Latest news with #PatrickMurphy
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Alice Liveing is pregnant! Fitness influencer is congratulated by Carrie Johnson and Vicky Pattison as she reveals she's expecting first child - after concerning fans with A&E dash
Fitness influencer Alice Liveing has revealed she's pregnant. The vlogger, 32, shared the joyous news in an Instagram post on Sunday, with a video of herself cradling her growing baby bump and cuddling up to husband Patrick Murphy. Alongside the sweet video, Alice penned: 'Some news we wanted to share with you. 'I appreciate that the journey to get here can be a hard one. And seeing this news isn't always easy. My heart, and love go to anyone still there. 'I haven't wanted to hide this from you, but for various reasons and anxieties which I won't go in to now we've wanted to wait a little longer and I hope you can understand that.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Alice continued: 'We're both so excited, and filled with hope and love for our next chapter, and can't wait to take you along with us. I'm due October so the countdown is truly on. 'Big big love and I cannot wait to get back to sharing so much more soon.' Alice was immediately inundated with well-wishes from her celebrity pals, with Vicky Pattison writing: 'Oh wow!!! This is incredible news congratulations ♥️'. while Boris Johnson's wife Carrie commented: 'Oh I'm so so so pleased for you Alice ❤️'. Katie Piper added: 'Huge congratulations so happy for you ❤️'; as Kirsty Gallagher penned: 'Congratulations lovely news ❤️' and Frida Redknapp commented: 'Wonderful and exciting news.' Alice's joyous news comes after she concerned fans by revealing that she was rushed to A&E after a routine GP check-up. The blogger, who rose to fame with her Alice-with-the-abs persona, took to Instagram Story last week to share the health update with fans. Alice revealed she had been taking to Accident and Emergency after a mystery ailment arose during a routine appointment. Sharing a snap from her hospital bed with a cannula in her arm, Alice wrote: 'What a weird old day. Routine GP appointment turned a quick trip to A&E. The NHS is amazing and I'm always in awe of everyone who keeps it running.' Alice added with another selfie: 'Not the dramatic day I was expecting, but also makes you 10x more grateful for everything.' Sharing that she had since been discharged, Alice posted a photo of lunch of anchovies, dill and caper on toast with the caption: 'Home and grateful for health.' But on Tuesday, Alice said the 'saga' was continuing as doctors were unsure what was wrong with her - but assured fans it wasn't life-threatening. 'The saga continues today because basically they're not quite sure what's going on,' she said. 'At some point I'll obviously talk about it all, but only when I've actually got a clue what the situation is. 'Anyway, it's not crazily dramatic or life-threatening so I'm fine. I'm just obviously worried and want some answers.' Getting candid about her health last year with The Sunday Times, she reflected on her previous 'Alice-with-the-abs' persona, which saw her front her Instagram content with a muscular yet tiny frame. But Alice revealed that her weight dropped so low, her periods stopped. Despite becoming a hugely successful cookbook author and receiving publishing deals that celebrity chefs would envy, Alice has revealed that her dedication to so-called 'clean eating'; left her sleeping badly, with thinning hair and 'terrible' skin. She has revealed she was 25 years old and had just met her now-husband Paddy when she visited a fertility specialist to find out why her periods had stopped; but she was shocked by the doctor's assessment. 'She told me, "You're not eating enough and doing too much exercise, your body is in a state of stress and if you carry on you won't be able to have children." Those words changed my life,' Alice said. But on Tuesday, Alice said the 'saga' was continuing as doctors were unsure what was wrong with her - but assured fans it wasn't life-threatening Following the news she might struggle to conceive, Alice began following a programme to gain 10kg which saw her exercising less and eating more. However, as she slowly put on weight, the influencer has revealed she struggled to always stick to the programme and fell back into 'bad behaviours' from time to time. As she changed her life, so too did her career, and Alice dropped 'Clean Eating' from her Instagram title in 2017. Now Alice's page is full off encouraging images of a woman of a healthy weight encouraging others to improve their strength and fuel their bodies accordingly. She has just penned her newest book, Give Me Strength (which is also the name of her fitness app) but has revealed the process of writing it was 'painful'. Alice said: 'I bear a lot of responsibility for perpetuating a potentially damaging narrative.' She added she didn't realise what she was doing was 'wrong' but added she can now 'own her mistakes'. Looking back on her life as Clean Eating Alice, the influencer revealed she was often exhausted and in private, avoided social events that involved food or made excuses about having already eaten when she did attend dinners. Despite this, Alice would pretend differently online and sometimes posted snaps of enjoying pizza with her friends on Instagram (even though she had ordered a salad for dinner). 'That's the bit I feel guiltiest about — I was lying, being disingenuous,' she said, adding that her previous Instagram life was 'smoke and mirrors'. The influencer tracks her issues with food back to being a student at theatre school. After a year of boozing and eating junk food, as many students do, Alice claims one of her tutors told her she should be 'conscious of her body' if she ever wanted to pursue showbusiness seriously. The words clearly stung as Alice took a personal training course, began dieting, and dropped from a size 12 to a size 8 within months. She opened her Instagram account alongside her body transformation and it rapidly gained several thousands of followers. At 22, and, in her words, with 'no qualifications to write a book', she was offered 'life changing money' to author books on clean eating and weight loss. Now, as Alice embarks upon a new mission encouraging people to be healthy rather than to 'eat clean' she has suggested that some people within the 'fitspo' community are struggling with the same food issues she once had to deal with. However for Alice herself, she finds 'joy' in both life and food.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Army vet builds fitness brand to empower women and veterans
You can catch Warrior Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. On this episode of Warrior Money, Army veteran and Dub Fitness founder Erica Liermann shares how her experience as a military police NCO shaped her entrepreneurial journey. Liermann reveals how she bootstrapped her women-focused gym from scratch, turning early financial setbacks into a thriving fitness community dedicated to building real strength, mental resilience, and long-term wellness. She discusses the challenges of transitioning from service to business ownership, her commitment to mentoring fellow veteran entrepreneurs, and the impact of her work with Ruff Ride and Team Foster to provide life-changing service dogs for veterans in need. Hosted by former Congressman Patrick Murphy and veteran investor Dan Kunze, Yahoo Finance's Warrior Money is a weekly vodcast dedicated to uplifting military veterans transitioning into civilian life. Through insights from fellow veterans and high-ranking officials, Murphy and Kunze are helping set vets up for success through financial education and inspiration. This post was written by Langston Sessoms. Welcome to Warrior Money, the show devoted to supporting our brothers to veterans. I'm Patrick Murphy and I'm Dan Kons. Today we're sitting down with Erika Learman, a US Army veteran and founder of Dub Fitness. After serving her country, she brought her passion for wellness in the life, creating a space where women build strength, confidence, and community. From just a handful of members to a thriving fitness family, her journey is inspiring. Please welcome the word money, Erika Learman. Erica, welcome to word Money. Hi, thank you. Thanks for having me. All right, Dan, I always start off with the, the bluff question. The bottom line up front, why are you on Warrior money? I am a warrior money because I'm a veteran, a small business owner, and somebody who just does not sit on the sidelines. I run a women's gym, Dub fitness, where we focus on building real strength, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. I've seen firsthand how movement saves lives, um, and as someone who served, I'm committed to helping others, especially my fellow veterans. Yeah, and as you served with distinction as a military police, uh, NCO in our army, and then you became obviously a entrepreneur, owning your own business. What gave you the confidence to take the plunge into entrepreneurship? To be honest, uh, I always say that I, it was my army values, right? Like learning to be a leader, having integrity, and I knew that I had something that um I shouldn't kind of keep inside. It would be selfish of me to keep it. So I wanted to share with my community the ability to be healthy in a fun way, um, to almost to my detriment though, because I wasn't charging in the beginning. I just wanted people to exercise and work out and learn to love it. Uh, we talk a lot on this show about mental and physical health and how that really is the foundation for anything that you do after that. Can you tell me specifically how that relates to the female community or the women community that you support? So, I mean, the, the female community is uh, if for lack of better words, right? So we are emotional, we take on a lot of roles, wear many hats, and a lot of the time we put ourselves on the back burner, and uh a lot of women don't want to talk about that or just kind of write it off as like, oh, it's part of the gig, well, it's not part of the and so there's a big sign on my door when you hit the handle and it says, you just did the hard part. I'll take it from here. And essentially it's drop all your baggage at the door and and hand it to me. And that's the difference I think between myself and all of the other gyms around, you know, I've been around 11 years now and I've had the same members for 11 years and it's because I don't just talk about it, right? I show them, I get down with I can equate it to uh a push up analogy. I don't look at you and say, come on, you can do it. I am literally on the floor next to you telling you that you can do it. I mean, there's been tears shed in there, laughter, anger, all kinds of stuff, and it's just really kind of tapping into that like female uh, I don't know, like fortitude I guess in there where how I can connect withwomen. Yeah, I, uh, my, so my, my wife is, uh, she works as