Suzanne Lesko: From Navy Captain to the Resilient Leader Way

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Houston, Texas. It’s time for Houston Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio Beyond the Uniform Series. Today, I’m joined by Suzanne Lesko, founder of SLI. Suzanne is a retired U.S. Navy captain and combat veteran who spent her career leading elite teams in high risk environments around the world. Today, she’s a national security leader, global speaker, and creator of the Resilient Leader Way, helping leaders and organizations strengthen their ability to lead with courage, clarity, and purpose. Under pressure, Suzanne brings decades of leadership experience and a deep commitment to veteran advocacy, to the work she does today. Suzanne’s life is a testament to grit, service, and the power of leading from the front. And oh, by the way, my Houston area friends, she is an Aggie. Suzanne, welcome to the show.

Suzanne Lesko: Thank you so much for having me, Trisha. This is just such an honor to be with another female veteran.

Trisha Stetzel: Thank you. It’s a long time coming, and I’m so glad that we finally made this happen, because I know that the conversation is going to be so beneficial to the listeners today. Uh, what else do we need to know about Suzanne before we get started?

Suzanne Lesko: Um, I would just say some fun facts. I’m, I’m an outdoorsman. I love Mother nature. Um, I think that brings a lot of, um, insights and creativity, especially for a lot of us throughout our Navy careers or military careers for that matter, have been inside joint operations centers or, um, other places that you just don’t see the daylight a lot. So, I think it’s really important as a business leader and as a family member, um, and as a community leader, that it’s important for us to just be outside and one with nature and everything we do.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. Oh gosh, those dark tunnels, it’s all coming back to me.

Speaker 4: Oh, I didn’t mean to scare you.

Trisha Stetzel: Alright. Um, so I’d really love to if it’s okay, I’d like to start kind of from the beginning. And your Navy career. So what drew you to military service in the first place, and what did you imagine your military career would look like when you first started?

Speaker 4: Such a great.

Suzanne Lesko: Question, Trisha. Um, so I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I come from a family of veterans. Um, my grandparents served, my dad served in the Air Force. And I think that led, that was kind of like the steps to move forward in exploring what, a military career in service to our country could look like, right? The art of possible, especially as being being a woman and going into different fields, pioneering naval aviation, um, special operations and all these other fields that women normally weren’t part of. So, um, I think my family was a big part of that, in addition to other community leaders that kind of shared their experience. And that’s what led me on to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. And then from there, the rest is history. Um, I served all over the world, um, led operations all over the world on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. And, um, yeah. And then I just recently got out just a few years ago. Um, my last duty station was in Southern Command in Miami.

Speaker 4: Wow.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay. So, um, let’s talk a little bit about being a Navy captain as a female in the military and leading teams that are in these incredibly high risk environments all over the planet. Uh, what do you think about reflecting on? What do you think about those experiences now and what shaped you most as a leader?

Speaker 4: Such a great.

Suzanne Lesko: Question. I think it’s really the team and the people that you surround yourself with. And, you know, looking back, there’s so many amazing leaders and, you know, you’re only as strong as your weakest link. Um, we say that a lot in reef points at the Naval Academy, but, um, you really are. I mean, it’s the teams you build and I learned so much from, uh, those that I served with both, um, my leadership and my subordinates. And I really believe, and I say this a lot is, uh, a rising tide lifts all boats. So I think we all have some nugget of wisdom to offer. Um, whether you know what, whatever background you come from or whatever part of the world you’re from, it’s really about having that shared consciousness, right? So when you put mission first, I think the rest follows. And that’s always how I’ve led. It didn’t matter if I was, you know, if I was a female or not. You know, it’s like I was shoulder to shoulder with my male counterparts together and leading them as well.

Speaker 4: Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay. So moving out of the military, so transitioning into this corporate environment, you and I share that as well. And being a female in this corporate space, how has that really shifted you as a leader, moving from the military, where you were like everyone else and now moving into this corporate space as a female leader?

Speaker 4: Such a great question too.

Suzanne Lesko: I think a lot of the, um, a lot of the attributes and a lot of the things we learn in the military do a great translation right into corporate, um, for example, being adaptable, being flexible, being agile, right? In today’s dynamic global environment and it’s all, it all intersects, right? It’s like business maritime operations. Um. Global events happening. Um, and I think all those skills are transferable, especially because, um, teamwork is such an important element of our military culture. But it also translates into what I’ve seen in successful teams that I’ve either led in corporate or other civilian endeavors. And, um, it’s a common mission, right? It’s all of us, um, taking the mask off, letting our egos, you know, keeping our egos at the door and redefining what excellence looks like, what the mission looks like in getting that buy in from the group. And I believe we don’t operate in silos, right? So I’m really big on sharing information, um, of what’s happening, atmospherics just so everyone is cued in and learning. And we’re all on the same sheet of music because you only operate as fast as the information you’re receiving and that you’ll be able to actually execute on it, right? So, um, I’m really a big believer on that. And, um, and again, a rising tide lifts all boats.

Speaker 4: Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: I’ve heard that a time or two, a time or two. Uh, you talk a lot about resilience. I know that comes up a lot when you speak and even in the content that you’re posting out on LinkedIn. And, uh, I think that is a key part of leadership. So after leading people in environments where the stakes were so very real, what does resilience actually mean to you?

Suzanne Lesko: Uh, another great question, Trisha. Um, resilience to me is really about it’s bouncing back, um, when adversity hits you, right? So say you have something that happens and you’re going down your trail in life or your journey, right? Say you’re, uh, whether you’re in high school or elementary school and you’re going on your path, and then you go off to university or college, and then you join the fleet or you go to corporate America, or maybe you take some time off. You take a sabbatical and you travel Europe for a month or a year, right? Um, I think in all those cases, um, what, you know, I always say, what time is it? It’s now, it always is. And that’s the moment we learn from that divine moment. And nothing sort of prepares you, right. You could read all the playbooks, you can, um, learn from your mentors, which I and other other coaches that, uh, share wisdom with you, which I think is vitally important to, to that resiliency infrastructure. But you don’t know till you’ve been, you know, faced that adversity, right? And that break apart, like you literally come apart and it could also happen, you know, let’s, let’s talk about a little bit about the veteran, um, community as well, right? Advocacy for that. And a lot of the issues we see within our veteran community. But it’s only when you break apart that you can come back together with those more beautiful pieces of yourself, similar to Kitsuki, which is like a Japanese art where something just breaks apart.

Suzanne Lesko: But then you put it back together with like a gold filigree, and it’s even more beautiful. Or even better than the previous model. So it’s almost like you’re, um, you’re like a 1.0 now you’re a 2.0, now you’re a 3.0. And that together with community actually is, I think what builds a resilient leader. But, um, there’s also a lot that I share about adversity in the fact that, um, you know, it doesn’t, uh, reveal a man or woman, it actually makes them so being resilient leader and having that as part of your operating system, then I think you can cut through anything in life, especially today’s dynamic global environment. Um, in addition to that, it really builds agency in a sense of like, yes, I’ve got this no matter what, you know, no matter, like, I’m sure you feel this way too, like you’ll hear something from a friend or from a report or, local community or the news, you know, something happens and you’re like, I never, ever I would have never, ever thought that to happen. Right. And it can trigger you. And I think having a sound nervous system, a regulated nervous system, working from that place of coherence within your heart and brain, um, really allows a strong foundation and an enduring foundation to be that, uh, sustainable, resilient leader and again, have that agency in your life.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay. So I think you’re already giving us a sneak peek, but I would love to learn more about the resilient leader way, which is something that you’ve developed.

Speaker 4: Mhm.

Trisha Stetzel: Tell me.

Speaker 4: More. Thank you so much for asking.

Suzanne Lesko: Um, yeah. So the resilient leader way is a, it’s a protocol and it’s a framework that I developed just from my life experiences. And I, I always said, how can I pay this forward for others and for them to learn this kind of framework that they can apply to their business or life. And it really starts with my experiences and things I’ve learned in different military scenarios, civilian scenarios, um, and working especially alongside my brothers and sisters in arms. Um, so I go through a series of stories that, um, uh, were these principles emerge from like one is adaptability, one is community, one is the power of focus, the power of faith. Um, the power of delegation, the power of vigilance. And those are all sprinkled in throughout my keynote and also, um, throughout the resilient leader way workshop. And, um, also just sessions where people want to kind of dial into this kind of kintsugi, ikigai, Japanese method of like life balance and harmony, harmony two, which is the ultimate result as well.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow, that sounds amazing. All right. I know there are some folks who are already interested and curious one about this, um, piece of work that you’ve developed, the resilient leader way or even just connecting with you. Suzanne, what is the best way for folks to reach out or find more information?

