Episode #58:

Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of the Lessons Learned for Vets with a Look Back

The Lessons Learned for Vets Podcast was launched on Veteran’s Day, 11/11/2020, one year ago. In honor of the one-year anniversary, as we prepare to wrap up Season 1 for this year, Lori invited three die-hard listeners to come on and share their favorite episodes.

This is the first episode with two-time guest, Chris Dreisbach who selected his favorites. Here are the episodes we highlight in the show and why they are so important to Chris:

Episode 4 – Figuring Out Who You Are with Rob Rens

In this clip, Rob talks about the importance of taking time during your transition to find the inner voice that has been tamped down in order for you to reflexively do the work the military trained you to do. 

Chris admits that he didn’t take the time to do this, and to some extent still hasn’t figure this out. He talks about the fact that he still doesn’t put his hands in his pockets, still calls everyone sir or ma’am, and finds it next to impossible to not relate everything to the military. He jokes that he keeps waiting for that “eureka” moment that flips a switch for him to become a different person, but he has learned that as his transition continues, this happens over time at a very slow pace.

Episode 12 – Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot and Start Over with Jennifer Foxworthy

 In the clip, Jennifer encourages you to discover what you don’t know and tell us to not be afraid to pivot and restart.

Chris says that hearing Jennifer’s words of “pivot and restart” helped him realize he could do something different and try new roles in industries that he has never tried before. When he realized that he wasn’t stuck doing the same thing he’d always done, he pivoted and restarted again using some of those military leadership skills.

Episode 19 – Strategies to Fight Veteran Underemployment with Adam Braatz 

In this clip, Adam shares that as a veteran, you will tend to give too much loyalty to an employer before it’s earned. Adam recommends considering that the private sector does not promote you simply for “doing a good job and keeping your nose clean.” Your private sector promotion path will be very different than the military. He suggests to remember that more money does not always equal more job satisfaction. Adam recommends determining the correct balance between what your budget needs and how much time you have outside of work.

Chris shared that this was the most impactful episode of the show for him. The episode helped him realize that his current job was not the right fit for him and gave him the courage and validation to quit. Chris says “I honestly would have never been able to bring myself to put my well-being ahead of that salary without this message.”  He listened to the episode the day it was released, typed his letter of resignation the same day and turned it in the next day. He credits Adam and this episode for “literally changing his life for the better.”

Episode 28 – Negotiating the Salary You’re Worth with Mark Holman

Though the entire show goes into more detail, the clip Chris selected talks about how to negotiate your salary, where to find information and how to approach the subject. Mark and Lori also discuss the importance of using interviews as trials and experiences to build your skills and prepare for future interviews.

Chris selected this clip because he found that negotiating salary and determining his worth in the market was arguably the hardest thing for a veteran to do. In the military you get used to a pay chart that tells us what the salary is, no more, no less, it is what it is period. Lori and Mark provide some key insights on how to do this and the importance of doing it.

Episode 32 – Bouncing Back from Getting Fired with Cindy Dorfner

Cindy shares her story of getting fired and how she dealt with the humiliation of the situation. Though she went on to achieve success, the story of Cindy being terminated from a director-level position is a reality that you may have to face one day. Hearing how Cindy dealt with that situation and her strategy to eventually bounce back from that blow to her career and her ego is an important story for you to hear.

Chris admits that he really felt like a failure when he quit his first job out of the military.  He admits that he can’t recall ever quitting anything before in my life and not succeeding in that role put him in a dark place. You can also hear Chris’ story of success after quitting his first role in Episode 42 of the show.

Episode 35 – Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable with Greg Fischer

Greg shares how to be comfortable being uncomfortable while trying new things. Finding a team, sharing in different experiences, and not going at it alone. The most important part of this segment is hammering home the point that growth is continual and lasts a lifetime.

Chris selected this episode because it helped him to realize the transition is ongoing for an infinite amount of time.  We as veterans have the idea that tasks have a concrete end goal, issue + action = end result. Understanding that the transition is really never over helps to cope with the stress of the process.

 Episode 49 – Networking as an Introvert with Quincy Harper

Quincy talks about the struggle of realizing the job you have is not the job you need/want and how we as service members don’t know how to quit or say no. 

Though you can hear Chris tell his story of why and how he quit his job in Episode 25 of the show, he selected this clip because Quincy talks about the struggle and shares the important message that you can quit, it’s not failing, and you will be okay.

We hope you have enjoyed the first season of the show. Though we will have other recap episodes this year, we will return for Season 2 of our interviews with veterans who have already made the transition to share their lessons with you in Early January 2022.

SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A FIVE-STAR REVIEW and share this to other veterans who might need help as they transition from the military!

Connect with me on Facebook and LinkedIn! Or check out our website at www.llforvets.com and listen to the previous episodes here!