or trying to impress somebody, or whatever the case may be, if they see you taking a step back and they see your success, maybe then they can start worrying about themselves too. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 22:34 I think that's a great lesson, leading by example. For sure. There are probably moments that you experience both at the Academy, while flying the F-22 or as an astronaut, where you don't have the luxury of balance. How do you navigate that and how do you help others get to that space maybe quicker? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 22:53 I think of everything as a season in life. It might just be a busy season, and you might just have to put some time in but making sure that you are planning ahead and know that you're gonna be able to take some time and reset. And that could be anything, right? That could be personal life, professional life. That could be the four-week training trip that we've got is going to be rough, and its multiple time zones, and it's a ton of training, it's a ton of information. You just have to get through it. But then, that week, when we got home, I made sure my schedule was a little lighter. Whatever the balance is, I think of things in seasons. Crew-10 can do hard things, right? And that came from — you can get through this next training session, right? But we're gonna do a mask-to-suit transition, which is like in a fire, you've got a mask on. You have to get from that mask into your spacesuit. It's a significant physical event. And there's limited oxygen; there's limited ability to breathe in the suit when in that specific environment. And so how do you slow down, take the breaths you need to get in there to not then get to a point where you're panicking, right? Or that you're too exhausted or too hot or overdid, or whatever it is, right? So I think even just that, that is a season. We're going to do two hours of this. That's my season, and then we'll get out of the simulator, we'll take a break, right? And if it happened on orbit, it would be like, “We're going to get through this. We're going to solve the problem. We're going to manage the emergency, and then once things are set, we'll have a moment to breathe.” So that's kind of how I think of it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 24:21 Did seasons come something, a term that you kind of realized maybe at the Academy, you were a volleyball athlete at the Academy, and so volleyball has a season. But my question is, like, how did you come to that realization? Like, “Oh, I can get through this, and I put it in a bucket of time.” Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 24:35 You learn a lot of time management at the Academy, and when you're in the fall, you're really busy, spring season is less busy, and so you kind of learn early how to manage. Like, “OK, I've got to run. I gotta sprint,” right? “And then I can jog later, or I can walk later.” So, I think you learn that growing up in school, and you know, if you play sports or you do extracurricular activities or other things like that, or even just seasons in life at home, life ebbs and flows. I don't even know when I started saying it, but my sister and I started saying “seasons of life” to each other a long time ago. You know, she's got three kiddos, so she's been in all sorts of seasons. But, yeah, it's just, you know, I think I started to time block things, or block things off and just, and that's the only way you're going to get through life, is if you focus on what you need to do right now, be good at it, and then move to the next thing. You can have an idea of what's coming next, but you have to be present and do what you're doing there. Yes, so, yeah, seasons, time, blocks, whatever you want to call it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 25:39 I like that. Well, you brought up your sister, and so you're an auntie of three. Let's talk about your personal life and leadership, some experiences you've had navigating your schedule. You're on the road so much. How do you prioritize? I guess the things that are important to you when you have such a heavy schedule, yeah, being on the road and the people that are important to you, right? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 26:03 Man, I think that for me, my family has been a huge support system my whole life. My twin sister — built in best friend.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 26:13 And who is older? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 26:14 She is. She's got me by a minute. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 26:18 OK. Does she hold that over you?   Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 26:20 Yes, of course she does. We've just always supported each other 100% and everything. She's been my biggest cheerleader through all of my life, and I've been her biggest cheerleader through all of her life. And you know, my main goal in life is to be the coolest auntie, like the best auntie, and I would die happy. And they're a huge priority to me. I see them every couple two to three months — since my oldest has was born. So for the last 14 years, just made it a priority, even if it's like, leave late on a Friday night and then get home late Sunday night, I make the effort to go see them and to interact with them. And you know, to help foster them. You know they're growing up. And I love watching kids grow up and experience the world and see what can be done. Their dad's a Marine, their mom's this really successful real estate agent, their auntie' a pilot-slash-astronaut. You know, they've got, like, all these no family that's really not doing very much. Yeah, you know, they've got all these really great role models. And my goal is to just show them that it doesn't matter who you are, like they only ever know me as auntie. Like they know I'm an astronaut, and they love that. Their friends know that I'm an astronaut. Anti vapor, no, no, yeah. But, you know, like, they're always gonna get a big hug from auntie, like, that's, that's what's important to me. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:36 Well, you mentioned, going into space, being an auntie. So, would you describe your time and space is, it's probably out of this world. I mean, that's, wow, that's terrible. That's terrible I said it that way. But I think you've mentioned it is kind of the best time in your life. Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 27:52 Yeah. Best five months my life. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 27:56 Best five months of your life, and it's passed. Now, when we think about our evolution, whether personally, professionally, as leaders, etc., we have these ideas in our mind, like, this is the pinnacle. How do you navigate what's next after you've experienced that pinnacle? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 28:14 Yeah, that's a great question, and I think it's something that a lot of us struggle with when we come home. What's next? We get six months, some time to think and kind of get reintegrated. And you don't necessarily have to go back to work right away. I was able to spend a ton of time with my sister and her kiddos. Yeah, what's next. And I think for me, like the drive out to the launch pad, I was like, “Man, I've made it.” You know, the first time I looked out the window from Dragon, “I've made it.” First time we crossed the hatch, and I went and looked out the glass like, “Wow. The hard work paid off.” And I still feel like that to this day. I would have spent four more months in space if they had asked me to, and I would have turned around and launched right back then the day that we landed, and it was because of the crewmates that I spent it with and the fulfillment that I got from the mission. But I think you can find fulfillment in a lot of ways. And you know, my job, now that I've been back, I'm going to be working with the new class of astronauts and their training for spacewalk. So in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, our big pool, like, my job is to be their mentor as they go through the spacewalk training. And you know, like, I cannot wait. I'm so excited. I cannot wait to have an impact and try to help teach this next generation of spacewalkers, this next generation of astronauts, to be better than us. I find a lot of fulfillment in making the next generation better. So I think, however the fulfillment shows up for people, I think as long as you can find something, there you'll be happy. Going to space was great, but teaching and instructing and mentoring is also really fulfilling for me. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 29:54 And that will be 10 of them? How many will that be? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 29:55 Ten.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 29:56 Ten. So then you'll have 13. You'll be auntie to 13. Oh, that's wonderful. What have you learned about yourself since then? You know, you've evolved as a leader through different situations, high threat, high risk. Safety is paramount. All of those different experiences. And now you're back on Earth and you're about to, you know, mentor. How have you evolved your leadership, and where would you say you're trying to go? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 30:23 Where am I trying to go? I think, for me, leadership is also about being vulnerable and being open and honest with people about failures or hardships and so, you know, like in the flying community, if you make a mistake, you're immediately like, “Hey, I messed this up. Here's how we fix it.” And that's something that we do at NASA as well, especially on a grand scale, right? Thousands of employees and everybody like, that's the only way that we get to space is by admitting when we've made mistakes, talking to each other about how we fix it and sharing those lessons learned. And so I think that especially when you get into the higher roles of leadership, it's important to go, “Hey, I messed up,” or, “Hey, I don't know the answer.” And being transparent with the people that you're working with. And if you don't know it, but you know where to go find it, like, “I'll get that answer for you,” instead of making up an answer, trying to figure out how to look like you're in charge, right? It's really important to me to also show that we don't know everything. We're human. We make mistakes, and it's OK to make mistakes, as long as you share it, and you share the lessons learned, and you make the next person better. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 31:32 Did you experience that personally? Did you have a moment in which you had to say, “Hey, I made a mistake,” and that's helped you realize that being vulnerable is really important or is that just something you've seen done really well? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 31:40 Oh, I've admitted a lot of mistakes. You know, I made a couple pretty big mistakes in the Raptor. Everybody's gonna make a big mistake at some point in their life. And, you know, I think that that was something that was modeled really well in the flying community early on. And it's something that's not tolerated if you're not willing to share your lessons learned. It's not tolerated in that community. That's a really good thing. I learned that in pilot training, right? If your buddy in your class makes the same mistake the next day that you made, you get in trouble because you didn't tell them how to how to prepare. And so it's fostered early on, especially in the flying community. I can't speak to any other community because I grew up there, but it's fostered early on, and so it's just something that comes naturally. I think eventually, because you just, you've seen it done so many times, and if you want other people to succeed, you're going to do it. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 32:29 All right. Well, we have two questions left. The first one is, what's something you do every day to be a better leader? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 32:37 That's a good one. This is gonna sound silly, but I sleep. Like, I'll go back to the self-care thing, right? Like, I put a lot of attention into being healthy, being hydrated, sleeping well. Like, if you take care of your body, your mind is going to do way more for you. And so I think you can show up as a better leader if you show up, rested, hydrated, fed, worked out whatever you need to do to be the best human you can be. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 33:09 That's what I try to do. OK. I like that a lot, and I think that's a good indication for me that six hours is probably not enough. Naviere needs a little bit more. And it's truth, because you told me, though I'm gonna do that. The second one is, if you could go back in time, maybe what's something you would have told yourself — your younger self — or maybe, as our cadets are listening, that you've learned and what they can be doing now to be a better leader down the road. Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 33:34 If you run into a hardship or you fail at something, or something feels insurmountable, or you don't feel like you're ready, good enough, or whatever the case may be, doubt starts to seep in, right? I would say, rely on the support system that you have. Rely on the people around you. Talk about it. Figure out, you know, “Hey, I failed this GR, like, man, this kind of sucks.” And you know, maybe you just need to hear me say it out loud, and maybe I just need to get it off my chest, or maybe I need help trying to figure out the solution for whatever the case may be. So, you know, I had a built-in team on the volleyball team. I had a built-in friends and teammates that I could lean on. Maybe that's your squadronmates or your classmates, or whoever it is, right? And I think finding the friends that you can rely on for the rest of your life. Professionally, I've got a friend here that I met in the F-22 community. We've been friends for almost a decade now, and he's still one of the first people that I call when something happens, like, “Oh, I messed this up today. Help.” So, you know, finding a support system. My sister's the other person that I call first off. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 34:38 She probably knows you're gonna call when you call. Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 34:39 Yeah, we talk way too much. But, you know, having that support system around you and finding people that really bolster you and get you across that line and help you find the courage to take the next step, I think that's really important. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 34:54 I know I said there was only two, but as I've listened to you, I just think you're just you're just remarkable, and maybe what's something that you're proud about yourself as a leader. I would really love to hear that in your, you know— Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 35:05 I think the thing that makes me the most proud as a leader is when somebody succeeds and it's something that I helped them do. I've had somebody come back and say, “Thanks for saying that.” That pushed me out the edge, you know, like, I'm really into building the next generation and make them better than us. And so if I see somebody succeeding, that's good. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 35:27 Well, this has been incredible. Is there anything that we didn't cover that you would love to share with the Long Blue Line in our community? Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 35:33 Oh, man, the community is great. I think I would just say thank you to the community. I've gotten so much love and support from Coloradans, but also the Long Blue Line and the Air Force in general. You know, I love the community that we have. It goes right back to what I just said, right, finding a community that supports you and pushes you to do better and be better. And this is that community. Col. Naviere Walkewicz 35:55 Well, Vapor, I promise I'm gonna get more sleep, and I just want to thank you for being such an incredible leader and guest here on Long Blue Leadership. Col. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers 36:03 Thanks for having me back. Absolutely.   Col. Naviere Walkewicz 36:05 Thanks. You know, this conversation was really incredible with Vapor. I think some of the things that really stood out to me is just how incredible as a human she is. She brings humanity into leadership. She puts people first. She thinks about the team. She works hard. Don't forget to prioritize sleep. But I think really, some of the lessons that we can all take away can hit us all personally, because if you think about people first and taking care of them, and the fact that you have to take care of yourself too, you can go really far in leadership. So I really appreciate her today on Long Blue Leadership. And I'm Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. Until next time.   KEYWORDS Joel Neeb, Long Blue Leadership, Air Force Academy leadership, USAFA leadership, military leadership podcast, leadership development, leadership lessons, character-based leadership, leadership under pressure, leading with integrity, decision making in leadership, mentorship and leadership, values-based leadership, service before self, leadership mindset, leadership podcast interview, military leadership stories, leadership for professionals, leadership for entrepreneurs, how to be a better leader, leadership growth.       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation        

