You Are UNSTOPPABLE | US Navy SEAL Ret. Ty Smith | JP Dinnell Podcast 124

Summary

JP Dinnell Podcast 124: "You Are UNSTOPPABLE"

Guest: US Navy SEAL (Ret.) Ty Smith
Hosts: JP Dinnell, Lucas Pinckard
Release Date: February 6, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, JP Dinnell reconnects with his former SEAL teammate, Ty Smith—a retired Navy SEAL, entrepreneur, leadership consultant, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. The conversation is a deep dive into Ty’s journey from a childhood in East St. Louis through 20 years as a SEAL, his leadership lessons learned in combat and business, and how battlefield-tested principles translate into resilience, humility, and success in life and work. Ty’s story is one of overcoming adversity, applying extreme ownership, and continually seeking growth while remaining “unstoppable.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Life, Motivation, and Joining the Teams

[04:59 - 09:57]

• Ty grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois, raised by a single mother (a police officer) as the oldest of five.
• Two major early inspirations:
  1. Seeing his uncle return in full Army uniform — "I had never seen a man look that way and carry himself that way. I'd never seen a man in uniform." (Ty, [05:46])
  2. Watching the movie Navy SEALS at age twelve: "When I saw these men doing these amazing things, not just with courage in their hearts, but with excitement, I fell in love... If there's anything remotely close to a real superhero on this planet, it's got to be these guys." (Ty, [07:52])
• Mother’s encouragement: “That will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your life, but if you want to do it, you can.” (Ty’s mother, as recalled by Ty, [09:38])
• Joined the Navy at 18 in 1996, initially in the Air Crewman pipeline, struggling but determined to get into the SEAL program.

SEAL Training: BUDS, Setbacks, and Perseverance

[10:08 - 32:44]

• Quit on his first attempt at BUD/S (“I was just scared”), assigned as military police in Italy for several years, then retried and succeeded, joining JP and others in BUD/S Class 242.
• The brown shirt “rollback” experience, covertly supporting students in Hell Week, and the camaraderie among brothers-in-arms.
• Humor and adversity in training: stories of hallucinations during Hell Week, lessons from instructors; learning humility and attention to detail.
  • “Attention to detail matters. Especially when you’re talking about communication, because leaders have to notice things that the average person doesn’t notice.” (Ty, [27:05])
  • On the value of process: “Gold cannot be refined without fire. To make it from this plateau in life to the next, we’ve got to go through that process.” (Ty, [27:05])
• The importance of mentorship among older students and gratitude for the opportunity to be in training.
• Passing critical tests by focusing on fundamentals, humility, and eagerness to learn from failures.

Adapting Strengths & Embracing Diversity

[20:09 - 44:39]

• Ty discusses wrestling, football, and being “dangerously comfortable in the water.”
• Overcame challenges in swim tests with teaching and support, highlighting the team’s ability to bring out individual strengths.
• BUD/S and SQT taught that different people excel at different things (CQB, land navigation, breaching, radios), and the SEAL Teams thrive by leveraging diverse skills and backgrounds.
  • “The SEAL teams are extremely diverse when it comes to people’s thoughts, ideas, the way they do things, their backgrounds. That’s what makes us work so well together.” (JP, [42:51])
• Discussion about the evolution of SEAL graduations and the debate between quiet professionalism and sharing SEAL stories.

Leadership in Combat: Lessons from Deployments

[51:06 - 80:05]

• Ty recounts arrival at SEAL Team 8, positive mentorship, and learning from senior leaders.
• Key story: On his first Afghanistan op, almost stepping on two toddler girls, realizing the gravity of his role and the importance of maintaining humanity under extreme stress.
  • “I almost trampled those two little girls... It reminded me of my humanity, and I’m grateful, because maybe it was because of that instance, but I never lost my humanity throughout my entire career.” (Ty, [55:21])
• Experiences from later Iraq deployments: “Iraq was a completely different beast... going from room to room, house to house, the tension is constantly high. We were running like 6, 7, 8 raids a night.” (Ty, [59:08])
• Facing the consequences of “new guy” status in an established platoon, tribalism, and later, as a chief, being able to build and lead his own platoon.
• The transformational power of humility, hard work, and listening—even when entering new environments as a senior leader.

Building and Leading High-Performing Teams

[69:27 - 80:05]

• As platoon chief, Ty was able to select and train his own team, investing in a six-month custom workup, producing top performance in combat.
• Survived more than 80 firefights with his platoon in Afghanistan, while maintaining discipline, professionalism, and humanity.
• On balancing strength and compassion: “A good operator, and not just a good operator but a good leader, has to be multifaceted. You can’t just know the way of the iron... you also gotta know the way of the velvet.” (Ty, [72:17])
• Powerful moment: After a brutal ambush, Ty gathered his platoon, shared vulnerability and love, and reminded them of their humanity and need to avoid complacency.
  • “Several of y’alls moms walked up to me before we deployed and made me promise I would bring you home safely.” (Ty, [72:46])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ty Smith on finding purpose:
  "I fell in love with the idea of becoming a Navy SEAL that day as a 12-year-old kid... and my mom reinforced it. She was like, 'That will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but if you want to do it, you can.'" ([09:38])

• On wrestling and shaping mindset:
  “Wrestling is where I discovered that I don’t have to be the biggest, strongest, or most talented. If I have the ability to get into someone’s head, they’re done.” ([20:09])

• On failing pool comp and process:
  “They hammer painfully into our brains starting day one... You can’t rush the process.” ([27:05])

• Leadership lesson:
  “Attention to detail matters. Especially when you’re talking about communication, because leaders have to notice things that the average person doesn’t notice.” ([27:05])

• Reflection on combat’s cost:
  “I never lost my humanity throughout my entire career, but that moment stuck with me.” ([55:21])

• On balancing leadership styles:
  “A good operator… has to be multifaceted. You can’t just know the way of the iron. As a good operator, you also gotta know the way of the velvet, right? There’s gotta be balance in everything.” ([72:17])

• The cost of complacency:
  “Don’t get complacent on me. Don’t start drinking your own Kool-Aid.” ([72:46])

• Final advice (Ty’s closing thought):
  “Always, always, always remember whose you are. Always remember that you are divine... Remember whose you are, and that you have the power to move mountains—if even you only have the faith the size of a mustard seed... Keep going. No matter what it is you’re dealing with.” ([97:35])

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Business, Jiu Jitsu, and Life After the Teams

[80:20 - 97:35]

• Ty’s transition plan was to join the FBI, but a forward-thinking CO encouraged him to focus on preparing for life after the Navy.
  • "A real leader goes, 'Hey man, I care about you beyond your ability to work for me and be a SEAL. I’m now concerned with what your life is going to look like after the Navy.'" ([82:39])
• Started grad school, launched Vigilance Risk Solutions, and entered entrepreneurship, also serving as CEO in several tech and tactical ventures.
• Currently involved in several businesses (consulting, podcasting, tactical gear, tech startups).
• Applying decentralized command in running multiple ventures: “Decentralized command is absolutely a cornerstone in your life right now. It has to be.” (JP, [92:09])
• Next episode teased: Deeper dive into business leadership, jiu jitsu journey, parenting lessons, and turning battlefield lessons into boardroom wins.

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Important Timestamps

• [04:59] — Ty's Childhood & Becoming Inspired to Become a SEAL
• [10:08] — Early Naval Career, First BUD/S Attempt, Lessons from Failure
• [13:13] — The ‘Brown Shirt’ Rollback Role in Hell Week
• [20:09] — Sports, Wrestling, and the Mental Side of Winning
• [27:05] — Pool Comp, Process, and Attention to Detail/Leadership
• [32:44] — Land Navigation and Team Support
• [44:39] — Diversity and Leveraging Individual Strengths
• [51:06] — Ty’s First SEAL Platoon, Mentorship
• [55:21] — Maintaining Humanity in Combat
• [59:08] — Urban Combat, CQC, Iraq vs. Afghanistan
• [69:27] — Building and Training a Team as Platoon Chief, Leadership Takeaways
• [72:17] — Multifaceted Leadership: Iron and Velvet
• [97:35] — Ty’s Final Advice: Remember Whose You Are

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Tone and Language

The conversation is brotherly, candid, and inspirational, full of storytelling, humility, and hard-won wisdom. Both hosts and guest freely joke and reminisce but also dig deep into serious topics of trauma, leadership responsibility, and personal transformation. The military “team guy” camaraderie comes through in both the laughs and the gravity of recollections.

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For Further Exploration

• Follow Ty Smith: @coachtysmith on Instagram
• JP Dinnell Podcast: @jpdinnellpodcast
• Ty’s new business and podcast: Hero Consulting & Hero Chronicles
• Anticipate next episode: Ty’s business leadership, jiu jitsu black belt journey, and fatherhood.

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Closing Message

“Always remember whose you are… You are unstoppable. Remember that you have the power to move mountains—keep going, no matter what you’re dealing with.”
—Ty Smith ([97:35])

Transcript

[A]

Good morning. This is a JP Donnell podcast, episode 124. I am JP Donnell and as always, I have Lucas with me. Well, today I am extremely excited to sit down with one of my old teammates. We actually went through a little bit of buzz together. Sqt together. Lots of awesome memories from those times and you know, our careers overlapped a few times. We were actually Bud's instructors together for a little bit. He was in the teens when I was at trade up and so just awesome time while we were serving in the SEAL teams. Ty Smith is a retired Navy SEAL. He's an entrepreneur, a keynote speaker with 20 years of experience leading in high pressure environments. A former SEAL Team 1 platoon chief with six combat deployments, Ty earned multiple combat valor awards and developed a leadership style rooted in accountability, clarity and integrity. Today he runs small businesses across tech, AI, B2B consulting, weapons manufacturing and media, applying his battlefield tested principles to modern business and leadership challenges. Ty is also a national and world Brazilian jiu Jitsu athlete and has been a black belt under Master Barrett Yoshida since 2019. He speaks internationally on leadership, resilience and winning the right way. Ty, how are you, my man?

[B]

Fantastic. Thanks for having me on, bro. It's great to see you.

[A]

Appreciate you being here. Lucas. How are you, sir?

[C]

I'm fantastic. I'm super stoked to to get to meet Ty.

[A]

I know this is gonna be awesome. So, man, I love just, I mean, you know, we've been connected on social media for a few years, cross paths a few times in the teams and you know, at different ceremonies, retirements, funerals, unfortunately, you know, we had always joke in the SEAL teams that, you know, once you get out or guys go different ways on different coasts, it's like you only see each other at like reunions, retirements or funerals, right? Which is, there's a lot of truth there. But man, it's been awesome watching you on social media. You know, there's goods and bads to social media, but I mean I like, I like being able to follow my teammates and you know, keep up to date on people and you know, you all, you use social media as a platform to help educate people, to promote obviously your businesses, but also just education and resources to help individuals and businesses. A lot of overlap with what we do at Echelon Front. No shocker, you know what I mean? It's like, bro, I mean these principles, they work and these principles that we use in the SEAL teams, you know, have been around well before the SEAL teams were ever established. They're all biblical principles. There's nothing new under the sun, but it's, it's always really cool seeing how different guys are applying what we learned. And I'm sure you've also seen there's a lot of guys in our community that got out and they don't apply any of the things that we learned because I think some of them just, you know, they choose just to go a different way. They're like, hey, that chapter is closed and done. And you know, some of it I highly respect because there are some guys and I know, you know, a few of these guys, they're just like super quiet about what they did. They're like, hey, I never want to talk about it. You know, I gotta be, you know, the, the silent professional, which we can dissect a little bit later. Because, I mean, if, I think there's a difference between being like quiet and silent and non existent though, because, you know, if nobody ever talked about what the SEAL teams did, I don't know if I ever would have found the SEAL teams. I don't, I don't know about you.

[B]

Yeah, we should definitely dig into that, brother. I, I've got some very strong opinions on that, especially current day giving National. Well, there's a national atmospherics.

[A]

Yeah, there's a good way to do it and there's a bad way to do it, right. And you know, I mean, like any community, there's always going to be guys that do it the right way and then there's going to guys that do the wrong way and then there's always, always going to be a little bit of that team guy drama that comes up. And I was talking with a few of my buddies. Veteran was assigned my buddy Zach, I think he's a great veteran advocate and does a lot of great stuff out there. And we were talking about just the stupid drama between service members and it's like, man, what are we doing? If we could just eliminate that and go back to what we knew in combat of what one team, one fight, I think the world would be a much better place. But we're not here to talk about that yet. Let's, let's learn a little bit about UTAI for our listeners. Where did you grow up? What was your childhood like? Any major defining moments from growing up that you reflect on now as a father and as a businessman, you know, something that shaped you maybe going into the military, but you know, mostly like, hey, where'd you grow up? What was your childhood like and what, what brought you into the military, especially Going into the SEAL teams. Yeah.

[B]

So I grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois. Right on the Illinois Missouri border, but over to Mississippi on the Illinois side. And I mean, I think I had a pretty normal childhood growing up in the hood, basically, surprisingly, especially given who I am as a person now. I got bullied a lot growing up, so I wasn't a very popular kid. I didn't have like the cool shoes and the cool clothes. I was being raised by a single parent, a lady cop, you know, who's hard on me for obvious reasons. I was the oldest of five. I was expected to be the man of the house at a very early age, even though that wasn't supposed to be my responsibility. Right. But I'm grateful for all of that because it shaped me into who I am today as a person, as a father, as a patriot, all of the above. As far as defining moments in my childhood, man, I would have to say there are two times in my childhood that I think really defined who I've become today. And it set me on that path for joining the Navy. The first thing was I think I was about maybe 7 or 8 years old and my aunt Septoria came home to my grandparents house, which we were all being raised in, and she walked in the front yard with someone I'd never seen before and it turned out to be my uncle Kelvin. And he was in his starched army BDU's. His combat boots were polished, he had the 8 point stars then, just rocking it. So dope. I had never seen a man look that way and carry himself that way. I'd never seen a man in uniform. And when he walked in the front yard with my aunt holding her hand, no doubt on his way into the lion's den, AKA my, my grandparents house where all of my other aunts and my mom was, he was going in there like a man to ask my grandpa for his daughter's hand in marriage. Right. And like that's a man right there, right. And so absolutely that moment stuck with me especially because again I, I had never seen a man like that. I didn't even know that, that men were built like that. I knew that both of my grandpas had served in the military, they served in World War II. But that was obviously well ahead of our time. And I was a little kid so I didn't know much about it. The second instance that, that really set me on the path to where you and I linked up at some point was when I was 12 years old. I saw the movie Navy SEALS with.

[A]

Charlie Sheen the best documentary ever.

[B]

Ever. Right? And that was what did it for me, man. I was, I was sitting on the floor. Crisscross applesauce, I think, is what they, they say today. The politically correct term, which I'm kind of over, by the way. I'm over all the politically correct. I, I was just enamored with what I saw these men doing on the TV screen. And again, you know, I was growing up in a really rough part of town where I, I wasn't, I hadn't, I hadn't found myself yet. I didn't know that there was a, A killer, a, A savage, a savior, a hero, a soldier, a Navy SEAL in here. I didn't know all of that at that time. And so I was just a meek little kid that was getting bullied all the time. And when I saw these men doing these amazing things, not just with courage in their hearts, but with excitement, like, this is what I was born to do, like, man, I fell in love. And to me, given how I was experiencing childhood, I kind of knew in my heart that, hey, if there's anything remotely close to a real superhero on this planet, it's got to be these guys. And if I could be one of those guys when I grew up, someday, nobody will ever bully me again, and I will never let anyone around me be bullied. And I fell in love with the idea of becoming a Navy SEAL that day as a 12 year old kid. And I looked over at my mom, who was watching a movie with me, and I said, mama, that's what I want to do when I grow up. And my mom reinforced it. Like the badass she is, she's like. And she told me the truth. She was like, that will be the hardest thing you've ever done in your life, but if you want to do it, you can. And that stuck with me, man. So when I graduated high school at 18, I was like, I'm out of here. Nope, don't need to take the ACT sat. I'm joining the Navy. I've got a purpose. I want to be a Navy SEAL someday. And I was out.

[A]

That's awesome. So what year did you join the Navy?

[B]

96.

[A]

96, cool. So. So you go to boot camp. What was your, what was your rate back in the day?

[B]

So I started out as an AW. So I came into the Navy in 96 wanting to be a SEAL. They put me in the Air Crewman pipeline first. So I did Air Crewman Candidate School, Search and Rescue Swimmer School, and AW School, Anti Submarine Warfare School, and I made a big stink about not wanting to be there while I was going through that pipeline in Pensacola, Florida, because I wanted to go through the BUDS pipeline. So eventually they let me go. And I ended up leaving Pensacola in the middle of the winter of 97. Checked in the BUDS for the first time with Class 218, and I was doing really, really well. I ended up quitting a day in a hell week. And not because I really wanted to quit or I wasn't too cold or too tired. I was just scared, you know, I just wasn't ready. And so I ended up going over to Sardinia, Italy, as a military police officer for, like, four and a half years. I showed back up to Bud talking Italian to you guys. I remember. Yeah.

[A]

I remember hearing some of those stories, you know? And, you know, at this point, you're what, 22?

[B]

Yeah, I was about 22.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I just remember how old you were. You know, I'm like, 18.

[B]

Yeah. Hey, I wasn't the oldest. Remember, AJ was the oldest.

[A]

Well, AJ's a unicorn. I remember. Yeah. 100. Yeah. AJ was a lot older than you. But I just remember, like, you know, guys like you and Aozawi and AJ and Ray Mendoza and all these guys.

[B]

Right.

[A]

All older, had a little bit of fleet time under them. And I just remember, like, looking to you guys and just being like, okay, you know, like. And I was a kid, man. I was a kid. Yeah.

[B]

Weren't you 17?

[A]

Dude, I was 18. 18, 19. Going through buds and just, you know, you guys helped me out a lot. And, you know, we'll get to some of those stories later. But I just. I remember the Italy part, and I was, like, trying to piece it together in my brain. And I just remember, like, you telling stories about, like. Yeah, being over in Italy and everything. I was like, man, that's pretty legit to be able to do at that young age. So. So you go to Italy, you come back, and you roll into 241 with life. Right?

[B]

241 with you guys? Yeah, right. I was in 240.

[A]

I was in 242.

[B]

Oh, that's right.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

With Lafayette after Hell Week.

[A]

Yep. Okay.

[B]

Yep, exactly. So I got back four and a half months after 9 11, classed up with 241, ended up rolling out of 241 into 242 after hell week, which is where I linked up with you in 242. And then obviously, we graduated together with class 242.

[A]

Yeah, I remember. I think you were A part of the Little Brown Shirt crew that when.

[B]

You guys were going through Hell Week.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. And I remember during around the World, you may or may not have been one of those swimmers that brought us food out to the boats on around the World. Did I just remember?

[B]

Yeah, we, we, we were one of those rare pairs that didn't get caught. You know, we understood the, the, the savageness of the circumstances if we would have gotten caught by the instructor cadre. So that's. We were just getting ready for combat. Swimmer. Man, we did good.

[A]

Yeah, you guys did real good. So for Lucas and a lot of our other listeners that may not know what Ty and I are talking about.

[C]

The NCC's out there in, in the world.

[A]

Yeah. So he created this, the NCC's Non Commissioned Civilians. And he says it because it pisses me off every time.

[C]

But yes, a lot of us out there.

[A]

Yes. Yeah, yeah. So to all the NCCs. So when you're going through Hell Week, you know, Ty was in class 241 gets rolled and so he's called a brown shirt rollback. So he made it through Hell Week. You make it through Hell Week, you get your brown shirt, which is the warmest shirt ever. When they like give you that brown shirt right after Hell Week, it's a big deal. I mean, it's a big deal. Um, so Ty and the rest of the other brown shirt rollbacks are waiting for us to get done with Hell Week. And then we class up and they join the training with us. Well, some of the things that brown shirts do during Hell Week is they're there to help support the instructors and the class going through. But it's also like, hey, it's students. Students and the instructors. I wouldn't say against each other or versus, but we're not on the same team at this time. And so the students are all trying to rally together as much as they can. And we also look to the brown shirts because, hey, they have a little more experience than we do. And it doesn't seem like a big deal, but just somebody being one class ahead of you in buds, you look to them like, holy crap. Like, you know what's coming, you know the way. Which is funny when you really think about it, because it's only a difference of a few months, but you, you know. But anyway, so during Hell Week, there's an evolution called around the World where you as boat crews, you paddle the boats all the way around Coronado, which is 11 and a half nautical miles. It's A it's an all night evolution. And there is this one point when you're coming through the bay after a spa, a little like health check, a med check and then maybe some food or whatever, a little beat down session and then they put you back out in the water. Some of the brown shirts, they'll be like hiding throughout the island. Like legitimately like you're running an urban mission. Like they are hiding throughout the island. Like cammied up, face painted up little like go bags, like black dive bags where they could put food and snacks in that are waterproof and they'll, they'll swim out to you. And there are some of them like hiding under the piers and docks in the shadows and like trying to swim out there or some of them will like be literally treading out in the bay, which is super dangerous by the way. Yeah, super dangerous.

[C]

Every part about that training is super dangerous. So.

[A]

Okay. Valid. Yeah. And. But they're waiting for the boats to paddle by and their goal is to bring you just a bunch of just junk food snacks. Like there's even time like you guys had like pizzas.

[B]

Pizzas.

[A]

Yeah, they had pizzas in the back.

[B]

You're swimming, swimming, holding a pizza up.

[A]

Over here from Domino's shout out to the dominoes in Coronado because they said every single bud student back when you could get bitten, get a decent pizza for like $5. Which was big for all of us at the time.

[B]

But anyways, the days of the old.

[A]

Yeah. So they're out there and they're bringing. And it's a, it's a very real risk if you get rolled up from an instructor. Oh, you're going to pay the man like hard all night like as if you're back in hell week.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So this is really, this is so the brown shirts, this is their first covert up is running food.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's a really good way to look at.

[A]

I mean it's. Yeah, that's not, that's not far off. I mean it's a legit like little operation that the guys put.

[C]

And the instructors have to know that it's happening. Right. It sounds like it's a thing.

[A]

No, they 100% know. So and then they try to tell us like if you get caught accepting stuff from brown shirts, well you'll be paid and you know, totally putting us against each other because they know it's happening.

[C]

Right.

[A]

And their goal outside of just, you know, it's hell week. I mean usually by the around the world point they're not getting anybody to quit. I mean, at that point, you know, yeah, when the sun rises some point throughout that day, you're done. So at that point, they're not going to get anybody to quit. And you think back, I mean, yeah, they would beat us down, but at that point they could only do so much from a medical standpoint because, yeah, you're getting quote, beat down, but it ain't, it ain't an actual beat down. I mean, guys are just barely walking and moving at this point. I mean, you're coming up on five. Five days of no sleep, all physical activity. So there's like the mental games. And you know, I remember during around the World, like one of the guys in my boats because they were swimming out. I don't know if it was Ty or somebody else, but they freaked out because the swimmers came up next to them. And at this point, some guys are starting to hallucinate. And you know, one of the guys in my boat crew freaking thought it was a baby swimming next to us. It was like freaking out, like trying to help scoop up the baby. And then other guys like swim pairs would come up. They thought they were like sharks like swimming up and they're trying to hit them with the paddles and it's like these guys swimming up with goodies. So. That's right.

[B]

Do you remember one of the guys in your class thinking that there was a big ass wall out in the middle of the ocean?

[A]

Stop, stop. Yes.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? Like right as we got up to the boats, I remember being on the side of one of them, right? And I knew the cadre, you know, their canoes and their boats were on the other side. So I'm hiding like on the beach side of the boat and all of a sudden the, the bo to the west and I'm like, oh, oh. Like no insurance are going to see us. Like, where are you guys going? And I hear somebody yell out, there's a wall. There's a wall out here in the ocean. I'm like, dude, there's no wall. And then I heard the instructor cadre going, there's not a wall, you moron.

[A]

Straighten the boat back out.

[B]

Unfortunately, they turned back around so that we were hidden. But yeah, people hallucinate all the time.

[A]

There was guys that thought they're blown through stop signs and red lights, like freaking out at this moment. So yeah, so we make it through hell week. Ty and I link up, we go through the rest of first phase, second phase. Which pool comp. I meant to ask you a question. Did you Grow up playing a lot of sports. So were, like, you comfortable as an athlete or were you comfortable in the water? Did you like. What was your comfort level going into the. Into buds?

[B]

Yeah, both of those. So I grew up wrestling and playing football. I wasn't very good at football. I just didn't have the natural talent and the. Some of the natural gifts that some of my friends had. But I excelled at wrestling. Wrestling is where I really started to discover that there was something or someone inside of me that was abnormal. Wrestling is where I discovered that, hey, I don't have to be the biggest, I don't have to be the strongest. I don't have to have the most talent. But if I have the ability to get into a person's head, they're done. I don't care who they are. And that's. That's where I discovered that. And that. That enjoyment of taking someone and dragging them as deep in the water as I can get them and, and watching them panic, knowing that they've been bested. I think wrestling is what that. What did that for me and of course, led me in Brazilian jiu jitsu as far as the water. Even though I grew up in the Midwest, I was kind of a water baby bro. And that's thanks to my mom, because anywhere we went where there is a body of water, she'd be like, yeah, why not get in? Went to an apartment complex with some friends and there's a pool. Sure, get in. We go to Frank Houlton park and there's the lake. She's like, yeah, why not get in? So she was always, you know, motivating me to get in the water whether I could swim or not. And so I became dangerously comfortable in the water, like, ahead of me actually being able to swim properly. So fortunately, I had that working for me when we got to budge training. And I can remember being super comfortable in the water, but not very fast. And I remember a couple of the cadre pulling me aside and saying, hey.

[A]

Man.

[B]

We'Re gonna pair you up with one of the faster swimmers in your class. That turned out to be Mr. Rogers, the Clemson swimmer.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you're going to show up at the pool this weekend and he's going to work with you on technique because you got it. And we like you like, we don't see a lot of black dudes that come through here that are as comfortable in the water as you. And you got it. We just need to teach you the technique. You got a attitude. And so within a weekend, Mr. Rogers cleaned up my swim technique. And, man, that's when we went from me barely squeaking across the finish line to pass a two mile ocean swim to he and I finishing first on every time swim. From first phase through graduation, I just needed to be taught the technique.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I. Yeah, I remember. So I grew up, you know, doing swim team and water polo, and I remember, like, going through buds. Like, you and I were always just like, just. We always had the fast swim pairs. Just crushing it. Yeah, the pool days were like our days. We love those days. Ocean swim day. Those are like our days. Because usually that takes everything out of the students, and those days tend to be a little bit easier than the rest. And so that for you and I, that was like our recovery day. It's like, oh, cool, you're gonna, quote, kill us in the pool or the ocean.

[B]

We.

[A]

We good?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, we're gonna be okay.

[A]

And so second phase. Pool comp. Good to go for you, like, no major issues?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I didn't have any major issues. I failed it the first time and then I passed it the second time. But I think I only. Wait a minute. Did I fail pool comp the first time? I did, but it was because I think I'd made a stupid mistake on something. Didn't have anything.

[A]

It wasn't because of panic. It was just a no.

[B]

I think I just. I skipped the step or something like.

[A]

That, which is so.

[B]

And I remember Eric. No, it wasn't Eric Burks. It was another one of the instructors basically saying, dude, you. You should have passed this, bonehead. Yeah, you're gonna do it again. And I came back the next day and I crushed it.

[A]

That's exactly his verbiage, you bonehead. And if he called you a bonehead, you're like, oh, he likes me.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

[A]

Man, that dude's a freaking trip. That guy was a trip. So pool comp. Okay, so for pool comp, you and I are very similar, like, comfortable. Just also, hey, they're gonna teach you the technique. Just do what they teach you and shut off the brain. I like what you said, though. And I'm sure you apply this a lot to the business coaching that you do. Just like we do at Echelon Front following the steps in place are so critical to success in life. And I'm sure we could tie that to business, to jiu jitsu. But when that happened, you know, you always had a, you know, a good attitude going through buds. You know, there's good days and bad days for all of us, we all had our bad days where we're like, dude, screw this. Like, but for the most part, like, you had this, you know, happy attitude, positive attitude. You took it serious like a lot of the older guys in the class. And I remember that's something that I would take from you guys, is because the guys that had been there and then went to the fleet and came back, you guys had just a different attitude in regards to being grateful for that opportunity of being there. And that's one of the things, you know, I talk about is this attitude I had going through buds is, I get to do this. Like, man, I am so thankful that I get to do this. And I remember hearing stories from you and Ray Mendoza and Brian Alazawi and some of the older guys that would just talked about like, how, dude, being at BUDS is fun. It's awesome. And you guys would talk about your fleet experience, and you guys had some pretty awesome experience and time in the fleet, but you're like, hey, those great times don't even compare to this or what we're going to get to do in the SEAL teams. And I remember Ray Mendoza because he made it his first time going through buds. He was like a week away from graduating.

[B]

Yeah, I remember. Correct.

[A]

One of the instructors legitimately did not like him and failed him for the. The. The. The rebuild of the Mark 48. Remember when he had to do that? And it was a B.S. like, nope, you failed. Did it again. Nope, you failed. And then he got kicked out. Now, thankfully, they can't do those be those BS games anymore in buds. It's like, all right, just because you don't like a student doesn't mean that you can just fail them. Like, are they passing? Yes or no? And I like how there's, like, those things in place. Now, unfortunately, Ray didn't get that, but fortunately to me and you and the rest of the guys, it happened to him because we got them to go through buds.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Friendship, the relationship, and, you know, God's plan is in all of it. But I just remember you having those attitudes. So when they failed you for not following the procedures the right way, is that something that kind of stuck with you? You're like, hey, oh, the. The little things matter and I need to be a little.

[B]

Absolutely. And that is something that I spend a tremendous amount of time talking about with the executives that I coach and some of the enterprises that I work with. Attention to detail matters. It really, really matters, especially when you are talking about communication, because we know that most of our communication is non verbal. Yep. So you have to really have good attention to detail in order to be a good leader. Because leaders have to notice things that the average person doesn't notice. And yeah, that's something that they hammer painfully into our brains starting day one of buzz training. And you know, you said something a couple of minutes ago that I thought was extremely valuable. And that's not rushing the process. Right. And one of the coolest analogies that I've heard when it comes to explaining that is, hey, man, you wouldn't take your clothes out of the washing machine before it's finished running its cycle just because you're impatient and you want to put those clothes on. Right? No, you have to sit and patiently allow for the washing machine to go through the full process, go through the rinse cycle, go through the spin cycle. Right. And then you got to put your clothes in the dryer before you put them on. Unless you're a bud student and you're putting them on. Right. But you wouldn't rush that process. And the reward at the end of the process is now you got clean, dry clothes to put on. So life, we have to look at it the same way. You cannot rush the process. And people have a tendency of trying to rush the process, especially when they feel like they're going through discomfort. Right. But I like to remind people that it's kind of like what you were saying a little bit ago. God has a plan for everything and everyone on this planet. And gold cannot be refined without fire. So at some point or some points in our lives, in order for us to graduate from this season to the next, or for us to make it from this plateau in life to the next plateau in life, we've got to go through that process that sometimes is very painful. Sometimes it hurts. It burns like you're standing in the fire. But the reward is when you come out the other side of it and you look back at and you go, okay, that wasn't that bad. I'm shiny and beautiful now, but I'm also bigger, better, faster, stronger as a result of going through that fire and having this greater perspective now. So that was a really important point that you made, bro. We should not rush the process.

[A]

It's easier said than done, right?

[B]

It is much easier said than done. But you know what? I'm getting so much better at it because I'm super mindful of it all day, every day. And maybe because I'm a little old.

[A]

Yeah, like we got a little bit of age on Our. It's funny though. I always find myself when I'm talking with old teammates and buddies like you that I went through Buds. Like, in my mind, I go back to that and I have to remember, I'm like, Bro, JP, you're not 19 anymore. You're 42, about to be 43, with four kids. It's just. It's crazy. But, man, like. But that's the cool thing is about the way the brain works with holding on to core memories. Like, how it will bring you back to those moments. Like, as we're talking right now, I'm getting ready to ask you about third phase. I could smell San Clemente Island. I could smell La Posta. Like, I remember us, you know, in up in La Posa doing Land Nav. And I just remember seeing you one time and you were like, super frustrated and you're like, JP and like, we're talking. I was like, oh, remember that day?

[B]

Because land, that big ass walking stick that you had found. You were coming one way, I was coming the other, and I was having a hard time.

[A]

You were. And you know, and Land Nav was one of those things that it was like. And it still is. Like God's gifting to me. Like, I can just look at the terrain, look at a topographical map, and I don't even have to use my compass. Like, I know where I'm at. I know where I need to go, which is not common. I know that's not, like, common for a lot of people. And I remember us, like, going this way and you were super frustrated and I was like, oh, bro. And like, we just talked through some stuff and you're like, thanks, I owe you. And I'm like, what? And you, like, took off running to go to the next waypoint.

[B]

Dude, I remember that day like it was yesterday. And I also remember what you just said. You were one of those people that land that came super easy to you. You're like, yeah, bro, I haven't even looked at my map. And you look like you were just having a great jovial time and you want me nobody's business.

[A]

I just remember. Well, you know, it was just funny. Like, you know, you're one of my teammates were, you know, we're getting ready to finish up third phase. And, you know, I know, like, what we're doing was super important. Like, Land Nav, that's a big one. And you were stressed because that is something. And I just remember, like, seeing how stressed you were. And I felt so bad. Like, I felt like so Bad for you. But, man, it was cool. Land Nav was awesome. La Posto is awesome. I remember as we were headed back, we all noticed, like, the route they were taking was not the normal route. And remember the little extra surprise that they had for us, man, they took us down to this lake that was ice cold and made us get in there and beat us down there for a while. Just because the instructors are bored on the way home.

[C]

Well, you know, you hate for them to be bored.

[A]

Well, yeah, exactly.

[C]

They gotta earn their paychecks too.

[A]

Oh, they were.

[B]

Yeah. But for us, in our minds, like, we're. We're pissed because we're like, this is beneath us. We're getting ready to drive, graduate. Why are they doing this?

[C]

A little bit of entitlement creeped in there.

[A]

Yeah, a lot of entitlement, a lot of ego, and, you know, the instructor. And that's what was cool. Like, the good instructors would remind you, like, hey, guys, like, we get it, but you're not done yet. You. You have not graduated. And then that was another thing that they would, you know, remind us. Going through SQT is like, yeah, hey, you made it through buds, but, bro, you don't have your triton yet. Yeah, you're not in a student.

[B]

Do you remember Pete Foster, who was one of our third phase instructors at the time, would go on to be my ops match chief at Seal Team 1? But do you remember him making Chuck Crouch hit the surf the morning of graduation in his starched cammies?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

It was one of the funniest things I've ever experienced because Chuck was so mad. He was so mad and in so much disbelief that on the day of graduation and it starched cammies.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Pete Foster was like, crouch hit the serve. And he was kind of stunned. He's like, what? He's like, hit the F and serve. And I remember him coming back and just being livid, just being pissed off the whole morning. It was hilarious.

[C]

That's amazing.

[A]

Yes, I do. I do remember that. I do remember that. What was your favorite part of sqt? I know there's a lot. Is awesome.

[B]

My favorite part of sqt? That's a good question, man. Nobody's ever asked me that. I don't know if I've even thought through that. Yeah.

[A]

And the reason why I ask you, and, you know, you can kind of think, as I say this is, you know, when I'm explaining the process to companies, like, if I have a. If I'm doing a full day workshop, I can talk a little bit More about buds, a little bit more about sqt. Not from like the telling cool bud stories, but from connecting the dots behind, behind the mindsets and how they can be applied to business. And one of the things I explained to people about SQT is it's the advanced SEAL qualification training that we go through. And the intent behind SQT is to make it to where when you check into a SEAL team, you are an asset and not a liability. You are somewhat capable to be somewhat functionable at a platoon. As a brand new guy, knowing you're going to have old guys coaching, mentoring.

[B]

And guiding you and I mean you're technically deployable. When you come out of sqt, that's.

[A]

What I tell people.

[B]

Your team is on deployment. Like they expect you to go catch up when like no workup, no pro dev, nothing. By the time you come out of sqt, technically you're ready to do the job.

[A]

Yes, you are 100% accurate. And we actually had guys in Ramadi that could you imagine graduating sqt going to SEAL Team 3 and they're like, hey, you're headed to Ramadi and you're hearing all these stories and like now obviously those guys aren't like, like jumping in the stack and you know, headed out on patrols right away, but they're deployed. Two Ramadi guys were deploying Afghanistan right out of sqt. And I always share that with companies in regards to like, hey, you need to have a solid training platform put in place and in that always, as you know, varies depending on the industry. You know, that training might be a lot longer, a little more in depth. You know, there has to be a blend of all different types of training. But I always like to talk about that in regards to like the SEAL teams had a method to, for preparation to where you could have an individual show up and they could be deployed. And it always blows people's minds. They're like, what? And I'm like, yeah. So you could. And I always talk about, like, think about the, the just the discrepancy of skill set. You have a guy that graduates SK T, he could be deployed and these other guys just spent 18 months training together as a team and now you're plugging that person in there. But if you have good leadership within that platoon and good older guys are going to guide them, like they're going to be okay.

[B]

Yeah, they'll be fine. Yeah, right?

[A]

And then that guy, man, talk about the little bit of advantage you have. You get to do a deployment and then you're still a new guy. Doing a workup and then. Bro, that's pretty legit.

[B]

It is legit.

[A]

Yeah. So as you're thinking about sqt, was there anything in SQT that you. You really enjoyed or, you know, started to shift the way you thought about things?

[B]

Maybe more than anything, I think it was going through cqb.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

In sqt, especially when we got to the part where. Do you remember when they brought in Dwayne Dieter and his crew? Yeah, Right. And. And then you ended up beating up that dude at the gas station because he tried to steal your bike.

[A]

While we're in the middle of that.

[B]

I. I think that that was probably one of my favorite experiences, because I've always been a CQB nerd. Like, I've always looked at CQB as even growing up and fantasizing about becoming a Navy seal. I've always looked at CQB as that. Hey, that's that. That's that thing that only the special guys can do, right?

[A]

Like.

[B]

Like, you can't. And especially not knowing now the contrast, like, of taking eight regular army dudes and then eight special operations guys and going like, hey, clear that house, and watching it be done correctly. And so I think that when we were going through SQT and we were starting to take on even more of the advanced skill set of cqb, not to mention when they brought in the Deeter system and they started layering on top of that armed and unarmed self defense, I really dug that, and it sort of set me on that path that I jumped on immediately when we graduated. And AJ came over to my room, was like, hey, man, I'm gonna go check out this new gym down in San Diego called City Boxing and try to do this jiu Jitsu stuff. Do you want to go? And I was like, yeah, let's.

[A]

Let's go.

[B]

And that was actually the first time that I saw Jocko ever. I just didn't. I had no idea it was him. I had no idea who he was. Yeah, him and Viking of a dude in their Jewing jiu Jitsu, and they're like, yeah, that dude's a seal. And I was like, that dude looks like he is bad to the freaking bone. Right? But so, yeah, I think that that was my favorite part, and it set me on the path of eventually becoming, you know, one of the pioneers of the combatives program at Seal Team 8 and becoming a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, bro.

[A]

I. And I know. I know we, like, I always have to remind myself, like, hey, everything happens for a Reason. Everything happens for a reason. As you're sharing that story, I. I didn't know that that's how you got into it. And it's so frustrating because we were in SQT together, and had I been hanging out in your room talking or in the hallway, and AJ came and told you that, and I would have been like, hey, what are you guys up to? You're like, hey, we're gonna go try this Jiu jitsu thing. I 100% would have gone with you guys because I grew up doing kickboxing and Shotokan karate and wrestling, and I was infatuated with Jiu jitsu. And, you know, I had never trained Jiu jitsu, but I was, like, really infatuated with it and MMA and all that stuff. And, bro, had I just been in one different little location, that would have been, like, crazy. But, you know, everything happens for a reason. And, man, I love. I love that in sqt, the CQC aspect, where you're really understanding, like, wow, you can actually work through very dangerous and dynamic situations by controlling your emotions and thinking. Just if you have the ability to throttle back your emotions and think logically, and that is a skill set that you can actually build up and you can get better and better and better and better. And now all of a sudden, like, the stuff that we're doing at SQT for CQC and combatives, or, you know, cqc, especially like that. If you look at that first week, compared to, like, what you and I could go do in a building right now, it's like, right. And we thought that stuff was crazy, and then. But it's. It's an evolution, and it's a skill set, but all it is is just refining the basics and making those basics just smoother and faster and sexier. You know, there's no, like, crazy advanced techniques that are like, well, once you hit this level, you learn this.

[B]

No, it's just. You know what it is, bro? It's two things. It's repetition and it's mindset. Right. So doing it over and over and over again, that's why we don't have to think. When those snaps start going over your head, that muscle memory just kicks in, and you start reacting based on all of the training that you have, but it's also mindset. Think about how confident the third platooner is going to CQC training.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because he's done it so much, especially compared to a new guy. And this guy just on his third platoon is literally running through the house he's that comfortable. He's that confident. And when you're that confident and like, hey, no, I. I know I. Not only do I know I know what I'm doing, but I know I'm good at this. It changes everything. And you know the deal, man. All dudes are different. For me, I wasn't one of those guys that. That caught on to CQC immediately. I knew guys like. I don't know if you remember Maurice Manigault. He was one of those dudes that, like, immediately he was like, yep, I got it. Like, the dude could have went through Green team as a freaking new guy. He was that good. And he ended up going through later.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I think he was over at Silver or Blue for a lot of years. But for me, I was one of those dudes that land warfare was something that I excelled at because I had the ability to just kind of, like, scoot back and look at the battlefield and be like, okay, I think I know what needs to happen. But cqc, it took me two or three cycles before I develop that confidence of, man. I know what I'm doing, and I'm good at it.

[A]

Yeah. It's just so crazy how everyone can see things differently and adapt to things differently. And it's. That's the cool thing about. I love about the SEAL teams is I was talking with a company and they're asking, you know, some questions about, like, you know, the teams and diversity and how do we all work well together? I'm like, the SEAL teams are extremely diverse when it comes to people's thoughts, ideas, the way they do things, their backgrounds. And that's what makes us work so well together, because you'll have somebody like you who, hey, naturally, just land warfare makes sense to you. And Cool. Guess what? That's your strength. You're going to, you know, we're going to lean on that strength. And then if we go. And if we're doing some, you know, some go. Platz training and somebody else, like, that's their specialty, and that's where the wake, boom, guess what? They're doing that. And then somebody else on land navigation or, you know, demolition or, you know, our radio guys, you know, radio guys are very unique how they think, because the good radio guys, I. I mean, yes, it's a skill set, but some people, those things just make sense to them. Like, they.

[B]

Right.

[A]

They can, like, do those things. And, you know, it's like breachers. Like, breachers. It's incredible what a breacher can do with that. And Then I'm sure you saw in the teams, like, there was breachers and then there was, like, really good breachers that you're just right, you know, And Derek Benson was one of those guys when it came to breaching, that guy was just unreal. And like, dude, I wouldn't have even.

[B]

Thought to do that that way. Like, I never. That never would have crossed my mind.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Like, how did you even think of that? And some dude, you just like, like. No, I. I think Preacher.

[A]

Yes, you know, exactly. And it's so funny. What you just said is like, how would, how did you think that way? And that person's like, I don't know, it's just the way I think, you know, because that's just the way they see things. So.

[B]

Yeah, I miss Derek, man. Yeah, he was a good dude.

[A]

Good dude. Good dude. And man, you know, they've. They changed up graduations in the teams. You know, you and I, we had our families at buds, and then SQT was a private thing. Now they don't allow family at any of it. Did you know that? Like, it is.

[B]

Yeah, they just made that change recently. Yeah.

[A]

It is closed door. So only, Only team guys, current and former team guys, can come to the graduation. So families don't even get to experience a graduation.

[B]

I agree with that, man. I. I agree with that. I. I think that, like, like you were saying earlier there, there's a fine line that we should walk when it comes to being a quiet professional and, and being humble as a warrior, but I think that we haven't done a good job of walking that line over the last ten years or so. And so maybe it's time for us to go back into the shadows. Yeah, I think a little bit.

[A]

Yeah. When I found out that that's where they're doing it, because I. I was in San Diego last week for a leadership meeting and ran across a guy and he's in SQT and we're just talking and whatnot. And he was explaining that to me and I was like, man, that's. That's kind of crazy now. And I see it and I, I look at this like, like this is a whip effect, you know, like, hey, we're trying to make a correction instead of making a small correction. You know, the classic leadership whip effect where they're like, all right, cool. Yep. Whip. We're going to go. Go all the way over here and it's nothing. And you're like, all right, I see.

[B]

Why you're doing it American way. Right? It's Kind of like how we do everything in America. Like, you're either all the way on the left or you're all the way on the right. And I'm hanging out in the middle. Like, can we just meet here and.

[A]

Figure, can we make some talk about changes back and forth?

[C]

Like, just trying to stop the pendulum as it's swinging by you.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Slow it down.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Just a little bit.

[A]

And what happens is you just get smashed by it as it's like, you just get smashed every time from each side. Boom. Boom. But, yeah, I heard that. And I was thinking, I was like, man, that's just a. That's an over correction. I get it. I don't agree with it. I. I agree with what you're saying, but, like, I'm. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little bit over on, like, towards. There should be something for family, and I think the way they had it for us, when you graduate buds, hey, cool. Have your family there. Like, that's a big deal. Graduation from buds and then once and then. So that the family can experience that? Because the. As you know, our families were critical to us going through buds and, you know, like, you know, your family, your mom, like, pushing you and, you know, like, our families that were able to be there, I think that's a good thing. And then it's like, cool, now you're going to sqt now. Hey, this is. This is when we shift it to the. The professional side, because now we're developing a lot of syntax and then it's like. And then it's a shift of the mindset towards, like, hey, we want your family here. Boom. Hey, guess what? You're going to sqt. Now there's a shift of the professionalism. You're in sqt. When you get done with sqt, you could be deployable. You need to start shifting your mindset to, like, hey, you're about to be in the teams. And then when they had our SQT graduation, where it was literally just Team Dice and Captain Smithers.

[B]

I remember.

[A]

Rest in peace. Yeah, good. That was. He was a.

[B]

That was a good guy legend.

[A]

Yeah. And you know, him pinning our tridents on our chest in that. In that high bay of sqt where it was nobody else other than us. And then we had our. Our pinning party that night. To me, that was just epic. It was just this epic, like, hey, cool, now you're a part of it. And it was a legit.

[B]

It was amazing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So, you know, I actually ended up running into Captain Smithers. A few years after that, in Afghanistan on my first deployment. No way he was operating, dude. He had retired by then. I think he was over at the agency by that time, and he was over there doing the job, and I couldn't believe it. I was blown away. I was like, this dude is bad to the bone. I don't know if you remember us being. I think it was in sqt when we were doing that over the beach swimming, and we. We had rucks, and it was. It was. Remember, we had just. They had just taught us how to build our rucks and how to make them floatable. And so, you know, then they took us out over the beach, and it was really laid back. They're like, no, you guys are just gonna. Yeah, kick it, you know? And I remember some dude kicking up next to me. He's like, hey, Smitty, how's it going? I was just like, I'm having a great time. And I look, I was like, holy. It's Captain Smethers.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Literally out here in the middle of the ocean with us, with the men he's leading, doing this over the beach. And then you fast forward a few years later, and I'm downrange as a brand new operator, and this dude just pops up out of nowhere on target. It wasn't like we were at the local exchange or someplace in the green zone. Like, no, we had just finished assaulting a target, and I look over and I'm like, that's Captain Smethers. The dude was just a legend.

[A]

So, I mean, he had to have been in his late 50s at this point, right? Yeah, he did 30.

[B]

That's exactly my point. And he was out there, big old smile on his face as usual. Knew exactly who I was. He remembered each and every one of us. And he was out there operating that guy's.

[A]

That's crazy. So graduate sqt, we go to Kodiak, Alaska. And then what? And then you go. What team do you go to?

[B]

Then I went to Seal Team eight.

[A]

Yep. Yep. Yeah. And you wanted to go to the east coast, correct?

[B]

No, I did not. I wanted to stay on the West Coast. Yeah.

[A]

I thought you were in the group of guys that were all about the east coast because you're like, man, man.

[B]

I wanted to stay on the west coast because San Diego reminded me so much of Sardinia, Italy. And I didn't know anything about Virginia beach, but I think I ended up going to seal Team 8 because of my Italian language capability. I think that that's why I got. Because, remember, at that time they still had.

[A]

Yeah. And if your last name rhymed with Mendoza, you were absolutely going to steal.

[B]

Team four, you know, 100 South America, right?

[A]

Yeah. Okay. Oh, that's amazing. All right, so you go to Seal Team 8. What was it like as a new guy?

[B]

I had an awesome experience as a new guy. My first. First platoon chief was with and my platoon commander, and they were incredible leaders. Incredible. One of the best senior enlisted leaders I've ever worked for. He was the guy that I aspired to be like. He was like the quintessential SEAL team guy, in my opinion. And I was like, I want to be like that, dude. So I was fortunate enough to have that kind of leadership. And I also had some amazing two and three platooners. Guys like Johnny Foss, who was also on extortion when it. When it went down with Derek and those guys. I mean, just so many Brad Croats, you know, Navy Cross winner. So many amazing dudes that were senior and that were like, hey, man, like, we're. We. We like you. We're gonna pull you along and make sure that you're keeping up. And what's that? You need help with cqc? Awesome. Let's go hit the house and. And keep it going. But you got that. You're going to be really good at this. And so I was really fortunate, bro. In my first two platoons, I had amazing senior guys, and they would look out for me and teach me things, and they were really, really patient with me. Really patient with me. And so I think I had a good. My first couple of platoons.

[A]

Sounds like you absolutely did, because when you. And that's the majority of the platoons out there now. There are other platoons where some guys don't have that awesome first platoon experience, which is unfortunate because I've seen. I'm sure you've seen the same thing. Like, guys either replicate that or say, I'm not going to be like that. You know, if. When guys are new guys that. Now, I'm not talking about the typical new guy stuff. I believe in that there should be some of that, right? But there are some new guys that legitimately just get abused and just. It's miserable for them. And. And some of those guys, like, they might do one more platoon, and then they get out because they're like, dude, screw this. Some of those guys are like, cool, now it's my turn. And then they're just like, horrible old guys. And then there's some guys that are like, you know what? No, I'm not Going to do that. That sucked. I don't like that. This is what I'm going to do. And that's. It's also, you know, one of the things I talk about when I work with companies, and I'm sure you do the same thing. We have the ability to learn from good leaders and bad leaders. And. Because people always assume, like, well, you were in the SEAL teams. It was a bunch of great people. And I just started laughing. I'm like, ah, let's stop you right there. No, every organization has good and bad people.

[B]

Every organization leaders.

[A]

I mean, there's just. There's no. There's not any one organization out there that everything is great, or not even.

[B]

Just one group of people. You can just take 10 random people that you've never met, put them together in a group and be like, hey, I need y' all to accomplish this task path. There's going to be a certain percentage of that, 10 people that is cancerous and needs to be cut out.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

I think it's just human nature.

[A]

Yeah. Unfortunately. Yeah. Your first platoon. I'm sorry, your first deployment. Any. Any, like, you know, any. Anything like that. You, like, think back that first platoon, you're like, man, that was kind of crazy. Or, man, I learned a lot from it. Or is it just a normal. Normal platoon in Afghanistan, which.

[B]

No, I think it was a normal platoon in Afghanistan. I do remember an experience that I think will stick with me for the rest of my life. And that was the very first op that we ran. And the reason why it was a little traumatic for me is because I almost stepped on two little Afghani twin girls. I think they must have been, like, 2 years old. And that, like, dude, that. That traumatized me because I was number one man getting ready to assault a room. The door was open, so you know the deal. It's like, hey, I'm. We're going in hot. And as I'm getting ready to breach that doorway, these two little baby girls come screaming out. And of course, they're terrified.

[A]

Yeah, right.

[B]

And fortunately, I saw him at the last minute. I was able to kind of like, maneuver around them and get a gun in that.

[A]

That room.

[B]

But I also remember thinking, man, I almost trampled those two little girls. And I'm worried about the dudes coming in hot behind me, like, if they won't see them. And I just remember sitting on my cot at the end of that night, just kind of like, frozen there, like. Like, what. What am I doing here? What are we doing here? I came here to Kill bad people and protect the innocent. And immediately I was in this situation where not only did I almost hurt people that were innocent, but these were, like, people that are nearest and dearest to my heart, like two little baby girls. You know what I mean? And so that really affected me. But I'm grateful for it because it reminded me of my humanity. And when I look across my entire career, I'm super grateful, because maybe it was because of that instance. More than likely it's because of God. But I never lost my humanity throughout my entire career. But that moment stuck with me.

[A]

Yeah, that would be. That would be rough, ma'. Am. I never had anything like that. But I had a lot of other things with kids that just. Man, that, like you said, it'll stay with me until the day I die. Because those are kids. Those are God's gifts. Right? They're precious.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Precious. Innocent. That's right. Innocent, innocent little babies. And, yeah, that was always hard for me, man, when you see kids, you know, living in those situations, you know, where the parents are asking you to take their kids back with you. Like, I mean, you're a father, I'm a father. Lucas is a father.

