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Neil has a story a lot of people will be interested in hearing:

He was on THE path:
- 75th Ranger Regiment
- Columbia Business School
- Working on a family business
- McKinsey
- Private Equity

And then he realized he didn't like what he was doing anymore.  That started him working on mindfulness and eventually using psychedelics to change his life.  Neil is now the CEO and co-founder of Beckley Retreats which runs psychedelic-assisted healing events. 

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While this show mainly interviews veterans, when given the chance to interview someone like Travis, I'm going to take it.

First- he is one of the most interesting people I've met:

• Serial entrepreneur 
• SCUBA dive Master/Instructor
• US Merchant Marine Boat Captain (50 Tons), 
• Commercial Airline Pilot (ATP)
• Was/is a world explorer.

We talk about the various businesses that Travis founded, including Hydro Flask, his extensive travels and business dealings in China, and how we is working with new entrepreneurs in the Tumalo Group.

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Matt was referred to me by someone from the audience.  I looked into the University of Health and Performance and FitOps and immediately was intrigued.

FitOps has the mission of "Empowering veterans to discover renewed purpose through the power of fitness and community.

UHP is a wellness-based educational organization. We provide students with an ideal environment and the training to identify and live their purpose as health and fitness coaches.

Matt and his team put together a deeply powerful experience for veterans.  People who go through the program will sweat and work hard, for sure, but more importantly, they will leave with a renewed sense of purpose and mission.  

This is a powerful episode.  We talk about serving others in deep and meaningful ways.  Tears are shed and deep laughs are had.  I promise you are going to like this one. 

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Bill Militello had every reason to stay on the "normal" path.  He had a great career going in finance when he decided that he wanted to branch out on his own.  After a risk assessment and planning, he took the leap to branch out on his own.

But he didn't stop there.

Seeing that veterans had trouble accessing capital for their business, he started Localvest.

Localvest connects veterans with investors, most notably, other veterans.  He's building a great community and if you are working on a deal- you should look up Localvest.

16 Places To Find Investor Money For Veterans

Related Podcasts:

Ep. 137: Equipping the Next Generation of Veteran Entrepreneurs with John Panaccione and VETtoCEO

Ep. 130: Investing in Business Acquisition and Veterans with Serial Entrepreneur Steve Ressler

Ep. 127: Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Startups with Steve Kiser from Veteran Ventures Capital

Ep. 109: A Lender's Perspective on Investing in Veteran Entrepreneurs For Business Acquisition: Lisa Forrest

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William Toti is a retired Navy CAPT with command at sea and experience as a CEO.  We talk at length about the obstacles ALL veterans likely face in their transition and why we all need to recognize these obstacles.  

You can learn more about his story at: 
https://williamtoti.com/

And find his book here:
From CO to CEO: A Practical Guide for Transitioning from Military to Industry Leadership

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Shelby is an army veteran who started acquiring properties while on active duty.  She then moved into being an agent and leveraged her military skills to quickly stand out above everyone else.  She now has her own company and real estate firm and has a TON of knowledge about getting started and the system you need. 



Resources Mentioned:
Create & Build Wealth With Real Estate Investing | BiggerPockets

51 Units and $900/Month in Pure Cashflow on a “BRRRRnB” (biggerpockets.com)

Similar Episodes:
Ep. 144: Former Israeli Navy SEAL Roy Dekel on the Windy Path to Starting a Real Estate Tech Company

Ep. 135: Starting to Farm From Scratch and Generating Business From Land with Lauren Spencer

Ep. 116: Real Estate, Starting Businesses with Friends, and Working from an RV with Vic "Victorious" Thompson

Ep. 99: Going From a Side Hustle to 250+ Franchises with Jerry "JDOG" Flanagan

Ep. 43: Real estate investing with David Pere from Military to Millionaire

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I first heard of Josh's story in a magazine ad for YouTube.  The ad showed how this former grunt taught himself calculus from watching videos online and worked his way into being an astrophysicist.

Josh's is a story of the grind.  Of the relentless pursuit of going after something you want when everything seems to be in your way.

This audience will love his story of putting in the work to make things happen.  From late nights and lots of trials and errors- Josh just kept going.


