Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Maj. Anna Fedotova interviews Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro for her podcast, Blue Grit. The Blue Grit podcast, which is available on the Air Force Portal, features individuals with an Air Force connection who have overcome significant adversity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Van Ha)Blue Grit podcast features stories of resilience, strength
                        
                        
                        Maj. Anna Fedotova interviews Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro for her podcast, Blue Grit. The Blue Grit podcast, which is available on the Air Force Portal, features individuals with an Air Force connection who have overcome significant adversity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Van Ha)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Blue Grit logo (U.S. Air Force graphic)Blue Grit podcast features stories of resilience, strength
                        
                        
                        Blue Grit logo (U.S. Air Force graphic)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Blue Grit podcast features stories of resilience, strengthPublished April 22, 2019
                    
                    By Lt. Col. Hamilton Underwood
                    
                    
                    Los Angeles Air Force Base
            **LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) --**You may have noticed a recent addition to the Air Force Portal homepage. A logo depicting a warrior looking over his shoulder with a fighter jet above him. It’s the face of the Blue Grit podcast. The podcast is the brainchild of Maj. Anna Fedotova, Los Angeles Air Force Base psychologist. The first of its kind in the Air Force, Blue Grit features conversations with current and former military leaders, mental health experts, elite athletes, veterans and other individuals who have overcome significant adversity. The idea for the podcast first occurred to Fedotova in 2017. On a daily basis, she was humbled and inspired by the stories of resilience and strength she heard from patients and colleagues. “The idea of growth and perseverance has always been captivating to me. My job is to ask questions and listen, so why not try a podcast?” she said. The fact the she had no funding, official support, experience or equipment didn’t deter her from pushing forward with her podcast. Looking back, she laughs, “In retrospect, it was the ideal beginning for a podcast about grit. There was only one way – up!” Eight months later, with the podcast off and running, Fedotova found herself briefing Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, about her podcast. “I didn’t do it alone,” she is quick to add. “My leadership supported me from the beginning and there have been a hundred helping hands.” Her guests have included author and speaker retired Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro, who suffered burns over 80 percent of his body from a roadside bomb blast but continues to serve, and Dr. Gary Percival, whom many consider to be the father of survival, evasion, resistance and escape psychology. “Blue Grit guests have included several former prisoners of war, mental health practitioners and guests such as Maj. (ret.) Kat Portello, who in the blink of an eye went from being a competitive bodybuilder to being a quadriplegic,” Fedotova said. “All of my guests have had unique experiences, but I continue to be surprised at how simple and consistent their techniques are for developing grit.” Blue Grit is not only an opportunity for Fedotova to share techniques, tactics and procedures for developing grit. She also views it as a venue to have a broader conversation about mental health. “I wanted a platform to steer the conversation from mental illness towards mental health,” she said. “I’m not implying happiness-ever-after. Mental health is about living a meaningful life, having an impact, deliberate practice, discomfort. That is grit.” The Blue Grit podcast can be found on the Air Force Portal, iTunes, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcast.LR 



podcast 



Blue Grit 



Los Angeles AFB 



psychologist 



resilience 



AF 



Air Force 



Growth 



perseverance 



Air Force Portal 



Overcome 



adversity 



strength 



stories 



Interview 



Mental health 



warrior care 



AFSPC Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil