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BTU #387 - Navy and DoD Civilian COOL (Michael Talley)

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BTU #387 - Navy and DoD Civilian COOL (Michael Talley)

Why Listen:
Today’s interview is the 2nd installment in a series where we take a deep dive into each branch’s respective credentialing service.

Credentialing Assistance is a great way to leverage the transition tools and resources available to service members to accelerate their post-military careers. Certifications add professional capability and credibility and help you stand out to a hiring manager.

In this conversation, we talk with Mike Talley – the Director of Navy COOL, and he breaks down all the nuances of the program. Additionally, Mike offers insight into the DoD Civilian COOL program.

In short, Navy COOL covers credentialing exam fees for all Sailors, regardless of rank or compo for anywhere between 1,400 and 1,600 credentials. Navy COOL has its yearly budget and its first come, first serve. Sailors can utilize funding for as many credentialing exams as they want, but can only pursue one exam at a time on the Navy’s dime. Navy COOL will only fund one exam attempt per credential. Furthermore, Navy COOL will help pay for continuing education units to help Sailors maintain their credential once obtained.

If you’re in the Army, you can find your deep dive in Episode #383. Interviews for the Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard are in the works.

About Mike:
Mike served as a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy, retiring after 20 years of service. After transition, Mike held various customer support and managerial positions with AT&T, Gap, and Old Navy before returning to the U.S. Navy as a civilian employee. Today, Mike is the Director of Navy COOL for the Navy’s Credentialing Programs Office. He holds a Bachelor’s in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University.

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BTU #386 - Starting a Business on Your Own Terms (John Schmitt)

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BTU #386 - Starting a Business on Your Own Terms (John Schmitt)

Why Listen:

I loved hearing John's unique approach to entrepreneurship and life. After 20 years of military service, John was drawn into starting his own business. While starting any company requires sales, John's approach to sales is to simply be curious about whoever he is speaking with, and learn about their pain points. This is such great advice for so many different career paths. I also appreciate how John has constructed his life to have a fulfilling family life, outside of work life, and professional life.

About John:

John Schmitt is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel who served 20+ years as an Aviator and Acquisition Corps officer. Upon leaving the Army, John started his own consulting firm with a focus on biotech, advanced manufacturing and marketing projects. Additionally, he serves as a board member for multiple local non-profits. John holds a BS in Biological Sciences from UC-Davis and an MS in Microbiology and Immunology from Vanderbilt Univ.

Our Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by Pass Life. Serving in the military is inherently dangerous - are your affairs in order? The grief a service member's family feels upon learning of their passing is difficult enough, but the days, weeks, and months that follow are filled with stressful decisions. Pass Life is a single solution, secure cloud-based platform where Funeral Preparations, Last Wishes, Will Information, Financial Assets, Business Continuation Information, Social Media Account info, etc., can be uploaded to recipients of the user's choosing. Pass Life allows you to alleviate the stress and lift the fog for your loved ones, preeminently, by giving them a vital trove of information in multiple areas.

Listeners can save 10% by using the code "BTU” at checkout.

Learn more at Pass-Life.com.

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BTU #385 - The Strongest Person I've Interviewed (Jessica Swanson)

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BTU #385 - The Strongest Person I've Interviewed (Jessica Swanson)

Why Listen:

In 380 episodes, my guest today - Jess Swanson - is the strongest person I've met. I say that amidst a backdrop of Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, NFL players, UFC Champions and more. At 6 months old, Jess oldest daughter experienced epileptic seizures - usually 8 a day - and shortly after was diagnosed with autism. Rather than letting this derail her life, Jess used it to pave a new path that has helped not only her family, but countless others as well.

She pursued a graduate degree to better understand how to help others like her daughter, became an activist who influenced legislation in congress that helped others like her daughter, and started a company to help other families in her situation.

Jess' story of (1) lessons versus losses, (2) her advice about finding something to appreciate even in areas you might initially deem them a tragedy, and (3) her perspective on controlling what you can and letting go of the rest, these are all incredible lessons borne from enduring unbelievable hardships but choosing to press on for those she loves and to benefit the world around her.

About Jess:

Jessica Swanson is the Executive Director and Owner of Summit Health Services, an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) company serving the Monterey Bay and San Diego areas in California. They are an in network Tricare-West provider proudly serving active duty families. She is a military spouse, her husband having served in the Army for nearly 17 years. Jess holds the following certifications: BCBA (Board certified behavior analyst), QBA (Qualified Behavior analyst), and CAS (Certified Autism specialist)

Our Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by PassLife. Serving in the military is inherently dangerous - are your affairs in order? The grief a service member's family feels upon learning of their passing is difficult enough, but the days, weeks, and months that follow are filled with stressful decisions. PassLife is a single solution, secure cloud-based platform where Funeral Preparations, Last Wishes, Will Information, Financial Assets, Business Continuation Information, Social Media Account info, etc., can be uploaded to recipients of the user's choosing. PassLife allows you to alleviate the stress and lift the fog for your loved ones, preeminently, by giving them a vital trove of information in multiple areas.

Listeners can save 10% by using the code "BTU” at checkout.

Learn more at Pass-Life.com.

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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.

Our Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by PassLife. Serving in the military is inherently dangerous - are your affairs in order? The grief a service member's family feels upon learning of their passing is difficult enough, but the days, weeks, and months that follow are filled with stressful decisions. PassLife is a single solution, secure cloud-based platform where Funeral Preparations, Last Wishes, Will Information, Financial Assets, Business Continuation Information, Social Media Account info, etc., can be uploaded to recipients of the user's choosing. PassLife allows you to alleviate the stress and lift the fog for your loved ones, preeminently, by giving them a vital trove of information in multiple areas.

Listeners can save 10% by using the code "BTU” at checkout.

Learn more at Pass-Life.com.

Thank you Kathleen Dillon!

Thank you Kathleen Dillon!

After three years of tireless volunteering support for Beyond the Uniform, our Editor, Kathleen Dillon, is moving on to other things. THANK YOU, KATHLEEN for your unbelievable support of Beyond the Uniform.

Kathleen is wrapping up school in six months and hopes to enter the sports industry in a strategy or business analytics role . If you have any connections in these areas, drop her a note on LinkedIn - she is a rockstar worthy of support!

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BTU #383 - Army Credentialing Assistance (Sophia Sweeney)

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BTU #383 - Army Credentialing Assistance (Sophia Sweeney)

Why Listen:

Well, normally Beyond the Uniform is hosted by Justin, but I came to him with an idea. I talk to a lot of transitioning service members, and its eye opening how many of them – regardless of branch – have never heard of the various credentialing programs that are offered.

Today is part 1 in a series where I’ll be interviewing each branch’s credentialing program manager to get the facts on that respective branch’s credentialing assistance in an effort to spread awareness to the service members who can use them.

Credentialing Assistance is a great way to leverage the transition tools and resources available to service members to accelerate their post-military careers. Certifications add professional capability and credibility and help you stand out to a hiring manager.

We’ll start with the Army and talk with Sophia Sweeney, the Program Manager for Army Credentialing Assistance (CA) and Credentialing Opportunities On Line (COOL).

About Sophia:

Sophia served for 20+ years as a member of the Army's Military Police (MP) corps, retiring as a First Sergeant. After retiring, Sophia held multiple government contracting roles in various Soldier support positions. In her current role, she serves as an Army Civilian working as the Program Manager for the Army Credentialing Assistance Program and the Army Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL). She holds a BA in Criminal Justice from Columbia College and a MA in Organizational Leadership from Brandman University.

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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 #380 - Becoming Best-Selling Authors & Publishers (Andrew Watts and Jason Kasper)

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BTU #380 - Becoming Best-Selling Authors & Publishers (Andrew Watts and Jason Kasper)

Why Listen:

I'm so excited to start off 2021 with an interview that was so much fun to do. Back in 2017, and Episode 95, I interviewed Andrew Watts, who was a military veteran who became a full time author. We reconnected for today's interview and I'm adding in Jason Kasper, and there were a couple things that I loved about this interview. So just for context, Andrew, is a writer who is still a writer, but now also started a publishing company, the Severn River Publishing Company, and he publishes over 20 different authors now. So we talk about that journey since our last interview three years ago. And Jason is a another military veteran, best selling author, and now works with Andrew and Andrew publishes his books. This is a story of the art Veterans becoming published authors and extremely successful ones at that.

