Podcasts about Nellis

Send us a textThe Pentagon is getting Spiderwebbed, CENTCOM's begging for a faster arms dealer, and Iran claims it bagged three F-35s (with CGI receipts, naturally). In this no-holds-barred Daily Drop, Jared rips through the absurdity of base security theater, why our military sales process might as well be faxed from 1996, and why trusting SpaceX while threatening to cancel their contracts is peak DoD dysfunction.Also—Space Force can't track satellites if you build a Starbucks next to the antenna, China's nukes are multiplying like rabbits, and apparently 100% ID checks are optional now? Buckle up—this episode's a napalm blast of reality for anyone still clinging to the myth that we're “ready” for the next war. Spoiler: We're not.

Send us a textIn today's Daily Drop, Jared's back to walk you through a spicy buffet of government overreach, UFO shenanigans, and military budget cosplay. NORCOM's moving troops into L.A., Newsom's throwing a federal tantrum, and the Pentagon is apparently deleting Signal messages like they're hiding UFOs—because, spoiler alert: they kind of are.We've got dive-deep takes on the Air Force's nuclear glow-up, Space Force's identity crisis (again), and why the B-1B is still the king of air-dropped “nope.” Also, if you ever wanted to know how Norway hijacked a U.S. bomb mid-flight or why Gavin Newsom thinks he's still in charge of something—this one's for you.

Send us a textStrap in, kids—this episode is a buffet of DoD chaos, spicy geopolitical moves, and “WTF are we even doing?” headlines. Jared unleashes on everything from the sketchiest Air Force One replacement idea ever (thanks, Qatar) to Golden Dome missile pipe dreams and the absolute circus that is Cyber Command's latest identity crisis.We're also sending ICE to Marine bases, cutting 14% of Space Force civilians (brilliant), and relying on $26 million to keep Reserve pilots in the sky. Oh, and if you thought privatizing base lodging was gonna save anyone money—LOL, you're adorable.All this while the Air Force plays catch-up with drone integration, and Netflix somehow makes the Thunderbirds look cost-effective. Welcome to another day in the Pentagon's magical clown tent.

Send us a textIn this unapologetically chaotic daily drop, Jared rolls through everything from drones dropping grenades to pedos in court and AI that's apparently too complex for senior leadership to Google. Welcome to the April 30th edition of the Ones Ready podcast—where we break down the actual DoD news that gets sent to generals...and then we make fun of it.From failed Firefly launches to tribal warfare over F-15EX seating arrangements, this episode is basically the Pentagon's group chat with better commentary. Also, find out which documentary produced by the Obamas might make you respect the Thunderbirds (but probably won't), and why the “Women, Peace, and Security” program was killed for being “woke,” even though it came from the Trump administration. Yeah, we're confused too.Stick around for:A take on why AI still scares generals more than enlisted TikToksA borderline unhinged breakdown of why drone swarms are everyone's problemWhether dropping 500lb bombs equals dead livestock in Houthi press releasesThoughts on Thunderbirds, martial law, and why fake rifles in basic are weak sauceAnd yes—don't forget to like, subscribe, comment, check out 18AlphaFitness, and hit up the Ones Ready merch store. This podcast is for operators, future operators, and the people wondering why military budgeting is run like a reality show.

Mike “Flash” McVay welcomes a seasoned fighter pilot and Wild Weasel veteran to break down the evolution of the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses mission in the Viper community. From crafting airplanes out of bobby pins as a toddler to executing real-world SEAD missions over Baghdad, this guest's career spans decades of pivotal moments in combat aviation. Listeners will hear how a single incentive flight in an F-16 transformed a lifelong dream of flying Eagles into a passion for the Viper's multi-role capabilities.The guest shares his formative years at Nellis as a maintenance officer during the transition from F-4G to F-16CJ in the Weasel role, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the mission set developed. He discusses deployments supporting Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch, including a gripping account of being in Turkey when 9/11 occurred and the following political complications. As the conversation shifts to Operation Iraqi Freedom, he recalls leading night SEAD sorties over Baghdad, vividly describing the chaos, coordination, and execution of real-time missions under fire.

Alice Nellis is the protagonist of Europe, Now!,the 43rd Bergamo Film Meeting's section dedicated to contemporary European auteur cinema The post Alice Nellis, interview with the protagonist of Europe, Now! at the 43° Bergamo Film Meeting appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Alice Nellis is the protagonist of Europe, Now!,the 43rd Bergamo Film Meeting's section dedicated to contemporary European auteur cinema The post Alice Nellis, interview with the protagonist of Europe, Now! at the 43° Bergamo Film Meeting appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Alice Nellis is the protagonist of Europe, Now!,the 43rd Bergamo Film Meeting's section dedicated to contemporary European auteur cinema The post Alice Nellis, interview with the protagonist of Europe, Now! at the 43° Bergamo Film Meeting appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Alice Nellis is the protagonist of Europe, Now!,the 43rd Bergamo Film Meeting's section dedicated to contemporary European auteur cinema The post Alice Nellis, interview with the protagonist of Europe, Now! at the 43° Bergamo Film Meeting appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Alice Nellis is the protagonist of Europe, Now!,the 43rd Bergamo Film Meeting's section dedicated to contemporary European auteur cinema The post Alice Nellis, interview with the protagonist of Europe, Now! at the 43° Bergamo Film Meeting appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Alice Nellis is the protagonist of Europe, Now!,the 43rd Bergamo Film Meeting's section dedicated to contemporary European auteur cinema The post Alice Nellis, interview with the protagonist of Europe, Now! at the 43° Bergamo Film Meeting appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Welcome to episode 18 of the Sauna Twins Podcast! We welcome Siim Nellis (@huumsauna) to the Finnmark podcast studio. During this podcast session, we talk to Siim about his journey so far, how HUUM was founded, how Siim and his team came up with HUUM's iconic branding and what makes it unique within the sauna market.For anyone unfamiliar with HUUM: HUUM sauna heaters embody the rustic yet elegant Nordic design that celebrates the natural beauty of sauna stones. Inspired by the organic shapes and forms found in nature, our sauna heaters are developed with sustainability, ensuring durability and efficient use of materials.Here is a taste of what we covered:- What inspired the name, ‘HUUM'- An insight into HUUM's design-led approach and business strategy. - The essential elements for the perfect sauna experience.- What makes HUUM stand out from its competitors?- Siim's love for sauna.We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did creating it. Thanks for coming to our HQ in Spennymoor, Durham, Siim.If you're inspired by Siim's passion for Sauna, you can purchase his book via this link: https://finnmarksauna.com/products/sauna-history-culture-health-and-construction-1?srsltid=AfmBOoqLy9xQyelQxZ54YC6pSP3smN-C2Fch7fn4shOuQ66UR2DTkvawBrought to you by Finnmark Sauna Authentic Sauna Experiences https://www.finnmarksauna.com Find out more about HUUM below:https://huum.eu/https://www.instagram.com/huumsauna/#authenticsauna #sauna #finnishsauna #saunatime #finnmarksauna #saunahealthbenefits #saunaresearch #research #studies #saunastudies #heattherapy

Nevada's Nellis and Creech Air Force bases will remove DEI content to comply with Trump's executive order, a suspect in the killing of a man found dead ton the I-15 appears in court, a Summerlin developer rejects $900 million offer and more on 7@7.

Charles Hall claims to have witnessed and interacted with a race of extraterrestrials he described as 'tall whites' while serving at Nellis Airforce Base as a duty weather observer from 1965-67. In his three volume memoirs, Millennial Hospitality, (2002) he describes his experiences as fiction yet in a series of interviews, he claims that the experiences were real and that the US Air Force were indeed hosting extraterrestrials they had reached agreements with during the 1950's if not earlier. The tall whites are humanoid in appearance (depicted in image on right). What follows is a set of recommended interviews and articles regarding Charles Hall and the tall white extraterrestrials that he met while serving at Nellis Air Force base.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-x-zone-radio-tv-show--1078348/support.

Mike Nellis returns to The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about his work in the 2024 election, AI in campaigns and how he's worked to deal with challenges in physical and mental health.

Jason Sands served for 22 years with the US Air Force and attained a final rank as Master Sergeant. Midway through his military service he was recruited into a UFO-related program while stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, which adjoins Area 51 or Dreamland. He learned about a UFO crash retrieval program and that biological material from Non-Human Intelligence (NHI) had been recovered. In 1984, Sands and four other soldiers witnessed a UFO land at Nellis and an NHI emerging who asked for help. During his Exopolitics Today interview, Sands was able to confirm key aspects of the testimony of Charles Hall about NHI living in remote areas of Nellis due to secret agreements reached with USAF leaders. He also corroborated claims of two secret UFO research facilities at Area 51 called S-4 and S-2. Sands appeared in the recently released UFO-related documentary, The Program, created by filmmaker James Fox. The Program is available at: https://www.amazon.com/Program-James-Fox/dp/B0DJB5P1WD & https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-program/umc.cmc.o1nsjudjqe5lwmr48wdrloo6 X.com/@JasonSa32135987

Send us a textWelcome to the Ones Ready Team Room—where sarcasm is the sixth branch of service. In this members-only episode, Peaches dives into the classified-but-not-really Nellis morning report and rants about everything from Secretary Hegseth's confirmation to the DEI office shutdown. Are we behind on tech? You bet. Is the government getting fleeced on contracts? Absolutely. And did someone screw up the Tuskegee Airmen curriculum? Big time. Oh, and F-16 flyovers? Classic flex.Don't forget to smash that like button (seriously, it's lonely), subscribe to our channel (because algorithms rule the world), and consider becoming a member to keep the sarcasm flowing. Leave a review—or don't—but we'll judge you if you don't. Cheers!Support the showJoin this channel to get access to perks: HEREBuzzsprout Subscription page: HERECollabs:Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: 1ReadyATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLeteCardoMax - Promo Code: ONESREADYDanger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADYDFND Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADYHoist - Promo Code: ONESREADYKill Cliff - Promo Code: PODCASTKC20...

This is an unlocked Patreon episode originally released 10/19/23.This episode of 'Bigfoot Society' features an electrifying conversation between host Jeremiah Byron and Chris, a Florida listener with a range of paranormal experiences. Chris dives into an unforgettable incident at Nellis Air Force Base, where a spine-chilling roar shook a Humvee and spooked military personnel, leading to whispers of 'shadow people'. Could it be the Catman cryptid or something else? Listen as Chris details this eerie event, alongside his own Bigfoot and werewolf sightings in Florida. Uncover the mysteries lurking in both the swamps and deserts in this must-hear episode!Resources: Chris's Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@C73Eternal

12-22 Major Chris Nellis on the flyover for Bills vs Patriots full 231 Sun, 22 Dec 2024 18:18:13 +0000 DkLCymQLhLPVPmgKk5bXp4HlE69EVT33 sports Bills Football sports 12-22 Major Chris Nellis on the flyover for Bills vs Patriots Every Play, every game right here on WGR Sports Radio 550, WGR550.com. The official voice of the Buffalo Bills! Football On-Demand Audio Presented by Northwest Bank, For What's Next. 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. Sports False https://player.amperwavepodcast

This time around we head to the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec to chat with Sarah Nellis, Lodge Manager at Gaspe Coastal. Sarah along with Andrew Murphy and Kyle Schaefer have started a lodge at the Nadeau House on the Cascapedia River. They offer some incredible trips for Atlantic Salmon, Striped Bass and Sea-run Brook Trout. We learn all about the fly fishing in the area and do a deep dive into Sara's Fly Fishing story. She competed for Canada in the World Fly Fishing Championships in 2023. In this episode we talk influences, patterns, inspiration and perfect days on the water. Thanks Sarah for sharing your story with us. www.gaspecoastal.com

Nový seriál se zabývá náhradním rodičovstvím. „Ve chvíli, kdy máte dítě, ať už jste k němu přišli jakkoli, je to vždy jedinečný vztah,“ myslí si režisérka. Kdo na filmu spolu s ní spolupracoval režisérsky? Kde a jak si zvolila téma náhradního rodičovství? Jaké je obsazení seriálu a s kým herecky pracovala poprvé? Proč cestuje ráda? A jaké nové ruční práce objevila?Všechny díly podcastu Blízká setkání můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

Nový seriál se zabývá náhradním rodičovstvím. „Ve chvíli, kdy máte dítě, ať už jste k němu přišli jakkoli, je to vždy jedinečný vztah,“ myslí si režisérka. Kdo na filmu spolu s ní spolupracoval režisérsky? Kde a jak si zvolila téma náhradního rodičovství? Jaké je obsazení seriálu a s kým herecky pracovala poprvé? Proč cestuje ráda? A jaké nové ruční práce objevila?