An Army Veteran Learned Advanced Math on YouTube to Become a Physicist
from military.com

Joshua Carroll's Story: Reaching for the stars
4:13 YouTube video

Veteran To Janitor To Physicist, Via YouTube
from Forbes

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Barrett is a truly awesome person. 

He started off as an enlisted Infantryman in the Marine Corps and has been deeply involved in supporting the veteran community since:

• Founder, Evocati, LLC: a public relations and consulting firm that partners with leading businesses around the country to grow their investment within the military-connected sector
• Close to a decade working at the VA where he focused on policies concerning the GI Bill, which we talk about heavily in the show. 
• Vice President,  Public Relations and Chapter Engagement for Student Veteran of America 
• George W. Bush Foundation Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program Fellow 
• Co-Author of "Called to Lead" from the Center for a New American Security, which examined the connections between military service and higher education leadership roles
• Bunker Labs Veterans in Residence Program
• Executive Board Member: The Paradigm Switch, a leading nonprofit that helped military spouses work anywhere in the world
• Stanford Ignite Post-9/11 Veterans Program alumni 

Resources mentioned:
Free ATS Resume Scanner | SkillSyncer
Veteran Opportunity Report | Social Impact (linkedin.com)
Ep. 71: Working In The Entertainment Industry after the Marines with Michael Broderick | The Veteran (Semi) Professional

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Topics Discussed:

- Insightful Reddit Rant concerning Army aviators
- Casualties rising for Ukraine
- Gun legislation
- Mortgage and housing market
- Consulting world shakeup
- Wall Street Madness
- New McDonald's who dis??!!


Check out Field Seats and save 10% with code "VETPRO"

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Jacob and Tom spent a lot of time together in the military, serving in the same infantry unit and then together in the Asymmetric Warfare Group.  They both even ended up going to business schools in Boston (Tom at MIT Sloan and Jacob at HBS). 

While at AWG, they met their now business partner, Pete Facchini, a legend from the 75th Ranger Regiment.  Pete was building bulletproof bookshelves for use in schools as a way to limit the threat of active shooters.  Pete wanted to focus on the product and told them, "Hey, you guys are interested in business....you worry about that."  And so they did.  

This episode was originally scheduled to be released later but was bumped up based on the recent events in Uvalde.  

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John is a former MARSOC operator and we talk about his new book and leadership after the military. 

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Commentary on business and politics to help you in post-military life. 

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Paul has a career going all over the place.  He bounced around from job to job after the Marines until he found his niche.  

• Founder, Empire Headhunters 
• Founder, Reciprocity ROI
• Venture Partner, The Robotics Hub
• Board Advisor, Spine Nation
• CPO, Fornux Corporation

He's also got a great story of his time in the Marines when he hustled and a leader saw his potential and gave him a chance. 

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Topics Discussed:

• 11th Airborne Division gets started in Alaska
• Forty McFort Face > Fort Liberty
• Stock market update
• Black Rifle Coffee gets sued by investor
• Elon shuffles new Twitter deal
• Buying refurbished tech (see also Tech for Troops)

Check out Google Vet Net Career Week where Mark will be talking!

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Roy is a former Israeli Navy SEAL and founder of SetSchedule, which makes software for real estate professionals. 

Here is his official bio:

"Roy Dekel is CEO and Co-Founder of SetSchedule. Preceding SetSchedule, Roy sold billions in financial products and prior to trends, institutionalized the buy and hold residential lifestyle model managing a lofty residential portfolio. Before moving to California, Dekel grew up in Israel, a child of Romanian refugees. He served as a first lieutenant in the Israeli Defense Forces of the Navy Seals. Inspired by his childhood, Roy helps charities that focus on the quality of life and education of children. Roy’s long-standing dedication as a donor, activist, and member of so many charitable organizations has earned Dekel the deserved reputation as a trusted and selfless community leader."

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Topics Discussed:

• You motorboating SOB
• Get pumped for the new Top Gun
• Crypto takes a dive
• Can Elon walk away from Twitter?
• PA GOP Senate race
• Offshore drilling leases
• Housing market cools

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Fieldseats.com is an e-commerce federally licensed firearms dealer. They provide virtual reviews on brand new firearms and at the end of the review they give away the firearm being reviewed for free to an attendee. 

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Joel is a Navy veteran who now helps connect people with the right franchise opportunity for them. 

We also discuss some health challenges Joel had after the Navy and how he was able to overcome them and get himself back on his feet (literally).

