Theresa Carpenter was an active-duty Navy commander when she joined us, preparing to retire. She has kept a public voice since she was a lieutenant. Mark “Moose” McGrath and I asked her how she managed that inside the rules, and what she plans to do next.
Advocacy on active duty
Theresa started writing online years ago. Her advocacy began with animal protection and grew into storytelling about service. Anyone can write an editorial off duty and out of uniform, she says, and she stayed inside those lines. As she grew more senior, some people liked her views less.
Diversity of thought
Theresa has championed diversity, equity and inclusion in the Navy. That put her at odds with official narratives at times. We talk about the tension between those efforts and operational effectiveness, and about extremism training. Historical naval incidents and the Afghanistan withdrawal come up as examples of systems that shut out different views.
Suicide in the ranks
We also talk about mental health and the rise in suicide among service members. Theresa thinks transparency and genuine leadership can start to address it. Storytelling helps close the gap between military and civilian life.
Her platform, Stories of Service, gives people a place to share those experiences.
If you are a veteran in crisis, call 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Anyone else can call or text 988.
Which voices in your organization are hardest to hear right now?
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Written by Ponch Rivera with AI assistance in production. The full conversation is in the player below.