Episode Details

About Mike Manazir: Mike Manazir has a passion for stories, leadership, big ships, fast jets, thundering Harleys, and one woman: Kelly, his bride of more than forty years. 

He is a graduate of Top Gun and commanded an F-14 squadron, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, and a Carrier Strike Group. Mike retired as a Two-Star Admiral and is now an executive with a Fortune 100 aerospace and defense company.

He mentors a leadership style based on heart and trust that champions inclusion. Mike believes that if you have one or more people looking to you to show the way, you are a leader. He wants to help you be the best leader you can be, so you can Lead to Win.

In this episode, Gary and Mike Manazir discuss:

• Leadership growth through humility, connection, and personal evolution
• Persistence in the face of setbacks and redefining success through resilience
• Emotional influences that shape ambition, confidence, and identity
• Lifelong learning and reinvention from military command to corporate leadership

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace personal and professional failures as training grounds by analyzing what went wrong, applying those lessons immediately, and using each setback to sharpen focus and emotional endurance.
• Lead others effectively by practicing daily gratitude, recognizing individual strengths, and communicating how every person contributes to something larger than themselves.
• Transform imposter syndrome into a source of motivation by sharing your vulnerabilitie