Hello, world. Welcome to number 59 of the Concrete Podcast.

Today's guest is a former U.S. Navy, senior chief, seal team operator, and decorated war hero, Kristen Beck.

Kristen proudly served in the United States as a Navy SEAL for over 20 years, serving on three different SEAL teams, including the United States Special Counterterrorism Unit, also known as SEAL Team 6.

She was deployed 13 times, serving in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, including seven combat deployments, earning more than 50 ribbons and medals, including the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart. Following retirement from military service in 2011, senior

chief Beck continued high-level clearance work at the Pentagon, working for the Secretary

of Defense. While in active duty, Kristen respectfully remained silent regarding her gender identity,

following the U.S.

military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy during her service.

But since retirement has announced her decision to live openly and authentically as possible,

releasing her memoir titled Warrior Princess and starring in CNN's documentary film Lady Valor,

where she recounts becoming totally detached from fear due to living

through the constant rocket and mortar strikes in Afghanistan, and sometimes being more than willing

to risk her own life to end the problems of having to face her gender identity issues.

In this podcast, Kristen shares her lessons from getting through basic underwater demolition

seal training at the top of her class to dealing with failure on the battlefield, specifically during a raid on Saddam Hussein's palace.

And she specifically describes the courage it took to publicly display her true identity,

at the risk of not only losing the respect of her peers, but having to face a grueling amount

of bigotry and hatred as a result.

I really hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I did.

Please enjoy this conversation with Kristen Beck.

Hey, what's up?

How have you been doing?

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