Podcast Summary: Proven Podcast Navy SEAL Secret to Proven Results – Brent Gleeson

Host: Charles Schwartz
Guest: Brent Gleeson
Date: November 26, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Charles Schwartz interviews Brent Gleeson, a decorated Navy SEAL, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and leadership consultant. The discussion centers around Brent’s new book All In: The Pathway to Personal Growth and Professional Excellence, diving deeply into what it truly means to go “all in”—leveraging focus, systems, and identity shifts to overcome challenges in both personal and professional arenas. Brent draws on his military experience and business acumen to lay out actionable frameworks for resilience, habit formation, and high-performing cultures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Brent Gleeson’s Introduction and Background

• Brent introduces himself as a Navy SEAL, two-time bestselling author (soon to be three), entrepreneur, Forbes columnist, and father of four.

  “I am Brent Gleason, Navy SEAL, combat veteran, longtime tech entrepreneur, two-time bestselling author, hopefully three-time bestselling author, Forbes leadership columnist, married, father of four, living in Rancho Santa Fe, California.” (00:32)

The New Book: All In (03:04, 04:07)

• Title: All In: The Pathway to Personal Growth and Professional Excellence.
• The “all in” philosophy is about narrowing focus and dedicating efforts to a few strategically aligned areas for maximum impact.
• Core narrative: Rather than spreading energy across many pursuits, true success is created via laser-like focus and building intentional overlap between goals.

From Navy SEALs to Entrepreneurship: Why Some Struggle (05:09)

• High performance in special ops does not automatically equate to success in business.
• Common pitfall: “Too many shiny objects.”

  “Oftentimes when folks transition out...they just try to do too much...they’re excited about doing different things—which is great—but sometimes the traits that make them successful in one arena are the enemy in another.” (05:09)

• The antidote: Narrow focus. Go all in on fewer things. Otherwise, “you’re just practicing the fine art of mediocrity in every single one of those categories.” (06:34)

Tactical Focus & Systems for Execution (07:57)

• Action, not endless reflection, is key to finding your path.
• Strategic overlap: Brent intentionally aligns family, writing, business, and wellness.
• Importance of frameworks, KPIs, and feedback loops to ensure relentless progress.
• System design: Only connect projects & goals that are mutually reinforcing.

Purpose, Values, and Identity (10:44)

• Purpose is dynamic and emerges through action, not just reflection.
• The foundation is well-defined, actionable personal values.

  “Any great business...has clearly defined, concise, measurable, and actionable values...if high performing teams do that, high performing individuals need to do that as well.” (12:12)

• Always/never statements are practical tools:

  “Your values...should be very concise, very measurable, clearly defined, and have some sort of metrics.” (13:22)

Systems vs. Processes vs. Routines (16:24)

• Brent’s “Remarkable Results Pyramid” framework (All In):
  1. Existing results
  2. Desired outcomes
  3. Systems & processes (the operational framework)
  4. Routines/rituals (habit formation/breaking)
• Example: To stop drinking, Brent identified triggers, replaced routines, and built new positive rituals (18:33).

Identity Shifts and Habit Change (23:23)

• Changing habits requires a transformative shift in identity first.

  “You have to switch your identity before you do that...You tie a deep emotional connection to that desired outcome. Without that, you will not stick with it.” (23:23)

• Brent’s decision to quit drinking came after personal loss. The catalyst: his father’s death led him to reassess legacy, family, and personal impact (25:51).

Organizational Change: Culture and Accountability (30:46, 35:37)

• Most organizations fail at change because they skip foundational cultural work.

  “High-performing organizations and teams, that is purely by design. Cultural dynamics, team dynamics, values orientation...actively managed every single second of every single day.” (30:46)

• 70% of organizational change initiatives underperform due to misalignment and lack of employee feedback.
• Culture must be operationalized—measurable, reinforced, and clearly defined.

  “Culture of accountability...has a distinct and measurable impact on growth, profit, and operational excellence.” (36:55)

Building and Sustaining High-Performing Cultures (38:16)

• Operationalize values: Define, document, and measure what behaviors merit meeting, exceeding, or missing each value.

  “As leaders, we get the behaviors that we tolerate.” (40:17)

• Flatten the org, decentralize, give autonomy—but with a strong framework.

Radical Candor and Handling Under-Performance (42:39)

• Performance management: Combine personal care with direct challenge.

  “Because I care about you personally, I’m going to tell you what you need to hear...right now, in the moment.” (44:24)

• No ambiguity: measure performance AND cultural alignment.
• Toxic high performers must go—protect the team, not tenure or legacy.

Accelerate: Brent’s Consulting & Software Firm (49:14)

• Accelerate is a hybrid management consulting and enterprise software company, industry-agnostic, focused on transformation.
• First step: In-depth diagnostic (culture, strategy alignment, blockages).
• Common challenge: Untrained managers promoted without leadership skills.

Lessons from Service and Honoring the Fallen (54:19)

• Brent recounts his first teammate loss during SEAL training (Hell Week); immediate, cold reality from leadership.

  “Gentlemen, get used to this feeling...this will not be the last teammate you lose...come together, stay focused, get the job done.” (54:55)

• Heroism is putting team above self—willing, not begrudgingly.
• Apply lessons of meaning and purpose-driven living: lasting happiness and resilience come from serving causes bigger than oneself.
• Resilience: Maintain long-term purpose while leaning into adversity as “fuel.”

Purpose, Reflection, and Moving Forward (59:30)

• Balance between mission focus and emotional processing: there’s a time to reflect, but also a time to execute for the sake of the team.

  “This isn’t going to stop. This doesn’t mean you don’t reflect on it later. But right now, that makes us combat ineffective if we stop and have this moment.” (59:30)

• Willingness to live purposefully and show up is as important as willingness to sacrifice.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Oftentimes, the traits that make you high performers in one arena are the enemy in another. And that's focus.” – Brent Gleeson (05:09)
• “Stop practicing the fine art of mediocrity in every single one of those categories.” – Brent Gleeson (06:32)
• “Action is what drives the discovery process...not endless reflection.” – Brent Gleeson (07:57)
• “As leaders, we get the behaviors that we tolerate.” – Brent Gleeson (40:17)
• On radical candor: “Because I care about you personally, I'm going to tell you what you need to hear...so we can all be in a continuous state of improvement.” – Brent Gleeson (44:24)
• “If there are people dragging the team down...it's impacting 5, 6, 10 other people...we have a responsibility to the team first and foremost.” – Brent Gleeson (46:46)
• “The happiest, most successful people in the world...pursue something greater than themselves. That’s what drives deep emotional connectivity...and resilience.” – Brent Gleeson (58:25)
• “You have to switch your identity before you change your habits.” – Charles Schwartz (22:57)
• “We spend [time] freely, without ever knowing the balance in our account.” – Brent Gleeson (27:12)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:32] – Brent’s background, core achievements, family
• [04:07] – Announcement and overview of new book All In
• [05:09] – Why some elite performers struggle outside the military
• [07:57] – Building focus, frameworks, and habits
• [10:44] – Purpose, values, and identity in transition
• [16:24] – The Results Pyramid: systems, processes, and routines
• [23:23] – Identity shifts and habit change (quitting alcohol)
• [30:46] – Organizational culture and consistent change management
• [35:37] – Accountability, leveraging culture for measurable impact
• [38:16] – Operationalizing values and cultural frameworks
• [42:39] – Radical candor and performance management
• [49:14] – About Accelerate, Brent’s firm and consulting approach
• [54:19] – Honoring fallen teammates, lessons from service
• [59:30] – The importance of resilience, reflection, and showing up

How to Connect with Brent Gleeson

• All In: The Pathway to Personal Growth and Professional Excellence – Available December 2, 2025, at Amazon and major retailers.
• LinkedIn: Brent Gleeson
• Instagram: @brent_gleeson
• Company: Accelerate AI (exlr8.ai)

Closing Reflection

Charles underscores Brent’s message: True professional excellence isn’t about chasing every opportunity or practicing the “fine art of mediocrity.” Instead, proven results demand relentless focus, all-in commitment, a systematized approach, and conscious identity shifts. Gleeson’s journey—on and off the battlefield—is a testament to the transformative power of purpose, processes, and being willing to do the hard work, every single day.