How To Be A Resilient Leader with VetComm CEO Kate Monroe
In today’s chaotic, comfort-seeking culture, we throw around words like “grit” and “resilience” as if they were trending hashtags, rather than hard-earned virtues.
But what does resilience in leadership actually look like?
To answer that, I sat down with Kate Monroe, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, the CEO of VetComm, a congressional candidate, and the author of seven books. Kate’s story isn’t just inspiring. It’s a blueprint for anyone who wants to lead with authenticity, strength, and a commitment to serving others.
Here’s what I learned about how to be a resilient leader and why her journey matters now more than ever.
Watch Conversation with Kate Monroe
From the Marines to Mission-Driven Leadership
Kate didn’t grow up planning to join the military. She stumbled into the Marines during a rainstorm—literally. But what started as a spontaneous decision became a crucible that shaped her life's mindset.
“Hard is whatever you decide it is,” she told me. “If you say it’s hard, you’re the first person who will believe it.”
That mental fortitude would carry her through military service, personal trauma (including multiple reconstructive surgeries after an assault), and eventually, the founding of VetComm. This company helps veterans access the VA benefits they’re owed.
What Real Leadership Requires
Kate’s leadership philosophy is blunt and unfiltered:
“Real leadership is taking the hill first, not sending people to do it for you.”
At VetComm, a company now 150 people strong across 18 states, that ethos is more than motivational talk; it’s operational. Kate starts each day at 6 a.m. and personally checks in with her team. She hires based on grit and coachability, not just resumes.
And when outsiders attempted a hostile takeover of her company? Her team refused to work until she was reinstated.
Leadership doesn’t come from titles. It comes from showing up, especially when it’s hard.
Building a Culture of Service
VetComm isn’t just a company; it’s a shield for veterans navigating a broken system. Many are denied benefits, misled by red tape, or give up after being rejected repeatedly. Kate’s team has helped over 14,000 veterans secure more than $4.5 billion in compensation, and fields over 200 suicide calls a month.
That’s not just business. That’s war by other means.
“Veterans don’t need slogans. They need help,” she said. “Sometimes they just need someone to look them in the eye and ask: ‘How can I help?’”
Mental Health, Faith & Sustainable Grit
Kate’s not shy about the toll leadership can take. She’s seen what happens when we neglect our mental well-being, especially among veterans and high performers.
Her recovery and restoration includes:
Daily workouts with a trainer
Affirmations with her 8-year-old son
Avoiding alcohol during hard times
Staying spiritually grounded through church and community
“You can’t pour from an empty cup. You can’t lead from a dark place.”
Running for Office and What She Learned
Kate recently ran for Congress in California’s 49th District. She didn’t win, but the experience was eye-opening. Behind the glamour of national TV interviews and campaign speeches, she saw how politics often favors money and mediocrity over service and solutions.
But it also showed her where change really happens: through lobbying, media, and business influence.
“America is being run by 24-year-olds with political aspirations. That’s not a conspiracy—that’s Washington.”
Instead of chasing office again, she’s now building alliances to influence policy from the outside, backed by a profitable, mission-driven enterprise.
Final Thoughts: Leadership as an Act of Service
Kate Monroe’s story is a reminder that resilient leadership isn’t about perfection; it’s about persistence. It's about showing up when you’re tired. Listening when it's easier to talk. Standing up when it would be easier and safer to sit down.
Her voice is bold and precisely what’s needed more at this time.
“I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. But I’m authentic. And authenticity is the future of leadership.”
Connect with Kate Monroe
Website: https://www.vetcomm.us/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KateMonroeCEO/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateMonroeCEO
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@Kate.Monroe
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katemonroeceo/
Transcript (may not be exact)
Julian Hayes II
(0:04) All right, everyone, welcome to another episode of Executive Health and Life. (0:07) I am here with Kate Monroe. (0:08) And Kate, thank you so much for joining me.
(0:10) I was getting ready to, anytime I talk to a veteran, I give the standard, thank you for your service, but I actually recently watched one of your videos. (0:18) So I want to say, how can I help? (0:22) And I'm curious on that.
(0:25) What's the, I guess, what was the impetus for that, to change that distinction right there?
Kate Monroe
(0:31) Well, I think as a veteran, it's always a little awkward when somebody says, thank you for your service. (0:37) I hear it a lot because of the nature of my business. (0:40) I help veterans.
(0:40) I'm a Marine Corps vet. (0:42) So I always say happy to have served and sort of, we closed the conversation there. (0:45) But it occurred to me that once I started helping veterans and I saw that there's 1.3 million vets at the brink of homelessness, 35,000 of them on the street, they can't get their benefits, their healthcare. (0:55) It sort of seems like a good branding campaign to just sort of say, thank you for your service, because it's cheaper than actually helping people. (1:02) And what I have found is sometimes veterans just need an ear. (1:05) They need a hand on their shoulder.
(1:07) They need a, how can I help? (1:08) Do you need groceries? (1:09) They need help.
(1:10) Even if it's just somebody to notice them, to look them in the eye and recognize their service. (1:15) So our whole company's whole ethos is how can I help? (1:18) When we get on the phone, in fact, when somebody transfers me a call, I said, Kate Monroe, this is how can I help?
(1:23) Because they need help. (1:24) They're like, oh, wow. (1:25) They'll tell me exactly what they need.
(1:27) And then we can cut right to the chase and get them the resources that they need right now.
Julian Hayes II
(1:32) Yeah. (1:32) I mean, you changed it already, because I usually tell some of our law enforcement and everything around. (1:37) And now that's like, I can't unsee it now.
(1:39) So that's what I'm going to start saying now, just because, now that I think about it, I guess it feels good, but I don't know if it's actually accomplishing anything when you do that, right?
