The Professionals Playbook

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One of the Greats: Navy F-4 Fighter Pilot, 2,103 Days as a POW, Silver Star, Bronze Star, 2 Purple Hearts--Charlie Plumb Dec 23, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is former US Naval Fighter Pilot, Charlie Plumb. After graduating from the Naval Academy, he completed flight training and reported to Miramar Air Station in San Diego where he flew the first adversarial flights in the development of “TOP GUN.” He then deployed to Vietnam and flew 74 successful combat missions and made over 100 carrier landings.

On his 75th mission, just five days before the end of his tour, he was shot down over Hanoi, taken prisoner, tortured, and spent the next 2,103 days in an 8-by-8 foot cell as a Prisoner Of War.

Following his repatriation, he continued his flying career, retiring from the Navy after 28 years of service.

In our conversation, we talk about what it was like flying the top jet of the era, the missions he flew over Vietnam, and how he kept hope throughout his nearly 6 years as a POW. Below are the show notes with associated time stamps:

His passion for flying (min. 02:30)
His first jet out of pilot training (03:30)
Probability of Kill (PK) missiles (06:00)
Showing up to Vietnam (07:30)
First mission (09:30)
Jumped by 3 enemy fighters (12:30)
Surface to Air Missiles (19:45)
Being shot down (26:00)
Hanoi Hilton (32:30)
Time in Captivity (34:00)
Keeping hope (39:40)
Torture (44:00)
Keeping mentally and physically fit (45:30)
Coming home (48:30)
Inspiring others (54:30)

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode
I've also started a monthly newsletter where I send out a few useful or insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here or going to:
https://www.professionalsplaybook.com/newsletter
Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
LinkedIn-- Justin Lee
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot
This episode was edited by Trevor Cabler
If you got value from this episode, please give the show a review by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Thanks for the support 👊

Physician-Scientist, Inventor, and Entrepreneur on Living a Healthier Life and the Future of Medicine--Dr. Daniel Kraft Dec 08, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is Dr. Daniel Kraft, a Stanford and Harvard trained physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and innovator. He has over 25 years of experience in clinical practice, biomedical research and healthcare innovation. He is founder and chair of Exponential Medicine, a program that explores convergent, rapidly developing technologies and their potential in biomedicine and healthcare.

He has multiple scientific publications and medical patents and is often called to speak to the future of health, medicine, and technology and has given 5 TED and TEDMED Talks.

Daniel recently founded IntelliMedicine, focused on personalized, data driven, precision medicine.

He is an avid pilot and has served in the Air National Guard as a flight surgeon with squadrons flying the F-15 & F-16. His research on aerospace medicine has been published with NASA. He is also an Adviser to the XPRIZE Foundation.

In our conversation, we talk about the challenges of turning an idea into reality, the similarities between medicine and aviation, and how to live a longer healthier life. Below are the show notes.

Career evolution (min. 02:45)
Aviation vs medicine (min. 06:00)
Medical simulators (min. 08:30)
Stanford pager story (min. 12:00)
How flying is transformational (min. 14:00)
Yelp for doctors (min. 17:00)
Turning an idea into a reality (min. 17:45)
How he learns (min. 24:00)
How to perform at a high level (min. 24:45)
How to increase longevity (min. 29:00)
Things to help kids develop better (min. 35:45)
Future of medicine (min. 40:00)
Flying conversation (min. 50:00)
Social media info (min. 53:00)

Major General (Ret.) gives a Master-Class on Leadership, Talks Day 1 of Desert Storm, and Discusses Cyber Ops--Brett Williams Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is Major General (Ret.) Brett Williams. He is a command pilot with over 3,700 hours and 100 combat missions in the F-15C Eagle. He was also the Commander for the Air Force's largest combat wing. In his final active duty assignment, General Williams was the Director of Operations for U.S. Cyber Command where he was responsible for planning and executing both defensive and offensive cyberspace operations. He is a leading authority on cyber security and is now the COO of IronNet, a company that leverages AI and machine learning to protect nations and companies against advanced threats.

In our conversation, General Williams talks about leading an 8-ship of Eagles on day 1 of Desert Storm, his leadership philosophy, and the top things to protect yourself from a cyber attack. His discussion on leadership is one of the best I've heard.

Top lessons learned as a fighter pilot (min. 03:00)
Flying on Day 1 of Desert Storm (min. 11:00)
Leadership philosophy (min. 17:30)
Habits/ routines for performing at a high level (min. 34:00)
Moving to Cyber Command (min. 39:00)
Current landscape of cyber (min. 48:00)
Social media aspect of cyber (min. 34:00)
IronNet (55:00)
Projects working on (56:30)
Social media info (58:45)

Director of Earth and Space Exploration on Life outside of Earth, Overcoming a Gender Bias, and Meteorites--Dr. Meenakshi Wadhwa Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is Dr. Meenakshi Wadhwa, a world-class planetary scientist and currently the Director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU. She is a cosmic CSI detective investigating the origins of our solar system, primarily through meteorites.

She has been involved in a number of NASA planetary science missions, including Co-Investigator on the Genesis mission and as Collaborator on the Mars Science Laboratory mission.

She was also a member of the Planetary Protection Subcommittee (PPS) and was Chair of the NASA Curation and Analysis Planning Team for Extra-terrestrial Materials. Here's a brief highlight from our conversation today.
Meenakshi is a great teacher, especially with a complex subject like the origin of our universe. I also had a chance to interview her husband, former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski, so make sure to listen to that episode after this one. In our conversation, Meenakshi and I talk about how meteorites hold the secret to the formation of our solar system, whether she thinks we'll discover life outside of the earth, and some of the obstacles she's had to overcome in her career. Below are the show notes with associated timestamps:

Meteorites (min. 03:00)
Story from expedition (min. 07:00)
How earth formed (min. 11:00)
How we date the solar system (min. 14:30)
Upcoming missions (min. 22:00)
Robots vs. people from a science perspective (min. 24:30)
Exoplanets (min. 29:00)
Where passion came from (min. 32:30)
Obstacles she's overcome (min. 38:00)
Traits she looks for in students (min. 39:40)
How she met Astronaut Scott Parazynski (min. 44:30)
Projects she's working on (min. 48:45)

5x Shuttle Astronaut and John Glenn's Doctor: on Space, Climbing Mt. Everest, and Learning Well--Scott Parazynski Oct 29, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is Scott Parazynski, who has traveled 23 million miles over 5 missions to space, including 7 spacewalks. He was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2016 and is the only person to both fly into space and summit Mount Everest. Dr. Parazynski served as Senator John Glenn’s personal physician during his historic return to space in 1998, and is the recipient of many awards, including five NASA Space Flight Medals, two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, the Aviation Week Laureate Award, and the Antarctica Service Medal.

He is now a tech start-up CEO and inventor, venturing into some of the world’s most extreme environments in the name of exploration and innovation. His company, Fluidity Technology is redefining how we control vehicles, including drones, using technology he used in space.

In our conversation, we talk about what the violent journey to space is like, his historic mission to repair the Space Station's solar panels, and his techniques for learning a new subject. Make sure to subscribe so you catch next month's episode with Dr. Meenakshi Wadhwa, a world-class planetary scientist who is married to Scott. We dive into the world of space as well as talk about how she and Scott met, which I'm confident is the most unique way that two human beings have run into each other. Below are the show notes with associated timestamps:

Standing next to a fully fueled Space Shuttle (minute 3:00)
The violent journey to space (minute 4:00)
Being John Glenn's personal physician (minute 5:00)
Moment he's most proud of (minute 15:00)
Physiology in space (minute 21:00)
Future space exploration (minute 24:00)
Growing up in West Africa/ Middle East (minute 30:00)
Mount Everest (minute 35:00)
Mastering the skill of learning well (minute 39:00)
Daily routine (minute 3:00)
Fluidity Technologies (minute 3:00)

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode
I've also started a monthly newsletter where I send out a few useful or insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here or going to:
https://www.professionalsplaybook.com/newsletter
Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot
This episode was edited by Trevor Cabler
If you got value from this episode, please give the show a review by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Make sure you use a unique username. Thanks for the support 👊

Legendary Baseball Pitcher Who Was Born Without a Right Hand--Jim Abbott Oct 15, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is Jim Abbott, a pitcher who played for 10 seasons in the Major Leagues. Despite being born with only one hand, he won the James Sullivan Award as the nation's best amateur athlete and then went on to win a gold medal in the Summer Olympics. He is one of only 8 players in the last 40 years to skip the minor leagues and make his debut in the Majors. His successful career is highlighted by a no-hitter he thew as a member of the New York Yankees.