Suzanne Lesko: Well, just like you, Trisha, I think LinkedIn is a place I love to land as a thought leader. It’s a thought. I believe it’s a thought leader. Um, you know, you can create the thought leadership platform. Um, and also they can, um, they can reach me by w w w suzanne.com and um, I have other links in there, um, assets and um, and other information if you want to learn more about some of the work I do, or if you’d like to work shoulder to shoulder together.

Trisha Stetzel: Fantastic. Thank you for that. And of course, I’ll put that in the show notes. If you happen to be sitting in front of your computer, just grab those and you can point and click and get in touch with Suzanne or learn more right from there. I’d like to talk about the human performance side of your work. So how much does a leader’s ability to perform under pressure depend on what they’re doing before the pressure even arrives?

Suzanne Lesko: Very good question. Well, part of that resiliency, and I call it a reservoir of resiliency and readiness, is those protocols that help you be the ultimate, um, I would say, uh, perform performance in life and not from the sense of like, oh, I have to perform, but, you know, every place we go is it’s learning your craft, right? Your stagecraft, your business craft, your art craft, right, your creative, your creativity. And, um, when you can really dial in to the principles of, uh, great sleep hygiene, you can, you can dial into, um, a great nutrition plan. Um, you have a great community of support, um, dialing into having a regulated nervous system either through neurosomatic practices. Um, because it all is about our nervous system. So the more we can self-regulate and we keep the emotional refractory period less like something happens, an event and say, like, it took us a day to unravel from that, well, what if we can hear something or something happens and you know, it’s 15 minutes, right, versus a day. So I think the more you can stay in that place of coherence and alignment within your life and business, the better off you’ll be and the better you will be able to really optimize your own human performance.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. So, so many great thoughts here around the framework that you’ve developed and even some of the bits of information that you’re giving us today. If somebody is listening today and they’re like, I don’t even know where to start. I’m a big, I’m a big chaotic mess all of the time. And I don’t know how to call my nervous system. Where can they start? Suzanne.

Suzanne Lesko: I think where they can start in something that we can all do is first know that it starts with us, right? It starts right here with ourself. It’s not something external that we get. It’s all within us. Um, but I think part of it is just the power of a thought and intention. And then the easiest thing we can all do, and this starts regulation. There’s scientific backed evidence to this. Um, just taking a walk out in nature. Right. The first 3 to 5 minutes, you know, your, your cortisol shifts, your, your outlook shifts. You’re now looking at something that is in biomimicry with your, your body, right? A tree line, um, the ocean, um, maybe it’s the lawn, you know, golf course, something that, um, we’re nearby and um, once you walk for at least 15 to 30 minutes, even then you feel even better. So say you’re in a challenging meeting, you’re about to go into one. Um, I think a really important thing to do is if you already don’t have a meditation practice, it’s, you know, going outside for some fresh air, talking to people, um, just moving that energy. And you’d be amazed at how much A creativity you bring back to that issue or solve it. Um, so that’s, that is something that we can all do. Or you play your favorite song, you do a dance break, right? Um, that energy moves you from that like reptilian brain and back into flow and creativity and more right side brain activity to allow you to really create the best desired outcome.

Trisha Stetzel: I just want to spend the rest of my day with you. Would that be okay? Yes. I’ll go have.

Suzanne Lesko: Coffee and, um.

Trisha Stetzel: Yes, exactly.

Suzanne Lesko: You know how we’re going to how we’re going to level level up our veteran community together?

Trisha Stetzel: Exactly, exactly. And I think just having this conversation is so important, right? A real human beings, we all have challenges and there are ways that we can take control. It is something that we can control. And I think that that’s so important with the point that you just made. It’s not it doesn’t have to be external. And I’m just going to tell you a little secret. I like to go barefoot and put my feet in the grass when I get.

Suzanne Lesko: Like.

Trisha Stetzel: That.

