Why Listen:
Jeffrey works at a company that is the Uber for small satellites. This is an eye opening interview about the space industry, and why Veterans should consider a career in this rapidly expanding…space (had to go there). We talk about program management, about work life balance with a demand job, the reserves, and five kids. We talk about the Reserves and the pros and cons of remaining in the Reserves. And we go through a very detailed breakdown of the space industry.

About Jeffrey:
Jeffrey Roberts is a Mission Director at Spaceflight Industries, which enables timely and affordable access to space as well as capabilities to look at our planet in real time, in every spectrum. He started out at West Point, and served in the Army for 19 years, including deployments to Iraq & Afghanistan while on active duty, and most recently as an Infantry Battalion Commander in the Alaska Army National Guard. He has served as a Reservist and Guardsman, and holds a Masters of Science in Astronautical Engineering. He is married with 5 kids (4 of them are deployment babies!)"

Why Listen:
While not a Veteran herself, Lida is an expert in personal branding and - in addition to her work with top executives, she has been helping countless members of the military and veterans for the past 10 years. In this interview we talk about your brand - what it is, why it’s important, and how to take steps towards improving it. We talk about defining your legacy, and how you can use your personal brand as a filter for what you say yes to and what you say no to. We talk about the strategy and the tactics for helping in your job search, and more.

About Lida:
Lida Citroën, founder of LIDA360, is an expert in Personal Branding for Executives, a Corporate Brand Consultant, a Speaker, Author and Reputation Management Coach. She is the author of the best-selling transition book, Your Next Mission: A personal branding guide for the military-to-civilian transition, has top-notch video courses on LinkedIn, and has been featured in MSNBC, The UK Guardian, Fortune, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, Hiring America, Forbes.com, Harvard Business Review, CBS MoneyWatch, US News & World Report, and others. She has spent over 20 years in corporate branding and marketing.

Why Listen:

Morgan talks about how he made the difficult decision to leave the military after 12 years of service, and how he was pulled into government service. He talks about his day job with the US Department of Defense. However, we spend the bulk of our time talking about the non-profit version of his day job, the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum. I found this organization, and Morgan’s journey with it, extremely compelling. It’s a great look at how the military and non-military community can work together to be better than the sum of just their parts. It’s also compelling to see how a side pursuit can lead to more passion and productivity in one’s life. 

About Morgan:

Morgan Plummer is the Executive Director of The Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, which inspires, connects and empowers people to promote a culture of innovation in the U.S. national security community. He also works as Managing Director of the National Security Innovation Network.

He started out at Michigan State University, after which he served in the Army for 12 years with multiple U.S. units and once as an advisor to the Iraqi Army with 19A Armor. He holds a Master’s Degree in Policy Management from Georgetown University.

Why Listen:
Stu started a non-profit to help the Special Operations community, and structured it in a way where it is partner and member run. He has now grown it to over 2k members in over 60 countries, with 88 corporate partners, and is growing at a rate of 10-15% every year. He talks about what it’s like to establish a “network of networks” where governments now go to seek advice. He talks about the challenges facing the SOF community, and more.

About Stu:
Stu Bradin is the President / CEO at The Global Special Operations Forces (SOF) Foundation (GSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that aims to build and grow an international SOF network of military, government, commercial, and educational stakeholders in order to advance SOF capabilities and partnerships to confront global and networked threats. Stu started out at the Citadel, and served in the Army special forces, retiring as a Colonel.

Why Listen:
What an interview! Sunny has had a career in radio, TV, and is a NYT best selling author. Yet, what sets this interview apart is not Sunny’s unbelievable accomplishments, it’s her candor in talking about the journey to get here. I learned SO much from my conversation with Sunny: she talks about being honest about the work you enjoy and being intentional to make sure you don’t get “promoted out of it”; she talks about finding mentors through hiring managers; she talks about working for free to get your foot in the door; she talks about taking risks and betting on oneself. Her story is one of determination and resilience, and Veterans in any industry can learn a lot from this interview.

About Sunny:
Sunny is a chef, entrepreneur, Food Network personality, and radio personality. She grew up as an Army brat, and served in the Air Force as a radio broadcaster and journalist.After leaving the Air Force as an award-winning broadcaster, she continued her travels as a radio DJ in many cities, culminating in her dream job in New York at a No. 1 rated radio station.
In 2005, she appeared on Food Network’s Emeril Live!, and shortly after, she left her radio career and closed her catering business to focus on chasing yet another dream: sharing her recipes with the Food Network audience. Her first show, Gotta Get It, a food gadget show, premiered in 2007, followed by Cooking for Real, How'd That Get On My Plate and Home Made in America with Sunny Anderson. She's currently a co-host on The Kitchen.In September 2013, she released her New York Times best-selling debut cookbook, Sunny’s Kitchen: Easy Food for Real Life (Clarkson Potter). Sunny lives in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, with her rescue pets.

Why Listen:
This interview is unlike any I’ve ever done before. When they launch “The Stacy Bare Fan Club” one day, I’m signing up as a charter member. Stacy is awesome, and every military Veteran should listen to this episode.

About Stacy:
Stacy is the Principal at bare, a boutique consulting firm working to grow healthy organizations, people, and places with an emphasis on health and adventure. He is also the Co-Founder of Veterans Expedition, the founder of Adventure not War, the previous Director of the Sierra Club Outdoors, a former Brand Champion for The North Face and the National Geographic Explorer off the Year for 2014. He served in the Army as an officer for over five years, and so much more.