On this episode of the Say What Again Billy Podcast, Billy and Joey dive into the mysterious disappearance of William “Neil” McCasland—a former U.S. Air Force officer and physicist known for his work in advanced research and high-level government programs. With a background tied to cutting-edge technology and intelligence, McCasland's name has sparked intense speculation online.Because of his reputation and involvement in classified projects, some believe his disappearance may be connected to knowledge of extraterrestrials or hidden government secrets. Was he too close to something the public was never meant to know?Billy and Joey break it all down, exploring both sides of the mystery. Billy takes a more grounded, skeptical approach, while still questioning whether there could be something deeper beneath the surface.Is this truly a case tied to extraterrestrial knowledge… or is there a more realistic explanation behind it all?

Hundreds of millions of birds are expected to pass through Israel's skies as the spring migration peaks. What potential challenges does this seasonal event pose during a time of conflict, especially for Israel's Air Force? KKL-JNF Chief Ornithologist Yaron Charka spoke with KAN's Naomi Segal (Photo: Inbar Shlomit Rubin, KKL)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While Operation Epic Fury enters its third week with the U.S. and Israel targeting Iran, President Trump announces that both Iran's Navy and Airforce have been decimated. Republican candidate for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District and a former Marine, Kevin Hermening, has been watching this conflict very closely and shares his support for the efforts to deny Tehran a nuclear weapon while expressing his belief that the Iranian people will ultimately overthrow the Mullahs. Captured in Tehran in 1979 while serving as a Marine security guard at the U.S. Embassy, he shares his firsthand experience of 444 days in captivity.March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. While the disease is typically associated with older adults, a startling shift is changing that perception: diagnoses in adults under 50 are on the rise. Rebecca Siegel, Senior Scientific Director of Surveillance Research at the American Cancer Society, joins the Rundown to break down why the risk is increasing for generations born after 1950 and the symptoms that young adults often ignore.Plus, commentary from Comedia and FOX News Contributor Tom Shillue. PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Hermening Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Keith sits down with the youngest guest in show history—a 19-year-old college sophomore and student-athlete who's already deeply immersed in real estate and economics, Hunter Taddy. You'll hear a candid Gen Z perspective on money, debt, and the shifting social landscape, along with what's really being taught in today's real estate and econ classrooms.  They explore how young people are navigating college costs, work, and early investing decisions, and how hands-on property management education is shaping one student's path.  If you're curious about where the next generation of investors is headed—and what that might mean for your own strategy—this conversation offers a rare, on-the-ground look without the usual clichés. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/597 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  1-937-795-8989 to speak with a freedom coach Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com  Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold  0:01   Keith, welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold talking with a 19 year old guest that I befriended last year. He's a college sophomore with a real estate investing related major. What does he think about generation Z's future is in person, social life, dead. And what do you really learn about real estate and economics in college today on get rich education.   Corey Coates  0:27   Since 2014 the powerful get rich education podcast has created more passive income for people than nearly any other show in the world. This show teaches you how to earn strong returns from passive real estate investing in the best markets without losing your time being a flipper or landlord. Show Host Keith Weinhold writes for both Forbes and Rich Dad advisors and delivers a new show every week since 2014 there's been millions of listener downloads of 188 world nations. He has a list show guests include top selling personal finance author Robert Kiyosaki. Get rich education can be heard on every podcast platform, plus it has its own dedicated Apple and Android. Listener phone apps build wealth on the go with the get rich education podcast, sign up now for the get rich education podcast, or visit get rich education.com   Keith Weinhold  1:11   the same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequel and even chat with President chailey Ridge personally, while it's on your mind, start at Ridge lending group.com that's Ridge lending group.com   Speaker 1  1:44   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  2:00   Welcome to GRE from Concord, New Hampshire to Concord, California and across 188 nations worldwide, you're listening to one of America's longest running and most listened to shows on real estate investing. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold, and this is get rich education. Increasingly, you know, people ask why even go to college? Is the value of higher education even worth it to drag yourself to an 8am American Lit class while living off of dining hall Breakfast Biscuits and chicken strips for $100,000 a year, it's been estimated that one in seven men are meats, n, e, e, t, that means not in education, employed or training. Why put on a suit and tie and show up at a job when you have a reasonable facsimile of life online and you have discord and Reddit and trade stocks on Robinhood and crypto on Coinbase. Now I don't think that's going to be good for you, and I still think that there are a lot of positives about attending college. At least 15 to 20 colleges close each year in the United States. And despite this, you know, most people that I talk to, they still seem to be mostly positive about college, or they have this expectation that their kids go to college. So anecdotally, this hasn't changed. I probably wouldn't even be as aware of this shift if I didn't read media like I do, if I just talked to people informally, I really wouldn't know. One thing that has not changed also is the notion of the broke college student. I used to be one of those. Now America is just a couple years removed from that wave of elevated inflation and war in Iran has positioned to stoke a second wave of inflation. Today's guest told me that he does pay credit card finance charges, even though he makes more than the minimum payment, just kind of like I did as a college student. The default state of teenage society today is different. It used to be boredom, and now that's been replaced with anxiety. That part has certainly changed, and often it tends to be teen anxiety over such nonsense things. I mean, I have a teenage niece. One example is the burden of maintaining your Snapchat streak? Oh my gosh, if you're a Gen Z or you know what I'm talking about, basically a snap streak where you've got to send a friend a photo or video every single day to keep your streak going, two people have to send it to each other, and people with long streaks, they even like send each other a photo of the floor, just. To keep the streak going. I mean, talk about anxiety over the wrong things.    Keith Weinhold  5:04   Well, today's team guest Hunter, he has a somewhat better grip on life. I haven't met his parents yet, but they've done an amazing job. In fact, Hunter's dad owns rental property, which kind of helps to fuel some of his interests and desire. But in order to cope with inflation and expenses, buy now pay later programs have really taken off. They're widely known, but less widely known. Our rent now pay later plans. They're booming. Platforms like livable, flex and affirm. They're used by lower income and lower credit score tenants that often live paycheck to paycheck. And how it works is that these tenants are extended money at the beginning of the month to pay the rent. They often pay a flat subscription fee plus 1% of the rent. And you know, hey, that could be better than the tenant paying late fees to the landlord. I learned from one tenant that had trouble paying his $1,850 in rent that flex charged him a $15 monthly subscription plus 1% of the total rent for providing the service. So his total fees for the app were around $33 a month rent. Now pay later. You're probably only going to hear more about it, but if you're a landlord, you probably do not know that your tenant is using a rent now, pay later plan, because you just received the full payment on time, and then your tenant pays back the service later. Remember, it is called rent. Now, pay later. Oh, before we bring in our guest, can I ask you for some quick help? Maybe you wanted to tell me what you think about the show. You could have been listening for years, but you don't think that you can reach me. If this show has helped you become a better investor, the best way to support the podcast is to leave a quick rating or review. It helps more investors discover the show. Just tap the five stars in your podcast app. It can take as little as 10 seconds, and I will read it myself. Thanks in advance for leaving a rating and review. Let's meet this week's guest.   Keith Weinhold  7:22   This week's guest is the youngest we've ever had in show history. He's a teenager, so he's about a generation younger than me, and it's his first time on a podcast. He is a sophomore student athlete at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where he competes in the 800 meters for the track and field team. He runs about a 155 his major is management, with a specialization in real estate and property management, and he's just into so many things beyond athletics and academics, he serves as an ambassador for the Widener property management and real estate program. He's also an officer of the real estate management and investment club from Wisconsin. He's 19 years old, a straight A student. He's also an RA that's a Resident Assistant there helping out students at the dorms. Welcome to GRE Hunter, toddy.    Hunter Taddy  8:18   Yeah, I'm happy to be here. Thanks for having me.   Keith Weinhold  8:20   Taddy is spelled T, A, D, D, Y. I met Hunter almost six months ago. A property manager introduced us just thinking that we might have some things in common, and she sure was right. We've gotten together a few times, including going running at one time where, well, I had more than a little trouble keeping up with an active college athlete. The last time we sat down for coffee, just last week, I looked at my watch. We were done, and we sat almost two and a half hours like how many teenagers could really hold my attention for that long? But he just understands the world and politics surprisingly well. For a 19 year old. He's confident and well thought out. He's read War and Peace. He even got some of his own cooking and avoids seed oils. And you know, Hunter being born in 2006 when GRE debuted in 2014 you were eight years old. So before we talk about you, let's talk about your generation, generation Z What do you think some of the markers of your generation are?   Keith Weinhold  9:28   Yeah, so it's as I've shared with you in the past. It's interesting, because especially at UA, I'm mostly surrounded by like, athletes. So athletes tend to be a lot more social, just like how they grown up, they're always around people that tend to be a lot more driven. But then when I talk to, like, non athletes, it's a little bit different. Like, my generation is definitely they're on their phone a lot. I mean, I've told you before, like, I avoid social media. Well, I wouldn't say like the flag, but I avoid it a lot, because I know, hey, how addicting it is. And B, just like, you know, the.The word of my generation is slop or brain rot, and which is most of the stuff on the internet, but Yeah, seems to be like, there's a lot of anxiety in my generation, a lot of, like, lack of accountability, which I've noticed a lot lot of, like, lack of responsibility. And it's almost like self indulgent in a way, where it's like, oh I'm so lazy, or Oh, I'm so this, or I'm so that, and it's just kind of weird. You don't really get that much with like the athletes. Back to the social aspect. I don't know if you've seen that headline recently, that's like, the alcohol industry has lost eight, $30 million over the past four years because he doesn't drink. The real story isn't about Gen Z not wanting to drink alcohol. It's about Gen Z, not like really being social, right? I mean, I don't see that many like, Hangouts as much as, like, when I hear from, like my parents, you know, every night you're going somewhere with your friends or your you know, you're going to the bar, you're going to a bonfire, or things like that. And it's just, you don't see it as much. A lot of people are just in their rooms or online and, you know, the online gaming, online gaming, I don't game a lot, but gaming with friends is actually really fun to do sometimes. But everything's a lot more digital, you know, from the communication to like the spaces, you know, where you hang out, whether it's video games or whether it's VR chat, and some people do that, or discord, or just like internet forums and things like that. Yeah, just lot more digital.    Keith Weinhold  11:24   Yeah, you use little or no social media. Personally, I know you manage the Instagram page for your real estate organization, but yeah, there is more of this perception of in person, social life, maybe not dead, but dying. I've learned that 51% of 18 to 24 year old men have never asked out a woman in person you were sharing with me at how you know people have anxiety just about ordering food in person at a restaurant in Gen Z.    Hunter Taddy  11:54   That's actually funny. So because of how that conversation escalated, I technically did ask her out in Snapchat, but then she was like, you have to ask me out in person. And then I did eventually ask her out in person.    Keith Weinhold  12:06   Now, when it comes to in person meetings, after a few meetings with you, I noticed something rare when it's about seeing people in person, you have virtues that I think are somewhat rare for Generation Z. I mean, you actually show up on time. This this chat we're having right now. It's the fourth time we've gotten together, and you actually showed up early each of the four times, which is something that I really notice and appreciate, which, even for people my age, it seems like it's a virtue that they've lost. I mean, showing up on time is just common decency. That's just doing what you said that you were going to do. I find that pretty interesting. But when it comes to your generation being in college now, I mean, college is tough. You know, when I went to college, I took on student loans. My parents and I each paid for half of the tuition, and also worked a part time job while I was there. So I mean, you hang out with a lot of athletes, but how is it with balancing, you know, the income and student loans? Because, you know, college kids are still pretty poor   Hunter Taddy  13:10   I wanted to run for a division two program, because you can get athletic scholarship. I came in as a walk on. I'm not on any athletic scholarship. I get free housing and free meals for being an RA. Yeah, with my RA position, I actually got the RA position my second semester. So I got it as a freshman, which was like, really, really clutch. So my dad was in the Air Force for 20 years, and I got the GI bill for like, I think, six months. So I got my two first semesters of tuition paid for, and then I got some, like, some money for, like, housing and stuff. I mean, I pocketed most of that just because, I mean, I got it for free already. I don't get any more help from the GI Bill, because I'm not in Wisconsin. But if I went to Wisconsin, I could go to any school for free, like, tuition free. So, I mean, sometimes I do think about that, but with my real estate program. I mean, oh my gosh, the scholarship deadline. Every year they give out like, $50,000 in scholarships. A lot of them are from Widener and then just other like local real estate companies in the area. Last year, I got a $2,500 scholarship to travel to the National Apartment Association's apartmentalized It's like, their yearly conference in Las Vegas, and that was pretty cool. So that stuff kind of went over my head, but a lot of the stuff about AI was, like, just really interesting to hear, especially just about property management. And it's crazy to me, because, like, AI is almost like, my generation's thing, since we're, like, growing up with it, yeah. And then hearing, like, a lot of like, the older people in the property management profession talk about, I mean, they're still talking about when they had to keep their records on pen and paper, or, like, files and stuff. And I'm like, This is crazy. So I have scholarships with the real estate program, if I'm lucky, I can get up to almost $10,000 after the spring. It's.That means I pay in state tuition because I live on campus. It was a deal they were running after covid. So that's only like $5,700 I mean, my scholarships will be able to cover that. This semester, I paid like 2000 of it or something, and then my parents were kind enough to cover the rest, and then I'm going to pay them back right away after the year ends once I get those scholarships. And then, yeah, I get $11 an hour for working desk at my RA job. It's tax free, so, I mean, it's not totally bad, but I don't working desk hours that much because we only have them at night. And then, you know, being an athlete, I don't like staying up until, you know, one o'clock sometimes. I mean, the other night, I had to work a nine to three desk shift, and that screwed my whole for an entire week. Yeah. Okay,    Keith Weinhold  15:48   so when you graduate college in a few years, you could very well come out with a lower student loan balance than a lot of others did, although you might still have an informal loan with dad in there as well. How do you and a lot of people of your generation see your financial future? They sure can be hard to predict, but a lot of people see this crushing debt with student loans, and I wonder, even though it could be far into the future if really Gen Z thinks that they're ever going to be able to afford a home. Now, when it comes to the student loans, I know I shared with you when we sat down for coffee that I had a balance. I think it was like a $20,000 balance when I graduated, because again, my parents paid half of it and I worked part time when I went to school, I shared with you that I just took that balance and paid very little interest on my student loan balance because I kept transferring it repeatedly onto these 0% APR credit cards, and when my introductory rate expired on one card, I would just transfer it onto another card. So I've long been comfortable with debt.    Hunter Taddy  16:52   So me, personally, I do not want to take out a loan from any entity. I'm very fortunate and privileged that my parents are able to, you know, front that money for me when I need it. When I need it, I try to pay them back right away. I do not want student loans like my goal is to get out of college, you know, without owing anybody any money. It's weird, because I'm from such a small town in Wisconsin, and I view trades a lot differently than, like a lot of my peers who grew up in the big cities, I know blue collar millionaires, right? People who just, you know, put their nose to the grindstone, pouring concrete. You know, working driving a semi. Only do that for maybe five or 10 years, like my cousins. My cousin pours concrete, and then the other one, I think, works for construction company, the Midwestern work ethic, they're sitting on 10s of 1000s of dollars in their savings account right now. You can make the argument. Well, their back is going to give out in a couple years. And some of that's true. But also, you know, you don't have to be the guy pouring concrete for how long. You could be the business owner, or you could be the guy who's the plumber for 510, years, and then, you know, start your own plumbing business. That's why I don't look at student loans as, like, I need this college degree to, like, make money or be successful. Like, I've met a lot of people who legitimately have that mindset. That's like, I understand that if you've grown up in that sort of, like sphere, you've grown up with those ideas. But to me, it's like, I know if I can't pay for college, or if I don't graduate college, I know I'm going to be fine. I could go, you know, work construction, or I could go, you know, mow lawns or something. I know, I guess I just view it differently. But a lot of people think they need those student loans. So, I mean, they sign up for them. And I looked it up the other day, the average time to pay off student loans is, like, 20 years or something like that. Yeah, I believe it. That is kind of sad. That's insane to me. I want my lawyers going to college. I want my doctors going to college. I want to college. I want all these people to have a good education. But I mean, like 100,000 to $200,000 I just see that, and it's like, oh, I don't know, man, I sign up for the fast flow every year, but I never get anything Free Application for Federal Student Aid, yeah, but I know some people get, like, Pell Grants. If I'm not wrong, I think the Pell Grants are just, I don't know they have to pay those back. It seemed like I was applying for the Stafford Loan. I was lower middle class. I don't think we quite qualified for the Pell grant. The grant being like, free money and a loan of stuff that you need to pay back. Yeah, of course. And of course, in addition to student loans, we regularly have students using credit cards and probably not being able to pay the full balance, is they make their way and try to pay their way through college. That's certainly one thing that I did.    Hunter Taddy  19:28   Here's something for you, DoorDash, my generation and DoorDash is so crazy. I mean, I look at some of these people we have like a desk, at some of the halls, and the amount of people who just DoorDash some of these people are doordashing every night. And that's not cheap, like, that's sometimes it's like 30 bucks just to get Taco Bell or, you know, Wingstop or something like that, and then Klarna, it's like, finance a pizza. Like, what are we doing here?    Keith Weinhold  19:54   Sure, yeah, you're making a down payment on a blooming onion and financing it and making the last payment on it. Years later or something. Yeah, crazy like that, 100% and yeah, I would imagine home ownership is just seen as something that's so far into the future, it's almost unfathomable.    Hunter Taddy  20:12   Yeah, it's funny to me, because, you know, I come from, again, very small town, the cost of living is, like, extremely low compared to the country. I'm pretty sure Green Bay was voted number one place to live by us, News and World Report couple years ago, number one place to live in the United States. But more of the people back home who work these jobs in the trades, like the thought of owning a home seems a lot more real to them than my friends who are in college. And a lot of that has to do with, you know, like we're in bigger cities. Again, people have more debt, but yeah, I mean, you look at those prices of homes, I think the median home price in Anchorage is like $426,000 and just, you know, looking at that numbers like, how am I ever going to afford that? One of my friends, he's in the real estate program. He's got $40,000 saved up. He's got his Roth IRA maxed out. It's weird, because this is one of the points I want to make. So in my generation, you have people who have all these resources, you know, especially with the internet, and they're doing very well with it. They're taking it and they're running with it. And then you have the other part of my generation who's doing the buy now, pay later option. It's almost like a upside down bell curve or something like that. The people who are good are getting so much better, and the people who are making the bad decisions are getting so much more worse.    Keith Weinhold  21:25   Ah, the K shaped economy starts young.   Hunter Taddy  21:27    It's just interesting to see sometimes, because you have some people like, I can't afford this, I can't afford that, and it's like, yeah, being college student is hard. But then it's like, you buy your $6 coffee every day, and it's, you know, I'm guilty of that too. My spending habits aren't the best. And then you look at like home ownership inflation is real. Cost of living is getting higher. But also my dad talks about this a lot like our standards are getting so much higher, too great. Our houses are getting bigger. Kids don't share bedrooms anymore. All our kids have to have our phone. All our kids have to have the newest thing or the newest coat. And you know, you want nice things for your family. I get that, you know, I don't have a family, so I can only talk about this so much. But I mean, our standards are getting a lot, a lot higher as well. I mean, you look at our grandparents houses, and they're like, these, just small, one story houses, one bathroom. You know, I look at the house that my dad grew up and he shared a room with his brother until he graduated, right? And then you look at all these families kids live in their bedroom, it's so weird to me that like siblings, they know each other, but they don't know each other because they're sitting in their rooms all day and they're looking at their phones.    Keith Weinhold  22:31   You surface a good and salient point hunter that a lot of people don't bring up because the K shaped economy that means a widening disparity between the haves and the have nots, but the entire K also keeps moving up, so standards of living continue to get better for both the haves and the have nots, even though the disparity between them continues to widen, and yes, a poor person today has Wi Fi and has Air Conditioning and a lot of minor conveniences that poor people didn't have 75 years ago. You're listening to get rich education. We're doing something different this week, talking to the youngest guest in GRE history. His name's Hunter toddy. We're going to talk more when we come back about what he's learning in classes, economics and real estate classes, because that is one thing that college students do. Remember, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold.    Keith Weinhold  23:24   Flock homes helps you retire from real estate and landlording, whether it's one problem property or your whole portfolio through a 721, exchange, deferring your capital gains tax and depreciation recapture. It's a strategy long used by the ultra wealthy. Now Mom and Pop landlords can 721, the residential real estate request your initial valuation, see if your properties qualify@flockhomes.com slash GRE. That's f, l, O, C, K, homes.com/g.R, E,    Keith Weinhold  24:00   you know, most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money, but they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds don't keep up when true inflation eats six or 7% of your wealth. Every single year, I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments in their flagship program, why fixed 10 to 12% returns have been predictable and paid quarterly. There's real world security backed by needs based real estate like affordable housing, Senior Living and health care. Ask about the freedom flagship program when you speak to a freedom coach there, and that's just one part of their family of products, they've got workshops, webinars and seminars designed to educate you before you invest. Start with as little as 25k and finally, get your money working as hard as you do. Get started at Freedom, family investments.com/gre,or send a text. Now it's 1-937-795-8989, yep, text their freedom coach directly. Again, 1-937-795-8989,   Robert Kiyosaki  25:12   this is our rich dad. Poor Dad. Author Robert Kiyosaki, listen to get rich education with Keith Weinhold don't quit your daydream   Keith Weinhold  25:26   Welcome back to get rich Education. I'm your host. Keith winehill, we're talking with Gen Z and student athlete Hunter toddy. He's a sophomore college student, and he's got a management degree with a concentration in real estate investing. So yeah, Hunter, tell us some of the things that you've learned about in an economics class or two that you've taken there at UAA.    Hunter Taddy  25:51   So I had an economics class last semester, but the teacher is basically tenured, and he only posted YouTube videos and like three quizzes was like the entire grade. He made us great at 2000 wasn't gonna say and didn't even grade it. So I didn't learn anything about economics, but that was macro, and now I'm in micro. And this professor, he's fantastic. He talks to Anchorage and Alaska legislators all the time. He was on Meet the Press Like he's very, very, very, very smart and well spoken, one of my and professors, and he's also Yale educated, as I understand. Yeah, I always get crap from my cross country teammates because most of them are STEM majors. There's a lot of engineers, and then there's, you know, you have people who are in, like, kinesiology, and then a lot of aviation, but they always give me crap because, like, oh, business, it's supply and demand, blah, blah, blah. But then, like, legitimately, economics has been so fascinating for me, just like, you know, consumer behavior, opportunity cost, trade off. One of the things is rent control, right? Definitely a big conversation, especially in, like, my generation, you know, because of all these rising prices. And then, you know, the landlord always gets the negative connotation, right? Landlords are greedy. I wouldn't even as a college student. Well, you think about rent control is like as soon as you put that binding price ceiling on the rent prices in an area, that's why there's not enough housing on the West Coast. That's why landlords are painting over the light switches, or they're not fixing your toilet, or they're not fixing the leaky sink. There's just a lack of understanding general society about, like, just how markets work and why. You know, businesses make certain decisions that they do. That's one thing with, like, a lot of my generation, is a lot of them are almost anti business, in a sense, right? In a sense, but they love being consumers. What my dad talks about a lot is as the business owner, like when you work for a company, a lot of the times you can clock in, clock out, you go home and you lay your head on the pillow, and you don't have to worry about anything, right? But when you're the business owner, like my dad, and if you have a lot of anxiety, like he does, about certain things, and you stress a lot, you're up at 2am wondering if the LVP you put in someone's kitchen is going to buckle, well, then you're gonna have to go back and fix it all and all these things, and so I definitely have a lot more to say understanding for like business owners and like landlords. Yeah, the economics classes just broaden my understanding of how the world works. I think that's a class everyone should take, and it is a general ed but I think it's a class everyone should pay attention to as well.    