Senior Advisor to SecNav, C. Scott “Sonny” Duncan, LtCol, USMC, Ret: A Career Shaped by Conviction, Culture, and Courage

Dec 28, 2025 · 1h 51m

About this episode

Lieutenant Colonel retired C. Scott “Sonny” Duncan joins me for one of the more thought-provoking conversations I have hosted on Moments in Leadership. Sonny’s path is anything but typical. He enlisted in the Navy, earned an ROTC scholarship, commissioned as a Naval Officer, transitioned into the Marine Corps, became an F/A 18 pilot, graduated from Top Gun, instructed at NAWDC, and was slated to command an F35 squadron before the COVID mandate brought his career to a crossroads. We cover how he learned to lead through fear, how aviation culture built his approach to performance and accountability, why he and his wife made a values based decision during the mandate, and how he now serves at the senior executive level inside the Department of the Navy. There are hard moments in this episode, and there are leadership lessons that apply across every community. As always, thank you to the supporters on Supercast who help keep Moments in Leadership ad free and sustainable. GUEST BIO LINKS SES Bio, C. Scott “Sonny” Duncan https://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/About/Senior-Executives/Biographies/Duncan,%20C.%20Scott.pdf FOLLOW, SUBSCRIBE, AND SUPPORT Join the Moments in Leadership Supercast community https://momentsinleadership.supercast.com Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moments-in-leadership/id1553443301 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4x3tDCrWkRikPrKShKeXGf YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@MomentsinLeadership Official Website https://www.momentsinleadership.com