The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience

Send us Fan Mail That first “Plebe Summer” letter can feel like it rewrites everything you thought you knew. One day you’re celebrating an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, and the next you’re reading words like “I hate this place” and bracing for a first phone call that might sound like quitting. We get it, and we made this for the parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends who ar...

Send us Fan Mail Navy Racing is not just about going fast, it’s about learning how to perform when everything is on the line. We sit down with Kevin Burnett to debrief a huge year for motorsports at the Naval Academy, from legitimate NASCAR exposure to the real, gritty work of building a Formula SAE car that can survive the hardest event on the schedule. If you care about leadership under pressure...

Send us Fan Mail Your plebe has been gone for a few hours and your brain is already filling in the blanks. We get it. From a live recording on Main Street in Annapolis on U.S. Naval Academy Induction Day, we walk through what’s actually happening right now inside Bancroft Hall, why the first interactions can feel jarring, and how to think about those first emotional check-ins before the oath. Gran...

Send us Fan Mail I’m joined by Gabe Iglesias, a fresh USNA graduate (Class of 2026) heading to the submarine force, to walk through what Professional Training for Midshipmen actually looks like during PROTRAMID when you’re on the road, on base, and suddenly holding a lot more freedom than you had in Bancroft Hall.  We talk about why Protramid right after plebe year is such a big deal for service s...

Send us Fan Mail Around 15,000 applicants. Only 7.9% ultimately raise their right hand. Then the real deal starts: hardship, exhaustion, frustration, and homesickness.  This episode is a recording of a speech I have at the Southern California Naval Academy Parent's Club Welcome Aboard event for the incoming class of 2030 and their families on 6/13/2026. In the talk, I break down what makes th...

Send us Fan Mail I-Day can feel like a blur you can’t control, until you understand what’s actually happening and what you can do to support your future midshipman without adding stress. We talk through the real-world logistics that trip families up, starting with the one resource that beats every rumor: the USNA Permit to Report package. We share practical tips on access to the yard, why the stad...

Send us Fan Mail Most Navy career conversations orbit ships, submarines, and aircraft. Meanwhile, an entire community is quietly building, powering, and repairing the platforms and bases that make all of that possible. I sit down with Roland De Guzman, a Naval Academy graduate and career Civil Engineer Corps officer, to tell the real story of the CEC and the Seabees. Roland explains what CEC offic...

Send us Fan Mail Rankings at the Naval Academy can feel like a a mystery until you learn the language behind it and understand the system. We walk through how midshipmen are constantly evaluated, why class rank matters at graduation and commissioning, and how USNA measures performance in a way most civilian universities simply do not. If you have a midshipman in your life and you’ve heard terms to...

Send us Fan Mail Plebe year ends with a fast, emotional sprint: finals wrap, intercessional leave hits, and then zero block brings the two biggest milestones most families are waiting for, Sea Trials and Herndon. If you’ve got a plebe at the U.S. Naval Academy, or you’re trying to understand the Naval Academy journey from the outside, this is the background that will help.  We start with a term th...

Send us Fan Mail Your son or daughter just earned a Naval Academy appointment and you’re proud, rattled, and unsure what to expect all at the same time. I get it. When a family doesn’t have a military background, USNA can feel like a different planet with its own language, rules, and stakes and your brain naturally jumps to worst-case scenarios even while you’re celebrating a huge win. I share my...

Send us Fan Mail The Academy is a controlled environment. The fleet is not. The day you commission, “adulting” stops being a meme and becomes the difference between a stressed-out junior officer and a steady leader your sailors can trust.  I riff on the lessons I wish every new Navy JO heard before reporting to a ship or submarine. We start with work, because leadership is not just being competent...

Send us Fan Mail The question I hear every year sounds innocent but it can quietly wreck your Plebe Summer mindset: “How do I become the best plebe in my company?” I’m sharing a different path for the Naval Academy Class of 2030 and the families walking alongside them, rooted in what I saw across every company as Plebe Summer regimental commander and what I’ve learned since as a graduate trying to...

