Vector Accelerator

About Vector Accelerator

Vector Accelerator exists to help all veterans find clarity as they transition from military to civilian life, so that they navigate their next mission with confidence and conviction.

Publisher

Vector Accelerator

Category

business · education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Dec 2023

Latest episode

10 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

58 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Aug 2026

   The Fork in the River: Choosing Your Next Mission

   Overview Transitioning out of the military often feels like being dropped into white water with a resume in one hand and a LinkedIn profile in the other. But before choosing a job, a city, or a new career path, there’s a more important question to answer: What actually matters to you now? In this episode, Scott and Joe explore how veterans can make better decisions by slowing down, looking upstream, and reconnecting with their values, priorities, and sense of identity. Joe reflects on his own transition experience, including how narrowly focused he was on building a government resume and how Vector helped him begin asking different questions: What do you love? What do you hate? What kind of problems do you want to solve? What would your perfect day actually look like? The conversation also digs into one of the biggest challenges veterans face after service: sacrifice. After years—or even decades—of putting the mission, the organization, and others first, choosing what you personally want can feel selfish. Scott and Joe unpack why that mindset can make transition decisions harder and why self-reflection is not selfish—it’s necessary. Key Takeaways Career decisions should not be the first step in transition. Before focusing on resumes, networking, or job titles, veterans need clarity around who they are, what they value, and what kind of life they want. Veterans can become too “front-sight focused.” Military service rewards focus and commitment, but that same mindset can make it easy to overlook possibilities outside the most obvious career paths. Your values should influence your decisions. External factors like salary, expectations, prestige, or what others think you “should” do can be powerful—but they do not always lead to fulfillment. Sacrifice can become part of your identity. Veterans spend years giving up control over their schedules, location, clothing, family time, and personal preferences. After service, putting personal priorities first can feel uncomfortable or even selfish. Self-reflection creates better choices. Exercises like describing your perfect day, identifying what you love and hate, and thinking about the problems you want to solve can reveal what actually motivates you. Transition is not limited to leaving active duty. You can be decades removed from military service and still find yourself asking, “What’s next?” Vector’s introspective process can help veterans at any stage who feel misaligned or uncertain about their next chapter. The goal is not just success—it’s success and fulfillment. Better decisions come from aligning opportunities with intrinsic motivations, values, and the life you actually want to build. Best Quotes “It feels like white water rapids that you jump into, and then people are just throwing you an oar and a life vest. That’s like a resume and a LinkedIn profile.” “What they didn’t necessarily give you was a map or compass.” “Did you even stop to turn your head to the left or right and see what’s over there?” “One of my favorite questions that you asked me was, ‘Joe, describe your perfect day.’” “The shoulds on one side and then the draw on the other.” “You’ve sacrificed for 20 years.” “When the conversation switches over to, ‘Imagine you don’t have to sacrifice these things’… that feels greedy. That feels self-centered.” “This seems like one of those conversations that I know is important, but I’m not ready for.” “We want to pull you upstream a little bit so you can make the best choices downstream.” Call to Action If you’re transitioning out of the military—or you’ve been out for years and still feel uncertain about what comes next—Vector Accelerator can help you slow down, reflect, and gain clarity before making your next big decision. Vector is designed to help veterans better understand their identity, values, strengths, priorities, and motivations so they can move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and conviction. Explore the Vector Accelerator course, join an upcoming Azimuth Chat, and start asking the questions that should come before the resume, the job search, and the next career move. Learn more at VectorAccelerator.org.

2. 

   23 Jul 2026

   What Would Your 10-Year-Old Self Think of You Today?

   Episode Summary What would the 10-year-old version of you think if they could see your life today? In this episode, Scott Schimmel and Joe Lara explore a reflection exercise that sparked a powerful conversation among hundreds of veterans during an Azimuth Chat. The question invited participants to step back from the pressure of military transition and recognize just how far they have already come. The responses revealed stories of perseverance, unexpected accomplishments, meaningful relationships, and resilience through difficult chapters. Scott and Joe discuss why veterans often overlook these parts of their stories while focusing on the uncertainty ahead—and how reconnecting with past evidence of growth can create greater confidence about the future. The conversation also explains why introspection is such an important part of transition. Before deciding where to live, what job to pursue, or what comes next, veterans benefit from slowing down, connecting the dots in their stories, and identifying the patterns that have helped them navigate change before. Key Takeaways 1. Ask what your younger self would think of you today. Looking at your life through the eyes of your 10-year-old self can reveal progress that is easy to overlook. Accomplishments, relationships, experiences, and personal growth often become more meaningful when viewed from that perspective. 2. Your success is bigger than your résumé. A younger version of you may be less impressed by titles and achievements than by the relationships you have built, the family you have created, the challenges you have survived, and the person you have become. 3. Difficult chapters are part of the evidence. Not every reflection shared during the Azimuth Chat was easy or positive. Yet many veterans recognized that their hardest experiences had made them stronger, more capable, and more resilient. 4. Your past contains a pattern you can trust. Transition can make it feel as though you are starting from zero. You are not. You already have a history of adapting, solving problems, overcoming obstacles, and moving forward. That pattern can become a source of confidence. 5. Fear about the future is often based on something that has not happened. Veterans can become consumed by questions about employment, finances, location, and identity. While those decisions matter, anxiety about an imagined future can prevent you from recognizing the strengths and evidence already present in your story. 6. Introspection creates clarity for practical decisions. Reflection is not a distraction from transition planning. It helps veterans make clearer decisions about work, family, purpose, community, and the kind of life they want to build. 7. You do not have to navigate transition alone. Azimuth Chats give veterans a place to listen, reflect, share, and connect with others who are working through similar questions. Participation can be as simple as joining and listening. Best Quotes “If the 10-year-old version of you could see yourself today, what would they say?” — Joe Lara “We don’t really think about our stories that way. We just kind of take it for granted, or we’re looking at the next thing.” — Joe Lara “The next thing hasn’t even happened yet. It’s make-believe. So what are we nervous about?” — Joe Lara “Be confident in what you’ve done. Notice the pattern.” — Joe Lara “You’re not starting from zero.” — Joe Lara “You already have a good template. Keep it going.” — Joe Lara “Do not worry about whether people are interested in you, whether you have value, or whether you have what it takes.” — Scott Schimmel “Getting a little introspection, connecting those dots, and seeing those patterns helps you see the way forward more clearly.” — Scott Schimmel Call to Action Take a few minutes today and answer the question for yourself: If the 10-year-old version of you could see your life today, what would they be proud of, surprised by, or relieved to know? Then bring your answer to an upcoming Azimuth Chat. Join Scott, Joe, and the Vector Accelerator community for a live conversation about your direction, your story, and what comes next. Azimuth Chats are held Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Pacific. You can participate, raise your hand to share, or simply keep your camera off and listen. Learn more and connect with Vector Accelerator at www.vectoraccelerator.org (http://www.vectoraccelerator.org/).

