Mission Transition: A Podcast for Veterans returns for season two - featuring everyday Veterans as they navigate the transition from military service to the civilian world. What went well? What didn’t work? What advice should be passed down so active duty service members are better prepared to succeed?
A solid job and foundation for Veterans helps avoid financial instability, career stress, family stress, homelessness and suicide. This podcast is proudly produced by Still Serving Veterans, where we provide no-cost, veteran-to-veteran career help. Be it resumes, interview prep, job search, salary negations - SSV does it for free and gets you where you need to be to best support yourself and your family.
This episode of Mission Transition has Corey talking to retired Army Colonel Trina Rice regarding her military career, her transition to civilian life, and her experiences as an entrepreneur.
Key Topics and Themes:
Career and Leadership: After a 30-year military career with roles in human resources, recruiting, and talent management, the speaker transitioned to becoming a franchise owner of Express Employment Professionals in Virginia. She credits mentorship as the most significant contributor to her development as a leader.
Challenges of Transition: The speaker identified the loss of structured routine—specifically the lack of a "must-do" daily schedule—as a primary challenge when transitioning out of the military.
The PACE Plan: The speaker emphasized the importance of a PACE (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency) plan for all service members. She applied this framework to her own transition, allowing her to pivot between business ventures and geographic moves when initial plans were disrupted.
Entrepreneurship and Service: The speaker balances two professional endeavors:
Express Employment Professionals: A franchise focused on workforce development that allows her to serve veterans and military families by connecting them with meaningful employment.
Tohi Retreat: A business focused on providing a space for women to find their "center" and replenish themselves socially and professionally.
Advice for Transitioning Service Members:
Patience: Do not rush the transition process; recognize that it is a "one-and-done" experience that requires careful, metered execution.
Networking: The speaker stressed that on the civilian side, "who you know" is often more critical than "what you know," and advised building a network while still serving.
Perspective and Humility: Veterans bring valuable traits like hard work and mission accomplishment to the workforce, but she advised against overestimating how easy the civilian world will be or how much one's military skills are automatically understood by civilians.
29 Sept 2026
Navigating Career Success with Civilian Compass
This episode of Mission Transition between Corey and guest Langley Barth features a discussion on military transition strategies, introducing a new free tool called Civilian Compass designed to assist veterans in finding fulfilling post-military careers.
Guest Background and Mission
The guest is a Navy veteran and product marketer who has been helping veterans navigate their transition for years.
Motivated by his own experience and a desire to help others avoid the uncertainty he felt, he began providing support through word-of-mouth and volunteering with organizations like ForBlock and the Veterans Beer Club.
He created Civilian Compass as a free, user-friendly software tool to scale his support for veterans and streamline the transition process.
Key Transition Advice
Embrace Exploration: Instead of defaulting to what they are already qualified for, veterans are encouraged to conduct a broad range of conversations to "try on" different career paths.
Use Data to Make Decisions: The guest suggests rating these conversations to identify which career paths provide the best energy and fit, helping veterans see the "signal through the noise".
Lean into Your Strengths: Veterans should utilize their "bias for action," rely on the network of veterans who have already transitioned, and maintain consistent follow-up to build lasting professional relationships.
The Civilian Compass Process
Phase 1 (Discovery): Users answer intake questions to narrow down interests and conduct informational interviews with other veterans.
Phase 2 (Gap Analysis): The tool helps users analyze job descriptions by "stoplight coding" their experience (green for match, yellow for related, red for gap) and determining what skills are actually necessary versus what can be learned.
Phase 3 (Application): The final phase focuses on the application process, leveraging the network built in earlier phases and preparing for interviews through AI-assisted story banks.
The guest emphasizes that it is never too late to pivot or pursue a new career, and he remains committed to keeping the platform free and unbiased to ensure veterans receive genuine, helpful guidance.
