USMC

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BTU #449 - Mastering Sales (Tyler Johnston)

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BTU #449 - Mastering Sales (Tyler Johnston)

Why Listen:

Well, you know you're enjoying a conversation when midway through, you're already planning the next interview. Tyler is awesome. I just really appreciated so much about this interview. The thing that stands out to me most is his mastery in sales. He talks about his career, which is a variety of different experiences in the functional role of sales while also having most of that in the industry of energy. What I appreciated about his story is hearing about how throughout his career he's picked up different tools, different tricks, different skills that over time have allowed him to really have a mastery of this field in sales. I also appreciated his ability to communicate extremely effectively why veterans are well suited to sales, why this may be an appealing career path, even if you think it's the least likely career path that you would want to pursue. We talk about executive MBA, why he chose to pursue it, which is pretty unique for most guests that I have on the show, and a whole lot more.

About Tyler:

Tyler Johnston is a Sales Director @ Black & Veatch. He is responsible for managing global relationships in the technology sector and helping his clients build critical infrastructure and distributed energy solutions. He started out at the Naval Academy, served as an Infantry Officer in the US Marine Corps for 5 years, and has held positions at NRG Energy, General Electric, and Shift.org. He earned his MBA at Columbia Business School.

You can reach out to him through www.greentechvet.com.

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BTU #447 - Life after being declared Killed in Action (Justin Constantine)

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BTU #447 - Life after being declared Killed in Action (Justin Constantine)

Why Listen:

Today’s episode originally aired in June of 2019. This last week, I learned that Justin passed away following a battle with cancer. I wanted to rebroadcast today’s episode as a tribute to Justin’s life and legacy.

What to say about Justin? Well, he was shot in the head by a sniper and pronounced killed in action… but that didn’t stick. Justin was a Purple Heart recipient, an author, a lawyer, an motivational speaker, an entrepreneur, and worked with a company that helps over 24k military members and their families EVERY MONTH - that’s right, every month - find their ideal job and make their career transitions easier. It’s a little disappointing to be on a show with two Justin’s, and realize that the other Justin is kicking a— and you need to try your best to keep up. This is a great interview for any career path, and I think you’ll really enjoy Justin’s story.

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BTU #428 - Your Moments, Hand-Painted (Brendan Aronson @ Paintru)

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BTU #428 - Your Moments, Hand-Painted (Brendan Aronson @ Paintru)

Why Listen:

My guest today, Brendan, started a company called Paintru, which he co-founded with two other Naval Academy graduates. What I think is so fascinating about Brendan's story is that he is a Naval Academy grad, served in the Marine Corps, earned his MBA from hardcore finance school Wharton, worked at a hardcore finance company, Goldman Sachs, and then started, of all things, a startup that focuses on art. It's such an unexpected twist in someone's story.

About Brendan:

Brendan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Paintru, which makes it simple to commission fine artwork from incredible global artists. He started out at the Naval Academy, served in the Marine Corps for nearly six years, and earned his MBA from Wharton, where he interned at Goldman Sachs. He founded Paintru in February of 2020.

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BTU #408 - 0 to 2,100 Employees (Alex O'Brien @ Cardinal Group)

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BTU #408 - 0 to 2,100 Employees (Alex O'Brien @ Cardinal Group)

Why Listen:

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have this conversation with Alex. I reached out to him via LinkedIn because I saw he was in Denver, and he was a Marine who has done incredible things as an entrepreneur and basically treated this interview as part two of a conversation with him. Here's a couple of things that stood out to me that I hope you benefit from this interview. At one point, Alex says, I don't know anything, pay me and teach me. I think that's such a great thought as he was taking different jobs as he was starting his company; such a great way to approach anything, which is find something that can make money and teach you a skill set. I really appreciate his lessons on patience. You'll hear that in his 15-year journey of building up a real estate company that spans so many different functional areas now, but it wasn't an overnight success. He also talks about pounding the rock. It's not a single pound that cracks the rock. But it's the repeated relentless intention of showing up every day. I think there's a lot there that I can learn as well going along with that his story really has these threads of constant improvement. And I'm just appreciating his thoughts on inclusivity and how creating an incredible place to work really depends on understanding each unique person, their history, and what they're wanting out of life. And then you can create and craft an environment that's right for them. It was really powerful to think of that from a cultural standpoint.