Kate Monroe
(1:50) It feels good to you when you say it. (1:51) Like give a dollar to a homeless person, you get to feel good for a second, but it doesn't really do anything.
Julian Hayes II
(1:57) Yeah. (1:57) It's a bit like empty, a little bit of empty calories.
Kate Monroe
(2:00) Yes. (2:02) And we're on the topic of health. (2:03) We don't need any empty calories.
Julian Hayes II
(2:05) No, we don't. (2:06) So I'm curious, what led you to join the Marines?
Kate Monroe
(2:10) It's such a crazy, it's a wild story. (2:13) So I grew up in Redding, California, a little time. (2:16) I actually grew up in Anderson, but it's so small.
(2:17) I just say Redding, because maybe people will know. (2:20) And I went to Christian college right after high school. (2:24) So I grew up in a little tiny town, had a full ride scholarship, went to Oregon for college.
(2:27) And I didn't really know what I wanted to be. (2:29) I thought I wanted to be a teacher. (2:31) And I realized pretty quickly in student teaching that I wasn't going to be able to make the sort of life for my family, my eventual family that I wanted.
(2:38) And a lot of my friends had gone into the military and they got into military intelligence. (2:44) And so when I came home for the summer, I tried to go in the air force, but they apparently didn't need people bad enough to ever show up for work. (2:51) And the day I was supposed to take my ASVAB, it was pouring rain.
(2:54) I pulled up to this little strip mall where all of the recruiters are. (2:58) And I was just sitting in my car so mad because this was before MapQuest, before cell phones, before you could really get around if you didn't know where you were going. (3:06) So I had a bang, bang, bang on my window and it was a Marine Corps recruiter of all people.
(3:11) And he said, young lady, how can I help? (3:14) And I said, well, I'm trying to go take my ASVAB and the air force recruiter is nowhere to be found. (3:19) He said, well, I'll take you down there.
(3:21) And it turns out he was quite a good salesman. (3:23) And so I decided, hey, I want that good testimony for my life, that grit and grind that you get only by doing those hard things. (3:31) And I ended up going in the Marine Corps, partly because my parents said, if you're not in the service before the next school year, you have to go back to school.
(3:37) So I was in a race and I made the cutoff just in time.
Julian Hayes II
(3:42) Yeah. (3:42) I'm curious. (3:43) I'm sure there's a lot of lessons from there, but what do you think has been the best thing about joining the Marines and that you've been able to take and apply to your life afterwards?
Kate Monroe
(3:52) Well, the coolest thing that no matter what service you join, you always get to say that you serve, right? (3:57) So you're always going to be sort of cut apart from your peers when you go to do interviews, when hard things, when hardship approaches you, you have a litmus test to say, is this really hard? (4:06) It might be hard for your civilian counterpart that's never been in the service.
(4:09) But if you've served, you're sort of like, that doesn't really seem that challenging. (4:13) But I would say making the choice to be a Marine is a totally different thing than just serving in the military. (4:20) The Marines, if you've met them, are a little crazy about our service.
(4:24) Once a Marine, always a Marine. (4:26) In fact, I just said in a speech, I said, I'm going to arrive violently on behalf of veterans until I go in the ground. (4:32) And all the Marines stood up to cheer because that's just how we are.
(4:36) And so I think it really set me up for everything to be easier after that, because I was assaulted. (4:41) I smashed my nose and eye socket, actually lacerated my whole face, crushed my elbow, my ankle, got treated not too well as a result. (4:51) So it gave me the gift of grit and resiliency.
(4:53) It makes everything seem easy. (4:55) I've written seven books. (4:56) I've run for Congress.
(4:57) I'm the CEO of a company. (4:58) And I just never quit because I've realized anything can be, any hardship's temporary if you keep going, if you get to the other side of it. (5:05) But if you stop, it's permanent.
(5:07) So it gave me all those things. (5:08) I suggest to anybody going in the military, even if it's hard.
Julian Hayes II
(5:12) Now, I guess, I wonder if this bothers you, kind of that we see a little bit in society now, that people maybe seem a little soft or, you know, avoiding a lot of hardship and or saying things are hard. (5:27) How do you, what do you think about that?
Kate Monroe
(5:30) Well, I employ a lot of young people from many different generations, you know, millennials, Gen Zers and whatever is after that. (5:37) I can't keep track of all the different, you know, generations. (5:40) I'm a Gen X.
(5:41) I'm like right at the tail end of Gen X, where we were sort of the last, you know, stand of having no cell phones to adulthood, you know, drinking out of the hose, playing outside. (5:51) Your parents would look at you like you're insane if you're inside. (5:54) You're like, I live here, though.
(5:55) Like, uh-huh. (5:56) But also get outside. (5:58) So that, you know, Gen X, in fact, there's like that delineating line between those people and everyone else.
(6:05) And what I try to sow into all of our young people is hard's whatever you decide it is. (6:11) If you say aloud that it's hard, you're the first to believe it because you said it and you heard it and now it's true. (6:16) So I always caution them against talking negatively about themselves.
(6:20) I actually am the mom of an eight-year-old little boy. (6:22) We do affirmations every day. (6:23) I want to make sure that he knows I am fun, I am smart, I am kind, I have grit, you know, because whatever you tell yourself, that's what it is.
(6:32) And this next generation is soft and we want to blame them. (6:37) Well, you were raised by somebody. (6:39) You know, when I was a kid, people would go find your parents.
(6:41) If you were bullying somebody, knock on your door and those parents would be having a conversation. (6:47) Now parents are so worried about getting in trouble, making their kids upset. (6:51) Their kids don't like them.
