
163. Shelby Hladon: The Volunteer Who Cannot Say No
06/12/2025 | 45 mins.
In this episode, we hear from Shelby Hladon whose desire to spend more time with her sons has led to a post-military career as a volunteer, especially when it comes to youth and veterans.

162. Patrick Courteau's Flight From Air Force Airman to Litigation Associate
22/11/2025 | 48 mins.
In this episode, Patrick Corteau shares his journey from serving as a judge advocate in the Air Force to securing a position with Greenberg Traurig, in its Minneapolis, MN, office.

161. “Don’t Overthink It”: One Man’s Journey to a More Purposeful and Happier Life
08/11/2025 | 55 mins.
In this episode, I talk to Matthew Dursa, former Navy JAG, about his journey in overcoming a tendency to overthink things, which he shares in his new book, “Reading This Book Won’t Help You: Doing the Work Will.” A copy can be purchased on Amazon at https://a.co/d/a8AQUDN.

160. Learning from the Best: A Conversation with International Legal Scholar Michael Schmitt
25/10/2025 | 50 mins.
In this episode, Michael shares how he leveraged his active duty experience as an Air Force judge advocate to teaching in the classroom, both while still serving and after retirement.

159. Joe Androski: Seizing Opportunity in Face of Uncertainty
11/10/2025 | 44 mins.
As a probationary employee with the Navy Office of General Counsel in 2025, Joe was informed he would likely be laid off as part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to curb the size of the Federal Government. When offered deferred resignation, Joe saw it as an opportunity to join private practice to enable him to return to doing the things he enjoyed doing as a Marine Corps JAG, including Legal Assistance and Litigation. In this episode, Joe takes us through his journey, including waving into the Virginia bar. Joe mentions a few of Slack-type groups that he finds helpful, including: LawyerSmack (sidebar.net), a private community for attorneys interested in discussing practice-related issues with their peers in real time. ($199/year); Best Era (https://bestera.com/)($365/year). InnerCircle (inner circle.ernietheattorney.net/feed), which deals with legal tech issues.



After the JAG Corps: Navigating Your Career Progression