As always at beyondtheuniform.org there are show notes with links to what we discuss timestamps for the key points of this interview and 407 other interviews similar to this one, all provided for free.

About Alex:

Alex is the Chief Executive Officer at Cardinal Group Companies, a fully integrated real estate investment, construction development, marketing, and management firm specializing in opportunistic and value-added investments throughout the United States. Alex started out at Miami University after he served in the Marine Corps for four years as a Logistics Officer. He started the Cardinal Group out of the Marine Corps, and over the last 15 years, has bootstrapped his company. For those of you that are unfamiliar with that term, bootstrap means he did not bring on outside investment. He bootstrapped his covenant over 2100 employees, somehow finding time to earn an MBA at Chicago's Booth School of Business along the way.

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BTU #392 - 20 years of transformational, company turnaround and growth work (Jason Santamaria)

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BTU #392 - 20 years of transformational, company turnaround and growth work (Jason Santamaria)

Why Listen:

I loved my interview with Jason Santamaria. Special thanks to Vincent Martino for making this connection. They became good friends in business school and co-authored a book. Two things you should pay attention to for this interview:

1 - alignment. There's very few people I can think of in the last 390 interviews that are as aligned as Jason is with his career. The way that he speaks, the way that he thinks, the way that he processes information... he found the right career for him. And it's so refreshing to see that.

2 - Maybe even more important is that as we unwrap his story, I think you'll realize that that was not clear to him when he was in the Marine Corps, or when he left the Marine Corps. It wasn't like he had his sights set on a career in transformational company work. And I think that that should hopefully be refreshing for all of you listening to this to see how his story unfolds to see that he found a career path that really resonates with him. But it wasn't a master plan, it was taking the next best step every step of the way, and thinking about what he wanted.

About Jason:

Jason Santamaria is a Managing Director in the Portfolio Operations group of a leading alternative investment firm. Focused on Lean Transformation, Jason is involved in identifying and delivering growth & productivity initiatives in the companies in which his firm invests. Previously, Jason held a number of senior leadership roles in large public and private companies, including Serta Simmons Bedding, Newell Brands, Stanley Black & Decker, Avery Dennison, Morgan Stanley and McKinsey & Company. Early in his career, Jason served as an artillery officer in the United States Marine Corps and as a Fulbright Scholar in South America. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of Texas at Austin.

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BTU #384 - SWAT Team, Mental Health, and More (Jeff McDonald)

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BTU #384 - SWAT Team, Mental Health, and More (Jeff McDonald)

Why Listen:

I was riding a high after my conversation with Jeff for days - I appreciate his strength, vulnerability, and authenticity in this conversation. You can view this interview in two parts - the first part we discuss his transition from the Marine Corps into law enforcement, including work in prisons, on patrol, and with the SWAT teams. In the second half, we both talk about our experience with therapy and mental health. Jeff talks candidly about PTSD and depression, and we both open up about the positive impact therapy has had on our lives.

If this latter topic resonates with you, there are so many great resources out there to support you. The one that comes immediately to mind i learned about in episdoe #368 with Joe Quinn, where he talked about Headstrong - at GetHeadStrong.org - you take a 60 second survey and as a veteran get paired with a best-in-class clinician for unlimited therapy.

But - as we talk about in this interview - I don't want to spin this as a - if you're contemplating suicide, get help. I'm a big believer that therapy is a preventative maintenance - that it is similar to olympic athletes working with an elite coach - it's a great way to deepen as a human being, understand yourself more, and ensure you're operating at your peak capacity.

About Jeff

Jeff McDonald is a Safe School Specialist at the University of Montana. His Career started in the Marine Corps, where he served for four years with two combat deployments and has included work in Law Enforcement and as a SWAT officer.