Keith Weinhold  28:18   Sure, rent control gives landlords no incentive to make improvements to a property. So yeah, it's good that you're learning about this in econ class. Tell us about some of the other things that you've learned in economics or in your more real estate investor centric college courses.    Hunter Taddy  28:36   So I'll focus more on the real estate stuff. So Dean Widener, Widener apartment homes, one of the top five, I think, largest owners of apartment homes in terms of units like in the United States, right? He basically came to Anchorage, and he wanted to build the Widener program, basically like a farm for property managers, like, you know, give this education. And then they, you know, they come work for widener. They come work for, you know, whoever a lot of the education has to do with property management. So there's leasing, asset maintenance. Talk a lot about operating budgets, risk management. All students in the program memorize the cash flow performer by heart. So, you know, you have gross potential income loss to lease, vacancy, net revenue, other income, expense reimbursements. Maddie poo, which is maintenance, admin, taxes, insurance, payroll and utilities. Have you heard that acronym before? What is it? Yeah. Maddie poo, I pretty sure my professor, like, that's kind of like his thing. I didn't finish it all, but we have it all memorized, and then we do, like, a lot of fair housing and landlord tenant law. Yesterday, in my Real Estate Investment Finance course, we were analyzing loans, and we were making like amortization tables, yeah. And then so we were looking at like interest rates, how a balloon loan works, variable interest rates. I took real estate Maintenance and risk last semester, and that was really awesome. We got to visit buildings all across Anchorage and talk with the property managers, talk about maintenance systems, general maintenance of the property, property management, the day to day, things like that. And then leasing, we actually had us basically go undercover. We have to have three properties, and we go do a showing at all of them, and then we had to review them, and we did a presentation about them, and, like, we basically reviewed them and graded, like the leasing agent, and how they did that one was really cool.    Keith Weinhold  30:33   Okay, so the mock tenant, grading a leasing agent, yeah, then showing you amenities, explaining lease length, things like that,    Hunter Taddy  30:41   and then seeing if, you know, they violated any like Fair Housing things. He said, Don't necessarily try and bait them, but one of the questions that one of my classmates asked, so what kind of people live here? And then the good property manager, you know, it says we rent to anyone that fits our criteria. And then you have some people that's like, oh, you should have said that. Yeah, yeah, it's pretty touchy, age, race, family status, right? Yeah. So we definitely have that drilled in our heads as well, like landlord tenant law and then, like, fair housing, you    Keith Weinhold  31:11   told me something interesting when we got together, when you run the numbers for property, that the numbers always work better in one condition than they do in another.    Hunter Taddy  31:20   So we do cap rate. And so cap rate is noi over value, I believe, yep. So we analyze the cap rates for all the properties, and then we see what is our return if we pay cash or whatever is our return when we pay leverage. And sometimes it's better if you pay cash, or sometimes it's better if it's leveraged. But I always think even if you could pay cash, you pay, say, $3 million for the whole complex, well, you could put a $500,000 down payment on six other properties. So I always thought that was weird, because that's just, I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, after my dad recommended it to me, and then it just talking to my dad about leveraged investments. Yeah, why don't you do that instead? Oh, he said,    Keith Weinhold  32:00   right, as long as you control your cash flow and pay the mortgage and the operating expenses. Yeah, we typically talk about getting the leverage here, because the appreciation grade has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of equity that's in the property. Is there anything else interesting that you learned from going out in the field and actually seeing some properties or talking to some managers? And I think this is really interesting, because a lot of times when people graduate college, they tend to broad brushstroke students or new graduates, and say, Yeah, but they haven't gotten out in the real world yet, but you actually are as a student.    Hunter Taddy  32:33   Yeah. So that's one thing I really love about our program, and I really love our professor. He owns properties himself. It's not like a pyramid scheme thing where, like, almost like, you're going to college to learn how to be a professor, and sometimes that we need those people for, like, research and stuff. But like, he's actually done the work. He knows what it's like. He can relate to things that we're talking about. Yeah, we get a lot of that real world experience, which is really awesome going about that, like the leasing experience. One of the things with, like, a lot of the managers, especially in Anchorage, because there's such a housing shortage, a lot of them didn't really like try, because they like, almost don't have to, because, I think a lot of them assume you're gonna lease someone anyways, no matter, because it's not necessarily really competitive. So because the vacancy rate is so small, yeah. So it's just like, here's the kitchen. You know, we're actually taught in leasing class, leasing strategies. And also, what's really good about our classes, we read, like, a lot of personal growth books in our classes. So like in our leasing class, our professor had us read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey and yeah. And then I think for our real estate investment class, we're going to read the compounding effect. I don't know what it's about, but I mean, I really appreciate how our professor gives us, like, those books and that knowledge that's not just, you know, specific to real estate. It's like how to become like a better person, or how to become better at personal finance in general.    Keith Weinhold  33:58   All right, so some conceptual and some mindset stuff, along with more of the hands on and more of the numbers. Well, before I ask you, what's next for you, do you have any last thoughts with what you've learned in class, or just anything overall about your generation and lifestyle and getting along financially? For a college student,    Hunter Taddy  34:18   in April, I'm going down to Austin for the property con, which is Institute of real estate management, big conference. I think they have this one every year too. I think John Quinones, the guy from what would you do, is going to be like one of the keynote speakers. So looking forward to that, definitely looking forward to some of, like, learning more about, like AI, and how it's used in, like, the property management, like real estate sphere, and then I'm kind of interested in green building, because it almost seems to be like, Win win, right? Because better for the environment and then better for the investor most of the time, you know, like, through these retrofits, like you're just switching to LED light bulbs, we actually, we ran those numbers a lot in my.In its class. Like, you know, what would it be like if you switch from iridescent to LED light bulbs? And it's like, that's like, what are the things that all property managers should do? Because you're saving, sometimes 1000s of dollars and seven or 10 year period, or whatever it is, improve the cap rate, right there? Yeah, I want to definitely learn more about, like, the green building. And also, just because, you know, I'm a healthy person, when I build my house one day, I don't want to have, like, a lot of toxic materials and stuff as well. I have one friend. He's really, really dialed in his health. They're talked about him with you before, but he, like, he's not even have drywall in his house because there's some, like, toxic thing in drywall, or something, like, he's gonna build it out of brick and mud or something, I don't know.    Keith Weinhold  35:39   Oh, he can't just go live in any rental. Yeah, well, Hunter, this has been really good. Your dad owns rentals in Wisconsin, and like you mentioned, he's red, Rich Dad, Poor Dad himself. So that's kind of an influence on you. And you do have a management internship back in Wisconsin this summer. But before we go on, you mentioned to me that your dad owns a certain type of apartments in Wisconsin, and I've never heard of that type before. What are they called? And then, what does that mean?    Keith Weinhold  36:06   I think the name is local to the city itself in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. So they're called custerdales. I think there were homes built after World War Two, I believe, for like GIS and things like that so well. Just before he got in the Air Force, he was in Saudi Arabia for a year, and he was thinking about, you know, what am I going to do when I retire? Because he knew after the year was done, he was going to retire and come back to Wisconsin. And one of his friends got him into real estate, and he talked to my mom a little bit, and they just started buying properties. So that was in 2018 and now they own about 70 units, mostly duplexes, with their biggest being a five Plex. They also have a 18 bed assisted living facility. Most of the the 70 units are called custerdales. They're all like, cookie cutter, like, the same they're basically the same layout, you know, sometimes it's just flipped or whatever. And he basically did the same thing each time, a lot of them were, like, really run down ones that they purchased had someone with a chicken living on top of the refrigerator. And then when they locked the place up after they bought it, he broke back in and took stuff. And so they've really, actually, like, helped the community in a way, by remodeling a lot of these homes. And then my dad would refinance them, and then he would take that money and then invest it into another property. And he just kept doing that again and again and again. Yeah, so buy and hold we self manage, because there's not really a reputable property management service in the area. This is near Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Maybe you've heard that name before. Manitowoc, they make heavy construction equipment, and you are going back to Wisconsin this summer for a management related internship, yeah, well, Hunter, well, this has been great talking about what your generation's like, what you do in your classes, and the practical experience that you're already getting as a 19 year old. I mean, you're just substantially further ahead than I was as a geography degree student and major way back in the day, if anyone wants to reach out to you, see what you're doing, or contact you. What's the best way for them to do that? Hunter.    Hunter Taddy  38:09   So I don't have Instagram or Facebook, but I do have LinkedIn. So if you just search Hunter toddy again, T, A, D, D, y, on LinkedIn, you can find me there. Also just give my email. It's H hottie 007 at Gmail.    Keith Weinhold  38:26   All right, look that up if you want to reach out to Hunter. Yeah, it's been great having you here. Thanks so much for coming on to the show.    Hunter Taddy  38:32   Thanks forhaving me.    Keith Weinhold  38:40   Yeah, a fresh perspective from college student, Hunter toddy today. He has got his act together amazingly well for a teenager, and you know, talking to him made me think about something like I said when I graduated college, and it was just with a bachelor's degree. By the way, pretty humble bachelor's double major, geography and regional planning, I had that 20k in student loan debt, which I transferred onto 0% APR credit cards, over and over again and inflation adjusted terms, that might be 40k in today's dollars. I had no incentive to pay it down, let alone pay it off, since my finance charges were essentially zero, so that's why I probably carried that balance for close to 20 years. But this is the first time that I thought about the fact that that very habit was probably a benefit to me, not because it saved me from paying interest on student loans, but because it got me comfortable withholding debt for the long term and rationalizing that there would be an opportunity cost of paying off that debt, because a payoff would have meant that I would forego the opportunity of investing those dollars to get gains, that habit got me comfortable with prudently using debt and leverage as a real estate investor, and that helped me own and control more property sooner. So it was a somewhat autodidactic approach to good debt. Today, we talk with a young, likely soon to be investor, oppositely next week here on the show. We're talking about the book end, on the other side of the shelf, and that is when you're ready to retire from real estate, you can exchange your properties into a fund, pay zero capital gains tax or depreciation recapture. And unlike a 1031 exchange, what you've done is you have totally exited the direct real estate business with a 721, exchange, and you still get financial upside with zero management duties retired. Finally, if you've ever wanted to tell me what you think about the GRE podcast, if this show has given you some fresh perspective or helped you become a better investor. The best way to support the show is to leave a quick rating or review. It helps more investors discover the show. Here's how to do it inside the get rich education Show page on Apple podcasts, scroll about halfway down to ratings and reviews. Tap the purple stars to rate, and then tap the purple words write a review on Spotify from the get rich education podcast, tap the three dots near the top of the show page, tap rate podcast and leave your star rating. That's all it takes. It's crazy that this show has almost 6 million total listener downloads, but yet, across all platforms, we have perhaps only 1000 reviews, and that's probably because I rarely ask for them. I would greatly appreciate it. Until next week, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream.   Unknown Speaker  41:59   Nothing on this show should be considered specific personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively   Keith Weinhold  42:27   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth, building, get richeducation.com  