(6:52) I didn't, my parents did not think us liking them was a requirement of their parenthood. (6:58) Apparently. (6:58) I mean, I love my parents, but they weren't worried about being liked.
(7:02) And I think that's really the crux of the issue. (7:04) People are too worried about being liked, you know, too worried about, Oh, what if they don't like me? (7:08) What if they cancel me?
(7:09) Oh, okay. (7:09) There's a billions of other people that'll like you, you know, so.
Julian Hayes II
(7:14) Yeah. (7:14) And it almost sounds like across the board, there's a drop in self-esteem and morale and self-concept.
Kate Monroe
(7:21) It's horrible. (7:22) I mean, it actually makes me cry for these younger people. (7:24) I have a lot of kids that told me before they started working here, they didn't really have, they didn't feel like they were leading a purpose-driven life.
(7:32) And they were completely convinced that if there was a pod for them to go get in and just never wake up again, it's a huge number of young people that would do that. (7:42) They don't see any future for themselves. (7:44) They don't see how they can be come homeowners and how they can climb the corporate ladder.
(7:48) They realized now they went to school and it is basically meaningless because no one from our generation cares, could give a damn, you know, about their little piece of paper that they have. (7:57) And it's, it's just a shame, but the social media and us worshiping it in some way is a problem, you know, because all these kids say, well, I have all these friends. (8:08) I have all these friends.
(8:11) When's the last time you went to dinner with them? (8:13) When's the last time that you connected? (8:14) When's the last time you played a board game or cards or went and kicked a ball around?
(8:18) People are lonely. (8:20) You know, we've never been more connected and more alone ever in the history of man.
Julian Hayes II
(8:24) Absolutely. (8:25) I'm curious, you mentioned, you mentioned that in your company, how do you go about, I guess, getting people on board and building that unit? (8:34) And because a lot of times it's, it's not just salary.
(8:36) It's, you know, it's, that's surface level because if it's just money, people will just chase the next. (8:43) Yeah.
Kate Monroe
(8:44) Yeah. (8:46) Yeah. (8:46) It's, I think part of it is hiring with culture in mind, you know, really what is our culture?
(8:52) Is this person a culture fit before they even start here? (8:55) Forget their talent, right? (8:57) Like talent is secondary to being a culture fit at my company because of the nature of who we serve.
(9:01) We serve veterans. (9:02) Veterans are difficult to serve. (9:04) Veterans will MF you, you have to have thick skin to deal with veterans.
(9:08) We filled 200 suicide calls per month. (9:11) You have to be of gritty nature in order to work here. (9:14) You have to want to be doing good, doing good.
(9:16) And I think that we choose people based on whether or not they have a heart to serve people and if they're going to be a good culture fit and whether or not they're coachable. (9:25) We look at talent fourth because talent some people come by it naturally, but a lot of skills you can teach people, the people that make claims here, we can teach them to make claims. (9:36) If they have a heart to serve veterans, I can take a person who's never done sales before and teach them how to help veterans enroll in our system.
(9:43) If they care about serving veterans. (9:45) So we kind of do all the C's first and then the talent at last, that's really how we go about it. (9:50) And I would think too, that there's six families that work at my company.
(9:53) So every time we get a family member, they will bring two or three more people. (9:57) And that says quite a lot about our culture. (9:59) If you're, if we're a safe company for your whole family to work at, I feel like we're doing pretty good.
(10:04) About two years ago, we had five employees. (10:07) We have 150 employees now in 18 States serving veterans around the globe, 12 hours a day, seven days a week. (10:13) People working in shifts and it's just unreal.
(10:16) Like I actually feel like I tell them all, we're all in a big Viking ship in the same ship, not siloed out into other, we're in the same ship. (10:25) I'm standing at the bow of the screaming row, pull all day long because our mission is great. (10:31) We helped 14,000 veterans last year, 14,000 veterans in one year secure $4.5 billion. (10:38) You don't do that if you don't have the right people and the right culture.
Julian Hayes II
(10:43) You know, when I was researching you, I didn't, I thought something like this would already be just taking care of a lot of, and I found out it wasn't. (10:53) How is that possible that veterans of all people are not taken care of in the manner that they should be?
Kate Monroe
(11:00) Well, because veterans are easy to take advantage of and they're easy to take advantage of, not because they're easily overcome in their physicality. (11:08) They're easy to overcome mentally because they go from being kicking doors in, carrying a rifle, being part of a team, having that sort of Sparta, like, you know, like go to war spirit, that high tension for years. (11:20) And then we just let them out.
(11:22) And they're like by themselves. (11:24) People start telling them they have anxiety, depression, PTSD. (11:28) They start to get lonely, which creates depression if you didn't have it before.
(11:32) And so they're easily overcome because the VA knows that they have anxiety of perfectionism and hypervigilance and all these things. (11:39) So they'll get, they'll get them stuck in this analysis paralysis where it's easy to hold them down. (11:44) And they know that veterans often have flash rage.
(11:47) So if you deny them, they'll just take their ball and walk off the field. (11:51) So they prey on the mental health of veterans in order to not pay them. (11:56) So our company says our logo is a literal shield.
(11:59) I am like a, like Lagertha. (12:01) I'm like, get behind the, I'm like a dragon queen. (12:04) I'm like, get behind the shield.
(12:05) I will go kick that freaking door in. (12:07) 150 of us will knock that door down so you can run through it safely. (12:11) That's why the VA is an insurance company that doesn't want to pay.
(12:16) And they have figured out, they crack the code on veterans. (12:18) If we just deny them enough times, they'll go away. (12:21) If we just convince them that that's got to be perfect, they'll go away.
(12:25) And that's how they do it. (12:26) So we have to unwind and unpack some of that stuff with the veterans and say, Hey, give that to me. (12:31) I'll take all that.
