Waypoints podcast

Hi everyone,  Please join us for the second half of our September 11th podcast. After having the opportunity to speak with Devora Kirschner, we stayed on the line to discuss our own memories of September 11, 2001, and the complex feelings we have today, 25 years after the attacks on our nation. We also read through September 11 stories from classmates and from service academy women from across the...

September 11, 2001, impacted Americans everywhere - including those of us in the Naval Academy community - in many complex, interconnected ways. As we pass 25 years after 9/11, we wanted to mark the time and hold some space. Please join us for a discussion with Devora Kirschner in honor of her husband and our classmate, Darin Pontell '98, who was killed in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.  To D...

It took us awhile to get our act together, but we finally got the chance to talk with VADM Sara Joyner, USNA '89! She spoke at the 50th celebration in April, and we'd been looking forward to the opportunity to follow up and speak with her about her experiences at USNA and in the fleet, flying some fantastic aircraft, and leadership.  The discussion did not disappoint! Please join Misty and Jeannet...

So back in March, we did a class of '98 (part 2) episode with Jen Salisbury, Sarah Rollings, and Susanne Weinrich. But Jen's answer to one of the questions we asked was removed in the published version of the podcast. So now, safely past the events of the 50th, we revisit Jen's comment, current events, silencing, and diverse and inclusive leadership (yes, we said those words aloud). Please join us...

Earlier this spring, SOMB got connected with the Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress (LOC) and had the opportunity to meet and speak with the VHP director, Monica Mohindra, and tour the VHP space and the LOC. And that's when we learned that the VHP needs more stories from women veterans. Of course, we agree - there should be more stories out there from women who have served,...

Hi everyone! Please join us (Jeannette and Kate) as we have the privilege of talking with and learning from the amazing Sandra Fontaine, USNA 81 -- part of the second class with women and one of the first women to commission into the Marine Corps out of USNA. Please join and listen to Sandra's experiences at USNA and in the Corps -- about being in the second class with women at Navy, going through...

Please join us to meet and learn from Erin (Deeds) Beaty '00! Erin doesn't sit still well, as we've learned - from majoring in Aero (Astro track) at USNA, to serving as a SWO (and managing the stress of being a new parent with being a JO on her first ship), to being a published author (of FIVE books), to managing a family with five kids and an active duty Navy husband, to working her way through a...

Beware - some strong feelings here. All of the feelings. About two weeks after the 50th events, Kate, Shannon, and Jeannette met up to talk through their complex feelings and thoughts in the aftermath of that meaningful and wonderful weekend...including both how we feel about the Academy's silence around the 50th anniversary and how amazing it was to have the support of the broader alumni communit...

Hi everyone - we are thrilled to introduce this podcast episode! For this recording, we were so very honored and excited to be joined by Ms. Mouzetta Zumwalt-Weathers (daughter of Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr., CNO 19), who came on the podcast to talk with us about her father's legacy, the 50th anniversary event, and what it was like to be a teenager in the house of the CNO during such a dynamic and c...

Please join us for our last live episode from the 50th! This time, we get to sit down with the amazing CAPT Tasya Lacy, USNA '97, to talk about family, service, track, singing, and inclusion. We overlapped with Tasya at USNA, so it was fantastic to reconnect with her - especially as the events of the 50th surrounded us and lifted us up. And - since this was the morning after the Gala - we got to t...

We are so excited to share this episode from the 50th, where Shannon, Jenn, and Jeannette had the opportunity to sit down with Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) 33 (and, if you've been living under a rock, the first female CNO)! We recorded this on Saturday, April 18, just before she sat down for a fireside chat as part of the 50th events. If you can't tell from our voices,...

Hi everyone - this is our second episode live from the 50th events April 16-19, 2026. Please join us this time as we get the opportunity to speak with and learn from RADM Julius Caesar (Ret.), Class of '77 -- Distinguished Graduate, retired Surface Warfare Officer, leader in the Naval Academy Minority Association SIG, and all around amazing human being! He was on hand to support the women of USNA...

Ok y'all - for the next few episodes, we'll be featuring speakers and special guests live from the Annapolis events to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of women at USNA! These are shorter episodes that we managed to record amidst the craziness - thanks to our guests, who were willing to miss out on a few minutes of the broader programming. Our first guest was LtGen Lori Reynolds, USMC (Ret.), from t...

