Veteran Influencer Podcast

Today I had a good opportunity to speak with a classmate from the United States Naval Academy, Charlie Pruitt. Charlie was also a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy, having served aboard a guided missile destroyer the USS Ross, as well as a guided missile cruiser the USS Monterey. He made the decision to leave the active duty due to a calling to explore the US financial sector, his interest in what had happened around 2007/2008, as well as his desire to learn more about this important feature of the economy led him to Ernst & Young in Manhattan where he joined their advisory services group. This then ultimately led him towards real estate and property management, learning the intricacies of cash flow and how to spot a good residential investment. He's now back in the financial sector conducting internal auditing, bringing the diligence and attention to detail of a military officer to this crucial role, impacting a company's financial health.

In today's episode, I had an opportunity to reconnect with a fellow shipmate from my time in the Navy, Grant Yeatman. Grant earned his commission as a Navy Surface Warfare Officer from the ROTC program at the University of Southern California, and he and I were stationed for a few years in Norfolk, VA on USS Barry. After leaving the Navy, Grant transitioned to commercial real estate on the west coast via several years in finance working on Wall Street in Manhattan. He gives us insight into how his original career goals shifted during his networking and interviewing, sending him to a different part of the private sector than he'd originally envisioned, but one that provided a great starting point for his career today. We also get the chance to talk a lot about networking, and the value of persistence and dedication when seeking out and cementing business contacts that can help you find the ideal career. Grant shares his perspective on self-reliance, and the value of going the extra mile.

Brian and I have been working together at Bradley-Morris ever since I started, and I was glad he was able to be the first Air Force officer we've had on the podcast. Brian came from the Air Force's ICBM program and transitioned from a role in training and leadership to working with officers as a recruiter at Bradley-Morris, providing full service recruiting and career transition consulting. Today's episode touches on the value of confidence and personality in the interview process, and how those factors can be rehearsed and honed to help veterans who are usually great communicators learn this new type of communications discipline that is speaking to civilian hiring managers during the interview. We also hear a great example of where Brian made a critical mistake during an early interview by asking the wrong questions, but how that mistake set him up to provide guidance and mentorship to hundreds of fellow officers once he eventually found his role here at BMI.

This conversation is with Scott Pastell, a 2007 Naval Academy graduate and former Surface Warfare Officer. We discuss his orders to the University of Nebraska to be an ROTC instructor where he earned a master's degree in education and planned his transition to civilian life. We discuss his approach to leadership by trying to influence to a maximal level with minimal power by creating mechanisms that inspire the "want-to" instead of the "force-to." Scott is creating systems of Gamification at the individual and team level to infuse his coworkers with a sense of drive and purpose through positive reinforcement.

Hannah is one of my coworkers from Austin, TX. She works with Army officers to establish their transition plan within Bradley-Morris, and provides full service consultation and recruiting to the candidates she works with, from years out all the way through the first day of work at their new job. In this episode, we discussed her motivations for seeking a civilian career, how she ended up at Bradley-Morris after considering more cyber/IT leadership related positions, and her advice for job seekers beginning this process for themselves. We discuss advice for financial positioning, as well as some great recommendations for resources to help with that process.

Nate and I were fellow English majors in college and had a unique opportunity to work together for a few weeks during a media engagement in Malta on behalf of our NATO leadership at the time. In this episode, we catch up with what he's been doing since completing his graduate education in data science and relocating to the west coast to join a major insurance firm. Nate works hand in hand with decision makers, using data science to support the development and deployment of unique insurance products to support customer needs. He's at a unique nexus of hard sciences and understanding people and human behavior, leveraging his communications and leadership skills from the military to understand and address the challenges he faces at work in this new field.

