Words from the Wise Podcast

Gary L. Wise
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Join Words From The Wise with Gary Wise, retired U.S. Navy Command Master Chief and founder of Wise Leadership Solutions, for relentlessly authentic deckplate leadership insights forged in real-world experience. From advising Commanding Officers and leading Sailors worldwide in high-pressure environments to his current daily mentorship of 180+ high school NJROTC cadets at Vanguard High School, Gary delivers no-fluff conversations and actionable strategies that help you: Cultivate persevering teamsCreate inspirational intensityTake full ownership of your growthGenerate unstoppable momentum in your leadership and daily life Whether you’re a young person determined to build real leadership skills, a parent who wants your teen to develop unbreakable discipline, a struggling leader searching for a breakthrough, an aspiring leader ready to step up, a seasoned leader who refuses to plateau, or a veteran transitioning into civilian leadership — this is your place. Tune in for practical, battle-tested lessons on discipline, perseverance, ownership, and earning your opportunities every single day — drawn from over 28 years on the deckplates and now applied daily in the classroom, headquartered in Ocala, Florida.

  1. 2d ago

    From Dropping Out To Navy Chief Leadership

    Send us Fan Mail This is the 100th Episode for the Words From The Wise Leadership Podcast!  A lot of people think a military career starts with a plan. Androcleas  "Lefty" Eleftheratos's starts with survival. He’s a rural North Carolina kid who drops out of high school, works to help his mom keep four kids afloat, gets into trouble, and then takes the one off-ramp that can reset a life fast: joining the U.S. Navy. We go from Great Lakes boot camp to an overseas assignment in Sasebo, Japan, where friendship turns into real brotherhood and the world gets bigger overnight. We talk fleet life on the USS Belleau Wood, nonstop underways, liberty ports like Hong Kong and Bali, and what “high operational tempo” actually feels like for young sailors and for married families trying to hold it together. Lefty also breaks down the career chess that most people never explain, including orders, timing, sea duty versus shore duty, and why technical credibility matters when you make Chief Petty Officer. The second half gets personal and useful. We talk grief, being present for family during illness, and how to make peace with hard seasons. Then we get practical about military transition, retirement choices, networking, and why you should file your VA disability claim and keep pushing if the first decision does not reflect your reality. If you’re active duty, a veteran, or a parent trying to guide a teenager, this one is built to leave you with options and next steps. Subscribe for more real conversations, share this with a shipmate, and leave a review with the biggest lesson you’re taking from Lefty’s story. https://www.wordsfromthewise.net/

    From Dropping Out To Navy Chief Leadership

  2. Sep 11

    Retiring From The Navy Without Losing Yourself

    Send us Fan Mail The moment you retire, the pace changes and not in a gentle way. One day you are moving at Navy speed with a mission, a watchbill, and a team that needs you. Next, the calendar opens up, the phone goes quiet, and you have to figure out who you are without the title. We sit down with retired Command Master Chief Jason Brown to talk about that whiplash and what he wishes more military transition programs said out loud about identity, purpose, and the emotional and spiritual tax of starting over. Jason walks us through the turning points of his Navy career, from Damage Control to the Command Master Chief program, including the vow he made that pushed him into senior enlisted leadership. We get honest about what happens when you bring a shipboard engineering mindset into an aviation squadron, how triad relationships can fracture, and how fear of failure can keep leaders silent when they most need support. We also revisit the realities of carrier life, TAD and FSA demands, and why alignment in the Chiefs Mess matters when the mission gets heavy. Then the conversation shifts to the COVID deployment era: abrupt guidance changes, moving on base, embarking USS Nimitz, living in a controlled bubble for months, and Guam as one of the only real pressure-release valves. From there we talk VA disability claims, facing mortality through medical appointments, and the tough mental space of naming everything your body carried through service. Jason also shares the heart behind a free curriculum for men focused on integrity, honesty, self-control, faith, and recovery from pornography addiction fueled by secrecy. If you care about Navy leadership, veteran transition, resilience, and building character that lasts beyond the uniform, this one goes deep. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with the biggest lesson you are taking into your own next chapter. https://www.wordsfromthewise.net/