18 Sept 2026
From Transition to Transformation: Francine Juhlin on Self-Leadership and Finding Purpose
On this episode of Mission Transition, Corey Hopkins sits down with Francine Juhlin, a retired Army aircraft electrician whose more than 30-year career spanned the Navy, Army, and government contracting. After a career-ending ankle injury in Iraq forced her into an unexpected transition, Francine faced the loss of her military identity, unhealthy habits, and a serious health crisis—but those challenges ultimately led her to discover a new sense of purpose.
Francine shares the six-step process she developed to create meaningful personal change, drawing on her experience as a change management specialist. She also discusses her work as an author, children’s educator, advocate, and creator of the Clarity Starter Room. For Veterans navigating transition, Francine offers practical advice on networking, embracing setbacks as “data,” and remembering past victories as a foundation for future success.
24 Aug 2026
From Combat to Healing: Sam Juan’s Mission Transition
In this powerful episode of Mission Transition, Army Veteran Sam Juan opens up about her 10 years of service, from Germany and Hawaii to becoming one of the first women selected for the Cultural Support Team program and deploying to Afghanistan with Joint Special Operations Command. She shares the challenges of transitioning out of the military, losing her sense of purpose, and the difficult road that ultimately led her to seek help and begin healing.
Sam discusses sobriety, therapy, psychedelic therapy, art and storytelling—and how each has become a tool in her ongoing journey. Sober since July 2020, she now uses her experiences to connect with and support fellow Veterans, while working on her memoir. Named the 2026 Veteran of the Year by Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Sam offers an honest reminder that healing isn’t one-size-fits-all: be patient with yourself, keep searching for what helps, and never stop looking for what brings you joy.
10 Aug 2026
A Hero Gets a Home
The Military Warriors foundation CEO, along with one of their hero recipients, talk to Corey about the program and how they helped a military hero get into a home.
5 Mar 2026
From Long-Haired Rugby Player to Brigade Commander: What Came Next
James Welch, former Brigade Commander to host Corey Hopkins, talks about what inspired him to join the military originally, and what has happened since getting out.
3 Nov 2025
From Mechanic to Sergeant Major: Miguel Hernandez on Life After the Army
After 21 years in the U.S. Army, retired Sergeant Major Miguel Hernandez knows what it takes to rebuild life after service. From enlisting as a mechanic to leading soldiers worldwide, Miguel’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and purpose. In this episode of Mission Transition, powered by Still Serving Veterans, host Cory Hopkins talks with Miguel about: How his Army journey began with a recruiting mix-up Lessons learned as a leader and mentor across multiple commands The emotional and practical challenges of military retirement Why networking and humility are key to a successful transition Whether you’re preparing to leave the military or already navigating civilian life, Miguel’s insights will help you plan your next mission with confidence. 🎧 Mission Transition shares real conversations with veterans about life after service — because transition isn’t the end of the mission, it’s the start of the next one. 👉 Subscribe for more inspiring veteran stories. 📩 Share your story: social@ssv.org #MilitaryTransition #Veterans #MissionTransition #StillServingVeterans #ArmyVeteran #LifeAfterService
19 Sept 2025
Recruiting Skills, Civilian Success: Preparing for Life After Service
In this episode of Mission Transition, we sit down with retired Sergeant First Class Walter Drysdale as he reflects on his 20 years of service and the lessons learned during his journey out of the Army. Walter shares why he joined the military later in life, how recruiting duty gave him transferable skills for the civilian workforce, and the pivotal role family played in his decision to retire.
25 Aug 2025
Family & The Military Transition
In this episode of Mission Transition, Corey Hopkins from Still Serving Veterans interviews retired Air Force Colonel Mark Jones. They talk about the pivotal moment that led him to retire in 2025, driven by family considerations, particularly his sons' schooling needs. Jones outlines his extensive preparation for retirement, including attending TAP classes and networking, emphasizing the importance of patience, humility, and effort in job searching. Jones also highlights the strategic process his family used to choose Huntsville, Alabama, as their new home, considering factors like cost of living, job opportunities, and school quality. The interview also touches on the importance of networking in transitioning successfully and the support provided by SSV.
4 Aug 2025
Transition Truths: Humility, Hope, and New Beginnings
From the loss of identity and the challenges of job hunting, to the importance of education, family, and support networks, Dr. Wilson shares hard-earned lessons and practical advice for veterans at every stage of their transition.
15 Jul 2025
Taking Time vs Being Prepared for the Civilian Transition
Host Corey Hopkins and guest Mike Davenport discuss the first few weeks and months of the military transition and how a healthy mix of time and preparation helped Mike navigate his new life.
8 Jul 2024
Value Systems, Finding Your Why & More With Bill Korman
The "feeling lost" when transitioning out of the service is real. It can be even more real after you start your first few jobs out of the service. Host Dave Lakin sits down with Bill Korman, a Navy Veteran who shares the lows and highs of his own transition along with how he's giving back to Veterans.
Still Serving Veterans (no cost transition help) - https://ssv.org/ (https://ssv.org/)
Lawrence "Bill" Korman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/builtforlife/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/builtforlife/)
Built For Life Financial Agency - https://bflagency.com/team/bill-korman/ (https://bflagency.com/team/bill-korman/)
10 Jun 2024
A Place for Veterans with Riccoh Player
A decorated Marine transitions to being a Public Affairs Officer to Secretary of Defense, award winning video producer, entrepreneur and so much more - Riccoh Player has done it all. But he has not lost sight of his roots and he wants to make sure Veteran tribes stay in tact well after military service comes to and end.
Mission Transition learns about Riccoh and his ParadeDeck.com project among other insightful takes on advancements in the VA.
Looking for your tribe? Want to connect with military changemakers, content makers & more? Be sure to check out ParadeDeck.com!
2 May 2024
Call of Duty & Activision's Support of Veteran Employment
This episode featuring Call of Duty Endowment Executive Director Dan Goldenberg touches on the current state of Veteran employment through data, sometimes the lack of it as well as what should be done to improve transition outcomes for service members moving forward.
Learn more about how Call of Duty Supports Vets: https://www.callofdutyendowment.org/ (https://www.callofdutyendowment.org/)
Get free career help from a fellow Veteran: https://ssv.org/ (https://ssv.org/)
18 Apr 2024
LTG (R) Neil Thurgood
Highlights & Points of Interest:
- What qualities transfer from military service to the business world?
- The notion that all Veterans are bulls in a China cabinet.
- Having different mentors at different stages of your post-military life.
- Continuing service through other routes when you leave military service to avoid isolation.
You don't want to miss this insightful and powerful conversation! We are also looking for service members with TOUGH & Insightful transition stories. You don't have to be a ranking officer either! Email us at social@ssv.org (mailto:social@ssv.org). Your story could change lives!
22 Mar 2024
SMA (R) Jack Tilley
Host Dave Lakin sits down with SMA Jack Tilley, host of Your Next Mission.
The pair discusses a wide-range of relevant military transition topics. One major point being the importance of finding your tribe and not waiting for the transition to simply happen. Planning 2-years out is not wrong by any means and is even becoming more common.
4 Mar 2024
Financial Literacy During the Transition & the Desire for Coaching, NOT Counseling
The military transition can go so badly. We see this with Veterans becoming homeless almost immediately. That's exactly what happened to Dr. Steven Crane. Despite having a roadmap to a rewarding civilian career set as he made the transition, the unexpected led him to the streets.
Clearly, the story turns. Now with several Doctorate degrees, Steven is connecting Veterans to resources and hoping he can help his fellow brothers and sisters secure a better financial future.
Notable Links:
SSV.org
flbagency.com
the360veteran.com
15 Feb 2024
Setting Expectations
Mission Transition launches with an in-house discussion with retired US Navy Rear Admiral Richard "Rich" Landolt, now the President and CEO of Still Serving Veterans.
Host Dave Lakin introduces SSV and asks Landolt about the evolution of technology in the hiring process as well as the importance of setting expectations when transitioning out of the military.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Contact Mission Transition: A Podcast for Veterans
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Mission Transition: A Podcast for Veterans?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