(12:32) You just need to go through the process with me. (12:34) And it's just very unfortunate. (12:36) Most of what we talk about in our ads, in our talks with veterans is this, it's like, Hey, stop watching, start winning, stop watching all this content.
(12:47) It's time to deploy this knowledge you have and go get what you're owed.
Julian Hayes II
(12:51) Yeah. (12:51) That's a societal lesson as well, right there in terms of just being a consumer and never being a creator. (12:58) How was it adjusting back to civilian life?
(13:01) Because I have a few friends who it was a little tough for them to adjust back to civilian life afterwards, being deployed for a while.
Kate Monroe
(13:08) Yeah. (13:08) Well, I think it's very difficult. (13:10) And I actually went out to go and visit a guy here, a homeless guy living in a very broken down trailer with no running water, no bathroom, no shower.
(13:19) And we had a very interesting talk on the way there with my media team. (13:23) And they said, How does so many veterans end up homeless? (13:26) And I said, Well, I'm going to tell you, imagine that you work for me.
(13:30) And as a byproduct of working for me, you get a paycheck, you're going to get housing, you're going to get your dental and your medical and your team and your purpose and your job, all of these things are going to come just because you work here. (13:42) But tomorrow, you can't work here anymore. (13:44) And oh, by the way, now you don't have a place to live or your health coverage or your team or your purpose.
(13:50) Hey, and the thing that you were doing today doesn't even exist anywhere else. (13:54) So good luck to you. (13:55) And we transition a quarter million people that way.
(13:58) We take them from extremely close knit shoulder to shoulder, no light between them like Spartans were there at like high tension all the time. (14:09) And then we just let them out in the wild like, Oh, good luck. (14:12) You know, we do we say thank you for your service now move along.
(14:16) All right. (14:16) Right. (14:17) So what they need when they're traversing this separation is that they need help.
(14:21) So we became a DoD skill bridge company, I have about 30 people that are active duty that work for me. (14:26) The day they become civilians, now they have a job. (14:29) And they already have a team and purpose to snap into if more companies would be skilled rich companies, you wouldn't see the the suicide, you wouldn't see the homelessness, you wouldn't see this mental health breakdown, we need to make a more seamless transition from active duty to civilian life that would that would fix most of the problems that we have in our veteran community.
Julian Hayes II
(14:49) Yeah, so yeah. (14:50) And the thing is, it's, it's, you know, it's shocking to me that it's that these things are not there. (14:55) Because to me, these are some of the best leaders out there.
(14:58) And they're amazing. (15:00) Companies will love these types of people, you know, and like me, I mean, I had to learn how to operate in teams, I had to learn these types of things. (15:06) Because I'm the only child I grew up just, it's just mostly revolved around me.
(15:10) Whereas like some of my friends, they were deployed, they've led teams, platoons, they dealt with so many things, all these things a company needs. (15:18) Yeah, they would be prime candidates.
Kate Monroe
(15:21) Yeah, I mean, all the people so it's really funny. (15:24) So about a year ago, I got a guy in from skill bridge, he was a first sergeant. (15:28) So he was very high ranking on the on the enlisted side.
(15:31) He came here and I was thinking, man, why would he come here after he just got done retiring? (15:36) Why would he take this job? (15:37) So he said, Look, I had a ton of buddies transfer with no team and no purpose and no nothing.
(15:43) And I told myself, I need to protect my mental health. (15:45) And I need to go work somewhere where I'm doing good, and I have a job. (15:48) So he came in here.
(15:50) And now he's the director of that entire 50 man shop of people that does claims here in one year. (15:55) Just absolutely stand out individual that skill bridge program has delivered us some of the best human beings ever, because they know how it is to struggle. (16:05) They know, they serve veterans in a totally different way than all of our, you know, civilian people that serve people.
(16:11) So it's just, it's amazing.
Julian Hayes II
(16:14) Yeah, and I think what, you know, let's go back to day one when you're starting your company. (16:20) And I assume a lot of it is because of things you felt yourself personally, right?
Kate Monroe
(16:25) Yeah. (16:26) Yeah, I, I got out of the Marine Corps, and I had no rating. (16:30) I got out kind of with some speed.
(16:32) I wasn't like safe. (16:33) My master sergeant who was getting out said, Kate, if I leave you here, you're not safe. (16:37) And I knew what he meant.
(16:38) He said, I can get you out with some quickness, but you're gonna have to sacrifice your med board, you know, to get out. (16:44) And I said, Okay, fine. (16:45) If I'm not safe, I'll do that.
(16:46) Because I had been waiting in this loop, you know, for about a year. (16:49) So I ended up getting out. (16:51) And I sort of I ended up having to pay for seven surgeries to fix my face, I'm actually missing part of my skull that they made my nose out of.
(16:58) So I had a hard road ahead of me. (17:00) Because I smashed my nose, eye socket and lacerated my face. (17:02) So I had a bad about 70 hours of surgery to look like a person.
(17:07) So I went through that whole experience and sort of just walked off had no closure and just was released out into the wild and just made my way here, basically. (17:15) And so at about 2011, I decided I wanted to go back to school because I knew someday I would have a little kid and I didn't want them to say, Hey, I'm not going to go to school, you didn't go to school. (17:26) And I and I was marrying someone that has a PhD in electrical engineering.
(17:30) So I'm like, I can always get a four year degree, right? (17:34) So I decided to try to use my GI Bill will expired one month prior. (17:39) So not only did I go in have all this horrible stuff happened to me, now I can't even use the GI Bill.
(17:43) And I was just like, wow, like, how many times can you get screwed here? (17:47) And my husband looked up and said, Hey, there's this cool program where if you're rated for disability, you get to go to college. (17:53) So I only made a claim.
