Precision, Purpose & Patient Care: Inside the Leadership of LTC Jessica Georgi

In this episode of Beyond the Uniform, (recorded as Candid Conversations) I sit down with Lieutenant Colonel Jessica Georgi, a distinguished leader in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, to explore her journey of service, leadership, and impact in military healthcare.

LTC Georgi currently serves as Director of Patient Administration at Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center and has held key leadership roles across the Defense Health Agency and global military operations. From deploying to Afghanistan as Chief of Patient Administration to leading digital health integration efforts and supporting national-level missions, her career reflects a deep commitment to excellence and service. 

We discuss the realities of leadership in high-stakes environments, the evolution of healthcare within the military, and what it means to lead with purpose beyond the uniform.

This episode is a must-listen for leaders, service members, and anyone inspired by resilience, growth, and meaningful impact.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:16

Welcome back to Candid Conversations, the podcast where women who surf in uniform share their real stories, real leadership lessons in real lives with rank and beyond the rank. Today's episode is one I'm especially excited about. Today, I'm truly honored to welcome Lieutenant Colonel Jessica Georgie, Director of Patient Administration at Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center and a respected leader in military health care and digital health integration. Since commissioning into the Army Medical Service Corps in 2008, she has served in leadership roles across the U.S., Europe, and Afghanistan, bringing expertise in patient administration, health informatics, and operational leadership from supporting global missions to shaping health care systems at the strategic level. Her journey reflects dedication, innovation, and service. Please welcome Lieutenant Colonel Georgie. Thank you so much for being here, and I'm really looking forward to this conversation, Mayo.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Well, thank you so much for that wonderful intro. I really appreciate that. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_03 1:21

Thank you, Mayo. No problem. I am so excited to get this conversation going as we've been talking a little bit offline, but I'm very excited to kind of go over some things and kind of jump right into how it is. And I love the fact that you're still active duty because that brings a different perspective to the podcast. I I love my retirees and my veterans, but I also am still looking forward to talking to you now because you're currently there in the military and can give me your perspective on so many different things. And I'm super excited. So welcome. And let's jump right in, ma'am. So, of course, one of my first questions is what inspired you to join the military?

SPEAKER_00 2:02

So actually, when I was a kid, I really didn't think that I was gonna be anything when I grew up. In my head, women really weren't they were supposed to be at home or, you know, be a teacher or a nurse. And so I really didn't have any big aspirations for myself other than like having a family or anything. But my grandfather was in the Air Force and he served in Korea and Vietnam. Um, but he he was an angry alcoholic. And then my dad had been in the army and he commissioned him through RTC and he served about four years, I think. He was in Germany when he met my mom. She was a DOD teacher. And then he got in the National Guard. They made him do a convoy from Fort Hood, no, Fort Knox to Fort Hood in the middle of the summer, and then he said, I'm done with this, and he got out, I think, when I was very, very young. But then my grandfather died right after 9-11, and I was 16 years old when 9-11 happened, and I was in church, and I got the sense he could call it a calling, that I should join the army. I was at youth group, and I didn't really know much about the military, but I I knew it was the army specifically. So uh I came home and I told my dad and he was like, What do you want to do that for? You know, he had some ideas about women in the military that I won't discuss here. But uh, you know, he said, Okay, well, the only way you're going in the military is if you go to college first and become a nurse. Because, you know, the only thing that women, you know, in his mind could should do in the military was become a nurse. So he went to RTC to at Vanderbilt. So I applied to some in-state because I didn't have much aspiration for myself. I applied for some in-state Alabama colleges, and I went to the University of Alabama on a nursing scholarship. I'm not a nurse today. I went to nursing school. Uh I turned 21 and made some bad life choices and dropped out of nursing school, even though I was a cadet in RTC. And I worked some jobs, dropped out of college, and my roommate wasn't she was enlisted in the Air Force, in the Air National Guard. And she said, You should really try to I tried to go to the recruiter actually, because I was like, maybe I still want to do the military thing. But since I was already being processed out of, I was gonna enlist. And since I was already being processed out of RTC, they said, No, you have a red flag on your rec. You're not um authorized to enlist. And I was like, Oh no. And so my roommate, she said, you need to go back to that professor of military science at ROTC and ask if you can rejoin the program, you know, non-scholarship. Because I had a I was an NCAA athlete too. I saw competition air rifle in um at UAB, the University of Alabama, Birmingham. So I was a student athlete, ROTC, and then I turned 21 and things kind of went downhill. So I went back to the professor of military science, and that was 2007, and they needed to graduate some cadets or else they were gonna lose their program. So, like it was really luck. I said, you know, I'll graduate as soon as possible. And he was like, you know, what do you want to do when you commission? And I said, I want to be a medical service corps officer. And luckily, since my uh packet was nowhere to be found, I was lucky enough to be able to commission in December of 2008 into the Medical Service Corps. So that's kind of the genesis of my story. Did not become a nurse, but I am glad that, you know, the story started that way. It failed, get back up, you know, and drive on. So uh this was my destiny.

SPEAKER_03 5:49

Yeah, absolutely. Wow, very interesting story, but also talks it kind of lends to how, you know, it kind of directed you in this path that you're on now. And it was kind of meant for you to be here. I'm a strong believer that things happen the way they're supposed to. They might not look like we want them to, but they definitely happen how they're supposed to. And that's a very motivating story of not sure, you know, coming from a family of military, having that background, but not being more so encouraged to do it. But at least your father did uh say, hey, if you're gonna do it, you're gonna do it this way. And that was one of my next questions how did you decide to do enlisted versus officer? But you kind of spoke on that, which thank you for that, because I was gonna ask.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

I didn't really know the difference.

SPEAKER_03 6:35

Really?

SPEAKER_00 6:36

In high school, I didn't know the difference. But my dad said, you know, I went to RTC. You're my grandpa was actually in the Army Air Corps ROTC back in the 40s. And so I'm third generation ROTC. So if I was gonna do it, we were gonna do it the way that my family does it. So he did guide me in that direction.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

And that's good, yeah. That's good that he had that knowledge because when I joined the Army, before I joined, I didn't know the difference between either. And everyone in my family had been on the enlisted side for the most part. So when I joined, I still joined enlisted. I did not realize the big difference between officer and enlisted, honestly. So I kind of understand that, yes, ma'am. So wow, great intro into the army, huh? So with that, so being medical, I was medical, I was a uh physical therapy tech while I was in the army. So I'm very, yes, ma'am, very familiar with the medical service corps. And they are my people, of course, as always, anybody, Ahmed, and I'm all for them. So being in, you've been in for a little while. Let's talk about some of your early experiences as a a woman, a female in the army period. What are some of those experiences like, and kind of maybe a defining one that you remember when you first came into the military?

SPEAKER_00 7:50

All right. So I was in the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, and I'm glad that I went to a fourth comm unit first, actually, to learn how the Army really is. And I was just telling my soldiers the other day that we had it was at Fort Bliss, and it was we had this desert. It's a desert there, and before they built East Bliss out, we had all these trailers. And we and our brigade was just a bunch of trailers, and even the barracks were a bunch of trailers. But I remember walking with my other lieutenant counterparts, and the soldiers would salute the male lieutenant and not me.

SPEAKER_01 8:25

Really?

SPEAKER_00 8:26

They would say, Good morning, sir. And I was telling my soldiers, and they could not believe that. But I also had a company commander, he did not like me. And he locked me in a clos closet one time and told me, Girl, you are never gonna make it. You have zero loyalty and you do not belong in the United States Army. You hear me? And he would repeat it over and over again. He had me at parade rest at his desk. He had a he had the map of the world behind his desk in his office. And I have no idea what he was talking about, but I remember thinking of looking at Fu C, you know, on the map and wishing I was there. Because he would yell at me and yelling just doesn't work with me. Um And so I wasn't gonna be in the army very long. I was like, Yeah, maybe I do want to go back to nursing school. And then there was another opportunity to be a platoon leader in a transportation slot in the field artillery battalion for distro. And my company commander said that there's this thing, ESMB, I guess medical people do it. He's like, You're gonna go do this. You're gonna go do this thing. And so I remember being on, I was like, I don't know what that is, but whatever, I'll go. So I was on the bus going to EFMB, and some NCO came on the bus and said, All right, whose company commander told you to be here? And I remember raising my hand, like, I don't know what this is. Anyway, I met one of my best friends at EFMB, Gracia Laurantes, who's uh in the vet core now. And uh she was a West Pointer and she knew how to study. Because we did not have any train-up back then for this. And we got it. And this bad first try, not knowing what ESMB was. True blue. That's a team effort because it's really like her forcing me to study for ESMB. So those are some of my in my first duty station, some of my experiences. And then just realizing that the army isn't what you thought it was beforehand. You know, you think that everybody's gonna be great and awesome and like every you know, be the best that they can be. And there's a little bit of disappointment, I think, when you first get in the military and you realize like it's not great and wonderful and perfect. And I think there's everybody goes through a little bit of a letdown in their first assignment because you're like, oh, you kind of come to this realization that it's a war fighting mission and like, wow, I'm a part of this like machine that kills people. But then I think as medical, and like later on when I learned, you know, there's a spectrum of conflict, and part of that mission that we have is to actually prevent war and promote peace, you know, you evolve into like really what the role is and how important everything on that spectrum of conflict is.

SPEAKER_03 11:12

Yes, ma'am, absolutely. So I will jump on your EFMB story just real quick, because the same thing kind of happened to me. Yeah. I got to my first duty station in Hawaii, and all I heard the whole time is, oh, we're going to EFMB. And I'm like, I don't even know what those letters mean.

SPEAKER_00 11:28

Like Oh, and I never said it either.

SPEAKER_03 11:31

It's like I don't know what that means. And I was like, okay, the never got training. I was in an MP unit for my first duty station. So the medic with MPs, they don't have training for that. So they just sent me online.

SPEAKER_00 11:45

Yeah. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

They don't have training for that. They just send you and they assume you'll figure it out. Well, I didn't figure it out until the third time. And then I got it in uh 2001. Yes, ma'am. In Hawaii. But I finally figured it out. But I totally understand what you mean. Is and as a female going through, I was the only female who got my EFMB when I graduated.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Wow, that's Hawaii. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 12:08

Mm-hmm. So I get it.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

I'm reading a book currently about Brigadier General Clara May Adam Zender. And uh I got to the part where she was the very first female to get EFMB. You've got to read her story. It's called My Rise to the Stars. She grew up in segregated South, and her story is phenomenal. You gotta read it. And that's always she was the very first female EFMB badge holder.

SPEAKER_03 12:34

Wonderful. So that's always interesting because I always ask all my leaders, what are you currently reading? So you just answer that. But I'll we'll revisit it again just to make sure because I think as leaders, we always have to continue to evolve and learn. We are lifelong learners, and I think it's very important that we make sure that's who we are and what we do, because we should always be evolving. And one way to do that is to keep our, you know, our knowledge. You know, there's plenty of ARs, FMs, and everything else to read, but we should also be making ourselves smart as leaders in different ways. And that's one great way to do that is by having some type of book uh club or continue to stay in a book. So thank you. And I will revisit that so I can write that down and make sure to be able to put that with my readers. So I wanted to ask a quick question. Do you think soldiers should go to ForceCon before they go to Medcom unit?

SPEAKER_00 13:26

I do.

SPEAKER_03 13:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

I have some AIT soldiers that they just brought here first, but I think that it the reason I think that is because you learn about the structure, the discipline. It's a different environment. You it's always the real army, but a field unit is where you learn how the army really operates and the missions functions. Yes, it's there's something different about being in the forest comm unit that I think really sets you up for uh knowing about the mission. You know, we fight to win wars, you know, our nation's force. So I do think that they should.

SPEAKER_03 14:04

So I agree with you 1000%. I think all soldiers, especially in the medical field, should go to the force com unit first because it teaches you more about discipline and the way army outside of the hospital looks, and then be able to go to Medcom if you, you know, depending. But I think ForceCom is definitely where you get your your roots and where you learn how to get the discipline of PT, how the accountability, how to do certain things that once you're in the Medcom environment, those things are not seen as much as they are in a force com side. So when you get that foundation in ForceCom, I feel that it helps you to evolve into a more versatile leader so that you can be able to do both and not just be a medcom leader and not sure how to be in a force com world because that does happen. So thank you for that, ma'am. I agree wholeheartedly.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

And I'll never forget the first armor division song because we had to sing it every morning. And so when I see somebody with that deployed patch, I'm like Iron Soldiers.

SPEAKER_03 15:08

That's hilarious. I do the same thing for third ID. So I know the Rockin' Amar and I know the Dog Face Soldier song religiously. So I totally understand that, ma'am. So that's awesome. So you spoke about one of your commanders kind of having a lot of negative talk towards you. Let's talk. Can I talk about that real quick? And how did that affect you? And what was it that kind of pushed you to still stay in or be want want to be successful or want to continue to push through to the next duty station or the next thing? Because hearing those words, sometimes they they plant a seed in you. And that seed can grow into negativity or self-doubt. But I'm very interested to know, like, how did that either motivate you or inspire you to keep pushing or not let that take root inside of you?

