This episode features a conversation with Mike Erwin ’02, Founder & Executive Director of Team Red, White, & Blue.
Team Red, White, & Blue is a non-profit organization that delivers local opportunities for veterans and the community to connect through physical and social activities.
On this episode, Mike shares the different missions that overlap across his personal and professional life, how a key mentor helped pave the way for his successes, and why he believes rowing with chaos is better than fighting against it.
Episode Timestamps
(02:05) Pitching at West Point and Mike’s overall experience
(04:25) Balancing Team Red, White & Blue and the military
(06:40) When an idea becomes a living-breathing entity
(08:05) Scaling a non-profit organization
(12:30) The guiding mentors that helped Mike along the way
(15:40) Mike publishes his first book: Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude
(19:10) Mike’s new book is coming out soon: Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World
(25:00) The next phase of leadership, psychology, and humanity
(29:40) How Mike balances everything he has going on
(32:00) The Sitrep
(36:50) What stresses Mike out and how he reframes his thinking
(39:40) Giving Back
“My chairman of the board for team RWB, First Captain in West Point class of 1991, Doug McCormick says that bias for action is very important because you’re going to learn a lot just by rolling up your sleeves and doing. And so even if you start something and it only lasts for two years or three years, or it doesn’t succeed — it might very well be setting you up for success in some arena or some way that you didn’t expect.”
—Mike Erwin ’02
