Lead with Bubba Scott

Bubba Scott
  • 5.0 (1)
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  • Updated Bimonthly

Lead with Bubba Scott is a leadership podcast exploring what it really means to lead in high-performance, high-pressure environments. Hosted by Bubba Scott—U.S. Marine Corps veteran, former V-22 Osprey pilot, and a first-year Wharton MBA student—the show features thoughtful, nonpartisan conversations with leaders across disciplines, including the military, medicine, public service, business, sports, and the creative arts. Drawing on lessons learned through experience, each episode examines how leaders earn trust, make decisions under uncertainty, hold standards, and take responsibility when the stakes are real. This podcast is for emerging leaders who care less about titles and more about character, accountability, and performance.  Lead with Bubba Scott focuses on leadership as it’s lived: imperfect, demanding, and deeply human.

  1. 3d ago

    Moving Forward Without Moving On: Amber Sax on Grief, Empathy, and Honoring Those We’ve Lost

    Content note: The conversation deals directly with death, military aviation loss, grief, and the long process of healing that follows. It is a heavy discussion, but it is also one about love, resilience, empathy, service, advocacy, and learning how to move forward while continuing to honor those we have lost. On June 8, 2022, Swift 1-1, an MV-22B Osprey, crashed in eastern California following a mechanical failure, taking the lives of five United States Marines. In this episode, Bubba sits down with Amber Sax, Gold Star widow of Captain John Sax and founder of the Capt Sax Foundation, to remember John as a husband, father, Marine, and lifelong aviator. Amber shares the ripple effects of a military aviation mishap, including the impact on surviving families, squadron members, first responders, and the aviators who must continue flying. She also reflects on the importance of giving people permission to grieve, releasing guilt without releasing love, and understanding that moving forward does not mean forgetting. The conversation concludes with Amber’s work through the Capt Sax Foundation, which provides scholarships to aspiring pilots, maintainers, engineers, air traffic controllers, transitioning service members, and others pursuing careers in aviation. The foundation has awarded more than $80,000 in scholarships and hopes to surpass $100,000 this year. Amber personally covers its operating expenses so that every donated dollar can go directly to scholarship recipients. Learn more about the Capt Sax Foundation or make a donation: CaptSaxFoundation.org Key takeaway: One of the most meaningful ways we can honor those we have lost is by living fully, serving others, and carrying their legacy forward. Chapters 00:00 — A Different Kind of Conversation A content note on military loss, grief, aviation mishaps, and healing. 02:40 — Meet Amber Sax 03:10 — How Amber and John Met 04:59 — John’s Lifelong Dream of Flying 09:35 — The Husband, Father, and Marine Behind the Pilot 12:28 — Life Before and After Swift 1-1 16:56 — Remembering More Than the Final Moment 22:13 — The Ripple Effects of an Aviation Mishap 31:56 — Moving Forward Without Moving On 35:46 — Finding Support in the Gold Star Community 40:13 — Resilience, Empathy, and Permission to Heal 44:22 — Building the Capt Sax Foundation 51:41 — Advocacy and Learning to Use Your Voice 1:00:21 — Leading with Empathy 1:01:43 — How to Support the Capt Sax Foundation

    Moving Forward Without Moving On: Amber Sax on Grief, Empathy, and Honoring Those We’ve Lost

  2. Jul 20

    Bring Who You Are to the Table: Service, Transition, and Purpose with Isaac Seals

    In this episode of Lead with Bubba Scott, I sit down with my good friend and Naval Academy classmate Isaac Seals, a former Marine officer whose career took him from leading Assault Amphibian Marines, to the Silent Drill Platoon, to serving as a White House Social Aide. We talk about Isaac’s upbringing in Decatur, Georgia, his path to the Naval Academy, walking onto the Division I track team, and the legendary videos he made with classmates that became part of Academy lore. Isaac also shares his unique path to becoming a Marine officer, lessons from leading Marines, stories from 8th & I and the White House, and what it has meant to build a meaningful life after service. This is a fun, honest, and insightful conversation about identity, transition, purpose, service, teamwork, and why leaders should never forget to bring who they are to the table. Chapters00:00 Introduction 01:03 Welcome to Isaac Seals 01:35 Growing Up in Decatur, Georgia 03:17 African Wild Dogs and Lessons in Teamwork 04:05 Family, Expectations, and Getting to College 06:39 Naval Academy, NAPS, and Division I Athletics 08:06 Getting Cut from Lacrosse and Walking Onto Track 11:33 How the Track Team Changed His Life 14:28 Going from “The Guy” to Finding a New Role 17:40 Viral Academy Videos and Creative Outlets 21:06 Why Isaac Chose the Marine Corps 22:58 His Grandfather’s Final Wish and a Complicated Decision 24:48 The Challenge to Earn Marine Corps 28:11 The Marine Corps Board 29:50 Service Selection and Becoming a Marine 32:01 Assault Amphibian Officer and Leading AAV Marines 35:59 A Hard Leadership Lesson as a Young Officer 42:31 Silent Drill Platoon and “Remember What You Represent” 44:50 White House Social Aide 46:18 Stories from the White House 48:44 Transitioning Out of the Marine Corps 52:23 Finding Purpose After Service 57:34 Advice for Navigating Transition 01:00:10 Bring Who You Are to the Table 01:01:12 Closing Reflections 01:01:38 Outro