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BTU #382 -CIO Pre and Post-IPO (Michael Hanson)

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BTU #382 -CIO Pre and Post-IPO (Michael Hanson)

Why Listen:

Special thanks to Jim Sinai for making the intro to Michael. While Michael had a full career in the Marine Corps, with over 21 years of service, he didn't let either what he did in the Marines, or how successful he was at doing it get in the way of his going on to have a truly exemplary tech career as a Chief Information Officer at some truly incredible companies. Here are a few things to look for in this interview:

  • How Michael is always dreaming of what is next, and then working his tail off to be proactive and bridge any skill gaps in his next career move

  • How Michael is always learning, always pushing himself forward and NEVER playing it safe

  • How Michael uses his network - not just to find a job, but to sharpen his skills and be the best he can be in his current position

  • How Michael "paints the target" to determine what he wants to do, and then doesn't allow himself to lose sight of the bullseye

At the end of this episode, Michael rattles off a whole host of books and frameworks. Don't worry, we've listed them all at BeyondTheUniform.org. While you're there, if you've got 400 hours free, be sure to check out over 381 other episodes hand crafted to help you crush your post-military career.

About Michael:

Michael Hansen is the Chief Information Officer at Procore Technologies, a company with nearly 2,000 employees that provides cloud-based construction software to clients across the globe. He started out in the Marine Corps, where he served for 21 years as an IT Security Architect. His career has included 2 years in Guantanamo Bay Cuba as the CIO, 2 years as a Cloud Architect for the Federal Government, and 5 years as CISO and then CIO of Mindbody both pre and post IPO.

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BTU #381 - Broadcasting your values, not your accomplishments (Justin LeHew)

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BTU #381 - Broadcasting your values, not your accomplishments (Justin LeHew)

Why Listen:

Special thanks to Steve Bane for making this interview happen. My guest today, Justin LeHew, is many things. He earned the Navy Cross for his heroic actions in Iraq in 2003, he has an obstacle at Paris Island named after him: LeHew's Challenge, he achieved the rank of Sergeant Major in the Marine Corps. Yet its not merely these accomplishments that set him apart - it is the way that he focuses on others rather than broadcasting his significant achievements. We talk a lot about that in this interview, as well as his work at History Flight, a private MIA search and recovery organization, responsible for locating and repatriating over 365 missing American servicemen to date. In the show notes for this episode at BeyondTheUniform.org there is an incredible, one-minute YouTube video about this - I highly recommend checking that out, as well as our 380 other episodes just like this one.


About Justin LeHew

Justin LeHew is the Chief Operating Officer at History Flight, the world's most successful, private MIA search and recovery organization, responsible for locating and repatriating 365 missing American servicemen to date. Justin has his own Wikipedia page, so here are a few highlights:

  • He served in the Marine Corps for over 25 years, achieving the rank of Sergeant Major

  • Paris Island has an obstacle named in his honor. "LeHew's Challenge" is an 8 ft high suspended log supported by two pedestals that is part of the famed 54-hour crucible event which culminates the basic training of a United States Marine

  • He was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions in Iraq in March of 2003

Most notably, none of this information you'll find on his LInkedIn Page, and I'm guessing none of it would come up if you were at a bar with Justin. We traded emails about this, but I wanted to start off our conversation here - in an era where self-promotion is at an all-time high, you seem to be an example of someone who is not broadcasting his merits, is not touting the unbelievable achievements you've accomplished... what advice do you have for listeners about this.

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BTU #379 - Rapid Iteration vs. Building For Scale (Vincent Martino - Co-Founder @ VisitPay)

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BTU #379 - Rapid Iteration vs. Building For Scale (Vincent Martino - Co-Founder @ VisitPay)

Why Listen

Vincent's story is pretty much the opposite of the standard entrepreneurial success story you hear. Yes - he has experienced incredible success - his company, VisitPay, now has over 100 employees, 3 of his 7 C-Suite executives are Service Academy graduates, and he has received over $26M in funding from some of the best investors in the world, like Norwest. However, where his story differs is that this didn't happen overnight. Vincent has been at this for nearly 12 years. His success didn't come all at once, it came through a sustained effort over a decade. What I love most about Vincent's story is how he elegantly merged two vital aspects of entrepreneurship that - to me - often seem to be complete opposite skill sets - that of rapidly iterating (building, learning, and reacting as quickly as possible to feedback from customers), and at an opposite extreme, building for scale (slowing down to build things properly so that it can sustain the load of a massive influx of customers). I learned so much from my conversation with Vincent and hope you will too.

About Vincent

Vincent Martino is the Co-Founder of VisitPay, a company he started nearly 12 years ago that now has over 100 employees and has raised $26M in funding from top notch investors like Norwest. 3 of his 7 C-Suite executives are Service Academy Grads. His journey started at the Naval Academy, included five years in the Marine Corps, followed by an MBA at the Wharton School, and includes work at Dynamicsoft, Capital One, COO at Balihoo and co-authoring the book, The Marine Corps Way.

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BTU #374 - A Case Study in Curiosity with Anthony Spadaro

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BTU #374 - A Case Study in Curiosity with Anthony Spadaro

Why Listen:

In episode #367 I interviewed John Wayne Troxell, who talked about his transition journey after serving as Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his nearly 40 years of military service. After our interview, he mentioned his friend Anthony, and I jumped at the opportunity to have a similar conversation. Anthony served in the Marine Corps for 35 years, serving most recently as a Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Sergeant Major. We talk about his career journey, his work serving on multiple boards, a long list of resources he would recommend to listeners, and, most importantly, the vital role that curiosity plays in one’s life and career

About Anthony:

Anthony is a leadership consultant, strategist and Veterans advocate. He is the former Command Senior Enlisted Leader (Sergeant Major), USINDOPACOM, having served in the Marine Corps for 35 years. He serves as the Vice President and Director of Development & Special Projects at the Robert Irvine Foundation, the Vice President of Training for 5th Principle, a Consultant at BeaverFit North America, and serves on multiple boards including Emory Healthcare Veterans Program, FourBlock, Youth Impact Program, and Advisor Board Chairman for FITOPS.

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BTU #366 - Race & Gender in the Military (Natasha Sistrunk Robinson)

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BTU #366 - Race & Gender in the Military (Natasha Sistrunk Robinson)

Why Listen:

Normally I start with a nice quote, reasons to listen to the episode. I’m not doing that today. Today is a conversation I should have had 300 episodes ago - its a conversation I wish more people were having more candidly. Today I chat with Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, where we spend the bulk of our time discussing race and gender and the role it plays in the military. It is an open, honest, and very imperfect conversation, and something I sincerely hope you take the time to listen to. With that let’s dive in to my conversation

About Natasha:

Natasha is an international speaker, leadership consultant, mentoring coach, and the visionary founder of the nonprofit Leadership LINKS, Inc. A graduate of the US Naval Academy and a former Marine Corps officer, she is the author of Mentor for Life and Hope for Us.

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BTU #360 - CBS' "Tough as Nails" with Kelly "Murph" Murphy

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BTU #360 - CBS' "Tough as Nails" with Kelly "Murph" Murphy

Why Listen:
I want to highlight a couple things that Murph and I talked about in this interview. The first is that I love Murph's attitude around expanding your thinking about your career. In this own life, he ended up doing things that he didn't initially plan when he got out of the military.

Murph currently works at the University of Central Missouri and as their Director of Military and VeteranServices so he has some great thoughts from his experience helping many veterans in their post-military life. We talk about the value of education that keeps on coming up again and again in Murph’s story.

We also talked about the TV show that he's on called “Tough as Nails”. We talk about what it was being on the set and how that opportunity came about.

About Murph:

Murph is the Director of Military and Veteran Services at the University of Central Missouri. He is also a competitor on CBS’s new show, Tough as Nails. TOUGH AS NAILS is a competition series that celebrates everyday Americans who roll up their sleeves and don’t think twice about working long hard hours and getting their hands dirty, in order to keep their country running. On the show, competitors compete in challenges that take place at real-world job sites. Murph served in the Marine Corps for 22 years. Since his military service, he has worked as an Adjunct Faculty member at Central Texas College and Columbia College and also worked at Lowe’s in their as a Human Resrouce and Training Manager.

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BTU #350 - The Semiconductor Industry & Micron Technology (Art Behnke)

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BTU #350 - The Semiconductor Industry & Micron Technology (Art Behnke)

Why Listen:

A lot of Veterans I speak with are interested in technology. Most of us in the military get a fair amount of experience with technology, and we hear about the high growth this industry has seen. It’s a pretty broad industry - to me, 10 years out of the military, hearing someone refer to Tech feels like someone referring to “the military” - it’s a great catch all phrase, but there is so much beyond that high level term - branch of service, MOS, warfare speciality, etc.