SPEAKER_00 16:01

I think it did affect me negatively. I don't know that kind of it doesn't motivate me to be yelled at or, you know, have somebody not believe in me. But I had some roommates when I was a lieutenant, and uh one of them was our company XO, and she was a former, she was an E6 before she became a lieutenant. And she came from the streets of Detroit, and uh we became really good friends. It's crazy because we were at OBC together and she knew her shit. And so I was kind of scared of her because I was like, oh man, she knows everything and I know nothing. And uh then I was like, oh man, and we gotta go to the same unit together. Oh my god, this is gonna suck. But it ended up being the best thing. Like, she's actually about to retire as a lieutenant colonel in April, but she, you know, it's really like who you surround yourself with, you know. She was just such a she still is. She was at my 40th birthday party last year and just, you know, was a rock for me, you know, and she knew that I was a young leader and like and she knew that I was being treated unfairly, and she really tried to prevent that from getting to me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

So uh and I think that's very big shout out to Nicole Prescott. Uh great, great, amazing person.

SPEAKER_03 17:27

Awesome. That's awesome to hear.

SPEAKER_00 17:29

And I also was went to the field artillery battalion, and you know, I was the only female officer in it was a DSB, but it was, you know, we were attached to the field artillery. And I'll never forget that battalion commander, he did not want females. I remember him, I had this great idea because like our mission was to ensure that all the firing batteries had everything they needed for their mission. You know, we're out in the field all the time, and uh he was like, females don't belong with my troops and everything. And this is before we ever integrated combat arms. This was before Don't Ask, Don't Tell ended. I mean, he had utmost disdain for me, but I enjoyed like the mission. I enjoyed the mission, being with my soldiers, you know, being out there running convoys and stuff like that. It was fun be since I wasn't gonna be in the army that long, it didn't bother me that I wasn't in civil. But I learned a lot about the army and combat arms from that position.

SPEAKER_03 18:27

So the plan wasn't to be in this long, huh?

SPEAKER_00 18:31

No, I was gonna get out. There was so many times and I was gonna get out. But I remember I was at this one exercise called Combined Resolve 4 with 30th Med Brigade. We were at Grafenbeer, and I remember the Lieutenant Colonel Karen Vernon, she's now the 44th Med Brigade commander right now. She's gonna be a general one day, mark my word. I remember she was in the and you know, we were in open bay barracks, she was there with us, she was there doing all the things, she was doing PT. She was just such a great leader. And you know, I still was like planning to get out after I did my time in Germany, but then she inspired me. Maybe I can make it for 20. Maybe I can. And like I remember that she's the one that inspired me to, you know, keep going, really. Wow. And that was like after yeah, I was a captain at that point before company commands, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:20

Wow. That's awesome. I think it's so important for anyone in the military to have mentors and have people who inspire them or pour into them. And I will say personally, for me, it was difficult to find um mentors being a female sometimes because I think there's a lot of competition. We think there's a lot of competition between us when in fact there's enough room for everybody. That was difficult for me. And I was guessing I was wondering if you experienced the same thing being a female officer in the army that you had some difficulty finding a mentor or people who wanted to pour into you. Was that something that you noticed was can be hard?

SPEAKER_00 20:01

No, I I remember back when they had this was it the CST? It's the the people that went out, the women, they wanted to the cultural support team. Yeah I wanted to be on a cultural support team and I tried to get some letters of recommendation from female lieutenant colonels. And I was met with resistance, like, I don't think you should do it. I don't think that we should be doing that, you know, and I was just like, but I want to do this. I think it's a cool mission. Right. I had such a hard time getting letters of recommendation for to be a part of that. And I remember that was kind of discouraging because I was like, I think that, you know, I would be good to to do this. I found another way to deploy to Afghanistan regardless. I've never made it to CST, but yeah. Yeah, that was kind of disappointing. But my recruiting operations officer at the RTC, I always kept in touch with her um after retiring, and she was a good mentor to me. She she was a good mentor to me when I was a cadet, and like we still stay in touch and everything. So I think I have two female officers now, they're Navy officers actually. Okay. And we have a really tight bond. But one of our things is like when one of us succeeds, we all succeed. And even in Adam's Enders book, she's like, There's no tap on power. We can all have the power.

SPEAKER_02 21:18

Right.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

We are all capable of being powerful at the same time.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

And when I counsel my soldier, like there was a soldier I counseled today, I said, Who is your mentor? You know, did you talk to your mentor about this? And you can have more than one mentor for more than one situation. I actually have a list of them in my phone so that when I feel like I need to talk to somebody, I can go in there and be like, Who should I talk to about this? You know.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 21:43

And I try to mentor my soldiers or I have mentees too. I have a list of them. And it's not, you know, it's because it doesn't stop with me. Like if I've been poured into as a mentee, I feel the obligation that I've got to pour into others.

SPEAKER_03 21:57

Absolutely, ma'am. I love that because that is something that I think it's so important in anything we do, not just military, but in life, having people who pour into you and you continue to pour into others. But it's more so especially important to me in the military because I feel like you are pouring into those who are coming to take your place or do better than you. And so what better way to inspire them is to show them, like, hey, let me tell you how I got here and let me help you get to where you want to go.

SPEAKER_00 22:27

And it's kind of about to ask me the hard questions.

SPEAKER_03 22:30

Yes, absolutely. And as a mentor, I think I think people should realize it's not about getting people to co-sign with what you say, but it's giving you honest feedback on how you can be better. And that's an easy answer some days, and some days it's tough conversations of, hey, I don't think you need to do this, or you need to be more dedicated to this, or you should be more aligned with these things. I had a mentor that told me it should always be two ranks ahead. You should always be focusing on two ranks ahead. So as a staff sergeant, I should have had my eye on the prize of being a first sergeant because I've already done the work to get there. What are you doing to get to the not the next rank, but the two ranks ahead? And what are those people in those positions, what are they doing to get, what did they do to get there and what are they doing to move forward? I want to caveat on something that you said that was so, so amazing is that you have friends of different services in the Navy. And I don't think that's looked at enough or talked about enough, especially as a female. Um being in a different Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, I don't think we cross each other's uh areas like that. I don't think we integrate our fellow service members like that. So to hear that you have friendships with fellow people in the Navy is amazing. And then you also said that when one wins, you all win. And that is so important because as women in general, I think that's a key thing that we don't focus on enough is there's room for everybody. And when I win, that means you win too. We're all together.

SPEAKER_00 24:05

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 24:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:06

Mm-hmm. I'm training a Navy officer to take my spot. So, you know, like I want her to be better than I was. You know, in two weeks when I'm out of this position and she's coming in. I want her, she's already well on her way. I've I have faith in in her and I will be there, you know, for her.

SPEAKER_03 24:25

Absolutely, yes, ma'am. And I think now I will say that's one very unique thing about the Army Medical AMED is that we have the opportunity of having Navy, Air Force work with us, whereas most other corps don't, because they don't really cross like that. But because the medical systems have been integrated with all the other services, it gives us the opportunity to see those other leaders and how other services and how they work together. How do you feel about that in the medical corps, like having to make possibly, because I know it rotates, sometimes our commanders can be army, sometimes they're navy, sometimes they're Air Force, right? For with under DHA and all those awesome things. How do you feel about that? And yeah, but what are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_00 25:11

And I think it's great. I think we can learn from other people's systems. Yes. I think that we're still adjusting to the DHA way of healthcare delivery. We still have our separate operational missions, you know, maintaining the medically ready force. But, you know, learning how the Navy does things, uh, I'm like, I don't know why y'all do that. But then they're at the Navy pad course now, so I'm really excited for them to come back and I want to hear what they learned there and you know, and how what I can learn from that because when we go into a joint fight, we've got to be ready for, you know, when we do patient movement, when I did patient movement in Afghanistan, I was moving all those sorts of patients, regardless of service. I was working with my Air Force count apart. This was back in 2012, you know. I was working with the Royal Air Force. We were, it's no matter what suit we wear, we're gonna have to take care of people. So I think it's a unique opportunity that we have, and then the future fight is joint. So I think that's important to know about our other sister services. And I also, if there's any medical people out there listening, the joint medical operations course, it's like all the services, and I learned so much about other services, medical operational systems. So I definitely recommend that course.

