20+ Years of Service

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BTU #296 - Career Transition Advice (Lockheed Martin's David Wallace)

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BTU #296 - Career Transition Advice (Lockheed Martin's David Wallace)

Why Listen

David transitioned from the military… twice. He talks about what he got wrong on his first transition, and advice on pitfalls to avoid. He serves as the Project Manager for a 5 person Military Relations Team at Lockheed Martin who organize over 170 career fairs per year, and has helped countless military Veterans in their career search. We cover a lot of ground in terms of resources Veterans should consider, mistakes to avoid and more.

About David

David Wallace is a Military Relations Project Manager at Lockheed Martin, where he has worked since 2009. He served in the US Navy for over 20 years, first as a Navy photographer on USS Fulton (AS 11), USS Forrestal (CV 59) then became a Navy Reserve career recruiter.

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BTU #294 - Advice from a Prisoner of War (Charlie Plumb)

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BTU #294 - Advice from a Prisoner of War (Charlie Plumb)

Why Listen

I LOVED my conversation with Charlie, and found myself partly taking notes for Beyond the Uniform, and partly taking notes just for myself. As a Prisoner of War, the lessons that Charlie shares in this episode are hard earned. We talk about mindset, finding your purpose, resilience, and more. I left our conversation inspired and uplifted and hope that you do as well.

About Charlie:

Charlie Plumb is an author and motivational speaker. He started out at the Naval Academy, and served in the Navy for over 31 years. A pilot of the F-4 Phantom Jet, Charlie flew 74 successful combat missions over North Vietnam and made over 100 carrier landings. On his 75th mission, just five days before the end of his tour, Charlie was shot down over Hanoi, taken prisoner, tortured, and spent the next 2,103 days in an 8-by-8 foot cell as a Prisoner Of War. During his nearly six years of captivity, Plumb distinguished himself as a pro in underground communications. He was a great inspiration to all the other POWs and served as chaplain for two years. Since his return home, Plumb has captivated more than 5,000 audiences in almost every industry around the world with stories that parallel his POW experience with the challenges of everyday life.

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BTU #285 - Transition Planning Advice (Kirk Windmueller @ LMCO)

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BTU #285 - Transition Planning Advice (Kirk Windmueller @ LMCO)

Why listen

Kirk retired from the Army after 22 years of service, but still found that the transition to his civilian career snuck up on him. In this interview, Kirk is candid about a lot of the mistakes that he made in his own transition. More importantly, as an act of service he put together some of the most compressive transition documents we’ve come across. In this interview we talk about Kirk’s advice on how to approach a transition out of the military, as well as Kirk’s experience at Lockheed Martin. We talk about personal branding, advanced planning on LinkedIn, the burden of responsibility that you may not realize you have, why Veterans should consider PMP programs, and more.

About Kirk

Kirk Windmueller is a Senior Operations Analyst at Lockheed Martin. He has written a few very popular articles on LinkedIn about transitioning, timeline and more, which is actually how we came to connect. Beyond the Uniform listener Chris Pisani sent me an incredible document that Kirk put together, and I realized we had to meet. Kirk is a graduate of the Citadel and the Naval Post Graduate School, and served in the Army for over 22 years, including work as a Green Beret, and retiring as an O-5.

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BTU #283 - Life after being declared Killed in Action (Justin Constantine)

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BTU #283 - Life after being declared Killed in Action (Justin Constantine)

Why Listen:

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 is a Purple Heart recipient, an author, a lawyer, an motivational speaker, an entrepreneur, and he now works 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.

About Justin

Justin joined the Marine Corps while in law school at the University of Denver School of Law, and served on active duty as a JAG officer for six years.  Then as a Reservist, Justin deployed to Iraq in 2006, serving as a Civil Affairs Team Leader while attached to an infantry battalion. During a combat patrol, Justin was shot in the head by a sniper. 

Although the original prognosis was that he had been killed in action, Justin survived thanks to risks taken by his fellow Marines and a courageous Navy Corpsman.  In fact, when Corpsman Grant first rolled Justin over, he was no longer breathing.  For his service in Iraq, Justin earned the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon and Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

Justin retired from the Marine Corps at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  He now runs his own business as an inspirational speaker and veteran employment expert.  His writing on military and leadership issues has been published in The Washington Post, Time, CNN, The Atlantic, Forbes Magazine and other media outlets.  In 2015, he completed his first book, My Battlefield, Your Office, which applies military leadership skills to the private sector. And in partnership with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Justin recently authored From “We Will” to “At Will”, an authoritative and interactive guidebook about veteran and military spouse employment. Justin is also a Partner at JobPath, a robust veteran employment platform that provides a variety of solutions to corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations that hire veterans.

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BTU #282 - Vineyards, Wellness Centers, and More (Ken Falke & Leon Tackitt)

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BTU #282 - Vineyards, Wellness Centers, and More (Ken Falke & Leon Tackitt)

Why Listen:

Well this is the first interview I’ve done with a vineyard owner, and the first interview I’ve done with the owner of a wellness retreat for Veterans. These are both great resources and career overview for listeners, but Leon and Ken cover so much more ground. They both served in Explosive Ordinance Disposal while in the military. They have some incredible nuggets of wisdom about doing your job better rather than looking for a better job, and how work life balance doesn’t exist. Prepare to be motivated, because Ken and Leon make for an incredible combination of wisdom in this episode. 

About Ken & Leon:

Ken Falke is Chairman of Boulder Crest Retreat for Military and Veteran wellness, which is a free, first-class rural wellness retreat for America’s military members, veterans and their families to recover from visible and invisible wounds by providing rest and reconnection time, reintegration training, and world-class combat stress recovery programming. He also serves as the Chairman of the EOD Warrior Foundation. He served in the US Navy for over 21 years, retiring as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Master Chief Petty Officer. He has also served as the CEO and Founder of A-T Solutions, and the CEO and Co-Founder of Shoulder 2 Shoulder. 

Leon Tackitt Started his career in Navy Search and Rescue as a helicopter aircrewman in the Anti-Submarine Warfare field. He transitioned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal in 1985 and rose to the rank of Senior Chief before he was commissioned as a Limited Duty Officer in 1998. He retired in 2007 as a Lieutenant Commander

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BTU #281 - 30 Year Navy Veteran to Lockheed Martin (Chuck Hollingsworth)

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BTU #281 - 30 Year Navy Veteran to Lockheed Martin (Chuck Hollingsworth)

Why Listen:
After a 30-year Navy career, Chuck made his transition into the corporate world. We talk about what that transition was like, and how leadership differs inside of the military vs. outside of the military. We talk about his role in Corporate Strategy & Business Development at Lockheed Martin, and how the collateral jobs we did in the military may play a bigger role in our career choice than we often realize. We talk about the breadth of skills Veterans bring to their employers, and how to communicate this in interviews. We also take a detailed look at the incredible breadth of opportunity at Lockheed Martin, and what they’re doing to support the military community. Lockheed Martin employs over 22,000 Vets, and just last year they had 19,000 connections with Veterans, with 170 events and 3,500 Veterans hired.

About Chuck:
Chuck Hollingsworth is part of Lockheed Martin’s Corporate Strategy and Business Development, where he focuses on strategic customer relationship development, corporate orders growth and focus programs, and several functional development courses such as the Doing Business Overseas Institute. He started out at the US Naval Academy, after which he served as an officer in the Navy for over 30 years. This service includes serving as Chief of Staff to the Chief of Naval Air Training, with oversight of all undergraduate Navy flight training, as well as the Navy Flight Demonstration Team (Blue Angels.) It also includes being a responder to support in the aftermath of the USS Cole attack. And it includes being the, immediately after 9/11, being dispatched to Islamabad, Pakistan where, at the Pakistan government’s request, he served as the principle U.S. military liaison to coordinate combat operations. through Pakistan into Afghanistan. Chuck has worked at Lockheed Martin for over five years

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BTU #275 - Rowing 3k miles for Veterans mental health (Bryant Knight)

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BTU #275 - Rowing 3k miles for Veterans mental health (Bryant Knight)

Why Listen:
In this interview we talk about the Oil & Gas industry - the different aspects of this massive field, and why Veterans may like the mission-focused approach of this industry. We also talk about Bryant’s participation in a 3,000 mile rowing race, as the first military veteran team to row an ocean as part of the Fight Oar Die team.

About Bryant:
Bryant Knight is a Senior Account Manager Rocky Mountains for LEAM Drilling Systems. He served in the Army for nearly 24 years, starting out as a flight medic, becoming an Artillery Officer, and then serving as ODA Special Forces Commander for the 20th Special Forces Group.

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BTU 266 - Army Veteran to Senior Security Administrator @ Amgen (Rene Berlingeri)

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BTU 266 - Army Veteran to Senior Security Administrator @ Amgen (Rene Berlingeri)

Why Listen
Rene work for Amgen in their Puerto Rico office, where he oversees an expansive security system. He talks about life at Amgen, about his work with military Veterans within Amgen, about continuing to serve on reserves and complete multiple deployments all while still working at Amgen, about passion and doing things with purpose in your heart and much more.

About Rene
Rene Berlingeri is a Senior Security Administrator for Amgen's Manufacturing footprint in Puerto Rico. In the Army, he served in the Army for nearly 30 years, retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. He lives with his wife and six children in Puerto Rico.

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BTU #246 - Navy SEAL to Founder of EF Overwatch (Michael Sarraille)

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BTU #246 - Navy SEAL to Founder of EF Overwatch (Michael Sarraille)

Why Listen:
Mike started EF Overwatch as part of Jocko Willink’s Echelon Front. We talk about the Veteran Transition Map, and the importance of one’s self-assessment about strengths and weaknesses. We talk about the one thing that Mike would encourage Veterans to leave behind in the military, and why this one thing is such a risk. What it’s like starting two organizations and why Mike thinks Veterans should definitely start a for-profit company over a non-profit company. We talk about Extreme Ownership - and why this mindset is revolutionizing the business world. 

About Mike:
Mike Sarraille is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer, a graduate of the University of Texas McCombs Business School, and now a leadership instructor, speaker and strategic advisor for Echelon Front. He is President of Echelon Front Overwatch, a company that specializes in the recruiting, training and placement of U.S special operations forces veterans with companies seeking leaders with an Extreme Ownership mindset to build their ranks and dominate on their battlefields. Mike served fifteen years as an officer in the SEAL Teams and five years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an enlisted Recon Marine and Scout-Sniper. Mike served in SEAL Team THREE where he led major combat operations that played a pivotal role in the Battle of Ramadi in 2006. Mike assumed duties as the primary leadership instructor for all officers graduating from the SEAL training pipeline. Mike was then selected for assignment to the Joint Special Operations Command where he completed multiple combat deployments.

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BTU #127 - Preparing on Active Duty for a Career in Financial Planning (Forrest Baumhover)

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BTU #127 - Preparing on Active Duty for a Career in Financial Planning (Forrest Baumhover)

Forrest anticipated his transition very early on and prepared for starting his own company in a very proactive way. This is also my first interview with a financial planner, and may be an interesting career path for other veterans.

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BTU #109: 20 years in the Army, selling a startup to Mercedes, and co-founding GoodWorld (John Gossart)

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BTU #109: 20 years in the Army, selling a startup to Mercedes, and co-founding GoodWorld (John Gossart)

John Gossart is the Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer of GoodWorld (www.GoodWorld.me), the FinTech startup revolutionizing philanthropy and social payments.  GoodWorld was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2016 and D.C.’s Best Technology Startup. Prior to GoodWorld, John was an original partner at RideScout (www.RideScout.com), the tech startup acquired by Daimler-Mercedes in 2014.