(17:55) Yeah, just to so I could go to school, I had no idea what would happen. (18:04) So I ended up getting rated at 70%, which is about $1,700 a month. (18:07) I used voc rehab, I successfully went to school, I didn't know you could go back, I didn't know, I just knew what I did.
(18:13) And I walked away. (18:15) Well, in 2020. (18:17) Right before COVID started, I had been in vacation club sales, I had owned my own car dealership, I trained real estate agents, I've done a lot of that entrepreneurial type of stuff as well.
(18:27) So I decided to open a car store, like a giant car dealership in Oceanside, California. (18:32) And on the side on about 100 by 15 foot banner, I put veteran owned and operated. (18:39) And hundreds of veterans came to buy cars, because I was the only person open during COVID.
(18:44) I stayed open, I got a DMV clerk. (18:46) Well, people started to come, they couldn't afford a car. (18:48) And I said, Hey, what if I help you get rated for disability compensation, you get some money and come back and buy a car.
(18:53) Well, about 200 people later, I realized, man, there's a problem here, you know, and it turns out that 66% of veterans never make a claim or never when they never get compensated. (19:05) So the so the VA, the government get to keep billions and billions and billions of dollars, because people either don't think they deserve it, they don't know what they tried, they failed. (19:14) And I thought, well, I'm going to fix this problem, I'm going to help a million people make their claims, because I'm not a super fan of what the government does with the money.
(19:23) And that they keep, they don't do anything good with it. (19:27) So this was born, VETCOM was born late 2020. (19:31) And it took the first two years to build all of our systems and build the infrastructure in order to be able to help veterans.
(19:39) And in 2022, we served only about 30 veterans while we were trying, you know, trying things. (19:49) And then we served in 2023. (19:53) We served about 1000 veterans.
(20:03) In 2024, though, we served 7000 veterans, and we've already served more than 7000 veterans in 2025. (20:13) So I mean, we're just like, but I was it was more like, I'm a good solution provider. (20:18) And I don't let grass grow under my feet.
(20:21) If I can do it, I feel like God gives us all gifts. (20:24) And I have the gift of vision and execution. (20:27) When you couple those two things together with a touch of capital, pretty much anything is possible.
Julian Hayes II
(20:33) Yeah, I was gonna Yeah, that's correct. (20:35) Because usually, a person who's a good execution may not be a good visionary. (20:40) Yeah, it's usually vice versa.
(20:42) You need to find or pair those people. (20:44) So yeah, you have a very unique skill set then.
Kate Monroe
(20:46) It is unique, but it has worked to my advantage. (20:50) I will tell you that.
Julian Hayes II
(20:51) What do you think makes? (20:52) What do you think makes a good leader?
Kate Monroe
(20:55) I think makes a good leader is listening more than you talk. (21:00) When you're talking, you know, you're with your people. (21:03) It's amazing what people will tell you when you're quiet.
(21:06) You know, when you're quiet, and you sit and listen, and you take in the room, and you ask people questions, and you actually seek to understand and become a good listener, then you can give people real affirmation, you can genuinely interact with them, you can listen to them speak, and they might not even know there is a problem, but you can hear it if you're really listening. (21:26) And then you can provide solutions. (21:27) I think that's one thing.
(21:28) I think it's speed of the leader speed of the team. (21:31) You know, a lot of people think, because of the way that I look, or I'm on the news all the time that I'm just a figurehead CEO, I'm just the face of the company. (21:39) But I get up at about 6am every day and get in the chat and start taking the temperature of all the different teams here.
(21:46) I close four to five veterans a day that just need to hear from Kate, they need to hear my voice. (21:51) You know, I work on legislation, I think it's sort of speed of the leader speed of the team is another key thing for leadership. (21:59) But I think a big thing is being inspiring to people.
(22:02) People want to be inspired. (22:04) They want if we're going to take a hill, you got to take the hill first, I can't tell them go take the hill, I will take the hill at full speed. (22:11) And my expectation is that they're right on my shoulder.
(22:14) Like it would really surprise me if I turned to look and they were way back there. (22:18) My leadership team is, you know, right up, right up behind me. (22:23) And so the team when I say we need to pull harder today, they pull harder, they make more calls, they just flat get more done.
(22:30) And I think, here's a testament to my style of leadership. (22:35) In the beginning of the year, there was sort of a hostile takeover of the company, people tried to overtake us. (22:41) And because of the way that we are so tightly knit, and we're all in that same boat.
(22:46) If you ask people at Vetcom, where do you work? (22:49) Or who do you work for? (22:50) They would say I work for Kate Monroe at Vetcom.
(22:53) They work for me. (22:54) And I don't think the people who overtook us understood that they thought that all these people work at Vetcom, if we blow Kate out, they'll all stay. (23:02) I asked the claims team to stay on because we still had to serve veterans.
(23:06) I didn't want any slack in the line of serving veterans. (23:09) But the entire sales and setting organization took a knee and said, we absolutely will not come back to work until she's back. (23:16) And, you know, within very short order, we got back control of the company, but another leader would have been overtaken.
(23:23) A person who didn't sow seeds a long time ago, water them until the ground, wouldn't have been able to bear that fruit. (23:30) It wouldn't have been able to pull that off. (23:32) And so I would tell other leaders, don't just sit and tell people what to do.
(23:35) People need to see you work. (23:37) People need to see your work ethic. (23:38) They need to see your drive and your determination and your grit.
(23:44) I mean, I think because I stood so firm, everybody else goes, okay, wow, she must think we're going to win. (23:51) So we're going to win. (23:51) So we're going to lean in with her.
