
149: Carey Lohrenz - Navy’s First Female Top Gun on Performing Under Pressure
Do Business. Do Life. — The Financial Advisor Podcast — DBDL
Brief, execute, debrief rhythm
Carey outlines the three-phase rhythm: prepare with briefs, execute, then debrief to capture lessons and align teams.
What do fighter pilots and financial advisors have in common?
More than you might think—especially when it comes to performing under pressure.
In this episode, I sit down with Carey Lorhenz—the first female F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot in U.S. Navy history—to talk about how the Navy trains people to perform in high-stakes environments without leaving success to chance.
We get into simulation training before live reps, checklists built for people under pressure (because even really smart people forget things), and why debriefing is one of the fastest ways to build trust and alignment on a team.
If you’re building an advisory team, trying to develop younger advisors, or tired of repeating the same mistakes as a firm, this episode gives you a playbook you can actually use.
3 of the biggest insights from Carey…
#1.) Training Should Look More Like Simulation
In the Navy, pilots don’t get thrown into real situations and told to figure it out. Carey explains why so much time is spent in academics and simulators—and why skipping this step is where a lot of advisor training breaks down.
#2.) Checklists Exist Because People Forget
Checklists aren’t about being rigid. They’re about performing when pressure is high. Carey breaks down how the Navy designs checklists for stressed humans—and why the same thinking applies to client meetings and important conversations.
#3.) The Debrief Is Where Teams Actually Get Better
Carey walks through a simple five-question debrief that builds trust, surfaces blind spots, and transfers knowledge fast—so teams improve week over week instead of repeating the same mistakes.
SHOW NOTES
https://bradleyjohnson.com/149
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