Nick and I were roommates at the Naval Academy, so this one was a layup of an episode and a good chance to reconnect with one of my closest friends. Nick left the Marine Corps bound for business school, ending up in management consulting for a few years before making the decision to reactivate his commission in the Reserves to deploy overseas and train with a foreign military. Upon completing his time overseas, Nick pursued a career in policy with the State Department, becoming a Foreign Service Officer. This episode highlights his journey from military service, to the private sector, then back to the public sector where his diverse experiences make him a force multiplier for the teams with which he works. Nick shares his advice for those that are considering a similar path, and gives us insight into what it's like to navigate between the different sectors of employment available in the US economy.

Jon and I spoke about his transition out of the Marine Corps and initial civilian career in construction project management. Jon decided after a few years to acquire more education and make a career change for the sake of family; his employer had him traveling to projects all around North America, and he wanted to have more time at home. Jon attended the University of Connecticut to earn his JD, using the state's program for combat veterans to defer the cost of tuition significantly. He talks about that process, as well as some of the pitfalls he encountered during that time related to mental health, substance abuse, and how his family and friends from the service helped him get the help he needed to get his life back on track. It's often talked about in the media, but this experience is all too common, and Jon was gracious to be honest and open about his trials, and I think speaking about this topic and publishing it on the podcast is a good step for those that may also be struggling to recognize that they'r

Sean is a classmate of mine from USNA who commissioned into the Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialty upon graduation. We caught up on Skype in a longer format conversation that explores his decision making process during his career transition, and what led him to business school before entering the full time employment market. Sean also discusses his new side-project, www.DetBozeman.com, an elite leadership summit for honorably discharged military veterans who are looking for an exclusive, mid career networking opportunity set against the staggeringly beautiful backdrop of the American Rocky Mountains.  

Jake made the transition to Bradley-Morris following his time in the Army and quickly learned how to deploy his unique form of persuasive leadership in the civilian sphere to help clients hire military veterans. We talk about where he stumbled, where he succeeded, and his path to leading an 8-figure sales team through their goals at a company whose mission is to connect military veterans with companies with an imminent need to hire. As the third episode featuring a Bradley-Morris employee, I'm sensitive to the fact that their recommendations are all to go to our website, and Jake's recommendation is no different. Please take a moment to look around our career resources and reply in the comments what you think, if we're going to recommend our site to people as a place to learn about the transition process, it's important that we receive that feedback and act upon it. Thanks for your help making our company better.     -Tim

Chelsea and I are good friends, and we worked together during her transition from the USS Ronald Reagan out of San Diego to Systems Planning and Analysis in Northern, VA a few years ago. In this episode, we catch up about what she's been working on recently, learn some of her tips for navigating the path to grad school after starting full time work, and hear her take on working for the government in a position where she directly influences critical programs from the top down. Like our last guest, Chelsea was also a nuclear-trained Surface Warfare Officer during her time in the Navy, but unlike our last guest her career has taken her in a more technical, policy related direction. Hopefully this 2 part series shows how different the trajectories can be from the same job title in the military.  

Gray Tompson is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and served as a Nuclear Trained Surface Warfare Officer. He's now an Account Executive for a major energy firm based out of Raleigh-Durham, NC; in this episode, we talk about how his job search evolved following a gap year he took to focus on family and to set new priorities for his life as a civilian. We also discuss how his time aboard a nuclear powered aircraft carrier positioned him to solve problems for his clients and to be able to succeed in a business discipline that requires professionalism, customer service, and technical communication skills.

Bobby is a good friend and took some time to speak with me about his career with Bradley-Morris. In this episode, we explore his 17 years in the placement industry working with veterans to find work. Bobby joined Bradley-Morris back in 2001 and has seen the entire generation of post-9/11 veterans go to war and come home from the perspective of a placement specialist. We talk about his experiences working with clients to tell the story of how veterans could help their company, and his process finding his stride outside the Navy after his time serving as a fire control technician aboard submarines.

Today I speak with Chris Cadle about his transition from the US Navy, acquiring an MBA while still serving, and his first role in manufacturing as a Six Sigma Black Belt before coming to Bradley-Morris. Chris gives us some advice for planning the transition, managing expectations during the job search, and using education as a stepping stone to his career goals.