Today’s interview feels like a gateway to that world of tech. My guest, Art, works at a company called Micron Technologies, which is in the semiconductor industry. Which, as you’ll learn, is a foundational element in pretty much every technology industry: drones, autonomous vehicles, tablets, social media… it’s everywhere.

I don’t think I’ve ever had an interview that has packed in so much information at the end. I really try to keep these interviews to 45-50 minutes, based on feedback I’ve received from listeners. Today was a rare case where we kept going because there was so much richness in what Art was sharing. We talk about translating one’s experience on both a resume and interview. We talk about diversity of perspective as a strength when one is applying to a job. We talk about three things I rarely hear on these interviews: how important it is to evaluate a company by the size of the company and what this offers to you in terms of a community and mentorship opportunities, evaluating a company’s team and how those individuals will challenge and support you to grow, and also looking at how a company behaves in a crisis… like the one we’re going through right now. All of these are fantastic lenses through which to evaluate a company and job opportunity, and they’ve never come up in the 349 episodes that precede this.

As always, at BeyondTheUniform.org you’ll find 350 other free episodes, just like this one. You’ll find show notes with links to everything we discuss today. And you’ll also find a special, limited time offer at BeyondTheUniform.org/micron, where Art is graciously offering to connect with 20 of you to help you with your resume, and answer your questions about job transitioning (side note: he has conducted thousands of interviews), the semiconductor industry, and Micron Technology.

About Art Behnke

Art Behnke is a Manager of Talent Acquisition at Micron Technologies, which is a world leader in innovative memory solutions that transform how the world uses information. Micron Technologies has over 37,000 team members in 18 countries who work with the world’s most trusted brands, delivering memory and storage systems for a broad range of applications and sparking countless possibilities in technology.

Art served in the Marine Corps for 21 years as a FA/18 Hornet WSO and is a graduate of the TopGun program. He has held a wide variety of roles throughout his career and has completed 173 combat flights, with 2,500 total flight hours. He has completed an MBA and is a graduate of the Naval War College

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BTU #349 - Finding Your Identity and Value After the Military (Josh Atkinson)

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BTU #349 - Finding Your Identity and Value After the Military (Josh Atkinson)

Why Listen:

The top two reasons to listen to this interview are:
1.Straight talk - Josh is very direct about the struggles he has faced in his career and transition. The wisdom he shares is incisive, and I think a lot of Veterans will appreciate both the sincerity and authenticity of his advice.
2.Consulting & project management - we talk about Josh’s experience with both consulting and project management, and why Veterans may love either of these career paths.

Beyond the Uniform has over 350 podcast episodes and 20 videos with America’s top Veterans, including Jocko Willink, the former CEO of Pepsi, NFL players and more. They are all for free at BeyondTheUniform.org. If you benefit from Beyond the Uniform and would like to help get this in front of more members of the military community, please consider donating at BeyondTheUniform.org/donate. You can also text SUPPORTBTU to 33777 and we will send you additional information. Our cost of production is $300 per month, we are an all-volunteer team, and we could use your financial support. That is at BeyondTheUniform.org/donate or by texting SUPPORTBTU to 33777.

About Josh:

Josh is a Consultant at Whitney, Bradley & Brown (WBB), as well as a Training Consultant at PM-ProLearn. He started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served in the Marine Corps for over 11 years.

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BTU #347 - Marines to PMP Instructor and PM-ProLearn (Ian Fisher)

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BTU #347 - Marines to PMP Instructor and PM-ProLearn (Ian Fisher)

Welcome back to Beyond the Uniform. I’m Justin Nassiri and our mission is to support the military community in their civilian career. Today is episode BTU #347 - Marines to PMP Instructor and PM-ProLearn (Ian Fisher).

Why listen:

Here are the top two reasons to listen to today’s episode:
1.Project, Program, and Portfolio Management - at BTU we often hear questions about these three career paths, and Ian goes into great detail about what these fields are, how they relate to one’s military background, and how to succeed in these career paths.
2.Certifications - Ian has great advice about education, certifications, and how to make one self appealing to a hiring manager.

