Intentional Leader

  • Home
  • Podcast
  • Course
  • Newsletters
  • Articles
  • About
  • Patreon
  • Contact
Dana Pittard Social Media .png

#74: Dana Pittard — Fitness. Mental Health, & Taking Risks as a Leader

October 12, 2021 by Cal Walters in Intentional Living, Leadership
apple-podcasts-badge.png
google_podcasts_badge@8x.png
Spotify 3.png

A former general officer in the U.S. Army, Dana Pittard earned the Hero Award for Suicide Prevention from the Matthew Silverman Memorial Foundation in 2017. The following year, Dana Pittard became one of Savoy Magazine's Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America for his leadership in the defense industry as vice president at Allison Defense.

Alongside leading Allison Defense into five straight years of increasing revenue and growth since joining the company in 2015, Dana Pittard took an executive financial management course at the Wharton School of Business and a corporate executive leadership course at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Previously, he attended Harvard University as a senior fellow for a year. He earned a master's degree from the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), and a bachelor's from the United States Military Academy.

He has recently held interviews across national major news networks and is a regular contributor on CNN, Fox News, PBS, CBS, ABC and NPR on race relations, diversity and inclusion, military issues, Middle East policy, ISIS, and veteran’s issues. Pittard has been published and interviewed in the Washington Post, New York Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy Magazine, Military Times, Task & Purpose, Politico, Insider, and many other news outlets.

Dana Pittard has also become known for his writing on military subjects. He coauthored a highly acclaimed book titled “Hunting the Caliphate - America’s War on ISIS” in 2019. He was a contributing author to the book, “By Their Deeds Alone - America’s Combat Commanders on the Art of War.” He also wrote articles such as “The Armor Task Force in Mountainous Terrain,””13th Century Mongol Operational Art,” and “Genghis Khan & 13th Century Airland Battle.”

Hunting the Caliphate: America's War on ISIS and the Dawn of the Strike Cell
By Pittard, Dana J.H., Bryant, Wes J.

He fought in Iraq and was awarded four Bronze Stars, one for valor, along with many other decorations, and was deployed in Kosovo. Pittard served as a military aide to President Bill Clinton, carrying the so-called nuclear football, the briefcase that contains codes for launching a nuclear attack, and he was a winner of the Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award.

On this episode we cover a wide range of topics, including:

  • Some of the largest influences on him growing up

  • How West Point most shaped him

  • Where he was on 9/11 and his reflections on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

  • How he stays so physically fit

  • His typical fitness regime

  • His efforts to impact the suicide epidemic in the military

  • His own journey with mental health and how that has shaped his approach as a leader

  • Transitioning from the military into the private sector

  • His views on changing the culture of an organization and managing risk as a leader

Connect with Dana on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn


Listen to some of our most popular episodes here!

Help us grow by leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts

Help us close the gap in leadership instruction by partnering with us financially at Patreon

Follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn

October 12, 2021 /Cal Walters
Fitness, mental health, leadership, army, military, culture, risk
Intentional Living, Leadership
  • Newer
  • Older