well, and watching what women do that have to work as well as, uh, like to care for kids and have babies and all that stuff. So you've you've had a few babies and you've also gotten back into the healthcare in the healthcare how, talk to me about that transition for you from military service to family, to having kids and coming back into the healthcare community and healthcare world. Oh, talk about identity crisis for a little while there. So, uh, my kids are 3 and 2, so I'm very new to motherhood, and I honestly never thought that I was going to have kids. So I was in crazy shape, doing all kinds of insane fitness activities.I mean, I did a mile of burpees to raise $10,000 for, for uh foster. um, yeah, I, yes, and I expected other people to like jump on board and do it with me. And so that didn't happen, but they were there to support me. But those are things that I could not really empathize with mothers at the time. I mean, our earliest class is at 4:45 a.m. and when people would cancel last minute, I really would give them a hard then I got pregnant and, you know, I found out that I was pregnant and I was like, yes, I'm gonna leave this awesome, you know, like pregnancy workout. Well, I got so sick. I didn't even exercise for eight months. I had to wear a heart rate monitor. It was like the antithesis of all that I had planned. Um, so I had to kind of back up a little bit, and this is where I'm really thankful for the right? We're always lifting and shipping and you have to adjust fire. So, um, I kind of wrote an apology letter. It was like at the public community letter to my people, you know, now I understand, I can empathize. Uh, and I I actually handwrit wrote handwritten, handwrote cards to some of the former members, um, letting them know, hey, it is different. I understand now. Um, and then I guess, the way that I handled my business. I started caring a little bit more deeply, uh, about timing, and now I have a mommy and me class. Um, and so in the beginning, you know, when I talked about not just physical fitness, but mental fitness, right? Like we are exhausted and we are touched out by the end of the day. Like I tell my husband all the time, he comes in the kitchen, he's like, what can I help you with? And I'm like,You're asking me another question, like, I just do something, you know, and so that is kind of where us women, we get to, we get together, um, and we strengthen ourselves by being around like similarities and we we understand that we're all the same, we're all in this fight together and here we are getting stronger, and it's just therapy. Yeah, I think it's great because you created this tribe and you know, you left one tribe, the US Army, Riley referred to as America's varsity team to, to create your own tribe, you know, in suburbs of Philadelphia, and it's growing, but you've also helped create another tribe of business owners, veteran business owners through the greater Philadelphia Veterans Network. Tell us about your role there and, and helping others, elevate other entrepreneurs. Yeah, so the greater Philadelphia Veterans Organization um was a really the catalyst that kind of threw me into the veteran community here in Philadelphia, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. And as I told Dan in a conversation a few weeks ago, I will not have any help business. I had no idea that the VA offered loans. It was just all bootstrapping, opening up credit cards, maxing them out, you know, touch tapping into my vanguard, all kinds of things where I'm kicking myself now, um, for doing that. But at VBRN I got to share that story so that these future veteran entrepreneurs won't make that same mistake. Uh, I'm not afraid to talk about what I did wrong, as long as it will help others, you know, improve, um, or be successful. And there are other veteran, you know, personal trainers and gym owners in the area that I'm happy to help. And some people are like, I can't believe you're helping the enemy. And I'm like, you know, there, there's enough money to be made by everybody, and I can't train everybody, nor do I want to. But I also believe in karma and taking care of each other. So whether, you know, you're my enemy in the business still my brother or sister in arms, you know, we still bleed the same blood, we, you know, support our country, we fought for our country, and I just kind of believe in community and and helping each other out, good karma. No,no doubt, I mean, it's not about fighting over a slice of pie, it's create a bigger pie, but what about some of those mistakes? Erica walk us through some of the, I know you rattled a few off, but walk us through so our viewers can hear what are some of the mistakes that maybe that you made that you didn't leverage the opportunities that were out there. Well, number one, like I said, being not opening or taking out a loan, not even like a, a bank loan, um, so what I won't name that is the credit card, but it was like 19.4%. And again, and I'm not going to say that enlisted people aren't as educated, but we don' don't have, uh, we're not left, we don't leave the army with the skills, OK, so maybe the army is better now. I'm an old lady. So I think that they're doing a a better job of preparing people, but I just kind of left the military and was like,All right, like credit cards are easy money, you know, kind of thing, uh, so that, and it took me a long time, uh, to pay that off, and then not really having a business plan. So I knew that I was really good at physical fitness, and I knew that I could yell at people, and I knew that I was not afraid to be vocal, but I really had no and and sight and goal, I guess, um, and listening to one of your other shows, someone had a 200 year plan, and I was like, holy crap, like that's kind ofHow I, I operate now, um, but I wish that I had somebody mentoring me and and saying, hey, I have a 3 year plan, a 5 year plan. How many members do you need to make a profit? Um, because for the 1st 5 years I was just paying the bills, and I, I couldn't hire anybody because I didn't have any money to pay them, um, and then I was going to school on a GI bill and I was using the GI bill to pay off my debt, and it was just a so when I talk about, you know, the, the failures, these are all things that I that I list off because had I been able to save that money or take out a proper loan, I would have started making money earlier. Um, not to say everyone makes mistakes and I maybe I'm better for it now, uh, but I, I wish that maybe there was like a little angel, financial angel on my shoulder kind of thing, hey, so. Yeah, I think that's a great, that's just a great story. And I think part of the reason why we have Warrior money is because there's always a new generation of people that need that mentorship, that need to be that I, I, I refer to it as transitioning from a lifestyle business to kind of an enterprise or sustainable business, and that's kind of the journey that it sounds like you went on. What was the transition point from you from taking it from kind of the left side, which is let's just pay my bills and survive to like let's think about this over a period of time. Let's reinvest back into the business. Let's grow this to a scale that that works. What was that transition like for you? Well, if we are being completely candid. It was a was a it was a divorce and COVID simultaneously that kind of sprung me into into action. It was either, um, I'm not gonna do this or get off the so, uh, I talked to, uh, a financial investor, and I said, I want this to be my career. I want to be successful. I don't want to just make ends meet. I want to live the life that I dreamed of. Um, not necessarily a life of luxury, but maybe leisure, you know, making my own schedule, and being able to leave when I want to leave. And so we sat and then the world shut down. I mean, literally, it was like weeks later and I was like, whoa, OK, is this a sign? Like should I not be in this business? Um, and then I told him, I said, I want to launch a second business, and he was like, what do you mean? And I said, I, I think that I could run two simultaneous businesses right now during COVID, and we can kind ofUse this, uh, my benefit. So we launched an online app program where in my one bedroom apartment post divorce with a couch and a TV and that's all I had in there. Um, I just started recording myself doing exercises and my commentary and just talking and people laugh at me, so I'll have conversations and then answer myself and do this out loud and fast and they love it because they justI don't know if it makes them feel like holy crap, these are the thoughts I have in my own head, uh, but then more and more people just started hopping on these videos, uh, to just listen to me talk and it was during COVID, and then at one point I turned it into T with Coach and so I would just sit there with my cup of tea and we would just talk and then I would say I still stretched, and so, you know, not only did my business, my physical business survive, but now here I am launching this online platform, um, which is still around, you know, I still do it today, not as much as I would like to, which is very time consuming, but IIt's interesting when people talk about how all these gyms shut down during COVID, and I'm like, man, like that's when I thrived and I don't know if I should feel bad or feel like, hey, like I have worked my butt off, um, to sometimes my detriment and sacrificing family time and things like that, but now I get to, you know, pick up my kids and stay home with my boys on Fridays. I don't have to work, you know, all the time. It feels really good. I would say it's a lot. I mean, the fact that you showed that tenacity of, of that never quit attitude, that kind of the military ingredients in all of us, and then you've brought that to the private sector. So we'll take a quick break and we'll be right back more with Erica Neerman on where Money, just a right, welcome back to Warrior Money. We're joined by Erika Learman. Erica, you are passionate about d fitness. Uh, you are a retrepreneur, uh, either serving in the military. I look at the problems that you're helping solve, not just in suburban Philadelphia, but across the country, especially when you look at the obesity and overweight crisis we have. Right now, 70% of Americans are obese or overweight. Why do you think that is and and what do you propose we could do about it? Oh, so this is a question that I'm actually asked often, and it's led me to start a new program for the GLP1 users actually. I'm opening my doors, um, for a, it's we're gonna call it a free trial period where for 3 months we're gonna have meetings, kind of like AA I guess is the best way, um, kind of discuss this, right? So getting other people's a lot of people come down to, we're so busy, it's cheaper to not take care of ourselves. And then to which, yes, exactly, but to which I respond, you know, if you don't take time now to be healthy, you're going to have to take more time later when you're sick, right? So hospital bills, staying in the hospital, you know, people not having paid time off for that, what I taught for one year at my degree is in education and I taught the Philadelphia Military Academy and part of what I really tried to bring into the school was, you know, eliminating detention and sending the kids to my classroom and we were doing yoga and talking about diet and talking about nutrition, because that's where it starts. Um, a lot of myClients who are 40+ will say, I'm of a generation, you know, where we just diet when we have an event and then we just eat, you know, whatever we want. We do the yakkins, we cut carbs, but really, it's the whole body that we need to be preparing for, right? So when you're under 18, you're training your metabolism. And so if you are feedingYour metabolism, you know, foods that have plastics and chemicals and and poisons in it. One, you become addicted. The food is a drug, essentially, right? So when we think about what is being offered to people, um, especially like low income families, they don't have much option, right? They're they're essentially in a food desert, um, so I think whatThe education piece is important, um, and I don't know that there's many health and physical education teachers like me who volunteered to show up early to take on detention to change it into something else. Hopefully somebody wants to do that. Um, but that's what it's gonna take. It's gonna take small steps in early education, and, you know, Michelle Obama started it, right? She kind of like started making noise and she's been a really big inspiration and I would quote her often andUh, it starts with the kids and, and even in my, in my house, you know, my husband, uh, he took the kids from McDonald's once and hid it. I hid it maliciously from me, but I saw it in the trash can and I was like, why are you checking in there? There's no reason you know I for no reason, but it is. I just don't, it's an addiction and so when little kids learn early that that food is a treat, you know, you just, you shouldn't be rewarding with food, it shouldn't reward with um cupcakes and ice cream, have those on special occasions, but when your kid does great in school, you know, reward them with a new pair of shoes or with an activity or with an and it's part of, you know, when I work with my student athletes, I always say, don't treat yourself with, with a food item, right? Like, give yourself a Pandora bracelet and add a charm each time you need a milestone. So it's just making smaller habits. Um, that's, you know, a long answer to your question, but I think it starts when we're, when we're young, and it's up to our parents and, and leaders and stuff, yeah. There's two things you said that that I think are really important. One, we talk a lot on the show about time and how it compounds your money and your interests and you compound time, right? But the decisions, the healthy decisions you make also are a compounding effect over time, right? So if you're eating poorly in your 20s or your 30s, becomes a problem when you're in your 50s or 60s and and time starts to create more, uh, more of a lasting impact there. Um, uh, do you?Do you see substantial changes in people's behaviors when you start to educate them? And, and if you do, how does that work with the folks in that GLP group that you're thinking about as well? Like, can you, can you talk a little bit more about that for me? Because that's that's all the rage. Everybody wants to do like the GLP, but I'm like, is there a psychological change that also has to happen? Like what does that all look like? Yeah, so it's a, it's a choice, right? So we talked about there's no easy fix. Well, I, you know, now we've found one, there is an easy fix. Um, but it's not sustainable to to use that easy fix forever. And so what I am offering is the explanation on why along with this GLP one, you need to have exercise, right? You need to build muscle, especially for women, like, you know, you asked about the women in my density for us is going to start to deplete much earlier than it is for men. And so lifting weight is scientifically proven to be the single source of increasing bone density, right? So, avoiding osteoporosis, and so,Teaching people how to eat as a lifestyle rather than a diet. So, you know, the diet mentality is absolute garbage for, again, lack of better words. And, and I'll straight up tell women that. Like, we're not going to do 30 day diet challenges here. I'm going to just say, you can eat whatever you want. Just make sure it's good food. You don't have to count calories or count macros. Um, and with the GLP users, I know that it affects it's really important to ensure that you're getting enough protein, where we talk about, you know, putting money in the bank, like that's your food is the money in the bank for your body and um you can spend all the money in the world on cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery, but that's not gonna fix internal organs. It's not gonna fix the visceral fat around your kidneys and your liver or your so a lot of what I want to do for I guess free for this next 3 months is just educate these women and convince them that investing in yourself is is paramount, you know, when you say that you have a village to take care of and you don't have time for it. Well, when something happens to you, now who's taking care of your village? You've left them hungry, you know, and, um. And I would say to Eric, I would say the, I think the beauty of what you're offering is the fact that you're basically saying what we call in the army before triad, like, yes, exercise, eat right, because food is medicine and then recover. Um, I have to go though, we, we are one or dying to know about the rough VA for our struggling brother and sister veterans does not provide service dogs to them, even if they're on the struggle bus. What does, what is the rough ride and why is it so important to you and so many of us? So Rough Ride is a 24 hour spin relay located here in Philadelphia. It's also in Pittsburgh, and we are expanding to New York next year. Um, that's phenomenal. But what it is, it's, you don't have to be in shape to do it, is the first, uh, thing I like to tell people. You don't have to be a cyclist, you don't have to be a spin studio, you know, waving your pony tail everywhere. You just have to want to support so what it is, we raise money um to provide service dogs, accredited service dogs to injured and disabled veterans at no cost to the veteran, and that also includes vet bills, um, any, any discrepancy with the dog or any issues with the may have because we don't want the veteran to have to choose between their own bills and then taking care of this service dog. It should not be a burden. It should be something that's their life saving tool. Um, and as you know, or most people know, it takes up to 2 years and $35,000 and it's also not even guaranteed that that dog will to be a service dog, and then you have to go through the process again and all of the money again. So what Team Foster does for one of their events, the Roughri is we raise money for that. And what's really, really special about it is that those veterans who have been partnered with dogs are there and they get to share their story across the 24 hour period. They'll come in and you get to meet them andI, I, I have never used double negatives. I've never not cried when I hear their story, even though I've known these people, they've been in my home, but hearing them on the platform, you know, speaking about it when they were scared to leave their house, it's just pretty remarkable to see it. Yeah, I know, I know for the rough, Dan and I are gonna be doing the rough ride with you. I know it's in Philadelphia. We, we appreciate what you're doing and especially with like T Foster, Eric Foster, uh, who was killed about eight years ago, served in the 2nd Airport division, Duke graduate. So thank you for what you do with Rough Ride, that's RUFF ride, uh, and the nonprofit team Foster. Dan, take it over. All right, before we let you go, we're going to do Q and A. Uh, first question, uh, first question, what is the one, what's the one piece of advice you'd give young Erica Lehman, uh, when you were leaving the military that would make you successful and make you more successful now? Um, I would have applied to college, a good college. I would have done my research instead of making my mom kind of kick me out of her attic and go to the first college that would take me in. So yeah, definitely education, and I would have put that first and foremost. And and what's the one piece of advice you'd give an aspiring entrepreneur that you that you know now that you wish you knew when you were younger? Find a mentor, a big, big famous important one and ask, right? So don't be afraid to start asking at the super high level and, you know, keep asking until someone tells you, yes. Don't just do it on your own. There are people who want to help, people who want to invest, um, and who want you to succeed. Erica, thanks so much for joining us on worry my. We appreciate you. We appreciate your leadership, and we appreciate what you do for our uh, you can follow Erikaman on obviously social media or Rough Ride or the nonprofit team Foster or her business, Do Fitness. Erica, thank you so much. All right, that's our show. So listen, subscribe, and review Warrior Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast or find us at Yahoo Finance. I'm Patrick Murphy and I'm Dan Kons. We'll see you again next week. This content was not intended to be financial advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional financial services. 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Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How two vets cracked the code to build serious wealth
