Dr. Elizabeth “Elise” Van Winkle’s career in government was shaped by a deep sense of duty and professional pride. Yet the relentless demands of her role nearly broke her down.
Her journey began with a shift from studying criminology to psychology. During college, she worked with children in Boston’s public schools who faced extreme hardship. That experience gave her insight into how people cope with stress, though it did not prepare her for the pressures of high-level government work.
Her career took an unexpected direction when she joined the Department of Defense as an intern while earning a Ph.D. in neuropsychology. She had planned to stay for one year before moving to the National Institutes of Health. Instead, she advanced rapidly, eventually entering the Senior Executive Service. By 2016, she held a leadership position overseeing a $1 billion budget and a team of nearly 900 personnel—civilian, military, and contractor staff.
Within weeks of taking the role, an executive order required a 45-day readiness recovery plan for the entire Joint Force. The workload overwhelmed her. She worked through illness, even returning to her office after hours to ensure her team left on time. When she finally sought medical attention, a Pentagon physician diagnosed three infections and insisted she go to the hospital. Van Winkle hesitated; she had White House meetings scheduled.
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The doctor’s warning, “She said, ‘I’ve heard it before. I imagine it’s the mission.’”, stuck with her. That moment became a turning point. She realized that no matter how urgent the mission, personal health could not be sacrificed. Her own experience taught her that resilience involves recognizing when to step back, not just enduring pressure.
Van Winkle’s advice to leaders is straightforward: openness prevents larger issues. Ignoring a service member’s struggles does not eliminate them; it creates blind spots. “If you wait for it to become a readiness problem, you really lose before you even begin.” Programs encouraging early disclosure are not just supportive; they are investments in mission effectiveness.
Her own delay in seeking help mirrored this pattern. The Pentagon physician’s remark highlighted how deeply embedded this behavior is. Van Winkle now argues that transparency is not just ethical but a strategic necessity. “As humans, we tend to preserve stability over instability and we strive towards homeostasis, but this often means that we don’t see what’s in front of us, particularly if it doesn’t align with how we.”
