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TIMELINE

Robert 'Cujo' Teschner's journey to the top eschalon of fighter pilots was by no means certain. Vision, luck, and most of all persevence brought him to the success you see today.

The Rejection Phase (1989–1995)

1989: Father retires from Air Force. Cujo is devastated—he wants the Air Force life.
1991: Applies to Air Force Academy. Receives rejection letter. Doesn't even say "try again."
Weeks before basic training: Senator's office calls. He's been appointed. Last person accepted to Class of 1995.
Academy: Not an athlete. Captain of speech & debate team. Violin and piano player. "100% of people surveyed laughed when I said I'd be a fighter pilot."

The Proving Phase (1995–2004)

1995: Graduates Air Force Academy. Wins every award in pilot training except academics.
F-15 School: Almost kicked out three times in one week. Shoots his flight lead. Over-Gs the airplane one second into a re-do ride. Elimination ride on Wednesday. Passes. Graduates top of class.
2001–2004: Accepted to Fighter Weapons School (top 2% of fighter pilots). Graduates #1 in class. Becomes "Iceman." Invited back to teach—the ultimate honor.
2004: While teaching at Weapons School, fiancée has a leadership crisis at her company. Cujo thinks: "We could solve this if I taught them what we teach here." The seed is planted.

The Breaking Phase (2005–2015)

2005–2006: Leads the Air Force debrief program. Re-engineers it. Creates new vocabulary and methodology still used today.
F-22 Squadron Commander: Youngest from his class. Commands 28 of the nation's 187 Raptors. On track to be a multi-star general.
Stuttgart, Germany: Sent to Europe to decompress. Symptoms appear for the second time in his life. 10-year-old colon cancer. Surgery on the economy. Surgeon: "You'll rip apart at 9 Gs." Flying career over.
Promoted to full bird Colonel between surgeries. Exits shortly after. Takes demotion to Lieutenant Colonel to reduce stress and prolong life.

The Building Phase (2018–Present)

2018: Borrows money from a friend. Launches Debrief to Win speaking business. Terrified.
2019: Vistage asks him to do 82 presentations. He calculates: "Not a lot of money, but more than zero." He does it.
2022: Named Vistage Speaker of the Year. Learns how to tailor military lessons to business audiences while traveling the world with a broken colon.
Team forms organically: Luke "Psych" Lehman (former fighter pilot) asks to join after a Vistage event. Robert "Shark" Garland (his former instructor) asks to join at an F-15 reunion. Navy SEAL and F-18 pilots join. V Max Group is born.
Top Gun Teamwork: 12-week implementation program.