Senator Joni Ernst joins Jason and Emily for a conversation focused on service for Episode 020. Senator Ernst is the first woman to represent Iowa in Congress and the first female combat Veteran elected to the United States Senate, and she shares some of her story and perspective with an emphasis on bridging divides and “serving this great country” and communities in various ways now more than ever.

Senator Ernst grew up on a farm in Red Oak, Iowa and enrolled in ROTC while at Iowa State University. She served 23 years in the Army Reserves and Iowa National Guard, including a deployment in 2003 to Iraq and Kuwait, before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2015. Throughout she served in various capacities in her local communities before being elected to the US Senate in 2014. She is the recently published author of “Daughter of the Heartland,” and her daughter Libby is currently a Cadet at West Point. She is known for rucking with her staff and constituents in DC, and even worn her ruck on the Senate floor.

In our conversation, learn how a trip to Ukraine in 1989 during the Cold War gave her greater appreciation for the US and changed the trajectory of her life. She also talks about the greatest lessons she learned in Iraq and answering difficult calls to duty back home. Most of all, Senator Ernst speaks to her values of hard work, listening, finding practical solutions, and advocating always that Americans should serve in whatever capacity they can because the US is a nation worth serving.

Links:

020 - Senator Joni Ernst, US Senator from Iowa