Cleared Hot, Episode 406: Brandon Young - Army Ranger, Afghanistan, Divinity, Author, Entrepreneur, Leader

Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Andy Stumpf
Guest: Brandon Young

Episode Overview

In this episode, Andy Stumpf sits down with Brandon Young, former Army Ranger, Afghanistan veteran, author, entrepreneur, and leadership consultant. Their wide-ranging, candid conversation spans Brandon's journey from a tumultuous upbringing through elite military service, his transition to civilian life, personal and family challenges, faith, leadership lessons, and the modern veteran experience. They discuss their parallel military timelines, the harsh realities and transformations that come from combat, parenting, dealing with generational differences, and the universal struggle of finding meaning beyond titles and achievements. The discussion is grounded in Brandon’s new book, "Perseverance Is Greater Than Endurance," co-authored with Blaine Smith, and the ongoing work they do in leadership development and veteran support.

Main Discussion Themes

1. Perseverance vs. Endurance & The Purpose of the Book

(00:50–13:50)

• Brandon explains the core concept behind his book: "Perseverance is greater than endurance."
  • Perseverance: Becoming someone new in the process of overcoming adversity, not just surviving.
  • Endurance: Just making it through a known, marked course, becoming only more tired, not fundamentally changed.
• The book draws on their military and leadership experiences, illustrated through five factors: change, uncertainty, acceptance, choice, and growth.
• Both Andy and Brandon share reflections on how people, especially leaders, reach the end of their endurance, are forced to adapt, and why this capacity is fundamental to growth.
• Quote:
  • "By the time you get to point B, you are not the same person that started the course at point A ... you have had to change and grow to become the person that the situation calls for." – Brandon (11:46)
• The concept is connected to real-life trials—combat deployments, raising kids, marriage, and facing career and personal inflection points.

2. Generational Perspectives, Parenting, and the Culture of Enablement

(13:50–19:55)

• Open conversation about Gen X (their own upbringing) vs. modern Gen Z/Alpha kids.
  • Money as a (misguided) metric for happiness.
  • Over-parenting vs. the "free-range" '80s/'90s upbringing—modern helicopter parenting seen as a passive form of capping perseverance.
  • The problem of pursuing perfection or not trying rather than risking failure.
• Quote:
  • "It teaches them that someone will always save you, and the reality of life is no one is coming." – Brandon (19:31)

3. The Value of Hardship, Growth, and Seeking Discomfort

(21:26–26:10)

• Both agree that adversity and pushing into discomfort are essential for personal development.
• Encouragement for parents, leaders, and individuals to seek hard things, not shield from every struggle.
• Lighthearted planning on "leaving the GPS off" and putting younger generations in situations that force problem-solving and initiative.

4. Military Stories: Grit, Selection, and Rites of Passage

(26:10–29:56)

• Sharing of “old school” military selection and training stories (e.g., flutter kicks, BUD/S, Ranger school), and how these intense experiences catalyze maturity and humility.
• Generational jokes and the enduring culture of passing on hardships through the education pipeline.

5. Identity, Family, and the Challenge of Military Transition

(29:56–45:51)

• Brandon shares his complex family background—estranged father, self-reliance developed through adversity, his father's false military claims (stolen valor), and discovering the truth as an adult.
• Emotional discussion on the cost of living in delusion/lies vs. embracing the sometimes-painful reality.
• The pain of transition: the struggle to redefine oneself outside the military, the lure of the familiar chaos of war over family vulnerability, and the need to actively seek help.
• Quotes:
  • "Part of what makes that transition so tough is...you've been in that culture of being indomitable, and you're expected to walk through another door and say, I need help. That is irrational." – Brandon (73:11)
  • "[Veterans] just end up isolated." – Brandon (73:31)

6. The Post-9/11 Experience: Service, Success, and the Trap of Nostalgia

(53:55–56:15)

• Contrast between Vietnam-era veterans and the post-9/11 veteran community—highlighting the abundance of support, but flagging the small group who exploit this goodwill for personal gain.
• The dangerous tendency to get stuck in the "glory days" of youth, missing out on decades of potential growth and change.

7. Parenting, Purpose, and Choosing to Leave the Military

(57:01–71:20)

• Brandon explains choosing to leave the Army after 11 years to be present for his wife and kids, even as others pressured him to stay for a pension.
• The post-service struggle to find meaning and worth beyond former titles, and the journey to redefine himself in business, faith, and service.

8. Faith, Healing, and Rekindling Marriage

(90:36–98:36)

• Brandon details a turning point in his and his wife’s life when they explored Christianity, which catalyzed emotional healing and the repair ("remarriage") of their relationship.
• They discover the importance of radical honesty, forgiveness, and shedding façades within marriage and leadership.
• Quote:
  • "Stop managing your reputation, cut the shit and tell the real story." – Brandon (94:26)

9. Applied Leadership Partners & Leadership Lessons for Civilian Life

(98:38–110:21)

• Founding of Applied Leadership Partners with Blaine Smith—a leadership consulting company helping organizations develop effective, adaptable leadership cultures with a focus on framework, not scripts.
• Discussion of the limits of military leadership models in the civilian world; importance of trust, purpose, and meeting people where they are.
• Humorous notes on how military methods (directive, punitive) generally fail with a diverse civilian workforce (e.g., "If I treated my coffee shop like a SEAL platoon, I'd have zero employees." – Andy, 104:04)
• Quote:
  • "The key is not to try to force the round peg of military leadership into the square hole of the civilian population. The key is to figure out what can I relate." – Brandon (106:03)
• Value of investing in people’s real purpose and the universal elements of leadership.

10. Vulnerability, Failure, and Real Leadership

(109:08–113:21)

• Both reflect on teaching and learning more from failure than success, and the immense value of honesty, humility, and building trust "in drops and losing it in buckets."
• "Good leaders are hard to describe specifically because much of what they do is nuance and relationship." – Andy (111:51)

11. Trust, Teams, and Why "Thank You for Your Service" Matters

(115:16–120:11)

• Debunking the myth of rank or office being enough for trust and real leadership.
• The importance of building love, trust, and willingness among teams—acts that transcend orders and rank.
• Addressing veteran standoffishness to public gratitude; advocating for veterans to build bridges, not walls.

12. Faith, Divinity, and Modern Leadership

(120:14–123:47)

• Brandon’s Masters of Divinity was less about formal ministry and more about fusing biblical wisdom, psychology, and leadership theory in practical settings across industries.
• "Leadership is leadership" regardless of context, because people are people.

13. Life Lessons, Adversity, and the Ridgeline Metaphor

(123:55–131:37)

• The book's core metaphor: life as a series of valleys, climbs, rock slides, and false summits; real growth happens in the valleys, not at the curated "hilltops" promoted on social media.
• Urging leaders and individuals to accept the cyclical, unpredictable nature of life, keep extending the time horizon, and make one good decision at a time.
• Quote:
  • "To me, the juice of life is in the valley." – Andy (129:14)

Notable Moments & Quotes (with Timestamps)

• On Perseverance (11:46):
  "By the time you get to point B, you are not the same person that started the course at point A ... you have had to change and grow to become the person that the situation calls for." – Brandon

• On Modern Parenting (19:31):
  "It teaches them that someone will always save you, and the reality of life is no one is coming." – Brandon

• Stolen Valor and Family Lies (37:54):
  "He never went to Vietnam. He never had Agent Orange exposure ... my grandmother was never a silver medalist in the Olympics... none of that is true." – Brandon

• Why Military Leadership Often Fails In The Civilian World (104:34):
  "We were successful in spite of that person, not because of them." – Andy

• On Choosing Growth (73:11): "You've been in that culture of being indomitable, and you're expected to walk through another door and say, I need help. That is irrational." – Brandon

• On Reinvention After Service (134:43):
  "Sometimes you gotta take a step down, and going down isn't going backwards." – Brandon

• On Trust (112:29):
  "You really have to work at it. Can't just slap the table and say, we trust each other." – Brandon

• Final Reflection (129:14):
  "To me, the juice of life is in the valley." – Andy

Important Timestamps and Segments

• 00:50 — Book concept: Perseverance vs. Endurance
• 13:50 — Generational differences, purpose, happiness, and parenting
• 21:26 — The value of hard things/parenting lessons
• 29:56 — Brandon’s family trauma & discovering stolen valor
• 53:55 — Transitioning out of military identity; pitfalls of nostalgia
• 63:39 — Post-9/11, family sacrifice, deployments, and marriage strain
• 71:21 — Transition to civilian life and leadership struggles
• 94:26 — Marriage, honesty, forgiveness: "Cut the shit and tell the real story"
• 98:38 — Applied Leadership Partners: new chapter, leadership consulting
• 104:04 — Why you can't treat civilians like commandos
• 109:08 — Learning and teaching from failure; nuance of leadership
• 112:29 — Micro-deposits vs. withdrawals of trust
• 115:16 — Veterans, gratitude, and social norms
• 120:14 — Divinity, faith, and leadership in modern contexts
• 123:55 — Life’s terrain: valleys, climbs, and false summits

Closing

The episode highlights the universality of adversity, the necessity of perseverance in a world of uncertainty, and the rewards of embracing growth, humility, and vulnerability. Brandon’s journey is both unique and resonant for anyone wrestling with purpose, leadership, and reinvention beyond a single role or era. The tools and insight he and Andy discuss—across family, combat, business, and faith—are made tangible for listeners seeking authentic, hard-earned wisdom for their own trails.

Find the Book: perseverancebook.com

End of Summary