Some guests just drop bombs for an hour straight, and Griffin Brand is one of them.

Griffin is a former 75th Ranger Regiment special operator who, at 26, found himself as the lone military advisor to the U.S. ambassador in Kabul, wrangling 20 different three-letter agencies into one room. Now he's in private equity with High Ground, working deals across the restoration industry. If you caught last week's episode with Griffin and his co-author Dan Casey on their book Bring Your Own Pencil, this is the deep dive into the man behind it.

This conversation is loaded for anyone leading a business in the trades: restoration, roofing, HVAC, you name it. We get into General McChrystal's "fast and flat" philosophy and how to break down the silos killing your company's speed. Extreme ownership, owning the inputs so the outcomes take care of themselves, why veterans are the best hires in blue collar, and a story Griffin had never told before about an insider attack at the embassy and what it taught him about empathy and leadership. Trust me, you'll want a notebook.

Owning a business in the trades can be the loneliest job there is. Head, Heart, & Boots exists to change that, because the best leaders don't go it alone, and neither should you.

Why You Should Listen:

[11:03] The third door: how Griffin got through every door he was told was closed, including Ranger Regiment
[15:09] The leadership move that built instant trust with the highest-ego room on the planet
[18:53] Fast and flat: McChrystal's team of teams, and one practical way to run it in your shop tomorrow
[34:07] The insider attack story Griffin processes live for the first time, and the empathy lesson he took from it
[52:39] Why veterans are the hire your business needs, and how to find them

Grab Bring Your Own Pencil on Amazon, Audible, or bringyourownpencil.com.

Did you know...

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Spotlight on Floodlight: Your Secret Weapon for Sales & Scaling

This isn’t a paid plug. It’s real talk from the front lines. If you’ve ever thought, “How do I get a VP-level sales leader or even a sales team without hiring full-time?” Floodlight has the answer.

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Why it matters for you as a listener

You don’t need to figure this stuff out alone.
If you’re serious about sales growth, operational clarity, exit readiness, or leadership development, Floodlight is already helping folks like you scale smarter.
And you get it from industry insiders. People who’ve sat in your chair, survived the fires, and built systems that actually work.