Lourdes Spurlock spent six years in the Navy running nuclear reactors. She was one of a handful of women on board, trained by male mentors who held her to the same standard as everyone else, and she came out the other side with thick skin, dark humor, and zero idea how to have a normal conversation with civilian women.

So she entered a pageant.

Not because she wanted a crown. Because she needed to relearn how to exist outside the military. How to dress for an interview. How to talk to people who didn’t get the joke. How to stop being the person nobody invites out a second time. Pageants became etiquette training, community access, and eventually a platform. She’s now Mrs. Virginia International 2026, and her platform is renewable energy, STEM, and veteran support.

That alone would be a good story. But this conversation goes further. Lourdes talks about what it actually feels like to leave a world where your coworkers check on you over the weekend and enter one where nobody asks how your three-day went. She talks about choosing a smaller pond on purpose, spending nine years at Newport News Shipyard building nuclear carriers before jumping into wind energy. And she makes the case that veterans don’t need more certifications to lead in this industry. They need to know what they bring and be willing to say it out loud in 30 seconds or less.

There’s a moment where Kevin asks what she wants to see happen with Project Vanguard’s fellowship over the next year. Her answer is direct: more women. Not as a talking point. Because she knows what it’s like to be the only one in the room and have nobody who gets it.

Timestamps

* 00:00 – Introduction & Lourdes Spurlock

* 01:30 – Legislative Days in Virginia & Oklahoma

* 03:47 – Social Media & LinkedIn for Veterans

* 05:25 – Getting a Screening Call, Not a Job

* 07:48 – Building a Network Through Community

* 09:13 – Mrs. Virginia International 2026

* 10:28 – From Navy Nuke to Pageant Stage

* 13:37 – Finding Mentors by Asking Why

* 15:38 – Sea Daddies & Navy Mentorship Culture

* 16:56 – Joining the Military & Newport News

* 18:54 – Find the Small Pond First

* 22:53 – More Women in the Fellowship

* 27:28 – Your Story Is the Product

* 29:28 – Advice for Veterans Entering Energy

* 33:21 – Don’t Be Scared to Be the Only Woman

Resources

People & Organizations Mentioned

* Lourdes Spurlock (LinkedIn)

* Apex Clean Energy (Website – LinkedIn)

* Kevin Doffing (LinkedIn)

* Project Vanguard (Website – LinkedIn – Facebook – YouTube)

* American Clean Power Association (Website)

Company & Industry News

* Apex Clean Energy Closes $2.79 Billion in Financing for Three Renewable Energy Projects

* Virginia’s First Onshore Wind Farm Under Construction in Botetourt County

* Valley of Valor: Lourdes Spurlock

Related Podcasts by Project Vanguard

* Energy Needs a New Pitch, Veterans Are It

* The Network After Service with Ken Webre

* Building Energy From Experience with Jon Powers

Related Substack Posts by Kevin

* Veterans in Energy & Infrastructure

* Your Next Mission: America’s Energy Future

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