In Episode 10 of Long Blue Leadership, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field '79, now president and CEO of the Air & Space Forces Association, discusses his leadership philosophy, and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, effective communication, family, and the five core values by which he lives. Listen now!   SUMMARY Burt Field, a retired Lieutenant General and CEO of the Air and Space Forces Association, discussed his career and leadership philosophy. He highlighted his upbringing as an Air Force brat, his academic journey at the Air Force Academy, and his early leadership roles. Field emphasized the importance of continuous learning, effective communication, and avoiding being an "asshole" in leadership. He shared impactful experiences, such as leading during the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, and the significance of family support. Field also discussed the Air and Space Forces Association's efforts in advocacy, education, and family resilience, stressing the need for strong national security and defense.   LEADERSHIP BITES Values-Driven Leadership: Burt shared his 5 core leadership values - integrity, fortitude, excellence, teamwork, and service. Defining your values and using them to guide your decisions and actions is crucial. Continuous Learning: Burt emphasized that as a leader, you can never stop learning, whether it's about your organization, industry, or even topics outside your expertise. Staying curious and open to growth is key. Empowering Others: Burt stressed that a leader's job is to empower and inspire their team, not try to do everything themselves. Recognizing and rewarding excellence in others is vital. Effective Communication: Burt noted that leaders can never communicate too much or well enough. Repeatedly delivering clear, consistent messages is essential for alignment and buy-in. Humility and Inclusivity: True leadership requires humility, giving credit to others, and making the organization successful.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   TAKEAWAYS Never stop learning. As a leader, you must continuously learn and expand your knowledge, even in areas outside your expertise. Define your leadership philosophy and values. Burt shared his 5 core values of integrity, fortitude, excellence, teamwork, and service. Having a clear set of guiding principles is crucial. Recognize and reward excellence. Identify and empower those who have put in the hard work to become experts in their fields. This builds a strong, capable team. Communicate effectively, repeatedly. Effective communication is critical, but leaders often underestimate how many times a message needs to be delivered clearly. Burt emphasized the importance of being inclusive, giving credit, and making the organization successful rather than yourself. Avoid toxic, self-serving leadership.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to General Burt Field 01:52 Growing Up as an Air Force Brat 05:40 Choosing the Air Force Academy 10:26 Life as a Cadet at the Academy 19:09 Leadership Development During Cadet Years 23:15 The Integration of Women at the Academy 24:12 Influential Leaders in General Field's Career 28:28 Learning from Subordinates 34:15 Career Path and Leadership Philosophy 37:54 A Chance Encounter: Love and Military Life 41:13 Building Resilient Families in the Military 42:12 The Journey to Leadership: From Air Force to AFA 45:57 Empowering the Next Generation: Education and STEM 49:46 Leadership Lessons: Insights from Experience   5 FRANK KEYS TO LEADERSHIP SUCCESS "You can never stop learning. You have to learn. And whether it's leadership or anything else, you have to always learn." "Everything comes from your values. When I make leadership decisions, or when I look at how we're going to move forward, or what, how we're going to accomplish the mission, it should reflect those values in my decisions, how I act, how I from the biggest thing of creating a here's the strategy, or in objectives on on what we're going to accomplish, to the smallest things, like how I conduct a meeting." "If you want to be a really good leader, you need to be really good at something. So you got to put in the work when you're young to be really good and understand how hard it is to be really good at something." "You cannot communicate enough, and you cannot communicate well enough. So I use this example all the time. I come up with a message. I craft it, I think about it, I write it down, I practice it, and then I deliver it, and it's awesome. I was perfect. I nobody could have misunderstood me when I'm done with that, and I really think that I have hit the mark with maybe 20% I probably got to say that again, that way or differently, about another 10 or 15 times when I can barely stand to hear myself talk anymore, and I'm still not going to get everybody." "I'm going to give the credit and I'm going to take the blame. That's how you become a good leader."  - Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field '79, October 2024   ABOUT GEN. FIELD BIO Lt. Gen. Burt Field, USAF (Ret.), is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Air & Space Forces Association, leading the Association's professional staff in its mission to advocate, educate, and support the Air & Space Forces. As CEO, he oversees operations and resourcing for AFA and its 113,000 members, including events, publications, and the Mitchell Institue for Aerospace Studies, the nation's only think tank dedicated to air and space power.   A veteran of 35 years of Air Force service, Field retired from active duty in 2015 following his final tour, as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans, and Requirements. Throughout his career, Field commanded a squadron, the Air Force Weapons School, three wings, a numbered Air Force, and a sub-unified command. A command pilot with over 3,400 flying hours in the F-16 and F-22, he served twice on the Joint Staff and completed a tour in the State Department as the military assistant to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In his last assignment, he led policy and requirements decision-making for air, space, irregular warfare, counter-proliferation, homeland security, and cyber operations. Prior to that assignment, he served as the Commander of United States Forces, Japan, and Commander of 5th Air Force from 2010-2012 where he led the U.S. military response to support Japan during the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster of 2011.   Following his retirement, he served as the Vice President of Strategic Planning for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, developing strategies that guided and contributed to over $5 billion in growth in a five-year period. He also managed a $500 million New Business Funds portfolio for independent research and development. Since 2020, he has been an independent defense consultant, served as a subject matter expert working with and mentoring Airmen at all levels, and a member of the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation.   Field graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1979 and earned a master's degree in business administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He and his wife, Lisa, have two sons, both officers in the USAF. - Bio image and copy credit: AFA.org     CONNECT WITH GEN. FIELD LINKEDIN | FACEBOOK | AIR & SPACE FORCES ASSOCIATION     ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership 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!          TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS GUEST:  Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field '79 | Host:  Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz 00:00 My guest today is Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field USAFA Class of '79, president and CEO of the Air & Space Forces Association. He spent 35 years in the Air Force, retiring in 2015 as deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements. Gen. Field has held many positions of leadership throughout his career, including squadron command, the Air Force Weapons School and three wings. He has served as a command pilot with over 3,400 hours in the F-16 and F-22. He completed a tour in the State Department as the military assistant to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. He has also served as the commander of United States Forces, Japan, and commander of the 5th Air Force from 2010 to 2012. In his post military career, he served as vice president of strategic planning for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. He has been an independent defense consultant and has served as a subject matter expert, working with and mentoring airmen. He is also a member of the board of trustees for the United States Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation. Today, we'll talk with Gen. Field about his life before, during and after the Academy. We'll discuss his role in leading the Air & Space Forces Association. And finally, we'll ask the general to share advice in leadership development. Gen. Field, welcome to Long Blue Leadership.   Burt Field 01:23 Thank you, Naviere. Please call me Burt.   Naviere Walkewicz 01:24 OK, yes, sir, Burt. Will do. And I will say that was quite an introduction. You have had an incredible and ongoing career.   Burt Field 01:30 Well, frankly, and no false modesty, I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time and take advantage of the opportunities presented to me.   Naviere Walkewicz 01:39 Well, I appreciate you saying that, and I think our listeners are really going to enjoy hearing about what some of those right places at the right time kind of look like. But here's what we do at Long Blue Leadership: We like to rewind the clock a little bit and start with Burt as a child. What were you like growing up? Where was home?   Burt Field 01:56 Well, I'm an Air Force brat. My dad was a fighter pilot. I like to say his first assignment was the Korean War, flying F-86s and his last flight was in an F-4 over Hanoi. Now, didn't get shot down, but that was his last flight. So, I grew up traveling around both country and the world and went to a bunch of different elementary schools and then three high schools before I ended up at the Air Force Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz 02:27 Wow. I can imagine some of our listeners have also been some kind of service brat. As I always say, I was an Air Force brat as well. Are you an only child? Do you have siblings?   Burt Field 02:37 I have three sisters. I have one older sister and two younger sisters, which irritated me to no end when I was a kid, but now we couldn't be closer.   Naviere Walkewicz 02:49 So did you get special benefits because you were the only boy of all the girls?   Burt Field 02:53 Of course not. Now, their stories are a little different, but of course not.   Naviere Walkewicz 02:57 Understood. And did they also serve as well.   Burt Field 03:01 They did not. None of them did. My older sister's a doctor. My next down is an accountant and CFO, and the one below that is a bunch of different medical community things and a nutritionist.   Naviere Walkewicz 03:15 Wow. So, you are the one who followed in the military family footsteps.   Burt Field 03:18 I was, but interestingly enough, I never really thought about it growing up. My dad just happened to be in the Air Force. He just happened to fly airplanes. And you know, whoever you were, your dad was a doctor, lawyer, plumber, dentist, truck driver, whatever, and now let's go play ball. And that's pretty much the extent of it. But when I was in high school, I knew that I needed to start figuring out what I was going to do, because I'm pretty sure my dad wasn't going to let me just lay around the house after I graduated. And I was definitely afraid of being bored, and nothing really sounded good — doctor, lawyer, dentist, plumber, truck driver — none of it was good. So, I came into the house one day in my junior year, and I attribute this to the Air Force Association: The magazine was laying on our coffee table, and it was face down, and on the back was a picture of the F-15, which was one of the brand new airplanes that was coming out. And I looked down at it, and for whatever reason, it clicked, and I said, “That does not look boring.” And I went and talked to my dad, because I figured he might know how to do this. So, he did some research for me, and he said, “Well, to go to pilot training…" And this was 1974 and that's the wind down of the Vietnam War and letting a lot of people out of the Air Force, “…to go to pilot training, you have to be an Air Force Academy graduate, or distinguished graduate from ROTC.” Well, my dad had retired, or was about to retire, and we were going to move to Florida for my senior year, and I was going to go to the University of Florida, like everybody in my family did, except for two, and so I knew that the Air Force Academy would provide me an avenue, and the University of Florida would provide me an avenue to be a bellboy down in a Key West hotel when I graduated.   Naviere Walkewicz 05:18 So you chose the Air Force Academy, of course. So, that's interesting. Forty-five years later, you are now the president and CEO of the Air & Space Forces Association, which was what kind of caught your eye in high school.   Burt Field 05:34 It's really kind of amazing. And the editor of the magazine — they have a bunch of back issues at our headquarters building, and he found that magazine.   Naviere Walkewicz 05:47 Oh my goodness, I hope that's framed in your office now.   Burt Field It is.   Naviere Walkewicz Oh, that's amazing. What a story. And we're going to talk more about that. I really want to hear more about that role, but let's stay in the childhood range a little bit. So you were going to go to the Air Force Academy. Were you already involved in sports? Was that something—   Burt Field 06:06 Yeah, so, I played baseball growing up. We moved around a lot, so it was hard to play a lot of other sports. I did Pop Warner football, played basketball, you know, on teams growing up. And I was a good athlete but not a great athlete, and so I wasn't recruited for going to come here to the Academy. But I played football, I wrestled and played baseball until my sophomore year, when I blew up my shoulder and couldn't throw anymore. Then I just wrestled and played football for the rest of my high school career, and then when I came here, I just played intramurals until a friend of mine that was a couple years older was on the rugby team, and so he kind of said, “Hey, come on out, you'll like this.” And so it was the rugby club back then, and it was a way to get out of stuff in the afternoons when you're a freshman. So I came down and I played on the rugby team for a few years.   Naviere Walkewicz 07:10 I have a lot of rugby friends, and it definitely is, it's a family, for sure.   Burt Field 07:15 It is. And it was really that way back then. It was all local Colorado sports teams. You know, the guys who were 45 and over down to other colleges around the state.   Naviere Walkewicz 07:28 Your extended family.     Burt Field Right.   Naviere Walkewicz So, speaking of family, how did your — I think I know how your dad felt about you wanting to come to the Air Force Academy. How about your mom?    Burt Field 07:37 She was pretty proud of me. Both of them were mad because I only applied to one place.   Naviere Walkewicz 07:44 So, it was here or a bellboy.   Burt Field 07:48 It was here or a bellboy somewhere. But they were pretty proud of me, and they were really proud, obviously, when I graduated.   Naviere Walkewicz So, you came into the Academy. You had a little bit of an idea of what to expect, because your dad had been the military, right?   Burt Field 10:06 Well, no, nobody is prepared for the Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz That's true.   Burt Field I mean, your dad went to the Academy and…   Naviere Walkewicz They were classmates.   Burt Field And you were not prepared.   Naviere Walkewicz That's true.   Burt Field Because you are immediately thrown into the deep end of a very cold, murky pool and told to start swimming. But the interesting thing: I came out with a few guys from my local area, and the way we did it back then is, you told the Academy what hotel you were gonna stay at, and they came and picked you up in a bus and they drove you onto the Academy and dropped you off at the base of the ramp, and you jumped off the bus, and all your newfound friends started telling you all the things that were wrong with you personally, with your family, your genetics, your upbringing, and how you would never amount to anything ever in your entire life. And then they take you — I wasn't really good with authoritarian figures.   Naviere Walkewicz 11:10 Well, I can imagine, with three sisters, you probably chose your own path, right?   Burt Field 11:15 So, you can imagine — as we're most of my classmates. We all are kind of like that. So, I wasn't sure that this was for me, but it was 1975 and everybody had long hair. So as soon as I got my head shaved, I said, “Well, I'm staying here at least until I get my hair back.”   Naviere Walkewicz 11:37 That was a good thing then.   Burt Field 11:39 That kept me here. And so then I kept staying. But that first day was a bit of a shock, as it is with everybody around here. But, I have a great memory. I was standing in line getting something issued to me, and the guy behind me and I started talking, and he actually graduated from the high school that I spent my ninth and 10th grade in in Las Vegas, Nevada. His name's John Pickitt. And so we became friends, and he's the godfather of our oldest child, along with Tom McCarthy, who you met earlier today.   Naviere Walkewicz 12:16 Wow. I mean, it really is… We talk about family a lot in our podcast, and family spans way beyond blood.   Burt Field 12:26 Yep, it sure does, especially with graduates of the Air Force Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz 12:31 Yes, 100%. Wow. So you jumped into that murky pool and making friends along the way. What was life like for you as a cadet? Were you really strong in your academics? I mean, obviously you were an athlete, because you were doing everything.   Burt Field 12:45 I mean, everybody did that kind of stuff. So, I got good grades in high school, and I got good grades here, except for one semester. So, I was on the supt's list every semester except for one. That's just the way it was.   Naviere Walkewicz That's amazing.   Burt Field I would do it different now, if I had it to do over again, because I got on the dean's list by cramming instead of doing my homework. And so every young person that goes to the Air Force Academy, I tell them, “There's one way to success and happiness at the Air Force Academy…” I don't tell them this, not that they're going to be happy, because they're not. But I tell them, “Do your homework every night.”   Naviere Walkewicz 13:32 That's right. I think there was a saying: “If you wait to the last minute, it only takes a minute, but then you get to see…   Burt Field You really reap the results.   Naviere Walkewicz 13:42 Exactly, exactly.   Burt Field So, that's no different than a lot of my friends. And back then, you're pretty restricted to the Academy, especially your first year, and then gradually you get out more and more. So, it wasn't like we were out and about very much.   Naviere Walkewicz Right.   Burt Field We stayed around here. We worked out a lot. We played games, sports on the weekends, and that was it.   Naviere Walkewicz 14:07 And were you 1 and 3? What was the squadron change like? Was it 2 and 2 back then?   Burt Field 14:13 And so 1 and 3. So, I was in 35 as of Doolie, and the only squadron— 35 and 38, they're still together, but it was carpeted, and we had carpeting, and so we took a lot of heat from people just because of that.   Naviere Walkewicz Because you had it nicer?   Burt Field Yeah, then I went into 27 and graduated from 27.   Naviere Walkewicz 14:38 OK, and your son is also a graduate from your legacy squadron, 27.   Burt Field 14:42 He is. He graduated in 2008.   Naviere Walkewicz 14:43 Love that legacy. Great. What a wonderful legacy. So your cadet time sounds like it was pretty pleasant, or…   Burt Field 14:50 Oh yes, just like everybody's. Everybody leaves here with a love-hate relationship with the Air Force Academy and it changes over time from mostly hate to mostly love. So, that was no different with us. I had a group of great friends, both in my squadron and outside my squadron, from the rugby team and a couple other places. And so it was like — I tell everybody, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th grade.   Naviere Walkewicz 15:24 I love that. That's a great way to put that into an analogy, yes, because you're still developing.   Burt Field 15:31 Classes, you know, five or six classes a day. I play sports after school. I go home and do homework or avoid homework and go to bed so I can't go out during the weeknights. Can't go out very often on the weekends. And, there you go.   Naviere Walkewicz 15:45 That's right. That's very much like high school, absolutely. So we like to talk about how you developed as a leader, even early on. And so we're getting to know you a little bit better. While you were cadet, did you hold any leadership positions in particular?   Burt Field 16:02 Well, I was the — what did I do? I did something as a third-classman. Oh yeah, chief of training? Or whatever.   Naviere Walkewicz 16:11 Sounds like it could be accurate.   Burt Field 16:12 Back in the day, the the guy that was in charge of training for the freshman. I was an ops officer when I was the, I mean, op sergeant when I was a junior, squadron commander when I was a senior. So nothing hugely out of the ordinary. I like that kind of role and that kind of challenge, but I wanted to stay inside my squadron. So, when I got offered a chance to, “Hey, do you want to be on a group staff or wing staff?” I declined.   Naviere Walkewicz Tell me more. Why?   Burt Field Because my brothers were my squadron.   Naviere Walkewicz OK, I love that, yes.   Burt Field So, I didn't want to leave that for six months or four months, or whatever the time period was back then.   Naviere Walkewicz 17:05 So, leadership in your squadron, and this is interesting, and this is a good topic, because some of our listeners, some of the challenges that they experience in leadership is on a peer level, or maybe, you know, how do you lead someone that you're really close with? How do you earn that trust? So maybe you can share some lessons that you have learned about yourself during that time.   Burt Field 17:24 Well, I always tell people that the hardest leadership challenge that we face is when you have no authority and you still need to lead, and regardless of what we say about cadet squadron commanders, you know, we can all think we're in charge, but we're not that in charge. And so what you had to do is you had to lead by influence and by doing the right thing. And so whether we agree with that, it's the right thing, because I don't want to do it, because it's no fun, because I'd rather do something else. Everybody knows what you have to do at the Air Force Academy on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, on the way through the week. And so we just went and did it. And I encouraged people to come and do it all with me, whether it's doing drill, whether it's playing intramural sports, whether, “Hey, it's your turn to be the referee for this season,” whether we want to go to these whatever it was. So you just encourage people to do that, and then you talk to people and try to empower them so that they can figure that out on their own, and then later pass that on as leaders themselves.   Naviere Walkewicz 18:44 No, those are really great examples. And I think just leadership tidbits that some of our listeners can take, and it really is some of the best ways, just leading by example and then inviting them to join you on that, absolutely. OK, so your cadet career was, I think, really important to you, because it formed you, and it formed you like you said your brothers, because you were the last class of all men cadets together. So how did that translate? And if I may be so bold, you started having women cadets there while you're at the Academy as well. Can you share some of the dynamics of that then at the Academy, and maybe some of the stories that you saw of how that really evolved into a stronger Academy that we have today?   Burt Field 19:26 Yeah, let me put some of this in perspective, and I'll start with a story. I get a large ration of crap from my friends that are in '80 and '81 that I'm really close with because of my role in terrorizing the women of the Class of '80, which I said, “Exactly, what role was that?” Basically, these guys considered us the source of all evil. My perspective was different, and it's just my perspective. When I talked to my classmates, most of them — I'm talking about most of them, not all of them — we were children that grew up and came of age in the late '60s and early '70s, which was basically that whole protest movement, grow your hair long, protest the Vietnam War, and we really didn't care that much that women were coming into the Air Force Academy, because most of us were smart enough to know that the only reason that women were not in my class and they were in that class was an accident of birth and the accident of when the legislation passed to do the right thing in the United States of America. So there's nothing special about being the last all-male class. There's nothing special about being the first class that had women in it, other than, you know, it was the end of one way of doing business and the beginning of another way of doing business. To your point, I think it makes the Air Force stronger. It certainly makes our Academy better. While they were here, the first semester, all the women were in one part of the state, in one part of the Academy over in Fairchild Hall. And they were only in 20 squadrons, so 1 through 20.   Naviere Walkewicz In Vandenberg?   Burt Field In Vandenberg, I'm sorry. So we're they were only in 1 through 20 the first semester, for whatever reason. Then they came the next semester to our squadron, and you know, well, one of them I'm still friends with, so, to me, it was a no brainer. I wish I was more profound on this. This is one of the things that my friends from later classes yell at me about. But I didn't consider it to be that big of a deal. I didn't, at the time, think that this is some big historical event and change in the Air Force or the military, or anything else that we could all maybe talk about better today than I could back then. So for me and my friends that I knew, it was not an issue. I don't think I treated women any different than I treated men, and I don't think I treated women or men badly, regardless of my role and their role at the Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz I really appreciate that perspective.   Burt Field Yeah, so, you know, bluntly, most of us just didn't care.   Naviere Walkewicz 22:50 You were there just trying to get through the Academy, right?   Burt Field 22:53 That sounds terrible, but, I mean, I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about social implications of race, sex, gender, however you want to put it. I was just trying to get through the day without getting yelled at, like everybody else.   