Most leadership conversations center on the person out front. The one giving the orders. The one standing on the stage.I've always been fascinated by another side of leadership. The people who make the mission possible long before anyone sees the result.In this conversation, Rear Admiral James McNeal and I talk about a career spent supporting complex missions across the Navy. Logistics rarely grabs headlines, yet every operation depends on it. Ships move, teams deploy, and missions succeed because thousands of details line up exactly when they need to.James shares what decades of service taught him about responsibility, preparation, and the discipline required to lead in roles where success often goes unnoticed. We talk about the mindset of reservists, the trust required across teams, and the kind of leadership that holds an entire system together.

What happens when an Air Force officer, aerospace engineer, trauma chaplain, and Alzheimer's caregiver sits down to write thrillers? In this deeply moving episode of The Self Esteem and Confidence Mindset, we sit down with Larry Patzer—author of thrillers built on real people's lived situations, nationally certified Spiritual Director, former trauma chaplain, and nine-year Alzheimer's caregiver—to explore how facing life's hardest moments shapes storytelling, builds resilience, and teaches us how to live better.Larry shares wisdom from his unique journey: nineteen years designing high-stakes aerospace intelligence systems where failure wasn't an option, sitting with families in trauma as an on-call chaplain, caring for a loved one through Alzheimer's, and translating all of it into fiction that honors human stakes and the weight of choices. His perspective on consequences, suffering, resilience, and meaning will resonate whether you're a writer, caregiver, person of faith, or anyone navigating life's hardest chapters.You can find more from Larry here:Website: https://coffeecuppublishing.com/Amazon Book link: https://www.amazon.com/PAST-ALWAYS-COMES-BACK-help/dp/1970576243/