(23:53) I never let them think that there was a possibility we might lose. (23:57) Never let your people think that there's a possibility that you could lose. (24:01) To be a good leader, you got to hold this stuff up here.
(24:03) You got to be able to have a conversation with your staff while you were holding up a literal mess from dropping on everyone's head. (24:09) You can't spew that all out. (24:11) You have to bring that fire and that inspiration every single day.
Julian Hayes II
(24:17) So with all that going on and everything, and then just the daily rigors of business, and then we'll talk a little bit about even what it was like to run for office. (24:24) How do you decompress?
Kate Monroe
(24:26) I exercise a lot. (24:28) I'm actually trying to get ready to be in a movie of a book that I wrote called The Body Man. (24:34) And just this morning, one of the reasons I was late and that my media team wasn't here to get my stuff up, I've been going to work out four days a week with a trainer one-on-one.
(24:46) And I'm 46 years old. (24:47) So I took about a year off of working out. (24:51) I don't recommend that.
(24:53) Working out, everyone. (24:54) If you're working out, no slack in the line. (24:56) But I think that helps me to be present and fill my body and sweat.
(25:01) About two weeks ago, I worked out so hard and got to that exhaustion point. (25:05) I just started crying, not because of my body, but because all the endorphins and how hard my body was working kicked in. (25:12) And it was like a cathartic experience that I had just hit a wall mentally.
(25:16) And I think that exercise is key. (25:20) And I would tell people, shy away from alcohol when you are in situations that aren't good for you. (25:27) It's not good for your mental health to turn to drinking.
(25:30) A lot of people go, I'm just going to have a glass to decompress. (25:34) Well, today you might, but a week from now, you'll have two. (25:36) And then you'll have three.
(25:37) And then you'll have four. (25:38) And then it, now you're going to get depressed and you're going to get in a cycle completely generated by that. (25:44) Go work out.
(25:45) Go, go out with friends. (25:46) Go for a walk. (25:47) Go get some air.
(25:49) Watch something inspiring. (25:51) Call me. (25:52) You know, whatever it is.
(25:54) But don't go sit in the bathtub by yourself and wallow. (25:57) Don't start drinking when times get hard. (25:59) Go to church.
(26:00) Go to the gym. (26:01) Go do something that's good for you. (26:03) Sow into your soul.
Julian Hayes II
(26:04) Yeah. (26:05) Yeah. (26:05) I usually say, usually people at this level, that's usually leading any type of organization.
(26:09) And this is just from my observation of what I've seen. (26:12) They tend to be pretty all or none extreme people a little bit, which you have to be. (26:16) And so moderation usually doesn't exist.
(26:18) And so that's why the alcohol thing is not that good of a thing. (26:21) It's kind of like if I had, I don't know, like a cookie here, like what's one cookie? (26:26) I want the whole thing.
(26:27) And so that I just usually don't have it. (26:30) So writing a book, you've written four books now, correct? (26:35) I've written seven books.
(26:36) Seven, seven books. (26:37) Sorry about that. (26:39) Inspiration behind writing books.
Kate Monroe
(26:43) Well, I sort of think a lot of people want to, the first book I wrote was a series of stories from people who served in World War II all the now. (26:54) And it was sort of for me to help get closure on my service. (26:57) I wanted to tell their stories and memorialize it and just show myself I could write a book.
(27:03) Because a lot of people say, oh, how are you going to write a book? (27:05) You're not a writer. (27:05) I'm like, I literally went to school to be an English major.
(27:09) And I've been in the Marine Corps. (27:10) I'm pretty sure I could sit down and boop, boop, boop, bang on the keyboard and figure it out. (27:15) But there is a definite formula to writing a book.
(27:18) I actually, some of the books I've written, I've written them just because I had this idea in my head and I wanted to put it to paper and finish it and get it out of my brain. (27:28) And another book I wrote, I was going through a difficult time and I was looking for something I could control. (27:34) Because so much was out of my control, but I could control me sitting down for an hour a day writing this book.
(27:40) I had control that I didn't need any outside input in order to be able to just sit down and finish this. (27:46) So I was getting those micro wins every day by writing a new chapter that was helping me deal with all this chaos. (27:52) I was having something I could control.
(27:53) So those two things in unison made the situation possible. (27:58) But now I've gotten into writing, I wrote this book when I was running for Congress, The Race to Save America, a political political book. (28:10) I just got done writing Wake Up Ready.
(28:12) It's basically 30 days to fix yourself. (28:14) It's all my katisms. (28:16) It's if you could live in my brain for 30 days, if you do a chapter of the workbook and a chapter of the book together, there's somebody on my team, they're on their third time reading it.
(28:24) He's like, it is radically revolutionizing my life because it's so simple. (28:28) I can deploy this thing today. (28:30) It's a new bite-sized thing.
(28:32) And then the Bodyman series, this political thriller series. (28:35) I just think there's something to being able to say you're an author. (28:40) I'm a hobbyist.
(28:41) I like to conquer things. (28:43) I did karate all the way to the point where I could become the state grand champion. (28:48) I like to start things, master them, own it.
(28:52) It's like erecting a monument to your success. (28:56) A lot of people talk about stuff. (28:58) It's a thing to say I'm an author.
Julian Hayes II
(29:01) Yeah, I agree. (29:03) I've been putting off writing another one. (29:05) I wrote one a long time ago, just to kind of like you, just to say you can do it.
(29:09) I didn't have any formal writing background or anything. (29:11) And no one cares about that. (29:13) No one said, where'd you get your bachelor's?
(29:14) Did you get your bachelor's in journalism? (29:16) None of that anymore. (29:18) It's so annoying on that.
(29:20) The next thing I'm curious, what inspired you to run for office? (29:25) And this was in the 49th district, correct?
