The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience

Insights from a Command Master Chief's Time at the Naval Academy. 
A conversation with Jeff Kirby: 

In this episode of the Academy Insider Podcast, the host is joined by Jeff Kirby, a retired Command Master Chief who served at the Naval Academy. Kirby recounts his 33-year Navy career, highlighting his roles in mentorship and leadership, especially his time at the Naval Academy. He explains the rank structure of the Navy enl...

Step inside the rigorous world of Plebe Summer with Commander Mike Murnane as we unravel the threads of leadership and mentorship that define the Naval Academy's transformational journey. This episode is your ticket to understanding the intense preparation and selection of the upperclassmen detailers, who are pivotal in molding incoming plebes into the future leaders of the Navy. The commitment of these detailers, handpicked f...

Naval Academy Life and Tradition: The Star Series and Letter Sweaters

This episode of the Academy Insider podcast, hosted by Grant from The Vermeer Group, kicks off its second season focusing on the life and experiences at the United States Naval Academy. The podcast, aimed at Naval Academy graduates, midshipmen, future midshipmen, and their families, features a conversation with John Carter '22, a former Navy basketball p...

Preparing for Plebe Summer at the United States Naval Academy: Insights, Advice, and Real Stories

This episode of the Academy Insider podcast focuses on providing insights, advice, and sharing experiences related to plebe summer at the United States Naval Academy.  This episode features Grant Booker, a 2023 Navy Academy graduate and former regimental commander of Plebe Summer, sharing his journey, the importance of leaders...

Academy Insider is back!  Academy Insider started back in 2017 in an attempt to give back to the Naval Academy community, sharing experiences & perspectives as a recent graduate to help the next wave of midshipmen and their families.

As Grant hit the peak of my operational duties, Academy Insider had to pause – Four Submarine Deployments in a three year span will do that!  Grant is now out of the Navy, but his desire t...

Drum and Bugle Corps

I'm joined by Andrea Howard who is a class of 15 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as a submarine officer. Andrea was an Arabic and Political Science major at the academy.

She is a Marshall Scholar and pursued graduate education directly after graduation.  She earned a MSc in Global Governance and Diplomacy from Oxford and a MA in Science and Security fro...

Rear Adm. James McNeal '86, U.S. Navy, Retired and is an expert on the Herndon Climb.

He joins Grant on the podcast and tells the story of the Herndon monument and most specifically the tradition of the climb which he considers the Naval Academy's greatest tradition.

Rear Adm. McNeal is "the expert" on this topic. He is humble, funny and a great storyteller and you will love this episode.
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Margaret "Peg" DeLuca Klein '81, Rear Adm, U.S. Navy, Retired is the Dean of the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI. 

A native of Weymouth, Massachusetts, Rear Adm. Margaret Klein was commissioned in May 1981 upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Klein completed a 35-year Navy career in March 2017. As Rear Admiral Klein, she served as the SecDef’s A...

Angela Bailey is the Protocol Advisor to the Commandant of Midshipmen and Brigade Social Director.

Angela Bailey once attended Ring Dance, and was impressed by the etiquette and manners of the Midshipmen. Her date informed her that Etiquette and Protocol is a part of a Midshipman’s curriculum all four years, and that they had an instructor for it all. Angela, having received formal etiquette training herself, remarked that...

United States Marine Corps 101

This podcast is the audio recording of a video interview with Major Lowell Krusinger.  Major Krusinger was the officer representative on the men's basketball team when I was at the academy.  He is a great mentor to me.

He attended the University of Utah where he completed his bachelors degree in English literature with the German minor and was commissioned a second lieutenant in...

Caroline Johnson '09
 
She began her military career at the United States Naval Academy in 2005, bristling against the strict rules but loving the friends she met along the way. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 2009, she joined the elite Naval Aviation community and began flight school in Pensacola, FL. 

In 2011, she was awarded her wings of gold and designated a Naval Flight Officer...

Katie Ann (Higgins) Cook

Katie who is a 2008 graduate of the Naval Academy, joins the podcast while serving as a United States Marine out of Houston, Texas.  She was in the 13th Company and a political science major with a minor in Spanish. She was a member of the women's swimming team.

Katie has a deep connection to the Naval Academy as her father, uncle, brother and sister-in-law are all academy grads.  Sh...

Brigade Boxing

I'm joined by Stephanie Simon who is a class of 17 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as a United States Marine Corps Officer. Stephanie was a general science major at the academy.

Stephanie is the best if not one of the best boxers in Naval Academy history. She's a three time national champion, a two time brigade champion, and then, on top of all of that, ...

My guest is author Ricky Conlin.  Ricky returns to the podcast as one of my most popular guests ever.  He is a proud member of the mighty class of 1999, was an economics major and a member of the sixth company.

Ricky describes himself as a very mediocre midshipman. He graduated smack dab in the middle of the class militarily and was relatively quiet. He did stand 14 days of collective restrictions. He played varsity footb...

In this episode, I'm joined by Captain L. David Marquet who is a class of 1981 graduate from the United States Naval Academy.  Captain Marquet was a Physics major at the academy and a member of the Fencing Team and 27th Company.

In this episode, we discuss leadership through the lens of his time at the academy, his time in the fleet and his subsequent career as a New York Times best selling author, keynote speaker, an...

I'm joined by Jarred Reid-Dixon who is a class of 17 graduate from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as a Supply Officer in the United States Navy. Jarred is from a big military family with both his parents in the US Air Force.  His brother is a United States Marine and his sister is an Officer in the Navy and also a USNA grad.  JRD was an economics major at the academy, 19th company, the captain of the chee...

I'm joined again by my guest in episode #023 Rob Roy who is a class of 2011 graduate from the United States Naval Academy.   He is a Navy pilot and currently serves as on the Commandant's staff at the Academy as the conduct officer. Rob was in the 9th Company. 
Rob and my conversation on this episode has nothing to do with conduct and all about ADVENTURE. 

Rob loves the outdoors and shares his passion and t...

I'm joined by Rob Roy who is a class of 2011 graduate from the United States Naval Academy.   He is a Navy pilot and currently serves as on the Commandant's staff at the Academy as the conduct officer. Rob was in the 9th Company.  

One of the unique aspects about life at the Naval Academy is we do have a conduct system, and it's not just for big things. We talk midshipmen regulations, which could be things a...

In this episode, I'm joined by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff who is a class of 1982 graduate from the United States Naval Academy.  Captain Abrashoff was a Political Science major at the academy and a member of the 29th Company.

In this episode, we discuss leadership through the lens of his time at the academy, his time in the fleet and his subsequent career as a New York Times best selling author, keynote speaker, and...