Podcasts about Coast guard academy

In this episode of Defence Deconstructed we sit down with Captain William Woityra to discuss his new paper, “ICE Pact Lurches to Life”. This underscores the ICE Pact as a trilateral alliance between Canada, Finland, and the United States, with a specific focus on collaborative efforts in icebreaker shipbuilding and the valuable insights shared by National Coordinators during our co-hosted event with the Government of Canada on June 11. // Guest bios: - Captain William Woityra is 2025 CFR International Affairs Fellow in Canada and a 2018 Fulbright Scholar in Finland. He is a 1999 Coast Guard Academy graduate, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. // Host bio: David Perry is President and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute // Recommended Readings: - "Proof: The Art and Science of Certainty" by Adam Kucharski // Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding. // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll Release date: 13 June 2025

Saving for education can feel overwhelming, especially when you're juggling military life, moves, and everything in between. Whether it's understanding your military benefits, choosing the right savings plan, or figuring out how to afford college for multiple kids at once, it can get complicated quickly. In this episode, Joe Brown shares strategies to help you plan for education expenses while making the most of your military benefits. We talk about how to use the GI Bill smartly, what to know about Chapter 35, and why scholarships and merit money should be a big part of your family's game plan. Plus, Joe breaks down 529 plans, education savings accounts, and tips for blending everything together without the stress. Joe is a CFP® Professional, an MQFP®, and a visiting professor of personal finance at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where his work is supported by the USAA Educational Foundation. He's the founder and lead planner at Always Ready Financial Planning. https://milmo.co/podcast/smarter-college-and-life-planning-for-military-families For more MILMO, follow at: MILMO.co ItsMILMO on YouTube @itsmilmo on X @itsmilmo Instagram @itsmilmo LinkedIn @itsmilmo Facebook

Veteran and entrepreneur Chad Grills of National Capital League discusses his experience with Big Tech and how building anything meaningful and lasting will likely not come out of Silicon Valley or places like California. He explains how Silicon Valley was seeded by DOD, the Intelligence Community, and DARPA. The culture of Silicon Valley and most major cities will not allow anything original or good for humanity to emerge. He argues we have neither communism nor capitalism, but a monopolistic system that keeps the little guy out. He stresses a need for better governance, creating good culture, maintaining personal integrity, and is optimistic about the ability of America to reinvent itself. Watch on BitChute / Brighteon / Rumble / Substack / YouTube Geopolitics & Empire · Chad Grills: Is a 'Golden Age' Possible for America? #537 *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (15% off with GEOPOLITICS) https://easydns.com Escape Technocracy course (15% off with GEOPOLITICS) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis (CitizenHR, CitizenIT, CitizenPL) https://societates-civis.com Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Websites National Capital League https://www.nclhq.com X https://x.com/ChadJGrills Short Stories: Veterans after War https://www.amazon.com/Short-Stories-Veterans-after-War-ebook/dp/B0127DN39M Dustin Chambers: DOGE & America's Chance to Cut the Government Down to Size https://geopoliticsandempire.com/2025/01/02/dustin-chambers-doge-americas-chance-to-cut-the-government-down-to-size About Chad Grills Chad is the former founder and CEO of a company backed by Founders Fund and Sequoia. His previous clients include companies like: Salesforce (6x business units), Dell, Splunk, Twilio, and Government entities like Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He was selected “Best of Year” by Apple for two podcasts he hosted. He has spoken at places like the Defense Foreign Language Institute, Coast Guard Academy, Salesforce World Tour, and the Spartan Up Podcast. He's a U.S. Army veteran with deployments to Iraq, Egypt, and has provided security for the 56th Presidential Inauguration. He's the author of three books. His upcoming book is on the Texas Miracle and the economic destiny of Texas. He founded the National Capital League as a studios and labs to build media and technology products. *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

Curious about the U.S. Coast Guard Academy? In this episode, we take a deep dive into what it takes to earn an appointment. Learn how the Coast Guard Academy's admissions process stands out from the other service academies, like West Point, the Naval Academy, or the Air Force Academy. From GPA requirements to SAT/ACT scores, extracurricular activities, and the Cadet Candidate Evaluation Board, we've got you covered!

In this episode, we welcome John Sleeting, Executive Partner at Clearwater Capital Partners and host of the podcast Entrepreneurial Legacies. We dive deep into the challenges and opportunities unique to entrepreneurial families, exploring topics such as pre-liquidity event planning, intergenerational wealth transfer, and the role of family offices in navigating global markets. John Sleeting is an Executive Partner at Clearwater Capital Partners (CCP) and Managing Partner of Clearwater Capital's Family Office Practice. With over thirty years of finance and capital markets experience, John is uniquely positioned to serve a select group of successful ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families in the development and integration of estate and financial planning strategies, investment portfolio management, estate and wealth transfer strategies, strategic philanthropy and administration, cash-flow planning, risk management insurance solution structuring, as well as family governance and education.    John strives to serve as a client's “Family Chief Financial Officer” to facilitate inter-generational wealth management strategy creation and implementation. John received his Certificate in Financial Management for the Family Office (CFMFO) through Pepperdine University, was a Charter Member of the Family Office Club, and is Clearwater Capital's Leader within the nationally recognized Family Office organization the Family Wealth Alliance (FWA).   John holds a B.S. in Management with Honors from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and an MBA in Finance from the University of Maryland. His professional development includes programs at Yale University and GE's Executive Management and Advanced Financial Management courses.  John serves as Chairman of a Family Holding Company Board, Director for two Private Grant-making Family Foundations, a Private Operating Foundation, Clearwater Capital Partners Board of Directors, and the Clearwater Capital Foundation.   Clearwater Capital Partners is an independent wealth management firm serving individual and institutional clients across the U.S. With a focus on professionalism and sophisticated advice, the firm is dedicated to helping clients navigate the complexities of financial decisions in an ever-changing world.   Learn more about John W. Sleeting here  Connect with John W. Sleeting on LinkedIn  Learn more about Clearwater Capital Partners here  This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be regarded as personalized investment advice or relied upon for investment decisions and is not intended to provide legal or tax advice. John Sleeting is an employee of Clearwater Capital Partners. All opinions expressed by participants are solely their own opinion and do not reflect the opinion of Clearwater Capital Partners. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/geeksofthevalley/support

Don Trone is the CEO and one of the Co-founders of 3ethos.Don was the founding CEO of fi360, and filled that role until 2007. He was the founder and President of the Foundation for Fiduciary Studies; and, the first person to direct the Institute for Leadership at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In 2015 he was named by Investment Advisor magazine as the “Father of Fiduciary” and one of the 35 most influential people in the financial services industry. In 2003, he was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor to represent the investment counseling industry on the ERISA Advisory Council. And, in 2007 he testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on the fiduciary issues associated with the management of retirement plans. Don is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and served for ten years on active duty, most notably as a search and rescue helicopter pilot. He has a Master's from The American College and has completed post-graduate studies in theology from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Trinity Episcopal Seminary. In this episode, Eric and Don Trone discuss:The role of leadership skills in being a fiduciary How fiduciaries can utilize AI technology Key leadership traits and behaviors Serving the best interest of plan participants Key Takeaways:Leadership is a critical component of being an effective fiduciary. There is a direct link between leadership behaviors and decision-making, and this too applies for retirement plan committees and advisors.The use of the right AI chatbots and heuristics can be a valuable tool for ongoing professional development and training. This allows fiduciaries to quickly access information and refresh their knowledge when needed.Collaboration and attentiveness are two key leadership behaviors that are often lacking, according to research. Fiduciaries need to focus on truly listening to and working with their clients. Courage is another important leadership trait that may not be explicitly recognized, but is critical for fiduciaries to be willing to speak up and challenge decisions when necessary.Fiduciaries, whether committee members or advisors, need to embrace a leadership mindset and skill set to be truly effective in their roles and serve the best interests of plan participants.“When you start to think about the great and successful people we have in our industry today, what you begin to understand is what made their careers so successful was their leadership behaviors.” - Don TroneConnect with Don Trone:Website: https://www.3ethos.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-trone-89873013/ Connect with Eric Dyson: Website: https://90northllc.com/Phone: 940-248-4800Email: contact@90northllc.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/401kguy/ The information contained herein is general in nature and is provided solely for educational and informational purposes.It is not intended to provide a specific recommendation for any type of product or service discussed in this presentation or to provide any warranties, financial advice, or legal advice.The specific facts and circumstances of all qualified plans can vary and the information contained in this podcast may or may not apply to your individual circumstances or to your plan or client plan-specific circumstances.

In this intimate conversation, Stephen Chamberlain, a former U.S. Coast Guard officer, small business owner, and writer, candidly discusses his personal struggles and victories. From navigating anxiety disorders to his cathartic discovery of writing and poetry, Steve opens up about his life journey. He delves into the complexities of moral injury, the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, his 40-year relationship with disordered eating and anxiety, and his pursuit of contentment through nomadic living and creative expression.Steve's raw honesty provides a unique lens into the challenges of coping with men's mental health issues while striving for fulfillment. His writing not only serves as a personal outlet but also connects him to a broader community of writers and readers interested healing and self-reflection.Timeline:* 01:28 Background and Early Life* 03:04 Struggles with Disordered Eating, Anxiety, and Joining the Coast Guard* 04:22 Life in the Coast Guard and Personal Challenges* 05:47 Post-Retirement Life and Discovering a Nomadic Writing Journey* 07:35 Exploring New Ventures and Digital Nomadism* 09:50 Writing as a Cathartic Experience* 12:41 Peer Support and Mental Health Advocacy* 17:56 Moral Injury in the Coast Guard* 38:56 Struggles with Weight and Anxiety* 40:00 Understanding Male Anorexia and Its Impact* 40:47 The Battle Between Rational and Irrational Voices* 42:38 Poetry as a Means of Control* 45:14 Exploring Psychedelics for Treatment* 47:28 The Transformative Impact of Psychedelic Experiences* 58:13 Embracing Mortality and Planning Ahead* 01:03:28 Future Plans and Other Pursuits* 01:07:13 Connecting with the AudienceConnect with Steve and his writing @ Steve's Substack Steve's Collections of Poetry: My Raven and My BlackbirdAI Machine Transcription - Enjoy the Glitches!Steve: Right off the bat, anyone who tries to write understands that writing is very difficult, but what I could do is write about my experiences. The things that I find easiest to write about are things I'm most familiar with, and the thing I'm most familiar with is what I'm feeling and thinking inside. This sounds clichéd, but it's true, cathartic and I found that relatability they feel less alone and that just encouraged me to write more. And quite frankly, if I have one person tell me that, "hey, that thing you wrote really resonated with me or helped me," I'm like a score! if I can help somebody, then it was worth putting out there.Even if nobody reads them, it felt good to get them out. And it did feel cathartic to get it out. ​I've come to the conclusion that, what I want to get out of life in my remaining years is as many moments of contentment and fulfillment as I can.[Music] Leafbox: Good afternoon, Steve. Before we start, I wanted to thank you. Even though you're a smaller publisher and you're just starting off on your journey of writing.One of the things that really stood out to me about your writing is that it feels like it's coming from a very authentic place. And, my own writing and my own efforts across life. That's one of the hardest things to find and be true to so thank you for at least expressing in a way that feels genuine and true and in today's world I think that's a harder thing to do.Before we start, why don't you just tell us, Steve, a little bit about who you are, maybe what you're writing about why you came to writing.Steve: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I'm 57 years old, so I've been around for a little bit and my background is pretty varied.I grew up in a suburb of Boston. Irish Catholic family, first generation to move into the suburbs from South Boston and second generation of my family to actually go to college. I went to a public school, and it, it was a pretty benign suburban existence.I would say right up through my university years, I went to a commuter school, UMass University of Massachusetts in Lowell, Mass, and something I could afford in that day and age by working part time and lived at home and really had no, what I would call significant life experience. Until I left home and went to the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School after college.But I think it is noteworthy to say that like a lot of typical families of that era, I had, it was dysfunctional, but most people have some sort of dysfunction in their family. Alcoholic dad, very much a perfectionist. Everyone in the family seemed to be driven by anxiety created by their predecessors and I picked that up as well.And it's notable to say that I developed an eating disorder in my high school years, which is a male in the 1980s I think was very eating disorders are stigmatized. Among all genders, even today, but being a guy in the 80s when there was really no infrastructure set up to, to diagnose, recognize, or treat it made it particularly challenging.And I really got into triathlons and long distance running and marathons. Got to a really unhealthy weight. And, my mom did her best to get me in with psychologists and psychiatrists, but none of them really had a handle on how to deal with somebody like me. And it, it caused quite a bit of isolation for me in high school.College was a little bit better simply because it was a commuter school and I would go do my work and come home. So I became quite a loner, but, for reasons that I can't describe other than just being impulsive in my early years, I applied after college to the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School and somehow got in and spent about four months down in Virginia in basic training and then the next 25 years in the Coast Guard and the eating disorder I somehow managed.Gained some weight was always a little odd with my eating habits, but and very excessive with my exercise habits and very rigid as I am to this day. But those 25 years in the Coast Guard were both fulfilling and beset by a little bit of inertia. I think it's a challenging job, but and as you get more.Responsibility more senior becomes more challenging and more all encompassing, but by the same token, it's a secure job where even though you move every couple of years, the culture remains the same. So for a guy with anxiety and quite frankly, anorexia nervosa is an anxiety disorder when you get right down to it.The Coast Guard was a relatively comfortable place for me. In 2015 I was serving in Alameda and living in San Francisco, which is where you and I met. And I also retired from the Coast Guard that year. At the time I was married, but my anxiety, which demonstrated itself in those days, I think is more of a extreme dedication to work kind of a workaholism, if you would call it that really, destroyed my marriage. And by 2017, 2018, we were divorced, which was really, for me, the point in time in which I think I gained a level of self awareness that A lot of my peers do not seem to have, and I'm not trying to be, I'm not trying to brag or anything like that because I tend to surround myself with friends like you who are self aware and do look inward and do understand they have egos and those egos are rather hard to control.And but having that self awareness. This is really a great way to determine when your ego is getting the better of you. And it was the divorce that kind of opened my eyes to the fact that I had not been a good husband. That my dedication to work was one of these fleeting needs for professional affirmation that came at the expense of any sort of long term personal contentment.And it was that self awareness obtained relatively late in life, my late forties, early fifties, that led me to writing and led me to trying several other Endeavors. I worked a little bit in the wine industry for three years and learned what I could at a small five person wine startup.I impulsively bought Airstream trailer and spent about a year and a half, 2020 at the Covid years. As a matter of fact I launched my digital nomadism, as I called it in March of 2020. No, great plan to do that, but at the same time, the whole country. Pretty much shut down and spent a little over a year place really enjoying that kind of existence.And fortunately with a military pension and a small business running some companies, alcohol compliance operations, I was able to support myself. And not like minutes overhead on the Airstream trailer I had I decided to stop and go back to Massachusetts for a couple of years, rented a small house.And my mom and dad are there. They're older now. They're still in the same town I grew up in. My sisters are there. But I found after about three years there, my eating disorder had I guess I'd say I relapsed a little bit, not full scale after decades of it being more or less managed, but not certainly cured.Realized that I was going to be stuck with that for the rest of my life, but also thinking my time in Massachusetts was a good time to really become introspective, maybe more present, practice meditation investigate psychedelics which you helped me with Three years later, to be honest I didn't do it while I was there, just thought about it a lot and and really work on myself.And quite frankly, after those three years had passed I felt that I honestly, I've been inside my own head so much time that I was feeling worse, not better. And I was also feeling restless, which I did not expect to feel after decades of moving every couple of years. I thought I'd be quite ready to settle and I wasn't.So I very impulsively decided that rather than using a trailer, I'd try and see if I could do the same Nomadic existence with Airbnbs, if I could find Airbnb hosts who would rent long term to me. And right off the bat, I found somebody who gave me a two year lease on a place in Florida.But the writing really started I'd say around the time I launched in the Airstream 2020, where I started a blog about, my trip. And right off the bat, anyone who tries to write understands that writing is very difficult. In all people who write fiction I cannot write dialogue.I it's way too challenging for me. But what I could do is write about my experiences. And I think what you were getting at the beginning of this conversation was that, the things that I find easiest to write about are things I'm most familiar with and the thing I'm most familiar with is what I'm feeling and thinking inside again, something I never could have done before my divorce.But it helped me get to a place where I felt it was almost, and this sounds clichéd but it's true, cathartic to write about things that I was feeling, I was thinking and then publishing them in different venues like Substack and where I am now and Medium where I was before and getting not a lot of feedback, some feedback.And I found that relatability was on one hand, a really good hook for a personal essay because people enjoy reading things that are relatable to them. They feel less alone. I enjoy getting that feedback for obvious reasons. Somebody liked what I wrote, but also because I feel less alone while somebody else feels this way too.And that just encouraged me to write more. And I, I am not particularly skilled at poetry, and I'm really honest, I don't love reading poetry, but I decided I like the structure of poems. And I Picked up a pen and tried to write a few poems. I don't think my poetry is particularly good or particularly musical or the right words, but I do the challenge of trying to find the right words to condense into a particular structure to convey a certain idea.And that idea really shot back to relatability and I started writing some short haiku, some tankas and a couple of other poem forms about my anxiety, about not so much the eating disorder, although I have written a couple of essays about the eating disorder, but just the way I was feeling in the world.And even if nobody reads them, it felt good to get them out. And it did feel cathartic to get it out. And I haven't written poetry in a little while, but for a couple of years it was really an obsession of mine and I did get some good feedback and there were people who could relate to some of the things that I wrote and some of the metaphors that I used for my anxiety.And for, since that. Point in time, I have started a peer support company with a couple of Coast Guard veterans. Even though I've given up on myself in terms of therapy helping, I do feel better just not by not struggling so much to try and get better. That probably made me feel 10 percent better overall, but I do realize there's a need forMore health care, mental health care workers and as a component to any sort of a treatment plan peer support really resonated with me because there's evidence that shows that it works. Look at any. Substance abuse group. That's the strength in it is sitting around with people with shared experience, but it gets back to my writing too, which is relatability.If you don't feel like you're the only one feeling that way, or you're the only one with a, an addiction, or the only one who's experienced sexual trauma, and you can't tell anyone about it, but then you're in a room with people who have stories that are remarkably like yours, who feel remarkably like you do.Who who went through the same journey that you're going through. That in and of itself has a healing aspect. When I had the opportunity to start this company called Mindstrong Guardians earmarked towards the Coast Guard and Coast Guard people fall in the cracks between Department of Defense and first responders.So many folks are traumatized and don't get help. We. We felt we'd found a niche, and that leads me to today. Leafbox: Steve, could I just interrupt you? I want to talk about your poetic forms and your kind of nomadic lifestyle. But I want to go back to when you were after college, why did you just impulsively join the Coast Guard?Was that an escape for you? Or what were you looking for? Were you looking for? I'm just curious. Steve: I think I had romanticized the Coast Guard, Robert. I grew up outside of Austin. The Coast Guard Academy was in Connecticut. And There was nothing complex about it. I got my hands on a Coast Guard Academy bulletin, the front of the bulletin being the kind of booklet that describes the Coast Guard Academy to potential applicants.And the front cover was the Coast Guards has America's tall ship the Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, which is a three masted barb. And it's a sailing vessel. Very old school and it looked really cool to me. And I had spent my summers working. near my hometown in Concord, Massachusetts at a place called Minuteman National Historical Park, the old North Bridge, but they also had the homes of Emerson and Hawthorne and places where Melville had written.And I really got, and Thoreau and I really got into their writings and the idea of this. The ship that looked like it came right out of, to me at that stage, Moby Dick really appealed to me. And that's as deep as it got. I thought to myself, I'm going to go here. This is a cool school.I'm going to have this maritime life by I grew up really enjoying our, the family's annual trip from the suburb to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the seashore. And part of the reason for that is the two weeks a year, my family was on Cape Cod and we were rigid and religious about going there, nothing bad ever happened.My, my aunt and uncle were there. My cousins were there. My dad didn't drink. He hung out with us people didn't fight. They loved it. And I just associated. Even though I wasn't an ocean going guy and didn't have that background, I associated those two, two weeks a year on the beach with a calm serenity that I didn't have the 50 other weeks of the year, the 50 other weeks of the year.I was anxious about, what's my dad going to be like tonight. I don't want to go to school tomorrow. It's one thing or another. And then I'd have this two week long exhale. And for some reason, I taught that to the Coast Guard Academy. So I applied for the Academy and I didn't get in, which was no shocker.I didn't have great grades. But I kept that idea in my head and after graduating from UMass, I thought there must be another way in and there was so I drove myself to a recruiter in Boston and submitted an application and, Lo and behold, they accepted me and the acceptance wasn't a deeply thought out thing.It was just, I'll have a job and I won't have to live at home. And that's that it'll buy me a few years time because there was a three year active duty commitment after you got out. And I thought this is what I need. Otherwise, what am I going to do? Just, live in Boston all my life, or I had no plans, no aspirations, no nothing.So this was something. Yeah. I'm glad I took it, but that's as deep as it went. Leafbox: Steve, one of the essays that I really enjoyed was, maybe I have a bias too, I, I've interviewed another author who was a Coast Guard vet, and they're the forgotten branch, like you said, of the military, but one of the things you wrote about was your concept of moral injury in the Coast Guard and across I guess government employees and all branches of, employees across all groups and organizations. Could you expand on what you mean by moral injury and maybe some of the personal experiences you had during the Coast Guard? Steve: Absolutely. I'm glad you brought up moral injury because.Moral injury in general is not something that most people think about when they think about trauma. And when they do think about it, they think about the most obvious examples of moral injury. Moral injury is basically having to do something that is counter to your personal values. And having to do it, when I say that, as A matter of carrying out your responsibilities, which in public service can happen quite often.So the first place you go with that is you teach people. And I think people inherently know that killing other people or hurting other people is wrong. And suddenly you train somebody, whether they're in the army or the Marine Corps. Maybe whatever to kill other people and you put them in a position where they are, that's their job to kill other people and they end up killing other people.They have done something essentially at cross purposes with their internal values and that creates a conflict which in and of itself can develop into trauma. There are other ways that moral injury can occur, and the one I've seen most often with Coast Guard veterans is search and rescue, and my role was not being out on a boat, pulling people out of the water.My role was basically planning searches, approving search areas, figuring out What resources to send, but most of all figuring out when you had to suspend or end a search, not having found the person you're looking for and to tell the family that you're suspending the search which I've had to do three times in my career.And I've, plenty of people who have done it much more frequently than that, but you remember every time. And that there's a huge vulnerability to moral injury in. In that sort of work, because you feel like I am in a life saving organization, I joined the organization because I want to save lives, at least that's part of what the Coast Guard does.And here I am telling somebody that not only have I not saved their loved one's life, but I'm giving up.People obviously don't react well to that. That really, Increases that feeling that I have fundamentally failed at my job. I have fundamentally violated one of my core values. I would not want somebody to give up looking for my best friend, my brother, my sister, my parent, and this guy here is telling me he's given up.Now, when we suspend a search, we don't do it lightly. We keep them informed throughout the search process and prepare them for the possibility. But, we look at how long can somebody survive in water at that temperature? What are the odds of finding them? This search area expands every hour and on.So you reach a point where continued searching really isn't going to yield results. You are damn near confident that you're not going to find that person. My essay was a little bit different and surprised me because it was nothing like that and just to touch on the area that really saying it scarred me or it definitely created moral injury for me, but it was such a relatively benign event that two decades later, I still scratch my head and say, why did, why does this to this day?still make me feel emotional. And essentially, I was the, working in the U. S. Embassy in the Bahamas, which I was the Coast Guard's liaison officer there. So my job was to interact with Bahamian officials when we had essentially cross border operations going on or interdictions of smugglers and that sort of thing.And in one particular case a U. S. Coast Guard vessel intercepted a raft of Cuban refugees in Bahamian territorial seas, so we returned those people to the Bahamas. And my job was to meet the Coast Guard ship at the pier in the Bahamas to make sure there was an orderly transfer of the Cuban refugees from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Bahamian immigration officials. Thank you very much. This particular group of refugees came in on a Christmas morning. So I was in my uniform on the pier waiting for the Coast Guard ship. Coast Guard ship comes in Coast Guard. Immigration authorities are there with their vans.And I knew they would take these people to a detention center in the center of new Providence Island, where Nassau Bahamas is located. And eventually transport them back to Cuba. I'd done this before and it was routine, but there were, I remember there were 26 people and I, they came off the gangway of Coast Guard ship to the pier and there was a little girl, maybe five or six who had a doll and.I was on the gangway, and she was struggling to get up on the gangway, so she just looked at me and handed me the doll, and then I helped her up, and then walked her over the gangway and got her to the pier, and she looked at me and put her arms out again for the doll, and I gave her the doll back, and then she and the rest of the people got in the van and went to the detention center, and I never saw them again.I went home that day after that, and 20 years later, that still makes me feel sad, and I still wonder about that girl, and I feel like this isn't what I signed up to do. I didn't sign up to take this person whose family had placed her on this unsafe raft, pushed her into the water, to head to the U.S. with an unknown outcome. And suddenly she's in the Bahamas, not even her family's intended location for her and going to a detention center at age of five or six. And it wasn't a brutal detention center, but it wasn't pleasant. I had been there several times. It was barracks, basically, in the middle of the island with razor wire around it.And then back to Cuba, where she may or may not be. Reintroduced to whatever family she had, and it just felt so out of line with any reason I had to have joined the Coast Guard or any personal value. I felt at the time and throughout my 25 years, I compartmentalize things and. desensitize myself to things like this, but that one I was never able to do it.And like I said, I've done Mexican notifications that haven't bothered me that much. Yeah I wrote my essay on that, but I think the Coast Guard really does, as you said, is the forgotten service because people assume that, hey, if you're not being shot at, what do you have to complain about?And I see Coast Guard veterans all the time with untreated PTSD from doing the things that Coast Guard people do which are very similar to things first responders do. And often they're 18, 19 year old people out there in the front lines, and they're either, shooting an engine out of a smuggling vessel to stop it, or they're trying to find somebody that they don't end up finding, or they find somebody after they passed away, or they find somebody after a horrible boating accident and, all of these things are traumatic in their own right, but when When you say that, Hey, I didn't sign up to come out and shoot people.I signed up to save people and I didn't save this person. I guess that's where my story comes home to roost is I didn't save this person. I just made life a lot worse for this person and it doesn't feel good. I just didn't expect it to not feel good. 20 years later. Leafbox: Does the Coast Guard now have the same culture? You wrote another essay about I think it's called mental personal protective equipment, the mPPE. What's the current state of like when you talk to vets at your officer level, are you finding the same kind of Moral injury and trauma that's manifesting. How are they expressing it? Or are they, alcoholism? What are the issues that other vets are really facing now? Steve: Yeah, that's a great question. Because I think culturally there have been incremental changes, but the Coast Guard, like the other services is very much suck it up type environment always has been. It's a little less. So now the Coast Guard has created a cadre of mental health providers that are accessible.Mental health is a little less stigmatized, but it's far from where it needs to be. And I think it's worth noting that particularly an officer in the military, and that includes the Coast Guard, we all know and refer to our careers as zero defect environments. And I knew that, and that just stokes up anxiety that you're going to make a mistake.And a mistake is, hey, my search pattern was wrong and somebody drowned. You start to become more worried about your career than somebody drowning. The slightest mistake can end your career. And it really is your defect. So when it comes to the stigmatization of mental illness, no officer wants to acknowledge it.And what the Coast Guard has done is created a little more access. to mental health support, but has done nothing substantial about changing the culture. So if I were in the Coast Guard right now I would never acknowledge having a high level of anxiety, never acknowledge having an eating disorder.I never acknowledge any sort of mental illness as an officer in the military, because that is a career ender in most cases. Less so now, but still culturally, there is a fear. I'm going to lose my security clearance if I go to see, seek help. If I go to a therapist, I know a lot of what they do now, Robert and have done for years is go out privately and pay out of pocket.And yeah, I have a good friend who is an excellent Coast Guard lawyer, but he suffers from severe depression. And the Coast Guard doesn't know this. He is on SSRIs, and the Coast Guard doesn't know this. And he has, in his particular case, SSRIs, antidepressant drugs, pharmaceuticals, and therapy.He views them as having been life saving. For him knowledge to the Coast Guard that he is receiving therapy or using this medication because real or not, he is fearful that it would end his career and so that's one way of coping with it. And that's probably the healthiest way of coping with it. Outside of the Coast Guard, I've met veterans who are alcoholics or use alcohol as a crutch.And simply don't seek help because we fall into that trap too, where we feel like we're sucking resources away from some young combat vet in the army. If I see a therapist at the veterans administration, and I may be entitled to do that, I am. Because I'm one of the five, six armed services now, but most Coast Guard people I've talked to when we were developing our company, our peer support company felt like I don't want to steal resources from, from the army, from the Marines, from these people who really deserve it when I don't deserve it.And that's, and as a result, they're untreated. And when you're untreated and you've suffered trauma, you live a life of suffering. That is in many cases, unnecessary if you the right treatment. So I think in the Coast Guard, this is particularly acute, but I think across all the services, when you look at the suicide rate of military veterans in general there's no argument that something isn't happening here and it's not just.I was in a combat area and I saw really bad things. It's that you have to move every couple of years that families are always under strain. That, it's hard enough to maintain a marriage when you're in a more stable environment. It's really challenging when one person's At home and unable to start a career because you're moving every couple of years for your career and deployments are extremely stressful where you don't see your family for, 12, 15 months at a pop.It's a stressful existence in general. It's worthwhile and fulfilling in many ways, but from a personal standpoint it's, it can be. That's the best answer I can give. And then Steve, you didn't do any writing when you were in service, right? So this became a post divorce liberation escape?Steve: Yeah. It, I couldn't have done it, Robert. I utterly lacked the introspection that I needed to do. I, that I needed to sustain my marriage. I didn't, I realized that my being a workaholic was not good for my marriage, but it was a blind spot for me. I thought in the future.And I, I don't think I would have it's funny because had we stayed married, I'd still be rather obtuse when it came to introspection. I probably never would have started writing. So it's the divorce spurred the self awareness and the self awareness spurred the writing. Leafbox: And then what's the response? You're writing a Medium and Substack. Have you shared essays and poems and other writing with vets or how are they responding to writing as a release? Steve: There are some vets who see my writing and it's funny because on Substack they usually come to me via email directly if they like something or something resonated with them rather than say anything on Substack directly.But it hasn't really resonated in particular with veterans. Some of the things I write about, anxiety is universal in, in our culture anyway. It, I would say extreme anxiety, anxiety over things that you look at and you're like, why am I anxious over this, that I had to do this today when this is relatively easy to get time.But I've also found that, if you eliminate and avoid the big things, then the anxiety is just as intense with the little things. So that's some of the stuff that I write about. But I will say I really hesitated to put anything out there about the eating disorder because of the stigma associated with men.And eating disorders. I only recently put something out on Substack because I just got to a point where I'm like, you know what, if it helps somebody, great. If a few folks didn't know about it haven't come across it, then they can ask me questions about it. But I do feel awkward. I feel embarrassed.I'm a guy, I'm not supposed to have an eating disorder. I even feel that way. And I've had it for 40 years. But I also realized that, you know what, if I live another 20, 30 years I'm going to have it. It's not going away. So I think I just have to come to some sort of accommodation. An acceptance of that. I'm not saying it's untreatable. It is treatable. It's tough to treat anorexia, but I've just decided that, therapies I've tried for anxiety haven't been particularly effective for me. So that's just a personal choice I've made. Leafbox: I think, all the writers I gravitate towards and I interviewed, I think one of the main things I appreciate is when they're truly honest.And even though you have these issues of shame and anxiety, I think it resonates that it's coming from a place that feels very genuine. So thank you. For listeners, can you give us, I don't know much about male anorexia. What does that manifest as? Is that kind of like an Adonis complex similar to bodybuilders or what does this mean? . Steve: Yeah, that, that was spot on. There is. Another disorder, and I don't know the name of it, for young male adolescents who want to get big, so to speak. They're obsessed with getting large. For me, it was more insidious than that. And in my teens, I saw my dad as an alcoholic.Now I look back at my dad and I'm like, wow, we're exactly the same. He was a highly anxious perfectionist like me. And like most anxious people, he didn't like uncertainty and like it's full of uncertainties and he would self medicate with alcohol. And I thought, I don't want to be anything like that.I want to be the opposite. Right at the beginning of the running craze in the U S I decided I don't know. I was maybe 15, 16 I was gonna start running. And I started running and the reason was, so I, cause I didn't want to be like my dad. I wanted to be healthy. And then that kind of transitioned into, I'm going to eat healthier too.And I'm going to make my own food. And then I got very strict about what I ate, not with an intent to lose weight just to with, I'm not going to eat junk anymore. In the 70s and the 80s, that was particularly tough. Everything was processed and prepackaged. But I found so I became very choosy.And because of the running and the desire to eat healthy, which were honest and good and benign at first. I lost weight for some reason. As I lost weight, Robert, I found it anathema to, I just didn't want to gain it again. I didn't even think of it as a disorder. It was like, no, if I'm losing weight and I'm out participating in triathlons, which were evolving in the eighties as a thing.And, I was doing five or six triathlons a summer up in Massachusetts and I was 19 by the time I really hit my peak triathlon years. And I ran Boston marathon in 1990 in two hours and 40 something minutes. And that was walking a lot the last six miles. And I thought I could really do something here.And the weight loss, while I don't think contributing to it, probably undermining my performance. I looked at that as. Helping me excel. I'm like if I'm losing weight and I'm running sub two Boston marathons, what could I do if I lost more weight and trained more? So that is how it came on. I didn't even really think of it as an eating disorder, and it wasn't really discussed in those days.But when I look at some of the I've destroyed every photograph I could find of myself in those days because I looked emaciated. I saw my high school yearbook picture and Honestly, Robert, I was, I'm six foot tall. I think I had gotten down to about 128, 127 pounds. I was obviously malnourished, but I didn't think of it that way.I thought this is the path to better performance, more exercise. More strictness with my food. And of course all my triathlon heroes were eating this way. And I thought this is the way I got to go. The Coast Guard interrupted that. And somehow I got up to by my thirties, about 170 pounds.I was happy with that. I was okay with it. I even wanted to gain more, I felt healthy. I felt good. And then. As I gained more responsibility in the Coast Guard I my anxiety drove me less or drove me away from strength training, which was the only thing really maintaining my, my, my physique to just endurance training, which eased my anxiety.And, my weight dipped a little bit, but it was okay when I left the Coast Guard. And then, COVID comes along and I'm in the airstream and starting to feel really weak and never weighing myself because I had anxiety about getting on scale. It was either too heavy or too light, one or the other.But I sat for a year in the airstream when I went to see the doctor about why I felt so exhausted all the time that I dropped I don't know, 12, 13 pounds from the time I started the airstream and that just re sparked the whole thing in my head. So the thing that I thought I was at least managing, I wasn't managing, but anorexia to answer your question, because I straight away from that is it's the same.It's, bulimia is where you purge anorexia is got its purge element, but the purges exercise and calorie control. And I it's the same in men as it is in women. It's a control thing. It's an anxiety disorder. It is the, I've got no control over what's happening in the world. I can't control what's happening in my body, but it's not articulated that way.And I think the best way to articulate it every man or woman I've talked to with anxiety with anorexia. Has, and I've written about this. I don't know if I've published the most recent one yet as two voices in their head, and I call it a rational voice, which knows what I should be doing to live a healthy life.And the fact that I am undernourished even to this day and the irrational voice, which is. Hey you're doing fine. You're surviving like this. Why would you want to gain any more weight? It's irrational, but it wins every time. It, my metaphor is the irrational voice always ends up with it.It's booed on the neck of the rational voice. And I, I don't know how to overcome that, but I have found that to be universal with anorexia sufferers, and they have the two voices in their head, and the irrational voice always seems to win and people who don't have it, they don't win.Can't understand how I can look in the mirror or anyone who's under nurse can look in the mirror and feel that they are overweight. Even when your rational voice is there, you screaming at you that you are fine. In fact, you need to gain a few pounds that living a life where you're under 6 percent body fat every day.Maybe that's why you're cold all the time. Steve, is not a healthy way to live. I have osteoporosis now. If I had been a smoker or had been somebody who ate bad foods and had a heart disease, I'd do something. But with the osteoporosis, the irrational voice just argues it away. And I'm like, no, but that came because I've been undernourished and over exercising.And that's going to be a problem as I age. It's an irrational disease that's born of anxiety and control. And unless you're there, you can't really get it, but I will say it. It's got the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, I think even more so than depression. Leafbox: Steve going back to your poetry, I just, do you see a parallel?I was surprised by all the poems have very structured, you have haikus, tankas, minkas, something called the cinquain , which I've never heard of before. But all these very structured. So is that a release? How does it interact with your control issues? Steve: It's, it's a manifestation of control issues.It's; I'm glad you brought that up. You're the first person to actually see that. As I said earlier, I'm not a poet. I don't, I'm not particularly creative from my perspective. What attracted me to poetry and in particular to very structured poems, haiku is simple, but I'm like, wow, you have to say as much as you can say using that 5, 7, 5 syllable structure.I like that. It's, it feeds that desire to be in control. It's a challenge and it is spot on. A manifestation and one could say you're not doing anything to, do some free verse. And it's now I don't want to do free first. I, that scratches my itch to do a haiku or a tanka and yeah, you're spot on.It's. You call it OCD, call it anxiety, call it what you will. That's what it is. But I, I honestly don't, I've accepted it. I'm like, fine. It gives me a moment of fulfillment to get that out there. It gives me, however long it takes me to generate the poem a period of contentment. And I've come to the conclusion that, what I want to get out of life in my remaining years is as many moments of contentment and fulfillment as I can.Because what else is there, and I, struggling to fix myself wasn't working. So writing a haiku and spending a couple of hours on it or whatever it takes does that for me. And I'm like, fine, I'll take it. If my OCD, pursuing my OCD and straightening up the picture on the wall gives me a feeling of contentment, I'll take it.Because. Time is finite, and you really begin to realize that when I think for me, when you get close to 60, you're like, wow, there, there's a window of time here, just be as content as possible for as often as possible and accept the discontent is just a contrast. So you appreciate the contented periods, Leafbox: Steve, maybe we could talk about, I wanted to see how you would. Free flow for prose, but maybe we can talk about your experience with psychedelics and how that maybe was the opposite of control. Steve: Yeah, absolutely. I became interested in psychedelics during my period in Massachusetts that affixed me period as a potential cure for anxiety, OCD, is like many people you're watching documentaries about the effectiveness of psychedelics for certain mental health conditions.But when I got to that point where I'm like, you know what, I'm just going to accept myself as I am, I still was interested in psychedelics as an experience, but I didn't want to hang my head on the idea that I'd come out of a, a trip and be suddenly cured of anxiety. That to me would have just led to disappointment.It's unrealistic. And I actually talked to you and my big concern was trying to sort a good guide. Who would provide me with good support. I didn't want a therapist at this period of time with, because the psychedelic trip to me was about preparation. It's about set and setting.It's about being self aware. It's about being a lot of things and not just taking some mushrooms and, wherever you happen to be and saying, wow, that was a great trip. Like you would drink a beer or something. So I found you helped me find a location in Oregon. And I hired a good guide and we did a lot of preparation and a lot of attention setting, and because I was flying from Florida to Portland, I decided to have two trips during a 10 day period.And I self prepared, the location, the setting was incredible. And that, that was huge. I couldn't have done this in an improper location. It was quiet, it was peaceful. It was a port Portland craftsman house and the room was comfortable and safe. And my guide was with me the whole time.And the first.I, and it became this battle with me. It was a moderate dose of psilocybin. It was it was for, therapeutic dose, but not extreme. And I just, For some reason went into it, not really having expectations, but thinking as soon as it hit me, I'm like, I'm, it was Steven anxious, Steve, they're saying, I'm not going to let something control.I'm not going to let it control me. I flexing and unflexing my muscles the whole time. And while I felt it was a significant event, I certainly didn't get the most out of it. So three days later, I go back. We agree on a much larger dose and I had really focused on not fighting it. The most significant experience I ever had in my life, Robert, why I couldn't articulate it to you.It's like I was saying about anorexia. If you haven't been there, you don't get it. People who have experienced psychedelics will get it. It wasn't easy for it, but it was definitely ecstatic. It was unifying, but not in a blissful way. It was, if I had to describe it physically, it was a series of fever dreams that would start and stop with the guide's soundtrack, every new track would end one fever dream and start another, I don't even remember a lot of what was going on, but I do remember feeling so gratified that I hadn't tried to fight it, that I did feel this unification, this oneness that I.I had what you call an afterglow for several days. On my flight home, I was talking to people at the airport bar while waiting for my flight. I don't do that. I was had striking up conversations with people. I'm a good flyer, but I don't like turbulence. When the plane hits turbulence, I get anxious about it.Plane hit a lot of turbulence in the way home. It didn't. latest, it was just this acceptance. What happens for the next week. I would say I was more clearly not just, I think I'm more empathetic. It was, I was more empathetic and a nicer person. Did it wear off? Yeah. But, Oh my God. The fact that a week after this experience.I still feel this glow is just incredible. And I would say coming out of the trip that afternoon I felt exhausted and it's like finishing a marathon, if you ask me as I'm just ending the run, if I'm going to do it again, I'm going to tell you, no, never, that's, it was horrible.Never. But if you ask me two hours later, I'm going to be like, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. That this is the most significant experience of my life. I could go into detail about what I experienced, but there's nothing really to tell that would knock anybody's socks off. I think it's just, if you've done it you get what I'm saying.And if you haven't done it I look around at people, my peers, ex military guys who I know will never try it. I feel bad for them. I'm like you're never going to get to, wow. And I want to do this. It's something I don't want to do frequently, but I want to do it regularly. And did it cure my anxiety?No, but I wasn't trying to cure my anxiety. It was to this day, I will be, I am grateful that I did it. And I'm interested in trying, ketamine or, Nor am I a PTSD sufferer who might benefit from MDMA, which I think shows great promise, but psilocybin and hallucinogenics strike me as just very cliché and mind opening and they are.Leafbox: Steve, when you came back from your trip, how has it affected your creativity in writing? You keep saying that you're not creative, but you're sharing and producing. So did you feel more free? Steve: Yeah, I think I've always felt free and open with my writing. And I think I was self aware enough that some folks said did you have any revelations when you were dripping?And I thought, no, not really. I, I kind of have explored all that stuff, but I wasn't expecting that. Yeah, there was this I did, I wrote a poem or two about the experience. I was exuberant and excited about the world of psychedelics. I think I even talked to you about what more can I do in this field?It, my, my writing has always been open, but I think done it, and then I wrote an essay about it on Substack Ever. I don't think, for example, I would have published. A piece on my eating disorder. Had I not just gone through that and thought, why not? Again if the idea is somebody may benefit from it.And a few people may think less of me because of it, then it's worth putting it out there. And I don't think I would have done that had I not had the psychedelic experience. I think there is an element of a psychedelic trip that kind of, I don't want to say green lights you to be more expressive and more open, but reveals to you the fact that there's minimal downside and a lot of upside to being more open and honest.And quite frankly, if I have one person tell me that, hey, that thing you wrote really Resonated with me or helped me. I'm like, if there were 10 haters out there, I've written some things on white privilege, and there are a lot of haters who have gotten back to me on that. But 10 haters to one person saying that you helped me.I'm like a score, if I can help somebody, then it was worth putting out there. So I think it just pushed me over the edge, Robert, where I felt comfortable on that. In writing about the eating disorders and putting it out there. Leafbox: Do you also, I think, some of your writing I'm curious about, you have a lot of animals in your poetry.Do you ever think about that? Or, there's a psychedelic parallel. Some of the the tropes of psychedelics, the coyote. So I'm curious if there's any, what's the use of animals in your poetry and writing? Steve: The animals and the most frequent one I use are actually just literary metaphors that resonate with me. That that no one would be surprised that, a coyote, even if it's a relatively benign animal. It's it's, it implies a threat. For me, the raven and the blackbird are the animals I go to the most in part, because I do the of Edgar Allen Poe. And of course, he's, most famous for the raven, but the raven struck me as the perfect metaphor for anxiety, a raven circling over your head and digging its talents into you the blackbird.Struck me as a perfect metaphor for depression. I can't tell you why, not really, the origins of these metaphors are not in, in psychedelics as much as they are in just starting out with a literary interest that I fancy in terms of being great ways in my head to articulate an abstract idea. And I don't know if everybody gets it, the Raven being a metaphor for anxiety is a way to make anxiety physical and real.And they'reobviously a good way to to express anxiety. But the raven, I think works and it works for me. And I've often wondered, Robert, I'm like, I wonder if anybody even understands what I'm putting out, not because it's particularly complex, but just because it's particularly personal and people may not, I think the poem you referred to with the coyote was serenity, where I was describing a benign, serene walk or something like that.And then the coyote appears. I'm like it's, That's the uncertainty of anxiety, even butting into that moment and always around the bend, like what's going to happen now, Leafbox: What's paradoxical is all of those animals are also quite free, right? And then going back to what you said about joining the Coast Guard, there's an element of that freedom in the ocean, the sailing, the kind of, And I think you have another poem that I enjoy called Quietus this about good sailing.Yeah. Yeah. And it seems like there's a, you're always, I don't want to personalize it or psycho Freudian read it, but there seems to be an element of desire for freedom and exploration. And the coyote itself is an animal that's quite stoic and free from exploring the West, and the Raven as well.Steve: They are. And you're, Your insightfulness is pretty remarkable because throughout my period of time working with a therapist several years ago, I kept telling the therapist, I'm like, the guy I want to be is the guy who just, I want to put on some weight. I want to relax a little bit.I want to smoke an occasional cigar, a little vice that I like. I don't want to worry about everything. I ride a motorcycle now. Why? Because I feel a sense of freedom on that motorcycle, a sense of happiness and contentment on that motorcycle that I don't get any other time of the day. While I say I've accepted my anxiety, I have because I'm tired of struggling against it.You're spot on and I hadn't really thought of the freedom of the animals that way, but the guy I want to be is, I, you look at motorcycle culture and yeah, there's the outlaw motorcycle culture, but there's also this, Motorcycle clubs originated not to break the law, but just this people who just didn't want to be tethered.The way I live now, I can pack all my belongings in a Subaru hatchback. I don't own stuff and that's by choice. But there's an element of, I'm struggling to be this guy who is that freak coyote, but also burdened with this anxiety that, that lashes me to a routine that is predictable and secure.Leafbox: You know what? It's a contradiction. Yeah. One of the freeing things that interests listeners is that you told me the story about grave buying and how that might be an act of freedom. Steve: Yeah. Yeah. This is something that most people don't understand. I referring back to earlier in our conversation when I say Cape Cod was our vacation place where nothing bad ever happened.There is that town on the Cape that we. We always visited Brewster, Massachusetts. I got it in my head that, I want a green burial. I articulate this to family and friends who I brought into the conversation as I just don't want to be a burden. I'm a single guy with no kids.And if something happens to me, I don't want it to be a pain in the neck for anybody to have to deal with it. So that's why I'm doing this. But the real reason I'm doing it is because I'm picking my place. And I bought a, the only real estate I own is a 10 by 10 plot in an old sea captain's cemetery in Brewster, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.And it gave me such a feeling of happiness to do it and they're like what that's, we don't talk about that in, in our society. But for me, it's no I went out this summer, I was up visiting and I went to see it. And it made me happy to know I had it. And the gentleman who I who's on the cemetery commission said, if there's a stone cutter in town, this is Cape Cod's old school stone cutter who can, do a tombstone for you if you want it.And I'm like sure. I, why not design my own tombstone? And I hate to admit, I paid a lot of money, like 10, 000 bucks for an old colonial slate tombstone. And I am in a joking way, using an image from Poe's poem the Raven on that tombstone. And a Raven. And the word nevermore, which anyone who's read the poem will understand.And, then my information and this stonecutter is going to put it up for me. I've told very limited people that because people really think it's over the top. But again, my, my family members who would be left handling it. I'm like this way, exactly where it is and you can, it just makes it easier for you.But you, I am serious in that. I'm going to have a small celebration of life party, for myself at that location next year with that tombstone up. It might be just me and my sisters or my niece, or, the folks who gather down there every year.But I thought what's the point of not being there for that? It, there is it's a place to rest and I don't mean this. And I tell people this, I look at death as a. When I'm feeling particularly anxious as there'll be an end to it, just like I opened my eyes during the psychedelic experience when I was getting fatigued.I'm ready for it. And then I saw my guide there. And I'm like, we talked about this. It does end. Don't panic. It will end. And right now you want it to end because you've been at it for six hours or so. And I look at death the same way. There's an end. I don't look at it. It's not a suicidal ideation.And that's, if I tell anybody that, Robert, that's straight, that's the place to go. Is or you're gonna hurt yourself. I'm like, no, I'm not gonna hurt myself. It just calms me down to know that there's an end. You And I don't want to struggle like this forever. So yeah I'm a member of a Swiss organization called Dignitas, which performs assisted suicide.My fear is Alzheimer's, like if that hits me and I'm still cognizant, but diagnosed that to me is a relief. I'm like, okay, I feel better. And I am, as I said earlier, trying to find ways to feel more contented. And I'm like, I've taken care of these things. Part of it is I'm on planner.That's what anxiety does. But there is an element of fulfillment in doing these things that is indescribable. And I it's just so out of bounds for what we can talk about in our culture that it's hard to really describe that to people without them thinking, Oh, you bought a grave and a tombstone and you signed up for this Dignitas company and assisted suicide and people just assume the worst.And it's no, this is the best. This is the best. I hope I live another 30 years if I'm not lucky. That's my plan. But if something intervenes, I'm okay with this. I guess the way I put it is I'm terrified of dying, but I have no fear of death. If that makes sense. The moment itself is.Creates some anxiety as it should. But the after part of it, I'm like, no, it's, call it what you want, call it a Buddhist Nirvana. But yeah, that's I've done that. And I'm just waiting to see what the stone cutter comes up with. Leafbox: Steve, you said for positive reformation that you want to live in another 30 years, what do you imagine filling the next 30 years with? You have your peer support group you've started and what other projects do you want to focus your attention on more writing, less writing, more trips. So what do you imagine for the next 30 years? Steve: And I'm just putting that out. So I know one thing I learned when I left the coast guard, which might be a surprise is I will never see that my schedule was very structured there, and I think that was helpful.To me in anybody's schedule at work, you've got to be a place from this hour to that hour. And then if you lose that structure, a lot of people are lost. I thought I'd be one of them, but I'm really, I'm not I will not cede my schedule to anybody else, but what. And, but I think I did struggle a little bit with when I left the winery, which was a full time job I was in the airstream.So that occupied a lot of my time, but there was this notion of, what are you going to do for the rest of your life? But I've resolved that. And I think I'll write about the same. I'll be at that same level of productivity that I am right now, but I dabble in a variety. You and I've talked about this small businesses that I think matter.I've done some venture capital in areas that are meaningful to me. Climate and healthcare. I am always looking for opportunities to do work. That's interesting to me. I'm helping a buddy in town with a brewery startup, a distillery. Didn't have to do that. I just find these opportunities to occupy myself and I don't get so hung up on having to leave some sort of a legacy.It's just what I pursue, the things that make me curious right now. And the things that make me curious right now may or may not make me curious in a couple of years. I've got motorcycle trips planned. I might go back to the Airstream thing when I can't ride motorcycling. I've got these things laid out that will occupy me, but none of them are of the traditional.I gotta go back and get a job, so I'm not bored all the time. I seem to find an endless number of things that are of interest to me. And I'm not really thinking out that I glance at it every now and again, 20 to 25 years, but my days seem pretty full and I just don't worry about it. I think I'll be in this house in St.Augustine for the next two years. Where am I going to go after that? What's the next Airbnb going to be? And. And that's, in fact, I was out in Portland for the psychedelic experience and I thought how it is freeing knowing I could come up with Portland. I want to. Nothing's binding me to any particular place.And these it's future thinking. Yes. But not 20 to 25 year future thinking. I don't have a 20 to 25 year plan. And that to me is way less overwhelming. It's just a loose structure for the next couple of years. And I think the thing I just occurred to me as I was saying that is there are elements in my life that are so controlled that it's, calcified my daily routine.And then there are areas of my life that are so impulsive that it's it's 180 degrees from my calcified day. And I'd be at a loss to explain why except one is a reaction to the other. Leafbox: It's just coming back to the animals. I just keep thinking of the coyote. Steve, how can people find you? What's the best way for them to read your essays and connect with you? Steve: I would love more free subscribers on Substack. I have no intention of making any money on Substack. And I think you just have to type in my name which, Is Steven with a P H and Chamberlain C H A M B E R L I N. And do a search for a guy with a beard was my photo.And I would also love anyone who subscribes to be open and free about commenting or criticizing or starting a conversation I'd like. Some more engagement on some stack for no other reason than I like to engage with people that way. And I'd like to know I'm helping people or what I could do better.So sub stack is really the predominant location for me. And the easiest way to find me and DM me if you're a bit interested in that. Leafbox: Great. And Steve, anything else you want to share? Steve: Gratitude that you asked me to do this, Robert, I've always looked up to you and considered you a role model and a mentor and so appreciate.And I'm honored that you felt it was something worth taking your time today to talk to me. Leafbox: No, no, I really appreciate the like raw and honest writing that you're doing. And everyone's on a journey, so I appreciate your struggle. Get full access to Leafbox at leafbox.substack.com/subscribe

Show Notes  OCF MINISTRY NEWS  New hires; jobs still available on OCF team: While couples have stepped forward to fill open positions at USMA and USCGA on an interim basis, the application window at both West Point and the Coast Guard Academy is now extended to 31 October with an expected start date in the summer of 2025. To learn more and apply, visit our job openings page.   Fall programs await at Spring Canyon and White Sulphur Springs:   Caleb Challenge Career Transition Strategies Workshop, 13-15 September, at WSS: Jump-start your career transition with a weekend of interactive work, group discussions, and personal exercises, all facilitated by retired military leaders with over 200 years of combined leadership and life-coaching experience.   Climb Together, September 2024, at SC: This three-day wilderness experience, complete with outdoor activities, campfires, spectacular mountain vistas and events, is tailored to meet the needs of busy families who yearn to “Reconnect in the Rockies.” Parent-Youth Adventure Weekends, October-November 2024, at WSS: Designed for one parent and one child, these weekends are an opportunity to build memories that will last a lifetime.   ASK OCF  TSgt Ryan Padgett, USAF (Ret.), answered the FAQ: Is OCF only for officers? Ryan shares about his own experience with joining OCF and encourages other enlisted service members to get involved, too.  Interested in getting involved in OCF? Fill out our membership form and/or find an OCF study near you.  If you have a question that you want us to consider for a future “Ask OCF” segment, send an email to podcast@ocfusa.org.    GUEST SPOTLIGHT  CH(CAPT) Michael Will, USA (Ret.), spoke on this month's episode about hardship and suffering, topics which also served as his focus while he was the speaker for a week of Summer R&R at White Sulphur Springs last month.   Having enlisted in 1992 and later commissioned as a chaplain, Michael has also pastored churches in Ohio and Canada. He currently serves as the associate pastor for discipleship at Grace Evangelical Congregational Church in Knox, Pa.   If you would like to share your own story, complete the form on OCF's “Be a Guest” webpage. Alternatively, if you have an idea for a guest or topic we should consider for a future episode of the show, send an email to podcast@ocfusa.org.    POINTS TO PONDER  As you listen to this conversation with Michael, here are a few questions to ponder in your personal time, with a small group, or with a mentor:  What personal experiences have shaped your definition of suffering?  How have you seen God use suffering in your own life and in the lives of others?  What Bible verses encourage you in the midst of hardship?  Michael talks about prayer as “the most effective tool” in his toolkit. What additional tools can you use when facing hard times?

The year 1986 was a pivotal one for Larry White's career in the U.S. Coast Guard. After entering the Coast Guard Academy in 1976 and graduating in 1980, White subsequently advanced through a series of intriguing roles including commanding an 82-foot patrol boat before deciding to pursue an MBA. The Coast Guard agreed to underwrite this move, enhancing his resume and eventually making him an attractive candidate for high-profile roles in Fortune 100 companies. Still, White had no intention of leaving the Coast Guard. Going forward, a decision by White to specialize in finance, rather than following the traditional rotation between operational and financial roles, was initially met with skepticism inside the military. Early in his career, it was suggested that his focus on finance could limit his promotion prospects. However, White's commitment to his specialty, combined with his strategic use of professional certifications and active involvement in organizations like the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), proved this view to be incorrect. As the first active-duty military officer to serve as the global chairman of the IMA, White distinguished himself in his field. He also contributed to the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board while serving as a captain in the Coast Guard, highlighting his expertise in public sector financial management. Following his retirement from the USCG, White's career continued to flourish. The very next day, he signed agreements with Deloitte and the Resource Consumption Accounting Institute, where he served as executive director for 14 years. His post-retirement work focused on improving cost management practices and advocating for better education for management accountants, reflecting his dedication to enhancing financial practices. White's ongoing involvement with organizations such as COSO (Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission), where he works on internal controls and enterprise risk management, underscores his commitment to advancing the field. He also helped to establish the Profitability Analytics Center of Excellence, which now engages a broad audience as it aims to advance internal decision support practices. White's career is a testament to how specialization, supported by continuous education and professional development, can lead to impactful leadership and meaningful contributions within both the public and private sectors. His journey reflects the lessons learned from his Coast Guard service and his dedication to fostering change and innovation in financial management.

The Coast Guard's failure to provide Congress with sufficient information regarding the service's handling of sexual assault cases points to a “continuing culture of cover-up,” lawmakers said Tuesday during a highly-anticipated congressional hearing on the Coast Guard's investigation of sexual misconduct at the service's academy.Last year, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee requested all records related to Operation Fouled Anchor, the Coast Guard's internal investigation of sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy. Lawmakers said the records provided to Congress are highly redacted and include a large number of duplicates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Coast Guard's failure to provide Congress with sufficient information regarding the service's handling of sexual assault cases points to a “continuing culture of cover-up,” lawmakers said Tuesday during a highly-anticipated congressional hearing on the Coast Guard's investigation of sexual misconduct at the service's academy. Last year, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee requested all records related to Operation Fouled Anchor, the Coast Guard's internal investigation of sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy. Lawmakers said the records provided to Congress are highly redacted and include a large number of duplicates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About this episode: The U.S. Coast Guard is charged with safeguarding Americans through missions including maritime law enforcement, antiterrorism operations, and search and rescue. Members of the Coast Guard carry out these missions at sea and in the air in all sorts of extreme conditions requiring specialized medical care to ensure their health and safety. In this episode, we hear from a flight surgeon who talks about his work caring for military aviators, as well as some of the most challenging moments of his career, including Hurricane Katrina and being the medical director for the Coast Guard Academy during COVID. Guest: Dr. Esan Simon is the medical director for the Coast Guard Academy. Previously, he was a flight surgeon for the Coast Guard since 2004. Host: Dr. Josh Sharfstein is vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a faculty member in health policy, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department. Show links and related content: Steadfast: How one Coast Guard captain navigates the uncharted seas of life Back to School? Reopening a University During the COVID-19 Pandemic—Public Health On Call University of Michigan's Chief Health Officer Dr. Preeti Malani Returns to Talk About COVID-19 Safety on Campus This Fall—Public Health On Call The State of COVID On Campus at The University of Michigan—Public Health On Call Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @‌PublicHealthPod on X @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed

Jury convicts Hunter Biden on all three federal gun charges, House Rules Committee considers resolution holding Attorney General Garland in contempt of Congress for defying subpoena of audio of President Biden interview, former Gov. Cuomo (D-NY) testifies in closed session before House subcommittee on COVID-19 and nursing home policy, Secretary Blinken in Israel again pushing Hamas to accept ceasefire plan with Israel, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Fagan testifies before Senate subcommittee on allegations of mishandling sexual assault investigation at Coast Guard Academy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East to push for a ceasefire agreement – one that the mother of a recently-rescued hostage is pushing for too. Closing arguments will start later today in Hunter Biden's federal gun trial in Wilmington, Delaware. A Coast Guard Academy official resigns ahead of a congressional hearing this week into the agency's sexual misconduct scandal. Apple is set to reveal its big push into AI. Plus, a new Disney ride opens soon and its making a splash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode features Joe Crane interviewing Coast Guard Academy graduate and entrepreneur Jared Dillian. Dillian planned his transition by starting his MBA while on active duty and landed a trading job at Lehman Brothers. There, he began writing a newsletter that sparked his writing career. They discuss his journey as a writer, including his popular newsletter "The Daily Dirtnap" and his four published books. Joe and Jared delve into Dillian's book "No Worries," discussing common financial stressors and strategies for eliminating them. Dillian emphasizes the importance of prioritizing big financial decisions to minimize everyday worries. He also highlights the value of financial literacy and shares how military skills like time management and perseverance translate to success in the civilian world. Episode Resources:  The Daily Dirtnap | what the... Podcasts | Jared Dillian Money No Worries: How to live a stress-free financial life   About Our Guest    Jared Dillian is the editor of The Daily Dirtnap, a daily market newsletter for investment professionals, continuously published since 2008. Jared is the founder of Jared Dillian Money and has previously contributed to Bloomberg Opinion, Forbes and TheStreet.com. From 2019 - 2021, he was the host of The Jared Dillian Show, a nationally syndicated radio show on personal finance, and is now the host of the Be Smart podcast. In his spare time, Jared is a progressive house DJ and speaks frequently on mental health issues at financial institutions. He is also the author of Street Freak: Money And Madness At Lehman Brothers, which was named Businessweeks #1 general business book of 2011; the novel All The Evil of This World, published in 2016 and Those Bastards: 69 Essays, which published in 2023.   Join the conversation on Facebook! Check out Veteran on the Move on Facebook to connect with our guests and other listeners. A place where you can network with other like-minded veterans who are transitioning to entrepreneurship and get updates on people, programs and resources to help you in YOUR transition to entrepreneurship.   About Our Sponsors Navy Federal Credit Union   Navy Federal Credit Union thinks that tapping into your home's equity shouldn't come at a high price. They're here to help you get more out of your home base with their home equity loan options. Navy Federal has home equity loan options that could be used for home renovations, big purchases, and high interest debt consolidation. We've used equity in our home for all sorts of things over the years. Navy Federal covers one hundred percent of closing costs, which means you could save hundreds of dollars.  Plus, they don't have application or origination fees. To learn more about Navy Federal's home equity loan options, visit NavyFederal.org. At Navy Federal, our members are the mission.      BetterHelp   This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. I've been to therapy a few times over the years when dealing with tragedies in my life and the Marine Corps and the thing therapy helped me realize immediately is that the things that were bothering me were perfectly normal for them to bother me.  Once I realized that, it made everything much easier to deal with. Now we all know that being in the military is pretty much a traumatic experience in and of itself, but I want to make sure you understand this point, therapy isn't just for those who've experienced major trauma. Therapy is helpful for learning positive coping skills and how to set boundaries; it empowers you to be the best version of yourself. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/VOTM and get on your way to being your best self.   Want to be our next guest? Send us an email at interview@veteranonthemove.com.  Did you love this episode? Leave us a 5-star rating and review!  Download Joe Crane's Top 7 Paths to Freedom or get it on your mobile device. Text VETERAN to 38470.