Need financing for your next investment property? Visit: https://www.academyfund.com/ Want to join us in Charleston, SC on June 1st & 2nd? Visit: https://www.10xvets.com/events ____ Tim Siemer is an Air Force veteran, aviator, and partner at SMB Equity, a real estate private equity firm investing in stabilized and development projects nationwide. At SMB, Tim focuses on evaluating new opportunities and managing investor relationships, applying a disciplined risk management approach shaped by years in military and commercial aviation. He works alongside his father, Mike Siemer, who transitioned into real estate investing after a career as a CPA and corporate CFO for both public and private companies. Over the past 24 years, Mike has helped lead SMB Equity through more than $3 billion in transactions, scaling the firm through long-term partnerships, disciplined underwriting, and a focus on tangible, value-driven assets. Together, they combine generational experience, financial expertise, and risk discipline to offer individual investors access to institutional real estate opportunities.     In this episode of the SABM podcast, Scott chats with Mike and Tim about: Scaling a Multi-Billion-Dollar Real Estate Platform: Mike's transition from CPA and corporate CFO to leading more than $3 billion in real estate transactions over the past two decades. Choosing Ownership Early: Tim investing his Academy loan into real estate instead of spending it, reinforcing a long-term asset-based wealth strategy. Risk Management in Real Estate: Applying aviation discipline to deal evaluation, downside protection, and structured decision making. The Power of Relationships: SMB's emphasis on trusted operators, repeat partnerships, and character as the first filter in any investment. Alternative Investments with Discipline: Positioning private real estate as a complementary asset class within a diversified portfolio.   Timestamps: 01:02 SMB Equity Overview 01:45 Origins And Early Deals 05:35 Selling Before The 2008 Crash 06:54 Post Recession Pivot 09:24 Investor Base And Tax Edge 11:36 Tim Joins The Business 17:53 Deal Sniff Test Framework 24:27 Deal Types And Structure 30:45 2026 Goals And Investor Mindset Connect with Mike and Tim: LinkedIn | Tim Siemer  LinkedIn | Mike Siemer If you found value in today's episode, don't keep it to yourself—share it with a colleague or friend who could benefit. And if you're a Service Academy graduate ready to elevate your business, we'd love for you to join our community and get started today. Make sure you never miss an episode subscribe now and help support the show: Apple Podcasts Spotify Leave us a 5-star review! A special thank you to Tim for joining me this week. Until next time! -Scott Mackes, USNA '01

Derrick Jackson joined the U.S. Air Force and served as a jet engine specialist before being recruited to become a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. In 2014, he retired from the Air Force after 21 years of service. Please visit his website at www.derrickmjackson.com Spies, Lies and Private Eyes is copyrighted by Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #authorsofinstagram #authorinterview #writingcommunity #authorsontheair#suspensebooks#authorssupportingauthors #thrillerbooks #suspense #wip#writers#writersinspiration #books#bookrecommendations #bookaddict #bookaddicted#bookaddiction #bibliophile #read#amreading #lovetoread #terrencemccauley#terrencemccauleybooks #bookouture #thrillers#theuniversityseries #DerrickMJackson #ShadowOne

What's up, everybody? It's Tom Bilyeu here: If you want my help... STARTING a business: join me here at ZERO TO FOUNDER:  https://tombilyeu.com/zero-to-founder?utm_campaign=Podcast%20Offer&utm_source=podca[%E2%80%A6]d%20end%20of%20show&utm_content=podcast%20ad%20end%20of%20show SCALING a business: see if you qualify here.:  https://tombilyeu.com/call Get my battle-tested strategies and insights delivered weekly to your inbox: sign up here.: https://tombilyeu.com/ ********************************************************************** If you're serious about leveling up your life, I urge you to check out my new podcast, Tom Bilyeu's Mindset Playbook —a goldmine of my most impactful episodes on mindset, business, and health. Trust me, your future self will thank you. ********************************************************************** FOLLOW TOM: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tombilyeu?lang=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/tombilyeu YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TomBilyeu Welcome to Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu! In today's episode, Drew and Tom Bilyeu dive headfirst into the headlines, dissecting the week's most compelling and controversial news stories. From eye-opening laws in France surrounding paternity tests, to a massive U.S. oil refinery deal touted by Trump, and a contentious CNN reporting fiasco—every quick hit gets its moment in the spotlight. The hosts examine the nuances behind appointed leadership in the Air Force, reflect on the overwhelming dominance of YouTube in media, and celebrate the arrival of Project Hail Mary as a sci-fi film to watch. With sharp humor and honest perspectives, Drew and Tom Bilyeu challenge media narratives and encourage listeners to think critically about the information they consume. Tune in for an episode packed with smart takes, bold opinions, and laughter as the duo decode what's really happening in today's world. Link to live: https://youtube.com/live/qtgc-WikYpo Welcome to Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu. In today's episode, "Trump's War At The Home Front: The Draft, Voting, and Immigration," we dive into the heated political landscape surrounding President Trump's approach to military drafts, voting integrity, and the ongoing debate over immigration policy. Joining Tom Bilyeu is Drew, who brings sharp insights into the administration's strategy—exploring why Trump refuses to take options like the draft off the table, and the ripple effects that has on American families. Together, they unpack the political risks, the uncertainty of how history will judge this moment, and the very real concerns shaping public opinion. Link To Live: https://youtube.com/live/P1qHtaZUHqo?feature=share Joining Tom is Drew, who brings sharp, grounded analysis to one of the most confusing conflicts in recent memory. Together they unpack why the Strait of Hormuz — the chokepoint controlling 20% of the world's oil supply — is becoming Iran's most powerful weapon, how Iran's decentralized military structure is making this conflict nearly impossible to end cleanly, and what it actually means that U.S. and Israeli radar infrastructure has been quietly degraded. Ketone IQ: Visit https://ketone.com/IMPACT for 30% OFF your subscription orderQuince: Free shipping and 365-day returns at https://quince.com/impactpodDuck.Ai: Protect your privacy at https://duck.ai/impactShopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://shopify.com/impactMonetary Metals: Future-proof your wealth at https://monetary-metals.com/impactBlinkist: Start your free trial at https://blinkist.com/impactPlaud: Get 10% off with code TOM10 at https://plaud.ai/tomBlocktrust IRA: get up to $2,500 funding bonus to kickstart your account at https://tomcryptoira.comCape: 33% off your first 6 months with code IMPACT at https://cape.co/impactNetsuite: Right now, get our free business guide, Demystifying AI, at https://NetSuite.com/Theory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SummaryIn this episode of the Show Up Dad podcast, Pastor David Mendonca welcomes Haley Rochelle, a business owner and Air Force veteran, to discuss the importance of accountability, resilience, and personal growth from a Christian perspective. Haley shares her journey from a challenging upbringing to finding faith and purpose, emphasizing the need for a strong foundation in God for marriages and parenting. The conversation delves into the impact of feminism on family dynamics, the roles of men and women, and the importance of nurturing relationships within marriage. Both David and Haley highlight the significance of understanding one's role in a relationship and the consequences of neglecting these responsibilities.

On the next episode of the Zero Limits Podcast, host Matty Morris chats with Mick Albrecht — former Infantry and Intelligence soldier turned comedian.Mick served in the Australian Army for 11 years. He began his military career as a reservist with 25/49 Royal Queensland Regiment in Brisbane before transferring to full-time service. He later served as a paratrooper with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, deploying to the Solomon Islands.Mick then transferred to the Intelligence Corps, where he deployed to Timor and later completed two deployments to Afghanistan as part of the Special Operations Task Group, supporting combat operations conducted by the SASR and the 2nd Commando Regiment.In recent years, Mick has turned to comedy and now regularly features at stand-up comedy events. He has also teamed up with Kara Robinson as co-producer of Shellshocked Comedy AustraliaSend us a text however note we cannot reply through these means. Please message the instagram or email if you are wanting a response. Support the showWebsite - www.zerolimitspodcast.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/zero.limits.podcast/?hl=enHost - Matty Morris www.instagram.com/matty.m.morrisSponsors Instagram - @gatorzaustralia www.gatorzaustralia.com15% Discount Code - ZERO15(former/current military & first responders 20% discount to order please email orders@gatorzaustralia.com.au Instagram - @3zeroscoffee 3 Zeros Coffee - www.3zeroscoffee.com.au 10% Discount Code - 3ZLimits Instagram - @getsome_au GetSome Jocko Fuel - www.getsome.com.au 10% Discount Code - ZEROLIMITS

In this episode, we hear from Adam Torem, a retired U.S. Air Force judge advocate whose intention was to leverage his environmental law experience in the civilian sector, but ended up relying on his other skills and experiences to eventually become a career administrative law judge for the State of Washington.

This week the conspiracy buffet is overflowing. A new Bob Lazar documentary trailer drops, Steven Greer claims secret UFO crash sites, and Congressman Eric Burlison says he might see alien craft and bodies. Meanwhile the Gary McKinnon Pentagon hack resurfaces, a UFO-linked Air Force general mysteriously disappears, and someone supposedly dug up an “alien sarcophagus” in Mexico.But that's just the appetizer.We also dig into the Epstein network mess, massive child-predator busts, and the uncomfortable question of how deep elite corruption actually runs. Then the conversation turns darker—AI entering the battlefield, rising tensions with Iran, rumors of Armageddon rhetoric in military circles, and the growing role of surveillance tech tracking everyday Americans.Oh, and apparently Britain now offers “boil-in-a-bag” funerals while NASA keeps delaying the Moon landing.In other words: aliens, war drums, secret societies, and a healthy dose of “what the hell is going on?”Thanks to the TIN FOIL MULISHAExclusive episodes on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/ufonopodcastJoin the Tin Foil Mulisha Discord:⁠ https://discord.gg/PQyaJzkt4Y⁠Paypal Donation ⁠https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/Y6WRSW9F2JBSCStripe Donation https://buy.stripe.com/aFa6oGeiXamjdlW39HgUM00Buy Merch⁠ https://ufono.dashery.com/ | https://ufono-podcast.creator-spring.com/Buy Mushrooms⁠ https://www.schedule35.co/us/ (Code: U1173687US240607)⁠Email: Iwant2believe115@gmail.comFollow: Facebook | Twitter | Twitch | Kick | Rumble