SPEAKER_03 26:29

Yes, ma'am. And I've heard about it. I never got to attend it, but I heard about it. I think that one is a great course. And then back in the day it was BHAC, the basic healthcare admin course. It's probably one of the best courses I attended, also. Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_00 26:41

So I went to that in 2014, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:44

Oh wow, that might have been around the time I went. Mm-hmm. It was a while ago in San Antonio. Mm-hmm. Yes, ma'am. For it's a good thing. I was there.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

Maybe we've crossed paths before or something.

SPEAKER_03 26:54

I'm sure the medical core, the AMED is not that big to begin with. And so, and then being physical therapy and constantly being in the hospital, I'm sure our paths have crossed. You were talking about being in El Paso, and I was stationed in El Paso for five years. I was at William Beaumont for uh five years from 14 to 19. Yes, ma'am. So passed. Yeah, I was there before that. But yeah. Yeah, when you were talking about East Bliss, I was like, oh yeah, I know those words very well.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

So they didn't even build that up. It was just all a trailer park city. Those soldiers lived in trailers.

SPEAKER_03 27:25

Wow. Look how far it's come. Now they have huge, right? They have this huge, beautiful hospital and they're doing great things out there. Yes, ma'am. Um let's quick question for you. What advice would you give to the young ladies or the women coming into the military now? What's some things, a couple of things that you would want to share with them about the military? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:46

I would say there's a lot of times you might want to sit on the sidelines to some conversations. Um, because I did that a lot. But when you have a seat at the table and you and one of my mentors, Colonel Kearney, he said, sit at the table. You have a lot to provide. You might be surprised at yourself for the things that you can bring to the group when you pull up a chair to the table. And so I just encourage them not to shy away from, you know, joining being at that head table.

SPEAKER_03 28:18

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 28:19

That's the advice that I have to say.

unknown 28:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:21

And always, you know, build trust with your peers. You're not in competition with your peers because when you all succeed, the whole unit is gonna succeed even more so.

SPEAKER_01 28:32

Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:32

And so, and that's looked upon even better than you trying to outperform. I know Sergeant Major Laren Gioni, he said you don't have to be the best on the team, you have to be the best for the team.

SPEAKER_03 28:44

Wow. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 28:45

And I thought that was really good.

SPEAKER_03 28:47

That's very that's good, good advice. That makes sense. I love that. And I love the fact that I think too often the narrative is pushed of you gotta be the best, you gotta be the best, you gotta be the best. And it makes you feel like you have to do that alone instead of and it's more of a competition than a team effort. But the army, the military itself is a team. We're all, we're all one and we should be there to support each other. But I think sometimes the idea of, well, to be the best means I gotta step on other people. It's such a negative and a bad way to look at it versus, hey, I'm gonna do what I I'm gonna try this path and I'm gonna try and figure it out this way. And if I make it, well, let me tell somebody else, come on, battle buddy, let's do this together or let's work on this together and let me help you, versus well, kind of step on other people's toes or step on other people to get ahead when it's not necessarily true. There's room, there's room for everybody.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

Yeah. My first when I was a platoon leader the first two times at Bliss, my NCOs were so phenomenal, Sarant Pon Star and First Class Pons Pere and Sarant Leigh. They were so great. He really, Sar and Pons really stood up for me to the company commander. And Star and First Class Lay, I would follow him anywhere. Like he was such a phenomenal leader. And so I think that my NCOs really got me through those first, that first, you know, time in First Armored Division. Those NCOs were amazing. I knew I didn't know everything. And, you know, we had some funny times, and you know, they gave me such guidance and they wanted to see me succeed. And like, and I really think that if had I not listened to them and just like I knew they were phenomenal, amazing people, then I probably wouldn't have been successful in my career.

SPEAKER_03 30:26

Awesome. Thanks for giving them a shout out, ma'am. I'm sure they appreciate it and and good to know that, you know, they took you under their wing and that you listened because sometimes you gotta be receptive too, right? You can't just, you know, tell people some I've had the experience of some of my counterparts, my officers, coming in and having that, okay, well, I know it type of knowledge versus let me be a sponge and soak some of this up to see what right looks like so I can know what I'm doing, how to do it, you know, and know who to ask questions to versus, you know, just come in like a bull in a China shop and just tear tearing everything up. And so I'm glad that you acknowledge that. So yes, ma'am, go right ahead.

SPEAKER_00 31:07

Any successful officer has had amazing NCOs want them to see them succeed in the beginning of their career. I think any successful officer had uh is table.

