Isaac Lee’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We recently had the chance to connect with Isaac Lee and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Isaac, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I am a creature of habit, and routines keep me grounded. I take the first 15 minutes to have a single cup of coffee and attempt to meditate. I say attempt, because I’m still not good at it! But that quiet time is good for me. Once that is complete, I work out. I really enjoy strength training and am fortunate to be able to do that at home. As soon as that is complete, I take what I refer to as my 30-minute lap around the internet. My modern version of skimming a newspaper. Then I get ready for work and go.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I work full-time as an operations executive for a private company here in San Diego. I dedicate the remainder of my time to my family and trying to do things to help others. Specifically, fellow veterans, active duty military, and their families. I serve on the boards of a couple of local non-profits that are dedicated to military and veteran causes. Those include Support the Enlisted Project (STEP), Veterans’ Writing Group of San Diego County, and PopASmoke USMC Combat Helicopter and Tiltrotor Association.

I also published my first book, HANGAR 4, in 2024. HANGAR 4 is a memoir about my experience as a Marine Corps CH-53 aviator fighting and flying in the Global War on Terror. The book was released in April 2024. Throughout the remainder of 2024, I did several book-related events around San Diego and a few events on the East Coast. Local event highlights were a successful release party, a presentation and signing at Warwick’s in La Jolla, a signing on the USS Midway, signings at Barnes & Noble, and a few signings at Total Wine & More that also featured a HANGAR 4 themed beer.

In 2025, I have been very focused on balancing all of those things in life after the military while working on ideas for how to turn that into a guidebook of sorts that might be helpful to others. In the meantime, I am still doing speaking engagements to discuss relevant portions of that with both military and non-military organizations.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Great question. I don’t know that I actually have an answer, but I’m at a place in life where I think about this often. I know what it took to navigate the life that I have been fortunate enough to lead thus far. But as I continue to evolve as a person, I am definitely focused on how I want to best maximize my time. In HANGAR 4, I openly talked about the complexity associated with warfighting. Being a warfighter while also attempting to be a husband and father often felt like living on two different planets simultaneously. While I no longer have that to navigate, I simply focus on what I think of as “being the best version of me.” That really helps me at least attempt to be the best that I can be in all of my personal and professional relationships.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
I will always think of my combat experience as the defining portion of my life. I don’t know that I’ll ever fully reconcile it, but that is something that I work on continuously. I participate in a few different programs that allow me to not only work on that for myself but also to help my peers. I think that peer support is the most important part of any program. The shared experience and support for one another are extremely helpful.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I love this question! I often say there are two versions of every person. The real version, and the version that they want everyone else to see. Authenticity is making the gap between those two as small as possible. That is something I always strive to do. I like to think I am generally successful in doing so.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Yes! So many times. This is a work in progress for me. I am working on being better about enjoying and appreciating the “wins” in life more. Treat life more as an experience than an endless checklist. Easier said than done for a type A overachiever turned combat aviator!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.isaacglee.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaacgleewriter/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaaclee1/
• Twitter: https://x.com/isaacglee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555778459453

Image Credits
Headshot- Kerry A. Lee