Lasting Lessons: A Long Blue Leadership Retrospective

In our Season 4 retrospective, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz ’99 and Wyatt Hornsby, the Association & Foundation’s senior vice president of marketing and communications, revisit the clips that stuck with them.

 - “Mind. Body. Spirit.”
 - “What can I do for others?”
 - “Be humble. Be credible. Be approachable.”

These aren’t just soundbites. They’re leadership gold.

This episode will remind you why these conversations matter.

TOP 10 LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

1. Lead from mind, body, and spirit

   • Sustainable leadership requires caring for mental clarity, physical stamina, and spiritual/emotional grounding.

2. Leadership is a daily practice, not a position

   • Being a leader shows up in consistent habits and choices, not just in moments when you have the spotlight or a title.

3. Mental health fuels clarity and creativity

   • Protecting your mindset and mental health enables focus, problem-solving, and innovation.

4. Physical readiness underpins reliability

   • Long hours and high-demand environments require physical energy and stamina so you can show up for others when it counts.

5. Spiritual/emotional health anchors your “why”

   • Knowing your purpose and values helps you make grounded decisions and stay steady in pressure or uncertainty.

6. Shift from “Why me?” to “What can I do for others?”

   • Transform challenges by asking how you can serve your team and community, rather than focusing on personal hardship.

7. Selfless leadership unlocks others’ potential

   • When you lead by example and create opportunities for others to excel, people gain confidence and stretch toward their own “superhero” potential.

8. Humility, credibility, and approachability are core leadership traits

   • Effective leaders are humble about their limits, credible in what they say and do, and approachable enough that others feel safe coming to them.

9. Trust and respect are earned, not assumed

   • Especially with large teams and many colleagues, you must earn trust and respect through consistent behavior, not rely on rank or title.

10. Leadership is ongoing presence and intention

• Leadership “doesn’t start with a title”; it’s about showing up with intention and care, being present when it matters, and putting others first over the long term.

 

CHAPTERS

0:00:07 Introduction & Episode Setup

0:00:54 Intro – Leadership as Daily Practice (Tanji Johnson Bridgeman)

0:01:19 Mind, Body, Spirit in Leadership

0:02:06 Reflection on Intentional, Holistic Leadership

0:02:39Intro – Selfless Leadership & Inspiring Others (Dave Harden)

0:02:59 Transforming Challenges & Leading Selflessly

0:03:26 Reflection on Timeless, Presence-Based Leadership

0:04:03 Intro – Humble, Credible, Approachable (Rep. August Pfluger)

0:04:30 Core Leadership Tenets in Public Service

0:05:37 Reflection on Trust, Respect, and Credibility

0:06:13 Season Four Recap & Invitation to Explore Past Episodes

0:06:57 New Biweekly, Year-Round Schedule Announcement

0:07:45 Closing – Core Leadership Themes & Thank-Yous

 

 

 

ALL PAST LBL EPISODES  |  ALL LBLPN PRODUCTIONS

AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS

 

 

 

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Naviere Walkewicz 0:00
Welcome to Long Blue Leadership. I'm Naviere Walkewicz.

Wyatt Hornsby: 0:10
And I'm Wyatt Hornsby, and today we're hitting pause for a moment and we're going to look back.

Naviere Walkewicz 0:14
Yes, this episode is our Season 4 retrospective. We're revisiting some of the leadership moments that really stayed with us long after the microphones were turned off.

Wyatt Hornsby 0:25
We went back through the season and selected three clips among many amazing ones, each from a guest who brought a different perspective on leadership, but all with a common thread: responsibility to people.

Naviere Walkewicz 0:36
Absolutely. We're going to play each clip, Wyatt and I will react to it and talk about why those still matter.

Wyatt Hornsby 0:43
And at the end of the show, we'll also look ahead. We've got upcoming guests to share and a couple of important changes and exciting changes to how Long Blue Leadership will be published going forward.

Naviere Walkewicz 0:54
Absolutely. So let's get started. All right. Our first clip comes from Tanji Johnson Bridgeman, Class of ’97. Her episode stood out because of how she directly spoke about leadership being a daily practice. Now as you listen, pay close attention to how she talks about the health of your mind, body and spirit, and how those together form the foundation of great leaders.

Tanji Johnson Bridgeman 1:19
Mind, body, spirit. Why is that important? Because in anything, any philosophies that we adopt, we have to really see where it's important. So when you think of what is an officer — what is a leader going to have to do with their mind? This is where they have to have clarity. It's going to help with focus, creativity, to innovate new solutions. And so we need to be able to prioritize our mindset and our mental health. And then there's the body, right? So a lot of us are going to be going on deployments. We're going to work long hours. Our body is what's going to give us the fuel and energy and the stamina to get through a day. It's literally bringing our energy. And then you think about the spirit, and this one is really special, and it's probably the most neglected. So when you think about the spirit, this is where you're going to anchor in with your emotional health. What is your purpose? What is your why?

Wyatt Hornsby 2:06
That is such a great insight. And what really resonates with me, Naviere, is Tanji’s emphasis on health and wellness is a critical component of leading others — that integration.

Naviere Walkewicz 2:16
Yes, well, you know, we both really take our health and wellness seriously, but I think to the level that she really talked about it being — she really had this quiet confidence, and I think that also spoke volumes, right? It's not just about being physical, but being in your mind, body and spirit really well. And so I think that when we think about how that plays into being really intentional, people will experience you differently.

Wyatt Hornsby 2:39
All right. Our second clip comes from Dave Harden, Class of ’95. Dave brought perspective shaped by high-stakes environments where leadership is about inspiring others. Listen for how he connects looking outside of yourself, for your team with leading them to their own greatness.

