Based in St. Johns, Florida, Michael Boiani has served as a Level 500 Weapons and Tactics Instructor, originally qualified in 2010 at the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Weapons School in Jacksonville, Fl. A highly trained tactical expert, he leads comprehensive tactical training activities that emphasize standard mission operations and warfighting strategies. Michael Boiani has extensive experience as a training and safety officer with multiple Navy Patrol Squadrons and overseas staffs. Michael Boiani joined CNREURAFCENT as the Reserve Program Director in 2024. In this role, he provides management and general support to the Navy Reserve force. He is also an N1 team lead with the CNREURAFCENT ROC Crisis Action Team located in Naples, Italy. His work with the Navy has resulted in several awards and honors, including the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and multiple unit awards such as the Battle E, Meritorious Unit Commendation, and Navy Unit Commendation.
Michael Boiani studied Health Science and Athletic Training at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL, and enjoys leading a physically fit and active lifestyle. In addition to his interests in exercise science and wellness, he has plans to eventually return to school to pursue a career as a Physical Therapist. He was also a volunteer coach of at-risk youth for the Jacksonville Police Athletic League Boxing Team
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My typical day starts out with a set of push-ups and a protein shake; it is very important to fuel the body and brain before taking on the day. I often leave the house before anyone is even awake, so stealth is of the essence! Throughout the day, I take breaks to eat high-protein snacks and can often be found sprinting up extra flights of stairs or on a pull-up bar. My productivity is driven by accomplishing sequences of small and large goals, and so checklists and timelines are very important to keep myself and my team on task. I find that plainly written memos, calendars, wall maps, and hand-written ledgers have stood the test of time and are still the most powerful productivity aids. Most importantly, empowering people to achieve results and giving them the freedom and autonomy to do so yields the best results.
How do you bring ideas to life?
First, you must understand the end goal and work backwards from there. Determine time and resources and budget at hand, what assets provide similar or complimentary capabilities, and who might offer the best expertise or perspective on the matter. From there, it is a series of milestones leading to completion.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Healthy aging and prevention excites me! Consumers, especially millennials, prioritize healthy aging through fitness, skincare, and cognitive health. Preventative care, including regular screenings and digital health monitoring, is gaining momentum. I’m also very excited about initiatives aiming to address chronic disease by targeting ultra-processed foods, food additives, and agricultural practices. Eager to see reform in school lunch programs, SNAP restrictions, and new, improved dietary guidelines as these shape federal nutrition programs and public health messaging.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Murphy’s Law always applies in aviation and influences many of my thought processes. To summarize, that which can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible time. This mindset forces me to thoroughly analyze any problem or situation I face. It helps me be productive because it makes me draw upon my aviation training and operational experience; specifically, the Crew Resource Management (CRM) mnemonic DAMCLAS comes to mind. It stands for:
Decision-making – Ability to use logical and sound judgment based on information available.
Assertiveness – An individual’s willingness to actively participate, state, and maintain a position until convinced by the facts that other options are better. Assertiveness is respectful and professional, used to resolve problems appropriately and to improve mission effectiveness and safety.
Mission Analysis – The ability to develop short-term, long-term, and contingency plans and to coordinate, allocate, and monitor physical and personnel resources. Effective planning leads to conduct that removes uncertainty, increases mission effectiveness, and enhances safety.
Communication – The ability to clearly and accurately send, acknowledge, and confirm information, instructions, or commands and provide useful feedback. Effective communication is vital, ensuring all team members understand mission status.
Leadership – The ability to direct and coordinate activities of others and stimulate, encourage, or incentivize them to work as a team.
Adaptability/Flexibility – The ability to alter a course of action based on new information, maintain constructive behavior under pressure, and adapt to internal and external environmental changes. The success of a mission depends upon the team’s ability to alter behavior and dynamically manage resources to meet situational demands.
Situational Awareness – The degree of accuracy by which one’s perception of the current environment mirrors reality.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Treat others as you want to be treated and be the change you want to see in the world. (And buy bitcoin. Like, lots of it!)
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
Selfishness is a virtue.
“The first right on earth is the right of the ego. Man’s first duty is to himself. His moral law is never to place his prime goal within the persons of others. His moral obligation is to do what he wishes, provided his wish does not depend primarily upon other men. This includes the whole sphere of his creative faculty, his thinking, his work. But it does not include the sphere of the gangster, the altruist and the dictator.
A man thinks and works alone. A man cannot rob, exploit or rule – alone. Robbery, exploitation and ruling presuppose victims. They imply dependence. They are the province of the second-hander.
Rulers of men are not egoists. They create nothing. They exist entirely through the persons of others. Their goal is in their subjects, in the activity of enslaving. They are as dependent as the beggar, the social worker and the bandit. The form of dependence does not matter.” – Ayn Rand
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
The first thing I do is ensure I am hydrated; water is key but electrolytes are just as important too. If I am at work, I break from my desk, take a short walk and deep breaths to clear my head. Sometimes, you just have to step away from a problem or situation in order to evaluate what is going on.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Throughout my career, I have always made every effort to perform at the highest level of effort. In short, no matter what your job or task is, do it to the best of your ability and inspire others to do the same.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
About halfway through my career, I was not selected for promotion due to some force rebalancing across the officer corps. This was very unexpected and difficult to deal with, as I had done “everything right” – I got all the qualifications, took the right orders, and performed at a very high level. I overcame this by evaluating my options and realizing that I had a lot to offer any employer. Ultimately, I decided to stay in the Navy and was promoted on the next round of selections, but I learned many lessons from that experience. Never become complacent or expect anyone else to take care of you – nobody is coming to save you, so you must always look out for yourself, i.e. selfishness is a virtue.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Calendars and maps are very powerful tools. I use a calendar app to stay organized and to coordinate schedules at work and at home. The ability to update or change events across users is a simple feature that many may take for granted, but it is an incredible communication tool. Maps allow me to visualize time/distance problems and therefore determine efficient time and space management. Combining calendar and map applications make scheduling events simple and convenient.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
My favorite book and author is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. While reading this, I felt like the author articulated my unformed thoughts. Her writing is intensely philosophical and deliberate; it resonated with me and highlighted a sense of disconnect between my personal values and societal pressures. Her prose is structured to provoke clarity, using sharp logic and vivid characters to externalize internal struggles. This book helped me understand exactly why I value objectivism, individualism, and capitalism.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I recently rewatched Rocky Balboa (2006). It has the right amount of nostalgia and action, but most importantly, it has an epic training montage. Spoken by Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
Key learnings
- Treat others as you want to be treated; everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
- Physical fitness, preventative care, and proper nutrition are necessary for peak performance and healthy aging.
- Understanding personal values by reading philosophy can be enlightening and transformative.