He grew up farming and breaking horses in a town of a few thousand people in Texaco, New Mexico. He graduated with 28 classmates, turned down a full-ride college scholarship, and walked into a Navy recruiter's office with one question: ”Got anything where I work with my hands?”

25 years later, Frankie Ortiz retired as an aviation mechanic — having served on frigates, cruisers, and destroyers, survived 10 deployments, been aboard the USS Lincoln during the filming of Stealth, and transitioned from fixing helicopters to teaching drone warfare tactics used on today's modern battlefield.

But this episode goes deeper than sea stories.

Frankie opens up about missing his grandmother's funeral while deployed, the divorce that followed 15 years of marriage, and the moment his ”compartmentalized boxes” finally overflowed. He talks about what it really feels like to hand over your security badge after 25 years — and the identity crisis that no one warns you about.

He also shares the phone call that landed him a job within a week of retirement, why he deleted social media over a decade ago, and what raising his kids as a single father has taught him about structure, grace, and showing up with a smile.

Whether you're active duty, a veteran navigating transition, or someone searching for purpose on the other side of a major life change — this one's for you.

🎙️ ”Early is on time. On time is late. Late is in trouble.”