TheMilVet Podcast

Henry Ward sits down with Quil Lawrence in front of a live crowd at The Mil Vet Startup Conference to discuss military service, Henry's path to tech and entrepreneurship, and the future of work and compensation, among other topics. If you enjoy this episode, join us at The Military Veteran Career Conferences or the Mil Vet Startup Conference to hear more successful veteran speakers and connec...

Rob Huberty is a Navy SEA veteran, Wharton Alum, and co-founder of ZeroEyes. ZeroEyes is an AI weapons detection platform that identifies visible guns and provides schools, commercial buildings, and government sites with the best possible reaction time to threats.  Rob joins Brendan to discuss his career as a Navy SEAL, the impact that gun violence has had on his life, and how he found his new mis...

David Kim is a former Army officer and West Point and Harvard Business School alum. Since leaving the Army, David has spent nearly 20 years in the Private Equity industry. He is currently the Co-head of Investor Relations at Apax Partners.  In 2002, David and his wife founded Children of Fallen Patriots (https://www.fallenpatriots.org), a non-profit that seeks to provide college scholarships to ev...

Nick Lodestro is a Marine Corps veteran and founder of VetEvolve. VetEvolve is a company that provides industry know-how and reliable support to veterinary teams, enabling them to deliver exceptional patient care. Nick joins Brendan to discuss his transition from the Marines, the invaluable experience he gained in his first civilian job, and how he leveraged that experience to become a successful...

Ryan Green is a USNA Alum and Navy veteran. After leaving the Navy, Ryan founded Gridwise. Gridwise exists to fix pain points and make gig drivers’ lives and jobs more productive and fulfilling. Ryan joins Brendan to discuss his journey in entrepreneurship, from starting a company while he was at the Naval Academy, to bringing Gridwise from an idea to a successful company. Ryan's recount of G...

Catharine Parnell is a former active duty JAG officer, and alum of the Fordham University School of Law. Since leaving the Army, Catharine spent time working with the Department of Justice, and is now serves as an internal legal counsel for Skyloom. Skyloom is a cutting-edge telecommunications company building interplanetary networks. Catharine joins Brendan to discuss her journey to the Army afte...

Scott Harrington is a former Apache pilot and West Point and Michigan Ross alum. Since leaving the Army, Scott has spent significant time working at Mckinsey & Co and Bridgewater Associates in various roles. Leveraging his wealth of experience, Scott now advises early stage startups.  Scott joins Brendan to discuss his transition out of the military, his experiences working at two premier firm...

Patrick Murphy was the first Iraq War Veteran elected to congress, served as the 32nd Under Secretary of the Army, and now invests in veteran entrepreneurs and lectures at the Wharton School.  Patrick joins Brendan to discuss his path from the Army to the Capitol, finding a purpose outside of uniform, playing basketball with the President, and the power of investing in the success of veterans.  Th...

Chase Hobby is a former Naval Aviator and an alum of USNA and The Wharton School of Business. In 2020, Chase Co-Founded VRB Labs with his classmate Evan Seale while in business school.  Chase joins Brendan to discuss transition, health, adventure, and entrepreneurship. Chase talks in depth about his desire to lead a life he can be proud of, and how entrepreneurship is synonymous with his philosoph...

Bob Pragada is a USNA and Stanford GSB alum who has had an illustrious career in business after serving in the Navy for nearly a decade. Most of his civilian career has been spent in various roles at Jacobs Solutions, Inc, an international technical professional services firm. In 2023, Bob was promoted to CEO of the company.  Bob joins Brendan & Tim to reflect on many things, including service...

Phillip Jones is a former Marine, and an alum of USNA, HBS, and Harvard Kennedy School. In January of 2023, Phillip was elected as Mayor of Newport News, Virginia, making him the youngest mayor in the state's history.  Phillip joins Brendan to discuss his decision to continue public service after his transition from the Marine Corps, what it's like to run for and be elected to office, an...

Derek Herrera is a USNA Alum, and former Marine Raider who became paralyzed while deployed to Afghanistan. After transitioning from the Marine Corps, Derek went through a period of reinvention and has since founded multiple startups in the medical space. Derek is currently the Founder and CEO of Bright Uro.  Derek joins Brendan to discuss all manners of transition - military to civilian, personal...