What I really appreciated, comparing it to my own background in entrepreneurship, is the number of parallels this has for any form of entrepreneurship, of paving one's own way of taking and making a bet on oneself, of really learning a craft. And I think that's an element that will come through for listeners with both Jason and Andrew, is how much each of them have devoted themselves to perfecting their art and their craft and how much they use persistence and discipline to succeed in their chosen vocation. And so regardless of your career interest, whether or not you're interested in entrepreneurship, or writing or whatever else, I think there is an element here to learn about that discipline about that constant sharpening of one's toolkit to get better.

I do want to give a plug that there is no financial incentive for me to interview these authors, but I really just enjoyed meeting Jason. He has a new book coming out on January 15 2021, called The Enemies of My Country.

About Jason:

Jason Kasper is a former Army Special Forces officer and a USA Today bestselling author. His new book, THE ENEMIES OF MY COUNTRY, releases on January 15, 2021.

About Andrew:

Andrew Watts is the USA TODAY bestselling author and founder of Severn River Publishing. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2003 and served as a naval officer and helicopter pilot until 2013.

Selected Resources:

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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 #378 - Know Your Boundaries (Chris Hsu - CEO @ Zibo)

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BTU #378 - Know Your Boundaries (Chris Hsu - CEO @ Zibo)

Why Listen

For today’s guest, Chris Hsu, I could have spent a full episode on six incredible positions he held since his time in the Army - his work as an Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company, as Managing Director at KKR, as Senior Vice President at HP, as CEO at Micro Focus, and as an Advisory Partner at Andreessen Horowitz - each of those blow my mind. While we touch on this briefly, we spend the bulk of our time on his current role as CEO and Co-Founder of Zibo, which blends real estate, financial services, and software. I view this interview more as a personal mentorship call, where I soaked up as much of Chris 20+ years of experience as possible. Whether you are interested in entrepreneurship, developing a side hustle into a full-time job, consulting, finance, or tech, this interview will have a wealth of knowledge for you.

About Chris Hsu

Chris Hsu is the CEO & Co-Founder of Zibo, a company he started nearly 2 years ago to radically improve financial services for independent landlords. Chris has raised over $10M in venture capital and LinkedIn shows over 20 employees. His path to this point started at West Point, included over 5 years in the Army in tanks, and has included work at General Mills, Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company, Managing Director at KKR, Senior Vice President at HP, CEO at Micro Focus, and Advisory Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

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BTU #377 - The Ideal Team Player (Peter Cianfaglione & Mike Sedgwick)

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BTU #377 - The Ideal Team Player (Peter Cianfaglione & Mike Sedgwick)

Why Listen

My conversation today is with two different Veterans senior in the tech industry. In addition to talking about their long and successful career including operations, program management, product management and more, we talk about the ideal team player (based on their experience hiring hundreds of people), the difference between a good boss and a bad boss, differences in leadership out of the military, and more. This interview brings over 20 years of hard earned experience that is a wealth of knowledge regardless of your desired career path.

About Mike Sedgwick

Mr. Sedgwick is Vice President of Defense and Aerospace Products for SCI Technology, Inc. (SCI), a Sanmina company, in Huntsville, Alabama. Mike is responsible for oversight of SCI’s Aircraft and Tactical product organizations including the FireComm® and TOCNET® product lines. He has extensive expertise in wide-ranging areas including Strategic Planning, Defense & Aerospace Contract Management, P&L Accountability, Business Development, Project Management, Contracts, Budgeting, Scheduling, and Logistics.

Mike previous held the titles of Senior Program Manager and Director of Aircraft Systems with SCI.

