In this episode of Life After the Military, Howie and Lee talk with Ash Alexander-Cooper OBE. Ash, a highly accomplished leader in the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, had a distinguished 21-year career that included special recognition with his appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Ash shares his insights about the value of developing and leveraging a strong personal and professional network, the importance of creating and sustaining highly trusted relationships with colleagues and clients, and his strong desire to give back to those who serve our communities. He describes the work he does as a leadership and management consultant and talks passionately about The Unsung Heroes Foundation which he helped to found to give back to veterans and first responders.
Ash also talks passionately about the need to develop resilience by overcoming life’s daily challenges and the need to stay connected to others to help them in their times of need.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashalexcooper/
The Unsung Heroes Foundation: https://www.unsungheroes.org.au/
0:00 Lee opens the podcast
00:26 Lee introduces Ash
01:37 Ash talks how his military service shaped him
05:30 Ash describes how he prepared for and executed his transition from the British military and the value of networking
12:30 Ash reflects on things he may do differently to prepare for transition knowing what he knows now
18:00 Lee and Ash discuss some differences between the US and the British military and their treatment by the government
22:03 Ash describes the work he did as a leadership and management consultant and how he leveraged his extensive military experience and the need to be adaptable
29:24 Ash shares how he leveraged his network connections, the value of developing trusted relationships and describes the work he did for Palantir Technologies
34:03 Ash passionately talks about his desire to give back, support charitable organizations and the work he does with The Unsung Heroes Foundation
41:22 Ash describes the efforts he took to help evacuate Afghan translators and families from Afghanistan
47:04 Lee gives Ash his book title
48:25 Ash tells the story how he ran the London Marathon in a dinosaur costume to raise money for an Afghan charity
51:57 Ash talks about how he developed his mental strength and resiliency throughout his life and his focus on helping others overcome their challenges
1:00:54 Lee closes out the episode