Suzanne Lesko: So I.

Trisha Stetzel: Agree.

Suzanne Lesko: It’s so grounding. It really is. It’s very grounding. And um, I can remember actually when I was in Baghdad, you know, there’s not a lot of grass there. And um, we were, you know, we’re, it was a rough period and, you know, lots of, lots of commotion that day, lots of chaos. And I, I did, I would take my boots off and my socks and I’d find the patch of grass and put my feet down and just like, you know, drop in. Um, and, uh, you know, you do you what they say, you gotta, you don’t know which cards you’ll get dealt, but you just got to play them. And that’s kind of what you have to do.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. There’s a way. Right. Yeah. There is absolutely a way. And a lot of it starts with the mindset that you have. And I think that that’s so important. I know about another piece of work that is pretty amazing. And it’s a book that I believe you coauthored called, uh, Military Effect. I’d love for you to tell us a little more about that piece of work.

Suzanne Lesko: Oh, thanks for bringing that up. Um, yes. So the military effect is a it’s it’s a, well, collaboration with, uh, a lot of veterans from various backgrounds. We have everyone from Army, Navy, Air Force, some are were active duty in the books, some are retired, some are veterans, um, throughout it. And what it really does is showcase the transition of veterans from what they did in the military and their storyline from that into corporate or nonprofit world or, um, maybe entrepreneurship. And so, um, that idea was the genesis about three years ago actually. And since then that started with one conversation, one person, he didn’t know anyone in the military except me. And then like a friend, childhood friend that grew up with, with another military member. And that was kind of the start. And then together we just said, who do you, who do we think voices would really perpetuate this? Right? Because it’s the effect, right? We want to effectuate. So, um, that’s how that started. And then we had our first, um, we had a book signing at the military influencer conference. This was like fall of 24. And now it’s built into, uh, it’s called the TME ecosystem. And, um, we’re building out to like events and other things. Um, and everyone’s part of that, right? We all have our thing that we do, but like, it’s almost like another community and family of support.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. That’s fantastic. Thanks for being a part of such an amazing piece of work. And that leads me back to something we’ve kind of peppered in through our conversation, which is being a veteran advocate. We talked about it before. We talked about it before we started recording today in a little bit, uh, here. But from your perspective, what do veterans bring into civilian leadership that organizations don’t always recognize or even know how to leverage?

Suzanne Lesko: Oh, such a great question. I think a lot, as I alluded to earlier, is the teamwork aspect. Absolutely right. It’s the camaraderie. It’s um, being able to, um, also understand hierarchical structure, right? Because I think a lot of times, um, when you come into a new organization, you look at you’re like, mm, you know, I think we can shift this or, you know, we can get a better outcome if we, you know, shift these roles around or what is our desired outcome? What are our KPIs? What are our business goals? Um, and then aligning your efforts to that. Um, and so I think just having that, um, that connected network, which is, it’s like a ecosystem, right? And so we’re able to tap into those, uh, stories and traditions and then bring those into, um, into the marketplace because I think it’s really about passion over profit. Um, and we lead from the front. You lead mission focus, then you are really leading with that passion and that same teamwork that you bring. Um, or we feel we all feel right. And most, I would say most of us that have served. Maybe not. You know, there are some cultures that didn’t always have that. Um, and to bring that into the business field and, um, and then it’s like a, it’s like a force multiplier. It’s like an accelerator for, um, resiliency and teamwork and communication and just getting the job done.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. Okay. So I’ve heard community many times from you and you also mentioned mentoring earlier. So how important is it to be a part of a community, whether it’s you that needs the community or you’re the one giving back?

Suzanne Lesko: Right? Great question. I think part of that is, um, you know, going back to we’re human beings, right? We’re not human doings. So we start first as a human being. We all need connection to feel seen, heard, witnessed. And when you’re going through, uh, an issue in life. Sometimes we’re in remote areas, right? Sometimes we’re not in the family of origin that we are with. And it takes community wherever we are, um, to help bounce ideas off of, to help regulate, you know, nervous system regulation. As long as the person doesn’t stress you out. Right. Um, but does that person elevate you? Does that person or that community nourish you? Um, and it’s the spirit of sacred reciprocity, right? We don’t just ask, we, you know, we also give back to. So, um, that’s something I think when you’re looking for good mentors, it’s like, oh, I want you to be my mentor. Well, you know, you also have to think, what can I offer them? Right? Um, can I take them to coffee and then ask questions or, you know, learn, learn, um, you know, those that have gone before me, but I think, um, mediums like this, like podcasts or events or, uh, conferences you learn by listening, right.

Suzanne Lesko: And, um, and I think in those, uh, those that have gone before us, you listened to what lands and what resonates with you and you’re like, you know, I really would love to, you know, maybe, uh, work with that person or be mentored by them. And it feels right, you know, so I think really listening to your heart and really saying, you know, what? I, I really want to be in that person’s space and just like yourself, you have your podcast. It’s like, I want to listen to more of Trisha’s podcast because she’s really dropping some great gems, gems in there, right? Some nuggets of wisdom. And I think that’s what makes it so accessible now to, to touch upon leaders. Um, because you can see them if they have a podcast or if they’re going to be in an event, um, and just being mindful of their energy and time, because time is our only nonrenewable resource. So really being defining and intentional about what your ask is.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. And you don’t have to go it alone. One of the things that I struggled with. And I wonder if you can add something to this is one. As a military veteran, I wasn’t going to let anything fail. I knew that if I was going to start something, I was going to finish it, no matter how messy it got. I was going to stick with it until it was done right. And I struggled with, I will just do it myself. I’ll just do it myself. I don’t need anyone else. I don’t need any help. I don’t need any support. And that’s where I really struggled. So whether your own experience or you’ve seen others go through it, what would you add to that?

Suzanne Lesko: I would say we’re not in this alone. And I was just telling another colleague yesterday, I said, you know, we fail forward to success. Like we can figure out a solution or we can figure figure out how to address this issue. But you only know unless you try. So it’s okay to, to fail forward, right? Because that’s how we learn. Um, and you’re not in this alone and it’s not fun being in it alone unless you know you’re doing a solo performance and that’s the intention of it, like you’re given a violin concerto or something. But, um, I think part of it is we learn from each other, you know? So, um, you know, dropping that shield or laying your sword down and saying, I surrender and I need help with x, y, z. I can’t do it myself. And it also doesn’t feel good. Trisha. It’s like, you know what? Yeah, I can claim that. Put that on my resume bullshit. But at the end of the day, does that make you happy? Right?

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, exactly. Does it make you happy? That’s the big question, right? Like, oh my goodness. This has been such a great conversation. Suzanne. Uh, as we wrap up today, I’d love for you to reflect on the conversation that we’ve had. And if there’s one thing that the audience takes away from today, what would you want that one thing to be that they remember from the conversation that we’ve had?

Suzanne Lesko: Um, the one thing is really just to keep going, just to keep trying, just to keep putting that one foot in front of the other. Um, and yeah, you don’t know unless you test it out. So it’s almost like you’re beta testing your life. So just keep going.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. And perfection is the, the biggest challenge that many of us have to get past, right? It’s hard to fail. We don’t want to. But there’s so many lessons, so many lessons out there and so many people who can support us like you, like me, and particularly in the veteran community. And I think that that is so important. Thank you for all of the work that you’ve been doing so far, and can’t wait to hear the rest of your story.

Suzanne Lesko: Oh, thank you so much, Trisha. It’s been a pleasure.

Trisha Stetzel: All right, Suzanne, one more time. How can people find out more information about the framework, the book and Suzanne?

Suzanne Lesko: Uh, great question. Again, I’m a thought leader, um, on LinkedIn. So. Suzanne Lesko SUZANNELESKO, and you can find me there and listen in on some of and comment too on some of the thought leadership that inspires me.

Trisha Stetzel: Love it. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you spending your time with me.

Suzanne Lesko: Thank you for having me, Trish.

Trisha Stetzel: All right, you guys. That’s all the time we have for today. If you found value in this conversation that Suzanne and I had, please share it with a fellow entrepreneur, veteran or Houston leader. Ready to go get em? Aggies. Be sure to follow, rate and review the show. It helps us reach more bold business minds just like yours and your business, your leadership and your legacy are built one intentional step at a time. So stay inspired, stay focused, and keep building the business and the life you deserve.