Naviere Walkewicz 23:12 Thank you for sharing that, because I think it's sometimes a question that people have, and it's really helpful to hear a perspective that really is, “We're all just trying to get through the Air Force Academy, we all come in, and we hope that we all graduate.”   Burt Field 23:23 Yeah, and some of them, very impressive, had huge careers. You know, Susan Helms, just one of my heroes, frankly, as a person, as an officer, that have nothing to do with her role in space. That just makes me more in awe of her. But, you know, there's a lot of great, great people out there, and a lot of them are women.   Naviere Walkewicz 23:49 Yes, thank you. Thank you for sharing that, and I appreciate that you said that. You know, Gen. Holmes is one of your heroes as well. Let's talk about some of those that maybe inspired you in leadership roles. It could be while you're a cadet, or maybe early in your career as an officer after you graduated. Maybe talk about some of those influencers.   Burt Field 24:09 Well, I had some great AOCs. My freshman AOC was a guy that was a Fast FAC in Vietnam, and actually was the guy that gave me a ride in a T-37, which was fantastic and really solidified what I wanted to do. My sophomore and junior year, my AOC was not that guy.   Naviere Walkewicz We learned from those leaders too.   Burt Field We'll probably talk about leadership philosophy later, and if you'll remind me, my last bullet on my leadership philosophy partly came from him. And then my senior year, we had a great guy named Ken Lawrence that came in that several of us are still in touch with. And he was both a welcome relief and a great role model for us as we spent that last year here at the Academy, before we went off. I went out in the Air Force and my first two squadron commanders, the first one was a guy named Tiny West, 6-foot-5, 270 pounds, barely fit into an F-16, and taught me how to fly fighters.   Naviere Walkewicz 25:21 I totally understand his call sign then.   Burt Field 25:24 Just a great guy. A second squadron commander was a guy named John Jumper, who ended up being the chief of staff of the Air Force and is still kind of like a second father to me.   Naviere Walkewicz Oh, wow.   Burt Field Let's see. And then multiple people along the way that you know, from crusty old majors and young captains that taught me how to fly the F-16 and in what we called RTU at the time, now, FTU in how we kind of learn together. Because when my class showed up at Hill in the B course, we went into the 34th at the time, tactical training fighter squadron. We were their first class, and the high-time guy in that squadron with F-16 time had 30 hours. So they were teaching all of us second lieutenants how to do this. Went from there down to Nellis and served under Tiny and John Jumper. So, that was how I started. And there's lots of great people in that time frame that obviously I'm still in touch with, and taught us how to fly. There's my squadron commander in Korea, which was my second assignment, another great role model. And then just on and on. When I came back to Nellis on my third assignment, I worked for a guy named Sandy Sandstrom. Sandy was one of my RTU instructors, also, and we became really lifelong friends. And he and his wife, Jeannie, have sadly passed away, but we, Lisa and I keep in touch with both their children to this day. Yeah. But anyway, there's a lot of great leaders, both above us in squadron commander roles, and then you watch your fellow officers and brothers and sisters, and see and you learn stuff, watching them, how they develop relationships, how they train, how they identify what's important, how they communicate, how they focus, how they connect. All of those things are important, and you can learn something from everybody around you. And if you don't, you're probably missing out.   Naviere Walkewicz 27:48 I appreciate that perspective. I think, especially as someone who is more experienced in leadership, the fact that you are looking to continue to learn and see what you can kind of pick up from those even that support you and serve under you. Can you share an example? Is there one that sticks out in your memory of someone that you're like, “Wow, that's something I really took back”?   Burt Field 28:08 Are you talking about somebody that served under me?   Naviere Walkewicz Mmm-hmm   Burt Field Oh, yeah, so, there's thousands of these. I'll tell you two stories. So I'm a squander commander, and I had a friend, a very close friend of mine, who was a squadron commander, and one of his guys was coming to our squadron, and he said, “This is a great guy. You're going to love him. Really good pilot…,” blah, blah, blah. It's his second assignment. And so he shows up in the squadron and we have about four or five guys about that that time in their career, and they're ready to become flight leads, which is leading flights in the fighter community. And so I put him in without really thinking this through, and one of the other guys came up and said, “Hey, I need to talk to you.” And he came in my office, and he explained to me how I wasn't looking at everybody through the same lens and was probably missing some of the things other people were seeing. And I mean, pretty blunt, pretty focused, not yelling, and just a straightforward conversation. And I sat back and thought for about five seconds, and I said, “Holy cow, Bruce Fisher is totally correct. I have missed the boat on this, and I'm never going to do that again.”   Naviere Walkewicz Wow.   Burt Field And so that was one guy. The second example I have is in Japan when I was a 3-star general. I was there during the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, and it was a wild time. It started on a Friday. On Monday, so Friday was the earthquake and the tsunami. Saturday was the first explosion in one of the nuclear reactors. Monday was the second explosion in another nuclear reactor. On Monday, I also went up with the Japanese minister of defense and the head of their military to a place up near the epicenter, or the center of where the disaster area was, and they stood up, for the first time, a joint task force in Japan to take to take on the role of trying to work through all the things they had to work through. So we tried to land at the airport and could not. We tried to land at one of the air bases and barely could in a helicopter, in a helicopter. So I flew over Sendai Airport, where we couldn't land, and it was totally flooded, and it looked like when you tell your 5-year-old son to pick up his room and he shoves everything over into the corner, so there's trucks and cars and toys and giraffes and boxes over in the corner of the room and he says, “I'm good.” That is exactly what this airport looked like, except those were real cars, those were real cranes, those were real age equipment that was working on airlines, all swept away into the corner. So came back, and that night, met a guy named Rob Toth. Now we were getting a lot of people in to help, and Rob Toth had actually, he was the commander of the special ops group that was down at Kadena that we had brought up to Yakota. And he said to me, “Sir, my name is Rob Toth.” He's a colonel. And he said, “My guys have been up to Sendai, and I think we can open Sendai in about two weeks.” And I looked at Rob, and I said, “Rob, no way,” except I added a word in between “no” and “way.” And he said, “Sir, I know how you feel, like, I knew you'd feel like that, but just listen to me.” And I said, “No, that thing's not gonna be open until the summer.” And he said, “Sir, hold on. Let me tell you something.” Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm starting listening to him, I'm thinking, “OK, here's a special ops guy telling me how his experts think that they can go up and solve an enormous problem for us. They know how to do this. And I am telling him no, because I flew over it in a helicopter and it was flooded. Why don't you just ignore your opinion and say yes to a good idea?” Because all I have to do is say yes, and the worst that can happen is I'm going to be right. The best that can happen is he's going to be right and they're going to open the airport. Well, guess who was right? Not me.   Naviere Walkewicz He was right. Oh, wow.   Burt Field So, three weeks later, the first airplane, well, two weeks, a week later, the first airplane landed on it, and three weeks later, the first commercial airplane landed there.   Naviere Walkewicz Wow.   Burt Field Just say yes to good ideas.   Naviere Walkewicz 33:14 I think that's a leadership nugget right there.   Burt Field 33:16 And it's all from somebody that, you know, he had never met me before. I'm a 3-star general. He's a colonel. Took a lot of courage to tell me that, and keep persisting when I said, “Forget it,” because I was busy and didn't believe it, and I had just been there, so if you're not listening to people, you're probably not gonna make the best decisions.   Naviere Walkewicz 33:38 That's an incredible story. Thank you for sharing that.   Burt Field You bet.   Naviere Walkewicz Oh, that's fantastic. So, your career was outstanding. I mean, I think you had the opportunity to really lead and impact a lot of lives by the time you put on your third star. Had you known that was your destiny? When you graduate the Academy you want to be pilot. We knew you went into the Academy to fly.   Burt Field 34:01 To fly fighters.   Naviere Walkewicz To fly fighters.   Burt Field Actually, to fly F-15s.   Naviere Walkewicz 34:07 OK, OK, so very specific.   Burt Field 34:08 Yeah. So I ended up going to third lieutenant to Langley Air Force Base. And I kind of, I was fortunate enough, because I traded with a guy that was from California. I was going to George. He was from California. He had the Langley slot, so we switched, and I went out there because I wanted to fly in an F-15 to make sure I liked it, because it was after sophomore year, before junior year. And I knew that I wasn't all that fired up about the Air Force Academy at the time. It was not the most fun place I'd ever been. And so I wanted to ensure that this was something I really wanted to do. Fortunately, I went to a great squadron, great people. They welcomed us with open arms, and I flew three or four times, five times during that third lieutenant and just loved every second of it. Now, of course, I didn't fly the F-15, except in the back seat a couple times later on. But I was lucky enough to get an F-16 out of pilot training. So 1980, F-16, go through that RTU with those guys, and we're all learning this together and into a squadron where we're all learning this together. Cool part about the first squadron I was in is we had… there was a squadron, which means that we had 25 people in the squadron. So squadron commander, an ops officer, and 23 other folks. And when I went in there, 12 of us were lieutenants and classmates.   Naviere Walkewicz Oh, my goodness.   Burt Field And so it was really cool to go through that experience with people like that. But it's 1980, the Cold War is in full swing. We're pretty sure that we're going to be in a fight with the Soviet Union, and basically I didn't want to die in that fight. And so I figure what you need to do to not die is be the best there is. And I was went to work with a bunch of other guys that felt the same way, and so we helped each other. We competed with each other. We pulled people along. We got pulled along. And we all became really good at what we did. And it was just that drive to be really good at what was important — which was flying — that drove me, and that's what drove me to try to go to the Weapons School. That's what drove me to go back as an instructor. That's what drove me to train people to be the best that they could be, so that when we went to combat, we would all come back, because anybody can lead men and women into combat. I want people that lead them home.   Naviere Walkewicz I'm so glad that—   Burt Field Anyway, so that's what drove me. That's what drove me. You know, because I had friends that didn't come home.   Naviere Walkewicz 37:27 So part of what you've shared with us today, and I think we're really appreciative of how much you're sharing, because I think it gives us a sense of really who you are, and the family aspect with your brothers, the family aspect with your extended family at the Academy, on your teams. When did your family come into play? Because I had the opportunity to meet your wife, Lisa, and she's lovely. When did she come into your life?   Burt Field 37:54 Well, I like to tell everybody that I met her at a bachelor party, which I did. But, we were in pilot training at Willie Air Force Base in Phoenix, and somebody was getting married, and we're going to have a bachelor party, but it already required way too much planning, and somebody had to host it, and that meant somebody had to go buy stuff for it. And basically we just went down to where we went every Friday night, and that was the bachelor party. And I met her that night, and then we just started talking on the phone, and we started dating, and then we got married. And so we got married in 1981 and she's still putting up with me.   Naviere Walkewicz 38:48 Wow. She's literally been part of your life since the Academy.   Burt Field 38:53 Oh, yeah, so I married her a year and a half after I graduated, and so we have two sons, and both of those boys are in the military. My oldest son is a University of Florida grad.   Naviere Walkewicz 39:06 So he did follow the family footsteps.   Burt Field 39:09 But he's smart. He graduated with a high GPA, and anyway, he's a maintenance officer in the Air Force. And my youngest son is a C-130 pilot in the Air Force, and he's the 2008 grad from the Academy, and he's married to our daughter-in-law, Natasha. And right now, both David and Natasha fly C-130s for the Alaska Air Guard up in Anchorage in Elmendorf.   Naviere Walkewicz 39:36 That's amazing.   Burt Field So, it's the family business.   Naviere Walkewicz So, dad, you and your son?   Burt Field 39:39 Not only that, well, one of the reasons, when we bring up Lisa, when I met her, she said, we started talking, and I have short hair, because most people, have long hair. She goes, “Obviously, you're in the Air Force.” And she had told that to her roommate, and I said, “Yeah.” And she said, “Oh, my dad was in the Air Force.” And we said, “Where'd you all live, and what'd your dad do?” Well, her and my dad flew together and so stationed in the same places, sometimes at the same time. And when we went home and called our parents and said, “Hey, do you know this guy or this guy?” Without hesitation, both of them said, “Oh yeah, I know Dave.” “I know Burt,” and so they were in the other squadron. They didn't really hang out together, but they knew each other. So both my dad and my father-in-law were F-100 pilots and fighter pilots. And so Lisa is also an Air Force brat. So both of us are — we call ourselves nomads because we've never really lived anywhere longer than five years.   Naviere Walkewicz 40:44 I used to say that, and now I actually can. But can you claim anywhere longer than five years now?   Burt Field 40:52 No, getting close though. So I've been in five years, five years in a couple places, but never longer.   Naviere Walkewicz 40:58 Oh my goodness, what an incredible story.   Burt Field 41:00 Yeah. So anyway, this is one of the things we're doing in AFA now. And I think the Air Force is Air Force and Space Force are recognizing that if you want strong and resilient airmen and guardians, you need strong and resilient families behind them. And you need to have that kind of family dynamic that's supportive of what you do with your life and what the country is asking of you and your family to be all in and if we can work with the families to change that dynamic, to make sure that we're focused on building strong and resilient families, then the strong and resilient guardian and airmen will come out of that effort. So both the Air Force and the Air & Space Forces Association, that's part of what we're doing these days.   Naviere Walkewicz Before I get into the last couple of questions I want to ask you, what is the best way that anyone that's listening can learn more about the Air & Space Forces Association?   Burt Field  Well, we can go to afa.org, simple as that, and do that. That shows you how to contact us. For another thing, you can join, which is what I would like you to do, and become a member, and then you get access to all of that information. And you can find out how to do that again, on that website. But joining gives you access to that information. It gives you access to what we do. It tells you where the chapters are that are close to you, that are similar-minded people doing similar things. And we have about 120,000 members right now. We have about 230 chapters in every state except Maine, and in several foreign countries where we have airmen and guardians stationed. Those chapters can do a lot of this work, whether it's working with your local government officials, with your state officials, like your congressmen or your senators, and it arms you with the things that you can deliver these messages with. It also arms you with how can I get access to these kind of programs that help with my family, my friends' family, the people I work with, their family. Where can I direct an airman when she needs some help? Where can I put a guardian in touch with somebody that can help him get through something that he's got a problem with? So, you have a lot of resources at your disposal that can help both you and your brothers and sisters you work with   Naviere Walkewicz  That is outstanding. So I mentioned two questions. I'll start with the first and then we'll come back after a short break. The first one is, some of our listeners aspire, at some point to be a C-suite executive. What's the coolest thing that you've done, or that's happened for you since being CEO?   Burt Field  Oh, man, that's a hard question.   Naviere Walkewicz  Well, take a minute to think about that. But first we're going to take a moment and thank you for listening to Long Blue Leadership. The podcast publishes Tuesdays in both video and audio, and is available on all your favorite podcast platforms. Watch or listen to all episodes of Long Blue Leadership at longblueleadership.org. So have you had a chance to think about something cool that's happened since you've been CEO?   Burt Field  I would say that the coolest thing about this job is that you get some pretty good access. Because of what we try to do in support of the Space Force and the Air Force, I've been able to spend some time with the chief, the CSO and the secretary. And you know, the vice chief, the vice CSO, chief master sergeant of the Air Force, chief master sergeant the Space Force. So that part has been really interesting to me. Next week, I'm going to something with Secretary Austin, and so that that's kind of interesting. And then we do some work up on the Hill. And so I've been able to go up there and meet a few of the members up at the Hill. The good news, though, is that I knew a lot of those guys already, so, you know, because I'm old and. But it's still good to be able to listen directly from a leader on what he or she really is trying to communicate, as opposed to get it interpreted by somebody else or through some rumor or, “Here's why their vision doesn't match up with what I know we should be doing.” So, it helps us in our mission to kind of advocate for those strong forces when you know exactly what the leadership is thinking and what they're driving at.   Naviere Walkewicz  No, that's powerful, and that's transparency that you're able to bring to the members of your organization and all of their families. So, we like to leave our listeners with kind of leadership lessons, and I wanted to go back earlier in our conversation. You said, “Remind me to tell you about a leader that's shaped one of my bullets, maybe on how not to lead.” Or something to that effect. So what are your lessons of leadership that you want our leaders to take away today from you?   Burt Field  Well, so first off, you can never stop learning. You have to learn. And whether it's leadership or anything else— when I was in Japan during that disaster, I didn't know the first thing about nuclear power plants. Virtually nothing. I knew that there's some kind of nuclear reaction. They put something in water. It made steam power to turbine. Viola, you have electricity, period. There's a chance I might not even know that. So, I found a couple books that in the three or four hours a day that I didn't have work, I read so I could learn about nuclear power plants, the effect of nuclear radiation on the human body. What we can with withstand, what makes you sick and what kills you. So you have to always learn. And that goes double for being a leader, and you can never rest on your laurels. And so, I have been fortunate to be in a lot of different leadership positions and work for a lot of great leaders, most of them military, but some of them civilian as well, like Richard Holbrooke, a completely different leadership style than most military people. In fact, when I was working for Richard, my direct report was the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Mike Mullen. And I talked with Adm. Mullen virtually daily, and my other virtual three-times-a-week conversation was with Dave Petraeus, who was running Afghanistan at the time, because of what a Richard's job was and they always want to know what he was thinking. So, it was interesting to watch all three of those who have three distinct leadership styles and learn from take the best from all of that. It was a learning experience. But the upshot of it is, having been exposed to people like that and being able to ask them questions about leadership, why they did things, helped shape my leadership philosophy. So, one of the things that I think everybody should do is kind of define what they think leadership is and have a leadership philosophy. And so, the way I look at leadership, it's, how how do you empower people? How do you inspire people? How do you get people to get the job done? Because you can't do it yourself. You're not going to win the war, you're not going to make all the sales, you're not going to get all the gross profit, you're not going to reduce all the expenses, you're not going to fight all the fights. You're going to be part of a team if you're going to be successful. So, how do you inspire that to happen? And how do you ensure that that team that you're building has the resources that they need? And resources come in all shapes and sizes. Some of it is equipment, some of it is money, some of it is the people that are in those roles? Do they have the education, the training, the experience and access to what they need to be successful? So that's what your job is, in my opinion, as a leader. And then how you go about doing that? You need to have a list of things that you do. So I start with values. You should have a set of values. For the cadets listening, and you're going to go into the Air Force, the Space Force, and if you cross commission into something else, every one of our services has a set of values, which are your values. Now you can have more, but your values include those. But at my stage of life, I have about five, and it's integrity, which everybody knows, and most people say, “Hey, that's when you do the right thing when no one is looking.” In the last four or five years, I added a second one to that, and I call it “fortitude.” Fortitude is when you do the right thing when everybody is looking. Then excellence. You know, from Excellence in All You Do. Teamwork and service. So those are my five values. And so when I make leadership decisions, or when I look at how we're going to move forward, or how we're going to accomplish the mission, it should reflect those values in my decisions, how I act, how I from the biggest thing of creating a here's the strategy, or in objectives on what we're going to accomplish, to the smallest things, like how I conduct a meeting. So, that that's the second thing. So everything comes from that. I think you need to be really good at something. If you want to be a really good leader, you need to be really good at something. So, you got to put in the work when you're young to be really good and understand how hard it is to be really good at something. Normally, when we “grow up,” in quotes, and become leaders of large organizations, there's a whole bunch going on in that organization that you will have little or no expertise in, but you know how to recognize excellence, and you know how to recognize effort that it takes to become excellent. And so you can look for those because you've seen it in yourself. So, that's the other thing. The next one is communication. You cannot communicate enough, and you cannot communicate well enough. So I use this example all the time. I come up with a message, I craft it, I think about it, I write it down, I practice it, and then I deliver it, and it's awesome. I was perfect. Nobody could have misunderstood me. When I'm done with that, and I really think that I have hit the mark with maybe 20%. I probably got to say that again that way or differently, about another 10 or 15 times when I can barely stand to hear myself talk anymore, and I'm still not going to get everybody. So, one of the things that you have to recognize as a leader is you're probably miscommunicating. So, you have to check and recheck to make sure that the message is going out the way you think it should be heard. So, communication is really important, and probably one of the biggest things that infects an organization is somebody misperceiving what somebody else is communicating, and then they get mad, and everybody's feelings get hurt, and on it goes. And we've all seen that. I told you about the “say yes to good ideas.”   Naviere Walkewicz  That was fantastic. Burt, is there anything that I didn't ask you that you would really like to leave with our listeners today?   Burt Field  I think we pretty much covered it, and I appreciate the opportunity to come on and chat with you and watch your act, because you're very comfortable doing this, and I need to take some lessons from you.   Naviere Walkewicz  Thank you so much for that compliment. And I must just say it has been a pleasure being on Long Blue Leadershipwith you. I can't wait for our listeners to hear more about your story and the way that you will, I think, affect great change for our Air and Space Force leaders.   Burt Field  Thank you, Naviere, it's really an honor to be on here and I appreciate the opportunity to share some of the lessons that I've been able to learn throughout my career, and also what the Air & Space Forces Association brings to the table, and why our cadets and our grads and all those out there who care about strong Air Forces, strong Space Forces, a strong national security and defense in the future.   Naviere Walkewicz  Thank you so much.   KEYWORDS Air Force brat, leadership philosophy, Air Force Academy, rugby team, squadron commander, family dynamics, career progression, leadership challenges, communication importance, resilience, Space Force, education programs, family support, military service, leadership lessons       Long Blue Leadership is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates and Foundation    