    Retiring From The Navy Without Losing Yourself

  3. Sep 4

    How A Prior-Service Soldier Became A Navy Damage Control Leader

    Send us Fan Mail He signed up chasing a straightforward goal: become a firefighter, earn college money, and build a future. What he got instead was a 36-year journey that ran through the Army National Guard, Navy boot camp in San Diego, damage control maintenance on small ships, a pre-commissioning build, a destroyer deployment in a world that was rapidly changing, and eventually the kind of senior enlisted leadership where you answer for everything the crew does.  We’re joined by retired Master Chief Dylan Inger, a leader who’s lived the full arc from junior sailor to Command Master Chief, then into a flag-adjacent civilian role supporting Navy shipbuilding. We talk candidly about what the Damage Controlman rate really is: halon systems, AFFF, repair lockers, inspections, and endless PMS, with firefighting as the capability you prepare for, not the job you wait around to do. Dylan and I also compare Army versus Navy training, how early leadership roles can shape your confidence, and why some commands feel like a rocket ship while others feel like you’re pushing uphill all day.  The turning point is Great Lakes, where Dylan pivots from a dysfunctional fire school environment into Recruit Division Commander duty and launches a network and leadership skill set that follows him for decades. From the JFK carrier recovery era to a frigate CMC tour and beyond, we dig into retention, liberty risk, career counseling, and the pressure that lands on the senior enlisted triad. We close with the realities of military transition, TAP prep, LinkedIn networking, project management as a post-Navy “sweet spot,” and what happens when you have to job-hunt again after a layoff.  If you care about Navy leadership, senior enlisted development, military career paths, or veteran transition to civilian careers, you’ll get practical takeaways you can use immediately. Subscribe, share this with a shipmate, and leave a review with the leadership lesson you’re taking into your own team. https://www.wordsfromthewise.net/

    How A Prior-Service Soldier Became A Navy Damage Control Leader

  4. Aug 28

    Found After 37 Years

    Send us Fan Mail A single Google search at midnight finally returned what years of searching never did: a post titled “Baby Boy Leishman,” written by the birth mother who never stopped wondering. Gary Wise and Teri Leishman share the full adoption reunion story from both sides, including the reality of a closed adoption in the 1970s, the fears that come with reaching out, and the moment a photo on the internet made the connection undeniable. We talk about what it’s like to grow up knowing you’re adopted while still feeling the “missing chapter,” and how becoming a parent can turn curiosity into urgency. Teri explains why she posted on adoption reconnection sites for years, why she didn’t want to disrupt her son’s life, and what it felt like to get the first message after decades of silence. Gary walks through the chain of events that made the timing feel almost impossible to ignore: a DNA test, a first hit online, a fast exchange of emails, and a new baby being born within the same 24 hours. Then we go deeper into the practical side of modern family discovery, including how consumer DNA testing and genetic genealogy can connect first cousins, surnames, and entire branches of family that old records never revealed. We also zoom out to resilience and second chances as Teri describes going back to nursing school around age 50, building a career in healthcare leadership and quality, and eventually moving to Florida to be close to her son and grandkids. If adoption reunion, birth mother stories, adoptee identity, and DNA results are topics you’ve lived or wondered about, this conversation will stick with you. Subscribe for more, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review with the question you’d be afraid to ask. https://www.wordsfromthewise.net/

    Found After 37 Years

  5. Aug 21

    Reinventing Herself At 50, and Thriving With Energy!

    Send us Fan Mail She started beauty school at 16 to get out of high school. Then life hit hard: a family breakup she never saw coming, a teen pregnancy, and an adoption that left scars nobody around her knew how to talk about. And somehow, Teri Leishman still kept moving forward. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, we walk through the real mechanics of reinvention: the messy choices, the lonely seasons, and the moments when you realize you either rebuild on purpose or you repeat the same pain. We trace Teri's path from Utah to California and back again, including what it’s like to start over when your job depends on rebuilding clientele from scratch. She explains how she became “accidentally” self-employed by opening a tiny salon in Garden Valley, Idaho, then growing it into a thriving small-town business that served as community, counseling, and connection all at once. We also talk openly about marriage strain, infertility, and the unique pressure of divorcing when everyone in town knows your name and your story. Then the episode takes a sharp turn into survival and transformation: Teri sells her shop, gets pulled away from her support system, and has to find her way out of a controlling situation. That dark stretch becomes the spark for a midlife career change that still blows my mind. At 49, Teri goes back to school, steps into nursing, and graduates at the top of her class, proving “too old” is usually just fear wearing a mask. If you’re searching for stories about starting over, entrepreneurship, nursing school later in life, healing after trauma, or rebuilding confidence after divorce, this is one to save and share. Subscribe, leave a review, and send this to a friend who needs a reset. What’s one reinvention you’re proud of right now? https://www.wordsfromthewise.net/

    Reinventing Herself At 50, and Thriving With Energy!