SPEAKER_03 31:18

Agreed, ma'am. I think so. And then leaders, true leaders, yes, awesome, all and thanks for that shout out. I appreciate that you uh, you know, because it's it's hard sometimes on the enlisted side, but we also see the potential in those officers too. So I think it's definitely a two-way street of hey, this person actually values my input, they care what I say, and then they listen. So of course I'm gonna pour my knowledge into them because I know I'm helping them become a better leader, also. So I think that's definitely a two-way street. So when we talk about your next, so you're moving into a battalion command position soon, right? Next summer, yeah, that's right. Okay. So what type of, I don't want to say fears, but what type of things or do you have any angst about it? Or well, what are you looking forward to?

SPEAKER_00 32:07

Of course. I never saw myself as a battalion commander, actually. So yesterday I was briefing, I'm the deputy consultant for patient administration for the Surgeon General. So I briefed the new 70 Echo, the new PAT officers. And I was briefing their course yesterday, and the course instructor said, So ma'am, was your goal always to be a battalion commander? And like it really made me think, like, no, like that wasn't the path that I was gonna go on. Who am I to be a battalion commander, you know, battalion level commander? And uh he was like, Oh, so why are you doing it? Uh because, you know, you don't have to do this. And uh I was lucky enough to be General Lyons' aide. And uh he really was so passionate about military medicine, and he really poured into me. Like it was just being in his presence and absorbing, like just the, you know, we this is a no-fill mission. We've got to take care of the force and everything. And um, being around him for a year, like, how can I not go forward and, you know, everything he poured into me, pour into others? Like, I feel an obligation to carry on that legacy that he left in me, like a part of my soul, part of my heart, to be, you know, half as passionate of a leader as he is. So my goal was not ever and to do that, but the organization I want to lead is an army health clinic. So that's my list of preferences. I won't get my assignment until next month. So the FEC Army has to approve the locations of us. Right. But it's a changing healthcare environment. We have so many health issues. You know, when you're a commander of an Army Health Clinic, you're the battalion commander with UCMJ authority, and you're also the leader of healthcare delivery on the installation. So, you know, you have a dual mission, you want to take care of your soldiers. It's overwhelming to think about, you know, the mission of the commander of an Army Health Clinic at that level. But I have a year and a half to prepare. So I'm going to read, listen to podcasts, you know, uh you know, ask mentors for advice. I already like I like to take notes, you know, and like reflect back to like who am I? What is my life mission? What do I think that I'm on this earth to do? You know, and like whenever I feel lost or feel anxious, I like go back to that. It's a word document, it's on my work computer and my home computer. Like, okay, this is who I really am. Let me get rooted. Because sometimes you can lose yourself in a job or a title or, you know, whatever position you're put in. But I don't want to lose myself. And I know that I'm sent there for a purpose and I'm gonna lean on my team and prepare the best I can. I feel very grateful that I have a year and a half to prepare for that.

SPEAKER_03 35:04

So that's I'm gonna do yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:08

Luckily, I'm gonna be the deputy VFA here. So I'm gonna learn a lot about how at large Military Medical Center operates and that aspect and you know, take notes from current command on what I'd want and don't want to do, seeing the leaders that I'm following here. Sorry.

SPEAKER_03 35:26

Nice. That's awesome, ma'am. It's great that you get that time in between to kind of get yourself prepared for that because I know that's a huge, huge undertaking to go to be a battalion commander and being able to be around those who've done the job and have them, you know, be able to pull that knowledge from them. And I think you said something that's so relevant is being able to learn from those who did it good and those who do not do it well, because you can always take something away from somebody. So being able to glean those things from those who do things well and but also learn, like, hey, I don't want to do that. I don't think that's who I am. And having your Word document to keep you grounded, I think is amazing. Is that something that you learned or is that something a mentor taught you?

SPEAKER_00 36:15

I think when I was a young mother, so I have an eight-year-old, he's gonna be eight in a few weeks. Um, and I was in grad school. I was listening to I've always been listening to podcasts like Zig Ziggler, and then the at the time there was uh Rachel, somebody, I was reading these books in this podcast, and it was like talking about your strokes of life, like your physical, spiritual, financial, intellectual, social family. And like, so I put it in categories, like in 10 years, what does that look like for me? Who do I want to be in 10 years? And so like it evolved. So I, you know, every Monday I look at that, I see, like, and it's you know, you're never arriving, you're always evolving.

SPEAKER_02 36:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 36:56

And so, you know, it's changed from the for the past, you know, eight years. And, you know, I thought I was just gonna do my 20 and get out, and you know, I'm gonna be a little bit more with, you know, I'm grateful for the opportunity.