Kate Monroe
(29:29) So a lot of things inspired me to run. (29:32) It was probably horrible timing trying to start this company's launch at the same time, but a lot of things were going on in the world. (29:39) So we had a completely open border and it was starting to affect through the VA HUD bash program.
(29:46) A lot of the HUD funds were starting to house migrants instead of veterans. (29:49) So I had a lot of veteran organizations reaching out to me because I was on the news to say, hey, Kate, what are we going to do about this? (29:54) We need you to go do something magnanimous because this is a problem.
(29:59) Veteran homelessness is rising. (30:01) What are we going to do about it? (30:02) And around the same time, my little son came home at the end of kindergarten and he said, I learned today that I could be a little girl or marry a little boy.
(30:11) And I was like, what? (30:15) This Marine Corps mama bear T-Rex crazy person did not like that too much. (30:21) And so I think there was just a lot going on in the social climate that made me go, you know, we need tougher people.
(30:28) We need a fire brand. (30:30) We need people who are willing to say the thing to run on the Republican side. (30:35) And, uh, it it's been very good for my career.
(30:39) I mean, talk about visibility. (30:40) I was on the news. (30:41) I still am, but I was on the news seven or eight times a day while I was running.
(30:46) It was absolutely absurd. (30:47) I've been on 450 times in the last 12 months, um, running for Congress is not for the faint of heart. (30:53) I don't recommend it to everyone, certainly to those that have it in their heart, but it is not easy.
Julian Hayes II
(30:58) Oh man, you, you ruined it. (30:59) I was getting ready to try to run. (31:00) I'm in Tennessee.
(31:01) I was going to run.
Kate Monroe
(31:04) It's a great thing to do. (31:05) You always get forever. (31:06) You get to say, I ran for Congress, former congressional candidate.
(31:09) It's like writing a book. (31:10) It's another thing you get to put. (31:13) Um, it's another, you know, arrow in your quiver.
(31:15) It's another feather in your cap.
Julian Hayes II
(31:18) I'll have to look into that maybe down the line. (31:20) I like, I like how things are run at least where I'm at right now is, um, I'm outside of the, the proper city central area. (31:26) So, um, things are fun right now, but I don't know, same, it seems fun and just something to do kind of like you said, to have these things that you collect and everything.
(31:35) And, um, I think people doing it for the right reason is actually needed more where it's not a career, but it's actually an extension of, of something else that you're doing. (31:43) I think that's better. (31:45) Um, what's one of the biggest lessons you learned from that process?
Kate Monroe
(31:51) I'll better give you a negative and a positive. (31:53) I learned a lot of things. (31:55) I'm going to give you the negative one first.
(31:57) I always like to end on a positive, but the negative thing that I learned was it really comes down to who raises the most money. (32:03) It's really politics. (32:05) The running for politics is just, it's a grift.
(32:07) It's the amount of people who snip money out of every single thing. (32:10) You raise all this money. (32:12) Hardly any of it goes to your campaign.
(32:14) It goes to a bunch of people who almost do nothing. (32:16) The most worthless people on planet earth help you run for the most part. (32:20) You know, I had a couple of good people, but for the most part, they're just there to take your money and do very little else.
(32:26) And I was too busy closing the border with razor wire and helping veterans and going to encampments and, you know, doing the work to be able to sit and panhandle all day. (32:37) You know, my, my first couple of days of fundraising, you know, people don't even know who you are. (32:42) So they just hang up the phone on you and then they see you at a fundraiser and they're like, Oh my God, I saw you on Fox news last night.
(32:49) And I'm like, that's cool. (32:49) But I called you yesterday and you said, F you to me and you hung the phone. (32:52) So we're good.
(32:54) We don't have no, I'll donate. (32:55) I'm like, don't please don't donate. (32:57) And don't ever call me again.
(32:58) So that was the negative side of it. (33:00) It was a massive punch in the face. (33:02) Rarely ever did the people that win are the best.
(33:04) It's very rare. (33:06) It's mostly the money machine gets behind them. (33:09) So you have a bunch of do nothing people who didn't serve, who don't own companies, who are not solution providers.
(33:14) They're just there to become part of the grift. (33:17) So that was the negative part. (33:18) But the, the good part that I learned was you can actually have more control over politicians when you lobby, when you lobby and you just go to Washington, I can go see 40 people in four days and get a bill drafted.
(33:34) And I didn't have to go sit in Washington to do it. (33:36) Right. (33:37) So I can run my company from here.
(33:39) And because my company has the funds to go lobby, I can go affect the change that I, that I want. (33:45) Cause I realize I'm going to talk to them. (33:47) Like I once had a dinner, a dinner and cigars with Ted Cruz.
(33:53) It only costs $250. (33:56) So then whose time is worth more money, my time or his time, right? (34:00) Because that's not very much like, cause people will think, Oh, it costs $25,000.
(34:04) Nope, 250 bucks. (34:06) So that's what I mean. (34:07) It's just all this micro fundraising grift.
(34:10) So when you go sit with these people, they need your ideas. (34:13) They don't have any ideas of their own. (34:14) And the other interesting thing about Washington is very rarely do you ever meet a seated member?
(34:19) They're not even there. (34:20) You're talking to some 20 to 24 year old kid who has political aspirations and they are running the country. (34:27) America's children, these, these young people that you say you don't like with all this ideology, that is who is running the government.
(34:33) Go there right now to the Capitol building, walk around a bunch of kids, not to say anything bad about them, but these people you elect are not really running the government.
Julian Hayes II
(34:43) Well, that's quite unexpected and unsettling a little bit. (34:49) I'm curious as we get to wind down, how do you think the current administration is doing toward, you think they're doing a little better jobs for veterans?