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BTU #81 - Doug Nordman: Submarines to Financial Independence at 40

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BTU #81 - Doug Nordman: Submarines to Financial Independence at 40

Doug Nordman is an early retiree, who has found financial independence far before he thought it possible. He is the author of The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement - a book where all royalties are donated to military charities. He started out at the Naval Academy, after which he served on submarines for 20 years. Since retiring from the Navy, Doug has worked to help other veterans reach financial independence, for free. Doug's spouse is a Navy Reserve retiree, and his daughter is about to start her 2nd Surface Warfare Officer junior officer sea tour on the USS GERALD R FORD. He holds a Masters in Engineering Science/Computers/Weapons Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.

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BTU #71 - Jeff Tiegs: 25 Years of Army Counter Terrorism to the Guardian Group

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BTU #71 - Jeff Tiegs: 25 Years of Army Counter Terrorism to the Guardian Group

Jeff Tiegs is a Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Expert with over 25 years in US Army Special Operations. His combat experience includes operations around the globe to include multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is applying this expertise to Counter Trafficking in the United States and is the Chief Operating Officer for Guardian Group. Guardian Group is a non-profit that works with law enforcement to illuminate, disrupt, prosecute and relentlessly pursue child predators. After his transition from the Army, he attended Breakline Education, which we talked about in Episode 54 with Bethany Coates.

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BTU #58 - Duane France: Army NCO to Thought Leader on Veterans Mental Health

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“There is still maybe a stigma in the community. There's an idea that veterans are viewed in one of three ways. They're either a victim, this broken winged bird that needs to be nursed back to life. Or they're a villain, they're this crazy combat vet who is about to explode at any moment. Or they're seen as some sort of mythic hero. And none of those are true. No veteran I've ever known wants to be treated like a victim. Being labeled a villain could make them more aggressive. and most will resist being called a hero. And so there are these archetypes that the community sees, but in reality we're really a combination of all of them."– Duane France

Duane France serves as the Program Director for the Colorado Veteran Health and Wellness Agency, as well as the Director of Veteran Services for the Family Care Center, and also as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor. He started out as a Noncommissioned officer in the Army, where he served for 22 years with five combat and operational deployments. Since leaving the Army he has established himself as a Veteran Mental Health Thought Leader, being listed by LinkedIn as one of the top five most influential veterans on LinkedIn. You can find him online at his website www.veteranmentalhealth.com and on Twitter as ThCounselingVet

The top two reasons to listen to today’s episode

  1. Responsibility - Duane has devoted his career to helping veterans and established himself as a Veteran Mental Health Thought Leader. In this episode he talks about the main problems addressing the veteran community. You may think this doesn’t apply to you, but if not it definitely affects some of the people you served with. Duane has great advice that would be helpful to anyone who served in the military
  2. Counselor - Duane retired in the military and then approached his second career as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor. If you’re interested in this industry, he’s a great role model to follow.

Our Sponsor

Audible is offering one FREE audio book to Beyond the Uniform listeners. You can claim this offer here, and see a list of books recommended by my guests at BeyondTheUniform.io/books

Selected Links

Show Notes

  • 2:00 - Duane's background
  • 2:56 - Duane's decision to leave the Army
  • 5:46 - What drew Duane to the mental health profession
  • 9:05 - The different capacities in which Duane currently serves
  • 10:46 - The day-to-day life of Duane's work in the mental health industry
  • 13:40 - The most helpful way that Duane prepared for his career, and advice to other veterans looking to enter the mental health profession
  • 17:24 - A story from Duane's life of the "paradox of the veteran's story"
  • 22:17 - Advice for veterans in becoming more comfortable talking about their experience in the military
  • 23:50 - What stands in the way of realizing that one single thing poses the majority of problems in the veteran community
  • 26:33 - Some of the biggest challenges facing veterans today
  • 45:13 - Advice on how veterans may uncover a new purpose after their military service
  • 49:50 - Resources that Duane would recommend to any veteran listening
  • 56:25 - Final words of wisdom
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BTU #51 - Robert Underwood: Retiring in the Navy and hiring a PhD to help with career coaching

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BTU #51 - Robert Underwood: Retiring in the Navy and hiring a PhD to help with career coaching

Robert Underwood served as an Officer in the Marine Corps for 25 years, retiring as a Colonel and works as a Business Development Manager in the Electronic Manufacturing Industry at Eaton.