You can find his books here:
Franchise Due Diligence: Navigating the Franchise Purchase Process
Franchising Unlocked: The 7 Secret Keys to Franchise Ownership

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This episode is a bit different as we don't talk many veteran topics. 

Jared runs Thrifty Traveler and knows how to travel the world without breaking the budget.  

I always try and encourage people to plan some serious time off after the military and Jared can give you the tools to do it.

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This episode is unique in that I recorded it at Darden.  

There have been a few episodes published about buying your own business and Barker is the first who talks about doing it without investors.  

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Topics Discussed:

• Training Ukrainians on Javelins
• New Air Force bomb sinks ship in seconds
• Interest rates go up
• Trump back former Marine J.D. Vance
• Downsides to an MBA
• How an overturn of Roe v. Wade might affect businesses
• Theories on the leaked SCOTUS opinion

 
Check out fieldseats.com to purchase your Field Reviews and use VETPRO to get 10% off. 

Fieldseats.com is an e-commerce federally licensed firearms dealer. They provide virtual reviews on brand new firearms and at the end of the review they give away the firearm being reviewed for free to an attendee. 

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First- this episode is intense.  It is easily the most powerful episode of the show.

Nick openly shares his intense combat experiences from his time in the 75th Ranger Regiment and how they shaped his ability to be empathetic. 

Realizing he was sitting on a precipice, he sought help.  A mentor pointed him in the direction of psychedelics, which started him down a path of healing.  He shares what his experiences were like and to say that it is powerful is a dramatic understatement.  

Nick is now working on a Neuroscience degree at Harvard to take his knowledge and experiences to help other veterans.

Fun fact: Nick and I served in 1-505th, 82nd ABN for a few years together before we moved onto our next assignments. 

Resources mentioned:
Heroic Hearts Project (also check out Ep. 12 their founder Jesse Gould)
MAPS psychedelic research center
Live American Yogi (Nick brought LAY up without me prompting, but the founder, Phil, and I went through SERE together and were Team Leaders in the same company)
Hunter 7 Foundation
Next Step Inbound (Interview with their team on Ep. 17)
Warrior-Scholar Program (Hear my interview with CEO Ryan Pavel on Ep. 37)

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Dan retired from Special Forces and went into working in support of his same unit, as a contractor

We also talk about his upcoming book. 

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Topics Discussed:

• Should cadets and midshipmen be planning their post-military careers already? 
• SpaceX bringing the internet to Ukraine
• Russia guarding their ships with...dolphins?
• Apple doesn't want you to fix your phone
• The finances behind Elon and Twitter
• Big political moment in France 
• Do you even tactical nuke bro?

Big thanks to our sponsor:

fieldseats.com 

Fieldseats is an e-commerce federally licensed firearms dealer that provides reviews of new firearms.  With your review, you get entered into a raffle to wi the very firearm they just reviewed.  With a max of 40 people entering, your chances of winning are pretty dang good. 

Use code VETPRO to save 10%

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Topics Discussed:

• How NATO prepped Ukraine to win
• Using "good enough" defense tech to beat Russia
• DoD wants to be like Elon 
• The disaster of CNN +
• New EU laws make big changes for big tech
• Carbon capture tech prizes 

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John has a great story.  After leaving the army, he started working and eventually saw an opportunity to create a new business.  That led him to founding LogicBay, which he ran for 18 years before a successful acquisition in 2020.  He now helps small businesses raise capital through Folla Capital and helps veterans learn about entrepreneurship through VETtoCEO. 

Resources mentioned:
Corporate Bro

The Veteran (Semi) Professional: Ep. 22 Sales Platoon: Raleigh Wilkins on Apple Podcasts

Sales Training | Sales Platoon (mysalesplatoon.com)

Ways to raise capital: 

Fola Capital Group

Wefunder

StartEngine

Republic 

SeedInvest

Honeycomb Credit

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What I love about Lauren's story: She didn't grow up farming but decided that's what she wanted to do.  We dig into how she got started and how their family runs a few businesses from their land.

Brownings Flower Truck

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This episode is a little different.  Janice was referred to me by former guest Dr. Ruth Gotian (Ep. 117). Janice is not a veteran, but oh my she has a lot of wisdom to share!