Beyond the Uniform has over 350 podcast episodes and 20 videos with America’s top Veterans, including Jocko Willink, the former CEO of Pepsi, NFL players and more. They are all for free at BeyondTheUniform.org. If you benefit from Beyond the Uniform and would like to help get this in front of more members of the military community, please consider donating at BeyondTheUniform.org/donate. You can also text SUPPORTBTU to 33777 and we will send you additional information. Our cost of production is $300 per month, we are an all-volunteer team, and we could use your financial support. That is at BeyondTheUniform.org/donate or by texting SUPPORTBTU to 33777.

About Ian:

Charles “Ian” Fisher is Director of Operations at PM-ProLearn. He served for over 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and since then has worked as both an IT Consultant as well as the Assistant Director of Professional Services at TimeClock Plus, a Data Management company.

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BTU #332 - Following Your Gut (Rich Cardona)

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BTU #332 - Following Your Gut (Rich Cardona)

Why Listen:

Rich left what many would consider a dream job in order to pursue his own company. Even if you are not an aspiring entrepreneur, this is an exceptional and motivational interview. Rich talks about following his gut - again and again in his own career journey. He talks about not being afraid to leave a job - to be committed to finding the right opportunity for you and your family. We talk about taking risks in networking and giving to others, and how that has paid off in spades for Rich. I loved talking to Rich and I think you’ll really enjoy his perspective and advice.

About Rich:

Rich Cardona is the Founder of Rich Cardona Media, which takes the stress out of social media by creating first class video content for you and your brand. He started out in the Marine Corps, where he served for 17 years, most recently as the Director of Marine Aircraft Group 39 Legal Office. His post-military career includes work as a Regional Consultant at Victory Media, a Pathways Operation Manager for Robotic Storage Platforms at Amazon, and an MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business.

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BTU #331 - NASCAR to the VA Podcast Network (Tanner Iskra)

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BTU #331 - NASCAR to the VA Podcast Network (Tanner Iskra)

Why Listen:

After serving 12 years in the Marine Corps, Tanner went on to work at NASCAR as a Producer and Senior Post Production Editor. In this interview we talk about how Tanner’s wife led him to his current career as a podcaster/video producer for the VA. We talk about what his career was like in NASCAR and now at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. We talk about life at the VA, and more importantly, how he now runs the podcast, Borne the Battle. We talk about what he’s learned in doing this podcast, as well as the VA’s upcoming VA Podcast Network.About Tanner:Tanner Iskra works for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he hosts the podcast, Borne the Battle. He started out in the Marine Corps as a Combat Videographer, where he served for nearly 12 years. He has also worked as a Producer and Senior Post Production Editor for NASCAR.

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BTU #325 - Clark Kent-ing Your Resume (Shannon Gregory)

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BTU #325 - Clark Kent-ing Your Resume (Shannon Gregory)

Why Listen:

Shannon’s military career includes time in both the Marine Corps and the National Guard, and so he has faced multiple transitions. Shannon has been a mentor at the University of Minnesota and it comes through - he has so much great advice on topics including:

  • resumes - how he has nearly a dozen version of his resume based on to what job he is applying.

  • being Clark Kent - not always revealing your super powers. yes, you may have dozens and dozens of crazy stories from the military, but based on the position to which you’re applying, you may just pick one choice gem out and leave the rest in the bag, unused in both your resume and your interview preparation.

  • networking - Shannon has received several jobs and - more importantly - very helpful intel about the jobs to which he is applying - due to his approach to networking.

  • We talk about dealing with depression, we talk about how most of what you need in your civilian career you learned in the military, but it is ALL about lifelong learning - about building skills and adding to them every step of the way. Shannon is a great example of this - he’s held three different jobs and also earned his MBA leading up to his role at Xcel… while he may have gone directly into the energy industry, his circitiuos route was exactly what we needed. and we talk about the Energy Industry - why you don’t have to be a navy nuke like me to go into the energy industry - we talk about all the disruption and changes going on, and how they NEED fresh perspectives, like Shannons, who has no direct background in energy.