You can catch Warrior Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. On this episode of Warrior Money, hosts Patrick Murphy and Dan Kunze take the mic solo to share their personal journeys from paper routes and military service to public office, venture capital, and building generational wealth. They reflect on the lessons learned through service, the power of long-term thinking, and why supporting veteran entrepreneurs is both a mission and a smart investment. It's an honest and purpose-driven conversation about money, legacy, and the hustle behind it all. Hosted by former Congressman Patrick Murphy and veteran investor Dan Kunze, Yahoo Finance's Warrior Money is a weekly vodcast dedicated to uplifting military veterans transitioning into civilian life. Through insights from fellow veterans and high-ranking officials, Murphy and Kunze are helping set vets up for success through financial education and inspiration. This post was written by Langston Sessoms. Welcome to Warrior Money. They showed devoted to supporting our brothers and sisters. I'm Patrick Murphy, and I'm Dan Kons. No guests this week. It's just us. So we figured it's a good time to share a little bit more about our own stories from military life to jumping on airplanes, to get into the civilian world, and taking on the highs and the lows and everything in between. So to kick back, let's get into it. Bottom line up this $100 million career mentality. Where did that come from? Well, first of all, it's like episode 30 and it's the first time I get to answer this question myself. So I got to buy myself a second to be able to answer it. Um, so ever since I've been aLittle kid, like I was, I started working when I was 9 or 10 years old. I've always had a long range view like I have a long range plan that's laid out. And I, I like totally agree that you can get lucky once. You might be able to get lucky twice, but sustained luckiness is only because you've planned, right? It's only, it's only because you prepared yourself. It's only because you put yourself in the right positions. It's only because you networked the right I, uh, I, I've kind of always constructed long term, I would say visions for myself and for my, my orientation, but like you said you set a goal for yourself. I want to make, I want my net worth to be $100 million over a certain period of time. That means that I've networked the right way. It means I've invested the right way. It means I've worked the right way, and it means I've done a lot of really good things, week I was so privileged to be in Napa Valley for a friend's birthday, and I just found out that some guy had a 200 year plan for his family, and I'm like, I'm, I'm not even, I gotta, I gotta get to a 200 year plan now, but it's like that embedded, that embedded planning process, just thinking about things over time is why is why I have it. Yeah, yeah, it's funny because I think in America we think about not even months, not even like a 4 year, youknow, we got a real-time we got a real-time ticker above us right now, right? And people forget that that's not how the rest of the world works. It's the Middle East or Asia, yeah, no, no, no, we've got long term dynastic thinking like, but what I think is interesting is that you have this $100 million dollar career mindset, right? And you have that even though you grew very wealthy, frankly, poor, no, I don't mean to be disparaging. You know, deliver newspapers when you're little, go to community college, you know, really bootstrapping your way, you know, up to live the American dream, and the army was part of that. Walk us through that story. Yeah, totally, um, I will, I'll never ever say that I felt like I grew up poor because like that's just not the way that I view that at parents were awesome and they worked their ass, their butts off to get to a better life for all of us, right? That's what, that's what we're all in time to do. But they were, they were working, they were either under my mom was probably underemployed and my dad had sporadic work, so it just was what it was. Out of necessity when I was when I felt out of necessity when I was 9 or 10 years old, I started a paper route, uh, they started paying me my first money and I was like, I really like this. So like my profession now is sales, investing and fundraising. Like I, I know how to do those things. So I make the joke, man, I've been asking adults for money since I was 9 years old. Like 1, 10,000 reps came really early for me, and you wouldn't tell me no, but give me money. Like I've heard that 100,000 times it doesn't, doesn't matter, bother me at like the um the starting work early, the building on this, having a longer term plan, all those sorts of things are really because I, I truly believe that it's a, it's a, it's an adult's job, but most most specifically a grown man's job to make your family and your family's legacy better than it was before. And that's that's that's what I do. That's why why I do what I do. Yeah. And so whether it's poor, lower middle class or I do think is that I think you and I both share that we're privileged in the sense that we grew up in America, right? And, and it's uh, it really truly can be a meritocracy now. People don't think it is, but the reality of it is if you plan your work and work your plan, you get after it. You mentioned something about sals and raising money, etc. because, you know, there's a lot of people say, oh, I have a $20 million fund or a $50 million fund, and they're not, they don't have any money behind it. It's just like their, their vision and that's you and I are venture capital partners together. Uh, we're part of two different ones that have raised over $250 million over 200 companies, mostly about 85% of them go to veterans. Why are you passionate about supporting your brothers to veterans to go into entrepreneurship? I mean, there's, so I had a really great conversation with one of the general partners that we were with last week in Austin or two weeks ago in uh I think it like the, the business, the business principle, like there's good investments and there's bad investments, and there's really good investments, right? So like a good investment starts and then you see that it's gonna be successful and you make more follow on bets on it, right? Like, so, so I, I want to make good investments all the time. I'd really rather like win more than lose. Like, I know you're gonna lose sometimes, but I really rather win a lot. And the right people to win with are generally the community that we came from. Like either you've either done it before community founders orI know that you've been trained to be resilient, have great, understand how to resolve conflict and all those great things, and that generally comes from the veteran, the veteran community, or at least I have experience coming from the veteran national security community. So I think in the near term it's just like a good, it's a good investment. So I'm like, I'm being purely selfish on that. It's a better investment than investing in other, other areas. I, I that's what it comes down. Yeah, and, and, and for those res, there's a lot of times with then I'll be like, hey TSSI best here, best there, and I'm like, I call my brother, right, 5000 here, 15,000 there. And then my son tracks, my son my son Jack, who's a freshman in high school, he's on the Robinhood app. I hear the Robin Hod happens for him, and I'll be like, Dad, I think we should do this or that. And I'm like, Hey, Uncle Dan, so I, I actually love, so I love investing. I love being part of this whole part of that career journey was I started as an intern at the same time I was working in politics, cutting out newspaper articles. I was an intern analyst at a hedge fund when I was 18 or 19 years old, and my job was to analyze small and microcap stocks. So I was like, I was doing the politics thing on one side and I was doing the the small microca stocks on the other side. I had no idea that that was going to like 20 years later, but it's been the core of what my professional career has been about. It's like, how do I invest? How do I make sure I work at the right places, then how do I influence the way national security and public sector works? Like that's what I do. And I love the fact that you invest now in do uses company. You're solving a pain point when you look at World War II generation, had the veterans start their own small business. Our generation, it's less than 5%.Let me go though, because we talked about being venture capital partners, but we also do business together, uh, especially in your previous work where it's about enterprise level sales. You know, I could talk about, you know, we both deliver newspapers, waiting tables, all that stuff, but what about enterprise?Deals, you know, you work at Gartner, you work at ServiceNow, um, and a bunch of other companies and what you've brought to the table and some we're talking about multi $100 million accounts that you've brought in that say a company like ServiceNow. Yeah, soit's umThere's an adage where if you got the the bigger the problem that you solve, the more just inherently, the more money you're gonna make or the more scale that's gonna be behind it. It's just, it's just the way that it works, right? And so, um, what everybody gets caught up in is the end goal, like the end the end contract or the end size or the end of whatever, but like every one of those stories patience and discipline to focus on the things that matter, right? So like oftentimes we get distracted by chasing the whale or chasing whatever that is, right? But when you're when you're talking about enterprise sales, or you're talking about a good investment, sometimes the absolute best action is no action whatsoever, and to be prioritized on a few of the things that actually move the often, and I can just I can differentiate this at this place like.I know when somebody's distracted by too many different things that they're not going to be able to focus for long enough on the thing or two, that's gonna really move a needle. I, I know it during a due diligence process. I know it in the review of a pipeline. I know it in the way that you're making investments. If you're trying to do everything all at once, you're not going to be successful. So I have had the privilege of working for some unbelievably awesome companies and I've, I've done very well financially at those best sales reps are the ones or the best enterprise sellers or the best organization growers are the ones that figure out a strategy and stay consistent over time and let that grow, which sounds very close to a $100 million career plan if you think about like just extracting that to different levels. Yeah, right, so let's flip it. Tell us, tell me about how we start working together. Tell the viewers, what, what's your recollection of you and I working together because we've been at this now for, for at least half a decade. Yeah, I, I will, I know this specifically, I'm not sure you remember this, but, um, there's, I was on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Marcus Allen, who's the guy from Philadelphia area, had just become the new CEO of the Philadelphia we were at an off site over the weekend. It was like his first kickoff session. And bythe way, we're both on the board and we wrote the Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I had a little brother for a while who's now in the army in Germany. And if you look at my clips on social media, you're gonna see that fuckir Daughtry is now doing my clips. So I'm gonna plug right there for him. But, but anyway, Marcus was sitting there and he wanted us all to introduce himself. And so this hotshot politician guy named Patrick Murphy is like 3 up. He introduces himself and then this hotshot bra brash 20 year old kid in law school introduces himself. And then I wanted to finish and say something else again. He like cuts me off. He's like, No, no, no, no, 111 thing for once. And so we went through this weekend, we went through this weekend of things and then, uh, we were in an elevator together and like, I