  3. Jul 6

    011 - Leading in Law with Colonel Kyle Phillips, USMC

    In this episode of Lead with Bubba Scott, I sit down with Colonel Kyle Phillips, an active duty Marine officer whose career has spanned the infantry, law, command, teaching, national security work, and military justice. We talk about his early lessons in leadership, his transition from infantry officer to Marine lawyer, advising commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan, working national security cases at the Department of Justice, and leading Marines and civilians in command. Kyle also shares lessons from endurance sports, command philosophy, accountability, and why leadership by example is necessary, but not sufficient. This is a great conversation about judgment, service, responsibility, standards, and leading in law. Chapters00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:09 Welcome to Colonel Kyle Phillips 01:48 Growing Up on the Jersey Shore 05:28 Villanova, NROTC, and the Path to the Marine Corps 08:17 Becoming an Infantry Officer 09:46 Leadership by Example Is Necessary, but Not Sufficient 12:26 Transitioning from Infantry to Law 16:04 Deploying as a Marine Lawyer 19:34 Advising Commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan 23:00 Rules of Engagement and Preparing Marines to Make Decisions 26:48 Department of Justice and National Security Law 30:05 Confidence, Competence, and Self-Study 32:40 Teaching Leadership at the Naval Academy 37:55 Command Philosophy: Proud Professionals, Mission Focused, Inspire Others 43:38 Second Command Philosophy: Support Each Other, Support Warfighting, Support the Mission 47:38 Endurance Sports, Discipline, and the Group Effect 53:49 Last Man Standing and the Power of a Support Team 55:29 Accountability and Advice to His Younger Self 58:36 Personal Accountability in Adventure Racing 01:01:27 The Marine Corps Leadership Traits 01:03:22 Closing Reflections 01:04:18 Outro

  4. Jun 22

    010 - Lean with Dr. Jim Womack, PhD.

    In this episode of Lead with Bubba Scott, I sit down with Dr. Jim Womack, one of the most influential voices in modern manufacturing, management, and Lean Thinking. Dr. Womack is the founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute and helped translate the Toyota Production System into what the world now knows as Lean. We talk about his early curiosity, what he learned from studying General Motors and Toyota, and why Lean is much more than tools, buzzwords, or cost-cutting. This conversation is really about leadership: how leaders see work, define value, support people, and build better systems. Dr. Womack explains the importance of Gemba, going to the place where value is created, and why leaders need to ask better questions, show respect for the people doing the work, and focus on solving problems at the source. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:50 Dr. Jim Womack’s Early Curiosity and Background 05:01 From India to Japan: Seeing Systems Differently 07:56 General Motors, the Cadillac Plant, and the Problem with Modern Management 15:03 Studying Toyota and Translating Lean for the West 22:50 The Machine That Changed the World and the Core Ideas of Lean 33:40 Gemba: Going to Where Value Is Created 38:21 Kaizen on Top of Chaos Is Chaos 44:09 From Answer Man to Question Man: Leadership Through Better Questions 55:25 Final Advice: Start with the Work

  5. Jun 8

    009 - Be Trainable with Shane Mitchell

    Shane Mitchell on Reputation, Rugby, and the Veteran TransitionIn this episode of Lead with Bubba Scott, Bubba sits down with Shane Mitchell, a Navy veteran and Northeast Regional Customer Support Manager at Makino. Shane shares his journey from growing up in a military family to serving as an enlisted aviation maintainer in the Navy, where he worked on helicopters and F/A-18s. He reflects on the importance of reputation, technical competence, mentorship, and making the most of every assignment. Bubba and Shane also discuss rugby, the lessons of teamwork and accountability, and how those lessons carried into Shane’s military service and civilian career. The conversation closes with Shane’s advice for veterans transitioning out of the military: understand your value, stay humble, and find work that gives you a sense of purpose. This episode is about service, humility, mentorship, and finding your next team after the military. Go to theVAlender.com to learn more about the show's new sponsor! Chapter list: 00:00 Welcome, Sponsor Announcement, and Episode Preview 02:01 Growing Up in a Military Family 04:57 A Father’s Service and the Call to Serve 07:25 From College to the Navy 10:43 Starting Out in Navy Aviation Maintenance 13:05 Earning the Opportunity to Work on F/A-18s 18:01 Bloom Where You’re Planted 19:38 Reputation Is All You Have 22:15 Rugby, Teamwork, and the Next-Man-Up Mentality 31:33 Leaving the Navy and Finding the Next Team 36:15 Building a Civilian Career at Makino 42:18 Advice for Veterans Entering Industry 45:00 Confidence, Humility, and Starting Over 48:57 Be Trainable: The Leadership Trait That Matters 51:02 American Manufacturing and Veteran Opportunity 53:38 Final Reflections and Closing

  6. May 26

    008 - Betting on Yourself: Leaving Wall Street to Build Goldholly with Andrew Little