This is a sponsored interview - which means that Xcel Energy supports Beyond the Uniform financially so that we can continue to do this work, for free to Veterans. I’m very grateful for their support. Although this is a sponsored interview, Shannon and I only talk about Xcel Energy for about 4-5 minutes in this hour long conversation. The rest is packed with tactics and tidbits to help you in your career path, whatever that may be.

About Shannon:

Shannon Gregory is a Program Manager, Enterprise Resiliency for Xcel Energy. He started out in the Marine Corps, where he served in the infantry for over six years. He has also served in the Army National Guard for nearly 8 years. His post military career has included working as a Rotory Wing Pilot at Air Methods, a Senior Corporate Security Manager at Target, and a Safety Business Consultant at Predictive Safety SRP. He holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota and a BS from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

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BTU #324 - The Happy Lawyer (Peter Vanderloo @ Verizon)

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BTU #324 - The Happy Lawyer (Peter Vanderloo @ Verizon)

Why Listen:

I really enjoyed my conversation with Peter. First, I want to acknowledge that this is a sponsored interview, and we’re grateful to Verizon for their support of Beyond the Uniform, as well as how they have hired over 11,000 Veterans and thousands of military spouses. However, there’s only about six minutes of this interview that are directly about Verizon in a way that may be seen as sales-e.

Peter is such a fantastic speaker and storyteller. Immediately after our interview, I set up a call with Peter to chat more, because he is a great guy and has a really valuable perspective on career transitions. One of the aspects I love about our conversation is how Peter took one small aspect of his military service - how much he loved land navigation in the Marine Corps - and how he used this in his search for his next job… which happens to be in commercial real estate as a lawyer. Not a direct connection many would make, and yet it shows how Veterans can find tangential career paths based on smaller aspects they enjoyed while in the military. I also appreciated Peter’s outlook on life - the mere fact that he has his title as “Happy Lawyer” sends a message to everyone he meets and, more importantly, send a strong message to himself about who he wants to be on a daily basis… even on those days where he may not FEEL like a Happy Lawyer. This interview is also a great example of the wide variety of career positions to be found at large companies. For example, with Verizon, many listeners most likely immediately think of phones, or connectivity. But I didn’t think immediately about all the stores, warehouses, and office buildings they have… all that real estate… real estate that needs a strong legal team to obtain and oversee. It’s illustrative of the many potential career aspects below the surface that listeners may not immediately be aware of.

About Peter:

Peter Vanderloo is a Happy Lawyer at Verizon, where he has worked for over 18 years. In his current role, he works as a Commercial Real Estate lawyer creating value for internal and external customers from Verizon's amazing, extensive real estate portfolio. He started out in the Marine Corps, where he served for 10 years, most recently as a Company Commanding Officer, where he led an 150 member Light Armored Vehicle company. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware, a JD from the George Washington School of Law, and an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business.

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BTU #320 - Marines to Outdoor Adventure Guide (Mike Titzer)

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BTU #320 - Marines to Outdoor Adventure Guide (Mike Titzer)

Why Listen

Shortly after leaving the Marine Corps, Mike traveled to Cambodia, where he worked to setup a cross fit gym. He went on to business school… in Malaysia. And then he became a National Outdoor Leadership School instructor, where he teaches civilians and members of the military about wilderness survival and leadership. Which is to say - Mike is a Veteran who is forging his own way, and thinking outside of the box. If you are interested in a non-traditional career path, or just a great story, this is the interview for you.

For those of you who enjoy this episode, be sure to check out:

BTU #240 - Self Reliant Leadership (Jan Rutherford)

BTU #268 - How the Outdoors Saved My Life (Stacy Bare)

BTU #120 - Traveling the world for 4 years after Active Duty Navy (Tim Patterson)

You’ll find links to each of those episodes in the show notes for this episode at BeyondTheUniform.org, where you’ll also find over 300 other completely free episodes, a whole host of online events, webinars and more.

About Mike

Mike Titzer is a Field Instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School, or NOLS. NOLS is a nonprofit global wilderness school that will help you step forward boldly as a leader. He served in the Marine Corps for six years. Since his military service, he opened a CrossFit gym in Cambodia, and went to business school in Malaysia. He holds an MBA from the Asia School of Business, a Masters in International Relations from American University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Academy.