The FourBlock Podcast

Listening is at the heart of being a good networker – and a good friend. Good listeners engage in what's called active emphatic listening, a strategy that can prevent the inevitable tendency of your mind to wander during a conversation. This week, FourBlock founder Mike Abrams shares two quick active listening techniques to help keep you focused and attentive. ABOUT US Welcome to the FourBlock Pod...

Is there something unfair about leveraging personal contacts to help you get ahead? This week, FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams explores the topic of networking, and why it isn't about finding opportunities for yourself to get ahead in life, but about finding opportunities to help others. Instead of seeking out and just connecting with people who can somehow advance your career, Mike says to begin lo...

Most open positions in today's job market are filled through networking, often before the positions are even made public or posted online. This is where many transitioning veterans need the most help. Veterans can be completely isolated from the civilian job market during their active service which can lead to a weak professional network. And it's not just connections they lack…veterans need spons...

There is a familiar strategy that has transcended centuries of war known as taking the high ground. This week, FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams discusses what taking the "high ground" looks like for your military transition and explores how to win this "terrain" to gain the information and opportunities needed to figure out the best next step in your life and career after military service.    ABOUT U...

Many service members believe that because they did a certain job in the military, that they're limited to certain opportunities in the civilian world. This could not be further from the truth. This week, FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams shares why it is so important for service members to have a growth mindset and to think critically when making the transition from military service to a civilian care...

What is the first step for a veteran looking to transition out of the military into a civilian career, or for any job seeker? What are the areas where veterans can excel in the career search process? How is hiring going to change in response to the impacts of COVID-19? This week, author, keynote speaker, and career search advisor Steve Dalton joins hosts Lindsey Pollak and Mike Abrams to highlight...

As an employer, how do you go about building a successful veteran hiring program at your company? As a veteran, how can you take advantage of these types of programs to put your best foot forward and get hired?  This week, Army Veteran and Head of Military and Veteran Programs at Uber Michael Pett joins FourBlock founder and host Mike Abrams to share his expertise, discuss the components of a succ...

What is the definition of 'veteran'? This week, we welcome SgtMaj Anthony Spadaro, who joins host Mike Abrams to examine the varied experiences of veterans; discuss the unique impact of the military's education model and how it teaches service members to become critical thinkers and prepare for leadership roles; and share some factors that HR departments should consider when shaping their veteran...

After moving out on his own at 15 and dropping out of high school, Damien Bertolo found guidance and support from an unexpected mentor who motivated him to go back to school. Damien went on to graduate high school, get accepted to college, and ultimately go on to join the Marine Corps, where he served on active duty from 2003-2012. On this week's episode, Damien shares his transition experience an...

June 27th is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day. In observance of this day, we are revisiting an interview that was originally released on October 28th, 2019, when Dr. Amanda Spray joined us to examine truths and debunk some myths about PTSD. Dr. Spray is the Program Director of the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at NYU Langone Health and a Clinical Associate Professor in...

This week, we welcome Navy veteran and longtime travel industry executive Chris Vasiliou, who reflects on his experience mentoring severely injured veterans at Walter Reed National Military Hospital; examines what makes a good mentor and the importance of trust in relationship building; and shares actionable advice for veterans on how to find the right mentor. Chris was a senior executive in the t...

This week, we welcome Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Marsh & McLennan Companies, Laurie Ledford, who joins hosts Lindsey Pollak and Mike Abrams to provide insight into the decision-making process behind a global organization's response to the global pandemic; discuss the future of work; share advice for veterans and civilian professionals alike who are seeking employmen...

We're going to do something a little different this week, given the protests and the civil unrest across the country. Now more than ever is a time when many of us need to listen and try to understand what's being expressed by members of our community. On November 4th, 2019, we conducted an interview with Darren Sumter, former Army Pilot, executive at LinkedIn, and a FourBlock Board member. In this...

This week, Colonel Ted Studdard joins host Mike Abrams to talk about his personal transition experience after serving 29 years in the Marine Corps; share the three elements that should form the foundation of your job search; and discuss actionable advice for making intentional decisions about your life and career after the military. Ted began his service as a Private and would go on to retire 29 y...

How do you learn to become a successful fundraiser on behalf of a nonprofit organization or cause? Is philanthropy going up or down in response to COVID-19? Is it harder to raise money during this time? President of Averill Fundraising Solutions Robert C. Happy, Jr. joins host Mike Abrams to discuss strategies and tactics for successful fundraising amid COVID-19 and what skills and attributes make...

This week, we welcome back Pat Hubbell and Peter Sukits, the co-founders of Candorful, a non-profit organization that connects transitioning service members with experienced interview coaches for live personal job interview practice sessions. The final episode in a four-part series is a must-listen for interviewers, hiring managers, HR staff, and business owners. Pat and Peter join hosts Lindsey P...

"Do not wait and worry that now is not a good time – if you need a job now or suspect that you are going to need a job, you have to take action." If you're looking for employment right now, where do you even begin? What do you do in this type of environment? In these unprecedented times, hosts Lindsey Pollak and Mike Abrams share actionable tips and strategies for conducting a job search during th...

This week, we welcome back Pat Hubbell and Peter Sukits, the co-founders of Candorful, a non-profit organization that connects transitioning service members with experienced interview coaches for live personal job interview practice sessions. In this episode, Pat and Peter discuss the biggest interview mistakes that veterans make and share their advice for overcoming those missteps. This is the th...

This week, leadership and human resources consultant Mike Dunford joins host Mike Abrams to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the current business environment and how the nature of work will change; share behind-the-scenes insights into the corporate hiring and recruiting process; and provide actionable advice for veterans seeking employment. Mike is a retired Marine Corps Reserve Off...

This week, we welcome back Pat Hubbell and Peter Sukits, the co-founders of Candorful, a non-profit organization that connects transitioning service members with experienced interview coaches for live personal job interview practice sessions. This is the second episode in a four-part bi-weekly series where we explore and take a deep dive into the job interview, an area that many transitioning serv...

While many service men and women are often focused on employment when they leave active service, Marine Corps Major Marvin Jackson suggests that the very first thing that transitioning veterans should focus on is their medical out-processing. This week, Marvin joins FourBlock founder and host Mike Abrams to discuss the importance of documentation and shares actionable advice about medical out-proc...

This week, we welcome Pat Hubbell and Peter Sukits, the co-founders of Candorful, a non-profit organization that connects transitioning service members with experienced interview coaches for live personal job interview practice sessions. Pat is the executive director of Candorful and has over 17 years of experience coaching soldiers, veterans, and young professionals with career transitions at Cor...

This week we welcome non-governmental organization leader and former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Cassy L. Cox. Cassy transitioned from active service to a role in the private sector as a corporate recruiter, first with a small start-up headhunting firm and then with a large accounting firm. Feeling a bit unfulfilled, she decided to take an 80% pay cut to join an American international non-profi...

Have you ever met someone who had no idea how they came across? Have you ever been that person? How would you know? It can happen often during the military-to-civilian career transition that someone has trouble adapting to different environments or is generally unaware of how they come across in various work cultures. This week, FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams discusses the importance of developing...

Military career paths are typically very well-defined. Service members usually know exactly what they need to do to get promoted to the next rank. This is often not the case in the civilian workforce. Career paths in the civilian world are much less defined, making it difficult for transitioning service members to chart a course forward and to think strategically about how to get to where they wan...