Dave Harden 2:55
If we can transform, if we can pause, if we can look up right and see the faith and the what if and not say, say, Why is this happening to me? But what can I do with it? What can I do for others? How can I connect in a meaningful way? You will transform your life. You'll transform your leadership, and you'll transform the people around you, because they'll be inspired to be superheroes in their own right.

Naviere Walkewicz 3:26
Wow. That was a very powerful clip. And I just remember his conversation being really powerful, because there were so many moments where we talked about, you know, when you're really leaning into the fire. But this particular clip — what spoke to me, Wyatt — he was saying, if you lead selflessly and by example, looking for others to have opportunities to excel, they actually find the confidence in what they're able to give and do and striving for more. Thought that's really powerful, for sure.

Wyatt Hornsby 3:51
Agree Naviere, and that's really timeless leadership. Whether you're leading in uniform or outside of it, people trust leaders who are present when it counts. And Dave really personifies that.

Naviere Walkewicz 4:03
Yes, our third clip comes from Congressman August Pfluger, Class of 2000. When we spoke to the congressman, he brought a unique perspective, one shaped by military service and now public service. His leadership journey didn't end when he took off the uniform. It simply evolved. And this clip reflects that sense of responsibility to those one leads. To do that successfully means establishing credibility. Let's roll the clip.

August Pfluger 4:30
Growing up professionally in a fighter squadron, there were three tenants that they, even though I didn't go to weapons school, they teach you: that's to be humble, credible and approachable. I mean, think about that. Those are the core tenants of who our lead warriors are. And that is not what you see. When you think of politicians. You think, Well, they're braggadocios and annoying, and, you know, OK, I hope I don't fall into that category. I need to do some self-reflection every once while, but, but I've got a staff of almost 40 people, and I have 434 other colleagues that you have to work with. So you better believe that you've got to be humble, because there are people who are better than you in every category, you better believe that being approachable in this job is really important, because people are going to come to you and they're going to need something, or you're going to need something from them, and if you don't have the credibility of what you're talking about or what you're leading, then you're not going to get anything done.

Wyatt Hornsby 5:37
Great insights from the congressman. And that's really one of those leadership truths that carries across every domain for him now in Washington, DC, and the congressman is reminding us that leadership doesn't start with a title.

Naviere Walkewicz 5:50
I really appreciate that. I think specifically when he said he had over 400 colleagues, that really stood out to me about not leading with the title, but really leading with your virtue and being there. And so I love the fact that he talked about earning trust respect, and then with that comes credibility.

Wyatt Hornsby 6:06
And being approachable.

Naviere Walkewicz 6:08
Being approachable. Yes, we see him doing that all the time.

Wyatt Hornsby 6:13
All right, so let's look ahead. As we close out this retrospective, we also want to take a moment to look forward, but before we look forward, let me just say that these were three conversations among so many great ones from Season 4.

Naviere Walkewicz 6:26
It was hard to choose, wasn't it wise?

Wyatt Hornsby 6:28
It was so hard to choose. And we encourage you, if you have not listened to all of Season 4, check them out, because there's so many wonderful guests here. Thanks for the great job you did hosting those conversations.

Naviere Walkewicz 6:40
Always my pleasure. Always my pleasure. In fact, gosh, going back, I think, all the way to Season 1, there's always someone, a guest, that our graduates and other listeners, and gosh, our viewers can really resonate with. There's some wonderful leadership lesson down there.

Wyatt Hornsby 6:53
And easy to find. You can you can get our episodes anywhere you get your podcast.

Naviere Walkewicz 6:57
Yes, we have some outstanding guests coming up. These are leaders from across different fields, and we're excited to bring them into our Long Blue Leadership conversation.

Wyatt Hornsby 7:06
And we also want to share a couple of important and very exciting changes to how Long Blue Leadership will be published.

Naviere Walkewicz 7:12
Yes, we are moving away from seasons, and we're shifting to biweekly, year-round release schedule. This is so you get Long Blue Leadership all the time, year round. Right to you where you are.

Wyatt Hornsby 7:23
Very exciting, and that means more consistent leadership conversations. No long breaks, just ongoing dialog.

Naviere Walkewicz 7:30
Absolutely you just go to longblueleadership.org to find your Long Blue Leadership conversation. So going forward, we'll publish our annual retrospective, released each December, a dedicated moment where white and I come together to reflect on the leadership lessons we heard throughout the year.

Wyatt Hornsby 7:45
Very exciting, and Season Four reminded us that leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about showing up with intention and care, being humble, being approachable and putting others first.

Naviere Walkewicz 7:57
We're grateful to every guest who shared their perspective and to you for being part of this incredible community.

Wyatt Hornsby 8:03
And Naviere, while we're at it too, let's go ahead and thank Ted, our incredible producer of Long Blue Leadership.

Naviere Walkewicz 8:09
Thanks, Ted. We appreciate you so much. This doesn't happen without your magic. So thank you very much.

Wyatt Hornsby 8:13
Yeah, thank you, Ted and everybody. Thanks for listening. I'm Wyatt Hornsby.

Naviere Walkewicz 8:18
And I'm Naviere Walkewicz. We'll see you on Long Blue Leadership.

 

 

KEYWORDS

Mind, body, spirit, leadership, daily practice, mental health, physical health, spiritual health, wellness, emotional health, purpose, why, selfless leadership, service, inspiring others, transformation, high-stakes environments, team, connection, trust, respect, credibility, humility, humble, approachable, virtuous leadership, public service, military service, fighter squadron, colleagues, responsibility to people, presence, intention, care, confidence, long blue leadership, podcast, retrospective, season four, biweekly schedule, year-round release, annual retrospective, leadership lessons, graduates, listeners, community

 

The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation