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The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience
The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families. Through the perspective of a community of former graduates and Naval Academy insiders, this podcast will help you learn about life at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Through our shared experiences, Academy Insider guides families through the anxiety and frustration caused by lack of understanding, misinformation, and confusion. This platform is designed to better relationships between midshipmen and their loved ones. This podcast is not affiliated with the United States Naval Academy, the United States Navy or Department of Defense. The thoughts and opinions are exclusively those of your host and his guests.
Episodes
137 episodes
#137 Navy Racing
Navy Racing is not just about going fast, it’s about learning how to perform when everything is on the line. We sit down with Kevin Burnett to debrief a huge year for motorsports at the Naval Academy, from legitimate NASCAR exposure to the real...
#136 LIVE Podcast from I-Day at the Naval Academy with John Schofield of The Sing Second Pod
Your plebe has been gone for a few hours and your brain is already filling in the blanks. We get it. From a live recording on Main Street in Annapolis on U.S. Naval Academy Induction Day, we walk through what’s actually happening right now insi...
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#135 Learn About PROTRAMID - The Iconic Naval Academy Summer Training
I’m joined by Gabe Iglesias, a fresh USNA graduate (Class of 2026) heading to the submarine force, to walk through what Professional Training for Midshipmen actually looks like during PROTRAMID when you’re on the road, on base, and suddenly hol...
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#134 What Makes the Midshipman Experience Different and Special?
Around 15,000 applicants. Only 7.9% ultimately raise their right hand. Then the real deal starts: hardship, exhaustion, frustration, and homesickness. This episode is a recording of a speech I have at the Southern California Naval A...
#133 I-Day At The Naval Academy
I-Day can feel like a blur you can’t control, until you understand what’s actually happening and what you can do to support your future midshipman without adding stress. We talk through the real-world logistics that trip families up, starting w...
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#132 Learn About The Navy's Civil Engineer Corps
Most Navy career conversations orbit ships, submarines, and aircraft. Meanwhile, an entire community is quietly building, powering, and repairing the platforms and bases that make all of that possible. I sit down with Roland De Guzman, a Naval ...
#131 Naval Academy Rankings & Evals
Rankings at the Naval Academy can feel like a a mystery until you learn the language behind it and understand the system. We walk through how midshipmen are constantly evaluated, why class rank matters at graduation and commissioning, and how U...
#130 The End of Plebe Year
Plebe year ends with a fast, emotional sprint: finals wrap, intercessional leave hits, and then zero block brings the two biggest milestones most families are waiting for, Sea Trials and Herndon. If you’ve got a plebe at the U.S. Naval Academy,...
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#129 Welcome to the Families of the Class of 2030
Your son or daughter just earned a Naval Academy appointment and you’re proud, rattled, and unsure what to expect all at the same time. I get it. When a family doesn’t have a military background, USNA can feel like a different planet with its o...
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#128 "Adulting" Advice For new Junior Officers in the Fleet | Reflections from my Navy Journey
The Academy is a controlled environment. The fleet is not. The day you commission, “adulting” stops being a meme and becomes the difference between a stressed-out junior officer and a steady leader your sailors can trust. I riff on...
#127 Early Advice For the Incoming Naval Academy Class Of 2030
The question I hear every year sounds innocent but it can quietly wreck your Plebe Summer mindset: “How do I become the best plebe in my company?” I’m sharing a different path for the Naval Academy Class of 2030 and the families walking alongsi...
#126 Celebrating 50 Years Of Women At The Naval Academy
50 years ago, women showed up on I-day for the first time at the Naval Academy. That’s why this milestone weekend in Annapolis feels so big, and why we wanted the real story behind it. Marie (USNA ’86) and Adrienne (USNA ’06) join us to s...
#125 BONUS Episode: An Interview with Dr. John Cordle (Letters To Myself)
A single book can change your life, and sometimes it starts with one brutal question: what do you wish you’d known back then? We sit down with Dr. John Cordle, a retired Navy captain, to talk about his new book Letters to Myself and the real ex...
#124 The Marine Corps Influence at the Naval Academy
The Naval Academy doesn’t just produce Navy officers, it produces Marine Corps officers too, and that fact quietly shapes almost everything about life in Annapolis. We’re digging into the Marine Corps influence at the United States Naval Academ...
#123 Summer Training At The Naval Academy - On the Yard (011)
Your kid’s “summer break” at the United States Naval Academy might be the most important part of their year, and it’s definitely not a break. I walk through how Naval Academy summer training actually works from May through August, why it exists...
#122 Naval Academy Commissioning Week 2026: Schedules, Tickets, Parking, And More
Planning for Commissioning Week 2026 can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to navigate this milestone alone. In this comprehensive episode, I sit down with Lori Coogan, Director of Parent Programs at the Naval Academy Alumni Association, to...
#121 Choosing A Major At The Naval Academy
The major selection window is now open for plebes, and this decision can feel overwhelming when you're trying to balance future career goals with academic interests. As someone who once sent a 2:30 AM Snapchat saying "should have been a Group 3...
#120 Super Bowl Sunday at the Naval Academy - On The Yard (010)
Ever wonder how midshipmen celebrate Super Bowl Sunday while living under the structured environment of the Naval Academy? In this quick episode, I share an inside look at one of the most anticipated events during the challenging Dark Ages peri...
#119 Ship Selection - On The Yard (009)
Ever wondered what happens during that exciting night when Naval Academy midshipmen discover which ship they'll serve on after graduation? Ship selection night is one of the coolest traditions at the Academy, and understanding this process give...
#118 The "Golden" Handshake: A Deep Dive Into the Graduate Non-Commission Experience
When midshipmen reach graduation day but cannot commission due to medical reasons, they face what's called the "golden handshake" - but it's not as golden as the name may indicate. In this powerful episode, we explore the reality of Graduate No...
#117 Midshipman Pay and Taxes - On The Yard (008)
Learn about Midshipmen Pay at the Naval Academy. As someone who admits to being completely clueless about pay and deductions during my own time as a midshipman, I'm excited to break down everything you need to know about the financial sid...
#116 Learn About Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF)
What if you could spend seven straight years living abroad while serving your country? In this episode, we explore the incredible world of Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) through the eyes of someone who has made it their entire naval caree...
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#115 VGEP explained: Start Your Masters while at the Naval Academy
Ever wondered how you could earn a master's degree while still at the Naval Academy? Meet the Voluntary Graduate Education Program (VGEP) - a hidden gem that most midshipmen never hear about unless someone specifically tells them it exists....
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#114 The Dark Ages - On The Yard (007)
What Parents Need to Know About Naval Academy's Toughest SeasonEver wondered what midshipmen mean when they talk about surviving the "Dark Ages" at the Naval Academy? This episode pulls back the curtain on one of the most chall...
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