La INVESTIGACIÓN de BOB LAZAR El enfoque de Lazar era trabajar en el Proyecto Galileo, para investigar si la tecnología utilizada en los discos voladores recuperados podía duplicarse utilizando materiales de la Tierra. Esto se hizo desmantelando un producto terminado para ver cómo funciona, una técnica conocida como ingeniería inversa. La historia comienza cuano Lazar se reunió con su supervisor inmediato Dennis Mariani. Lo hizo en el aeropuerto McCarran en su primer día de su trabajo como empleado para la empresa conocida como: Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier, Inc; cuyo acrónimo es: EG&G y juntos volaron al campo de pruebas de Nellis. La Empresa EG&G Fue un contratista de defensa de Estados Unidos que comercializaba materiales y servicios técnicos para una amplia variedad de instalaciones militares. La empresa trabajó para el Gobierno de Estados Unidos durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y llevó a cabo actividades de investigación y desarrollo de armamento después de la guerra. Su estrecha colaboración con alguna de las tecnologías más sensibles del gobierno americano han conducido a esta empresa a ser una de las presuntas involucradas en las teorías de conspiración de los Proyectos negros del Departamento de Defensa de los Estados Unidos.. Atendamos a lo contado …

Col. (Ret.) Nicole Malachowski '96 shares her insights on leadership, resilience, resurgence, perseverance, advocacy, and how she continues to serve her country, even after her military career. ----more---- A SHOW NOTE:  There are two ways to learn from Col. Malachowski's leadership journey. If you're short on time, the audio version delivers the highlights of her stories in 40 minutes. Her leadership bites, takeaways, keys to leadership and transcript are below. The video version is 1:46:00 and is well worth the investment of your time. This version includes stories and details about the Colonel's journey she hasn't shared before. Click the "Play" button in the video above and settle in for a most enlightening conversation.    SUMMARY Col. (Ret.) Nicole Malachowski '96 is a trailblazer who has broken barriers in both military aviation and advocacy. She was one of the first women to fly combat fighter aircraft, accruing more than 2,300 flight hours in six different aircraft and serving in multiple high-stakes missions, including Operations Deliberate Forge and Iraqi Freedom. But her story doesn't end there. As the first woman to fly with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, a White House Fellow, and a key advisor on military and veterans' issues, Nicole's career has been defined by leadership at the highest levels. After being medically retired due to a Tick-Borne Illness, she turned her focus to advocacy, leading efforts to improve care for the wounded, ill, and injured service members through the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program. Now a passionate advocate for Tick-Borne Disease research, Nicole serves on several national committees and advisory boards, including the Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.   NICOLE'S LEADERHIP BITES "Leadership is a journey." "The runway behind you is always unusable." "Don't think you have to be perfect to be a leader." "Believe those who believe in you." "Nobody wants to lead a scripted life." "Courage, compassion, and curiosity drive me today." "It's okay to admit when you make mistakes."   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK   TAKEAWAYS Leadership is personal - It's about understanding what motivates and drives each individual on your team, and tailoring your approach accordingly. Believe in those who believe in you - Mentors like Mick Jaggers who supported and encouraged Nicole were pivotal in her development as a leader. Don't write yourself or others out of the script - As General Matthews told Nicole, "Nobody wants to lead a scripted life." Embrace opportunities to dream big and take risks. Radical acceptance is key - When Nicole's military career ended unexpectedly, learning to accept the situation allowed her to move forward and find new purpose. Personal values guide your path - Nicole's core values of courage, compassion and curiosity have been instrumental in navigating life's challenges and reinventing herself.   CHAPTERS 00:00  The Journey of Leadership 02:01  Colonel Malachowski's Early Life and Aspirations 06:01  Navigating the Air Force Academy 09:46  Leadership Lessons from Soaring 14:07  Overcoming Challenges in Pilot Training 17:50  Key Leadership Experiences in the Air Force 21:59  Becoming a Thunderbird Pilot 25:47  Transitioning to Civilian Life 30:02  Advocacy and New Beginnings 34:09  Personal Values and Resilience 37:54  Final Thoughts on Leadership   NICOLE'S KEYS TO LEADERSHIP SUCCESS Leadership is a journey that requires growth and learning. It's okay to admit mistakes and seek help. Resilience is key to overcoming challenges. Personal values guide decision-making and actions. Mentorship plays a crucial role in personal and professional development. Failure is often the price of entry for success. Authentic leadership is about understanding and connecting with people. The importance of representation in leadership roles. Transitioning to civilian life can be a new beginning. Embrace opportunities and seize the moment.   ABOUT NICOLE BIO Colonel Nicole Malachowski (USAF, Ret.) is a pioneering leader whose distinguished career spans combat aviation, military advocacy, and public service. As one of the first women to fly fighter jets, Nicole's journey included over 188 combat hours and multiple leadership roles, including F-15E Flight Commander, Instructor Pilot, and Flight Lead. She also made history as the first woman to fly with the USAF Thunderbirds. Throughout her career, Nicole demonstrated exceptional leadership, serving in high-level roles such as a White House Fellow and Executive Director of the ‘Joining Forces' program, where she advised the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden on veterans' issues. After being medically retired due to a neurological Tick-Borne Illness, Nicole transitioned to a new mission: advocating for service members, veterans, and others impacted by chronic illnesses. She's a leader in the national Tick-Borne Disease community, serving on key advisory boards and government committees, and actively mentoring wounded veterans through the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program. Nicole is also a sought-after speaker, author, and consultant, sharing her experiences of overcoming adversity and breaking barriers to inspire the next generation of leaders. Her accomplishments include two master's degrees, induction into the Women in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame, and founding her own speaking and consulting firm. Today, Nicole continues to serve and lead, using her story to drive change and impact communities across the country.  - Adapted from Col. Malachowski's bio at nicholemalachowski.com   READ NICOLE'S FULL STORY HERE     CONNECT WITH NICOLE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK  |  INSTAGRAM  |  NICOLE'S LINKTREE     ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership 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!          ABRIDGED AUDIO TRANSCRIPT DOWNLOAD THE UNABRIDGED VIDEO TRANSCRIPT HERE  SPEAKERS GUEST:  Col. (Ret.) Nicole Malachowski '96  |  HOST:  Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   SPEAKERS Naviere Walkewicz, Nicole Malachowski   Nicole Malachowski  00:11 You know, leadership is a journey. We're always put into positions that we're supposed to grow into. Don't think you have to be perfect to be a leader. It's okay to admit when you make mistakes, it's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to have failures, as long as you overcome them. And I like to remind folks at all levels of leadership, you know that the runway behind you is always unusable. All you ever have is the runway that's in front of you.   Naviere Walkewicz  00:34 My guest today is Colonel Retired Nicole Malachowski, USAFA class of '96. Her career has been nothing short of extraordinary. Colonel Malachowski is perhaps best known as the first woman to fly as a pilot with the Thunderbirds, a singular distinction that set her path to reaching even greater heights. However, what you might not know is that her journey took an unexpected turn when she faced a sudden life altering loss of her place in the Air Force. The challenges that followed were extreme and personal, but through them, Colonel malikowski demonstrated a resilience and strength that not only transformed her own life, but also empowered her to help others with their own struggles. In today's conversation, we'll dive deep into the personal and professional journey that led her to transition to civilian life, the lessons she learned from the hardships she faced along the way, and how she now advocates for others, sharing the wisdom she's gained from the tough battles she's fought and won. We'll also take a look back at her time at the academy, her experiences as a pilot and the leadership principles that have guided Colonel malikowski, she has become a powerful voice for resilience, perseverance and leadership, and I'm excited to hear her insights on all of these topics. Colonel Malachowski, may I call you Nicole?   Nicole Malachowski  02:34 Yes, please.   Naviere Walkewicz  02:34 Welcome to Long Blue Leadership, and thank you for being here.   Nicole Malachowski  02:37 Thank you for having me.   Naviere Walkewicz  02:38 It's a pleasure. It truly is. I think one of the things that's so exciting for our listeners is really getting to know you. And you know, I think there's no question about who you are in the media, I mean, all the things you've accomplished, but some things that are most special is when we just sit down and kind of get to know you behind the scenes.   Nicole Malachowski  02:53 Indeed, let's do it.   Naviere Walkewicz  02:54 So let's go back to even before the Academy. Where did you grow up? Where are you from? And what were you like as a little girl?   Nicole Malachowski  03:00 Sure, yeah. So I was actually born in central California, in a town called Santa Maria, and I was born, I consider very lucky, because I was born a woman in America, so there was a lot of opportunities, you know, afforded to me. Also very lucky to be born into a solid, you know, middle class family, you know, I was a kid who always had a roof over my head and food on the table, which makes it a lot easier, right, for you to seize opportunities and to be your best. And think it's important that we acknowledge that not everybody is born into that position. And so I was very, very lucky, I will tell you, I was definitely the loner, definitely an introvert. Always have been. A lot of people would be surprised by that, but I am a solid INFJ on the Myers Briggs, but as a young kid, just very quiet, kept to myself. I was very much a dreamer, very curious about things, so I loved to dive into books. I loved school. I was the kid that would take my lunch box, you know, out into the middle of the football field by myself and just stare up at the sky and the clouds moving by, and dream about things. I remember being in the Girl Scouts during junior high we moved down towards Southern California, where I learned about Civil Air Patrol, and then from there, in high school, we actually made a big move to Las Vegas, Nevada. I continued my time in Civil Air Patrol as a cadet, but also joined the Air Force Junior ROTC at my high school.   Naviere Walkewicz  04:16 I'm just drawn to this visual of you with your lunch box in the middle of the football field looking up at this guy. So were you dreaming about flying?   Nicole Malachowski  04:24 I was, you know, I went to an air show when I was five years old, and I remember seeing an f4 phantom fly by, and it flew by so low, and it was so loud, I had to cover my ears. And I remember, like, my chest rumbling, you know, the smell of jet fuel. And I remember thinking, man, like there's a person in there, like, I want to be, you know, that person. And I had come from a family that, you know, honored and respected military service. So both of my grandfathers were career military my father had been drafted into the army during Vietnam. So I knew that, like, you know, military service was honorable and noble and good. And when I discovered that that was a military plane. I remember as a kid putting one plus one is two. I'm like, wait, you can fly jets and serve in the military. That's what I'm going to be. And wow, that was around 1979 and that's right, there are no boundaries on things. So looking up at the sky, watching planes, and of course, in high school in particular, moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, because Nellis Air Force bases there. So, I mean, I would watch the red flag launches and watch how those jets fly. And of course, I would see the six ship of Thunderbirds flying by as a kid, thinking that was pretty cool. So to be honest, I set my sights on the Air Force Academy in elementary school.   Naviere Walkewicz  05:34 Oh, my goodness.   Nicole Malachowski  05:35 Yeah. So when I was five and decided to be a fighter pilot, you had decided, I mean, I was maniacally, maniacally focused. I did not have a backup plan. I am so lucky that things worked out because I have no idea what else I would have done, you know, with my career, but I remember in sixth grade, I wrote a letter to the Air Force Academy. They responded. The admissions office responded with a personalized letter letting me know I'm kind of young to apply now, but here's the application process. They sent me a whole bunch of Air Force Academy swag, and that was it sixth grade. I was going to the Air Force Academy, goodness, when you were actually old enough to apply. Now to the academy.   Naviere Walkewicz  06:13 Let's talk about that process. What was it like for you? Well, I mean, I think it was more exciting than anything else. I told you. I had stayed maniacally focused. I was very particular and organized about prioritizing how my application would look. So of course, I strove to have the good grades, and obviously stayed involved with the activities like Civil Air Patrol or participating in sports like running cross country and track, as well as doing, you know, community service type activities. So I was indeed focused on making sure that application looked good. I remember the thing I was probably the most nervous about were those interviews with your, you know, senators and your representatives, and wondering if I was going to be able to interview well. So I was, you know, putting my best foot forward. And I remember my senior year, it was approximately October, maybe coming up on November about this time, right? And I went to the mailbox to get the mail, and I had the application had already been in, right? Because everything was done before the fall, and I saw this giant envelope from the Air Force Academy. And I thought, No way, because it's only like October or November. And I started shaking, and I opened it right there at the mailbox. I had to go up the street. I opened it, and I feel bad because I think I littered like the envelope all over the street, but I remember opening it up, and the first line was, congratulations. You know, you've been accepted to the class of 1996 and I instantaneously just started crying and running as fast as I could back to my house.   Naviere Walkewicz  07:38 Had you been to the Academy prior to the acceptance?   Nicole Malachowski  07:41 No, never stood a foot on at all. And I remember when my parents came to drop me off for for Jacks Valley and everything basic training, when we came up over that hill, over Monument Hill, and you can see the chapel and the kind of imposing, you know, white buildings on a hill, I was like, Oh, wow, that's extraordinary. And I was really just excited. People ask, were you nervous that day? I was not, because I was just so happy that this, to me, was like the first step of the rest of my life. It was that first real step towards this goal of serving my country, you know, like people my family had, and getting to fly jets while I do it, how cool is that? I don't remember any highs or lows. I do remember I got my enjoyment becoming a cadet, you know, soaring instructor pilot.   Naviere Walkewicz  08:28 So let's talk about that. That is a, kind of a key leadership role as well.   Nicole Malachowski  08:32 Yes, that was my leadership role. So my senior year, I was the cadet soaring squadron commander. Oh, let's talk about Yes, yes. So obviously, between freshman, sophomore year, I signed up as soon as I could, you know, to take soaring, and when I discovered that you could actually apply to be a soaring instructor, and I remember that was a really like growth experience, because it's one thing to be able to fly a glider, it's another thing to be able to try to teach somebody how to do that. And I really, I I give a lot of credit to this, you know, sorry, instructor upgrade program teaching me the skills of, how do you communicate something technical? How do you communicate something hard, this idea that you need to be able to communicate it not just in one way, but two or three different ways, because each of your students is going to come at it with a different skill set or a different perspective or a different personality that responds to different type of teaching. So learning how to tailor your instruction and your care and your leadership to each individual was something I learned here, you know, as a sophomore, this idea that I would carry that on into my career as a leader and, you know, ultimately into being, you know, a fighter squadron commander. This tailored leadership actually started here, but soaring is what was my respite. Soaring is where I refilled that tank. It's one thing to be successful yourself. It's a whole different level to teach somebody else to be successful.   Naviere Walkewicz  09:55 So you knew you enjoyed Well, obviously you enjoyed the flying? And soaring, the leadership aspect, I think, was something that was new to you then. Or had you done that in Civil Air Patrol? Did you also have leadership there?   Nicole Malachowski  10:06 Yeah, I had leadership experience in Civil Air Patrol, but I think this was a different level. You know, my senior year becoming the cadet soaring squadron commander, it was really cool, because not only were you trying to take inputs from your peers and your colleagues on things we could improve or do differently, you know, valuing the other cadets opinions. But how do I translate that to leadership? How do I go now and talk to the real officers, the active duty officers in charge, and go, these are maybe resources we need, or things culturally, you know, that we need to change, and that was hard for me, you know, because I had never done that before. How do you advocate for your peers in a way that's understood, you know, by the active duty leadership. So that was really something that, again, would become important in my military career, because when you're put in a leadership role, you know, it's about, I think, advocating for the people who you are, you know, accountable for and responsible to, yes, and so how can you do that and do it in a way that it's received? Well, yes, you know, by the leadership above you,   Naviere Walkewicz  11:07 After you graduated from the Academy, you went on to pilot training.   Nicole Malachowski  11:11 I was slated to go early right after graduation, and I was a casual status Lieutenant flying gliders. Of course, went out for a jog and broke my ankle. So this would be my first kind of little, little detour. And I ended up, they offered me to go, to go to shepherd a lot later, or as soon as my ankle was healed, I could go to Columbus Air Force Base Mississippi right away. And I said, I gotta go, like, I cannot sit around and wait. I want to go to Columbus Air Force Base Mississippi. And everyone's like, what you're going to turn down, like, the chance of going to fighters to like, have to fight for it at Columbus. I like, I can't be stagnant. I need to go. So showed up at Columbus Air Force Base Mississippi, and again, really grateful for all of the flying experience that I had. I think that just those foundational procedures, you know, foundational knowledge, was vital to being a little more comfortable than other people that didn't have that experience. It was easy to be slightly ahead of the curve early on, but as I like to tell people, I fell flat on my face across the starting line my second check ride in pilot training, I failed. Now, pilot training at that time was about a year long. There were about 10 check rides, and at that time, failing one check ride, statistically, traditionally, would take you out of the running for graduating high enough to be a fighter pilot. This was devastating to me, and I remember even having fleeting moments that night of like, maybe I should just quit. Now this is, of course, the youth in me, right? I'm a 21 year old kid, and I'm just getting a little bit emotional about it, but if I can't be a fighter pilot and I just knock myself out of the running, I should quit. And I didn't call my parents because I didn't want to tell them I was too, like, embarrassed maybe, to say, like, hey, my dream that you all have supported is about to come to an end, because I messed up, and I made a really junior varsity mistake. And so I called my mentor, Sue Ross, and then she just let me talk, and she's like, are you done? And I'm done. And she goes, Well, are you going to do that again tomorrow? And I said, Sue, how am I supposed to get back in the jet tomorrow? How do I face my peers? I've been telling them I'm going to fly strike Eagles this whole time. Like this is so embarrassing. What if I fail again? What if I fail again tomorrow? And I remember, she talked me off the ledge, man, you know, and I came away. I came away with that conversation, realizing that indeed, I think I rarely believe failure is the price of entry for achieving something great, because if you have the right mindset, you come away with failures, I think a lot more committed, a lot more dedicated, a lot more focused, and I think a lot more humble, and all of those characteristics and traits are good things. You know, it worked out for me, and I did finish fourth in my class, and I had an extraordinary class. It was a time of great cultural change in the Air Force, because we were the first group of women to come through pilot training with the option of flying fighter aircraft.   Naviere Walkewicz  14:04 So talk about your time while you're in uniform. You had some key leadership positions. You were squadron commander. Can you share some of your stories with that and maybe even some high points and some lessons learned, where you as a leader felt that maybe, maybe it was a low point or a failure, but you grew from it?   Nicole Malachowski 14:20 Sure, sure. Yes. I mean, I had so many, you know, different fun assignments. You know, obviously when you're in your first fighter squadron, I got out at RAF Lake and Heath out there in England. I mean, what a rage right to be a lieutenant flying strike Eagles at 500 feet, 500 miles an hour, up Loch Ness, to live in the dream, you know, becoming in my second squadron, which was at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, becoming a, you know, flight lead and upgrading to instructor pilot. Very nervous to go into the instructor pilot upgrade. I went in very young. In fact, when I got to that squadron, the weapons officer said, hey, I want to put you in the instructor upgrade. And I was like, no. Away like I am not ready for that. I am not good enough for that. And I was new to the squadron. There were people technically older and more experienced than me. They were in the queue, and he wanted me to jump the queue, a guy by the name of Michael Jaggers, call sign, Mick, I'm still friends with him to this day, and I remember I avoided him. I avoided him like the plague because I did not want to upgrade to instructor. And I remember saying, Mick, I just am not sure I can do this. And he looked at me, and he said, it's not your job to get through it. It's not your job to get through it alone. It's my job. It's my job to ensure you have what it takes and what you need. It's my job to teach you to be a good instructor. So your success is going to be my success. I will not let you fail. What a glorious man, what a wonderful instructor. And the lesson learned here to people is this, believe those who believe in you. Believe those who believe in you.   Naviere Walkewicz  15:52 It's true, though it really is. And those people, I think sometimes your trajectory can change or just like, accelerate, because someone gave you a little bit of courage that you just needed that little piece.   Nicole Malachowski 16:03 And to learn as I gained experience and credibility how to replicate that and how to be that person for other people, right? Because it's about turning around. It really is about lifting up other people. Your success isn't your own. It's how can you help other people achieve the best of themselves? And that's what you know Mikey and Mick did for me. And of course, the rest, you know, being history, because then I had the credentials I needed to apply to be a Thunderbird. And then from the Thunderbirds, I could become a commander, yada yada, you know, but being an instructor pilot, again, in the F 15 e how extraordinary to teach a brand new pilot or WSO, not only to fly the aircraft, to how to employ it as a weapon system and then to turn around and go to war with them. There's no bigger honor. There's nothing, I think, more humbling than that.   Naviere Walkewicz  16:49 Can you share something that maybe you learned from the perspective of how to lead better?   Nicole Malachowski 16:55 So let's be honest, when you go into a fighter squadron, things are a little bit one note, right? I mean, we all are cut from a similar cloth. We all kind of have similar personality traits. You know, you don't want your fighter pilots any other way, putting the effort into understanding what drives and motivates individuals. So learning at that age how to put your arms around everybody that you're responsible for, not just the ones that maybe are easiest to lead, or maybe the ones you're the most comfortable, you know, interacting with as a leader is, how do I figure it out? You know, there were some guys that, if I were to call them on up to the front of the room, in front of the whole squadron, to compliment them on something they did, maybe a check right they had. Or this goes for my fighter squadron command as well. You know, they would love it, right? Because it it was how they were extrinsically motivated, and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. If that's what they need, and that's what you need to do to get the best of their strengths and best of their commitment go for it. And then were others that low? If I were to bring them in front of their peers to compliment them, they would shut down and never talk to me for the rest of the you know, their assignment. And so that's where I would take the time to write a handwritten note, maybe put it on the seat of their Humvee, or put it in their helmet, you know, in the fighter squadron. And then when they'd see me walking down the hallway, we give the knowing nod that they were acknowledged for their awesome, whatever it was, and we would move on.   Naviere Walkewicz  18:13 Yes. And so what I'm hearing, in a really, kind of summarizing way, is leadership is personal.   Nicole Malachowski 18:19 Very. it's all about people and it's about authenticity and connections.   Naviere Walkewicz  18:25 So speaking about personal and authenticity, I'd be remiss if we didn't talk about your journey to the Thunderbirds.   Nicole Malachowski  18:31 I knew this was gonna come.   Naviere Walkewicz  18:32 It's here, and so you know it is. It's a different time. There was no woman Thunderbird pilot before you.   Nicole Malachowski 18:40 I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, so the Thunderbirds were part of the backdrop. I knew that the Thunderbirds, you know, as a kid, were special and were considered, you know, elite. And kind of going back to my personality, I love being told that, you know, you can't do things. And the truth is, people laugh at this, but the truth is, when I applied to be a Thunderbird, I did it because the way my career was going, I wasn't ready to, I wasn't on timeline to go to ide yet or to go to ACSC, but I had, like, a weird year kind of gap, and I didn't they didn't really know what to do with me. I didn't know what to do with them, and my husband was going to be PCs in the Nellis. This is, like, a true story. Wow. I know people want me to say, well, I had this big, long dream when I was Thunderbird. Also thought about it was always in the background. Is something that, you know, wasn't, was an option. And I, you know, because of a lot of people who put a lot of effort into me, I was indeed qualified, you know, to get in there and to give it a try. But it wasn't something that was like an ultimate goal. I did not know they had not had a woman Thunderbird pilot when I applied, did not even occur to me. Remember, I had never known an Air Force without women fighter pilots in it. That's right, that's and we had all achieved the age where we had acquired the hours needed, and it just lined up with the timing. And I'm like, Well, that would be kind of fun and different to do. And. So I always tell people, you know, when you get those butterflies in your stomach that says, This could be something cool, something different, that is your cue to go do it. Don't worry about what anybody else is saying. And so, you know, I was able to put that application in. And in fact, I was I put that application in, and when I went and told everyone I was going to apply, generally speaking, people were really tickled and happy and happy and supportive. But as the days went by, people started to think about it. I heard, you know, it's too hard to be a Thunderbird, you probably won't get picked. I mean, statistically, no one gets picked to do that. They've never had a woman before. Are you sure you want to do that and this and that? And I remember the day I turned my application in. This was back when you still had hard copies, and you still had to mail them, okay, 2005 took it over to the group commander's Chief of Staff, slid it across the desk. I was super nervous, because the voice in my head was like, Nicole, other people become Thunderbird pilots, not you. That was the other people become Thunderbird pilots, not you. What are you doing? Why are you risking this? But I kept thinking, what's the worst that's going to happen? I don't get picked, like most people don't get picked, and I go back to flying strike Eagles with my community, which I love, like life is good, right? Either way, it's a win, win. So as I slid that application across the desk, said, I'm applying to be a Thunderbird. Here's my application. I remember the staff looked up to me and said, you know Nicole, It's hard to be a Thunderbird. You know Nicole, you probably won't get picked. And the exact words were, you know Nicole, they've never had a woman before, and the colonel can only stratify one person in that moment. Let's, I think there's leadership lessons here, because this person was not trying to be mean, right? What was coming out was, I think the unconscious bias all of us have to check ourselves on every day at all ages. I think what was coming out were the cultural paradigms of the Air Force at that time. And I think what was coming out, you know, were other people's expectations about what I should or shouldn't be doing. And in that moment, the truth is, I grabbed my application and I took it back, I went across to the officers club and grabbed a beer like any good fighter pilot would, and I remember thinking, thank God I didn't put myself out there. Thank God Nicole, you know, now I'm a 30 year old captain, so I'm still a young person, you know. Thank God you didn't risk failure. Who are you to think you could be a Thunderbird, silly girl, right? And in that moment, the weirdest thing happened. And I tell this story on stage, sometimes the door opened to the officers club, and in walk the Wing Commander, Brigadier General Mark Matthews, for whatever reason, comes over and starts talking to me. Now, this is weird, right? I'm a captain. He's a brigadier general. I don't know why he was talking to me, you know, like walking amongst the people that day, or, you know, just making small talk. And so I'm trying to hold my own talking to him a little bit nervous. It's a little you're probably still feeling a little bit down from totally down. And in that moment, over walks my squadron commander, a wonderful man by the name of Dan Debree. His call sign was, trash. Get it? Trash, debris. Trash. Walks over, super excited, very supportive of my application. And he's like, Hey, General, did you know Nicole's applying to be a Thunderbird now? Man, I mean, you could have slowed down time. I was like, ixnay on the underbird Fae like, this is terrible. Neither of these guys knew that I had removed my application. And Dan's standing there all proud. He's my squadron commander supporting me. A great man again. And Mark Matthews looks down at me, general Matthews, and he goes, that's great. How's your application going? And I'm like, I looked at him, and here's what happened. I said, you know, sir, it's hard to be thunder, but I probably won't get picked. They haven't had a woman, so I don't want to waste anybody's time.   Naviere Walkewicz  23:11 Oh, you said, I said it.   Nicole Malachowski  23:13 I said all of it. And this is kind of an embarrassing story to tell, but I'm just this is the truth, right? This is the vulnerable truth of how this happened. And and he looked down at me, and I will never forget this. And I hope folks listening who have big dreams and gnarly goals remember this. He looked down at me and he said, Nicole, actually. He said, Fifi. My call sign, Fifi. Nobody wants to lead a scripted life. And he walked away and left me in extraordinarily uncomfortable silence. And those words nobody wants to lead a scripted life have become my life's mantra. Every time I get the knot in my stomach that says that dreams too big or that idea is too innovative, don't rock the boat, I remember what he said, because those words, like they lifted the weight of the world off my shoulders, told me it was okay to dream big. It was okay to buck the status quo. It was okay to be different. He was telling me, it's okay to risk failure in pursuit of personal professional growth, and it's not so much. I think he's telling you and me to write ourselves into the script. What he was saying was, don't ever write yourself out of the script. And as leaders and teammates, don't you ever write anybody else or their wild ideas out of the script, either. And so nobody wants to lead a scripted life. And I, I hope what you're hearing in these stories, and maybe what I'm realizing just chatting with you, is these little turning points, these pivot moments where these really important people, the mark Matthews, you know, the Mikey whiteheads, the Mick Jaggers, the Sue Rosses, the Kim Jamesons, they all come at that right moment. You got to be open to that you know, and and how important your actions and your words are to making or breaking somebody else's journals.   Naviere Walkewicz  24:48 Yes, yeah, so you took that application back.   Nicole Malachowski 24:52 Sure did. Sure did. I did not get the number one stratification from the colonel, but I did from the general. And. So that worked out for me. When I really started thinking about, I think I was putting myself back in the kid in high school with her brown bag lunch out on the football field watching the Thunderbirds fly over that can tend to see that those six jets smoked behind in red, white and blue, screaming over your high school. You know, you wanted to be a fighter pilot. Since you're a kid, I'm staring up at them, thinking, there's people up there. You know, I want to be one of those people. This idea that there would be a little kid watching me as a Thunderbird pilot, and maybe someday go, maybe I could fulfill whatever my dream is. Maybe I could join the Air Force too, a little girl going, maybe I could be a fighter pilot someday. And I think the gravity and the weight of the mission of the Thunderbirds started to really impact me, because it had indeed impacted me as a kid, and the idea that I could be a part of that. And I think the other thing was, and maybe this sounds cheesy or trite, but it's not, you know, sitting at Al UD, drinking my one beer at three in the morning after I land from my night combat mission, sitting with all these great Americans from all over the country, from every different background, and thinking, I could go tell their story, and that's what Thunderbirds get to do. You get to represent the world's greatest Air Force and tell the stories of these airmen who are out there getting the job done, those tech piece those crew chiefs, you know, the folks that are working at the tower, the folks in the food hall, our medical professionals, the cyber the whole thing, right? And all of a sudden it got really exciting to me, like I could go out there with this team, with this mission, and we could represent our friends with the honor and the dignity and the respect that they deserve. And I think those two things kind of collided together, and I started getting really excited about excited about this Thunderbird thing. Ended up back at Lake and Heath painfully excruciating waiting for the vinyls. And when we got back from Iraq, they give you the kind of three weeks of downtime. My husband was a gracious man and took me on a Cruise of the Baltic Sea. We're sitting in our cabin in Oslo Norway, and the phone in the cabin rings. The phone in your cabin, phone in my cabin rings. It's about 10 o'clock at night, but full sun outside, because it's summertime in Norway. And immediately we looked at each other, and both of our heart we've talked about this, both our hearts sank, because why does a phone call come to military people on vacation? It's not never it's never good. Yeah, and I was a flight commander at the time. So was he we immediately thought something disastrous had happened, an aircraft accident, a death, you know, a car accident. And we let it ring another time, and he's like, You need to pick it up. And I picked it up. And I said, Hello. And they go, is this Captain malikowski? I said, Yes. And they go standby for the commander of Air Combat Command. Oh my gosh. And I looked at my husband, and I was like, What is going on? Well, I knew this was the consolation call. There was, I think, I think there was five or six of us who had made it to finals. Three people were getting good position. The other were not. And it is tradition that the commander of Air Combat Command calls all six, coach is very gracious and professionally courteous. And so I thought this was my consolation call. So I'm waiting, and it feels like an eternity, and all of a sudden I hear Stevie there, and I said, Yes. He goes, Ron keys which was General. Ron Keyes, Commander, Air Combat Command. I'm a young captain. I'm like, you've got to be kidding me. And I go, sir, how are you? He goes. We have a pretty amazing Air Force that we can find you in the middle of the Oslo Norway fjord, don't we? I said, Yes, sir, we do. He goes. Well, I know you're on vacation, so I want to keep it simple. I want to offer you a job. And I said, Yes, sir. He goes. How would you like to be Thunderbird number three? And I said, I stayed as professional as I could in my voice, but I was looking at my husband gesticulating, jumping up and down like you're not gonna believe I said, Sir, I would absolutely love that. He goes, Okay, great. You're the next Thunderbird number three. Look forward to watching you fly and get back to your vacation. And he hung up the phone. You know, the Thunderbirds are, at that time, 125 people from 25 different career fields who came together to make that mission happen. Wow, never been in a squadron with that many high performing, highly motivated people in my life. I am still dear friends with my crew chief, still friends with people on the team. It is such a crucible experience. It's a one off, you know. Well, fast forward. Finish up the Thunderbirds. I get a phone call. He goes, it's Viking blurling. I'm like, How the heck did this guy that I met once get my phone he goes, Hey, when I was an Air Force officer, a young fighter pilot, I did acse as a White House fellow, and I think you should be a White House fellow. I said, Well, what's the White House Fellowship? So he explains it to me, and I'm like, there is no way I will get picked as one of 12 to 15 people across the United States, across all career fields, including civilians, to be a White House fellow. Colin Powell was a White House fellow. I am not a White House fellow. This is ridiculous. So I entertained his conversation. He says, I want you to think about I'm gonna call you back tomorrow, same time. Boom. Phone rings. Viking borling, you're applying to be a White House fellow, no, sir. I'm not. Third day ping. Phone calls. You're applying to be a White House fellow. Anyways, I applied to be a White House fellow. Went through that whole process, semi finals, regional panel interviews, and then the finals, and was selected to be a White House fellow. I got assigned outside of the White House to the US, General Services, Administration, yes, like, it was exciting. And I was like, this is where the nuts and bolts happen? Well, the GSA also runs what's called the office of the president elect. Between election and inauguration, the incoming president and their team needs to have a place to get ready, like our current incoming administration is doing. It's a physical office building where they make decisions about cabinet secretaries, or they get their intelligence briefings and all of that. Guess who got put on the presidential transition support team to be up close and personal for the peaceful transition of power between George Bush and Barack Obama? Wow. The extraordinary part about the White House Fellowship was most of the fellows were civilian, and I had been nothing but military since I was 17 years old and showed up at the Air Force Academy. So to be able to look at leadership and teamwork and professionalism from a completely different lens, to see how people from the education field or from healthcare would solve a problem was fascinating. You know, we in the military can look to solve problems a very specific way, and a lot of us are a little bit very specific in how we do it. And so to learn how to look at problems and solve things in different ways was extraordinary.   Naviere Walkewicz  31:23 So your career trajectory is just really incredible. Because you've kind of talked about how you've been put in these places based off of circumstance, but then when you get there, it's all about, how do you make the most of it, seize the opportunity and see what's available.   Nicole Malachowski  31:38 A lot of times, you know, as human beings, we go, Well, I don't have this, or I can't do this right now, or not resource this way, man, find a way. Yeah, ask yourself the right question. What is it I can do right now with what I have?   Naviere Walkewicz  31:49 Well, that makes me feel like that's a really good lead into kind of what circumstantially happened to you, unexpectedly. Yes, so you're medically retired from the Air Force. Do you want to talk about how that happened?   Nicole Malachowski  32:00 And sure, sure, you know, the the greatest honor of my career was serving as the commander of the 3/33 fighter squadron. I enjoyed that, and I remember also during that time being physically fit, mentally fit, spiritually fit. And I remember feeling ill in the summer of 2012 like I had the flu, but within three months, I started having severe neurological problems, so things like word finding, slurring my words, inability to read write, inability to type, dropping things with my right hand, dragging my right leg, getting lost, driving home, and I remember going into a grocery store and having a complete panic attack because I didn't know what a grocery store was or why I was in there so very Alzheimer's dementia like symptoms. So in fact, what was happening was my brain was becoming inflamed with an infection. So over the next four years, my symptoms would wax and wane. They would come and go, they would change in severity. Obviously, I could no longer fly. I was grounded, but they said, Hey, you can stay in the Air Force. You just can't fly. And I said, that's great, because honestly, I just want to lead airmen. Lead airmen and be a part of a team. So, you know, there's a lot of details, you know, to this story, but my symptom list was like 63 symptoms long, covering every system in my body. And so they cast the net wide, and that's where tick borne illness came into it. And at that time, I was in a wheelchair. I couldn't talk. My husband was wheeling me around, and I remember when the doctor said, we come on in. We have the diagnosis. We know what's wrong with her. The doctor says she'll never fly again. And my husband said, Well, how long until she's better? And she goes, Well, treatment is going to take at least two years. And it was in that moment, it wasn't that I wasn't going to fly again, that hurt. But when they said two years, I knew that the military was going to medically retire me, I knew it was over, and I couldn't speak or say anything, and I was just devastated. I remember my goal was to be the commandant of the Air Force Academy. That was my dream. And all that just came crashing, you know, crashing down. And in that moment, so for nine months I couldn't walk, talk, read or write. I spent another year and a half in rehab, and during that time, obviously went through my medical evaluation board, but I was medically retired, I fought to stay in and then I realized my body wasn't gonna let me and once I accepted that it was over, you know, I was able to move forward so radical acceptance was a hard thing to come by. But the day of my retirement, December 29 2017 came, I was home alone because I was bedridden and house bound for two years. Um, was very hurtful. Remains hurtful. How my Air Force career ended. I love the Air Force based on all the stories that I told, but this moment is very painful for me. It still is. And, you know, I thought, well, what are you going to do about it? You know, you can't. Change that you were bit by tick, can't change that you have a brain injury. What are you going to do? Girl, you know, the fighter pilot in you is not going to quit. And that's when I decided, well, I'm going to, you know, I got to do something. And the phone rang, and the phone rang, and it was during this time, a gal by the name of Buff Bucha, retired colonel, had been in a helicopter accident broke her neck in Afghanistan. She said, Hey, how you doing? I said, I'm not good. She goes talk to me, and I remember for two hours just vomiting everything out to this person I didn't really know very well. Well, she was calling from the Air Force Wounded Warrior program, wow, and the Wounded Warrior program swooped in to save me, and I ended up becoming a trained ambassador and a trained mentor, which I still am to this day. I'm able to help other airmen who are being discharged, but I just want to give a shout out to the Air Force wind Warrior Program, psychologically and mental health wise, I don't know that I would have recovered, and that I would have recovered to the place that I am today without them. And so I want for the active duty, listening for people in the reserve and the guard. It is for you, yeah, it is for everyone, and it is literally a life saving program.   Naviere Walkewicz  32:45 Maybe talk about what you've been doing then since.   Nicole Malachowski  36:16 Yeah, I do leadership consulting and professional speaking, but predominantly, that helps pay the bills, and I enjoy it. Predominantly, I do patient advocacy work at the national level, so I'm on several government boards. I'm on several nonprofit panels. We've tripled them, and IH funding through the state and like TicK Act and things like that. I'm currently on a National Academies of Science Committee. Can't talk about that because our report will come out in the spring. I hope everyone will read it. But Lyme disease, I went from being a fighter pilot to being an expert on ticks and Lyme disease. Who knew the path to success is always going to be non linear.   Naviere Walkewicz  36:49 Yes, you also mentioned you have children. You have twins. Do so how is it talk about, like family life in this new kind of in the way that you're working now, right? You're not in uniform anymore. You're still pushing amazing things forward. You're consulting what's it like being a mom?   Naviere Walkewicz  37:06 Man, it's harder, it is harder to raise 14 year old twins than it is to get shot at  in combat, I will tell you that. So you know, the person that's been missing in this whole time we've been talking is the most important person in my life, which is my husband, Paul. So we will be married. We just, yeah, just had our anniversary. 23 years. I met him in my first fighter squadron in the late 90s. He's an F-15E WSO. So we met flying together. And my biggest cheerleader, my biggest supporter, the greatest human being on Earth, is my husband, Paul.   Naviere Walkewicz  37:38 I want to talk about this resurgence, because I feel like that is really important for some of our listeners. When they're, you know, they're thinking about you said you got to know who you are and what's important to you. And how did you get to that clarity?   Nicole Malachowski 37:52 You really need to be able to answer the question, what is it I value and why? And I'm talking about your personal values, the ones that you're going to wake up with every day and go, these are my values. And so I'll tell you what mine are. Mine are courage and compassion and curiosity, and I developed those as I went through this deep thinking and deep reinvention, when I lost my career and compassion, courage and curiosity are what drive me today.   Naviere Walkewicz  38:18 We'll ask for Nicole's thoughts on reinvention, resilience and leadership. But before we do that, I'd like to take a moment and thank all of you for listening to long blue leadership. The podcast publishes on Tuesdays in both video and audio, and is available on all your favorite podcast platforms. Watch or listen to all episodes of Long blue leadership and subscribe at longblue leadership.org so we have had an incredible journey together, and really where we'd like to go. One final thought on leadership, if you might, leave your listeners with something about leadership, and I can say just from being in this short amount of time with you, your your 3 Cs are coming out in spades, your compassion, your curiosity and your courage. So thank you.   Nicole Malachowski  39:01 Thank you. You know leadership is a journey. We're always put into positions that we're supposed to grow into. Don't think you have to be perfect to be a leader. It's okay to admit when you make mistakes, it's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to have failures, as long as you overcome them. And I like to remind folks at all levels of leadership, you know that the runway behind you is always unusable. All you ever have is the runway that's in front of you.   Naviere Walkewicz  39:25 Well said, well said, Thank you so much for being on long blue leadership.   Nicole Malachowski  39:29 Thank you for having me. And here's a shout out to the current cadets that are working hard up on the hill, yeah, wishing them best and hoping they take it one day at a time.   Naviere Walkewicz  39:36 Absolutely. And for our listeners, I mean, I think that it's, it's it's certainly one thing to say, you know, you get to meet these incredible leaders, but my ask of you is to share this with your networks, because it's great if you felt something and you've had an impact in your life, but imagine the magnitude you can have by sharing some of the stories of our leaders like Nicole today with your networks and the change we can make together. So until next time, thanks for being on. Long blue leadership, thank you for joining us for this edition of long blue leadership. The podcast drops every two weeks on Tuesdays and is available on all your favorite podcast apps. Send your comments and guest ideas to us at social media@usafa.org, and listen to past episodes at longblueleadership.org.   KEYWORDS leadership, resilience, resurgence, Air Force Academy, mentorship, aviation, women in military, pilot training, overcoming adversity, personal growth, fighter pilot, mentorship, leadership, Thunderbirds, women in military, self-doubt, White House Fellowship, WASP, Air Force, personal growth, diversity, WASP, Air Force, medical retirement, resilience, leadership, Lyme Disease, tick-borne illness, self-discovery, personal values, reinvention, advocacy         The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation    