Prior to his latest move to SCI, Mr. Sedgwick served as General Manager of AAR Integrated Technologies and Business Director for the Hypersonic Design and System Integration segment at i3. Mike has managed organizations and teams that include Program Management, Engineering, Contracts, Quality, Manufacturing, HR and Supply Chain to ensure the seamless production of sophisticated defense and aerospace hardware.

Beyond his impressive business credentials, he served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces. He currently serves in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Military Intelligence Officer. Previously, Mike served as Battalion Intelligence Officer (S-2) with 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and as a Company Executive Officer with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Mr. Sedgwick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

About Peter Cianfaglione

Peter Cianfaglione is Vice President of Operations at SCI Technology, Inc., a Sanmina Company, in Huntsville, Alabama. Peter is responsible for SCI’s manufacturing operations to include production, manufacturing, quality engineering, and supply chain.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, Peter completed an Electrical Engineering degree at the University of Ottawa in the Regular Officer Training Program (the Canadian equivalent to ROTC). During and upon completion of his degree, he served in the Canadian Army as a Combat Engineer and Infantry Officer (including service with the Commando in the Canadian Airborne Regiment).

In 1993, Peter joined Motorola while transitioning to reserve service. He moved to the United States in 1997 with Motorola while continuing his service as a Canadian Army Reservist including exchange postings with 82nd Abn, 36th ID (Texas National Guard) and 4th ID. In addition to these roles, he also supported the sharing of information between the Canadian and United States militaries on lessons learned in IED awareness from both the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.

Shortly after becoming a U.S. citizen in 2005, he was mobilized in support of recovery operations following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Following a move to Huntsville, Alabama, in 2006, Peter took on various capacities with Benchmark Electronics in electronics manufacturing while both continuing his role with the Canadian Army Reserves as well as completing a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering.

Peter returned to his home town of Ottawa, Canada from 2009-2011 to work for General Dynamics while commanding a reserve Engineer Battalion. While in Ottawa, he completed his third and final deployment. Upon his return to the United States in 2011, he resumed work with Benchmark Electronics in various capacities, including General Manager and Vice President - Global Accounts.

Peter is a graduate of the Canadian Army Command and Staff Course, New Zealand Grade 2 Staff Course and Canadian Joint Command and Staff Programme. He joined SCI in 2020 and is currently working towards completion of a PHD in Engineering. He and his wife of 25 years have seven children, two of which are presently serving in the U.S. military.

BTU #376 - Two Journeys to Find Purpose

BTU #376 - Two Journeys to Find Purpose

In so many of the 375 interviews I’ve done, Veterans talk about their journey to find a new purpose in life. That’s come up in countless conversations with friends of mine who didn’t serve in the military - I think it’s a pretty fundamental part of what makes us human. That’s why - as many of you know - earlier this year I teamed up with Craig Filek to co-lead a program called Purpose Mapping - to help people in the military as well as military veterans and military family members identify their current purpose in life. That’s a pretty lofty mission, and I’m humbled to say that - two cohorts of this group later - we are delivering on that promise.


For today’s episode, I invited two people from our latest cohort onto the show to talk about their own journey to uncover their life’s purpose. I’m so grateful that they were both willing to do so - it is obviously deeply personal work, and so I admire their courage and willingness to talk about this.


I love both of today’s guests. They represent two very different perspectives - one on Active Duty for many years to come, the other several years out of the military. They are siblings as well, which made for a really incredible experience. I just wrapped up spending 12 weeks with them and the rest of the group and greatly admire and respect both of them and so am honored to have them share their stories on the show.


If you are interested in this - it is something I deeply believe in and am committed to continuing to do. If you’re listening to the show in real-time, on November 18th at 6pm Pacific we’ll be hosting a free 90 minute webinar where you can experience this first-hand. Do not wait to reserve your spot - go to BeyondTheUniform.org/puprose to get more info and claim your free spot. that is BeyondTheUniform.org/purpose -I’d love to see you there, I’d love the chance to work with you, and I would LOVE to get this work in front of more members of the military community. So please help me in spreading the word - again that is BeyondTheUniform.org/purpose.

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BTU #373: Navigating the Military to Civilian Career Transition Webinar

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BTU #373: Navigating the Military to Civilian Career Transition Webinar

Why Listen:

Normally on the show, I interview a military Veteran about their civilian career – what they do, how they got there, and advice for other Veterans seeking to do the same. This episode is a little bit different. Last week I was fortunate to be part of a panel called “Off The Page: Navigating the Military to Civilian Career Transition Webinar”. This episode is that webinar – I had a blast, and loved the insights of both the moderator and the other two guests.

Let me give you some context.

First of all, this webinar was recorded during one of Kogan Page’s Off The Page Digital Events. It was to promote a new book called Success After Service, by Lida Citreon. (Lee-duh, Sit-Trow-en) Long-time listeners will remember Lida from Episode #273 – Your Personal Brand (https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-273-personal-branding-lida-citroen?rq=lida). Pretty wild – that was literally exactly 100 episodes ago. I consider Lida a dear friend, we’ve grabbed breakfast and lunch a number of times, as she’s here in Denver. I say this on the panel, but I’ll say it here: Lida’s heart is in the right place. No one does work in the Veteran space to get rich. Lida has had a very successful career and her work and this book are in the spirit of giving back. So it is an honor to help out a friend who is doing great work to help our community.

Second, Kevin and Chris who were on the panel with me, are total bad asses. Lida will give you info about their bios, but I learned a lot from their perspectives. All three of us have had very different journeys, and I think our listeners will appreciate each of these vantage points. We only had 60 minutes for the webinar but – as you’ll see – I wish we had 3-4 hours. So, strap in for a lot of information that will help you in your career.

Lastly, Lida’s book comes is available @ https://www.koganpage.com/product/success-after-service-9781789665932?utm_source=beyondtheuniform&utm_medium=otpaudio&utm_campaign=skills_careers&utm_content=successafterservice

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BTU #375 - Business Development in the Defense Industry (Alan Hislop)

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BTU #375 - Business Development in the Defense Industry (Alan Hislop)

Why Listen:

I just finished up my conversation with Alan and a couple things stand out to me. First of all, it's it's pretty surprising to me that it's taken 374 other episodes, to get to the point of interviewing someone in the aerospace and defense industry. And, you know, it's it's surprising, first of all, because so many veterans go into this space. But more importantly, I feel like Alan, in our conversation, we really flipped the script on my understanding of this industry. And what I mean by that is, nearly all of the people I've interviewed on beyond the uniform talk about purpose, and mission, after military service. And Alan kind of surprised me when I was asking him to explain what he does for a living, he immediately went to that spot of, he's continuing to support the military communities continuing to support his brothers and sisters who are still in uniform. And throughout our conversation that came through, like, wow, this is actually a really good fit for so many veterans, especially those who want to continue a similar sense of purpose that they felt that they likely felt in the military. A second thing that really stood out to me with this conversation is we went deep down the rabbit hole on Alan's role, which is business development. And I know we've done a couple interviews on sales related topics. But I think that you will really benefit from Alan's story, he has over 20 years of experience in business development. And I love so much of what comes through in this. But let's just say in a nutshell, it's not what you expect from a sales related role. And the way that Alan comes across just as a human being, as well as how he explains why veterans are so well suited to this, it really goes against most of the stereotypes that I have of sales people. And it comes down to listening to others, being curious about them, and figuring out how you can help them and deliver value. And even if you're not interested in the defense industry or business development in particular, it's still worth listening because, you know, in my experience, every every role that you will have has some element of quote unquote, sales, and the relational things that Alan talks about this interview, are I'm sure going to help you in your career. As always, at BeyondTheUniform.org you'll find Show Notes for this episode, you'll find links to everything we discussed, as well as a link and information about SCI. We haven't done a lot of coverage of companies in this space. But I appreciate Alan's perspective and want to give some notes there about the company he works for. So with that, let's dive in to my conversation with Alan

About Alan:

Alan is responsible for the Global Business Development for the IMS business segment within SCI, which includes customer relations, program performance, and the acquisition of new and follow-on business. Alan brings more than 20 years of experience in the Integrated Manufacturing industry. During this period, Mr. Hislop has held positions at PIVC, LLC, STMicroelectronics and Sanmina-SCI. Alan served on active duty with the U.S. Army, with the U.S. Army Reserves in New York and with the Alabama National Guard in Huntsville. Alan graduated from the US Army Officer Infantry School in Fort Benning, GA. Mr. Hislop holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Degree from University of Alabama Huntsville, and an Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences from Clinton Community College. He and his wife, Olga, have 6 boys.