Jim is a trailblazer who inspired me going up. In our conversation he talks about the electric feeling of taking a no-hitter into the 9th inning, his mental training, how he de-briefed his outings, and more. Note: the audio has some issues the first 10 minutes, but smoothes out after. Below are the show notes with associated timestamps:

Pitching a No-Hitter--thinking and feeling throughout (min. 03:30)
No mold to follow--did that empower or intimidate? (min. 10:30)
Mindset growing up (min. 15:00)
A moment that altered the trajectory of his life (min. 19:30)
Winning a gold medal in the 1988 Summer Olympics (min. 25:30)
Skipping the minor leagues (min. 28:30)
His motivation (min. 31:15)
Techniques to perform your best (min. 32:30)
Mental Preparation (min. 34:00)
The baseball debrief (min. 37:00)
Biggest lesson for the next generation (min. 47:30)

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode
I've also started a monthly newsletter where I send out a few useful or insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here or going to:
https://www.professionalsplaybook.com/newsletter
Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot
This episode was edited by Trevor Cabler
If you got value from this episode, please give the show a review by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Make sure you use a unique username. Thanks for the support 👊

The Head of Bloomberg Beta with $150M Under Management on Team Chemistry and the Future of Work--Roy Bahat Oct 01, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is Roy Bahat who is the head of Bloomberg Beta, an investment firm with over 150 million dollars under management. He invests in the future of work with a focus on machine intelligence and automation. Fast Company magazine named Roy one of the Most Creative People in Business.

Before heading up Bloomberg Beta, Roy served as the president of IGN Entertainment, the leading Video Games' media company. There he was known for unorthodox but very effective hiring strategy.

Roy is also on the faculty at U.C. Berkeley, where he teaches about media at the Haas School of Business. He's a graduate of Harvard and was also a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.

I had a great time chatting with Roy today. He is the leading expert on the future of work. In our conversation we talk about how he choses a startup team, the principals he uses to run Bloomberg Beta, the future of media, and more. Below are all the show notes with associated timestamps:

Bloomberg Beta background (min. 02:45)
Finding companies with potential (min. 03:45)
Data vs. gut feeling (min. 06:30)
Successful startup team makeup (min. 12:00)
Lessons learned over the years at Bloomberg (min. 15:30)
Trends of the future (min. 22:30)
Future of work (min. 25:00)
Artificial Intelligence (min. 28:00)
Separating the signal from the noise (min. 33:45)
De-emphasizing the resume (min. 35:00)
Future of formal education (min. 39:00)
Advice for next generation (min. 41:30)
Projects working on now (min. 43:45)

The FBI's Lead International Kidnapping Negotiator on How to Get a Raise and More--Chris Voss Sep 17, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is Chris Voss who served as the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the FBI. During his career, he worked on over 150 international hostage cases. During his 24 year tenure, he was trained in the art of negotiation by not only the FBI but Scotland Yard and Harvard Law School. He is also a recipient of the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence and the FBI Agents Association Award for Distinguished and Exemplary Service.

Chris is a master negotiator who has since written one of the top books in the field titled "Never Split the Difference." He also works as an adjunct professor at USC's Marshall School of Business and Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. In our conversation we talk about what it's like to be on the phone with a terrorist, the traits required of a hostage negotiator, how everyone can become better at negotiating, and more. Below are all the topics with associated timestamps:

Big picture of his career and highlights (min 03:00)
The moment he starts speaking to a terrorist or criminal (min 04:30)
Building rapport with the other side (min 09:30)
The ebbs and flows of a hostage negotiation? (min 11:45)
Traits of a great hostage negotiator? (min 16:30)
Why only 5 people on the planet can do this (min 19:45)
Negotiation he's most proud of (min 23:00)
Negotiation that didn't go well (min 25:15)
Reading someone's voice (min 27:45)
Negotiating in business (min 31:00)
How to improve your negotiation skills (min 34:30)
Mistakes most people make (min 38:00)
Dealing with people who have a big ego (min 39:15)
Negotiating over email (min 40:15)
Asking for a raise (min 42:30)
Negotiating exercises (min 43:45)

