Unexpected Opportunities: When Career Detours Become Growth

In The Know with Tony Reeves · Feb 24, 2026 · 19m

Sometimes the opportunities that shape your life don’t arrive wrapped in comfort — they come through confusion, misinformation, or unexpected change. In this episode, I share a pivotal early-career experience from 1992 when a misunderstanding about an educational leave program forced me to leave a job I loved and relocate for graduate school. At the time, it felt frustrating and unfair. But with perspective, I now see how that detour gave me hands-on experience, professional maturity, and skills that later shaped my military career and long-term professional trajectory. This conversation…