Mission: Readiness Podcast

This week on the podcast, Ben and Megan talk to Mission: Readiness member Brigadier General (Ret.) Doug Pierce, U.S. Air Force, about his career, his time as the Mayor of Norwalk, Iowa, and what he has been working on during retirement. Then Megan talks to Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, about his obesity prevention work in West Virginia.

On this episode of the Mission: Readiness podcast, General Gross interviews General (Ret.) John Allen, USMC , former NATO commander and President of the Brookings Institution. General Allen and General Gross discuss the latest victories for nutrition assistance programs, Mission: Readiness' newly released Nutrition Policy Roadmap (https://www.strongnation.org/articles/1452-mission-readiness-nutrit...

General Gross speaks with Brigadier General (Ret.) Dana Born, USAF about her military and civilian careers, including her time studying recruitment trends at the Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy at the Pentagon. Published numerous times on leadership, General Born also gives us her top leadership lesson and tells us what it was like to be a comman...

Josh Protas, Vice President of Public Policy at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, speaks with General Gross and Ben about growing food insecurity among military families. Plus, Jenny Wing Harper stops by the podcast to talk about provisions in the new COVID-19 relief bill geared at helping children succeed. Check out the MAZON website to learn more: mazon.org

This week on the podcast, General Gross talks to retired Air Force Colonel Jeff White, who currently serves as the Chief of Youth Programs and Acting Chief of J1 Strategy & Policy for the National Guard Bureau. They discuss National Guard programs that provide opportunities to young people, helping kids develop healthy habits, and how to effectively work with Congress. To learn more about the...

Longtime Fight Crime: Invest in Kids member and Maine Corrections Commissioner Randy Liberty joins the podcast to discuss the importance of helping kids succeed early. Commissioner Liberty discusses his military and law enforcement career, the importance of federal nutrition programs, and innovative work he is leading to improve the food consumed in Maine's prison system.

This week Megan talks to Casey Hanson and Craig Stevenson of Kids Win Missouri. Casey and Craig talk about their key legislative priorities for the 2021 Missouri General Assembly session, the challenges child care providers and parents have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and upcoming activities for Child Advocacy Day. For more information, visit the following: kidswinmissouri.org/ childadvoca...

Danielle Nierenberg, President and Co-Founder of Food Tank: The Think Tank For Food, joins the podcast to talk about trends and opportunities in our interconnected, global food system. Danielle, the 2020 recipient of the Julia Child Award, shares what she has seen when it comes to obesity and malnutrition during her travel to more than 70 countries.

Billy Shore, Founder and Executive Chair of Share Our Strength, joins the podcast to speak about why ending childhood hunger is within America's grasp, how the No Kid Hungry campaign is helping schools deal with the pandemic, and the vital importance of nutrition education.

General Gross kicks off a new season of the podcast with a behind the scenes interview with the Mission: Readiness national team. Jenny Wing Harper, Ben Goodman, Abby Ware, Megan Adamczewski, and John Connolly join the podcast to talk about how they got involved with Mission: Readiness, upcoming work in 2021, and how they've been spending their time during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This week on the Mission: Readiness podcast, National Director Ben Goodman talks to Lieutenant General (Ret.) Burke Garrett, U.S. Army. They discuss leadership, the importance of adaptation and staying active during COVID-19, and the need for long-term investments in nutrition programs. General Garrett also talks about his work with the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program and his passion for promoti...

General Gross speaks with Kim Fortunato, President of the Campbell's Soup Foundation and Vice President, Community Affairs at Campbell's. Kim, a member of our sibling organization, ReadyNation, talks about the private sector imperative for ensuring young people have access to fresh and nutritious food.

This week on the podcast, General Gross speaks with National Guard Youth Foundation President and Mission: Readiness member Brigadier General (Ret.) Allyson Solomon, U.S. Air Force. General Gross and General Solomon discuss the National Guard Youth Foundation, leadership, and adapting during COVID-19.

General Gross speaks to two Members of Congress about the importance of bipartisan efforts to address childhood nutrition and food insecurity. First, General Gross interviews Mission: Readiness member and retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE). After that, he speaks with Marine Corps veteran Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA).

A special Veteran’s Day conversation with Mission: Readiness member Brigadier General (Ret.) Jack Hammond, U.S. Army. General Hammond is the Executive Director of Home Base, an organization that provides vital health services to veterans across the nation. He joins the podcast to discuss Home Base’s mission to treat Invisible Wounds like traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress, and other r...

In this episode, Mission: Readiness member Major General (Ret.) Larry Harrington, U.S. Army, talks to Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS). Rep. Kelly is currently a Brigadier General in the Mississippi National Guard and discusses the importance of teaching kids healthy habits from a young age. Later, General Gross speaks to Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) about critical nutrition programs, including how the Gus Schum...

This episode features a robust discussion on the implications of the new Mission: Readiness report, ‘Breaking Point: Child malnutrition imperils America’s national security,’ with Major General (Ret.) Marcia Anderson, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Kathleen Dussault, and Major General (Ret.) Ed Tonini. The three retired military leaders break down military eligibility challenges and possible solutions to red...

General Gross sits down with Sally Ann Zoll, Ed. D., CEO of United Through Reading, to discuss the challenges of engaging young learners during COVID-19, educating families of service members, and the importance of reading to young kids.  Ben talks with early childhood expert Dr. Janice Gruendel of the ReadyNation Brain Science Speakers Bureau about the science behind preparing kids for...

On today's episode of the Mission: Readiness podcast, General Gross talks with General Linnington, Chief Executive Officer of the Wounded Warrior Project and member of Mission: Readiness. We learn about the ways in which COVID-19 is impacting veterans, particularly veterans who have been wounded, and what the Wounded Warrior Project is doing to provide support. General Linnington also shares what...

General Gross speaks to retired four-star Army General Stanley McChrystal, the former Commander of Joint Special Operations Command and the International Security Assistance Force. They discuss leadership lessons they learned from working together in the Army, the importance of quality nutrition, and how to manage teams during a public health crisis.

General Gross talks to Brigadier General (Ret.) Maureen LeBoeuf, USA, a senior advisor and faculty member of the Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point. General LeBoeuf formerly served as the Head of the Department of Physical Education at the United States Military Academy. General Gross and General LeBoeuf discuss the importance of physical activity and proper nutrition, and how to lead d...

General Gross talks to Major General Kevin Vereen, the new Commanding General of U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC). General Vereen shares his priorities for Army recruiting and discusses how USAREC has responded to various challenges posed in 2020. Additionally, Mission: Readiness Associate Director Abby Ware speaks with Morgan Wittman Gramann, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Alli...

General (Ret.) David Petraeus, U.S. Army, joins the podcast for an extensive conversation on leadership, military readiness, and preparing the next generation for success.  Petraeus shares insight from his extraordinary public service career, which included leadership of coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and service as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. As mentioned on the p...

General Gross sits down with Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) to discuss his new bipartisan bill, the Meals on Wheels for Kids Act. Former Minnesota Adjutant General Harry Sieben also joins the podcast to discuss his time serving in the Minnesota Legislature.

General Gross sits down with Dan Giusti, Founder and CEO of Brigaid, about what motivated him to leave his job as head chef of world-renowned Copenhagen restaurant Noma to focus on changing how and what America's kids are eating. Admiral (Ret.) James Loy, the former Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, stops by the podcast to talk about his recent advocacy work to improve child nutrition and s...