Lourdes Spurlock spent six years in the Navy running nuclear reactors. She was one of a handful of women on board, trained by male mentors who held her to the same standard as everyone else, and she came out the other side with thick skin, dark humor, and zero idea how to have a normal conversation with civilian women.
So she entered a pageant.
Not because she wanted a crown. Because she needed to relearn how to exist outside the military. How to dress for an interview. How to talk to people who didn’t get the joke. How to stop being the person nobody invites out a second time. Pageants became etiquette training, community access, and eventually a platform. She’s now Mrs. Virginia International 2026, and her platform is renewable energy, STEM, and veteran support.
That alone would be a good story. But this conversation goes further. Lourdes talks about what it actually feels like to leave a world where your coworkers check on you over the weekend and enter one where nobody asks how your three-day went. She talks about choosing a smaller pond on purpose, spending nine years at Newport News Shipyard building nuclear carriers before jumping into wind energy. And she makes the case that veterans don’t need more certifications to lead in this industry. They need to know what they bring and be willing to say it out loud in 30 seconds or less.
There’s a moment where Kevin asks what she wants to see happen with Project Vanguard’s fellowship over the next year. Her answer is direct: more women. Not as a talking point. Because she knows what it’s like to be the only one in the room and have nobody who gets it.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction & Lourdes Spurlock
01:30 - Legislative Days in Virginia & Oklahoma
03:47 - Social Media & LinkedIn for Veterans
05:25 - Getting a Screening Call, Not a Job
07:48 - Building a Network Through Community
09:13 - Mrs. Virginia International 2026
10:28 - From Navy Nuke to Pageant Stage
13:37 - Finding Mentors by Asking Why
15:38 - Sea Daddies & Navy Mentorship Culture
16:56 - Joining the Military & Newport News
18:54 - Find the Small Pond First
22:53 - More Women in the Fellowship
27:28 - Your Story Is the Product
29:28 - Advice for Veterans Entering Energy
33:21 - Don’t Be Scared to Be the Only Woman
Resources
People & Organizations Mentioned
Company & Industry News
Apex Clean Energy Closes $2.79 Billion in Financing for Three Renewable Energy Projects
Virginia’s First Onshore Wind Farm Under Construction in Botetourt County
Related Podcasts by Project Vanguard
Related Substack Posts by Kevin