Mike Nellis is a dynamic force in the realm of political activism and digital marketing, renowned as the Founder of Authentic and Quiller.ai. With a remarkable track record, Mike has raised an astounding $1 billion in grassroots donations for Democratic campaigns and purpose led causes. "White Dudes for Harris" is nominated this week for seven Impact Awards and Authentic has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of digital marketing for political causes and global nonprofits.  Furthermore, Mike led the groundbreaking initiative of Quiller, a cutting-edge product utilizing generative AI to craft, deploy, and assess the efficacy of online fundraising content. His entrepreneurial acumen shone through as he orchestrated a highly successful $1.25 million pre-seed round of funding. His ability to build enduring connections is evident in his relationships with influential Democrats and campaign leaders, including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Congressman Adam Schiff, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer. His profound insights have garnered recognition in prestigious publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, and Politico, underscoring his substantial influence and expertise within the industry.

Our Alien Overlords - How We Secretly Serve The Tall Whites - The Why Files Eng - The Tall White Aliens: We Work for Them Charles Hall, a former weather observer at Nellis Air Force Base, shares his incredible story of encountering the Tall Whites, an extraterrestrial species working with the US military. These chalk-white aliens, standing up to 9 feet tall, have been influencing human technology and evolution for decades. Charles's friendship with a Tall White known as "The Teacher" led him to discover hidden alien facilities and the shocking truth about their presence on Earth. Uncover the secrets of the Tall Whites, from their advanced scout crafts to their underground bases, and explore the startling implications of their alliance with the US government and the hidden reality of alien-human cooperation. Pt - Os alienígenas brancos altos: trabalhamos para eles Charles Hall, um ex-observador do clima na Base Aérea de Nellis, compartilha sua incrível história de encontro com os brancos altos, uma espécie extraterrestre que trabalha com o exército dos EUA. Esses alienígenas brancos como giz, com até 9 pés de altura, têm influenciado a tecnologia e a evolução humana por décadas. A amizade de Charles com um branco alto conhecido como "O Professor" o levou a descobrir instalações alienígenas ocultas e a verdade chocante sobre sua presença na Terra. Descubra os segredos dos brancos altos, de suas naves de reconhecimento avançadas a suas bases subterrâneas, e explore as implicações surpreendentes de sua aliança com o governo dos EUA e a realidade oculta da cooperação entre alienígenas e humanos. #UFOs #aliens #uaps #m5dpodcast

The Maya Civilization Came From Mars? - Metaphysical The Tall White Aliens: We Work for Them Charles Hall, a former weather observer at Nellis Air Force Base, shares his incredible story of encountering the Tall Whites, an extraterrestrial species working with the US military. These chalk-white aliens, standing up to 9 feet tall, have been influencing human technology and evolution for decades. Charles's friendship with a Tall White known as "The Teacher" led him to discover hidden alien facilities and the shocking truth about their presence on Earth. Uncover the secrets of the Tall Whites, from their advanced scout crafts to their underground bases, and explore the startling implications of their alliance with the US government and the hidden reality of alien-human cooperation. #UFOs #aliens #uaps 〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰 EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Gino Gentile Jennifer Gentile AJ Gentile Patreon Members THANK YOU MODS: jengen13 (Mrs. Why Files) Victoria Young The Hybrid Paul Rohrbaugh Mischief Timothy Weal Messor SnowCrash RobinSparkles BeezySmeezy Pathos TrashPanda SmarmyNarwhal MaryJaneMcweed AC Sanzel Original Jim The Why Files Theme Lyrics by    / @straightjacketspaceman9223   〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰

If you're feeling bewildered and unsure about how to navigate the influence of white male voters in the US election, then you are not alone! The current political landscape can leave you feeling overwhelmed and lost, especially when it seems like your voice isn't being heard. But what if I told you there's a way to understand and leverage your influence as a white male voter? Let's dive into the factors that are shaping the political decisions and explore how you can make informed choices that truly matter. In this episode, you will be able to: Understand how economic conditions shape US elections and your role in influencing them. Discover effective strategies for engaging and empowering young white male voters in the political process. Explore the pivotal role of digital advertising in shaping political campaigns and its impact on voter engagement. Address concerns about election integrity and learn how to ensure your voice is heard in the electoral process. Learn how to contribute to and build inclusive political movements for a stronger, more united post-election landscape. My special guest is Mike Nellis Mike Nellis, a seasoned veteran in Democratic politics and social impact work, has left an indelible mark on the political landscape. Nellis has been instrumental as the Founder and CEO of Authentic, a digital-first fundraising and advertising agency in shaping digital advertising and fundraising strategies, having raised over a billion dollars for Democratic campaigns. Notably, as a former senior advisor to Kamala Harris and the visionary organizer of White Dudes for Harris, Mike Nellis brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the complexities within the political sphere. The key moments in this episode are: 00:06:03 - Factors Contributing to Election Results 00:10:33 - Shifting Dynamics Among Young White Males 00:12:19 - Importance of Engaging with Fox News 00:13:28 - Inclusive Campaigning 00:15:21 - Impact of Cultural Themes on Election 00:20:09 - Role of Social Media in Shaping Views 00:21:06 - Cultural Shifts and Divisions 00:23:38 - The impact of technology on personal connections 00:27:10 - Impact of the election on women 00:29:48 - Using privilege for good 00:30:00 - Prioritization and self-interest in voting 00:34:21 - Tailoring communication for different audiences 00:35:00 - Importance of Shared Language and Positive Male Role Models 00:37:49 - Overcorrection in Society and Politics 00:39:25 - Trust in Election Votes "Go find the thing that grounds you in the things that you love and go find your corner of the world and make it a better place." - Mike Nellis Get involved in your local Democratic Party and work to improve it. This could include running for office or supporting candidates who align with your values. Stand up against misogyny and sexism in your community and call out inappropriate behavior when you see it. Use your privilege to help change systems that perpetuate discrimination. Engage in conversations with other men to address issues of sexism and misogyny. Organize calls or meetings to discuss and reject harmful attitudes and behaviors. Support positive male role models and engage in efforts to redefine masculinity. Encourage empathy, compassion, and respect in male communities. Reflect on your own privilege and consider how you can use it to create a more inclusive and equitable society. Take action to make your corner of the world a better place, whether through political engagement, community involvement, or personal advocacy. Listen to our EPS with Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of "Jesus and John Wayne," on toxic masculinity and US politics & religion. https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com Linkedin YouTube FaceBook Instagram Threads Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Campus Connection - Athletic Director Ken Nellis - November 4, 2024 by Connect FM

Emotions are ALL OVER THE PLACE TODAY! First off, RIP LIAM PAYNE! Second, It's THURSDAY so we have an ALL NEW WAR OF THE ROSES. Also, what's the latest with Nellis auction and is Johnjay OKAY? Gambling hotline on speed dial just in case. Next, Ryan's WATERMELON DISASTER has us questioning is our family drama even matters at this point. THEN, an update on Payton's Tesla Owning neighbor and POP 10! Buckle in, we got a LOT to get to today!

This week: Judge Merchan has postponed sentencing and his ruling on whether some of the evidence in the case is subject to presidential immunity; Donald fails another time to remove the case to federal court; plus updates on Simes, Tenet Media, and E. Jean Carroll.Mike Nellishttps://twitter.com/mikenellisAuthentic Digital Strategyhttps://www.instagram.com/authentic.hq  Thanks to ExpressVPN for supporting our show!Get an extra 3 months free. Expressvpn.com/cleanup.Allison Gillhttps://muellershewrote.substack.com/https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrotePete Strzokhttps://twitter.com/petestrzokThe Podcasthttps://twitter.com/aisle45podWant to support this podcast and get it ad-free and early?Go to: https://www.patreon.com/aisle45podTell us about yourself and what you like about the show - http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Trump comes to Chicago and insults Black people. Ben riffs. Mike Nellis explains how he and some friends created White Dudes for Harris. How they were so successful that Musk shut them down, Okay, we don't know if Musk shut them down. Probably just a coincidence that their Twitter account died. Mike talks about whether Trump's attempt to “other” Kamala Harris hurt or hindered his campaign, Mike is a political strategist and diehard Notre Dame football fan. Please don't hold the latter against him.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I'm very happy to have Jason Nellis back on the show to share some insight into the world of building and growing in the world of content creation.  Whether it is a podcast, YouTube or social media you are interested in, Jason has been in the industry for many years and is happy to share his advice for anyone looking to grow in this space.  His Podcast, Building Value with Jason Nellis, is definitely worth a listen.  You can find his show wherever you currently find your favorite shows. @JasonNellis Support this Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sailingintooblivionpodcast One Time Donations Via PayPal and Venmo: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/JeromeRand https://account.venmo.com/u/sailingintooblivion Children's Book: https://a.co/d/1q2Xkev Sailing Into Oblivion Children's Audio Book: Audible.com Sailing Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/sailing-into-oblivion/ Books: https://a.co/d/eYaP10M Reach out to the Show: https://www.sailingintooblivion.com/podcasts Coaching and Consulting: https://www.sailingintooblivion.com/coaching

Archer: Season 6, Episode 7 "Nellis" A rescue mission turns into an out-of-this-world visit to Area 51, where Archer is forced to pretend he is Agent Slater, while Pam and Krieger look for signs of life outer space.   Scorecard: 8.3/10   Feedback : blackgirlcouch@gmail.com  (audio/written) Twitter: BlackGirl_Couch   Tumblr: slowlandrogynousmiracle  

Mike Nellis is the Founder of Authentic, a marketing agency that specializes in online fundraising, media, and creative design, and has helped raise over $1 billion online. With a deep-rooted political background, including work for Barack Obama's presidential campaign, Mike possesses a profound understanding of engaging communities and stakeholders digitally. He's also the Founder of Quiller.ai, an Adweek 2023 AI Efficiency Award-winning tool designed to revolutionize online fundraising using generative AI technology. In this episode… In the competitive world of online fundraising and political campaigns, staying ahead of the curve and maintaining a healthy organizational culture are crucial. Many organizations struggle with staff burnout, ineffective marketing strategies, and the relentless pace of technological change. Addressing these challenges requires both a deep understanding of the industry and a willingness to innovate.  Mike Nellis, fundraising and AI expert, is pioneering the space with his focus on authenticity and culture. By studying the successes of the Obama campaign, Mike recognized early on the power of personal connections and authenticity in online fundraising. He took this learning and started Authentic, where he emphasized nurturing a positive work environment and avoiding the pitfalls he experienced at other workplaces. Moreover, Mike embraced the future by founding Quiller.ai, which leverages AI to streamline fundraising efforts and combat burnout.  In this episode of Inspired Insider Podcast, host Dr. Jeremy Weisz sits down with Mike Nellis, Founder of Authentic and Quiller.ai, to discuss the intersection of AI and online fundraising. The two touch on utilizing email marketing tactics to elevate campaign strategies, the value of developing solid systems and processes for business efficiency, Mike's journey from Obama's campaign to founding a leading marketing agency, and the cultural shift toward a four-day workweek.

*** Apóyame para seguir subiendo contenidos a Ivoox *** https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ermakysevilla ¡Gracias! Serie que lleva el fenómeno ovni y extraterrestre al siguiente nivel. Utilizando técnicas de investigación, tratará de conocer con exactitud la historia que se esconde detrás de algunos de los casos más misteriosos y extraordinarios de los últimos 75 años. El verano de los platillos volantes Washington D. C. 1952: los radares detectan ovnis en varias ocasiones. Estos sucesos hacen desaparecer la guerra de Corea y la campaña presidencial de las portadas de los periódicos. Los blancos altos Indian Springs, Nevada, 1964: Durante su estancia en la base Nellis, Charles James Hall se encontró con individuos de una especie alienígena a la que, por su aspecto, bautizó como «los blancos altos».

Prepare for takeoff as we thrust into the exhilarating world of military aviation training and the Red Flag exercises, where the skies are not only blue but also a battleground for sharpening skills that could mean the difference between life and death. You'll gain an insider view on how U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and international pilots are put through their paces against seasoned aggressors in combat scenarios so realistic, they blur the lines between simulation and actual warfare. This isn't just another fly-by; we're talking combat-ready tactics, afterburning dogfights, and the ultimate test of a pilot's first ten missions, all unpacked for you.Our airspace in this episode extends beyond the cockpit to acknowledge the ground crews and support personnel, the unsung tacticians of the Red Flag operations. Together, we analyze the debriefings that dissect every tactical maneuver and decision, sharpening the saw of combat readiness to protect the free skies. The stakes are high, and the geopolitical chessboard is complex, but this training is the ace in the hole for maintaining air superiority amidst the clouds of uncertainty. Strap in for an episode that charts the course of aerial mastery, where even gravity doesn't hold us down.Support the showTo help support this podcast and become a PilotPhotog ProCast member: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1555784/supportIf you enjoy this episode, subscribe to this podcast, you can find links to most podcast streaming services here: PilotPhotog Podcast (buzzsprout.com) Sign up for the free weekly newsletter Hangar Flyingwith Tog here: https://hangarflyingwithtog.com You can check out my YouTube channel for many videos on fighter planes here: https://youtube.com/c/PilotPhotog If you'd like to support this podcast via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PilotPhotog And finally, you can follow me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/pilotphotog

Here is a fun set of children's books that follows a turtle named Max and his adventures on Mackinac Island.www.mackinacmax.comwww.islandbookstore.comwww.totallymackinacislandpodcast.com

Today's show is all a conversation I had with fellow adventurer Jason Nellis.  Jason hiked the Camino de Santiago back in 2016 and shares his insight and experiences from his trip.  We also get into a bit of family life discussion as I'm always curious about that adventure so many others have taken.  Thanks for listening. Check out Jason's Podcast: The Jason Nellis Show available on all platforms as well as Youtube/Instagram and Facebook Support the Podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sailingintooblivionpodcast One Time Donations via PayPal and Venmo: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/JeromeRand https://account.venmo.com/u/sailingintooblivion Sailing Shirts and Hoodies: https://www.bonfire.com/store/sailing-into-oblivion/ Sailing Into Oblivion Books: https://a.co/d/0h4H0JH

In this episode of the Hyper Fast Agent Podast, Dan Lesniak introduces James Nellis, a highly successful real estate professional with a career spanning multiple decades and a track record of generating $100 million in sales per year. Nellis runs one of the top teams in the DMV area and shares his expertise in client engagement during the 2023 Hyperfast Agent Summit. He presents "51 Ways to Get Better Client Engagement." Nellis emphasizes the importance of adapting to social media and business trends, focusing on creating meaningful and lasting relationships with clients. His approach involves a blend of online and offline strategies, educational seminars, community events, and leveraging personal milestones like home anniversaries and birthdays to maintain and enhance client relationships.    Follow James on Instagram at https://www.instagram/jamesnellis or go to https://www.nellisgroup.com Join James as he discusses:    **Diverse Client Engagement Strategies**: James presents an extensive array of methods for real estate agents to engage clients, emphasizing the importance of both online and offline interactions. He covers various ideas ranging from hosting educational seminars and investor workshops to organizing community events like yoga classes, movie premieres, and local sports contests.   **Personalization and Relationship Building**: A key theme of Nellis' approach is the focus on building personal relationships with clients. He suggests tactics like celebrating home anniversaries, conducting client appreciation events, and providing value through informative sessions on market trends and estate planning, demonstrating a deep commitment to serving clients beyond just the transaction.   **Leveraging National Days and Local Events**: Nellis highlights the creative use of national days and local community events as opportunities for real estate agents to connect with their audience. This approach includes organizing activities around events like National Coffee Day, Easter egg hunts, and fitness classes, showcasing the importance of community involvement and visibility in the real estate business. QUOTES TO SHARE   Here are three quotes from the podcast:   Here are three quotes from the podcast:   **James Nellis**: "Before I give you anything, I want you to think about this: a change in pattern. We're approaching social media, we're approaching business the wrong way."   **James Nellis**: "If I give you an idea, and you don't like it, just wait two more seconds for the next best idea. At some point, you're going to say yes, this is too fast, this is too much."   **James Nellis**: "Every client when I talked to them about an Easter sunrise at the Lincoln Memorial, everybody signs up for it. And then guess what happens between 5 AM and 9 AM? I get the most cancellations I've ever seen." If you are ready to join eXp realty and would like Dan Lesniak and Keri Shull to personally sponsor you so you have access to two nationally recognized coaching programs text 703-638-4393.   WANT TO GET ACCESS TO ALL OUR HYPERFAST AGENT COURSES FOR A $1 TRIAL? Click here for a trial membership in the Our Inner Circle. KEEP UP WITH US HERE Website: https://hyperfastagent.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HyperFastAgent/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HyperFastAgent/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hyperfastagent  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hyperlocal-hyperfast/    OUR OTHER EXCLUSIVE YOUTUBE CHANNELS  The Keri Shull Team: https://youtube.com/kerishullteam  Dan Lesniak - https://www.youtube.com/danlesniak    THE BOOK THAT HELPED 10K+ REALTORS https://amzn.to/2Mkm9Jp   GET DAN'S BEST SELLING BOOK FREE https://bit.ly/3dbiH3q    INTERESTED IN TAKING YOUR REAL ESTATE BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL?  https://bit.ly/3eLG97Z

Richard Baughn served as an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps and then the U.S. Air Force for more than 30 years both active duty and reserve. He retired as a brigadier general. Gen. Baughn's passion was flying and he put it to excellent use as a P-51 pilot over Europe in World War II and flying the F-104 and F-105 in Vietnam.In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Gen. Baughn takes us along on his missions in World War II, both as a fighter escort for American bombers and his frequent strafing missions against German airfields. He also tells us about his most memorable aerial combat and the often overlooked role that air power played at the Battle of the Bulge.Baughn also tells us about his top secret work in Europe during the Korean War to deter any mischief from the Soviet Union and his inside role developing fighter jets such as the F-100, F-104, and F-105.From there, Gen. Baughn describes his leadership roles in the Vietnam War, the excellent men he served with, and the frustrating rules of engagement that he says tied the hands of American pilots and significantly endangered theirt lives.Finally, Baughn details his time leading the Air Force Tactical Fighter Weapons School during the war and his assignment in Saigon during the final months before it fell to the Communists.

CMSgt Alex Morgan and CMSgt Raul Villarreal Jr. developed dislocation allowance (DLA) for Airmen that turned into a DoD wide mandate for all services. The DLA will help all servicemembers leaving base housing offset some of the cost that are associated with moving into the civilian housing market.