Key Moments:The voyage to a data-driven US Coast Guard (5:21)Navigating data-driven approaches to US Coast Guard operations (20:28) Balancing experience-based decision making with data-informed decision making (25:34)In whose data do you trust? (30:10) Measuring the value of data (33:80)Should an AI ethicist be part of the team or should everyone really be an ethicist? (45:00) Key Quotes:“Up until three years ago when we started this, some people – and really our entire organization –  just thought data as IT. They didn't think much past that, because no one had ever really challenged them to think about it. So it wasn't really thought of as, ‘this is the data that we have, and this is the commander's business. This is how the business is going to run. It's not just letting IT figure it out.'” “I think that technology has helped us along the way to visualize data that otherwise would be difficult and time consuming to conceptualize and understand. And as we continue to find ways to make humans understand better what it is that they're looking at – especially in extremely dynamic and complex data situations – I think you'll start to see a shift of trust and that's really experience. It's experience in using data informed decision making activities.” “Would an ethics, an AI ethics advisor to the CDAO be a great thing? Absolutely. Are we all just ethicists? Yes, but I would say that there is a lot of understanding needed. There's a huge area where you could be an expert in the ethics of artificial intelligence and provide sound guidance day after day. I would think that this particular type of employee would be extremely valuable.” Mentions:U.S. Coast Guard 11 Missions AI U.S. Executive Orders White House Orders Federal Agencies to Name Chief AI Officers America's Cyber Defense AgencyMake Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life… And Maybe the World Bio: Captain Brian Erickson currently serves as the United States Coast Guard's first Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer and is principally responsible for the coordination of data and artificial intelligence activities across the organization. His previous assignments focused primarily on engineering and operations, serving at five operational assignments piloting rotary  and fixed wing aircraft performing search and rescue, law enforcement and other military mission profiles. Brian is a licensed Professional Engineer specializing in aerospace and also served in the Office of Budget and Programs working directly for the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). In 2020, he was selected as the Coast Guard's MIT Sloan Fellow following service as Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Air Station Savannah, GA. Brian is a 1998 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and holds a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University as well as a Master of Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a 2022 DataIQ Top 100 most influential persons in data and the 2023 MachineCon AI Leader of the Year. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

In this podcast episode ... It's the biggest cadet cheating scandal in the Coast Guard Academy's history. We sit down with the Academy to find out how 55 cadets of the class of 2025 did it. Plus we take a look at other stories from across the region

AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on a cheating scandal at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Don Trone is the CEO and one of the Co-founders of 3ethos.Don was the founding CEO of fi360, and filled that role until 2007. He was the founder and President of the Foundation for Fiduciary Studies; and, the first person to direct the Institute for Leadership at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In 2015 he was named by Investment Advisor magazine as the “Father of Fiduciary” and one of the 35 most influential people in the financial services industry. In 2003, he was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor to represent the investment counseling industry on the ERISA Advisory Council. And, in 2007 he testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on the fiduciary issues associated with the management of retirement plans. Don is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and served for ten years on active duty, most notably as a search and rescue helicopter pilot. He has a Master's from The American College and has completed post-graduate studies in theology from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Trinity Episcopal Seminary.In this episode, Eric and Don Trone discuss:Avoiding responsibility gaps Being more than a fiduciary Leadership, stewardship, and governanceTeaching life-long skills during training Key Takeaways:Committee members and ERISA advisors should prioritize training and education to avoid responsibility gaps in financial decision-making.Fiduciary standards are devolving, they no longer define a professional standard of care, they define minimum standards. Industry professionals must hold themselves to a higher standard. Leadership is your capacity to inspire and engage. Stewardship is the passion and discipline to protect the long-term interests of others. Governance is your ability to manage the details of a prudent decision-making process. When training, focus on teaching people lifelong skills that will impact their decision-making every single day so that when they get into the Investment Committee, they're ready to go. “You want to be more than a fiduciary? Now you're talking behavioral governance. You're talking about being a leader and steward In the lives of your clients or in the lives of your employees.” - Don TroneConnect with Don Trone:Website: https://www.3ethos.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-trone-89873013/ Connect with Eric Dyson: Website: https://90northllc.com/ Phone: (940)20248-4800 Email: contact@90northllc.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/401kguy/

This week's guest went from the Coast Guard Academy to firearms journalist to Top Shot competitor to General Manager of Marketing at Taurus USA. This is Part 1 of a 2+ hour conversation. Enjoy!! https://www.instagram.com/radicaleb/ https://x.com/radicaleb?s=20 @casualshooterpodcast  