Kate Monroe
(34:57) A little better job. (34:58) I mean, I think they're doing an absolutely amazing job toward veterans, but they also did a good job towards veterans in their first cycle. (35:05) First cycle, there was a huge focal point on veterans, the mission act, allowing them to go out and get community care.
(35:12) That was basically hidden during the last administration. (35:15) And they're bringing that back. (35:16) That's where you're going to see continuity of care, less suicides.
(35:19) They're making a big effort toward, you know, homeless veterans. (35:22) They're cleaning up the VA. (35:23) I was just with Doug Collins for three hours, him picking our brains.
(35:29) The leadership there, when you have a chaplain in charge of the VA, you know that the heart's in the right place. (35:36) Absolutely great guy. (35:37) 10 out of 10.
(35:38) People are like, oh, he's slashing everything. (35:40) No, he's trying to fix this bureaucratic mess. (35:43) This gauntlet, minefield nonsense has been put ahead of you.
(35:46) He's trying to clean it up, streamline it, help you get where you're trying to go, trying to give you help. (35:52) You know, veterans are sort of like Doug Collins is out in a boat trying to pull veterans out of the deep water and they'll pull him in and drown him. (35:59) I've been telling the veteran community, let the man cook, let him cook for five more minutes.
(36:05) You know, he's been in office for like one minute for all intents and purposes. (36:09) Can we just let him cook for a little longer and let's like judge the body of his work at his year mark. (36:15) Let's not get so crazy and salacious because we watch the news, which is another, you know, being on the news, I can tell you, don't watch it.
(36:24) Don't watch the news.
Julian Hayes II
(36:26) Yeah. (36:26) It's it's an experience. (36:28) This may be putting in nicely.
(36:30) It's an experience being on the news in terms of things getting spliced and cut and all those things. (36:36) So but the good thing is you have a lot of alternative media. (36:39) You have more long form and, you know, people do.
(36:42) One thing I did like about this recent cycle in politics was that candidates, at least I, you know, some of them went more on long form podcasts to where it wasn't just talking, talking points for three minutes, but it's actually hearing the person talk and learning about them and being able to expound on ideas more. (37:01) So I do think in the future, any cycles afterward, I think it's a you're going to have to go on these types of platforms to have these long form conversations.
Kate Monroe
(37:09) Now, I totally agree. (37:11) I was actually thinking an interesting debate style would be to have them both seated in chairs with a person, you know, moderating the thing where it was more of a discussion, still a debate, but more of a banter sort of discussion, because then you'll see who isn't just sitting there memorizing their lines. (37:30) Like then you can speak with a little more candor and, you know, really speak to the American people instead of at them.
(37:38) People don't want to be talked at. (37:40) They want to be talked to. (37:41) They want to be part of the conversation.
(37:43) I think that would be really cool in this next cycle.
Julian Hayes II
(37:45) Absolutely. (37:45) That's a good idea. (37:46) You might have to start it.
(37:48) That's your next project. (37:52) Yeah. (37:52) So, you know, speaking of that, one of the last, the last question here is, you know, you're a mom, you're a wife, CEO, CEO, music producer, book writer, keynote speaker.
(38:00) Is there more things that you that you've done and you haven't done at this point? (38:04) And so I don't know.
Kate Monroe
(38:07) I feel like I am just sort of hitting my stride. (38:10) You know, 46 years old. (38:12) I feel like I have the skills, acumen, life experience, enough capital now, good ideas, good people.
(38:17) It's sort of like tick, tick, boom. (38:19) It's all coming together at the right time. (38:21) I have a million things left to do.
(38:24) Like I want to make this movie. (38:25) I want to be the next female Grant Cardone. (38:28) If you heard me speak, you know, if you were in the audience when I spoke, I just got done speaking at this huge awards gala for 700 people.
(38:35) I lit that freaking room on fire. (38:37) I want to do more of that. (38:38) I, when I get done talking, I want people to be like, Oh, you know, like ready to just go absolutely dominate their lives.
(38:44) So I want to be able to pivot into some of that, you know, when I get some of these other things launched.
Julian Hayes II
(38:50) Yeah. (38:50) Well, you know, the, the way I think they all go together and I think you're, I can see that happening and I will be able to say, Hey, I talked to her early on when she was just starting. (39:01) Yeah.
(39:02) Well, maybe I'll be able to see it in person, but I did feel that, you know, just from the first time we got on the call here and I just felt that energy. (39:09) I was like, okay, she's your, you're a high octane person.
Kate Monroe
(39:13) Yeah.
Julian Hayes II
(39:13) Yeah. (39:13) I felt that. (39:14) So, but anyway, I can talk to you forever, but thank you so much for your time.
(39:18) I really appreciate it. (39:19) Where can we keep up with you at the easiest place to find me?
Kate Monroe
(39:22) All my socials are the same to keep it easy. (39:25) It's just Kate Monroe CEO on all fronts. (39:28) If you want a good laugh, because my, my stuff's pretty snarky.
(39:32) You know, I like to deliver a one to two minute sort of Kate's opinion on whatever's going on and it resonates well with some people, but I always tell the haters, please do engage because my cult will absolutely roast you and it'll help my engagement. (39:46) So like, you're not still watch.
Julian Hayes II
(39:48) Absolutely. (39:49) And as we said, you know, off camera, one of the best things, you know, you're not everyone's cup of tea, but you're authentic. (39:54) And that's one of the things that's necessary for leadership.
Kate Monroe
(39:57) Agreed. (39:58) A hundred percent.
Julian Hayes II
(39:59) So until next time, listeners stay awesome, be limitless and always optimize today so you can leave tomorrow. (40:05) Peace. (40:06) All right.
(40:07) And let's see.
