Everyone recommends you find a mentor when you transition out of the military, and you certainly should. Podcasts can both (a) help you find a mentor, and (b) life-hack the need for a mentor until you find the right one. With that in mind, we have compiled a list of 10 Military Veteran Transition podcasts. These podcasts are all geared toward helping veterans transition, and often include interviews with veterans who have had successful civilian careers.
Do you need more convincing? Some of the guests from these shows include veterans such as a former executive vice president of operations for the Walt Disney World Resort; startup creators such as Vet-Tech, Entrepreneurs on Fire, Broughton Hotels, and Two Men and a Truck; a game writer on "Game of Thrones" (the author of this article); a writer and artist of the military comic Terminal Lance; and many more.
The Podcasts:
SuccessVets (Byron Chen)
Recent episodes include:
- Jim Estes: Former PGA Tour Player Starts the Salute Military Golf Association
- Nicholas Bradfield: Simple Do-It-Yourself Investing That Beats the Pros
Command Your Business (Scott Fussell)
Recent episodes include:
- Larry Broughton, Army Special Forces to Running a Hotel Empire
- Interview with Ken Robbins, 20-Year Army Vet to Entrepreneur
Veteran On the Move (Joe Crane)
Recent episodes include:
- High School Dropout to Doctor and Founder of Blue Dragon Enterprises with Air Force Veteran Rob Garcia.
- Center for Transitional Leadership with Founder and Army Veteran Bob Ulin
Military Entrepreneur Show (Dan Evans)
Recent episodes include:
- Sarah Plummer Taylor | Marine Turned Author, Speaker & Entrepreneur
- Nick Bradfield | Founder of Divvy Investments
Military Veterans in Creative Careers (Justin Sloan, Jennifer Marshall, Trevor Scott)
Recent episodes include:
- Cinematography and Film School with Christopher Murray
- Military Writing Scholarship for the San Francisco Writers Conference and more!
Lead like a Marine (Frank Gustafson)
Recent episodes include:
- Darryl Lyons, Author, Small Business Big Pressure, Veteran Advocate
- Chris Kennedy, Ph.D., U.S. Navy Pilot, Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur
In The Trenches (Tom Morkes)
Recent episodes include:
- How to Create a Platform with Marshall Van Alstyne
- How to Build a Business as a Millennial with Mojca Mars
The Military Wallet Podcast (Ryan Guina)
Recent episodes include:
- Buy Back Military Service for Civil Service Retirement Credits with a Military Service Credit Deposit
- Health Care Benefits After Separating from the Military
Veteran Transitions Podcast (Craig Mayville)
Recent episodes include:
- Chris Henry, Former Marine Sergeant and HMH-463 Air Framer
- Lou, former Marine Staff Sergeant and CH-53 Mechanic
Mentors for Military Podcast (Scott Kinder, Rudy Lindsey, Mike Pritts, Kat Kaelin)
Recent episodes include:
- Matt Johnson -- Former UK Veteran, Cop and Current Author
- Tackling boredom and lack of structure post military
Want a bonus one? Entrepreneurs On Fire has been super successful and has included guests such as Seth Godin and Pat Flynn (big names in the podcasting world). It was started by veteran John Lee Dumas.
How to Use These Podcasts
Each of the above podcasts covers military transition, but in their own way. For example, Gustafson's Lead Like a Marine podcast focuses on leadership and discovering your passion in the workplace, The Military Wallet is more focused on leveraging your benefits to succeed, and the Military Veterans in Creative Careers podcast focuses on veterans who want to transform their creative interests into careers.
The advice from these podcasts is immensely valuable, both as you start your transition and as you continue on your career. Look to these speakers and guests as your virtual mentors and, if nothing else, for some great inspiration. If you like a guest and want to connect, find their email (sometimes their contact information is included in the "show notes" -- the information provided in the link to their episodes on the websites or within iTunes). Plenty of other helpful military transition podcasts are out there, too, so don't stop with these ones.
If you have a story to tell, contact the podcast hosts and ask to be on the show. They are always looking for more guests, and they look forward to hearing your story.
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