To influence for good, character paired with strong leadership skills is paramount. Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dana Born '83 brings the two together in Ep. 8 of Long Blue Leadership. ----more---- SUMMARY Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dana Born discusses the importance of character and leadership in the Air Force Academy's mission. She shares her background and career, including her time as the Dean of Faculty at the Academy. The General reflects on her class reunion experience and the impact of her family's military background. She explores the concept of leaders being born vs. made and highlights the value of curiosity and courage in leadership. Gen. Born emphasizes the importance of seeking help and mentorship and shares recommended readings for developing leadership skills.   OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "Character and leadership are paramount for Air Force Academy graduates to influence for good." "I think that if I were to say there's two really important takeaways, those for me have been, be curious, be more curious. And that is just really asking a lot of questions." "I think leading with your heart and leading with, like the recognition that things that are hard, make your heart rate go up. Courage, you know, our heart rate goes up when we're in danger physically, morally, psychologically. And I think leaning into that to where our heart rate goes up a little bit is how we learn and grow." "I think there's that keeping the both and in the integration of that is what helped me in some of those tough decisions. I mean, I remember having to take a security clearance away from a lieutenant colonel, for all the right reasons, but trying, you know, that person then was going to lose their position in the Air Force, because it required a security clearance. And, and it wasn't a situation that I put that person in, right, they put themselves in that position, but what I didn't want to do was deliver the news in a way that then the individual would feel like they have nothing left right to or would ultimately, you know, take their life, right, that always was present to say, uh, don't want this person to go away with anything other than, you know, your life is not over." "I think courage, you know, the root word of courage is heart. And I think leading with your heart and leading with, like the recognition that things that are hard, make your heart rate go up. Courage, you know, our heart rate goes up when we're in danger physically, morally, psychologically. And I think leaning into that to where our heart rate goes up a little bit is how we learn and grow."  - Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dana Born '83   SHARE THIS EPISODE FACEBOOK  |  LINKEDIN  |  TWITTER  |  EMAIL     CHAPTERS 00:00  Introduction: Character and Leadership 01:22  General Bourne's Background and Career 05:36  Early Life and Decision to Attend the Air Force Academy 08:19  Becoming the Dean of Faculty at the Air Force Academy 11:49  Challenges and Lessons as Dean 22:59  Discovering Leadership Abilities 24:24  Lessons from Friction Moments 26:19  Pivoting and Overcoming Challenges 27:49  Best Attributes of Leaders 29:46  Seeking Help and Mentorship 32:06  Balancing Compassion and Difficult Decisions 34:26  Family's Influence on Leadership 38:12  Developing Leadership Skills: Curiosity and Courage 40:04  Purpose and Passion 41:53  Recommended Readings 44:42  Conclusion     GEN. BORN'S BIO Dana H. Born (Co-Director, Center for Public Leadership (CPL); Faculty Chair, Senior Executive Fellows (SEF) Program; Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government) is a retired Brigadier General with 30 years of service in the United States Air Force. Prior to coming to Harvard, from 2004-2013, she served two terms as the Dean of the Faculty at the United States Air Force Academy where she was also the Professor and Head of the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department. Previously, Dana served as an Exchange Officer with the Royal Australian Air Force, Assistant Director for Recruiting Research and Analysis for the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management Policy), Deputy Chief of the Personnel Issues Team for the Department of the Air Force (DC/Staff Personnel), Aide and Speech Writer to the Secretary of the Air Force, Squadron Commander for 11th Mission Support Squadron at Bolling AFB, DC and in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. A graduate with distinction of the United States Air Force Academy, Professor Born received her B.S. in Behavioral Sciences (1983), M.S. in Experimental Psychology from Trinity University, TX (1985), M.A. in Research Psychology from University of Melbourne (1991) and Doctorate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Penn State University (1994). She received Penn State University's Alumni Fellow Award (2012) and Distinguished Alumni Award (2018) and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Simmons College in Humane Administration (2007). Born is the recipient of the Secretary of the Air Force's Eugene M. Zuckert Award for Outstanding Management Achievement, Air Force Association's Hoyt S. Vandenberg Award for outstanding contributions to Aerospace education, Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Defense Meritorious Service Medal. She has been honored with the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Annual Teaching Awards as well as the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Innovation in Teaching Award in 2017. Dr. Born is a Trustee on the United States Air Force Academy's Falcon Foundation – serving on the Strategy, Governance and Scholarship Committees; Supporting Director on the USAFA Endowment Board, Past President of the Massachusetts Women's Forum; Senior Consultant for the Core Leadership Institute; Peer Evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission; Member of the Women Corporate Directors, International Women's Forum and Council on Foreign Relations; Council Member on Boston Mayor's Pay Equity Workforce; Advisory Board Member for “With Honor;” and “A Child's Guide to War” documentary, “Blue Star Families,” Senior Officer for Mission: Readiness; Past-President of the American Psychological Association (Society for Military Psychology) and previous Independent Director on Board of the Apollo Education Group having served on Compensation, Audit and Special Litigation Committees.  - Copy and image credit:  Harvard University         Gen. Born is a member of the HOW Conversations video (and podcast) series hosting team, bringing together a varied group of experts and leaders to discuss timely issues of our reshaped world through the lenses of moral leadership, principled decision-making, and values-based behavior. VIEW THE VIDEO SERIES  |  LISTEN TO THE PODCAST  - Copy and image credit:  Harvard University     ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network, drops every two weeks on Tuesdays, and is available on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Spotify and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on your favorite social channels for Long Blue Leadership news and updates!          FULL TRANSCRIPT   SPEAKERS Our guest, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dana Born '83  |  Our host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz   Gen. Dana Born  00:06 Through mentorship and wise counsel, in early days actually and magnified through the time at the Air Force Academy, that character is paramount. It's also not enough, because you want to be a person of strong character that also has leadership, qualities that help influence for good. We can have leadership where people are able to influence but maybe not for good. And we can have character but have people of great character that aren't able to mobilize the influence. And so, I have just been, I guess, embracing that character and leadership aspect of our mission.   Naviere Walkewicz  01:19 My guest today is retired Brigadier General Dana Born, a 1983, graduate of the Air Force Academy. I'm excited to host this conversation with General Born, a recognized and widely respected expert in moral leadership, serving as a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. We're going to explore the trajectory of General Born's own development as a leader. Our conversation will begin with her days as a cadet at the Air Force Academy, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Science and Leadership. General Born began building her body of work then, first as a student, then analyst and researcher, now writer, teacher and speaker on public policy and society in the field of moral leadership as a How Institute for Society Distinguished Fellow through her distinguished 30 year military career, and since her retirement from the Air Force in 2013, she has been formally recognized more than 20 times for her exemplary service and academic excellence. In 2004, she became the first female Academy graduate to return to her alma mater as the Dean of Faculty, a role she held for two terms. Her work has been published more than 40 times and she has delivered nearly 200 presentations. General Born has endorsed more than a dozen books on leadership and public policy, and has contributed to five others. In addition to her work at Harvard, she hosts a video podcast series called HOW Conversations during which she discusses the tenets of moral leadership. Her guests include nationally and internationally recognized leaders from the private, military and public sectors. General Born. Welcome, and thank you for being here today.   Gen. Dana Born  02:54 Thank you so much for the wonderful introduction. And it's great to be in the Long Blue Line conversation with you and all our other members of our tremendous extended family in our Air Force. So glad to be here.   Naviere Walkewicz  03:07 Thank you so much, ma'am. And you know, you recently were just here for a reunion. How was that experience?   Gen. Dana Born  03:13 It was spectacular. The only way I can describe it is like going to see family members that you haven't seen for a while. And even after 44 years, since our induction day, it was like just picking up where, you know, we left off in terms of the connection, the common bond, it was probably better than I anticipated. And I can't actually explain why. But it was just so special. It was poignant as well, because certainly during those times, we spend time reflecting on those that are no longer with us. And it was very powerful in terms of the way that our class decided to do that with. We don't call it a yellow cap, right, because there's nothing yellow in the military, but with our gold caps. And classmate who remembered our fallen friend, and lit a candle on behalf of them. And it was too many hats. It was too many candles, it was too many people that we have lost. But it was something that was spectacular in another way because we had such great stories to share that sort of brought back you know, the legacy and the person of our classmates. And so I think we left with a little bit more spring in our step in terms of let's make our lives and the lives of those we love count each day. So it was really inspiring and quite an amazing time.   Naviere Walkewicz  04:41 I love hearing that. I get to come back for my 25th next year and even though I'm, you know, here working in this capacity, there is something so special that's timeless. With graduates, when they come together, we really do just kind of pick up where we left off and so I'm looking forward to that as well.   Gen. Dana Born  04:57 We got together with our what we call "dooley squadron," but you know, with our classes that we were with for the first two years, and then also with the last two years, because we transitioned after our three-degree year, and there was one individual that was in my, like, all four years together. And so that was kind of fun as well, yes.   Naviere Walkewicz  05:18 What our listeners love to do is kind of get to know our speakers as well. So if we could travel back to maybe your childhood and early days before the Academy. We'd really like to get to know what Gen. Born was like back then, you know, where did you grow up? What were you like? What were you into? Maybe you can take us back.   Gen. Dana Born  05:36 That's going back aways because I entered the Air Force Academy in 1979. So it really is going back decades here. But I grew up in a small town in upstate New York called Penn Yan. And, you know, we maybe had two or three thousand people. It was a very small town. If you think of Norman Rockwell, that is kind of, you know, the the old world, maybe even American Graffiti. That is my hometown. Everybody knows everybody pretty much still to this day. And I graduated from high school, the same day that I flew out to start basic training the next day. I literally didn't get to stay for my whole high school graduation. Because on the East Coast, graduations tend to be late June and of course, that's when basic Cadet training begins. So I hopped on a commercial airplane for the very first time, the day I graduated from high school. I flew airplanes before I drove a car. But I flew with my flight instructor actually to the nearest airport and then flew commercially, for the first time in my life, to go start basic training. I'd never been west of Ohio, and of course, people think about Ohio as the Midwest. So it was really going into a brave new world for me, certainly.   Naviere Walkewicz  06:58 So, were you always someone very courageous looking at new things. I mean, you said you were flying before you got into a car. So that's a bit telling there. What are their characteristics? Would you say you had as a young girl?   Gen. Dana Born  07:11 Yeah. I think that's, I wouldn't have characterized it actually as courageous. But I was certainly enjoyed adventure and the outdoors. I mean, some of my favorite activities. My dad was the vice president of a local college. And we grew up on a lake. So you know, waterskiing sailing, you know, boating, I loved to run, I love to fly, I love to ski. So there was that adventurous spirit. And certainly, I think that was part of the selection to go to the service academy. But it was also my dad, being a college professional and administrator, he took me to a college fair at the University of Vermont, I still remember this. And my dad had been enlisted in the Coast Guard, and right after World War Two, but he taught me how to salute. And I was always just kind of enamored with that part of his life. And I saw a Coast Guard Academy booth at this fair. And I got really excited. I went back to my father who was at his booth for his college and I said, "Dad, I know where I want to go, I want to go to the United States Coast Guard Academy." And then, when I applied, they said, "Oh, you missed the application date for this year, you'll have to come next year." And I was not wanting to wait to go to college. Right? I was ready. And so they said, well, there's these other academies. And I went back and talk to my track and cross country coach, and he did some exploration for me. And he said, "What about the Air Force Academy?" And I said, "Where is that?" And they said, "Colorado," and I thought, okay, skiing, mountains, you know, running. And that really was, it was his kind of helping me search through, okay, if this isn't an option, you know, what are your other options? And it turned out to be serendipity, just a very good fit and very grateful to this day, you know, for his mentorship.   Naviere Walkewicz  09:07 Well, I was going to ask how the Air Force Academy came into the picture. And it was by chance from the US Coast Guard Academy timing being off.   Gen. Dana Born  09:16 It was meant to be, I think, and, you know, I've had fun, you know, with over the years certainly while I was the dean working closely with the leadership at the Coast Guard Academy, you know, just kind of puns you know, they've changed their application date, I think to be more aligned now, but it was it was funny in talking with them about that, but it worked out really for the better. Well, you're also aware I have a mixed family in terms of you know, having Marine Corps and Air Force and Navy and Coast Guard. So we're all really in the same profession.   Naviere Walkewicz  09:56 We went kind of back in the early childhood days, but you just about your family kind of having mixed roles in different services. What does that all look like?   Gen. Dana Born  10:05 Yeah, I actually just recalled, as you were asking that question, I thank you for digging deeper there, because I forgot to mention Army as well and certainly my brother in law was a West Point graduate.   Naviere Walkewicz  10:16 We did that for him.   Gen. Dana Born  10:19 So appreciate that. You know, it's interesting, because I did not other than my dad's Coast Guard service really did not have a lot of military in my family. And but when I met my now husband, who is a Naval Academy graduate, when we were assigned to the Pentagon, it opened up a whole like military side of the family, because he does have a brother that went to VMI, one that went to West Point, he went to the Naval Academy, his father was a WWII aviator, who retired from the Navy. And so I and my family was primarily all educators, right? So I must say that it was providence, right, to get to the dean of the faculty position where I think it was keeping both sides of the family happy the educators as well as blended military service. And then of course, we have two daughters who are serving now, and one of them is 2020, graduate from the Air Force Academy, whose IP instructor pilot in helicopters and our youngest, who's a Naval Academy graduate who is in the Marine Corps now and just heading over to serve in Okinawa for three years as a comm. strat. officer in the Marine Expeditionary Forces. So we are certainly in a family business of of military service.   Naviere Walkewicz  11:41 Ma'am, you just shared a little bit about your time at the Academy as dean, first female graduate to become dean and then you serve two terms. What was that like?   Gen. Dana Born  11:50 It's interesting, that you asked that question and, of your, I know your own background in working a lot of issues, particularly women in leadership issues in diversity, equity inclusion, I find it actually paradoxical to think of myself as kind of the, you know, the first female dean because it is a fact, I'm just really grateful that we have a currently serving dean who's also a female. And it's interesting, because we just want to fit in, right, and just be the dean. And yet, if we don't say female dean, then we're invisible. And so it really is paradoxical. Anytime you're a minority of having a an adjective that caveats or clarifies, you know, that your your role. So I recognize that, but I'm really just so thrilled that I had the opportunity, and again, through a lot of mentors, encouraging and supporting through that journey, because I think I like many others, particularly women, take ourselves out of the running, because we haven't seen somebody go into that kind of an authority position before that look like us or are like us. So it was really people telling me, you know, don't you think it's your duty, you know, to offer to serve in that capacity, you know, why take yourself out of the running, if the Air Force thinks you're the right person at the right time, and you're willing to, then it's your duty to put your name in. And, and that was really the thinking that drew me to apply. And I'm really glad to have had that opportunity, not just for one term, but for to, and to see that, you know, there's more behind me that are more, you know, diverse, that is really good for our Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz  13:36 I'm glad you brought that up, because I actually struggled in asking that question for the similar reasons of saying first female to do something and at the same time, having been walking in those paths, understanding that sometimes people need to see people who have walked in those shoes that look like them, etc. So I'm glad that you kind of talked about the importance of recognizing those things, even though at the same time we see ourselves as I'm the qualified person to be doing this. So I appreciate you showing that.   Gen. Dana Born  14:01 It's hard to do though, too, because, you know, if you think about the generation of the first several classes to go through the academy, it was really a token time. I mean, I think we had 8.4% women that came in in our class. And so we didn't want to be seen as anything other than fitting in. And so it is hard for us also. And I remember when General Desjardins and I were serving together as the comm and the dean, right the first time you had two females in those two roles. And we had to kind of get over that. We had many conversations to say, hey, if the current population is wanting to have conversations, you know about women in the military, we need to have those conversations. Those are, you know, part of what we bring and it was and we had to listen a lot, right, because there was so much we didn't know about how the experience is similar and we're different for the now cadet, right, while we were in those positions.   Naviere Walkewicz  15:03 And that was actually one of the questions I had, from your experiences as a cadet, the highs and lows. And then what did that look like for you in the role then if dean, how did that change your perspective? Or, you know, looking at how you improved things, or made a difference?   Gen. Dana Born  15:17 I'm gonna go back to the highs and low question because the high was clearly meeting some of the most amazing, talented, diverse people that I had been exposed to, if you think about coming out of this small town, to the cadet wing that was twice the size, much more diverse representing countries around the world. I was, I was so in awe of look at who I'm here with, I was also very scared because we all got that, you know, warning that look left look, right, one, one or two of you aren't going to be there, right, at graduation. So it was a little, a little bit of a fire, right to say I better stay giving it my best, but I really think that's a high. And to this day, that's and even as the dean, it was always a wow moment to look around and see the incredible people that we got to be in the kind of common cause with and gave me great hope always for the future, both while I was a cadet and as the dean and now serving, you know, with the Air Force Academy Foundation, it's really inspiring and elevating, and provides hope during times that, you know, can be very daunting. The low, I would just want to get that out of the way, right? The low is always hard to talk about. But I think one of my low points, but it didn't last long. Because I I really had a love of flying, and a love of the air, I lost my pilot qualification probably because I was not studying properly. And, you know, my flashlight under my covers trying to pass that "EE" test or something. And so I did not have the opportunity to fly upon graduation. And that was hard. Because one the culture, you know, we're so oriented towards, "What you're, you're not going to fly?" And I couldn't, it was just not an option for me. And so I really just had to pivot in terms of what are the other needs and ways that I might be able to serve. But that that was a hard time to do that. And it was actually right before commitment. And so people were asking, you know, are you still gonna stay? And I thought, "Well, why wouldn't I am sure the Air Force has other, you know, ways to serve." So, but that was that was kind of a low. And I think another I don't know is if it's a low, but it might be one that I look back on. I was intercollegiate for 12 seasons. And so I had a whole lot of depth of really athletics, and really close friendships because of that, and a lot of travel to places I've never traveled to. But I also then think I didn't get as much breadth of experience of because time was so precious and trying to keep up academically. You know, and I think as I look back, you know, I had participated in theater when I was in high school, but I didn't have time for you know, Blue Bards or anything outside of really athletics and some of the military work that we got to do and keep up with academics and, you know, try to do well there and in my major.   Naviere Walkewicz  18:50 So ma'am you mentioned something about the pivot you had to make and you know, some of the disappointment that came with that. How did you kind of get to that positive headspace when your plan changed so dramatically.   Gen. Dana Born  19:02 It's hard for me to go back and put myself in what did it there. But I can think of examples like right now what comes to mind for me is the iRobot or the I don't know what how you refer to it, but those, you know, round circular vacuums that if yes, if they get up against a wall, they know that they're there to clean the floor, and they just find a redirect and they keep going. And that's sort of what I think it's been for me, you know, when you kind of stay oriented on your purpose and what you are passionate about. It's easy to not give up but to find another way. And that happened to me when I was fortunate enough to be in a PhD program sponsored by the Air Force Academy in the Air Force to go to Penn State University and right after my second year, the Air Force was downsizing and trying to provide opportunity for people to not have a commitment to school and to be able to basically give up that commitment and not come into the Air Force. And I got that letter that said, "Hey, you can you know, we're sorry. But right now we have an option if you'd like to, you know, get out of the Air Force, you can." And I remember thinking like, you've invested in me to be here for this PhD program. And, you know, I'm hopeful that there's something with this I can do for my Air Force. And so no, I don't want to get out. And so it was kind of like that same iRobot response of I'm here to do this. And so I'm going to figure out a pivot to be able to stay and contribute in a way that might be valuable.   Naviere Walkewicz  20:44 That is a great analogy, ma'am. That's fantastic. Well, I know this is not new to you, ma'am. Because with you're hosting other podcasts on leadership, there's questions that you know, our listeners love to learn about, that you're very familiar with. So I'd like to start with one that you ask often about leaders being born versus made. And I know your thoughts on this, that they are both born and made. But I'm hoping you might be able to share a little bit more about what led you to that perspective.   Gen. Dana Born  21:12 I think it's through mentorship and wise counsel, in early days, actually, and magnified through the time at the Air Force Academy, that that character is paramount in terms of us being effective humans. And it's also not enough, because you want to be a person of strong character that also has leadership, qualities that help influence for good. And I remember, during my time, even as the dean when we were developing the character and leadership center, and talking about do we call it the in because it used to be the Center for Character Development? Or do we call it the Center for Leadership Development? And are they the same, and I was fascinated with those conversations, because we really got to a point where it is both and and we need to call out character and leadership. Because we can have great, or I won't say great, but we can have leadership where people are able to influence but maybe not for good. And we can have character, but have people of great character that aren't able to mobilize the influence. And so I have just been, I guess, embracing that character and leadership aspect of our mission, primarily, from the time at the Air Force Academy to present day research and investment in teaching and working with executives, graduate students, undergraduates and boards.   Naviere Walkewicz  22:50 Was it would you say at the Air Force Academy is when you knew yourself to be a leader? Or, when did you have the desire to lead?   Gen. Dana Born  22:59 Interestingly enough, I think about that back at my small town of Penn Yan, New York, and some of that, I have to attribute to the fact that we didn't have many people. I mean, my school had 1,000 people but bused in from 20, or 30 miles in every different direction. And so the because the town wasn't that big, so we had a chance. Matter of fact, I was like, I was Miss Flying Club, you know, for the parade. I was, you know, the head of women's athletics for my school, I got to be on Student Council and be a treasure for my class, and, you know, captain of the cross country team and the track team, it really did stretch me into places that I might not have sought out myself. But people kind of put me in those positions, and then helped me to learn through those positions. But I must say, most of my learning was when things didn't go so well, you know, how come you know, people aren't buying into this, you know, motto. And, you know, what is the dynamic that's happening? You know, we're, we're fractured as a team, you know, how can we fix this? And so it was really through some of those friction moments that I probably learned the most and really loved the opportunity have an input and an influence?   Naviere Walkewicz  24:19 Can you share some of those because I think some of our listeners are certainly in parts of their leadership journeys, where they're, they may be facing some of those, you know, friction moments or their early parts of their leadership lessons. You know, what were some of the early lessons that you took on that you might share with them if they experience something like that?   Gen. Dana Born  24:38 I think what came to mind for me, more recent examples, clearly, because they're still pretty fresh. But what came to me when you were talking about maybe early years, was I think we're I may be let myself downs nd we're I didn't feel as though I did well enough to be considered a leader. Right? You have to, you know, it's the hero's journey. And I think that I've learned over the years that you don't need to be perfect as a leader. Quite the contrary, right people can relate and, and really be on their own development journey more when we are human and imperfect. And that took me a long time to really embrace because there is that pressure, right, that we feel like we have to be perfect. And we have to know so much, and do so well. And I think that that's, that's not people know that humans aren't perfect, right? So if you're coming across perfect, right? People look for the chinks in the armor. And the higher you are, the higher you fall. So I think that I had that experience at the Air Force Academy, I shared recently in a Sabre Society, talk that, you know, I had been a commander during 9/11, at Bolling, Air Force Base. And it really, I was so proud of how my unit did, and the people that were recognized for just excellence, and we were prepared, and we were responsive. And it was really exciting. And I chose to stay in and ended up at the Air Force Academy as a department chair. And I brought my same self and my same, you know, you know, command energy and I failed miserably in the first, you know, several months, we were going through the sexual assault and sexual harassment crisis, and I was being fairly directive, which worked well with the population I was leading in Washington, DC during 9/11 did not work as well, when you have a very small but mature, you know, mostly PhDs, professional faculty, that I needed to listen to more and not be directive, and it took not long, you know, for what we call it, the Air Force Academy, the blanket party for quite respectable people to come in and say, ma'am, this isn't working and to swallow that humility pill, and, and realize, okay, we need to, I need to adapt here, not lose myself, but adapt to this new environment and situation,   Naviere Walkewicz  27:11 Maybe you can share some of the best attributes that you've you've come across in leaders, because, you know, everyone leading from the authentic selves, brings it forward in their own ways. But what are some of the ones that you see time and true, and again, that are really spoken with you as best attributes?   Gen. Dana Born  27:27 I think what I have grown to really value is people who probably listen well, and who are curious, and, and I've, I've, I've also found people who see the individual in each person, like, what makes Naviere tick, what is it that's important to you personally, and professionally? You know, what are the ways that you are at your best, and that I think is, is really helpful. I also, I don't know why it just came to me, but I'm kind of led to share it is, I heard some great advice. When I was a younger officer, and for where people were not performing to expectations, instead of blaming the individual or feeling as though you know, they're no good, we need to their poor performer label and move them on. It's really better when we asked three questions, when somebody's not meeting, a standard, you know, have I been as a person, you know, leading? Have I been clear in the expectations? And if I have, then the next question is, have I prepared them? Or given them the right training? Or, you know, opportunity to be good at what I'm asking them to do? And then the third is, if the answer to the first two is I have, I did, then what else is happening in their lives that for whatever reason, they're not meeting, you know, the expectations or standards. And if there's nothing there, then you start the performance plan. But, that was, I think, when people are like giving you space to learn and grow and taking kind of a co collaborative ownership of performance. I've, I've, I've thrived in those situations more than and I hope people in my leadership have thrived in those situations more as well, because it is more of a approach that is a shared approach to getting the mission accomplished and taking care of people.   Naviere Walkewicz  29:38 That's an amazing nugget that you shared. I mean, I'm just I can think back throughout my career and times when I probably should have leveraged something like that, and I might have been more effective. Thinking about what pieces have I not maybe done as well or have I done those things, as you said, kind of do a reflective piece from a leadership perspective, to be able then to collaborate in a you know, a better way forward. That's awesome, ma'am. Thank you.   Gen. Dana Born  30:02 Yeah, I had a couple of terrible times of moral discernment, I would say, in decision making when those situations came up, particularly when, you know, you're having to make a decision where somebody's going to be incarcerated. And, you know, I, I had one of those situations where, you know, I was actually eight months pregnant, and the individual was a failure to show up for he was an honor guardsman failure to show for several funerals. And his, his wife was eight months pregnant. And here I was sitting, as you know, the summary court official having to decide if I'm going to throw, you know, him in a situation where he's absent from his family, and, you know, and what kind of financial, leeway will I have in order to help the family but still hold him accountable. And that was very, very difficult because of my own, you know, situation and empathy. But at the same time, it hit me during that decision that there are a lot of airmen who are not there for the birth of their kids or for special events and are deployed in harm's way. And they're doing the mission, not A.W.O.L.. And so I ultimately decided to, you know, incarcerate him for his failure to go and being A.W.O.L. and also try to protect with some leniency, his family situation.   Naviere Walkewicz  31:39 Leading with compassion, but always being accountable, ma'am, that's, it's tough. And I think, you know, we have many listeners that find themselves in those situations. And I've often been asked, you know, I'm a mom, how can I advance my career professionally, I have to do all these other things as well. And so maybe a question that I might tie to that a little bit. You know, how do you how did you balance, that compassion side of leadership and still be able to make some those difficult decisions in the moment? And you know, what would you share with others and how they might do that and think through things when it maybe feels a little bit too hard or too daunting?   Gen. Dana Born  32:15 It is very hard and is daunting. And you use the term balance, and I, I love the word balance. You know, I'm a middle child, and I'm a Libran. You know, I like balanced, but I have found balance to be very difficult. There's a term called. "balance is bunk." And I like that because it's anytime I feel like I've had anything in balance, it's about ready to go on tilt. And so I try to change out the word balance with the word integrate, that works better for me or Harmonize How do I bring together those things and the Airforce in the time that I was working at the in the Chief of Staff's personnel office came up with a motto, "People First in Mission Always," and it can be, "Mission First." And people always, but it's sort of like the chicken and the egg, they both actually go together. And they're very important. And so I think there's that keeping the both and in the integration of that is what helped me in some of those tough decisions. I mean, I remember having to take a security clearance away from a lieutenant colonel, for all the right reasons, but trying, you know, that person then was going to lose their position in the Air Force, because it required a security clearance. And, and it wasn't a situation that I put that person in, right, they put themselves in that position, but what I didn't want to do was deliver the news in a way that then the individual would feel like they have nothing left right to or would ultimately, you know, take their life, right, that always was present to say, uh, don't want this person to go away with anything other than, you know, your life is not over. But you know, this is a very serious trajectory that you have to decide how you're going to go forward from this point. And that was hard, very hard, but it's both people and mission that I think we have to embrace in the way that we carry on what we're responsible for, for our nation.   Naviere Walkewicz  34:25 Well, I think about you know, some of those stories that you shared and some of the experiences you had, I mean, you probably had to go home and, and your your network at home, your family was there with you through all of the journey. How has your family influenced you as a leader and maybe what role do they play in that?   Gen. Dana Born  34:40 I talked a lot with my family, like the time around the dinner table was really sort of transparency. And that bothered my children because I started to hear things back that I thought they shouldn't have to be hearing some of this, and so I also kind of drew inward and decided that that I, "Who can I talk with," right, because I don't want to bring work home, so to speak, that weighs down the family. I want to focus on them. And so I went through a period where I suffered in silence. And I think many leaders and many people, as particularly when you have, you know, security issues that you can't talk about certain things with others. I think we need to find a way and I ultimately did find someone that I could go to and say, I need some advice. And that was monumental, because it helped me understand that I had not been doing that with with great mentors. And I thought about it. And it shocked me that I was not asking for advice. And I thought, How do I feel like if Naviere or someone comes to me and ask for advice, I feel like, wow, if they think I have, yeah, exactly. They're including me, I have something to offer. They care about what I have to say. And so I really had an epiphany that said, I need to do that more. And I started to reach out. And in one case, I reached out to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, you know, having talked with the superintendent first. And it was phenomenal. Because I had such a different perspective on something I was ruminating over. And I thought Why did I wait so long?   Naviere Walkewicz  36:26 What advice would you give to some that are suffering in silence, and maybe can't see that next step? And to doing that what actually helped you to go seek help and ask for help or ask for guidance and mentorship?   Gen. Dana Born  36:39 I think recognizing, well, in some cases, vulnerability is a strength. And, you know, Brene Brown, who I really do love her work. And her, her, her YouTube or, you know, Netflix, a lot of great science and also practice, but she said, What makes you vulnerable, makes you beautiful. And I think that that is part of it is to recognize that, you know, we're all vulnerable, or we're all broken in maybe different places, right to quote some history. And so I think it connects us and builds trust when we are willing to be vulnerable. And I think it takes courage as well, to let ourselves be seen for all, you know, we have a saying that's warts and all. And, you know, to let ourselves be really fully seen,   Naviere Walkewicz  37:33 That resonates with so many people. I think a lot of times people when they're listening to podcasts, and they're, they're just trying to learn and get better in their professional career in their personal lives. Just a can take one little thing that someone really resonates with. And I think you sharing that bit about being reflective and not necessarily suffering in silence, but but looking for helping others I think is going to be really powerful for some. So thank you for sharing some of that.   Gen. Dana Born  37:56 I think the key takeaway is, is just building on what we just talked about, like if I had a foot-stomper, right from our Air Force Academy days, that's like, if you're starting to fall asleep, right? I use that at Harvard. And I'm like, "Does anybody know what foot stamper actually means?" It means, you know, this, is it pay attention. And I'm, I'm really motivated by the John F. Kennedy quote, "Leadership, well, learning and leadership are indispensable from each other." I think that if I were to say there's two really important takeaways, those for me have been, be curious, be more curious. And that is just really asking a lot of questions. Leaning into not judgment, but leaning into really digging into and trying to understand. And that gets us, I think, in a whole different place. That is a good place. And so I haven't always done that. Well, curiosity is like a growth mindset. And I think that is something that I really would recommend to our listeners, be more curious. And I think that's being helped by Chat GPT and Generative AI because it's all about the questions you ask. And, and then it kind of gets at what answers you get. And I think that's maybe training us to be, you know, more curious and careful in how we're asking and being curious. The other is courage. And you brought this up earlier, but I think courage, you know, the root word of courage is heart. And I think leading with your heart and leading with, like the recognition that things that are hard, make your heart rate go up. Courage, you know, our heart rate goes up when we're in danger physically, morally, psychologically. And I think leaning into that to where our heart rate goes up a little bit is how we learn and grow and how we basically can make positive change. So, those two things together, curiosity and courage, under the umbrella of learning and leading go, you know, they're indispensable to each other is the takeaway. I thought you might ask me like, you talked about purpose earlier. What is your purpose? What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning? And what is it that keeps you going through the tough times? And what is it at the end of your, you know, last breath that will have been your dash in your life, your purpose, your why, and mine actually is a simple phrase to myself. I use the term, "kick chocks", and "kick chocks" is, you know, the bricks in front of the wheel of the airplane, and when you're ready to go, you gotta get, gotta get rid of them, or you can't take off. But sometimes you have to kind of have the chocks there, to pause and to, you know, refuel and to do things. So kick chocks, to me has sort of been a way that I am channeled. Some call it your true north, or your Polaris, your compass, and it speaks to me because I can, I can go, go, go, go and never put chocks in front. I also can keep chocks in front of myself and, and limit myself and, and I'm passionate about what is it that somebody needs to have a break? You know? And when is it when somebody has got something in the way or team or organization that's holding them back? And how do I help identify that and kick chocks with them so we can take off. So, it speaks to me. But yeah, the purpose I think, purpose and passion and the individualization of that, so because everybody is so different comes from our life stories, and I love learning about people's purpose.   Naviere Walkewicz  41:51 General born, might you share with us, you know, maybe what you're reading, watching or listening to that's helped you develop your leadership skills.   Gen. Dana Born  41:59 I love to listen to everything. I mean, I am a listener, you know, we all know how we we learn best, I'm really auditory. So podcasts I pick up, I really do a lot with the Council on Foreign Relations. I do listen also to a lot of leadership podcasts, because I just find the whole topic of leadership fascinating for so many different approaches to what we think we're all talking about the same, it just really is expansive of my understanding. And I also now there are so many ways that you can have, you know, auditory books, and or listen to even academic journal articles. So usually, it's a treadmill thing to listen. And I just, I think that is my approach. I also I do like to read, and I think my favorite leadership book is going to shock you. But it's it's sort of got a nautical theme, I think, not an Air Force theme, but its endurance about Shackleton and Antarctica. And there's so many leadership lessons in that book, endurance is one of my favorites. And another one of my favorites is and they're both kind of historical, is Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, written in 1946. I've read that so many times, and he wrote it in nine days, but it's because he wrote it while he was a prisoner in the Nazi prison camp. And then he rewrote it after it was burned. And he was liberated. And it's just an amazing, timeless evergreen read about life and about leadership, about purpose about meaning. And then most recently, for a current one is True North, and that is emerging leaders by Bill George and Zack Clayton. And I just think that that is a great pedagogy of thinking about ourselves. Put our own oxygen mask on first so that we can better care for the mission and the people that are entrusted to us and the change we want to see in the world. So, that's a current reader TrueNorth for emerging leaders.   Naviere Walkewicz  44:24 It's been amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time, ma'am. It's been a pleasure and an honor.   Gen. Dana Born  44:28 It's a pleasure and an honor. And I thank all our listeners for listening in and we wish you well.   KEYWORDS Air Force Academy, leadership, people, Air Force, talk, family, dean, work, leader, serve, flew, cadet, Academy, Coast Guard Academy, recognized, years, terms, leading, long, podcasts       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation      