think he just like busted my stones and in then fast forward to just before COVID, we got to see each other again in February of 2020. That's kind of when we started really starting to think about our work together. That was by that time, I had done my army time. I had done the law school thing. I'd done all the things that Iwanted to do. And I remember, you know, many times driving off the West Point with you and that's where the concept of this game. What part of the concept of this is like, how do we tell good endearing positive stories about veterans that aren' oriented to some sort of tragedy or some sort of problem. So yeah, yeah, I mean, I, I always boil it down because the army says keep it simple stupid, and I used to talk to me when he said that, right? But it's like you gotta shoot, you gotta move communicate, but communicate. It's well that's distribution and to be on the platform, yeah, I would find that's the biggest business platform in the world and to do what we do, you know, once that like that's a responsibility, yeah, because it's like some, so like, you know, there's a lot of things you can do spend a lot of energy and you don't get a lot of output, right? But having the ability to have leverage where $1 turns the many or one hour turns into 100 hours or one person turns into $100,000 like that level of leverage, that level of distribution is what we're all really what we're all really looking for, uh, when there's 1.4 million serving active service members plus all the other guardsmen and reservists, plus all the different programs, there' way to distribute to that quantity of people unless you're on a platform that allows you to actually distribute that scale. So like, and they're global, and they all have issues and there's so many different ways. So like you need scale and distribution for that. Yeah. And tell me, we've had 30 episodes together already. We're here once a week. Tell me one of your favorite guests that we've had and the stories they told. Yeah, I, I will say the consistency of everybody you need to find a level of purpose regardless of whoever the guest has been, has been the most I think messages that I've heard so far, like, no matter what we tell you in the transition, no matter what anybody tells you, no matter what you your next step to purpose is really important and as I reflect on my own life, the areas I felt a little lost or the times I felt a little lost were when I wasn't clear on my purpose. So it really resonates to me on that. Um, Maurice Filigen is, I, I, I really believe in mentors and I really believe in paying for mentors and I really believe in doing that. Moe was one of my mentors and I, I paid for some coaching years ago from him. And so, um, the way he's constructed his life to be able to satisfaction but also entrepreneurial, uh, freedom and creativity is really the way that I'm, I'm, I believe and I wanna model myself like I, I believe that we're all renaissance people or at least we have the ability to be renaissance people and blending a life of public service with corporate experience, with the ability to invest with the ability to coach my kid's baseball team is like that's what I want to have so you you can have it the only way to have it all is by prioritizing the right things at the right times. And that's why I really resonate with what what Moe's message was. Yeah, and that purpose driven life, you know, when you do keep it simple, I mean, I think you live your life. It's like God, country, family, right? And it's OK to provide for your family, whether it's a 20 year plan or a 10 year plan, but providing for them so they canhave, I tell you, I got a little chapter when I heard that somebody else had a 200 year plan. I got to get out to 250 years. America's 250th anniversary they're like, anyway, so. Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. All right, so we're gonna take a quick break. We're gonna talk about, um, you have 3 kids. We're gonna talk about next. Well, yeah, but why you pick me to be the godfather of your youngest son. We're gonna talk about you next. We'll be right back on where your money. Welcome back to Warrior Money. I'm Dan Kons with Patrick Murphy. Uh, roles are reversed for the second segment of the show, so I'm gonna do Bottom line out front. All right, Patrick, everything you've done since you've been a kid is oriented in some way to public service. Why, why does that matter to you so much? I, I just think it was ingrained, you know, my, my, uh, father, mother, I'm 3rd generation veteran, but my dad, you know, was a Navy enlisted veteran during Vietnam. Two uncles served in Vietnam. My mother was a Catholic nun.I joked that she dumped Jesus for Jack Murphy. I just did a sub stack on that. Um, but, you know, it was really about, you know, taking care of our neighborhood, you know, clean the house every Sunday before you go play sports. It was, you know, taking care of the elderly people that shuffled their steps for free, even though that was a side business, we did the elderly people for free. We delivered newspapers, you know, we cut their lawns, that kind of stuff. Uh, and I just feel like that's where it comes natural to me. Like that is like, what are you doing?You know, to live what the Bible says, having a servant's heart and give back. And that service comes in a lot of different forms. It could come from my time in the military or political public service, or even now helping other veterans, investing in their dreams and their companies andAnd it's not something like, you know, a lot of veterans we have to turn away, because this isn't, you know, when I do invest and when we do invest, it's not a charity. It's we have to believe in them and their extraordinary leadership to get things done. Yeah, you and I share a pretty, at least I think share pretty like origin story, right? Like, uh, blue collar folks, uh, kind of a blue collar start, a lot of different jobs. Can you tell me a little bit about your, your early life and then how you got to military service? Yeah, I'm blessed to have a great family, you know, I'm the youngest of three. my sister's done now 2.5 decades as a public school teacher. My brother's Air Force 2 deployments after 9/11 overseas, uh, is in public safety, you know, full then, uh, you know, for me it was, it was, it was you went to church at 6:30 in the morning with my mom or he delivered newspapers. So me and JJ Murphy got there roller skates or shopper cart, you know, we had 888 papers to deliver, you know, before school and, um, you know, to me that was, you know, that was the hustle, you know, and then on Sundays if my dad didn't have date work, you know, he'd be, he'd get the station wagon and we put the papers with the roller skates because we do it even faster and we had, I think on Sundays we were even more like 124 papers, butYou know, that brought me into, you know, wait, you know, bussing tables and waiting tables. And then in my senior year, now, listen, I, throughout the years I've learned, I've always been a hard worker, but working smarter is something I had to kind of learn. Um, and, you know, it probably wasn't smart for me in my senior high school to, you know, play hockey, but then also, you know, work 4 jobs and work the graveyard shift on Friday and Saturday nights, you you're a 60 year old senior in high school, you shouldn't be working the 11th night at 7 in the morning. But like, hey, I didn't know any better. I was making money and it was great, and it did frankly keep me out of trouble, and none of my colleagues didn't, um, you know, follow thatpath, um.I guess I have the benefit of knowing you so well, so I get to ask it kind of an unfair, what I consider to be an unfair question. Uh, you had this unbelievable opportunity to serve in the army, uh, for and have a career that was unbelievable. West Point, you, uh, went to Iraq, you went to Kosovo, you had this awesome in-service career, right?But then what I think is unbelievable is that you were inspired to run for Congress following, uh, following your time in army service. Why, why did you why did you do that? Like why of all the things you could do, and you had no money, like you were broke, why did you decide you wanted to do that? Yeah, I mean, well, listen, I always say to people like, even my military career was the teacher wants to play at age 27, like, like, and then to go to combat with the 82nd Airport Division, that was awesome. But when I was 19 when I joined the army, I said, I want to be an airborne Ranger. I want to be a paratrooper with the 82nd Airport division because my uncle was, you know, an 82nd Vietnam vet. And so like for me, like I listen, I did airborne air assault and then I was supposed to go to the Rangers squad. I didn't get the slot because I had to go to combat instead, right?So like, that'll always chat me a little bit, but at the end of the day, it's like I can't focus on, you know, and so I moved forward. For me, it's, it's simple. I was independent my whole life. Um, I wasn't a political science major. I wasn't a journalism major in college, but to me, you know, when I was teaching at West Point and, you know, really being with the best of the best, um, and, you know, people forget like there's 55,000 high school students that try to get those 1200 slots to West Point andUm, to be able to teach the next generation of leaders, it was an awesome experience and an awesome responsibility. Uh, I'm still friends with some of those students. You know, we've had some of my other students on here, uh, when I teach at Wharton, you know, on the show, but I would say,When I lost 19 men in Baghdad, um, you know, I know for the young cats that listen to our show that are still in the military, people forget, you know, our nation was attacked on 9/11, uh, by Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda that was based in Afghanistan. And then within two years, we divert our attention to fight an unnecessary war in Iraq. Now, again, those of us who served in Iraq, served honorably, we did our job, butIt was a strategic mistake for America. You know, people forget, we, you know, we took out Saddam Hussein, who was not a great guy, but, you know, he was a Sunni leader that kept Iran with a Shia country in balance. It took off that balance. Iran got wrapped up, butYou know, when you had someone like Barack Obama come in as president, he was, he, and he came in on us. He said, if you make me the commander in chief, we're gonna devote resources to bring Bin Laden to justice because he's been, he was on the land for years and years and years. And we tripled the amount of forces in Afghanistan, brought bin Laden to justice. Now we probably should then start diverting to bring the troops home quicker than we did, but it is what it is. They're home now. But to me, that's why I got in that political public service. It's why I ran for Congress. We won by 0.6%.Um, and, and I didn't know if it was gonna be a two-year gig or a 20-year