Robert Wheeler
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Ep. No. 70 — He built a career path at the age of eight to become a U.S. Air Force combat pilot and safe-keeper of U.S. nuclear weapons / Maj Gen Robert Wheeler, USAF (ret), CEO, Strategic Consulting Unlimited. When Robert Wheeler was just 8 years old, his mother took him to the Chicago Air Show. It changed his life. From that moment on, Wheeler became obsessed with an unwavering goal: To become a U.S. fighter pilot. Wheeler more than fulfilled his dream. During his 32-year career in the U.S. Air Force, he served as a combat pilot in the B-52 and B-2, earning more than 5,000 flight hours and seven operational commands, including Wing Commands in the two largest bomber wings in the Air Force. Wheeler also served as the Deputy Director for Nuclear Operations, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. As such, he served as the principal adviser to the commander on issues pertaining to strategic deterrence and nuclear operations. He served as the command’s principal flag officer responsible for management and oversight of the nuclear enterprise. He retired in March 2016. Major General Wheeler’s decorated career in the military culminated in his role as DOD Deputy Chief Information Officer for Information Infrastructure and Command, Control, Communications/Computers (C4), at the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. In these critical roles, Wheeler obtained a wealth of knowledge about the ways of Vladimir Putin and has some key insights into the trajectory of the Russian President’s invasion of Ukraine and Ukraine’s surge of wins in the ground game in recent weeks. And he offers sobering insights into Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine if pushed too far against the wall. Thanks for Listening. 👍 Please Subscribe and give a Thumbs Up! 🎙️https://bit.ly/ChitraRagavanChannel 👂Contact Chitra & Link to Podcast Platforms 🎙️https://chitra.lnk.to/bio When It Mattered: 🎙️ Ep. 60. Putin laid his cards on the table years before the Ukraine invasion / Gen. James Jones, USMC 🎙️ Ep. 66. Distinguished diplomat reclaims her narrative / Marie Yovanovitch, “Lessons from the Edge” Techtopia: 🎙️ Ep. 29. How drones, crypto, and satellites are changing the future of war / Thomas Frey & Trent Fowler 🎙️ Ep. 26. Technology is rewiring Ukraine’s narrative / Alex Deane & Bryan Cunningham Do check out these related articles in SWAAY ✍️ The Incredible, Indomitable Super-Survivors of Ukraine ✍️ A “Genuine Badass”: How Marie Yovanovitch Reclaimed Her Narrative and Reputation ✍️ Refugees in the Shadows: A Viral Insights Column on War, Displacement, and Super-Survivors
Ep. 29 — Ukraine is the future war / Thomas Frey, Founder & Senior Futurist, DaVinci Institute, and Trent Fowler, Author & Keynote Speaker.
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Russia’s war on Ukraine has turned a lot of assumptions about the fundamental nature and trajectory of how wars are fought, on its head. For one thing, Ukraine’s strong defense has upended conventional wisdom about big powers being able to violate at will the sovereignty of little powers. Technology, in particular, drones, has also leveled the playing field in unique ways. The emergence of cryptocurrency, both as a means to fund the war and the relief efforts, raises all kinds of interesting questions about the ability to enforce sanctions and bypass the traditional financing of wars with alternate means. I had a great discussion about these and other topics with Thomas Frey, and Trent Fowler, who have been giving a lot of thought to the future of war. Frey is the founder and Executive Director of the DaVinci Institute and co-host of the Futurati Podcast. Over the past decade, he has built an enormous following around the world based on his ability to develop accurate visions of the future and describe the opportunities ahead. Trent Fowler is a machine learning engineer, keynote speaker, and co-host of the Futurati Podcast. Please like, rate, review, and subscribe to my new YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/ChitraRagavan If you liked this episode, please check out these other episodes! 🎙️Breakfast with Putin 🎙️Distinguished diplomat reclaims her narrative 🎙️Heroism, activism, reconciliation with nature 🎙️What does IRS Criminal Investigation Do? 🎙️Are NFTs overhyped? 🎙️Father’s gift and brother’s illness led him to crypto 🎙️What’s driving the bitcoin mania?