Send us Fan Mail 50 years ago, women showed up on I-day for the first time at the Naval Academy.  That’s why this milestone weekend in Annapolis feels so big, and why we wanted the real story behind it. Marie (USNA ’86) and Adrienne (USNA ’06) join us to share how USNA Women Writ Large and the USNA Women's SIG are bringing more than 850 people together April 16 to 19 for a conference, gala, a...

Send us Fan Mail A single book can change your life, and sometimes it starts with one brutal question: what do you wish you’d known back then? We sit down with Dr. John Cordle, a retired Navy captain, to talk about his new book Letters to Myself and the real experiences behind it, from early doubts at the United States Naval Academy to the pressure-cooker moments that define military leadership. J...

Send us Fan Mail The Naval Academy doesn’t just produce Navy officers, it produces Marine Corps officers too, and that fact quietly shapes almost everything about life in Annapolis. We’re digging into the Marine Corps influence at the United States Naval Academy, starting with the basics most families miss: the Marine Corps sits under the Department of the Navy, about 25% of each graduating class...

Send us Fan Mail Your kid’s “summer break” at the United States Naval Academy might be the most important part of their year, and it’s definitely not a break. I walk through how Naval Academy summer training actually works from May through August, why it exists, and how it quietly shapes service assignment decisions across the Navy and Marine Corps. If you’re a parent trying to make sense of leave...

Send us Fan Mail Planning for Commissioning Week 2026 can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to navigate this milestone alone. In this comprehensive episode, I sit down with Lori Coogan, Director of Parent Programs at the Naval Academy Alumni Association, to break down everything you need to know for this monumental week in May. As someone who's guided countless families through this...

Send us Fan Mail The major selection window is now open for plebes, and this decision can feel overwhelming when you're trying to balance future career goals with academic interests. As someone who once sent a 2:30 AM Snapchat saying "should have been a Group 3 major," I understand the pressure and uncertainty that comes with this choice. In this episode, I share straightforward adv...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder how midshipmen celebrate Super Bowl Sunday while living under the structured environment of the Naval Academy? In this quick episode, I share an inside look at one of the most anticipated events during the challenging Dark Ages period at Annapolis. As someone who experienced four Super Bowl Sundays as a midshipman, I'm excited to give you a behind-the-scenes glimp...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what happens during that exciting night when Naval Academy midshipmen discover which ship they'll serve on after graduation? Ship selection night is one of the coolest traditions at the Academy, and understanding this process gives families incredible insight into their midshipman's future naval career. As someone who's witnessed the evolution of this...

Send us Fan Mail When midshipmen reach graduation day but cannot commission due to medical reasons, they face what's called the "golden handshake" - but it's not as golden as the name may indicate. In this powerful episode, we explore the reality of Graduate Non-Commission (GNC) midshipmen and the support they desperately need. My friend Christian Blanchard shares his deeply pe...

Send us Fan Mail Learn about Midshipmen Pay at the Naval Academy.  As someone who admits to being completely clueless about pay and deductions during my own time as a midshipman, I'm excited to break down everything you need to know about the financial side of academy life. From base pay calculations to mysterious deductions, from retirement planning opportunities to scholarship possibilities...

Send us Fan Mail What if you could spend seven straight years living abroad while serving your country? In this episode, we explore the incredible world of Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) through the eyes of someone who has made it their entire naval career. Karl shares his remarkable experience of living and operating in Spain, Japan, and Italy—not as temporary deployments, but as permanent...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered how you could earn a master's degree while still at the Naval Academy? Meet the Voluntary Graduate Education Program (VGEP) - a hidden gem that most midshipmen never hear about unless someone specifically tells them it exists. In this episode, I sit down with Karl Marvil, a Surface Warfare Officer currently stationed in Naples, Italy, who completed the VGEP prog...

Send us Fan Mail What Parents Need to Know About Naval Academy's Toughest Season Ever wondered what midshipmen mean when they talk about surviving the "Dark Ages" at the Naval Academy? This episode pulls back the curtain on one of the most challenging periods in a midshipman's year - the return to Annapolis after winter break. As someone who experienced those brutal Annapolis w...