gig, but I said I'm gonna make every day count. You know, we did things like the GI Bill and some other stuff. And one of thecool things about being in power or having some level of power is that you can see a wrong and you can make it right, or at least try to make it right. Um, what is the, what is the, what is the thing that you saw when you were in Congress like that the, if the, if the students at West Point compelled you to run for Congress and those things, right?What was the wrong you saw in Congress that you're like, I gotta, I gotta fix this, uh, otherwise I won't behappy about it. Yeah, I mean, I think even in business, it's like politics like what pains are you solving, right? And so at first, my first term in Congress, I served two terms was, hey, we had 16% unemployment with veterans, 16%, and people forget that, right?So I co-authored, uh, with my roommate, you know, the post I and GI bill, right? And now that post and GI bill is 800,000 young Americans using that GI bill right now in America today, right? So phenomenally successful. The American taxpayer has got an incredible ROI on that. So I'm super proud about that. And then my second term, you know, we then President Obama gets so my first term was under President Bush. My second term was under President and, you know, I wrote the bill that repealed the hotel, you know, and that, that pain point was, yeah, yeah, I'm straight, but we kicked out 13,000 troops just because they were getting out for misconduct, you know, misconduct, if you're going straight, yeah, we'll throw you out. But just because of who they love, it was wrong. Um, and for me, you know, if I couldn't stand there as devout Catholic, as a, as a Christian, as a, as a combat veteran, the fight for those who didn't have a voice in Congress, um,You know, I knew that I would be embarrassed, you know, that my kids would read about me, my Wikipedia page. So for me, you know, we caught that bill, we got it done, got it done and, you know, to me it was important and then ushered in, you know, we hit recruitment goals years later and stuff like that. There's a, there's an adage that I have where it's just like once you see something you can't unsee it, right? You can't, you can't unsee the thing you've seen that that for me at least is like my growth stages of my life. Like once you start to do one thing and you see the next level, it's hard to go back to the previous level, right?So you saw in the arm, you saw in the army a whole lot of stuff, and you're like, I'm gonna go run for Congress. And then when you're in Congress, you see a whole lot of other stuff. And then uh 2010 comes around and it was, uh, I think it was 2010. It was a kind of a crazy election cycle. So then fast forward, you have this opportunity to get called back into service again as the Undersecretary of the army under what, what, what was that experience? Well, first of all, how do you get a call from the president to be like, Yo, like you should run the army. And then second of all, what was the job and what did that mean toyou? Yeah, when I was leaving Congress, you know, the President Obama, who I, who I loved and, you know, was, you know, basketball with him, etc. was early, was one of the first members of Congress to endorse him when he was down 38 points in a primary, right, and won the win. But, um, I would just say for me, I saw him, he said, hey Murph, I'm we're finishing these next two years out strong. I need you to come back he'd offered me a job really, and I said, sir, like, like, I don't need a job. Like I'm gonna be fine. I'm going back home to Pennsylvania. But he said, no, like this time like I need you need you, like, and so he goes, we'll make some changes to the Pentagon. I need your leadership. And so you can't say no to the president. And the next day, Dennis Madonna, who's his chief of staff, calls me and says, Patrick, hey Patrick, thank you. He goes, the president wants you to be the undersecret of the I will tell you I taught at West Point. I served in the Armed Services Committee, the Appropriation Committee. I didn't know the rank structured at the Pentagon because I never served in the Pentagon right so like I was like, is the Undersecretary bigger than the assistant secretary? So it goes like Secretary of the Army, Under Secretary of the Army, CCOO, and then it's like Assistant secretary. So, so, uh, you know, of course, you know, I'm right there looking at Google images like the rank structure of the, the flow chart, yeah, listen, I, and I, you know, I, we served, we have recruitment goals, 120,000 gen Z years in, um, and that was a phenomenal. That was probably the best job I've ever had. Uh, I love every day. I mean, every day is a blessing, but that was the, the stand in front of formation, uh, to lead, you know, men and women, people who are part of America's varsity team, United States Army was a pretty awesome. Uh, let's just make sure that everybody knows this. The United States Department of Defense is the largest employer in the world. It's a Fortune army is the 2nd largest employer in the world, and they're part of the Department of Defense and their fortune too. So that means that Patrick's budget when he was the undersecary of the Army was over 180 billion, is that right? And he was responsible for 4.5 the total service members between active guard and reserve, it was about 1.3 million, so about, about half a million, uh, active duty, another $5 million in the guard reserves, and then about 300,000 the 4.5 million is actually me going back to the civilian workout as well. Sorry about that. All right, well, hey, um, I'm gonna ask you 11 rapid fire question real quick. Uh, what is the money mistake that, what is the money that you know?What is the thing about money that you know now that you wish you knew when you were younger? Yeah, I think I've always been disciplined. I didn't realize about compound interest and even putting a little weight each month, no matter if you're a private first class captain or whatever. Starting early in that compound interest makes complete sense. And so I wish I did it younger. I'm doing it now. I'm making up, you know, I'm gonna be, I'm providing for my kids like, and, um, you know, I don't have the 200 year plan, but, you know, I have a plan that I'm executing on and I just was I started earlier, butUh, I've been blessed, brother, and I'm blessed to do the show with you. I think we're changing the world. We're trying to support our brothers and sisters out there that, that need to get good advice, uh, good advice from the world's experts, and that's who we bring in every week, and it's been an honor to work with you, brother. Awesome. Thanks, right, so that's our show. So listen, subscribe, review where your money on Apple podcast, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcast or find us at Yahoo Podcast, or Yahoo Finance. I'm Patrick Murphy and I'm Dan Kons. We'll see you again next content was not intended to be financial advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional financial services. 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USA Today
23-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ohio State vs Texas could have been a night game but the Longhorns had better ideas
Ohio State vs Texas could have been a night game but the Longhorns had better ideas According to sources on both sides, Ohio State proposed moving the Week 1 game with Texas back to a later kickoff time, but the Longhorns have said — Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) May 22, 2025 Well, this should be fun fodder for the college football game this fall between Ohio State and Texas. Not only is there the backdrop of a rematch of last year's College Football Playoff semifinal Cotton Bowl, but now, it appears as though the Longhorns wouldn't play nice in the sandbox in trying to create a better environment in the 'Shoe for the matchup of what should be two top ten (maybe top five) teams in Week 1 of 2025. At least according to a report from 247Sports. There was a collective Scarlet and Gray exhale and roll of the eyes when it was announced that the game would be on FOX because, well -- the love/hate (OK mostly hate) relationship between the network and a slew of sterile Noon games Ohio State has been a part of through the years. Many believed -- and probably rightfully so -- that the game of that magnitude would again be a part of the "Big Noon Kickoff" that has been an unwelcome staple of Ohio State brisk air autumns the last few years. However, it now appears as though there was some negotiating going on in the background to actually move the game to a Sunday night affair, from Saturday, Aug. 30 to Sunday, Aug. 31, to make the game a better atmosphere and a made for television early-season experience. That was apparently not met with grand favor by the brass at Texas however. And while I guess you can't blame the Longhorns for trying to keep the game in a time slot and vacuum that gives them the best chance to win, I wonder if Ohio State would feel the same way if things were reversed. Actually, I'm quite sure the fine folks making decisions on the banks of the Olentangy would want to make it a marquee night game and play it up because there aren't too many programs that shy away from the spotlight less than OSU. After all, it's why you go to a place like Texas and Ohio State, right? Oh well, at least there is next year when the Buckeyes travel to Austin for a return trip. That one will most assuredly be a night game with the contract ABC has with the SEC, it's just too bad it's a road game and OSU fans won't get to fill the venerable Ohio Stadium for a magical setting. Horns down on this one. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marine vet rises to lead Aflac with mission to protect families