New details on the deadly shooting at Old Dominion University, where a former National Guardsman with a prior ISIS-related conviction opened fire in an ROTC classroom before being stopped by students. Authorities investigating a car bombing attempt at a Michigan synagogue and preschool, where security guards killed the suspect as he breached the building carrying explosives. Iran's new supreme leader threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz as attacks on commercial shipping escalate and oil prices surge. Viral outrage over Pentagon spending on steak and lobster spreads online, but critics are leaving out key context about long-standing military meal traditions. The FBI joins the search for a missing retired Air Force general tied to advanced military research programs and UFO speculation.   Relief Factor: Find out if Relief Factor can help you live pain-free—try the 3-Week QuickStart for just $19.95 at https://ReliefFactor.com or call 800-4-RELIEF.   Herald Group: Learn more at https://GuardYourCard.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s been exactly two weeks since retired Major General William Neal McCasland disappeared from his New Mexico home. His disappearance is gaining national attention because the Air Force base he commanded was once the headquarters for a military program that oversaw U.F.O. investigations. Authorities believe General McCasland left his home with his wallet, his hiking boots and his gun, notably leaving his cellphone and prescription glasses behind. Now federal officials and his wife - who addresses the alien theories - are asking for the public’s help in finding him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A.M. Edition for Mar. 13. The U.S. military confirms that four U.S. servicemembers were killed yesterday when a refueling plane crashed in Iraq. The deaths mark the first U.S. Air Force losses since the start of the war. Plus, TikTok parent company ByteDance secures access to top Nvidia chips in its bid to compete with the world's most popular AI apps. And WSJ's Jennifer Williams explains how U.S. employers plan to cope with the biggest annual jump in health-insurance costs in 15 years. Luke Vargas hosts. Check out what WSJ critics had to say about this year's Best Picture nominees.  Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been exactly two weeks since retired Major General William Neal McCasland disappeared from his New Mexico home. His disappearance is gaining national attention because the Air Force base he commanded was once the headquarters for a military program that oversaw U.F.O. investigations. Authorities believe General McCasland left his home with his wallet, his hiking boots and his gun, notably leaving his cellphone and prescription glasses behind. Now federal officials and his wife - who addresses the alien theories - are asking for the public’s help in finding him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been exactly two weeks since retired Major General William Neal McCasland disappeared from his New Mexico home. His disappearance is gaining national attention because the Air Force base he commanded was once the headquarters for a military program that oversaw U.F.O. investigations. Authorities believe General McCasland left his home with his wallet, his hiking boots and his gun, notably leaving his cellphone and prescription glasses behind. Now federal officials and his wife - who addresses the alien theories - are asking for the public’s help in finding him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The First Air Force Detachment 3 discusses their long-standing partnership with NASA supporting astronaut rescue and recovery operations from Mercury to Artemis. HWHAP 415. 

Alex Perez reports from Michigan, where authorities say an armed driver rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield – one of the largest synagogues in the U.S; Pierre Thomas has details on the ISIS-linked suspect in the deadly shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia; Trevor Ault has the latest on the search for a missing retired Air Force major general who once commanded the research laboratory overseeing cutting-edge technology; and more on tonight's broadcast of World News Tonight with David Muir. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

xAttack on Michigan Synagogue. Tragedy and Heroism at ODU's ROTC. Bombing Civilians is Bad. Trump Drops Russian Oil Sanctions. UFO General Missing. RIP Rick Bolanos. Mid-East F1 Cancelled. American caskets are coming home again. In this fierce, fiery Friday episode, Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the escalating “Iran overflow” war, the KC‑135 crash that killed six American service members, the growing drumbeat of troop movements into the Middle East, and the total failure of Congress to do its job on questions of war and peace. He calls out Trump's illegal “no quarter” rhetoric, Pete Hegseth's authoritarian war on the press, ICE's abuses at home, and the dangerous normalization of UFC “Freedom Fights 250” on the White House lawn—while reminding listeners why if you're not angry, you're not paying attention.​ Then Medal of Freedom recipient, Air Force veteran, and TAPS founder Bonnie Carroll returns to go deeper on what really happens when someone is killed in action, in training, in terror attacks at home—or lost to suicide. Paul and Bonnie unpack the brutal realities of casualty notifications, the lifelong journey for surviving families, and the heroic work TAPS is doing right now for the loved ones of those lost in Iran, Iraq, Old Dominion, Michigan, and beyond—and how you can help. It's a powerful conversation about grief, courage, accountability, and hope that will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to stay vigilant. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Check out and support TAPS and all of their programs. And the TAPS Honor Guard Gala which is an amazing event every year. -Urge your representatives to support and pass the Richard Star Act and protect veterans' retirement pay and disability compensation. -Take a moment and honor the legacy of Vietnam Veteran hero Rick Bolanos. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Friday briefing: Air Force crash in Iraq; Old Dominion University; Earth's mysterious noises; and moreRead today's briefing.

Watch every episode ad-free & uncensored on Patreon: https://patreon.com/dannyjones Robert Salas is a former weapons controller who commanded intercontinental ballistic missiles as a launch officer, and a worked as an Air Force missile propulsion engineer on the Titan III program. In 1967 Robert experienced the shutdown of several nuclear-tipped ICBMs, supposedly caused by the mysterious appearance of an extraterrestrial UFO. SPONSORS https://whiterabbitenergy.com/?ref=DJP - Use code DJP for 20% off EPISODE LINKS Robert's YouTube channel -  @gianthead3 Robert's latest book: https://a.co/d/05UQoY6C FOLLOW DANNY JONES https://www.instagram.com/dannyjones https://twitter.com/jonesdanny OUTLINE 00:00 - Nuclear launch officer role at Malmstrom base 04:48 - The process for launching a nuke 09:32 - Iran and current nuclear war threat 17:56 - Israel nuclear program 23:37 - What happns after you launch a nuclear warhead? 26:51 - 1967 UFO events over the launch control center 35:21 - Other missile bases reporting similar events 44:24 - When Robert chose to talk about the events 54:25 - The Boeing investigation 58:25 - Condon investigation to whitewash the UFO events 01:07:24 - Wall Street Journal Discredit attempts 01:14:49 - Figel audio recording at Echo Launch facility 01:18:28 - Other members afraid to go public 01:23:15 - Trumps "UFO FIles" 01:25:53 - Nuclear and UFO activity still occurs 01:31:00 - Government power and control of the UFO tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PART III AVAILABLE NOW, AD-FREE, ON PATREON!This week we're revisiting one of the wildest and most disturbing cases we've ever covered: the abductions of Jan Broberg. This re-release is part two of our three-part investigative series exploring the disturbing patterns shared between the stories of Sally Horner, Jan Broberg, and the character known as "Lolita" or "Dolly" in the infamous novel Lolita.Make sure to check out last week's episode first, TSFU Ep. 187 - KIDNAPPED: Sally Horner & The Real Story Behind Lolita (Part I), where Ash told the story of Sally Horner, the real child whose 1948 kidnapping would later echo inside Nabokov's controversial novel. In the final installment of this series, we'll put all three stories side by side and expose the shared blueprint of authority, grooming, isolation, social camouflage, narrative control, and public misunderstanding that links them.Originally released in 2022, this episode dives into the case made famous by Netflix's documentary Abducted in Plain Sight. Ash told Cam about how trusted family friend Robert Berchtold groomed not just Jan, but her entire family... before abducting her at ages 12 and 14.The deeper you look, the more unbelievable it gets: secret affairs with both of Jan's parents, manipulation of an entire community, and a predator who managed to convince nearly everyone around him that he should be trusted. Berchtold had been abusing young girls since he was a child himself, and the adults around him repeatedly enabled it.TW: For everything mentioned above... this is an upsetting topic that I found very difficult to research, make sure to take care of yourselves

The United States military just announced an Air Force refueling plane has crashed in western Iraq. There are more strikes tonight including massive blasts inside Tehran. Plus, the FBI is investigating two attacks in the United States.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The US military confirms four service members died after an Air Force refueling plane crashed in Iraq, bringing the death toll of Americans in this war to 11 ... Authorities looking for a motive into yesterday's attack against a Michigan synagogue are investigating reports that the suspect told people he had multiple family members who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon in recent days ... In Virginia, the suspect in the deadly shooting at Old Dominion University was a  convicted ISIS supporter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jewish places of worship across the country on high alert after a synagogue attack in Michigan. Also, more on the Old Dominion University shooter who shot and killed one man…as we learn more about those who stepped in to stop him. Plus, updates on the war with Iran, U.S. officials revealing overnight that at least four Americans were killed when an Air Force refueling plane crashed in Western Iraq. And, shocking messages made public as part of the Justice Department's anti-trust trial again Live Nation, boasting and joking about Ticketmaster's fees.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The US military confirms all six American service members aboard an Air Force refueling plane were killed after crashing in Western Iraq. Officials say they're still investigating, but believe the plane did not come under hostile fire or friendly fire. Meanwhile, after giving conflicting answers on how and when the war in Iran will end, President Trump now says it'll be over when "I feel it in my bones."    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Donald Trump today declared that the United States is “totally destroying” the Iranian regime, saying its Navy, Air Force, and leadership are gone. Meanwhile, the Pentagon and the White House condemn media coverage of the operation. Meanwhile, six U.S. service members were killed in a military aircraft accident in western Iraq. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the crash of the U.S. refueling aircraft was “not the result of hostile or friendly fire.”In Michigan, officials are calling yesterday's attack on a local synagogue “a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.” The suspect—who authorities say drove his truck into the house of worship—was a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon. New details are also emerging after yesterday's deadly shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Authorities say the suspect had previously served time in prison for attempting to support the ISIS terrorist group.New signs of contact between Washington and Havana are emerging as Cuba struggles with economic collapse, prolonged blackouts, and fuel shortages caused by the loss of Venezuelan oil. Cuban communist regime leader Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed today that officials have recently held discussions with representatives of the United States, saying the contacts were facilitated by international intermediaries and remain in the early stages.