3. 

   18 Jun 2026

   The Mentors Who Shaped Us

   Episode Overview In this episode, Scott Schimmel and Joe Lara explore a powerful question for veterans in transition: Who are the people who shaped you during your military career? The conversation begins with Joe reflecting on a recent Azimuth Chat with hundreds of transitioning veterans, many of whom are feeling the pull between their military responsibilities, family expectations, and uncertainty about what comes next. During the session, Joe asked participants to name one military person who helped them most in their career. The result was a moving “Hall of Heroes” moment—a list of names representing mentors, leaders, peers, and advocates who left a lasting impact. Scott then shares a deeply personal story about writing a goodbye letter to a mentor in hospice, reflecting on the ways this person shaped how he leads, parents, communicates, and develops others. Together, Scott and Joe unpack why looking back with gratitude can help veterans move forward with hope, clarity, and purpose. The episode closes with an important reminder: mentors and transformational leaders can be rare outside the military, so veterans should pay attention when they find people who challenge them, believe in them, and call more out of them. Key Takeaways 1. Transition is not just logistical—it is emotional and relational. Many veterans are leaving after years, sometimes decades, of service. They are managing work demands, family questions, uncertainty about the future, and the emotional weight of leaving a military identity behind. Joe describes it as a “tug-of-war” between being pulled back into military responsibilities and pulled forward into family and civilian life. 2. Looking back can help veterans move forward. Joe makes the point that the future has not happened yet—it is still an idea. But the past contains patterns, people, lessons, and evidence of what has shaped us. By looking back, veterans can identify what helped them grow and what they may want to replicate in their next chapter. 3. Gratitude can create hope. When Joe asked veterans to name the military person who helped them most, the exercise was not just nostalgic. It was designed to help them feel gratitude, optimism, and hope for the future. Remembering the people who made a positive impact can remind veterans that they have been shaped, supported, and strengthened along the way. 4. Mentors give us fixed points for our identity. Scott reflects on how his mentor’s qualities became part of him—not because the mentor forced him to become someone else, but because the mentor called out something that was already there. That kind of influence can give veterans a clearer sense of who they are and what value they bring into the next phase of life. 5. The impact you received may become the impact you are called to give. Joe highlights an important reframing: sometimes the thing you needed most but did not receive is the very thing you are called to provide for others. For veterans who did not have a mentor, that absence can become a source of purpose rather than bitterness. 6. Great mentors both nurture and challenge. Scott’s mentor showed deep interest in him, asked for his perspective, invited him into his life, and affirmed him publicly. But he also challenged Scott directly, telling him when he needed to speak up and contribute more. That combination of care and high standards is part of what makes mentorship transformational. 7. As veterans transition, finding people who develop others matters. Scott closes with a practical warning: people who truly know how to develop others are rare in civilian workplaces. Veterans should pay close attention when they find someone who guides, challenges, and believes in them. A role connected to that kind of leader may be worth considering, even if the job is not perfect on paper. Best Quotes “To move forward, you have to sometimes look back.” — Joe Lara “When you look back, there’s patterns. And there’s ways that you’ve connected dots along your life.” — Joe Lara “Who’s the one military person who helped you the most in your career?” — Joe Lara “I had this really cool sense of like this is like that Hall of Heroes… Who are these heroes? Who are these people that did this amazing thing?” — Joe Lara “These are lives.” — Scott Schimmel “Because of you, this is how I lead. Because of you, this is how I treat my son. Because of you, this is how I communicate.” — Scott Schimmel “So much of him is in me.” — Scott Schimmel “I’m in this lineage of impact, and I want to pay that forward.” — Scott Schimmel “There’s something there about helping people have fixed points to their identity, to the value that they bring, by thinking about these people that have shaped them.” — Scott Schimmel “Those things that were done for you, you needed. And could you be that for somebody else?” — Joe Lara “Sometimes the thing that you needed the most that you didn’t get is what you’ve got to do moving forward for others.” — Joe Lara “You are in the crucible at all times. And if you don’t feel like you are in it now, it’s right ahead of you.” — Joe Lara “Regardless, you’re being shaped and formed in the crucible.” — Joe Lara “What wisdom are you going to pull from that experience forward in a positive way?” — Joe Lara “If you find someone like that, my encouragement would be number one, draw near to them.” — Scott Schimmel

Who has been a guest on Vector Accelerator

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Chris Spencer
• Lacey Craig
• Van Lai-DuMone
• Rob Sarver
• Alex Gendzier

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

6,089

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 63 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

68

Social presence

91

YouTube

68

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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