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode
I've also started a monthly newsletter where I send out a few useful or insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here or going to:
https://www.professionalsplaybook.com/newsletter
Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
LinkedIn-- Justin Lee
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot
If you got value from this episode, please give the show a review by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Thanks for the support 👊

CEO and Co-Founder of ForeFlight on building the worlds best aviation software--Tyson Weihs Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is Tyson Weihs, the Co-Founder and CEO of ForeFlight--by far the best aviation software ever produced.

Tyson and his company Foreflight has nearly singlehandedly dragged the entire aviation industry into the future. Before Foreflight aviation software was slow, cumbersome, and obsolete as soon as you bought it. It was similar to the dashboard GPS devices you stuck to your car window. Foreflight has done to aviation software what Google Maps did to the TomTom. It works seamlessly, it's updated all the time, and every few months there's a new feature you can use.

In our conversation, we talk about what it takes to build a great team, how to harness innovation, how he manages his time, and more. Below are the full show notes with associated time stamps:

Where the idea of ForeFlight came from (min. 03:30)
Obstacles Foreflight has had to overcome (min. 08:15)
His biggest win (min. 12:40)
Building a great team and culture (min. 19:15)
How to manage innovation (min. 29:15)
Making the software useful to everyone (min. 34:00)
Surprises as CEO (min. 36:30)
How he manages his time (min. 39:30)
Things that increase his performance (min. 41:30)
Where ForeFlight is going in the future (min. 42:30)
Whats next (min. 49:15)

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode!
I've also started a monthly newsletter where I send out a few useful or insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here or going to:
https://www.professionalsplaybook.com/newsletter
Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot

Lessons from a top Red Bull Air Racing and decorated fighter pilot--Matt Hall Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

My guest today is Matt Hall, Australia's top aviator. He has logged over 6,000 hours in various aircraft, including the F-18 Hornet and the F-15 Strike Eagle. He is a decorated Wing Commander in the Australian Air Force, a Fighter Combat Instructor (Australia's version of Top Gun), and in 1997 was named Australia’s Fighter Pilot of the Year.

Matt has also competed on the international level in aerobatics, winning the Australian Advanced Aerobatic Championship and finished first in Freestyle and second overall in the Unlimited category.

For the last 10 years, Matt has been flying at the pinnacle of aviation racing--The Red Bull Air Race series. He is one of the top pilots, coming in second overall a record three times. With the final Red Bull race ever coming up, Matt is in second place with a chance to win the championship.

What struck me most about Matt was his system's approach to winning. He has merged the training he did in the Air Force with an Olympic athlete's mindset. Every aspect of his life has been optimized so that on race day he can fly as fast as possible. In our conversation we talk about what it's like to pull 12G's, the time his wing hit the ocean during a race, his sports psychology training, and more. Below are the show notes with the associated timestamps:

Where passion for aviation comes from (min. 02:45)
Highlights of your military career and stories (min. 08:00)
Lessons learned from combat (min. 12:15)
How he got into racing (min. 14:45)
How difficult the transition to racing was (min. 17:45)
How to reduce jet lag (min. 20:15)
Red Bull Air Race weekly schedule (min. 23:45)
How the military background helps now (min. 27:45)
Using sports psychology for flying (min. 30:15)
Mental and physical training (min. 33:15)
Pulling upwards of 12G's in turns! (min. 35:15)
Race overview (min.37:15)
Strengths and weaknesses flying (min. 39:45)
Challenges he's had to overcome (min. 41:15)
Being the CEO of the team and the pilot (min. 43:45)
Crashing a Red Bull plane into the water (min. 47:00)
Whats next now that the Red Bull series is canceled (min. 54:45)

Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode
I've also started a monthly newsletter where I send out a few useful or insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here or going to:
https://www.professionalsplaybook.com/newsletter
Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
LinkedIn-- Justin Lee
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot
If you got value from this episode, please give the show a review by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Thanks for the support 👊

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