    In this episode of Lead with Bubba Scott, I sit down with Andrew Little, co-founder of Goldholly, to talk about leaving finance, building a purpose-driven startup, and introducing people to yaupon holly, the only naturally caffeinated plant native to North America. We discuss entrepreneurship, sustainability, small-team leadership, and what it means to bet on yourself. Where to find Goldholly: Website: goldholly.com Social: @drinkgoldholly Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:02 Andrew’s Upbringing and New England Roots 03:02 Brown, Baseball Stats, and the Path Toward Finance 04:42 First Lessons in the Corporate World 06:13 Mentorship, Feedback, and Professional Growth 07:58 Finding Purpose Through Sustainability Finance 10:41 Leaving Finance and Searching for Tangible Impact 13:25 Career Change, Identity, and Betting on Yourself 16:42 The Origin Story of Goldholly 18:32 Discovering Yaupon Holly 20:07 The History and Sustainability of Yaupon 21:55 Sustainability as Good Business 24:10 Health and Better Caffeine Options 26:38 From Board Games to Building a Beverage Company 28:13 Product Benefits, Theocrine, and American-Grown Supply Chains 30:41 Bootstrapping, E-Commerce, and Educating the Market 33:02 Marketing Goldholly and Finding Product-Market Fit 36:26 Evangelizing the Product as a Founder 38:12 Running Ad Campaigns on a Startup Budget 40:07 Testing Messaging and Learning What Works 42:08 Building an Honest Marketing Funnel 45:07 Peer Leadership on a Team of Three Co-Founders 47:05 Strengths, Roles, and Wearing All Hats 49:35 Trust, Passion, and Small Team Leadership 53:22 Letting Go of Identity and Self-Doubt 56:52 The Leadership Trait Founders Need Most 58:07 Where to Find Goldholly 59:35 Closing Reflections

    008 - Betting on Yourself: Leaving Wall Street to Build Goldholly with Andrew Little

  7. May 11

    007 - Building a Championship Culture with Gilly Lane

    Gilly Lane, head coach of Penn Men’s Squash, joins Lead with Bubba Scott to discuss his journey from Penn standout to professional player to national championship-winning coach. Gilly shares how his parents shaped his competitive mindset, why failure taught him more than winning, and how he builds tough, selfless, player-led teams. The conversation explores elite performance, recruiting for character, leading international athletes, and why responding to adversity calmly and confidently is one of the most important traits a young leader can develop. 00:00 Introduction 07:07 Early Life and Introduction to Squash 12:06 The Challenges of Individual Sports 19:06 Transitioning to Elite Performance 25:50 Lessons from Adversity and Competition 30:59 Coaching Philosophy and Character Development 32:41 Building a Strong Mindset 35:54 The Power of Belief in Teams 37:12 Recruiting Future Leaders 40:33 Leadership Styles and Adaptability 52:25 Coaching During Matches 56:49 Embracing Cultural Differences in Team Dynamics 01:00:15 Responding to Adversity as a Leader

  8. Mar 23

    006 - Helping Students Find their Voice with John Nagler

    John Nagler, a high school history teacher and department chair, discusses his journey from a teaching internship at a boarding school to becoming a leader in the classroom. They explore what it means to go beyond teaching content and instead develop students into confident, independent thinkers. John shares his approach to building a “democratized classroom” where student voice, discussion, and writing take center stage. The conversation also covers mentorship, leadership among peers, the challenges of technology in education, and how great teachers help students grow long after they leave the classroom. Check out GritBakery.com as discussed in the show for fantastic baked goods in Charleston, SC.   Chapters   00:00 Introduction to John Nagler 01:12 Early Influences and Background 03:52 The Groton Experience 07:09 Transition to Brown University 09:56 Teaching Journey Begins at Groton 16:37 Teaching Philosophy and Classroom Dynamics 25:30 The Harkness Method and Student Engagement 26:47 Empowering Student Voices Through Writing 29:56 The Importance of Rigor and Integrity in Teaching 32:07 Navigating Technology and Distractions in the Classroom 38:03 Leadership Dynamics in Educational Settings 41:27 Establishing Clear Expectations and Standards 51:20 The Role of Humor in Leadership and Teaching 57:05 Introduction to Lead with Bubba Scott 57:06 Engagement with the Audience

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About

Lead with Bubba Scott is a leadership podcast exploring what it really means to lead in high-performance, high-pressure environments. Hosted by Bubba Scott—U.S. Marine Corps veteran, former V-22 Osprey pilot, and a first-year Wharton MBA student—the show features thoughtful, nonpartisan conversations with leaders across disciplines, including the military, medicine, public service, business, sports, and the creative arts. Drawing on lessons learned through experience, each episode examines how leaders earn trust, make decisions under uncertainty, hold standards, and take responsibility when the stakes are real. This podcast is for emerging leaders who care less about titles and more about character, accountability, and performance.  Lead with Bubba Scott focuses on leadership as it’s lived: imperfect, demanding, and deeply human.

Information

  • Creator
    Bubba Scott
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Bubba Scott
  • Show Website
    Lead with Bubba Scott

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