Andy Dunn
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Ep. 67 — He built a successful startup while waging a life-threatening battle against bipolar disorder / Andy Dunn, Co-founder, Bonobos, and Author, “Burn Rate: Launching A Startup And Losing My Mind.” Andy Dunn would never have predicted that he would wind up naked and writhing on the floor of Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric Emergency Room in New York — in the throes of a massive bipolar episode. Nor that when he would be released from Bellevue a week later, he would be arrested on charges of assaulting his then-girlfriend -now-wife, and her mother. That night in 2016 was a spectacular fall from grace for Andy Dunn, then the CEO and co-founder of the massively successful e-commerce-driven menswear brand, Bonobos. It was the most consequential but not the first time that Dunn had wound up in terrible situations during his nearly-two-decade battle against bipolar disorder. All the while, he was leading and scaling Bonobos, which he ultimately sold to Walmart. Dunn writes about his struggle with bipolar disorder in unsparing detail in his new critically acclaimed bestseller, “Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind.” In riveting parallel narratives, Dunn uses his own relentlessly-cyclical battles against hypomania and depression, the hallmarks of bipolar disorder or manic depression as it used to be called, to place tech startup founders under an unsparing lens as he explores the prevalence of mental illness in Silicon Valley. And he brilliantly parses the fine line between inspired genius and megalomania which are common traits among these exponentially successful entrepreneurs. Thanks for Listening. If you liked this episode, do check out these other episodes from When It Mattered: Ep. 50. Great career despite insurmountable obstacles / Leigh Steinberg, Steinberg Sports Ep. 21. Disenchanted doctor finds secret inspiration in heroin addict / Dr. Andrew Lees, Neurologist Ep. 37. Tumultuous childhood led to career in human behavior / Nicole Fisher, HHR Strategies
Marie Yovanovitch
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Ep. No. 66 — Fired by President Donald Trump, a distinguished diplomat helps impeach him and reclaims her narrative / Marie Yovanovitch, Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and author, “Lessons from the Edge”. On April 24, 2019, in the dead of night, with no explanation, Marie Yovanovitch got a call from the U.S State Department, essentially removing her immediately from her post as Ambassador to Ukraine. A few days later, back in Washington DC — a shell-shocked Yovanovitch learned the extraordinary details of why she had been fired from her job and that the man behind it was none other than her boss, President Donald Trump. After the shock wore off, Ambassador Yovanovitch decided to fight back. Pilloried by the right-wing media, she publicly testified in Congress under oath during Trump’s impeachment hearings, resulting in his first of two impeachments. Yovanovitch has written a fascinating new memoir called “Lessons from the Edge,” in which she systematically lays out the months-long attempts by Trump and his cronies to ruin her reputation and subvert democracy using a foreign power, Ukraine. And she describes how she seized back her narrative from the former president. As Congressional hearings cast new light on Trump’s last-ditch efforts to stay in power — culminating in the January 6, 2021 riots in the US Capitol by his supporters — I’m so honored to welcome the former US Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. If you liked this episode, please check out these other episodes: When It Mattered: 60. Putin laid his cards on the table years before Ukraine invasion / Gen. James Jones, USMC 56. Retired cop learns his job has just begun / Thomas Manger, US Capitol Police 15. Big-time political advisor returns to his small-town roots, finds urgent new cause /James Carville Techtopia: 26. Technology is re-wiring Ukraine’s narrative / Alex Deane and Bryan Cunningham
Ep. 27 — The U.S. Government attempts to shape sweeping crypto policies amidst market turbulence and massive ransomware hacks / Carole House, Director of Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation at National Security Council, The White House
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This past April, the FBI disclosed an astonishing fact about the breach of the blockchain behind the popular “play to earn” game Axie Infinity a few weeks earlier. The FBI said the hackers who stole $615 million dollars in cryptocurrency were, in fact, from the group “Lazarus” which has direct ties to the government of North Korea. To add insult to injury, the brazen attack took place just weeks after President Joe Biden had released an Executive Order, authorizing a whole-of federal government approach to derisking digital assets. It was the equivalent of North Korea thumbing its nose at the U.S. Government. The incident revealed the incredible challenges confronting President Joe Biden and his national security and economic teams as they attempt to craft sweeping policies to protect consumers without hindering financial innovation, at the same time earning the trust of and cooperation from the crypto communities to help police the space, without violating the libertarian ethos undergirding blockchain, cryptocurrency, and digital assets. With all these challenges swirling about, I am delighted to share my recent wide-ranging conversation on crypto regulation and compliance with a key White House official who has been thinking about this and working on these complex issues for years. Carole House is the former Director for Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation for the National Security Council, The White House. She joined the NSC on detail from the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), where she led cybersecurity, virtual currency, and emerging technology policy efforts as a Senior Cyber and Emerging Technology Policy Officer. House has just returned back to FinCEN after her White House tour of duty. Please like, rate, review, and subscribe to my new YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/ChitraRagavan If you liked this episode, please check out these other episodes! What does IRS Criminal Investigation Do? Are NFTs overhyped? What’s driving the bitcoin mania? Father’s gift and brother’s illness led him to crypto