[B]

Like, imagine how dire this situation has to be to be willing, in order for you to be willing to do that as a parent.

[A]

Yeah. To give your kids to strangers, knowing that you might not ever see your kids again. Right. That's just. It's just. But they do it out of love, because they want their kids to have a better opportunity, a better life and things. And, yeah, the kids. It was always a hard thing, man. And, yeah, that's. I mean, that's a lot to process. As a new guy. I didn't deal with anything close to that. As a new guy. Yeah, I was doing psd. We had some crazy stuff, but it wasn't like that, man. I mean, you're in Afghanistan, living the dream. I'm freaking wearing a Lovis body armor in a suit, protecting dignitaries. I was like, this sucks, but we.

[B]

Had a lot of fun. I pulled that straw. The second platoon, he got stuck on. Yeah. All right, Maliki. For, like, the first half of that Iraq deployment.

[A]

Okay. So second workup, pretty decent. Like, you said, you had good leadership. And then your second deployment, you're doing PSD in Iraq.

[B]

Yeah, the first half we were doing psd partnered up with. With the SEAL team. Three guys. Right. And so that's when I linked back up with who was out there. Double D was out there was a brand new guy, Chucky Crouch, a few of the guys, and, and they ended up sticking us on Nori al Maliki as soon as we had installed him into that position as the, the Prime Minister. And so we did that, that for the first three months of that deployment and then we ended up flip flopping with our sister platoon. They came in and took over the PSD mission. And my platoon, we went down to Fallujah. Yeah, we went from Baghdad to Fallujah and started running assaults.

[A]

Nice. What was that difference in your mindset on your second platoon once you started running assaults?

[B]

Dude, Iraq was a completely different beast. Yeah, Iraq was a completely different beast. You know the deal. A lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of cqc. And in that environment is where it hits you. If it hadn't hit you before, that's where it hits you how dangerous CQC is. Yeah, I mean, going from room to room, house to house. And not just cqc, but that environment in particular, being in an urban environment where there can be a rifle pointed at your back from every nook and cranny, every open space, open window, open door, so that the tension is constantly high. And you probably remember what it was like, do like we were running like 6, 7, 8 raids a night trying to wrap up these bad guys. So yeah, that was a completely different environment. And it was, yeah, it was hard, but I, I loved it.

[A]

Yeah, it's playing whack a mole in an urban environment.

[B]

That's exactly what it was. Yeah, but I loved it. I had the time of my life.

[A]

A lot of fun. So third, third workup, third platoon. What was that like? And where did you deploy?

[B]

Yeah, so the third. Ah, so get a little break for the second. Yeah. After the second, I ended up going over the buds. That's where you and I re linked up and was over at BUDS for two and a half years and then left there and went to Seal Team 1.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

And Seal Team 1 pretty much tried to keep me for the rest of my career other than the little bit of time they let me go over to Damneck for that augment and then I came back and they were like, great, you're going to be a platoon chief. Because I made chief when I was out there with those guys. So When I left Buds, checked into Team 1, my platoon was already forward deployed to Ramadi. And so they were like, yep, you checked in, good to go. Now you're going overseas. It's like, great. No workup, no nothing. I'm rusty. But let's do it. And so I ended up linking up with, I think it was Charlie Platoon. I'll be honest with you, man, that was. That was a horrible experience for me. That was a horrible experience for me for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I was rusty coming off of nearly three years as a BUDS instructor. And, you know, tactics, they change every day, let alone three years, you know what I mean? And so I felt like I was rusty getting there.

[A]

And.

[B]

And I felt that pressure of not ever wanting to let even a single teammate down. So I had that. But also I was going into that natural tribalism that is established within a SEAL platoon where now you've got this random guy. Even though I was a seal, but this guy, they're like, hey, we don't know this dude.

[A]

He.

[B]

We don't know if he's a good operator. He didn't go through work up with us. And now I show up. Not only do I show up, but I'm a senior E6 when I show up. And I didn't gel well with that platoon at all. And I think it's primarily because I was, to them, I was a brand new guy coming in. When it comes down to it, it's the same thing that, that I talk to leaders about today. Hey, look, eventually the entire platoon is going to develop the personality of their leadership. And so I felt like that platoon had the personality of their leadership, and I didn't like the leadership. And so I just kind of stuck to myself. If we weren't out running an opinion, I would be in my room by myself or at the gym working out. But I was kind of a lone wolf just because that was the situation that had been designed for me. But we did a bunch of meaningful work between Ramadi, Al Assad and a couple other places in Iraq. We ran a bunch of operations. We didn't get into much drama, but it was a good experience.

[A]

I mean, and it's. It sucks that you had to, like, deal with that, but that's not uncommon in most organizations because people have their groups, their clicks. And that's one of the things we talk about is like, hey, you have to break down silos. You have to, you know, and you know, it's going to be much harder for you as an individual to break down a silo of a team. And it's unfortunate that, like, that group wasn't able to see that, like, that silo that had been created, I'm sure. You know, obviously now with the years of experience and wisdom under your belt, you'd go Back. If you were to go back to that situation, you would handle it completely different because you'd have the ability to navigate those relationships, the egos. And, you know, it's like, all right, cool. Someone's got an ego. Cool. I'm gonna massage that ego. Then I'm gonna build a relationship. We're not gonna hang out on the weekends and have barbecues, but guess what? Have a good working relationship. And, you know, that's just part of growth, right? As humans and individuals, it's easy for me to say, like, hey, yeah, that's what we should be doing all the time. But I can tell you right now that I haven't done that all the time. I look back at times when I was in. In platoons and. Or at trade it or, you know, in business where I'm like, man, I. Wow, why did I. Why did I create that separation? Why. Why did I reinforce that? Oh, yeah, that's right.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It was my ego. So, yeah. But. But you know what? I got. I got.

[B]

Got something really good out of it. I got one of my best friends in the whole world out of it. That's where I met Joey Brackett for the first time, because he was the LPO of that platoon. And he really became the person that kind of smoothed over the waters between me and the rest of those dudes, because he did take that attitude of, like, hey, like, I'm. I'm the senior guy here. And really, I was senior to him, you know, but again, if to them, I was kind of a new guy coming in. And so he was the lpo, which, as you can imagine, because my ego pissed me off, but he had a great attitude, and he was really good at being a senior enlisted leader. And so he was the guy that really kind of smoothed things over and made my time with that platoon much more manageable. And again, I got one of my best friends in the whole world out of it, because from that moment forward, Joey and I were glued together at the hip, you know, and when I became a platoon chief, he was my number one draft pick. I said, that's got to be my lpo. I need Joey Brackett. And we went on to do, you know, legendary things. That cycle in Afghanistan, what.

[A]

So when that happened, Was that your 4th or 5th platoon or deployment?

[B]

So that was my. When I linked up with. With those guys, that was my third deployment.

[A]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear on my question. So that was your third one. When you became a platoon chief and Joey was your lpo, was that on your fourth?

[B]

Oh, no, that was on, like, my fifth.

[A]

Okay. Okay, cool.

[B]

Yeah. So when we. When we got back from Iraq is when I ended up platooning up in the 4th Platoon. And, yeah, I was a. I was a platoon lpo.

[A]

Okay, cool.

[B]

For that. That platoon for my fourth platoon.

[A]

That's cool.

[B]

And Bobby Clifford was my chief, and that one was a man. That was a. That was a good. That was a really good cycle for me. I really enjoyed that. So that I got it much better than all the other guys in the platoon because that cycle, we ended up drawing the Cree. So my platoon went out to stand up the Cree out in Abu Dhabi, But I spent, you know, three quarters of that deployment in jbad with Gold. In the summer of 2011, while my actual platoon was out standing up the crisis response element in Abu Dhabi, I was in the mountains, you know, with a tier one unit killing dudes. And so, of course, you know already that. That summer, you know, in 2011 is when extortion 17 was shot down and we lost Derek and Johnny and all of those amazing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Men. But when I got back, I made seven. When I was out there on that deployment with Gold. And so when I got back to SEAL Team 1 later in the fall is when Chris Goode looked at me and said, hey, you're. You're ready for a platoon now that you're a chief. And, you know, we got really good report from Gold that you crushed it out there, so we think you're ready for a platoon. And by the way, you're going to take your boys back out to the Tangi Valley, so make sure that they're ready. And that was for my last deployment.

[A]

Which, by the way, for you to be able to crush it with that group and in the teams or in business or life in general, all it takes is being humble, be hard workable. I'm sorry. Be humble, be a hard worker, be coachable, and be willing to go out there and just perform. Go out there and win. Do you?

[B]

Nailed it. And I literally focused on every one of those things. Humility. The day I checked into the command, I had nothing to say to anybody. I'm just listening. The next day when we got in theater, I was literally that guy that was like, hey, I'm going to clean this place up. And I was a senior E6 at the time, knowing that I was a new guy at the varsity squad, and I'm in the tiki room cleaning the bar and cleaning the coffee makers, just humbling myself, letting those guys know like, hey man, I, I know where I am in the stack, right? I don't need any reminders keeping my ego in check, right? And just listening and learning and soaking up as much as I could. I was just fortunate that my troop SCA at the time had been a red man for like 12 years. And so he had given me a really good report going in there. And so they were like, no, no, dude, we, we know you're good to go. You don't need to play these games. You're going to lead up the Afghani partner unit, have those dudes squared away. Like, we're going to get into some. And so they immediately gave me a tremendous amount of opportunity and responsibility. They gave me all the rope that I needed to either excel or hang myself. And fortunately I excelled.

[A]

That's awesome, man. What was your platoon like, platoon experience like, as a chief, what are some lessons that you've taken from that and just applied to life?

[B]

It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was one of the biggest blessings of my life. And I just, to this day I know that it is because of God that I was fortunate enough to live that experience. So as a chief, I was given the opportunity to hand select every one of my boys because I was told ahead of time that we were going back to the tangy valley. And I had known the tangy valley like the back of my hand. I knew exactly what we were getting into. We knew it was going to be a summertime deployment. I knew it was going to be kinetic af. And so summer of love, fortunately. What's that?

[A]

I said the summer of love.

[B]

That's right. And so that was during that time when Seal Team 1 did that massive reorg. And so even though I formed up my platoon, we had like six months before we were even going to start deployment workup. So just six months of kind of sitting around. And so instead of us sitting around, I built our own ult a six month training schedule. I went to the head shed and they were like, yeah, we're going to fund this. Like, go train your boys. And we ended up going all over. We went through our own workup. That's when I took the boys down to nellis for like 30 days of CQC and air and running FTXs. Ended up taking them out to Germany for a month where we participated in that global special operations. It was kind of like an interoperable operability mission where we worked with all these SOC units from around the world for 30 days. And then it culminated into this, this big old ftx. It was a lot of fun. And then by the time we started work up, I mean we were gelling. We, we were crushing. You remember when my boys and I went through cqc? I mean these dudes as new guys, they were doing really, really well. And we ended up going out to the Tangi Valley. And it was the most kinetic deployment of my career. I think we killed just over 700 dudes in about four and a half months. We Winchester and Acorn 30 gunship, three times that deployment, got into a tremendous amount of ticks and glory be to God, every single one of us came home without so much as a single scratch after having gotten into, I think we got into at least 80 ticks. That deployment alone didn't lose a single piece of gear, didn't have a single accusation of sibcast. Even though in that four and a half month period of time our JTACS dropped more ordinance on the Tangi Valley in four and a half months than any and all of the crews combined for the last five years.

[A]

That's correct.

[B]

And we didn't have a single accusation of civcas. And more importantly, my men carried themselves like they were humane. I never once had to reel them in and be like, hey man, what are you doing? Like, no, we, we don't do that, that, like we're Americans. We don't play by those rules. I never once had to have that, that talk with them. Now I did have to have a talk with them about halfway through around. And you can probably guess this. Hey, complacency kills.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

So I, I know we've gotten into a bunch of fights and we were kicking ass, but don't, don't get complacent on me. Don't start drinking your own Kool Aid. Right? We had a couple of dudes almost get lit up. Yeah, I almost got lit up on a few occasions. But it turned out to be the best deployment of my career. And I think that the biggest lesson, the biggest lesson that I learned on that deployment was this. And we sort of breached this topic earlier. Jp. A good operator, and not just a good operator, but a good leader has to be multifaceted. You can't just know the way of the iron. As a good operator, you also got to know the way of the velvet, right? There's got to be balance in everything. Always balance. Up, down, left, right, day, night, good, bad, yin, yang as above. So is below. God created balance in everything and everyone. And up until this point, I think I was just all iron. I was being that hard platoon chief, especially getting ready to go into Afghanistan knowing that I was taking my boys into harm's way. And about halfway through that deployment, we experienced probably the worst ambush that I had ever experienced in my entire career. And I'd experienced some pretty nasty ambushes, man, but this one took the cake. And during that fight, I witnessed a couple of my boys doing things that, let's just say at the time, I really wish they weren't doing that. It was scaring the daylights out of me. I, I. And I knew in my heart that day that, oh, Jesus, this is going to be the day that one of my men falls, and I'm not going to survive that. If I lose even one of my boys, I'm not going to survive that. And fortunately, that didn't happen. And we all got back to our command outpost safely. But that day is when I reintroduced humanity into my platoon. So I sat down, we brought everybody in the team room, or kind of like our movie room. The team room where dudes play video games and watch movies. And I could tell that the boys were a little rattled because again, it was, yeah, brother, it was a nasty ambush. To this day, I can't believe they opened up with an RPG right on top of the lead vehicle. I mean, this must have been the freaking sniper of RPG shooters from the high ground, like at least 100 yards away. He nailed that thing, immediately took out the turret. Fortunately, he loaded the wrong round. If he had loaded an AT round, he would have smoked everybody in that vehicle. And so I sat down in front of all the boys and I became a human again. Like it. I had a very difficult time controlling my emotions and explaining to the guys how afraid I was that day. Not afraid for myself, not afraid that I was going to get shot or killed, but how afraid I was that I was going to see one of them fall. And reminding them that, hey, man. Several of yalls parents, several of yalls moms literally walked up to me before we deployed and made me promise that I was going to bring you home safely. Yeah, and I almost lost at least a couple of you. And I can't explain to you the pain that is in my heart when I think about some of my friends that have fallen. Men there were, were better operators than I would ever be. Guys like Derek, guys like Johnny. And they still fell. And the, and the pain that comes with that and how you never stop seeing their faces. And what that did was it opened up the room to the other Senior guys. Next thing I knew, I had EOD chief come down, sit next to me. I had Joey Brackett come down, sit next to me, Tab, my second chief. And you had all of these professional tough guys, leaders of a combat SEAL platoon, sitting in front of their guys with tears coming out of their face, explaining to them how much we love them and that we, like, hey, man, I can't afford to lose even a single one of you, so I need you to remember, complacency kills. Tie it back on. Let's stay tight. And that was the day I, yeah, kind of reintroduced humanity back into my platoon.

[A]

You know, I've never heard somebody describe humanity in that manner, because usually it's human used to, like, describe guys that are doing things that they shouldn't be doing. And you're like, hey, man, that's. But you. You brought it to the realm of, like, hey, yes, you guys are brave. You're courageous, but you're being reckless. Like, you can't be reckless. And that recklessness I feel comes from complacency because you get. You. You become overconfident, and you have to remind guys, like, hey, absolutely. Like, we're not Superman. Like, and I love that what you did is just such a great example of teaching and leadership, of sharing stories of your teammates, of other guys. And that's what the SEAL teams is great about, is teaching through stories. Okay, guys, we do this because of this. We don't do this because this. Like, even the simple thing in drown proofing yelling buds is like, why do we do drown proofing? Oh, because some legendary seals freaking that had their hands tied up and their feet tied up jumped out of a boat and swam. So that's why we do that. And you're like, okay, that's pretty epic.

[B]

Okay, I guess I can.

[A]

I guess I can do this in a swimming pool where I have standby divers watching me and making sure that I don't die on the pool deck, you know? And then we talk about combat. Like, hey, guys, the reason why we don't do this. Boom. The reason why we do this is. Boom. And for you to be able to reintroduce, like, the humanity aspect of, like, hey, I love you. I care about you. Yes, you guys are brave and courageous, and I'm so thankful for what you guys do. But, man, if you. If you continue down this reckless path, you're gonna waste that gift that you have by getting killed doing something stupid. Please don't do that.

[B]

And I wish that I had given them that talk sooner.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Not because, you know, they scared the daylight side of me, because I thought a couple of them were going to get popped that day. But I wish I had given them that talk sooner just so that they had a better idea of how I felt about them, Each and every one of them.

[A]

Yeah. It's hindsight, though. You know what I mean? Like, those guys knew that you cared about them. But, yeah, it's like, okay, cool. Yeah, you can. You can say that. You can feel that. I mean, I know Lucas has a lot of those examples in his life, and I. I do, too. Of, like, man, I wish I would have said this sooner. I wish I would have done this. But we can't do that. All we can do is, like, know, like, hey, now, moving forward, if I start to see things trending, cool, I can actually take preemptive ownership. I can step in. I can handle those situations. So. So you do 20 plus years, right? 20 or 21.

[B]

I did 20 to the day. I did 20 years to the day. I retired on the day that I joined the Navy 20 years later.

[A]

That's crazy. That's absolutely crazy. So you retire and then, like, what were your plans? Like, when you're getting out, what was your.

[B]

Dude, I was gonna go over to the FBI. That. My plan was to go over to the FBI. I'd already gone through the entire hiring process. I had a spot waiting for me to go through training at Quantico. But I was fortunate in that. Again, man, it was. It was thanks to my leadership. I was a senior chief at atc, the Advanced Training Command, and I was overseeing the SEER program, our Naval Special warfare Search, Evade, Resist, and Escape program. That's where we teach students basically how to deal with and survive and thrive through being a prisoner of war. It is not a fun school to go through, as you can imagine, by team guys, right? And so I was really, really fortunate in that I was just wrapping up my bachelor's degree. I had about a little over a year left before my EAOs, and I get called into Commander Perry's office one day. He was the CEO at the time. And he looks at me and goes, senior Chief, what are you doing here? And I'm like, sir, is this a trick question? I'm at work. He goes, no. He's like, aren't you in grad school? Because I had just gotten into the MBB program up at usc. And I was like, yeah, you know, and this is what I think I want to do after the Navy. Like, I'm going through this pipeline with the FBI. But now I'm starting this MBA program up at usc. And he goes, yeah, what are you doing here? Isn't there a chief that works for you? It's like, yeah, as a matter of fact, Matty Roberts is over there. He goes, go home and focus on grad school and doing what you're going to do to get ready for life after the Navy. Like, you've given us 19, 19 and a half years. At this point, the least we can do is give you the last six or so months to kind of get your shit together and figure out how you're going to be a civilian. I will never forget that day as long as I live. What a good, a real leader going, hey, man, I care about you. Beyond your ability to work for me and be a SEAL and be an sda, I'm now concerned with what your life is going to look like after the Navy. That's my responsibility as your leader, too. And I'll never forget him doing that for me.

[A]

And that's amazing. Master Chief Harless did that for me at trade at. When I was getting out, because, you know, I'd met my wife.

[B]

I love Harley.

[A]

Harley's one of the best. You know, he just retired, like, from 32 years. 32 years.

[B]

I love that guy. He's amazing.

[A]

Yeah. And he was that leader for me, because when I was at trade, it was like, hey, you know, because I needed to go back to a platoon. I've been at trade it longer than I wanted to because I was trying to go to another command. He hooked me up to allow me to train and prepare for that. Did my screening, did my augment, Had a good augment, came back, had some things go on and had to shift. And then it was like, all right, cool. Lost that next chance for that next class.

[B]

Yeah. That was like the first time you tore your shoulder out, right? And you ended up having a shoulder surgery.

[A]

Yeah, that was the second time. Other times, remember that. But. But when I made the decision of, like, okay, hey, because I was going to reenlist. And then Amanda, we were married. Aiden was 4. She was pregnant with twins. And she's like, I just, man, I can't go to San Diego. I can't leave my mom and all my friends, because she also knew I wasn't going to be at training around all the time. I was going to be in a platoon, gone all the time. And it would have been too much for her, and it wouldn't have been fair, to be honest for me. To be like, hey, no, you and Aiden and while you're pregnant with twins need to move to San Diego not knowing anybody. And I'm going to be gone all the time. So that's why I got out. And when Harley, I remember, I'll never forget when he sat me down in his office and he said, is this what you're going to do? Because as you know, a lot of guys are like, oh, I'm getting out. And they're like, all right, cool. And then they're like, never mind, I don't want to get out. I need to go reenlist. And it's just like, bro, you literally told us for six months you're getting out. And he's like, I just need to know because. And he laid everything out for me. And I said, I don't want to get out, but I. I need to. It's the best thing for my family. And he knew Amanda and he loved her and he. He understood it. He goes, yeah, well, this, you know, sad day for the teens, but okay, I get it, you know, and he took care of me. And there was other guys that was like. As soon as I was like, yep, I'm absolutely getting out, I was freaking dead to them, man. Which. Which, I get it, I get it, I get it. It's a big Navy. The Navy keeps going on. The SEAL teams keep going on. It's not like I was a pivotal. You know, none of us were like, going to make or break the SEAL team.

[B]

I don't get it. I've never agreed with that. I felt like it's very short sighted. On behalf of those guys, I agree.