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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 #372 - CareerNerds with Tom Kent

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BTU #372 - CareerNerds with Tom Kent

Why Listen:
In addition to having an extremely rich career in marketing at multiple brands that you will have heard of, my guest today, Tom Kent is distinguished for another reason. And that is that after nearly a decade of being Chief Marketing Officer and VP of Marketing etc. he started his own company called CareerNerds. And it was really born out of his own experience of having difficulty in job searches, explaining his backgrounds, interviewing, and landing the job of his dreams. And so what he's done with CareerNerds over the last several years, is help hundreds of other people and Veterans craft their online persona polish up their LinkedIn profile figure out how to explain their story in an interview and communicate it in a resume. And there is so much rich tactical advice in what Tom presents today. In fact immediately after our interview I reached out to him to work with him in polishing up my LinkedIn presence for my own company. And, you know, I've been doing sales for over 10 years as an entrepreneur i've landed deals with 35 different fortune 500 companies - I'm pretty good at it. And some of the stuff that Tom mentions here about reaching out to people to network, I'd never heard before. It's really shifted my own thinking in how to approach some of this stuff.

About Tom
Tom Kent is the Founder & CEO of CareerNerds, which has held over 200 executives advance their careers with personal branding and networking. A 1995 graduate of West Point, Tom served as a Military Intelligence Officer for five years. Since his military service, Tom has had a prolific career in marketing, with work at Intel, IBM, Expedia, Vayama, Avast and ZenMate, holding roles including Chief Marketing Officer, VP of Marketing, Director of Marketing and more.

Looking for a side hustle?

Looking for a side hustle?

We are hard at work getting our next series of brand new episodes ready. But, in the meantime, I’ve got a question for you: are you looking for a side hustle? Are you looking to build up social media and marketing skills?

If so, check out www.BeyondTheUniform.org/captivate

I’m in the midst of launching my next company and looking for members of the military community (and their families) to help. We pay by the project and will teach you all you need to know as you go.

See you next week with a new episode and I hope to see your application!

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BTU #370 - Everday Spy (Andrew Bustamante)

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BTU #370 - Everday Spy (Andrew Bustamante)

Why Listen:

There’s so much I loved about my conversation with Andrew. For those of you wanting a mental image of Andrew - picture Dwayne Johnson with hair… that’s Andrew. After five years in the Air Force, Andrew served in the CIA for seven years. Since then, he has taken the lessons he learned in the CIA and used them - for himself and his clients - to get the most out of life. If you’re interested in the CIA or entrepreneurship, there’s something in this episode for you. But no matter what your intended career path, I love two things in particular that we riff on. The first is, the sense of bringing awareness to the assumptions we make in life. For example, in that intro audio clip, Andrew is speaking to how often we assume one needs to work 9-5, Monday through Friday. When you realize that is just a myth, it gives you a considerable competitive advantage that you can exploit in your career. Andrew has all sorts of incredible mental hacks that I LOVED hearing. Second, I find that there are often judgments about people who leave the military, people who leave public service like the CIA and go on to do something different that is right for them and their family. We talk about this head on, and I believe nearly all Veterans will benefit from this part of our conversation.

If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check out BTU #337 - Entrepreneurship and Self Knowledge (Khemit Bailey) (https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-337-entrepreneurship-and-self-knowledge-khemit-bailey?rq=khemit) and BTU #328 - Struggle is What Gives Us Value (Micah Fink - Heroes & Horses) (https://beyondtheuniform.org/blog/btu-328-struggle-is-what-gives-us-value-micah-fink-heroes-horses?rq=micah%20fink), which have similar elements to this episode. both of those will be linked in the show notes.