Admiral Sandy Stosz (USCG) is the first woman to command an icebreaker on the Great Lakes and to lead a U.S. Armed Forces service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where she was responsible for developing and educating a corps of 1,000 cadets. Newsweek's “The Daily Beast” named her as one of “150 Women Who Shake the World.” She is the author of “Breaking Ice & Breaking Glass. Leading in Unchartered Waters.”

Admiral Sandy Stosz (USCG) is the first woman to command an icebreaker on the Great Lakes and to lead a U.S. Armed Forces service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where she was responsible for developing and educating a corps of 1,000 cadets. Newsweek's “The Daily Beast” named her as one of “150 Women Who Shake the World.” She is the author of “Breaking Ice & Breaking Glass. Leading in Unchartered Waters.”

Report after report has shown that sexual harassment and assault are pervasive throughout the U.S. armed forces: at least 15.7 percent of military personnel and veterans reported military sexual trauma, a number that is likely smaller than the actual total due to shame and fear around reporting. What's more, perpetrators are rarely if ever held accountable: according to a recent ProPublica investigation, more than half of the 900 soldiers who were allowed to leave the Army in the past decade rather than go to trial were accused of violent crimes.But in the face of a culture that silences and disenfranchises women and survivors, some women are speaking out—and demanding change. One of them is our very special guest, Melissa McCafferty: Melissa McCafferty is a former Lieutenant with the United States Coast Guard, where she served for 12 years. After being sexually assaulted while in the Coast Guard Academy, she has since become an advocate for military sexual assault victims, including testifying in front of Congress earlier this year. She recently received her JD from Georgetown University Law Center, and serves as a Young Lawyer Representative at the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law. Check out this episode's landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.Tips, suggestions, pitches? Get in touch with us at ontheissues@msmagazine.com. Support the show

New data shows that Google searches for AI to help with college essays has skyrocketed 110% in the last year! But is the headline deceiving? We ask our cyber security expert, Dr. Vahid Behzadan, about the findings. We also talked about artificial intelligence in the classroom and how teachers can strike a balance with students using it. (0:00) Earlier this week, four women who attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London told a congressional committee of sexual abuse they experienced. The hearing was led by Senator Richard Blumenthal as chair of a Senate investigative panel. We spoke with Senator Blumenthal about the investigation and the next steps for abuse allegedly tied to all branches of the military. (14:49) A well-known voice actor with ties to Connecticut is back to reprise his role as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. We spoke with John Ratzenberger, born in Bridgeport and best known for his role as Cliff Clavin on Cheers and voicing Hamm in Toy Story, about his role on stage at Sacred Heart University. (26:28) Image Credit: Reuters

Ukrainian President Zelensky in DC meets with Senators, House leaders and President Biden to push for $60 billion in aid, but Senate leaders say there is no deal yet on an accompanying U.S. border security package; House Rules Committee debates resolution to authorize impeachment inquiry of President Biden; Speaker Johnson pulls Section 702 reauthorization from this week's schedule; Senate subcommittee hearing with U.S. Coast Guard Academy sexual assault survivor whistleblowers. Make your donation at: c-span.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coast Guard whistleblowers testified before Senators about the sexual assault report that shook the service earlier this summer. 

Three former and one current member of the Coast Guard Academy testified in front of the U.S. Senate today over sexual harassment and assault of cadets. Connecticut lawmakers will likely tackle a state police department ticket scandal in the next session. Federal prosecutors are in negotiations to reach a plea deal with George Santos. And how to stay healthy this holiday season!

RADM Dan May, USCG (ret.) Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont. Daniel R. May graduated with a degree in ocean engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, in the class of 1979. During his time as the ocean engineer for the Fifth Coast Guard District, Dan worked on lighthouse projects from Delaware Bay to the Carolinas. Dan eventually moved to Civil Engineering Unit Providence, Rhode Island, where he served as the project engineer for several major lighthouse projects including the relocation of Block Island Southeast Light, the first move of a major lighthouse structure in the United States. Dan retired as a rear admiral in 2013. He is the author of a new book published by the U.S. Lighthouse Society, called Preserving America's Lighthouses: Memoirs of a Coast Guard Ocean Engineer. Tawas Point Lighthouse during restoration. Tawas Point Lighthouse is located in Tawas Point State Park in the northeastern part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The State of Michigan acquired Tawas Point Light Station from the Coast Guard in 2002. Today, it's one of twelve sites that comprise the Michigan History Center. Laurie Perkins is the Southern Lower Peninsula Historian for the Michigan History Center and she also coordinates the keeper program at Tawas Point Lighthouse. In this interview, Laurie describes the recent restoration of the lighthouse and also the keepers program, which is returning after an absence of a few years.

In this episode, Denise Rucker Krepp, former MARAD Chief Counsel, unpacks the Tailhook Scandal, recent Coast Guard Academy assaults, and recounts her career repercussions for requesting an IG investigation, alongside a discussion on the deep-seated issues that impede accountability for military sexual assaults.

What happens when an Army Ranger's path takes a sharp detour towards entrepreneurship? Our guest Griff gives us an inside look into this unexpected journey. Griff, co-founder of Combat Flip Flops, started his military career in a bid to attend the Coast Guard Academy, but life had other plans. He ended up at West Point, aiming for the skies as a pilot until an injury grounded him. Instead, he found himself at Fort Bragg and then to Ranger school- a grueling journey that left him 44 pounds lighter but infinitely richer in respect for those who endure such extreme challenges. In the second part of our conversation, we examine Griff's life after Ranger school and his transformation into an entrepreneur. His experiences in war-torn Iraq were instrumental in shaping his new venture, Combat Flip Flops. The company's mission? To create opportunities in war and post-war zones, offering a beacon of hope amidst chaos. Despite formidable obstacles like the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, Griff has remained resilient, even launching a 100% Afghan Cashmere product amidst political turmoil. Our exploration of Griff's journey doesn't stop at his professional accomplishments. We delve into the soul, discussing the healing and personal growth that often goes hand-in-hand with a military career. The concept of honor, deeply intertwined with violence in the military, is juxtaposed with societal norms. Griff shares a transformative experience in Costa Rica that enabled him to separate his strength from his anger and cultivate a sense of genuine gratitude.  He discusses the incredible power of journaling for personal growth and trauma recovery. Griff's story is a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of a soldier-turned-entrepreneur, offering our listeners profound insights and practical tools for personal and professional growth. So, tune in and discover Griff's extraordinary journey. Contact Thad - VictoriousVeteranProject@Gmail.comThanks for listening!