It’s been exactly two weeks since retired Major General William Neal McCasland disappeared from his New Mexico home. His disappearance is gaining national attention because the Air Force base he commanded was once the headquarters for a military program that oversaw U.F.O. investigations. Authorities believe General McCasland left his home with his wallet, his hiking boots and his gun, notably leaving his cellphone and prescription glasses behind. Now federal officials and his wife - who addresses the alien theories - are asking for the public’s help in finding him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The title is clickbait obviously. Saucers were never alien.. I'm not saying there are no aliens here flying around our skies, I'm just saying saucers weren't them. PROOF! That the US Army and Air Force had many ideas and plans for lenticular aircraft with and without wings. In this episode we bring you evidence that people might have been telling the truth, when they spotted so many damn saucers.... Lets exclude the vast majority that were just tossing a hub cap in the air and snapping a pic. Or those standing in their living room, gazing out at the night sky with their favorite camera when they spot a phantom chandelier or light fixture reflecting off the window pain they're 6 inches from while taking the photograph. BY CLICKING THIS LINK YOURE KEEPING US ALIVE!https://linktr.ee/strangerecon

Today on Joe Oltmann Untamed, Joe pulls back the curtain on the political theater unfolding in Washington as the fight over election integrity heats up once again. The battle over the SAVE Act has exposed deep fractures inside the Republican Party, with Senate leadership facing intense criticism from grassroots conservatives who believe the will of voters is being stalled through procedural games. Joe walks through the mounting frustration surrounding Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the renewed debate over voter ID, and the stark contrast between how the United States conducts elections compared with other major democracies. From fiery reactions on Capitol Hill to decades-old statements resurfacing from Chuck Schumer, the show examines why election security has once again become one of the most explosive issues in American politics.Joe welcomes Brigadier General (Ret.) Blaine “Blaino” Holt, a decorated U.S. Air Force commander and former NATO strategist, for a high-level conversation about the global stakes facing America. With President Donald Trump attempting to push forward an aggressive agenda while facing resistance both from political opponents and inside his own party, General Holt weighs in on what this internal friction means for U.S. national security. The discussion expands to growing geopolitical tensions with Iran and the possibility of a broader axis forming among adversarial powers like Russia and China. Drawing on decades of military and strategic experience, Holt breaks down what could trigger escalation and what America must do now to maintain deterrence and stability.Back in Colorado, the program turns to the ongoing controversy surrounding former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters and the political storm surrounding her potential clemency from Governor Jared Polis. Joe explores the latest developments, the public reaction, and the broader questions about political influence, activism networks, and grassroots movements operating across the state. From debates over clemency to the exposure of political organizations shaping local narratives, today's episode connects national power struggles with the battles playing out in Colorado communities. If you want to understand how Washington politics, global conflict, and local power fights are colliding in real time, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

GovClose Syllabus: https://www.govclose.com/govclose-certification-programMost companies believe government contracting starts with finding an RFP and writing a proposal — but that's why they fail. In this video, former Air Force acquisitions officer Richard C. Howard explains the 6–18 month federal sales cycle, the roles of program managers and contracting officers, and why winning companies engage during the market research phase long before solicitations are released. Learn how government requirements, funding, and acquisition strategy actually determine who wins federal contracts. Chapters 0:00 — Why 99% of Companies Fail at Government Contracting1:12 — The Biggest Myth About SAM.gov and Proposals1:55 — The 6–18 Month Federal Sales Cycle Explained3:07 — How the Government Actually Buys Products and Services4:00 — Program Manager vs Contracting Officer (Critical Difference)7:05 — Why the Market Research Phase Determines Contract Winners#governmentcontracting #governmentprocurement #govcon #govcontracts

An elite U.S. Air Force pilot was just arrested because he allegedly did the one thing that you shouldn't do after leaving service ... train your Chinese military counterparts.Let's go through the details of his case together.

On this episode of the livestream, Ryan is joined by Dan Zetterström from the What it Means to be Human podcast to break down all the latest UFO news, including: A Magician Fails to Stop Louis Theroux From Using ‘Alien Autopsy' Film New Psychedelic Retreat Aims to Establish Two-Way Communication with Non-Human Entities Hillary Clinton Talks UFOs at Deposition First Visit to an Alleged UFO Location for Eric Burlison Has Ross Coulthart Actually Discovered a Portal? AARO Hosts Private Workshop with Civilian Researchers, Universities, and Government Agencies. The Air Force General Who Briefed Tom DeLonge is Missing... And it's Only Getting Weirder. "What If" with Tom DeLonge's "Lost" Sekret Machines Documentary. Subscribe to What It Means to Be Human: https://www.tobehumanshow.com/ Please take a moment to rate and review us on Spotify and Apple. Book Ryan on CAMEO at: https://bit.ly/3kwz3DO Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/somewhereskies ByMeACoffee: http://www.buymeacoffee.com/UFxzyzHOaQ PayPal: sprague51@hotmail.com Substack: https://ryansprague.substack.com/ All Socials and Books: https://linktr.ee/somewhereskiespod Email: ryan.sprague51@gmail.com SpectreVision Radio: https://www.spectrevision.com/podcasts Opening Theme Song by Septembryo Closing Song by Per Kiilstofte Copyright © 2026 Ryan Sprague. All rights reserved. #UFOnews #UFOs #UAPnews #UFOdisclosure #Disclosure #Congress #Trump #Paranormal #DMT #AlienAutopsy #Unexplained #Paranormalpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this powerful episode of Game of Crimes, host and retired DEA Special Agent Steve Murphy sits down with Mary Howe — an eight-year U.S. Air Force veteran who nearly lost herself before the military gave her the structure that saved her life. From growing up in the shadow of America's most elite special operations unit to becoming a military veteran herself, to transitioning to a family nurse practitioner and mental health advocate, Mary's story is one of resilience, service, and legacy.This isn't just a military story — it's a story about what happens when service runs in your blood.

President Donald Trump has intensified the U.S. campaign against Iran, demanding unconditional surrender from the regime and warning that any new supreme leader will not last without American approval. The ongoing conflict has driven global oil prices surging past $100 per barrel for the first time in years, disrupting supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and causing sharp rises in U.S. gas prices, which Trump dismissed as a short-term and small price to pay for eliminating Iran's nuclear threat. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, in his recent "60 Minutes" interview, defended the strategy, stating the U.S. is "on track" and "willing to go as far as we need to," including reserving the right to deploy boots on the ground if necessary, while insisting that Iran will ultimately have no choice but to surrender. He emphasized that the military is diminishing Iran's naval capabilities and confronting any external aid, such as reported Russian intelligence-sharing, strongly. Hegseth concluded by framing the operation as putting America First through decisive action to bring the enemy to its knees. WE ALSO COVER: It's official: a new ayatollah in Iran. Shield of the Americas Summit. The Americas Counter Cartel Conference. U.S. Air Force major general & UFO expert is missing? Joe Biden tries to honor Rev. Jesse Jackson. 00:00 Pat Gray UNLEASHED! 00:14 Surviving Daylight Savings 02:41 Trump on War in Iran 05:36 CNN Report: Raining Oil in Iran 07:12 Lindsey Graham on Iran 09:02 Strait of Hormuz Ship Traffic 10:06 Chris Wright on Strait of Hormuz 12:23 Pete Hegseth on War with Iran 15:52 Chinese Spies/Surveillance Everywhere! 16:49 Trump to Send Special Forces to Iran? 17:13 Switzerland Denounces U.S. Going into Iran 19:00 U.S./Iran Time Table Poll 21:05 Trump's Message to the United Kingdom 25:34 Stephen Miller's Message to Latin America 27:10 Marco Rubio Translates in Spanish 28:37 Trump's Message to Latin America 32:13 Fat Five 45:09 Barack Obama Presidential Center Opening 48:14 Is the U.S.A. Turning Socialist?! 1:06:51 Joe Biden at Jesse Jackson's Memorial 1:10:11 Jesse Jackson Jr. Delivers Tribute 1:12:01 World Baseball Classic 1:16:43 FLASHBACK: Kristi Noem at CPAC from February 2025 1:30:11 James Carville goes FULL TDS!!! 1:31:59 Bill Clinton Flirting with Nancy Mace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A retired Air Force general with decades of classified aerospace research — and a name buried in the WikiLeaks UFO emails — vanishes from an Albuquerque neighborhood without his phone, without his watch, and without a trace.Tips can be submitted by texting BCSO to 847411, or by calling the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office Missing Persons Unit at 505-468-7070.*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*PRINT VERSION: https://weirddarkness.com/mccasland-missing/WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.#WeirdDarkness, #WeirdDarkNEWS

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Yasmine Cheyenne.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Yasmine Cheyenne.

Send a textSMSgt Kristin “KP” Parks didn't join the Air Force to be average. She joined to jump out of airplanes, solve impossible problems, and quietly build the backbone of Air Force Special Warfare.From packing chutes on KC-135s to becoming the first female one-papa freefall jumpmaster, KP spent 27 years proving that mission support isn't “support” — it's survival. She helped build Combat Mission Support from scratch, shaped SWMS, ran joint logistics in live theaters, and was the kind of problem-solver who'd literally jump a part into the ocean if it meant keeping a mission alive.This episode is about grit without ego. About being comfortable being uncomfortable. About how the best leaders aren't loud — they're lethal, steady, and always ready to fix what's broken.If you think operators do it alone, this one's going to hurt your feelings.⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 From “Ones Ready” to Warrior 02:30 Why She Chose AFE (and Didn't Look Back) 07:00 Pre-9/11 Air Force vs. The Real World 14:00 “You'll Never Earn Those Wings” 21:00 Airborne School and Proving Them Wrong 29:00 Building Combat Mission Support from Nothing 37:30 The Deployment That Changed Everything 45:00 Jumping Parts into Warzones? Almost. 53:00 From Rigger to Strategic Leader 59:30 Advice for the Next Generation