Robin King did not expect to be involved with the Naval Special Warfare program. When her photographer husband decided to follow his older brother’s entry into the Navy SEAL program, the California State University at Long Beach graduate put her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance to good use. (her previous employers were Walt Disney Company and McDonnell Douglas Corporation/Boeing).
She began working in the finance department of a non-profit serving the special warfare community. But when a $100k donation came with a small catch: It had to go to an IRS recognized, tax deductible, 501(c)(3) organization. Thus, the Navy SEAL Foundation was born.
She began in the finance department, eventually becoming Chief Financial Officer, and then Chief Executive Officer. The national, nonprofit organization provides critical support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community and its families.
King discusses the balance that all special forces spouses seem to adapt to: being both independent when your spouse goes off to battle, yet part of a larger community supporting families through trauma and tragedy. She discusses why she (and other special forces wives and husbands) don’t “stress out” while their spouses are in harm’s ways: Their equipment, training, planning and leadership are all so good it imbues them all with a reassuring sense of confidence in their team and their own abilities. It is not just that they like their chances, it is that they have done everything possible to tilt the odds in their own favor.
Her favorite books are here; A transcript of our conversation is available here.
You can stream and download our full conversation, including the podcast extras on iTunes, Spotify, Overcast, Google, Bloomberg, and Stitcher. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here.
If you would like to make a donation to the Navy SEAL Foundation, please reach out to them here.
Next week, we speak with Bill Miller of Miller Value Partners, which manages $2 billion in client assets. Miller is best known for running Legg Mason’s Capital Management Value Trust, whose after-fees returns beat the S&P 500 index for 15 consecutive years from 1991 through 2005.