Hurricane Lee is projected to bypass Long Island, but the East End is working to fortify its sand dunes ahead of tonight's high tide. A congressional inquiry has been opened Coast Guard Academy's handling of sexual assault investigations. Connecticut will have new voting machines for the presidential election next year. And New York cannabis farmers and retail license holders are furious over the state's botched rollout of the industry.

The guest on this episode is U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Rebecca Ore. I have benefitted from her mentorship over the years, so it was such an honor to have her on the podcast to amplify her voice and wisdom. Rebecca Ore talks to us about the phenomenon of third culture kids, her international experience, and developing her guiding principles. We talk more about the power of those guiding principles, how to foster psychological safety, attract and retain the right talent. We further explore the idea of dissecting career development from leadership development that Adam Gierlach presented on a previous episode. Rebecca illustrates powerful leadership lessons all throughout the episode and models her first guiding principle of people first with a continual focus on feedback, creating curiosity, and constant learning. She closes with emphasizing that it is important to be excellent where you are at and to be authentically yourself.  Rear Admiral Ore assumed the duties of Assistant Commandant for Intelligence (CG-2), in August 2022. As Head of Intelligence Community Element and Service Cryptologic Component Commander, she  provides strategic leadership for the Coast Guard Intelligence Program encompassing collection activities, analysis and production,  information technology and security functions for geospatial, signals and human intelligence. In her previous assignment as Commanding Officer and Captain of the Port at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, she facilitated regional partnerships and led a team of 550 active duty, reserve and civilian personnel, and a 1,200 member volunteer Auxiliary workforce. Her team was responsible for safeguarding the marine transportation system flowing through the vital ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. As the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the Pipeline 00547 Response in October 2021, she led a team of 1,800 personnel to mitigate oil affecting northern Mexico and the counties of Orange and San Diego. Rear Admiral Ore holds a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a Masters of Public Administration from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a National Security Affairs Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and a German Marshall Fund Marshall Memorial Fellow. RDML Ore is certified as a Type 1 Incident Commander in the National Incident Management System. Resources: German Marshall Fund Fellowship https://www.gmfus.org/leadership-development/fellowships Dr. Kyoung Mi Choi - Third Culture Kids: Individuals in Global Transition  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/courageously-and-boldly/202203/third-culture-kids-individuals-in-global-transition Kim Scott - Radical Candor Radical Candor [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2018] KIM SCOTT Albert O. Hirschman - Exit Voice and Loyalty  Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States  

Robin was born & raised in Lebanon, CT. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2015 with a B.S. in Athletic Training and a B.S. in Exercise Science with a concentration in strength & conditioning.  Robin has been a board certified Athletic Trainer since 2015. During undergrad, she worked with Division 1 level athletes on various sports teams and interned with the strength & conditioning coach for the UConn Men's Soccer team. After graduation she worked clinically as an Athletic Trainer while continuing her education and landed a job as a Research Coordinator for the CARE Consortium, funded by the NCAA-DOD at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Robin also had a 4 year career in law enforcement before diving head first back into what she is truly passionate about - health & fitness coaching! She is a mom of 2.5 year old Emilia, strongly believes in an evidence based approach and educating people to be the healthiest version of themselves, while being able to maintain that for the rest of their lives. Certifications + Experience:- B.S. Athletic Training- B.S. Exercise Science- Online Fitness and Nutrition Certification- Board Certified Athletic Trainer - 2015- Pure Programming Certification- Pre & Post Natal Coach Certification- Health Mindset Coaching Certification Learn more about working with me  Shop my masterclasses (learn more in 60-90 minutes than years of dr appointments for just $19.99) Follow me on IG Work with Robin Follow Robin on IG  

New Episode! Thank you all for your patience and reaching out for when season 2 would officially launch and it is now! In the long anticipated return of the Coast to Coasties Podcast, I talk about my experience of becoming a Direct Commission Officer from application process to reporting at my unit and attending the Direct Commission Officer school at the Coast Guard Academy and we get into deep detail on what exactly the DCO program is. As being a very unknown program to a lot of Coasties and civilians, it is a great topic to cover as it is an amazing opportunity to apply and become a direct hire officer at a time where the Coast Guard is in great need to hire a lot more officers in the next few years. Direct Commission is a direct hire program looking for niche specialists in their field where if you're accepted, you put on bars and start working as an officer in your specialty field your skills got you hired for and start performing as an officer in the Coast Guard instantly before even attending DCO school! Check it out to see if you'd be interested and if DCO is the right path for your career progression!

It was my esteemed privilege to talk to Marcus Canady from the Canady Leadership Group about his newly released book on this episode. We had an amazing discussion about some of his amazing insights on caring for the whole individual, building trust equity, and a style of leadership he has become deeply passionate about - intrusive leadership. Marcus shares his definition on intrusive leadership and an insights he got from an interaction with Simon Sinek on the term. He also illustrates how this leadership style  challenges the leader to get to know people on a deep level to push each person beyond their own comfort zone. We discuss how intrusive leadership combines well with servant leadership as it focuses on the needs and characteristics of each individual while digging even deeper. Marcus has a gift for teaching tough topics with an ability to reach the masses in a way that sinks in. After you listen to this episode you will realize why his new book is a must have for every leader!  Marcus Canady is a proven and tested leader that has impacted the lives of hundreds of individuals in the public and private sector. Having personally benefitted from engaged mentorship and dedicated leadership, he has researched and presented on various leadership topics across the country. Through his designed training sessions,  featured keynote addresses, and his participation on numerous discussion panels, Marcus Canady has reached thousands. Well known for his expertise on Intrusive Leadership, he has published the first-ever leadership book solely dedicated to this impactful leadership style. In Intrusive Leadership: How to become THAT Leader, he defines, dissects, and discusses the impacts of what he often describes as “the most critical leadership style for the future.” This book has received great reviews from senior military and corporate leaders. Marcus Canady, raised in Savannah, GA, graduated the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2000 and spent over two decades on active duty. He mainly served as a MH-65 helicopter pilot and completed lifesaving missions on the high seas as well as responding to significant weather catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina. He also successfully completed counter-narcotics missions, helping to interdict over $250 million of illegal contraband and arresting numerous narco-terrorists. His last aviation assignment was at Coast Guard Air Station Houston, TX where he served as the Commanding Officer. Marcus Canady has earned advanced degrees from Duquesne University, Syracuse University, and the prestigious National War College in Washington, DC. In 2023, Marcus Canady founded the Canady Leadership Group. This leadership consulting firm specializes in leadership development and coaching for first line managers to senior executives, creating impactful leaders that people trust and admire. He is happily married to Angelisse Canady and has three amazing children. Resources:  Marcus A. Canady - Intrusive Leadership: How to become THAT Leader https://store.currybrotherspublishing.com/intrusive-leadership Canady Leadership Group https://www.canadyleadershipgroup.com  Donate the book to military members (all branches) sponsored by Coast Guard Alumni Association https://www.cgaalumni.org/s/1043/21/interior.aspx?sid=1043&gid=1&pgid=6893  Marcus A. Canady - Racial Tension in America Requires Intrusive Military Leadership https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2020/june/racial-tension-america-requires-intrusive-military-leadership    

For more than a decade sexual assault and harassment allegedly ran unchecked at the Coast Guard Academy, and when the service finally investigated, the report stayed under wraps. The Coast Guard conducted the investigation starting in 2014, but only notified Congress of their findings in June. Now members of Congress want answers as to why the Coast Guard failed to disclose their findings, and how the service intends to fix the problem. In a letter dated July 13, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to Admiral Linda Fagan, the commandant of the Coast Guard, requesting information and documents related to the investigation, known as “Fouled Anchor.” “We are profoundly troubled by the Coast Guard's choice to withhold from Congress and the public — as well as the [Coast Guard Academy] and broader Coast Guard — the Coast Guard's own findings of the multi-year investigation that uncovered the mishandling of the sexual assault allegations,” the letter said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than a decade sexual assault and harassment allegedly ran unchecked at the Coast Guard Academy, and when the service finally investigated, the report stayed under wraps. The Coast Guard conducted the investigation starting in 2014, but only notified Congress of their findings in June.Now members of Congress want answers as to why the Coast Guard failed to disclose their findings, and how the service intends to fix the problem. In a letter dated July 13, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to Admiral Linda Fagan, the commandant of the Coast Guard, requesting information and documents related to the investigation, known as “Fouled Anchor.”“We are profoundly troubled by the Coast Guard's choice to withhold from Congress and the public — as well as the [Coast Guard Academy] and broader Coast Guard — the Coast Guard's own findings of the multi-year investigation that uncovered the mishandling of the sexual assault allegations,” the letter said. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(7/17/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The General Services Administration is rethinking how it'll decide where to build a new FBI headquarters. Two decades of sexual harassment and assaults at the Coast Guard Academy have Congress calling for the inspector general. And 3,000 military reservists might be on their way to Europe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(7/17/23) - In today's Federal Newscast: The General Services Administration is rethinking how it'll decide where to build a new FBI headquarters. Two decades of sexual harassment and assaults at the Coast Guard Academy have Congress calling for the inspector general. And 3,000 military reservists might be on their way to Europe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) says the report on the Coast Guard Academy's mishandling of sex assault cases is unbelievable. A state grant will help a New Haven child care provider expand service. The Town of Southold looks to crack down on violations of its short-term rental policy. And Connecticut's attorney general assures the state's LGBTQ residents that they are protected.

Note that this episode was recorded and produced before the June 30 news broke about the Coast Guard's failure to pursue criminal investigations of a large number of sexual assaults of former students at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. You can read about that here.Sonner Kehrt is an investigative reporter for The War Horse, a non-profit newsroom covering the military and veterans. She's based in California and has been a journalist since 2015 and a lecturer at Berkeley since 2018.Prior to that she served in the United States Coast Guard for 5 years. So she has a military-experience perspective in the work she does.Sonner talked about her path to journalism, the experience of going to the Coast Guard Academy, and how her military time prepared her for journalism.She walked us through the different stories she's done, including ones on being an LGBTQ military member (or parent of an LGBTQ child) in a state where anti-LGBTQ legislation has passed, on the damage done by military burn pits post 2001, some first-person experience stories about her time at the Academy, and a lighter pre-War Horse piece on watching Isle of Dogs with dogs.Sonner's advice: Turn every page when reviewing documentsSonner's salute: BerkeleysideThank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod

Dr. Jake F. Felice is a Naturopathic doctor who has been serving patients in Washington State since 2003, and he is the founder of Sweetwater Holistic LLC (www.sweetwaterholistic.com). Anthony Lloyd is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain who specialized in domestic and international disaster response. Now, Anthony is an executive for a non-profit disaster relief organization. Both have chosen paths in life that help people find peace in the midst of a crisis.

The U.S. Coast Guard is the oldest continuously operating naval service of the United States and has deployed to support and fight in every major U.S. war since 1790. In this episode, we explore the role analytics plays in supporting the Coast Guard as it achieves its many missions and learn how the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is preparing the next generation of those serving in its ranks to employ analytics in new and exciting ways. Joining me for this episode are Commander Matthew Williams, head of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's Department of Mathematics; Ian Frommer, professor in the mathematics department; and Elise Birkhaeuser and Clayton Forfinski, who are both first-class cadets majoring in operations research and data analytics at the Academy.

In this episode, we welcome David Chu, Panel Chair of this study and Academy Fellow, and Roger Kodat, Senior Project Director at the Academy, to discuss the Academy studies on 1) the US Coast Guard Academy's (USCGA) cultural competence and 2) the USCGA's admissions process.Links:View the Report on USCGA's Admissions ProcessView the Report on USCGA's Cultural Competence. Support the Podcast Today at:donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190Music Credits: Sea Breeze by Vlad Gluschenko | https://soundcloud.com/vgl9Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_

Military academy cadets and midshipmen are eligible for MLA benefits thanks to a recent change to the MLA database. That means cadets from West Point, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, Merchant Marine Academy, and Coast Guard Academy are eligible for American Express and Chase credit cards with no annual fees. Learn how to get your annual fees waived on premium credit cards from American Express and Chase in the Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3. The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card waive the annual fee for active duty military servicemembers, including Guard and Reserve on active orders over 30 days. The annual fees on all personal Amex cards are also waived for military spouses married to active duty troops. If you have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, please reach out on instagram.com/militarymoneymanual or email podcast@militarymoneymanual.com. If you want to maximize your military paycheck, check out Spencer's 5 star rated book The Military Money Manual: A Practical Guide to Financial Freedom on Amazon at or at shop.militarymoneymanual.com. I also offer a 100% free course on military travel hacking and getting annual fee waived credit cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card in my Ultimate Military Credit Cards Course at militarymoneymanual.com/umc3.

So it's off to the Coast Guard Academy. Yes, I went to the Academy.....sort of that is. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pat is an experienced leader adept at building alliances and gaining cooperation with critical stakeholders on challenging organizational issues.  He is results-driven with a demonstrated ability to acquire and manage scarce resources by leveraging partnerships and technology to resolve organizational challenges.  An entrepreneur, he founded and grew two startups in the Public Sector, with each firm achieving an Inc. 500 appearance.  Understands private and public sector business development, including capture, project and program management, and federal acquisition requirements.  He's a 2022 Birthing of Giants Fellow and a subject matter expert in entrepreneurship, crisis management, communication, and change management.  He has extensive executive-level experience in leading, managing, and participating in large-scale, high-profile events, including, but not limited to, the loss of the space shuttle Challenger in the mid-1980s, mass migrations of Haitians/Cubans in the early 1990s, the loss of TWA Flight 800 and Alaska Air, the loss of JFK, Jr.'s aircraft off of Martha's Vineyard, and dozens of contentious and complex business and legislative issues associated with FEMA's transformation following Hurricane Katrina.  Before starting his own company and acquiring a second one, Pat served as Senior Vice President of PIER Systems, a technology-focused crisis communication company (2007-2008); Director Office of External Affairs for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (2006-2007); and as a Technical Director/Program Manager for Anteon Corporation (now General Dynamics Information Technology) (2005-2006). Pat served more than 21 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, retiring as Chief of Public Affairs in 2004.  Other notable staff assignments include serving as the Deputy Chief of the Coast Guard's Strategic Analysis Staff, Press Assistant to the Commandant, and Chief of Coast Guard Media Relations.  Operational assignments include more than seven years of shipboard experience, including command of two Coast Guard cutters.  Pat has consulted with various sectors, including oil & gas, education, nonprofits, and pharmaceuticals. Pat holds a Doctorate in Communication from the University of Maryland, a Master of Business Administration from George Mason University, a Master of Science in Public Relations from Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Science in Government from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.  He is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Mr. Don Wilson is a Martial Arts practitioner, Actor, and 11-time Kickboxing champion. As a Martial Artist we have to be able to go from 0 to 100 mph and I just took it into the kickboxing ring with me… In the first couple minutes of the fight, I know everything I'll need to know. Mr. Don Wilson - Episode 766 Don “the Dragon” Wilson's humble beginnings started in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where he was born and raised in the shadow of Cape Canaveral, where his father worked as an engineer for NASA. Don was an honors student at high school, and his quest was to follow in his father's footsteps. He attended the Coast Guard Academy, where he studied engineering, and wanted to become a military officer, but a lesson from his older brother, Jim, who had already been studying kung-fu changed his life forever. In this episode, Mr. Don Wilson shares his journey to the martial arts, Hollywood career, competitions, and more. Listen to learn! Show notes You may check out Mr. Don Wilson's Twitter and website