Nuke Aircraft Carrier Skipper with Captain Amy Bauernschmidt

On today’s episode of The Adrenaline Zone, Sandy and Sandra welcome Captain Amy Bauernschmidt, the first woman to ever serve as the Executive Officer and then as the Commanding Officer of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. Amy starts the conversation by taking us all the way back to her beginnings and telling us about her journey of becoming a naval aviator. During the time she spent at the Naval Academy, Amy got a chance to go through different types of training and see many aspects of the Navy. Since being a naval aviator allows you to explore a lot of possible pathways after squadron command, one of them being entering the pipeline to become a carrier CO, Amy decided to pursue this path and become the first woman to command an aircraft carrier.

Next, Amy talks about different leadership challenges, from commanding USS San Diego as preparation before switching to USS Abraham Lincoln to studying naval aviation and getting nuclear power training. She says these experiences were challenging, but extremely beneficial to her career. Then, she opens up about the major risks that can occur when commanding an aircraft, emphasizing the importance of mutual support and understanding in a navigation team. To put it in her words, ‘it is all on the Commanding Officer's shoulders, but you're never doing any of it alone’. Finally, Amy shares her experience of being a woman in the Navy and the first woman to command an aircraft carrier. She believes that the stakes have changed for women and that she is really optimistic about where the Navy is going with women.

The Finer Details of this Episode:

• Becoming a naval aviator and then the first woman to command a US aircraft carrier
• The USS. San Diego as preparation for USS Abraham Lincoln
• Studying naval aviation and getting a nuclear power training
• The importance of mutual support in a team
• Leading 5000 people towards the same goal
• The experiences and recognition of women in the Navy

Quotes:

“One piece of advice I was given by some at the time, folks that had completed command was, 'Hey, think about what comes after that.'”

“It’s the folks above you that understand the expectations and the standards that ensure that as you grow up, and you get higher and higher qualifications, that you are getting done exactly what needs to be done for, frankly, in one of the most dangerous places in the world, which is the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, but it's also amazing.”

“Yes, it is all on the Commanding Officer's shoulders, but you're never doing any of it alone. And I do have an incredible navigation team and incredible reactor team and incredible air department team.”

“I think leadership is hard because it is people and not everyone is motivated by the same thing, not everyone responds in the same way. And when you're talking about 5000 people, it's a lot of people to try to move in a direction.”

“Come to my ship, you will see the next generation, and you will have absolutely no concerns whatsoever about where this country is going because they're incredibly amazing human beings.”

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Amy Bauernschmidt on LinkedIn