Ask someone who serves in the military or in a civilian leadership role within the government why they are doing what they do, and there’s a good chance you will hear an answer that references the “mission.”
While the specific mission varies by role, a common thread unites them: being part of something bigger than themselves in service to the greater good of America. Feelings of patriotism, pride, and purpose are powerful motivators. But on the toughest days, many of these same leaders carry themselves forward with a fourth ‘P’: pressure.
Dr. Elizabeth ‘Elise’ Van Winkle understands each of those motivators, and she knows firsthand how heavy that fourth one can become. During a pivotal chapter in her government career, that pressure took a severe toll on her health. Now when she speaks about her career, she offers advice for anyone who may be in a similar position. Regardless of the mission in question, your health will matter.
A Passion for Psychology
Van Winkle acknowledged that fitness wasn’t a priority when she was younger, but that changed when she went to college and majored in psychology and English.
“That was probably my foray into fitness and health, the psychological side,” she said. “That is an important part of fitness to me.”
Van Winkle’s original focus was to enter a career in criminology and trauma, and she started that pursuit in the Boston, Massachusetts public school system for behavioral and psychiatric issues. Seeing children dealing with adverse issues and life situations was a valuable learning experience for her.
“The kids taught me a lot about resilience and heartache, perseverance, rage, and emotional darkness.”
Once she became a mother, Van Winkle opted to return to school to get her Ph.D. in research psychology, with a focus on neuropsychology. During that time, she had her second child and landed an intern position with the Department of Defense.
“My plan was to do research and data analytics on health and resilience, stay a year, and then move into work at NIH or do something in neuropsychology.”
Plans Changed and Escalated Quickly
Sometimes the best-laid plans can go awry, and Van Winkle’s career would have a meteoric rise that she did not see coming. She stayed in the DoD and worked her way up to a Senior Executive Service (SES) level throughout the next several years. Then came the 2016 election. A combination of being in the right place at the right time and the incoming changes with the Trump administration meant Van Winkle was elevated from a one-star SES to a three-star SES equivalent within a couple of weeks. Then shortly after, she was named the Acting Assistant Secretary for Readiness.
“That propelled me into a level of political leadership that I had never really been in.”
It also led to a massive increase in responsibility. The self-described “data geek” went from leading a team of 25 people with a budget of $4 million to now leading upwards of 900 civilians, military, and contractors with a budget of $1 billion. Almost immediately, an executive order gave her team 45 days to develop a readiness recovery framework that measured the readiness of the entire Joint Force and what would be needed to recover that readiness as well as appropriation lines.
Van Winkle added, “Anybody in the Department knows that when someone says 45 days, they really mean 30 because it has to go through coordination.”
The Pressure of the Mission Takes Its Toll
Van Winkle’s trajectory may have felt like a whirlwind, but she accepted what became her own mission. She committed every waking hour that she could towards her new role and responsibilities. That also meant putting other things on the backburner like time with her kids and her own personal needs. As a result, she became sick but was undeterred. Knowing her team would not leave until she did, Van Winkle even closed up her office so her staff would leave, then snuck back on her own to continue her work.
Finally, her team put a meeting on her calendar that led her to the Pentagon Health Clinic. The physician informed Van Winkle she had three different infections and asked her to consider going to the hospital, but Van Winkle knew there were scheduled advisor meetings and a commitment at the White House in her future. So, the physician gave her antibiotics and said something that Van Winkle said haunted her.
“She said, ‘I’ve heard it before. I imagine it’s the mission.’”
Van Winkle admitted seeing every flag along the way but opted to drive right through them for the sake of her own mission. She eventually recovered, was able to resume her duties, and a permanent assistant secretary was named later on, but Van Winkle learned a lesson that she shares openly today. Regardless of what the mission is or what challenges face you, you must make your health a priority in order to succeed. Her personal experience combined with what she learned in college and throughout her career has given her a more comprehensive perspective on what optimal health and fitness really looks like.
“I now truly see fitness as crossing the elements of physical, psychological, and spiritual.”
Why Resilience and Transparency Really Matter for Readiness
Today, Van Winkle serves as the Industry Executive for Federal Government at Oracle, helping translate complex military needs into technology solutions that support the Joint Force.
“My job is really to help Oracle understand that government perspective, the Department of War perspective, and really translate what can be some fairly complex elements within the federal government back to the technology venture at Oracle.”
Alongside her corporate role, she frequently speaks to military audiences about leadership and resilience: a message rooted in her Pentagon experience. Her core principle is that individual health directly dictates collective unit readiness. Van Winkle also shares her knowledge and experience from her time in the Pentagon and about resilience when she speaks. As she learned through her own experience, each person’s health and resilience matters because it impacts the readiness of the larger group.
“Every member of the unit must be performing at 100 percent for the unit as a whole to perform at 100 percent.”
As important as that is, Van Winkle noted that communication and transparency about a problem is just as important because if someone in the unit is under 100 percent and does not share that with leadership, it could lead to bigger issues for the entire unit later on.
“I think leaders often presume that members understand this, but what I would hear from military members is a focus on mission above and beyond all else. And that sometimes meant that they would step over those red flags in order to maintain this facade and that everything is okay.”
She concluded, “Ignoring the problem is just setting a timer. They may be able to hold it together for a while but not forever.”
Many members of the military have shared that they don’t bring up their personal problem because they don’t want to be the reason that the readiness of the unit is compromised. In Van Winkle’s opinion, the moment the problem is ignored, readiness is already compromised.
“If a leader knows someone is struggling or someone is injured or someone is going through a crisis, they can do something about it before it becomes a full-blown issue that impacts the unit and the mission. If the leader does not know about it, you are then creating a blind spot.”
Those in commander and leadership positions should also see addressing those problems and resilience as investments into readiness because programs focused on resilience can save time and energy for the sake of the mission.
“If you wait for it to become a readiness problem, you really lose before you even begin. So preventing these things is an incredible return on investment.”
How Leaders Can Prepare the Next Generation of Service Members
Aside from advances in technology, the military’s emphasis on readiness and well-being of the service members in recent years is going to benefit many future recruits who decide to join the Joint Force. Van Winkle advises that there are other things leaders can do to make sure those who wear the nation’s uniform can be better both physically and psychologically and therefore, more capable of maximizing readiness.
“Look closely at yourself, and think of it like a maintenance check like you do for a weapons system,” she explained. “As humans, we tend to preserve stability over instability and we strive towards homeostasis, but this often means that we don’t see what’s in front of us, particularly if it doesn’t align with how we see ourselves.”
Van Winkle also noted that life can take unexpected turns whether you are ready for them or not, and being resilient means being able to adjust when needed as quickly as possible.
“Life is masterful at creating instability, and we are constantly adjusting to the experiences that we have. If done right, it can make us stronger and more resilient.”
Finally, she suggested not being afraid to have the tough conversations that come with service, readiness, or life. The willingness to speak about it not only helps the service member. It can help the leader as well, which can lead to service members focusing more on patriotism, pride, and purpose while being better prepared for the pressure.
“It does an incredible amount to maintain morale and cohesion in the unit, and it really does prevent those bigger problems.”
You can follow Van Winkle on LinkedIn.
M&F Senior Military Editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this Fit to Serve article.