Jeremy Smith is a Marshall Scholar, West Point Alum, and Former Army Officer who is the Founder and CEO of Civitech - a company that develops technology and data products that help local governments better serve their community to create a fairer, more equitable democracy. Jeremy joins Brendan to discuss his transition from the military to becoming a startup founder. He also talks in-depth about h...

Beau Higgins is a retired Marine Officer who has helped build Amazon's military recruitment efforts since 2016. He is currently the Senior Manager of Military Talent Acquisition at Amazon. Beau joins Brendan to discuss his retirement from the USMC and the lessons learned along the way. He also talks in-depth about career opportunities at Amazon, the company's culture, and what it's...

Sherman Williams is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and U Chicago Booth who has built a successful career in Venture Capital. Sherman is currently a Managing Partner at Academy Investor Network (AIN) Ventures.  Sherman joins Brendan to discuss his path to venture capital, the intricacies of the industry, and the experience of launching his own fund. You can find Sherman and AIN Ventures on Link...

Laurina Sousa is a 15-year Air Force Veteran who pivoted into recruiting following her time in uniform.  Connect with Laurina on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurina-sousa/ - and don't forget to use the "add a note" feature in your invitation! Laurina joins Brendan to discuss her recommendations for building a resume, how to maximize your LinkedIn profile, and interview t...

Jon Macaskill is a retired Navy SEAL, speaker, co-host of the Men Talking Mindfulness Podcast, and mindfulness teacher.  Find more about Jon and his work at https://linktr.ee/JonMacaskill.  Jon joins Brendan to discuss topics ranging from military to civilian life transition, his journey towards mindfulness and meditation, and preparing oneself for life's challenges.  Thanks for listening! He...

Marine Corps Veteran and Actuate CEO Sonny Tai joins Brendan to discuss a wide range of topics. From Marine OCS, to the true value of an MBA program, to the pros and cons of various corporate careers, this episode covers many aspects of the military to civilian transition.  Sonny Tai is an alumnus of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and according to his bio is a "Former Mari...

JD Kameen, Co-Founder and current Director of Development of Paintrue joins Brendan to discuss founding Paintru, the challenges of entrepreneurship, military transition, and real estate investment.  JD Kameen is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy  and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. JD is the Co-Founder of Paintru, a company which offers museum quality artwork at a revolutionary price, while re...

Pat Dossett, Co-Founder and CEO of Madefor joins Brendan to discuss military transition, business school, and charting a path in the civilian world, among other topics.  Pat Dossett is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Wharton School of Business, and served in the U.S. Navy SEALs. Pat is the Co-Founder and CEO of Madefor, a wellness company that provides an action plan based on science-bac...

Devon Van Buren is a Workforce Transformation Director at Price Waterhouse Cooper. She has served in all three branches of the U.S. Army (National Guard, USAR, Active Duty) as a military intelligence officer. In addition to wearing the hat of consultant, Devon is also a military spouse, mom, Army Reservist, and graduate student at Louisiana State University. Devon talks with our intern, Amber Sims...

Dan Green has had a legendary career in tech - he's worked for the biggest companies in the world from Google to Twitter. Today he's a senior VP at Impossible Foods.  This was among the more interesting conversations of 2022 - Dan has a unique and incredibly valuable perspective on life,  business, and career transitions. Enjoy! Thanks for listening! Here's how you can find us to co...

Christine Schwartz is the CEO of Service to School, a non-profit that helps veterans apply to higher education. Service to school is dedicated to helping enlisted veterans matriculate in undergraduate universities, and also helps with graduate school admissions.  Christine talks to us about the application process, timelines, and best practices. We hope you enjoy! Thanks for listening! Here's...

Rob Schroder joins my co-founder, Tim Hsia, on today's podcast for a conversation about entrepreneurship, public service, and running a business.  Rob spent attended the US Naval Academy and flew jets in the Marine Corps for 20 years before retiring. Since leaving the military, Rob has had a very successful career in entrepreneurship as the founder and CEO of Steerbridge, an IT consulting bus...

Nelson Collet graduated from Princeton University and became an Army National Guard soldier. He worked in investment banking prior to recruiting for private equity.  Nelson talks to us about the investment banking recruiting process for undergraduate students, how the private equity recruiting process works, and how veterans can build a career on Wall Street.  Thanks for listening! Here's how...