We walk international travel (she's been to well over 100 countries) and the massively important work she does for people who are hard of hearing.  Janice shares how she got the Queen of England to act, why CEOs respond to her emails, and how we can all realize we have a lot more power than we think. 

HAI – Hearing Access & Innovations

JaniceLintz (@JaniceLintz) / Twitter

Janice (Schacter) Lintz | LinkedIn

One Woman Who Helps Millions Of People She Will Never Meet (forbes.com)

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Jake's story is a great one.

He started piecing together the idea for making great watches while serving in MARSOC and then kept working on it after leaving the Marines and working in a few other places.

We talk about running a business with your significant other (his wife) and what he does to help others veterans thinking about entrepreneurship. 

Sangin Instruments

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I got to meet Steve at an event in Houston and can attest that he is a genuinely good dude.  

His story is crazy and there's a TON to learn here.  

A former enlisted grunt, we get into his own rocky path out of the army and how he went from being on the brink of taking his life to living in a monastery for months to 20+ business partnerships and deals with millions.  

Steve is awesome and you will for sure learn something today.  

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Topics Discussed:

• Mark goes on a short rant about LinkedIn transition "gurus" as well as bad advice that's out there for veterans 
• Ukraine v. Russia update 
• Russia launches hypersonic missile 
• Chemical facility in Ukraine and Russian propaganda 
• People made more off their homes than their jobs last year 
• RIP Madeline Albright 
• The crazy world of Chinese nickel and international exchanges 

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Steve is an interesting case for this show because he himself is not a veteran.

After starting and exciting a few companies, Steve turned into an investor.  Through that process, he teamed up with a Navy veteran who showed him the power of veterans as entrepreneurs.  That led him down the path to start investing in startups and search funds, with a particular focus on investing in veterans.

Steve and his business partner also started Search and Acquire, a nonprofit focused on connecting veterans who want to acquire a business with sellers.  

Resources mentioned: 

HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business: Called "The Red Book" by those in the know, this is THE book you have to know if you are interested in business acquisition.

Buy Then Build: How Acquisition Entrepreneurs Outsmart the Startup Game

Follow Steve here:
@steveressler

These links lead to Amazon, where your purchase helps this site and podcast. 

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Patrick's story has a lot in it:

- Working at some mega-firms like Goldman Sachs and Google and how he said "no" to them
- Being OK with quitting
- Starting a company with world-class experts to increase human performance

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William is a former enlisted Marine who hustled his way into Stanford (danced, actually….it’s a whole story) and then started a business that is doing super well. He is a truly smart guy and very plugged into the veteran entrepreneurial community.

He took everything he has learned about startups and why he thinks prior enlisted are especially great in them into a new book, Startup NCO.

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Topics Discussed:

• Ukraine and Russia update
• How does this end?
• Sanctions
• Trouble for cargo flights
• Remote work
• Car prices through the roof 

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Steve has some great experience to learn from:

• Retired Air Force
• Government contracting and working in the defense industry 
• Venture Capital and Angel Investing
• Innovation within DoD

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Topics Discussed:

• Russia Invades
• Pros and cons of sanctions
• Canada unfreezes bank accounts of truck protestors
• Big Data is...well....big
• Truth Social is a disaster 

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Zack is seriously the man.  He and I started our friendship while I was at the Civil Affairs Qualification Course.  We then worked together in Syria and again when I was in Saudi Arabia. 

Currently, Zack works for Spirit of America. Who exactly are they?  They support warfighters and diplomats who need to get something down, but either they don't have the right kind of money or it will not come fast enough.  SoA fills a need and truly supports our Nation's missions abroad.  

Besides all that- Zack is just a funny guy and we swap some great stories in this episode.  

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Topics Discussed:

• Army makes their own app to connect Guards/Reserves with active roles
• Changes in VA disability for hearing, sleep apnea, and mental health
• Russia/Ukraine update
• What the CPI doesn't catch with inflation
• Legislators and stocks
• Coinbase and the Super Bowl
• Off-site is the new in-office 

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Jason runs Brokerz Edge, which trains people how to get started with being a freight broker.  Here's Jason's thoughts on why you might want to think about this option:

"I have now moved countless tons of freight and made ridiculous amounts of money doing it. I always tell people that transportation is the only industry that I know of where high school graduates can consistently make a six-figure income and I’m going to show you how to start from scratch and grow your business into its own company."