[A]

I just. The reason why I say I get it is because some guys have to operate in the mindset. And again, I don't agree with it, but I get it because some guys, sure. All right, cool. You're done. Hey. The mission continues on. I need a plan. Training without you. And I remember the first time, like, it really hurt me was, guys got some. This is so stupid. But like a few things issued to them in the office. And it was like a new watch and some other stuff. I was like, cool. And I was like, I was. I had it. And they. And like the guy who's issued, he's like, you're getting out. Why would I issue you a watch? And I was like, yep, roger that. I'm like, cool. Yep. Roger that, bro. Bro. I was so pissed. But I also, at the end of the day, it's like, I don't like the entitlement Thing like you and I have talked about. And I was like, okay, I mean, I am getting out. I guess I don't need to get this gear issued to me. I get it. It would have been cool to have that nice watch, but whatever. But Harley took care of me because he was like, all right, if this is what you're doing. And he made it to where I could be out in Mississippi as much as possible for that last segment of time to take care of Amanda and the kids until I transitioned out. So you had this phenomenal leader that did that for you. So you get your degree, you retire at 20 years, and then. So FBI was on the. In the pipeline, but then what did you end up go doing?

[B]

Yeah, well, I mean, I started drinking that entrepreneurial Kool Aid that they feed everybody at the University of Southern California Marshall Business School, and I ended up turning down that role with the FBI, and I started my first company. And so I ended up launching Vigilance Risk Solutions, like, six months before my eos, and. And before I was graduating from grad school. And I ended up finishing grad school on a Friday. The following Friday, I retired. And then that following Monday, I was in my offices working for the business I had spent the last six months building.

[A]

You were posting a lot about that on LinkedIn originally, right?

[B]

No, originally I wasn't doing. Well, some. Not nearly as much social media content as I do now, given all of the stuff that I've got my hands in. But I would post from time to time because we, you know, we were really successful. We did a really good job.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

With that business.

[A]

I remember. I remember. See, I can't. And I don't remember what platform I saw it on first. Whether it was Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

[B]

It was likely LinkedIn. I was really focused. I didn't have any. Any social media until just, like, over the last 12 months.

[A]

I knew it had to be. I knew it had to be LinkedIn because you had done some videos and some articles, and I just remember going vigilant. Oh, like, man, that is such a cool name. That is such a cool name, considering our backgrounds and everything else like that.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And yeah, it. So I. I know, like, for time reasons, we have to wrap this up, but this is, like, a perfect transition because we'll do another episode where we dive deep into like. Like, the business and what you're doing right now, but just for our listeners, so they can kind of like, just check out what you're doing right now, what is your current business, and then also Tell us a little bit about the, you know, the company you're a co investor and partner with as well.

[B]

Yeah, so I. I'm actually helping to run like five or six different businesses right now. Obviously I'm running Hero Consulting, B2B Consulting, where I work primarily with middle market businesses, large enterprises and very much so. Like all of you guys at Echelon Front, I learn a lot just by watching y', all, by the way. And I've always learned from Leif and Jocko. I love those dudes.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

But I helped them to run those organizations like, you know, more like a SEAL team versus a massive hundred thousand employee company that doesn't really get anything done because there's too many chiefs and not enough Indians. I'm also running the Hero Chronicles podcast which we launched just a few weeks ago. Getting ready to record episode number two of that here over the next few weeks, where I'm going to be interviewing my good friend Joni Marquez, who was the fires officer aboard the AC130 gunship the night Extortion 17 was shot down while I was on the ground in jbab with one troop. I think that's going to be a very interesting episode. I'm in the process of launching a tactical watch company with my good friend Mike Moulton, who recently retired as the Chief of Police from the El Cajon Police Department. He was also guest number one on the Hero Chronicles podcast. I am also majority owner of Waymaker Tactical out in Mesa, Arizona. We're actually getting ready to rebrand that weapons manufacturing company into Beauty and Precision Firearms, which is a deal that I jumped into over the holiday break. I am taking over the entire brand of that weapons manufacturing company. I'm becoming the face of that entire brand. We've already got AR15s in the market. We're getting ready to go in the market over the next couple of months with a new AR9 platform, so PDW backpack gun and then also an AR10 platform. And then we have plans later this year to go to market with our own custom double stack back 2011. I also recently launched the Loan Operator Experience. I'm not going to talk too much about this experience because it's secretive by design, but it is for high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals that want to learn more about personal security and safety for themselves and for their families. And also I recently took on two more CEO roles of two technology startups, one in New Mexico and one in San Diego. Both of those companies are still considered to be in stealth, but the one in San Diego. We've created a global technology device that looks like the old blackberries that allows you to create a mesh network with anyone else that has the same device and is within a 10 mile radius of you. And the communication device works even if the satellites go down, even if the power grid goes down. And so you can imagine a thousand of those things happen spread out across the United States of America. And the more you have out there in circulation, the bigger that network gets. So now you go from being able to communicate with someone within a 10 mile radius to being able to communicate with someone in a 50 mile radius over text, over voice, over VOIP, sending video messages, all of the above. And again, even if the power grid goes down. And then I also recently accepted the CEO role of a tech company in New Mexico where it's a real estate technology, where it's actually, it's an AI platform that speeds up the closing process for the real estate agent and the transaction coordinators on the back end of a transaction once you are going into closing your property. So, yeah, I'm pretty busy right now.

[A]

It's huge. Last question. You know, I know you've read Extreme Ownership, you've promoted it online. I mean, as I'm listening to you list all these things off, I know there are going to be people like, bro, this is, how do you do this? I mean, decentralized command is absolutely a cornerstone in your life right now. It has to be 100% because there's no way, you know, and that's pretty epic. And so, yeah, next episode we'll dive into all these business things, the lessons that you learned, man. I appreciate you taking the time, man. I also want to like talk some jiu jitsu and you know, your journey to being a black belt. I mean, you're a second degree black belt under a legend, an absolute legend.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Just an incredible black belt and instructor and human. And he's, he's created so many incredible world champions and, and coaches, like good coaches that are out there making a difference, you know, and obviously, you know, if you want talk about family, because I know you have, you know, you know, you know, our kids are so precious to us, you know, and as a father, just some of the lessons that you have as a father. I know our listeners on the next episode would really like to hear those because those are things that we can all take back and apply. Lucas is going to quickly go through some of our final things with some of the people that support the podcast. But I'M going to have. When we close it out, Ty, I'm going to have you leave our audience with one piece of advice to help them win, whether it's with their health, sobriety, marriage, business as a parent, or just life in general. So just kind of think about that, and when we close it out, just. Just whatever your final thoughts are on that. And, man, thank you for 20 years of service to our nation. And what you're continuing to do, man, it's. It's inspiring. I'm like, man, I got. I gotta get my stuff together and.

[C]

Start doing a little more same.

[A]

And I know Lucas has, by the way, three pages of notes. So this next episode, bro, it's gonna be Q and A, homie. You better be ready for that.

[C]

I do just want to know, like, let's go on all your social media stuff. There's a picture of you with a W WWE belt.

[A]

All right, so that's the question that.

[C]

That's the very. You know, I've got a bunch of questions. I figured this is the one we can fit in literally 30 seconds, three.

[A]

And a half pages of notes.

[B]

So I. I was really, really blessed in that that belt was gifted to me on the day I was retiring. So that was my retirement day. That's why I was in the dress blues. And it was given to me at the end of my retirement ceremony. One of the guys that I was in grad school with at usc, he was an Air Force officer that had transitioned out and he was working for Mattel. And I don't know if Mattel, like, had a partnership with them or if maybe they had acquired wwe. I don't know the connection there, but he called over to WWE and was like, hey, really good buddy of mine is retiring from the SEAL teams. Will you guys get them a belt? And they said, oh, we'll do you one even better. We'll make sure everybody signs it first that this is going to a seal. And they presented it to me at my retirement.

[C]

It very cool. All right, so that makes sense.

[B]

That's a.

[C]

That's an awesome story. Well, if you want to see more awesome stories, go follow Ty online. He's at coach Ty Smith on Instagram. If you want to continue this conversation, we're going to have Ty on. You want to let us know the questions that you've got for him? Go check out at JPNL podcast. You can check out jpdl two N's, two L's. Myself, I'm at Lucas Pinkard. Obviously, we talked a lot about Echelon Front. Nothing that we're doing today would be possible if not for what the guys at Echelon Front started. So go check out the book Extreme Ownership. You heard Ty talk about how important it's been in his leadership. Obviously, you know how impactful it's been for JP and I and for all the folks who have had it. Still one of the best selling books in the country right now, as it should be. If you are listening to all this stuff and you're like, hey, you know what? I want to get my life together. I want to get stuff sorted out and on the path. Go to firstinnutrition.com JP Pod and go get four free weeks of nutrition coaching. Jonathan and Ann have incredible programs that they're doing and they're offering that to anybody who listens to the JP Donnell podcast. Then they're going to tell you, you know what, go hop over to Jocko Fuel and go get the supplements that you need in order to support that journey. And then once you do that, you're gonna need new clothes because you're losing weight, you know, or maybe you're gaining weight. Maybe you're put on a little bit of muscle. Yeah. And so you know what you need? You need to go get one of those, those burr hoodies and that nice powder blue that we've seen so often. Or maybe you need to pick up some new work boots, some new jeans. Maybe you're planning for Mother's Day because you know what, Valentine's Day is around the corner, but Mother's Day is on the way. And you know what they're gonna have ready for Mother's Day? Jeans for ladies. The women's jeans are coming out in time to get them for Mother's Day, which my wife is super stoked about. So go check those out. Use code JPPOD20 at checkout with JockOfluent will save yourself 20%. And that's all I got, man.

[A]

Yeah. Awesome. And then when people do that, it helps the podcast as well. We appreciate it.

[C]

Paid for my alternator.

[A]

Appreciate you guys. Really helpful, you know, and, you know, for our listeners out there, make sure you're following Ty and, and follow him and support his businesses and, you know, and that. And that's why we talk about these companies that support us and, you know, so Ty, as we close it out again, if you could leave our listeners was a piece of advice just to help them win. Right. Whether it's in, you know, sobriety, their marriage, their parent, you know, as parents, health, business, life in general. Like what what is? You know what is something that you would. You would share with somebody.

[B]

Always, always, always remember whose you are. Always remember that you are divine. You were created with divinity of our Lord and Savior in every inch of your being. Therefore you are unstoppable. I don't care what anybody says to you. I don't care how big the obstacle is in front of you. Remember whose you are and that you have the power to move mountains. If even you only have the faith the size of a mustard seed, don't forget whose you are. Keep going. No matter what it is you're dealing with. If you're struggling with sobriety, if you're struggling with parenting, if you're struggling in your marriage, remember that you are a divine being. And everywhere you go, you need to be showing people what God looks like through you, and you need to be looking for God in them. And that's how we're supposed to live our lives on this planet.

[A]

That is powerful and I appreciate that. So to our listeners, I hope this episode has been a reminder to go do the work that's needed did to put in the effort to build your legacy and to never settle. This has been the JP Denall podcast, episode 124.