It's the week of the 50th anniversary events in Annapolis (and West Point and Colorado Springs)...in anticipation of the events, Jeff Webb '95, President and CEO of the USNA Alumni Association and Foundation, met with Jeannette at the Fluegel Alumni Center in Annapolis.  Please join us to learn about Jeff's path from the cycling team and ocean engineering at Navy to the SEAL teams to Run to Honor...

Maybe we'll just keep going until you've heard from EVERY woman in '98! We don't know about you all, but we've thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with our classmates and being reminded of how absolutely awesome they are.  This time, Sara Stires and Tara Golden join from Annapolis and the greater Norfolk area with Shannon and Jeannette to discuss animals, the DFC, Glee Club, and the importance of reco...

Haven't had your fill of the women from '98 yet? We know, we get it - you want to hear from MORE of us. Of course you do! So...(drum roll)...we're excited to share Part 1 of a 2.5-part series - where the women of SOMB talk with their classmates. This week, Jen (Schulze) Salisbury, Susanne Wienrich, and Sarah Rollings, all 98ers, join from Maui, Salt Lake City, and London with Shannon and Jeannette...

Please join Shannon and Jeannette for a deep, wonderful, and inspiring discussion with Lauren (Narducci) Symmes '00! Besides being married to a '98 classmate (shout out to Mark), she is also full of wisdom, strength, and some really fantastic ideas. We talk about everything from the 40th and 50th anniversaries of women at the service academies... to learning how to study as a plebe... to losing be...

We did something new this week as we build up to the 50th! Five amazing women from the great class of '95 joined Kate and Jeannette for a wide-ranging discussion... we had Molly Boron joining us from Maryland, Heidi Huerter Lenzini joining us from Virginia, Megan Humbert Schwartz joining us from the UK, Motisola Bowman joining us from Virginia, and Rachel Medrano Oden joining us from California. ...

Please join us at Waypoints as we get to talk with another amazing USNA alumna in advance of the 50th anniversary events this spring! Today we get to meet and speak with Julie (Nichols) Kubal, class of '96 and New York City native...please listen in as we talk about fencing (which just sounds cool), loneliness, and the importance of connections. We also discuss Julie's career changes... from astro...

Please join us as we continue our Waypoints podcasts in support of the 50th Anniversary of women at the Military Service Academies - and as we talk with and learn from Jill Richards '94. Jill service selected as an NFO into the P-3C community before her career took an sharp turn -- after nearly 36 years in uniform, Jill recently retired and is the owner and Chief Catalyst at Catalysis Acupuncture...

For this episode, we're taking a break from our 50th anniversary podcasts to dive into some current events in important ways. Our 50th podcasts will pick back up in the next two weeks with interviews with women from '94 and '95. Women in combat - specifically, women in previously-closed combat occupations and combat arms units - have been in the news recently. Earlier this month, the Department of...

Hi everyone - please join us for an insightful discussion about disordered eating and its roots with USNA alumna Lauren Narducci Symmes '00 and her daughter Lorelai Symmes! Lorelai is a first-year doctoral student whose research broadly focuses on the psychosocial factors that influence the development and maintenance of body image disturbances and disordered eating, particularly during childhood...

Please join the Sisterhood today as we meet and talk with Kimberly Walz '92! Kim was a plankowner of the USNA women's lacrosse team, rowed crew, and bench pressed her body weight on the powerlifting team...and then went on to serve on active duty and in the reserves (where she still serves as a RDML!). We spoke of NAPS versus USNA, resilience, the importance of having leaders who look for ways to...

Please join us to listen to and learn from Stefanie Goebel '80, Chair of the Survivor Advocacy Network (SAN). Stefanie has joined us before in her personal capacity (in 2019!), but this time she comes on the pod to talk with us about the SAN, its origins, scope, and so much more. We are incredibly grateful to Stefanie for her willingness to come back on and share her expertise and energy with us -...

Aaaaand we're in the 90s now! (The best decade... kidding.) Please join Jeannette and Shannon as we talk with Kristin (Dryfuse) Barnes '92, F-14 RIO, doctor of naturopathic medicine, Ironman triathlete, author of  Haysoos the Honu , and so much more. Ask her how she got her call sign, Rosie... news flash, it's not because of Rosie the Riveter. We're talking about Navy jet squadrons in the 90s, aft...