PLUS: Inside the episode will be an exclusive discount code to save 25% on their training course, which can a MASSIVE ROI.  

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Topics Covered

• Is Moscow the next Hollywood? 
• German firms don't want war
• China and Russia: friendly, not friends
• Airlines mega-merger
• Will Meta end in Europe?
• Massive pay at Amazon

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Marty has a wide-range of activities, which makes him a great guest to learn from:

• Current CEO of two different companies
• Founding partner of security consulting firm
• Sought-after keynote speaker
• Author of Be Nimble: How the Creative Navy SEAL Mindset Wins on the Battlefield and in Business
• Author of The Time Warrior Saga and SEAL Strike series

We talk about his early bumps in the financial industry after leaving the SEAL teams, and how those early failures helped him. 

This description contains Amazon Affiliate links. 

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If you listen to this show, I hope you've learned about the options available through Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition.  You may think you need to be a Harvard MBA with millions in the bank to make this happen, but today's guest is here to tell you why that is not the case. 

After a few army buddies told John Hubbard that he should consider business acquisition, he thought he'd look into it.  At the time, John was out of the army, working as a cop, and didn't have a fancy MBA.  He went onto Searchfunder.com and posted something to the tune of "I'm a veteran and want to buy a business."  He then got dozens of emails from investors looking to invest in him and within a few months, he acquired a business.  

His first meeting with an investor they met at a bar and got wings and beer.  They chatted about business for 20 minutes and then the guy said, "You sound cool.  I'll give you $200k.  Now I'd like to hear about Afghanistan because that's really interesting."

This strategy is way more approachable than you think.  

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Topics Discussed:

• National Guard Troops can form unions
• Russia shaking things up in the EU
• "New Supreme Court who dis?!"
• Interest rates 
• Venture Capital in US and China 
• Taxes in the UK

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Nick is a fascinating guy. He was born in Iran and had an American dad, then fled the country during the Islamic Revolution.  He came to the US and had along career in Special Operations.  Since then, he has worked in IT consulting.  

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Larry Broughton is simply...awesome.  

After leaving the Army where he served as Special Forces NCO, Larry has had a tremendous career.  

• Founded broughtonHOTELS, a leader in the boutique hotel industry with close to 20 hospitality projects.  
• Incredibly popular leadership speaker, he has been invited to talk to organizations like Wal-Mart, Wounded Warrior Project, Lexus, and the Pentagon.
• Invited to speak about business, entrepreneurship, and leadership on media sources such as CNBC and MSNBC. 
• Regularly sought by startups, C-level executives, and nonprofit leaders to help them make the most of their organization.  
• Numerous business awards, including Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year®, the National Veteran-Owned Business Association’s Vetrepreneur® of the Year, Passkeys Foundation’s National Business Leader of Integrity award, HSMAI’s 2018 Best of the Best Management Company of the Year; Coastline Foundation’s Visionary of the Year, and Entrepreneur Magazine included his firm on their Hot 500 List of Fastest Growing Private Companie. 

On the surface, it looks like everything he touches turns to gold.  But Larry and I get real and we talk about his own transition from the military, divorce, and the bumps along the way.  

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Topics Discussed:
- Ukraine and the Big Mish
- Computer-assisted target acquisition for SAW gunners
- Microsoft buys ActiVision to pursue the "Netflix of Gaming"
- 5G and airline concerns (plus some real technical talk from Kyle)
- Voting right bills
- Why investors are dumping Bitcoin

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Dr. Ruth Gotian is a heavy-hitter.  Here's some of her accomplishments:

• Chief Learning Officer and Assistant Professor of Education in Anesthesiology and former Assistant Dean of Mentoring and Executive Director of the Mentoring Academy at Weill Cornell Medicine
• Frequent contributor to Forbes, where she writes about optimizing for success
• Soon to publish The Success Factor: Developing the Mindset and Skillset for Peak Business Performance  where she tackles the question, "What do astronauts, Olympic champions, and Nobel laureates do differently that allows them to achieve at such a high level?"

She was gracious enough to come onto the show and share her extensive knowledge and research, knowing that veterans can absolutely use it. 

*This contains Amazon affiliate links.  Your purchase continues to help veterans crush it after the military.