You can catch Warrior Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. On this episode of Warrior Money, Marine Corps veteran and Aflac president Virgil Miller shares his incredible journey from enlisted service member to leading one of the largest insurance companies in the world. He discusses how military values like discipline, attention to detail, and service have shaped his leadership approach and commitment to protecting families. Miller also breaks down Aflac's focus on innovation, mental health benefits, and the power of purpose in both business and life. Hosted by former Congressman Patrick Murphy and veteran investor Dan Kunze, Yahoo Finance's Warrior Money is a weekly vodcast dedicated to uplifting military veterans transitioning into civilian life. Through insights from fellow veterans and high-ranking officials, Murphy and Kunze are helping set vets up for success through financial education and inspiration. This post was written by Langston Sessoms. Welcome to Warrior Money, the show devoted to supporting your brothers, veterans. I'm Patrick Murphy, and I'm Dan Kons. Today, we dive into insurance, one of the greatest protectors of today's middle class, from the oldest insurance company in the US established by Ben Franklin back in 1752 to today. Insurance transfers one's individual risk to a group protecting one's standard of living and economic we chat with Desert Storm Marine veteran Virgil Miller, who's the president of Affleck, whose mission is to care on purpose, ensuring 50 million people worldwide. So please welcome to Word Money, Affleck president, VirgilMiller. Well, thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to join you guys today. Yeah, so we start every show with a bottom line upfront question, you literally went from private to you are now obviously president of Aflac. Affleck is a Fortune 20222 $18 billion in revenue, about 12,000 employees. How did you become a private in the Marine Corps serving Desert Storm to the president of one of the largest insurance companies in the world? Yeah, well, thank you for having me. First of all, and thanks for that question. It's been an exciting journey for me, and as you stated, I call it my journey from private to president. I will tell you, coming out of the Marine Corps, uh, after serving in Operation Desert Storm, I took a lot of the learnings and the teachings into uh my career, and I still leverage a lot of those foundational things coming out of Marines, uh, I just started, uh, entry level job, and this is after working about 4 jobs while paying my way through college as a United States Marine Corps reservist. And uh I took a lot of that discipline and just tenacity to, to make it happen for me and then entered the insurance field in the early 90s, and I've been, well, I've been here now about insurance about 33 21 years at Aflac and uh really I would tell you that I took that discipline and those key learnings and helped take an entry level job, about 30+ promotions uh to president. We talk a lot on our show about finding purpose and we we talk a lot about transitions on our you, I think you said 30+ jobs or 30 30+ promotions that you had to get to the president of Affleck. Can you talk a little bit more about your time in service? What were the things you learned there, uh, where were you stationed and how, how did that have any impact at all on your professional career afterwards? Yeah, I will tell you that it, it made a tremendous impact. So if, if I would just go back again for I won't tell my entire journey for the sake of time, but a couple things I would like to point out though. I joined the Marines actually when I was in high school. I, I, as I said, I signed the contract. I began preparation I left the next day after graduation, uh, went to Parris Island. That's where I started my marine journey from Parris Island to Camp Pendleton out of Camp Delmar. And along the way, what I will tell you though is that I would say to any, uh, servicemen listening or prior uh service uh personnel out there, that what you're taught, it works in the business world. And here's what I mean by that, it starts with just the foundation, the foundation of when I think about the Marines, the second thing I took with me though is you hear all the time, uh, Dan and Patrick, you hear all the time about attention to detail. Well, I say the same thing applies today, uh, walk your own process. Make sure that you check every single detail, detail it out. Uh, one of the things I said, uh, in another interview was sweat the small stuff. That means that details do matter, that that is the in the military when lives are on the line, those things matter, and I try to take that same approach in in corporate America in my role today as president, those details matters to our customers. They matter to our employees and they certainly matter to our shareholders. Every detail counts. That's really great insight. I appreciate that a lot. So we're, we also try to get to people like you're, you're the president of Affleck now. You're doing amazing things and you've been doing amazing things for quite a while. But what we're trying to be is accessible to folks that are just transitioning out of service as well. And you had already mentioned that you worked 4 jobs when going to school, you're trying to put yourself through it. What, what were the, what was the bridge or what were the things you may have used from either your military service, what was the GI Bill, Veterans Home loan, any sort of like benefits that you may have had that helped you bridge from service into professional and corporate world? Yeah, I, I joined back in the 80s. There was a program then, delayed entry program. It was all about leveraging the GI Bill. You know, I come from a humble background, a humble family. I knew that I had to help my parents pay my way through college, so I leveraged joining the military for that primary reason. Now, don't get me wrong, I believe in serving the country, I believe in serving I believe that uh the mission of the Marine Corps is one of the most relevant missions out there. Uh, so I wanna do both, and uh, but having that mindset though, to me it's the same thing I think about today. I'll share with anybody that's listening, know your why. Uh, my why though was to make sure that I could provide a good life for my family, some of the things that I did not have, uh, growing up, so I was, I stayed focused.I joined the military. I wanted to be one of the best graduating from boot camp. I graduated platoon on guard, uh meriors Lance Corporal. From there, when I got to college, I knew that I needed additional income beyond uh what was being offered as a marine I was a, a, a shoe salesman, uh, a, a Walmart associate, a cable representative, and a radio DJ. So I, I did a lot of things though. The point though is what the military taught me though was, you find a way to carry out the mission, no retreat, no surrender. I was not gonna give I'd met the mission and succeeded in what I was set out to do. Yeah, well, I, I think it's incredibly important when you look at America right now, right? So again, this summer 2025, 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps of our army, uh, some of the most well respected professions in the world and in our own country here, know, unfortunately, about 5 months ago, you were here in New York that day when tragedy happened. When you had the, uh, Health United, uh,CEO, um, unfortunately, he was gunned down here in the streets of New York by Luigi Maggian. So Brian Thompson, uh, was a young father, uh, was killed. He was a healthcare insurance CEO. Uh, what did that message send to you and to Affleck? Yes, the first thing I'll say, my heart goes out to uh Brian's family and um certainly a sad situation here in America. Uh, if you think about we all three put on a uniform, and that was to protect Americans, that was to protect against any uh foreign or domestic threat. And having said that, um, I just, uh, you know, really hate to see what uh, just to add more perspective, you know, what we're doing by way of a profession in the healthcare space, that's an insurance company, we wanna actually provide protection, uh, you know, in that particular case, uh, I'm sure that what what Brian was doing was, was leading his organization, uh, to provide a service to people. Uh, you know, if you think about this, what insurance is, is a pool and a risk. What we're really trying to do is make sure that when something comes up,We can provide that type of protection for people, but it is a great reminder, and I have uh basically shared this with all my team members though. It gets back to one of the things I said earlier, you have to make sure that you're always listening to the voice of the customer, uh, taking the inside out, look, and approach. So what are your customers saying about your experience? What are your customers saying about, uh, your products? What are your customers saying about your overall culture for your organization?And making sure that uh you you've listened and that we're providing uh the necessary uh tactics around that. Last thing I'll say though is that, yeah, it should have really put up an awareness to everyone out there, every professional beyond insurance, uh, that we need to have the wherewithal around us to first, you know, again, make sure that we are protecting well as our people, and then that staying focused on what we do to provide the protection to all people uh here in the United States and for our like it's a global organization across the other places we serve people in the world. Yeah. We're, we're coming up with a break, but, you know, you talked about culture and, and how you're out the world. I, I understand the fact that you guys cover over 50 million, uh, folks in the United States and Japan. And in Japan, obviously 1 in 4 Japanese households are covered by Affleck. What are the cultural differences when it comes to insurance, when it comes to healthcare between the two nations? Yeah, you know, I was just over in Japan a couple of weeks ago, and uh what I always like to tell people is that we're more liked and different. We're more like than different. So, uh, just like here in America, there are unexpected expenses that need additional recoverage, and they require supplemental insurance that we provide. Uh, so we're relevant there just like we are here today. The second thing I would say though is that one of the leading products for us and also Japan is our cancer it was in 1954, uh, John Amos, one of the principal fathers with his two brothers, was reading a newspaper article and it said 1 out of 7 people in America, uh, would likely get cancer. From there, he had this great idea of creating the first cancer insurance product. We are the pioneers of that space, and it is so relevant here in the US, but it is one of the main products that we also sell in Japan. Uh, there is a health conscious wants to make sure they have that financial protection, uh, because it's one of the things you know about Japan population, uh, the demographics, uh, they, they have a, a, a mortality rate longer or they live longer than basically than people in the US and so therefore,They want to make sure that they protect themselves all the way through life, and that's what makes us so relevant there also. Yeah, no doubt. So this is Virgil, we're going to come right back to you after this break. We know that Affleck is a phenomenal for $100 million given to cancer research and and cancer programs. So we're gonna come back and talk about that in just a second, more, more back to Word Money. I'm joined by Virgil Miller. Hey, Virgil, right before we broke, we talked about the incredible leadership that Affleck has provided for almost over 70 years when it comes to cancer research in America, over $100 million to date. But that was really initiated by your founder, Mercer Amos. Can you tell us why that's so important? Yeah, let's give credit to our CEO Dan Amos. Uh, he has been CEO now for 35 years, and he had this vision to give back and support really to fight against childhood cancer. Uh, so today our