SPEAKER_03 37:11

So two last questions before we close out because I know you're extremely busy. First question is if you had a superpower, what would it be? And the reason I asked that, my best friend, and he's gonna say he posed me that question, and in the beginning I told him I didn't like it. But in one of my previous podcasts, one of my uh guests said it. So I was like, okay, I'll integrate it into um my questions. If you had a superpower, what would your superpower be? Or what is your superpower?

SPEAKER_00 37:36

I don't think I have any superpowers, but I think I would want to fly because time is money, you know, time? Yeah, like if I could just fly to where I need to be. Um I mean, sometimes you do have to slow down, and I'm grateful that I have like the commute with my audible podcast here in the NCR and everything. Or but I would want to fly, you know, just so I just have that much more time with my son so that I can be there for more people, you know, because I don't feel like I get to be there for everybody because I have so many roles in life. So I think that my superpower, I would want to fly. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_03 38:14

That's a good one.

SPEAKER_00 38:15

And not be stuck in traffic.

SPEAKER_03 38:16

And I su yeah, and the NCR, I understand that completely. Oh my gosh. I don't know how you guys do it, but praise God because I would lose my mind every day. Yeah, there you go. There you go, ma'am. It builds character, it does, and it gives you a chance to listen to some amazing podcasts and books, right? Right. And on that note, my last question is what books or book are you currently reading right now? Oh my.

SPEAKER_00 38:41

I do like paper books, but I do listen to some audibles. But I have the two paper books I'm reading right now. One is We Band of Angels and it's the history. So we're talking about right now, we're going back to the Lisco construct and like how did we do things in World War II? And these POW nurses, there was like 70 of them, they were POWs for over two years. Women, POWs.

SPEAKER_02 39:07

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 39:08

That and it's just the story of how what they endured and everything is incredible. And they were taking care of 1700 patients out in the field at the same, you know, that's a convalescent unit that you're trying to take care of these guys, you know, and just it's inspiring. And then the other one that I'm reading is General Clara May, and my middle name's May, too, so I want to keep that in there. She likes to be called General May. I haven't met her yet, but I'm going to. General Clara May, Adam Zender. She grew up in segregated North Carolina. She had to go to a black school. Her dad also told her he's going to nursing school. She became a nurse in the army, first CSMB holder female. Just overcame so much. I've learned so much from reading her. I love reading biographies. So I picked this book up at the women's memorial at Arlington. If you haven't been there, you gotta go. So good. And they had a gift shop, which is the best gift shop in the in the DC area. And it has all the it has so many autobiographies by amazing military women. And so I picked this one up from there, and uh, she is so inspiring. My rise to the stars by Clara May Adam Sender is amazing. And she also married a German just like me. So spoil alert.

SPEAKER_03 40:30

Love that.

SPEAKER_00 40:32

Yes. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 40:34

Oh, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 40:35

She's like 80 something years old, and I know she lives in Woodbridge, and the nurses had their 125th gala on Friday, and I saw pictures of her. She was there, and I'm like, I'm reading her book. I want to meet her.

SPEAKER_03 40:49

That's awesome. Yeah, I did see that. Um, because I have quite a few friends there on a nurse score, and I saw they had that 125th celebration. That is so awesome. Thank you for those recommendations. And before we close out, do you have anything that any last parting words you want to say to our listeners?

SPEAKER_00 41:06

Well, like I said, you've never arrived. You're always evolving. I never thought I would be where I am today, but I'm trying to make the best of it. And you can always be better, and there's always hope, and you're never alone. This is always a team effort. Being a leader is a team effort.

SPEAKER_03 41:22

Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_00 41:23

And uh thank you. Thank you for having me on your podcast. I appreciate it. This has been really fun.

SPEAKER_03 41:31

Thank you, ma'am. So thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your story with such honesty and insight. Your leadership journey, your dedication to military health care, and the impact you continue to make truly reflect what service and purpose can look like in action. I know our listeners will walk away inspired, just like me, and with a deeper appreciation for all the work that you do. To everyone listening, thank you for being a part of Candid Conversations. If today's episode resonated with you, be sure to subscribe, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and help us continue amplifying these amazing and powerful stories. Until next time, keep leading with purpose, keep showing up with courage, and keep the conversations candid. Thank you. You're welcome, ma'am.