U.S. Air Force Col. Jared Hutchinson, commander of the 414th Combat Training Squadron, U.S. Air Force Col. Craig Andrle, commander of the 388th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Royal Air Force Wing Commander John Cockroft, the Officer Commanding of 1 (Fighter) Squadron, RAF Lossiemouth, United Kingdom and Royal Australian Air Force Wing Commander Damien Fairhurst, commander of the RAAF task unit here participating in Red Flag-Nellis 22-1 speak at a press conference during at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Jan. 31, 2022. The press conference was held to provide public knowledge about the mission of Red Flag-Nellis 22-1. (U.S. Air Force video by Airman 1st Class Zachary Rufus)

I spoke with Seattle record shop owner Brad Tilbe of Nellis Records! He shared some stories from his time running the Light in the Attic record shop in Seattle Center, and transitioning into a record shop owner.  We talk about his store moving into the building that formerly housed the Lo-Fi Performance Gallery (and the other new tenants in the space), aligning goals with the Vera Project and the Black Lodge, his ethos and commitment to community building, his beloved Nick Drake box set design, Ian and Baxter Dury covers, and lots more….thanks for tuning in!    “He's got a very cool and weird taste in music that doesn't necessarily fit in a conventional space…and so do we. So it made perfect sense.” – Ricky Graboski, Executive Director at The Vera Project The Vera Project is an all-ages nonprofit space dedicated to fostering personal and community transformation through collaborative, youth-driven engagement in music and art. A music venue, screen print shop, recording studio, art gallery, and safe space for radical self-expression, VERA is a home to Seattle's creative community. Thanks for tuning in! This episode is sponsored by Distrokid. Check out distrokid.com/vip/designfreaks for a 30% discount!  Follow Brad @nellisrecords Nellis Records on Facebook https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/diy-music-venue-black-lodge-reopens-in-seattles-south-lake-union/ Follow the show: @_designfreakspodcast_ Design Freaks on YouTube Subscribe wherever you get podcasts! linktr.ee/DesignFreaks ~~ Donate to help with recording costs Thank you! ~~ Theme music: "Jet in Jungle" by Damaged Bug, courtesy of John Dwyer

B-roll of multiple F-15E Strike Eagles assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, taxi on the runway during Red Flag-Nellis 22-3 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, July 19, 2022. The Nevada Test and Training Range is the U.S. Air Force's premier military training area with more than 12,000 square miles of airspace and 2.9 million acres of land. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Makenna Gott)

In this intriguing episode, listener Chris shares his unique experiences and encounters with cryptids, UFOs, and other unexplained phenomena. From witnessing mysterious lights at Nellis Air Force Base to a potential werewolf sighting in Central Florida, Chris delves deep into his personal stories. The episode also touches on the elusive Catman of Nellis Testing Range and the rich history of skunk apes in Florida. The conversation is peppered with references to other researchers and shows, emphasizing the vastness of the paranormal community and the shared quest for answers.To get ACCESS TO THE FULL OVER AN HOUR LONG EPISODE become either a Patreon supporter or Youtube channel member below:To unlock more bonus content and much more, become a supporting member of Bigfoot Society by joining the Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/posts/bigfoot-society-90872923Become a Youtube Channel member here: https://youtu.be/rkTjDfsx2pcResources:Chris's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@C73EternalWATCH THE IOWA EPISODE IN THE “SASQUATCH: A SEARCH FOR SABE” DOCUMENTARY SERIES BY TATE HIERONYMUS // FIND OUT ALL ABOUT MY FIRST BIGFOOT ENCOUNTERS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo8O4rvywzESupport Bigfoot Society one time by buying me a coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bigfootsociety To pick up a Bigfoot Society shirt, stickers and more, check out our merch by heading on over to https://www.etsy.com/shop/BigfootSocietySend me a voice message to potentially be used for the show by calling 515-809-0165 Here's a fun prompt - “Hey, my name's [your name] and you're listening to the Bigfoot Society podcast!”If you'd like to send me fan mail, Bigfoot related products to check out or written out Bigfoot encounters then you reach me at the following address: Bigfoot Society 125 E 1st St. #233 Earlham, IA 50072Join our private Facebook group "Bigfoot Sasquatch Encounters" for a chance to connect with others who have had similar experiences. Follow the directions to ensure your entry is accepted.https://www.facebook.com/groups/5762233820540793/?ref=share_group_linkTune in to our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Qq45W6iaTU8FE9kelxT7Q) for new episodes of Bigfoot Society, and visit our website (www.bigfootsocietypodcast.com) for all the links mentioned above and more.Don't miss out on the Bigfoot action! —— Affiliate links mean I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support my channel at no additional cost to you.—— MY GEAR —— My Audio Interface: https://amzn.to/3L1q8XYMy Podcast Mic: https://amzn.to/3AlYwb9My Computer: https://amzn.to/40CCjQyMy Headphones: https://amzn.to/40A8gcrMy Webcam: https://amzn.to/3NqfddhThe best Bigfoot book: https://amzn.to/41x8IcNLose the weight along with me on Noom. Get 20% off your subscription with link below. (Consult your doctor first) https://noom.com/r/GdkaWNddL?1251Join Whatnot and pick up some sweet video games and vintage shirts. Use my link below and we both get $10 credit after you place your first order. https://whatnot.com/invite/bigfootsocietyLearn more and up your creative game with Skillshare. Use my link and get a $50 gift card. https://share.skillshare.com/bigfootsocietyIf you want an amazing website like Bigfoot Society has that is extremely easy to set up and connects to your podcast in an incredible way then check out Podpage. https://www.podpage.com/?via=jeremiah (Use this affiliate link and you help out Bigfoot Society)This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5828342/advertisement

Adam Getty found his way into the Air Force and Pararescue career field prior to September 11th, 2001. As a late 90's Indoc team graduate, Adam has seen many changes in the career field, the nation, and the world. After 10 years of service and ending as an instructor, Adam wanted to prioritize his family and find a new way to serve. He spent another decade as a paramedic before starting Traverse Training Group, a project focused on preparedness for the everyday citizen. Check out his site at www.https://www.traversetraininggroup.com/ where you can find all his class schedules and training programs. From wilderness medicine to small arms training, Adam is here to help. Thanks to Adam for coming on and discussing everything from his experience as a PJ to holistic remedies and everything in between! 00:00 Aaron steals the intro, check out OnesReady.com for all your needs and TraverseTrainingGroup03:20 Adam Getty's background 14:55 Time at Kirtland, stationed at Nellis 20:00 Great Jason Cunningham story about keeping your head about you23:30 Fat Instructors and Being Disciplined 32:30 Lyme disease and figuring out an unknown illness for a family member42:00 The Gut is the second brain except Peaches eats Papa John's like a goblin49:00 The Biggest difference in civilians, PJs, and your time in the military1:02:30 Adam's advice Collabs:18A Fitness - Promo Code: 1ReadyAlpha Brew Coffee Company - Promo Code: ONESREADYATAC Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY10CardoMax - Promo Code: ONESREADYEberlestock - Promo Code: OR10Hoist - Promo Code: ONESREADYStrike Force Energy - Promo Code: ONESREADYTrench Coffee Company - Promo Code: ONESREADYGrey Man Gear - Promo Code: ONESREADY The content provided is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The host, guests, and affiliated entities do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided. The use of this podcast does not create an attorney-client relationship, and the podcast is not liable for any damages resulting from its use. Any mention of products or individuals does not constitute an endorsement. All content is protected by intellectual property laws. By accessing or using this you agree to these terms and conditions.

Today we're going to introduce a game changer in the dental practice management software world...‍‍This is an innovative, all-in-one, cloud-based practice management software, and it offers an array of powerful features that are custom built for dentists by dentists ready to revolutionize the way you work. ‍If you are a start-up and decide to sign up with Oryx, they will NOT charge you a single dime, until you reached 200 active patients!⁠⁠They are partnering up with all startup practice owners and making sure you succeed, fast!⁠⁠ Click this link to schedule a FREE personalized demo and to see more on their exclusive deal!⁠‍‍Guest: Dannica BrennanPractice Name: FlossologieCheck out Dannica's Media:‍Website: https://www.flossologie.com/Flossologie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flossologie/Dannica Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdannica/‍Other Mentions and Links:HPSP ScholarshipMacDill Air Force Base360 AromaOcean EyesCerecDentagraphicsWorking Women of Tampa Bay Facebook GroupWest Coast Swing DanceDeep Work - Cal Newport‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍‍My Key Takeaways:You CAN open up full fee for service, just don't expect potential patients to come in without good marketing.Try a scented AC diffuser to add a non-dental scent to your office that patients will love!Take the time to research your demographics and form a customer avatar to find your perfect patients.With influencer marketing, targeting accounts with 5-15k followers can be more beneficial than the larger influencers!When the patient sits down, tell them exactly what is owed for the day so it's not looming in their mind.Be sure to start building your social media before your open your practice to get momentum.‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: Alright, it's time to talk with our featured guest, Dr. Danica Brennan. Danica, how's it going? Good, how Dannica: are you? Michael: I'm doing pretty good. Thanks for asking. If you don't mind me asking, where are you located? Dannica: I'm in Tampa, Michael: Florida. Oh my gosh. Blue water's out there. Dannica: Yeah. Yeah, it's really nice. Super blue.Been kind of hot actually, so it's been Michael: nice. What is hot out there? Dannica: It's been like the eighties. Oh yeah. Yeah. High eighties. It's real sunny, so Yeah, it is hot. Yeah. Michael: Especially for right now. What's, what's it like in winter?Dannica: I guess it depends what time of winter. I think the cold it'll dip down to like the thirties sometimes.Very rarely but average in the winter's, like fifties and sixties, maybe in the seventies if it's sunny, Michael: so. Okay. Interesting, Interesting. Awesome. Danica, so if you can tell us a little bit about your past, your present. How'd you get to where you are today? Dannica: So, uh, see, I'm from Montana originally, and then um, I swam in college, kind of moved around a couple different colleges.Ended up in Las Vegas where I went to dental school. And then I joined the Air Force. So I got the H P S P program scholarship. And so I did my one year A E G D residency with them at Nellis in Las Vegas, and then moved out here with my husband to Tampa and he was stationed here at McDill Air Force Base for about three and a half years.And then um, separated, back in December of 2021 and then opened up my own office. Michael: So, Outta the Air Force in 2021? Yes. Uh, okay. Okay. So rewind a little bit. When was the moment or the time where you decided I wanna do my own practice? Dannica: Don't get me wrong, I loved being a dentist in the military, but um, when Covid kind of hit, it was.Not so great it was just a lot of like show face, like, hey, we're still part of the mission and everybody has to show up and be around each other. And keep in mind our flight, which is like the whole dental group was like a hundred and some people cramm in like one office. And so they just wanted us all there just in case.People deployed, which only needs one dentist, not 12. And it was very like, very unorganized and very not patient centered. And I am very like, let's have the patient have a good experience and make things make sense and organized and they just, We're not about that.And so I was like, you know, I initially thought I was gonna buy an office 'cause I had listened to another podcast that kind of got me like, wow, other, if other people can own their own offices, I can do it too. And so I initially thought about buying an office. I went through all the due diligence processes and then just decided it just wasn't what I wanted.And so, I decided to do a startup. Michael: Gotcha. Where was it where you hit a lot of road bumps in the acquisition process? Dannica: It really wasn't road bumps. It was more so I just didn't like the offices. If you've seen my office, it's very unlike any other office, and that's kind of what I had envisioned from the beginning.And I finally just realized I would have to put so much money and time and effort into changing everything. No matter what I bought, I might as well just do it from the beginning to the way. Michael: Gotcha. Got. So what is your office like? Dannica: Well, so it's called ology and we have, so a couple like cool things about it.We're right on the water, which like a little manmade lake. So all my operatories have this big, gorgeous window that looks out into the lake with like gators and turtles my mom was my interior designer, so it's very Uh, how would you say, I guess, mid-century modern, unique, and then the really cool part Tampa is really known for their, like, street artists.And so I hired a street artist and five of my walls, the one main wall in one of the hallways, and then one wall in each operatory is just like this huge street art mural. Nothing to do with dentistry except for one has like big. teeth and my dogs and, and everything. So it's very different vibe.Like very instagramy, very street arty. very different. Yeah. Michael: Where did the vision come from? Dannica: so in the military I ended up getting a lot of the patients who kind of had high anxiety, which I really enjoyed working on them. for some reason I just am good with those patients and like helping them calm down and like kind of changing their ideas on how I.It is to go to the dentist. And I didn't want to have this sterile white wall, boring, plain environment. And so I kind of started off with like a med spa sort of idea with the uppity, boutiquey. And then I just thought to myself, that just doesn't really sound super inviting to everybody.Like I want everyone to be able to feel invited to come to my office. And so, the other thing about like the street art was, I love it and no matter how crappy of a day am having like it sort of inspires me, like seeing it around and it's just like a cool different thing to have. That's how it sort of progressed into what it's been.Michael: Gotcha. How do you help these patients calm down? Dannica: So we've got a couple things. So if you ever gone to like Las Vegas in those big hotels and they smell really nice. They have those scents in the ac we have the same, so I ordered that machine to hook into my ac so it smells really good in there.The murals, the artwork, the whole goal is to not look, smell, or feel like a dental office. So we've got the heat massage and the chairs, the TVs, you know, right above your head with the Bluetooth headphones. And then we're fully fee for service, so we. do a really good job, Lisa, I think I do, of taking my time, explaining everything to patient, answering all their questions, and because we're fee for service, we have the time and the resources to be able to do that.And so we get a lot of people who travel pretty far to like come see our office and we haven't had anybody upset yet, so they seem to like it.Michael: Real quick, what is the scent machine? Like? Where do we get that? What is that? Dannica: It's called 360 Aroma they have different levels, but, I bought the, like fancy one. It's a few hundred bucks a month to rent it and then you get scent with it. And so it basically is this big machine that has this hose that hooks into your your AC system, like the actual.The handler. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And then, like a hose and then a scent hooks into it and you get those scents sent to you so you can change 'em out each month if you want, or keep the same one. And it basically just diffuses through all your A system. But it's called 360 Aroma. That's one I use.There's a bunch of different ones, but that's a popular one. Michael: Yeah. And people, your patients are like, oh my gosh, it smells different. Did they say so? Dannica: I have not had a single person walk into my office and not mention how good it smells in there. Not a single person. That's the first thing that comes outta their mouth is, wow, it smells so good in here.And you can turn it up or down. So like we have two air handlers, the front and the back. And so in the back it's turned down a little bit and in the front it's turned up a little bit. Like you can do percentages. the one that I use is called Ocean Eyes and highly recommend everybody.Michael: Yeah. And interesting. Okay. That, That's something that, uh, never heard of really, you know what I mean? Until, uh, you hear but rewind a little bit. You said sometimes when you have crappy days, you look at your murals, Your walls. What are crappy days? Dannica: Oh, so, I'm pregnant right now and just for example, congrat, so I'm still in my first trimester and I'm, I feel so sick.Yeah. So like, usually I love coming to the office, but some mornings I wake up and I just don't feel good. And so, I get there and used to have the patient sitting in the chair and I, do a lot of cosmetic stuff. Uh, a lot of like non-invasive Veneers and things like that that I really like doing.And so it's a lot of like artistic type of dentistry. The biomimetic stuff as well, where it's all like custom partial coverage with the machine and everything. So I get in and I kind of like just look at like what I built and the murals and the art and it just sort of, I feel better when I'm at work.Michael: Yeah. Yeah. It's like your place, you know what I mean? The place you created Yeah. To make you feel. Exactly. Now, man, so you, your first trimester, is this your first? Yeah. And you've been open for two years? Five months. Five months. Five months. Oh my gosh. Five months. Yeah. And you're, how you Dannica: feeling? In terms of what?Just Michael: with everything, everything happening like right now. Good. Dannica: I mean, I can't complain. Like I was a little worried and thinking back on it, maybe a little bit ambitious to like start a startup fully fee for service office with zero patients because I was military beforehand. Mm-hmm. So like, I had no patience. But we're doing great. So I, I really can't complain. marketing wise, we do a lot of different types of marketing and a lot of ground marketing and I just am exhausted. But it's fun. I like it 'cause it's mine. Michael: Yeah. Interesting. Okay we'll dive into the marketing. but before that, did anybody try talking to you or talking you out of like, you wanna do p p O a little bit?Like at least take some on right now and then drop it. That happened. Dannica: Everybody, every single person that I talked to told me to do that. And uh, with the type of dentistry that I do and the type of dentistry that I want to do in the office and the atmosphere that I want, it just wasn't something that I was willing to risk.To not risk, but like, I just said, no, I've always been that way my whole life though. Ask my mom, someone tells me not to do something and I'll go and do it anyways and succeed. So I just figured that's alright. Michael: Yeah. So then fee for service from day one. No insurances. How what are you doing to make it scale, I guess?Like what are you doing internally? Also to make, tell yourself like everything's gonna be okay, right. Kind of thing. But also externally, what are you doing? Dannica: So I'm really particular about how every single thing in my office flows from, you know, the highest technology. The minimally invasive stuff is big.People really like that. They like the holistic, functional type of approach to dentistry. And so that's really big here in Tampa in general. I did a really good demographic study. I'm in a really nice area in Tampa, so that helps as well. But again, we do like, you know, the.Sented warm towels afterwards to how our phone conversations go. We have a good script for if someone is a little bit wary about it, there's ways that I train my staff and myself on how to kind of convert those patients and explain to them and give them idea of why they should come and see us instead of a.And then on top of that, like it's motivating that every single patient that is there in my office wants to be there and wants to be there for me also my hygienist is amazing and that helps. I will say that. Find an amazing hygienist like she is my. Clinical partner, you know, and just my patients love her too.But no one's there saying I only wanna do it if insurance does it. Everyone is very open and just appreciates our work and that is really nice environment to work in. So that's been really motivating for myself. It is. I enjoy going to work and I enjoy all my patients and I know that they appreciate me.We kind of weed those other ones out over the phone. Michael: Let me ask you about that, the phone part. Um, mm-hmm. Real quick, what's the script that you use to convert these patients? Dannica: So your typical phone conversation is, hi, do you accept my insurance? And we say, yes, we accept all insurances. We just work a little bit different with them.You pay our full fee up front and then we file that claim for you. And then within a few weeks you receive a reimbursement check from your insurance company. And based on how they respond to that, a lot of the times it's, oh, okay, great. No big deal. Schedule. Sometimes it's, oh, that's kind of weird, or oh y so then we sort of, Move into like, I kind of feel it out.So I have a couple different ways I can go, but some of the main ones are either asking them Hey, do you mind if I ask why you're looking for a new dentist? Because that's just brings up the, no, I haven't had a single person be like, no, screw you. They're like, let me tell you why I hate my other.And so that's like a time for us to shine and it's usually not listened to too rough. Aggressive treatment plans, things like that. So that's when I can be like, Hey, let me tell you why my office is different and why you're gonna love it here. Uh, another reason, another thing that I say is, Hey, I know that this is a little bit non-traditional, the way we work with insurances, but that's on purpose.We are a non-traditional office and we shine because we're non-traditional. And so then that kind of gets them asking questions, well, like, why are you so, but I found like the biggest thing is finding out what they're looking for by just the minute they start hesitating, I'm like, Hey, can I ask like, what are you looking for in a new dentist or with a new dental office?And you get that conversation started and I can usually convert them and at the end I say, Hey. We usually tell our patients, just come try us out and if you love us, great and if not, no sweat. You know, just come see how it works. And we've kept every patient so far. So it's very few that I can't personally convert over the phone Michael: that way.Nice. Okay, so when you say try us out, just try us out. Is that like a free consultation or No, you're still gonna have to pay, but. No. Yeah, Dannica: I mean we make them pay. We do offer to make it easier for their first appointment. We always tell 'em this like, Hey, when was the last time you saw a dentist So we require either a pano or an F M X. Personally, I prefer pano. It's just my preference, but a pano or F M X within five years and then bite wings within a year. And so if they've had those at another dental office, we will call on their behalf and request it. Part of our new patient forms. is a waiver for them to have that.So we just have that on our system already and we request those x-rays. So it's one less thing that they have to pay for upfront to begin with, just to make it easier for them to come in and Yes. So it's not like $500 for a new patient exam and cleaning, you know? We also do offer cleaning same day as their new patient exam if they want it.'cause I find a lot of patients that's like, one of their main concerns is, well I really just wanted to switch 'cause I'm due for a cleaning. And so we sort of have, Hey, how long has it been? If it's been, you know, less than three years, we will usually offer that same day cleaning for them. Michael: Gotcha.Okay. Dan, are you the one in the front answering phones Dannica: or, I do a lot of the times. Yeah. I mean, my staff or my hygienist, I will let her as well. My assistants have been on and off with, like one moved and then I'm in the process of firing one and then hiring two new. So I've sort of been up there doing a lot of that phone conversation just 'cause it's so new and I know I can convert patients, so I would rather be the one to take calls.Michael: Yeah. Also really good for you to make those like. Scripts, right. S o p systems, right. Already ahead of time. You're like, I know how they're gonna react Dannica: and Yes. You know what I mean? So I'm learning too, what works and what doesn't, so I can train new staff. Yeah. As well. Michael: You said you're in the process of firing someone.Talk to me about that. Dannica: I started off with two assistants and a hygienist. My one assistant, uh, ended up leaving 'cause he was moving. So I loved having him. He was great. And the girl that I had to start off with had some like family issues. So I don't know what happened.I don't know, whatever, but, so I hired a new girl back in January and she's really young and she seems super motivated and I personally like training and I like teaching and. All this stuff, but she's been a little bit more than I can handle emotionally. we listen to conversations that are recorded and if there's issues with them, I try to train and teach or if there's been issues with the patient, I try to go over things so that way it's not just left unresolved.And, she cries every single. Try to talk to her. And I try to do it real, really nice way, but I think it's just like an emotional maturity kind of thing. And I just, I'm to the point where like, I just can't, like Yeah. Emotionally keep doing that, you know? So I found I was going to just replace the one, and I found two amazing girls.And so I, I think I'm just gonna, Michael: yeah. And the first time that happened, were you like, oh, no, no, no, it's, everything's fine. And then, And then now like, it's like, oh, it's happening again. You're crying. Dannica: Yeah, the first time I was like, she literally threw up Ah. I was like, we, how do you know? Because I heard her in the bathroom.Like we were practicing phone conversations together as a team. Yeah. And we would like, somebody would go outside and call in and one person would answer the phone and then we would listen to it and go over it together. And yeah, she like one criticism and She's very young and like really wants to be good and like I know she's gonna be such a great assistant. It's just taking that time to like build up to it. You can get the confidence. So Michael: yeah. Poor her. Yeah, there's something there. Something there and she needs to figure out. But anyways, so that's the process of firing right now.I know run a little bit. You said you did a demographic study before you even opened up. What'd you do? Dannica: I used demographics. So I paid probably like, I think like 700 bucks or a thousand some, somewhere around there. Well worth it. Loved it. That's how I decided which areas to like drive around and look for places to rent.Michael: Build in. And this was the first spot where you're like, I love it. This is the first one I'm gonna be here. Or this was not the first one? Dannica: No, I had found another place and started negotiating a lease and the tenants ended up not wanting to move out, so that ended up not working out.So then in that scramble, I sort of, oh, I can't even, I skipped work and I was still military, so. I would be like, Hey, I'm sick. And I'd go and I'd drive all day and like look around and, uh, I finally found this place. So they, the people just happened to be like leaving and there was a sign and I was like the first one to like figure out, because it's a really good spot and it was a really good deal and I locked that down real quick.Michael: So. Nice. So you were, you were already over your other job, right? Like your other associateship at the. Dannica: I mean, I was active duty military, just a dentist on base. So, yeah, I think I was doing administrative work at the time, so it wasn't like I was calling, I wasn't seeing patients at the time. Yeah, I was just doing like front desk stuff, so, Michael: yeah.Interesting. Yeah. No, no, No, I get you. Okay, so then fast forward to now, marketing's way different for fee for service, right? Than, well, actually technically, like P P O or any insurances is a marketing expense, right? If you think about it, 'cause. Yeah, to come to you. So what are you doing for marketing? Dannica: We, I mean, I throw a bunch of things out there.I'm still in the process of like figuring out what consistently works. One of the big things that I do that really works is I'm part of a lot of Facebook groups, like meetup groups. One's called like Working Women of Tampa Bay. So it's a lot of women who like own their own businesses and I go to their monthly, weekly meetings and I meet these women and I make connections and I get a lot of people from that.They come in, they love it, they post about it, they tell other people about it. So a lot of referrals that way. We do, I think I heard actually on, on your podcast from somebody else about influencer marketing and so I started doing that as well where you bring in the influencers. My office is. Perfect for it.And that was part of the design as well, was to be able to bring in like a. Population too. So we do influence your marketing giveaway, free teeth cleaning or teeth whitening or whatever in exchange for like a reel in stories, and they help promote certain promotions at our office. I do a lot of social media, so I do all my own social media, myself, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, things like that.That's actually worked really well too, like boosting those posts, doing ads on Facebook. And then I did have a marketing person for a while, and I was spending like four grand a month on like Google and ss e o and I finally just quit that because I wasn't getting anything, not a single thing. So, we ask everybody on the forms where they found us and every single one was either social media or verbal referral.Michael: Mm-hmm. The person who was doing your marketing, how long did you stick it out with them? Dannica: Like four, five months. Michael: Oh Dannica: man. So five times four. Yeah. It was recently that I just decided not to continue. Yeah. Michael: To let that person go.That's been, that was a lot of, that was like almost 20,000 right there if it was 4,000 a month. Right. Like, what was their, can you give us like, what was their reasoning Dannica: So they also did my website, which, uh, technically I did my website, also against like, so if you look at my website, it's also very non-traditional.And that was on purpose too. And they bought, and bought with me. 'cause I sent them design, like my mom and I built a website and sent it to them and then they built it based off that on their own platform. Mm-hmm. Um, But I was just like, Hey, this is what I wanna see in my ads. These are the things I wanna push out.And they would say no. And then I said, okay, well show me what you're putting out. And then they couldn't show me. And then when they did, I was like, that's not correct. I would have to constantly be like, I don't do Zoom whitening. There's no light. I do core, no light. Please don't say in my ads that there's gonna be light.So it was just constantly, like, they're great. They're such a wonderful company for like somebody who just isn't picky about things and is like, just somebody do it for me. I don't want anything to do with it. But for somebody who's really particular, yeah, it just isn't a great fit. Michael: So, I mean, even if they got that information wrong in the ad, I mean, somebody's gonna come in and be like, where's the light kind of thing.You know what I mean? Right. Dannica: So I had somebody call and be like, Hey who's the other dentist? And I was like, No other dentist. They're like, oh, office, this ad, it says that there's multiple dentists and you would get to pick who you saw. And I was like, what ad are you talking about? Yeah. So just little things like that.Ah, Michael: kind of sounds cookie cutter then, right? Like they would just copy paste uhhuh. Yeah. It was time to drop. I'm like, oh, while ago. Yeah. You know what I mean? Kind of thing. Yeah. Interesting. Okay. So when it comes to the influencer marketing or the Facebook groups as well, the ones that you're a part of, Do you offer anything like a specific incentive or anything like that or, Dannica: The Facebook, like the meetups and stuff?Mm-hmm. No, not really. I get plenty of people who are looking for a dentist anyways. A lot of these people in these groups have just moved here and they're looking for other networking opportunities. So a lot of them meet a new dentist and a lot of them really Really appreciate the, like functional type of, like I said, non-invasive, cosmetic type of office.Like just a different feel, especially here in Florida 'cause there's a lot of older dentists here, so, I don't really have to offer anything for those ones. And then the influencers, I do, like I said, the free teeth whitening or free teeth cleaning in exchange. So that's the only thing I really offer.A lot of 'em end up actually becoming patients of mine though afterwards. Mm-hmm. Pay for treatment. Michael: Yeah, you just message them on Instagram or Hey, come on in like that. Dannica: Yeah, we have like a script written up. I have found that you sort of do have to be pretty detail oriented on it because like there was one influencer we brought in and our whitening isn't cheap, you know, and we usually do it on a day off where like they can film and video.And this girl like did like one story and it was the crappiest story, didn't even put in our name on it. And then when I messaged her she was like, oh, I'm sorry, that's. That's reserved for paid collaborations. And I was like, shut the, you know? Yeah, yeah, Yeah. So we're now we're like clear like, hey, this is an exchange for this, this, and this. Mm-hmm. And like then if they agree, Michael: oh man, normally what do you target? Do you target like a hundred thousand follower people or. Dannica: I actually target like five to 15,000. Okay. because the people who have more than that, a lot of the times it's More than just Tampa followers, right?The ones that are like five to 15 are still growing their accounts. So they're more likely to agree, more, likely to do more for you, for less. And then their circle is big enough here in Tampa. They have a lot of Tampa friends that they can tell you about the ones that are like hundreds of thousands.It's like there's no. Really big benefit. We found the best with the ones from five to 15. So far they've been the nicest, the most like appreciative of it. They become patients, they tell all their friends, they do the best reels, the best stories. And that's kind of what I don't get a lot of sass of like, well, it's not a paid collaboration.Yeah, Michael: that'd be, I don't know. I feel like, oh my gosh, what a wait. You know what I mean? Kind of thing. But uh, no, I get you that, that makes a lot of sense. Awesome. So then how many new patients are you getting right now? Mostly. Dannica: We averaged like 35 to 45. Um, wow. from that. So a lot of friends come and see me, which is nice, but that's about what I'm averaging. So dance community. I do a dance called West Coast Swing, so I do it socially and competitively.Mm-hmm. And it's, it's, yeah, it's global. And so I go twice a week and do like social dancing and then I go monthly to like competition type of thing. there's a huge community here for it. And it's very well off people, not a cheap hobby. Kind of a nice thing to all those people have been wanting to be patient.Michael: Interesting. Okay. Okay. We're gonna have to Google somebody, one of the listeners, Google Danica and be like, swing dancing and Yeah. Dannica: Yeah, I think I'm on. I'm not like that. Good. I've known it for like five, six years though. I'm like advanced level, but that's like level three of five, But um, it's fun. It's a really good like stress reliever and I really like just kind of moving and grooving. Yeah. Also my husband like super social and. He's my little social butterfly. I'm a little bit more introverted and he will like, no kidding, go to these women's group events and just thrive and like make best friends and be like, all right, I got you like He's been a great referral source as well. Yeah. Michael: You tell him Go fly. Go fly, go. Yeah. That's awesome. So then what systems right now? Would you say are unique in your practice that you're like, I love the systems we've created so far. Dannica: Just the whole, everybody is on the same page with everything. So we do morning huddles every morning about every single patient.So there's never a point where a patient leaves the back office to come up to the front to see someone new, and that person does not know what we just did and what we plan on doing next. so everyone is very, think with that. At least that's the idea. We're doing pretty good at it.We're still getting there. Yeah. That's one thing that I feel like is unique and patients really appreciate. Trying to think of other things unique wise. I think we just, we do a really good job of like, Because we're not insurance driven. It's not like, okay, every new patient it has to be this, or this.We're very accommodating to what patients are looking for and just price things different based off of that. So we can be a little bit more selective and flexible with how we bring new patients in if that Michael: makes Yeah, makes a sense. Yeah. I mean, you can.Customize everything basically, right? Dannica: Yes. Which patients just so appreciate and They're really not frustrated coming in. They're not frustrated leaving, I will say, because we're fee for service. One thing that we do that I feel like has been really important that my hygienist thought of that I'm really happy she did is every patient, the minute they're sat back in the room is told exactly how much is owed for the day.So that way there's never any surprises. You always go over treatment plans, but those get forgotten and then they schedule treatment. And so one thing we do is we have these routes slip that are morning huddles we go through and then it follows the patient throughout the office. so there's never any question about anything.And the patient's always told, this is how much you're gonna owe for today. And so there's never any awkwardness after the appointment. It's just, oh, I didn't expect that. Then guess what? We just don't do as much that day. That has helped tremendously with patients feeling comfortable throughout treatment and after treatment.Michael: So you let them know beforehand. Dannica: Yep. Yeah. Ah. Um, We also, like my staff is trained to, you know, if we're doing a lower left tooth and there's another tooth next to it that needs it mentioning to the patient, Hey, also while you're numb and isolated with rubber dam on, do you wanna just do this tooth, it this much money as well?And so, they're also trained to like mention that at the beginning in case the patient ends up like they forgot and they're like, oh, well yeah, let's just do that then as Michael: well. Yeah, that's good. That's like a little mini, I mean, not a mini, but like it's an upsell kind of thing, but at the same time it needs to be done.Right, right, right. Okay. Interesting, interesting. So I like that mentioning at the beginning of the, the whole appointment, you know what I mean? That way they're not caught off guard or they're like, you're trying to, I knew, you know, they're at more at ease and then you can overdeliver at the same time.Yeah. Interesting. Okay. So then right now, I guess from the moment you decided, let's talk about from the moment you decided to leave, right? The Air force and then all the way till today. What's been some of your biggest struggles or fails? Your pitfalls? Dannica: Building the office for sure. The construction legally, per my settlement, I'm not allowed to talk about my construction company, but that should be a good enough statement alone.Yeah. Let's just say I was the gc, so my mom, my mom and I designed the office. She like moved down here for like six months and helped me design it. It went from a three month build out to like a seven month build out. That was a big struggle, honestly, like just trying to make sure everything was built the way we wanted it.I think that I felt so, like I needed to be so in charge and so on top of everything, and as much as I loved doing that, that was really hard for me. So, I mean, it turned out exactly the way I wanted it, which is good. But being that involved in it was very difficult without having the proper help for that.I think that part of my, like, downfall with things is just stress and I, I really can't take my mind off of work. I come home and my poor husband has to listen to everything about work. Luckily he's super supportive, but like if I had somebody different, they'd be like, can you just like stop talking about work.I wish I would've taken like a little bit more time for myself to like help do stress relief. And didn't do a lot of that and I had a, like lot of medical complications last year because of stress and so, that's kind of been like the biggest thing, but honestly it's all been worth it and I'm happy now and Michael: yeah, no.So man, Danika, it sounds like there was a ton of stress, was a lot of the stress 'cause of the. The construction part or? Dannica: percent. Michael: Yeah. I know we can't really talk about the settlement, but can you I guess give us a range of like, well, we got what we wanted kind of thing, or more of what we wanted, or you guys did. Okay. Okay. Okay. Dannica: I got a cheap build out, let's just say that.Yeah. Michael: Wow. So there was a bunch of headache going on with that then. Yeah. So a hundred percent that was the stress right Dannica: there. Yes, a hundred percent. So like for example I guess I, I think this is okay to say, but like, plans, right? So from architecture to design to then here's one good example.We designed our cabinets to all be floating. So plumbing into cabinets needs to come up through the walls, right? And For about two months. 'cause I didn't notice this two months when my mom was gone for her anniversary. And then she came back and right before the walls and the floors were gonna go in, she walked into the office and immediately was like, why is the plumbing coming up from the floor?And it had been like that forever. And so, then timelines got pushed back. We had asked multiple times like, Hey, you sure you have the updated floor plan? You sure you have the updated floor plan? Yes, yes, yes. And then all of a sudden, and I got told I'd get walkthroughs, never got walkthroughs framing went up all wrong.They had the wrong floor plan. Like it was just a lot of like delay because nothing was. Going that way. There was no site manager. So the people, the subs were just doing whatever the heck they wanted. Yeah. Yeah, so, so my mom moved down here with me and we took over doing there every day.We did all of our own tiling. We did all of the, my front wall, the wings, coat wall. We did, my mom is an interior designer and does tiling, and so we have like, Two huge walls of tile plus two huge half walls of tile, like complicated tile that took us weeks to do. And so we did all that ourselves. We built, some of the walls.I learned a drywall, I learned frame, I learned to put up, and paint and all this stuff. And so I helped the subs move things along. It's kind of fun. I learned to do a lot of things, but, um, I was there every single day for. Six, seven months. Michael: Wow, man. Halfway through the tile process. Were you like, I don't even care anymore.I just put up a wall. It doesn't matter. Or were you still dedicated to it? I Dannica: was still dedicated to it, but yeah, there's just a lot of like, mom, can you just like be quiet. Michael: Just leave it alone, mom. Just like, no, I get you. But you know what? Throughout this whole, I guess time, we've been talking, your mom's been coming up a lot, and so she really wants you to, you know what I mean?Like, I'm here for you. I'm here for you. I'm. And it's so good to be like, even I know a hundred percent you can do it right. But it's so good to be like, just in case my mom, Dannica: you know? Yeah. There was a lot of times where like my marketing, my gc everybody, I'd be like, Hey, my mom's gonna join in on this conversation and join in on this Zoom call.And they were like, what the heck? And then by the end of it, like she knew that design and now she designed every cabinet every. Floor, paint, color, everything. She designed my office from the ground up, other than the murals I had designed. But so she was in on that project and knew, let me tell you what, we know how to build a dental office.Yeah, It would not be anywhere near what it looks like or what it is like without her. So I was really thankful for her to help me out. Michael: Awesome. Danika. So one of the last questions I wanna ask you is, What's a piece of advice that you've received that you'd like to give to our listeners who maybe are in the process going through the process or thinking about that process?Dannica: so if you're, if you're thinking about like a fee for service startup, it's definitely doable. There's a lot of people who can tell you it's not. But a couple like pieces of advice would be don't just expect patients to come in. You're gonna have to do some ground marketing yourself. You know, walking around with fires, meeting people, doing all the things, get social build up your social media first.Don't do it when you're open. Like build up your social media first. Such a great marketing tool, and if you have more followers, people are more likely to come see you and see your reels and see your ads. So do that first. Build it up. Don't be scared to look a little silly on Instagram. Kind of fun actually.And know like what your vision is, what type of patience you want. Like I had two specific. Patients in mind that I were my ideal patients and I built a whole story around them. And that's how I sort of built my office was around that. And it's been consistently showing that it's working. I mean, I was in the black, is that what it's called?In the black, where you start making money month two. So like I, did very well just from having these Ideas and plans beforehand and being so hands-on, and so it's not an easy thing to do, but it's definitely doable. Michael: Nice. Awesome. Danica, thank you so much for being with us. It's been a pleasure.But before we say goodbye, can you tell our listeners where they can find you? Dannica: Yeah, so, Instagram's a good one. Ology with an ie. Or Dr. Danica is my personal one. I don't have as many followers, but still find more from my personal life. anybody can reach out to me through, um, Instagram or email or our website, ology com, or I'm happy to give my cell number too, if anyone has.Michael: Awesome. So guys, that's all gonna be in the show notes below. And Danica, thank you so much for being with us. It's been a pleasure and we'll hear from you soon. Thank you.‍

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