  6. Aug 14

    From Fire Control To The Classroom

    Send us Fan Mail He joined the Navy to stop sitting in classrooms, then the Navy sent him to years of school anyway and that’s where the real story starts. I’m back with my shipmate and one of my favorite Chiefs, Nick Riggs, to walk through a full Navy career arc: high school uncertainty, choosing the service, surviving the training pipeline, and learning what “ready to roll” really means when you’re forward deployed. Nick breaks down what it’s like to come up as a Fire Controlman, how hands-on maintenance finally makes the textbooks click, and why Japan shapes sailors in a way stateside commands often don’t. We also talk about September 11th from the perspective of a sailor stationed in Japan: the sudden phone calls, getting to base fast, force protection ramping up, and ships surging with no clear return date. From there, Nick shares the less-glamorous leadership moments that actually define careers: being out of rate on shore duty, culture shock on a stateside ship, and getting tapped to fix problems outside your comfort zone by simply being consistent and present. Finally, we get real about military retirement and the transition to civilian life. Nick explains what he wishes he knew about VA disability claims, why using a service officer matters, how he used the GI Bill for a cybersecurity degree, and how he unexpectedly became an elementary computer science teacher so he could be present for his kids. If you care about Navy leadership, veteran transition, and building a second career with purpose, this conversation will hit home. Subscribe to Words from the Wise, share this with a shipmate, and leave a review if it helps. What part of the transition do you wish someone had warned you about sooner? https://www.wordsfromthewise.net/

    From Fire Control To The Classroom

  7. Aug 8

    From Tanzania To US Navy Master Chief Culinary Specialist!

    Send us Fan Mail She shows up in Maryland at 21 with big dreams, a Tanzanian upbringing, and a problem a lot of immigrants recognize instantly: the U.S. system does not always “translate” your education the way you expect. Nelle Kigembe turns that moment of confusion into action, and within months she’s taking the ASVAB, shipping to Great Lakes, and learning English while learning Navy language. The result is a 22-year journey that ends with her retiring as a U.S. Navy Master Chief Petty Officer. We trace the whole arc, from joining alongside her sister and pushing through boot camp challenges like the swim test, to ship life on USS Kearsarge, the post-9/11 operational shift, and how citizenship opened doors at exactly the right time. Nelle breaks down what leadership really looked like on a DDG when she had to learn the expectations beyond culinary specialist work, qualify, stand watches, and earn trust in a culture that sometimes “teaches” by pressure instead of explanations. Then we get into the part every service member should hear: personal finance and retirement planning. Nelle shares how credit card mistakes and debt can quietly follow you, how consolidation and better habits gave her breathing room, and why she now focuses on financial literacy for active duty, veterans, and military families. Her favorite lane is protection: protecting income, protecting a family’s legacy, and understanding the difference between a will and a living trust so your plan actually works when it matters. If you got value from this conversation, subscribe, share it with a shipmate, and leave a review so more military and veteran listeners can find it. https://www.wordsfromthewise.net/

    From Tanzania To US Navy Master Chief Culinary Specialist!

  8. Jul 31

    Adopted And Searching

    Send us Fan Mail A three by five card was all my parents got when they adopted me: teenage mother, premature baby, three and a half pounds, and almost nothing else. I grew up loved, but I also grew up with a quiet, constant message ringing in my head: you’re different. That one word can shape how you attach to people, how you handle conflict, and how hard you chase belonging, even when you can’t explain why. I walk you through my adoption story from Utah, including the LDS faith lens my family used to frame my place in the world. I share what it was like to have my origin story retold at family events, how frequent moves and early trauma affected my choices, and why my teen years spun into trouble, school changes, and searching for acceptance in all the wrong places. Then I talk about the shift that came with the U.S. Navy: structure, standards, and a sense of being chosen for something bigger, plus the life-changing stability of meeting my wife and becoming a dad. The turning point lands in June 2014. I’m in Virginia, I’m up late, and I run a search I’ve run countless times before, except this time it works. I find a post on an adoption reunion board written by my biological mother on my 18th birthday, and she’s been looking for me for years. One email leads to a call, the timing collides with the birth of my second son, and a DNA test result hits my inbox like final confirmation. We talk nature vs nurture, identity, genealogy, adoption reunification, and what it takes to reconnect without blowing up the life you’ve built. If you’ve ever wondered where you came from, or what belonging really means, hit play. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. https://www.wordsfromthewise.net/

    Adopted And Searching
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About

Join Words From The Wise with Gary Wise, retired U.S. Navy Command Master Chief and founder of Wise Leadership Solutions, for relentlessly authentic deckplate leadership insights forged in real-world experience. From advising Commanding Officers and leading Sailors worldwide in high-pressure environments to his current daily mentorship of 180+ high school NJROTC cadets at Vanguard High School, Gary delivers no-fluff conversations and actionable strategies that help you: Cultivate persevering teamsCreate inspirational intensityTake full ownership of your growthGenerate unstoppable momentum in your leadership and daily life Whether you’re a young person determined to build real leadership skills, a parent who wants your teen to develop unbreakable discipline, a struggling leader searching for a breakthrough, an aspiring leader ready to step up, a seasoned leader who refuses to plateau, or a veteran transitioning into civilian leadership — this is your place. Tune in for practical, battle-tested lessons on discipline, perseverance, ownership, and earning your opportunities every single day — drawn from over 28 years on the deckplates and now applied daily in the classroom, headquartered in Ocala, Florida.

Information

  • Creator
    Gary L. Wise
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    98
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Words from the Wise Podcast
  • Show Website
    Words from the Wise Podcast