employees, along with the brokers and agents that sell Aflac, have combined to give approximately $190 million primarily to the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and the Aflac Cancer to help children really facing, uh, the battle of childhood cancer. Uh, over to my left, I'll point out to you, Dan and to Patrick is my special Aflac duck. Uh, this is a robotic companion, uh, that was created specifically to help comfort children that are facing treatments from cancer and other blood disorders, uh, such as simple cell uh we are proud to, to not only uh donate, but to give time and energy to help uh get better outcomes, you know, the, the more research that goes into, uh, this, this disease, then the better outcomes that we'll have for people. And the last thing I'll close with on that is also just uh reminding people that early detection is the best thing though. Uh, I'm gonna be launching a campaign called Get a reminder that you should go and make sure that you have your, your physical, uh, to check for cancer. We know that when it is detected in stage 1 and 2, you have a better outcome than in stages 3 and 4. When I think of insurance industry, I think about uh consistency, I think about standards, I think about longevity. Uh, when I read the news today, I hear disruption, innovation, problems. How in your role do you so the noise of the day versus the longevity and sustainability of your organization? Uh, being able to meet people when, where, and how they want to be met is what it's all about. Uh, I'll give you a few examples on making sure that we stay innovative. It starts with products. So our products are to provide benefits, uh, for those that carry our insurance. So if you think about it, especially for us, having served in the military, uh, mental health is extremely important to all Americans. And what we have done recently, specifically, we just launched a new accident we made sure that mental health benefits are now a part of our policy, uh, making sure that people can get that type of treatment, uh, knowing that more and more Americans now face mental health challenges. That's one way of making sure that your products are relevant and sustainable for for the time to come. And I will say the other thing though is how people buy insurance, how they pay bills, and specifically though how claims are filed and paid is extremely all about making it easy and that can definitely be assisted with technology. So we're always investing and having the right technology to give people the ability to purchase our insurance or to enroll, giving them the ability to then be able to keep up with it, making sure the insurance does not lapsed, but the main point of truth and then at the time of need is when it's time to file a claim. You have to make sure that process works and that's what we're deliver, we want to deliver speed, quality and that's all enabled by the help of with people. People will always be a part of our process. No doubt. And, and you got to meet people where they are, Virgil, like, you know, on their cell phones, etc. and using that technology as a force multiplier. But I, I wanna dive in real quick. Virgil, you mentioned mental health. I love the fact that you guys are covering under supplemental policy at Affleck, uh, because 1 in 5 Americans will suffer a mental health care illness, uh, and we need to do better because your physical health is tied to your mental health, your brain health, you look at since 9/11, over 120,000 of our brothers to veterans have taken their own life, have died by suicide. Um, what do you think more we should do as a society to answer the call, let people know, to get rid of the stigma that they should be proactive when it comes to their mental health? Well, the first thing I'll say that this is a topic, if you think back, uh, I, I would imagine we're near in the same age range. If you think back, uh, years ago, this topic was not being talked about in the public, um, and so the fact that it's getting attention and awareness is, is where it all starts. Education is extremely important. Uh, at Afleck, we wanna be thought leaders, we wanna be thought leaders on subjects like this, we wanna be thought leaders around things like cancer which we can talk about later, the partnership we have with the American Cancer Society, but sticking on the subject with uh mental health, my point though is that uh we need to make it conducive to the point that people are OK with discussing this, and then show people how they can get help. And then for us as an insurance company, making sure that we have provide benefits and coverage, uh, that will take care of the person, also get support to family members. Uh, that's why I think that we need to for, for people that we serve today. We often talk about mental health, physical health as the foundation for what you do post-military service, but we also talk about finding your purpose and finding your job. What advice do you have for transitioning service members into the insurance industry? Uh, my advice would be, you know, first, uh, as I mentioned before, when I took off the military uniform and now put on the suit, I still have the feeling and know that I'm serving people and giving back. Uh, that's the feeling I get in the insurance space, you know, how do I know that? Well, I get a chance, an opportunity to read the thousands or the millions of letters that come in from where we've helped people, uh, when people are undergoing treatment or facing financial need to make sure we step there and we're there for them at a time of need. To me, that resonates with service men because that's exactly what we're doing when we put on those uniforms. We're being there to serve people and being there to help them. I'll also say that one of the things that I personally do, uh, along with Aflac and all of my team members and all employees here is we give back. It's not just about serving those that have our policies, we make sure that we also work in the communities uh where we live and where we serve, and make sure we're giving and then the last thing I'll close with though is that, that, that when we talk about donating and giving money, it needs to go to research. There's been so many advances in the healthcare industry. If you kind of look back over years, when you think about something like chemotherapy, that would mean spending time with a doctor and ongoing treatments and to the now there's a chemotherapy pill. We have to make sure that we are, uh, understanding the advancements that are happening, then make sure that our insurance is also applicable um as those advancements occur. Nodoubt, yeah, especially when you look at the fact that healthcare in America is a three-legged stool, it's, you have obviously the providers, the doctors, nurses, professionals, you have the hospitals, and then you have the insurance companies, right? AndWe need to make sure that we're doing what we can to have the best practices, the best research, the best techniques to take care of our patients because it is patience over paperwork. It is patience over anything else to make sure we're doing what we can to keep them alive another day and make them live healthy lives. Hey, Virgil, on Warrior money, we always have the warrior Q&A. So we turn over to Dan. Hey,Virgil, uh, what's the best money advice that you know now that you wish you knew when you were younger? Uh, it, it kind of goes back what I was just saying that is that, you know, uh, the small amounts add up over time, right? We all know about the present value of money. It makes a big difference if you leave it alone and put it, and there's two types of investments, you all know this, but there's your safe, and then, you know, I do take some I'll tell you this, having worked in insurance and having learned from our great CEO Dan Amos after 35 years as CEO, he still assess the same three risk principles that apply today. Don't risk a lot for a little. Consider the odds and do not risk more than you can afford to lose. I manage my finances the same way still today and uh hopefully that piece of advice then the last thing I'll say though is, you know, part of my career though starting insurance, I did work for Geico. Uh, I will give a quick shout out though. I got a chance to meet Warren Buffett years ago and I still remember something that he said he learned from uh one of the uh original investment officers from GEICO, Lord Mayor Davidson. He said Lord Mayor told him, don't be afraid to make a I still today remember that because what it meant to me is, don't be greedy. In other words, if you do make a stock investment, for example, you make money, take the money out of real sets. So sometimes people hold on too long on risky investments and that it could turn out to be a problem for you. Now that's just my personal uh piece of advice there, but those are just things that have helped me throughout my life. It'sgreat, it's great. And so, um, Marine Corps president, what's been the most unexpected part of your journey? Uh, I, I would say the most unexpected part of my journey has been where I sit today. You know, I never expected that. Uh, I just remember being told at a younger age, I was in my twenties, uh, wise man told me, and I can, you know, uh, uh, I can remember exactly that conversation. He said, Virgil, just be good at what you've been be good at what you've been given. Try to be known as the best at what you do, uh, or at least be mentioned in that conversation, and then there will always be opportunities for you. I took that, that same formula and I kind of advanced it. I said, OK, well just be good at what you've been then I ask my question, and I asked myself a second question in a reflection annually. Did I make it better than when I found it? So be good at what you've been given, make it better than the way it was given to you. Then the third thing though is I always try to keep an idea in my pocket, right? What is the innovation that I'm gonna bring to the table? What am I gonna do that really sustains us and changes us and helps us move us toward the future.I believe if you just keep those three things with you and keep those things in mind and stay disciplined to execute those things. Uh, there's always an opportunity for you. That might be the best one I've heard so far. I really like that. Thank you, Virgil. That's pretty awesome. Hey, listen, there's a reason why you went from private to president, uh, president of Affleck, Virgil Miller. Virgil, thanks for joining us for Word Money. You're a great American. We look forward to seeing you soon. Ura, thank you. Airborne. All right, so listen, that's our show. So listen, subscribe, and review Wri Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcast or find us at Yahoo Finance. I'm Patrick Murphy andI'm Dan Coons. We'll see you again next week. This content was not intended to be financial advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional financial services.
