Podcast
Mike Drop
Hosted by Mike Ritland · EN
Mike Drop, hosted by former Navy SEAL and bestselling author Mike Ritland, is a no-holds-barred platform that dives deep into the stories and experiences of extraordinary individuals. Known for his candid and unfiltered approach, Mike interviews guests ranging from special operations veterans and elite athletes to renowned authors and thought leaders, offering listeners a exclusive glimpse into the human side of those who have excelled in their fields. Whether it's discussing the intense challenges of combat or the resilience required to overcome personal adversity, Mike Drop provides a space where real conversations happen.
114episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
MARSOC Raider on Combat, Resilience, and Staying Alive | Ep. 303 | Pt. 1
3d ago01:12:31Tap to summarizeMike Ritland sits down with Prime Hall — former Marine Raider, Marine Corps water survival instructor, co-founder of Deep End Fitness and Operation Resilience, founder of the Underwater Torpedo League, and recipient of the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Bronze Star, and Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. Prime is also the author of "Permission to Heal: Redefining Strength for Warriors, Athletes and High Performers" and features in the upcoming documentary "Air Hunger." In this episode, Prime opens up about being dropped into a Village Stability Operations post in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, the insider attack that changed his life, and how 5-MeO-DMT and ayahuasca journeys became the turning point in a healing process he now shares through his book and work with veterans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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80% of Russian Drones Never Reach Ukraine—Here's the Robot War | Ep. 302 | Pt. 3
1w ago01:10:01Tap to summarizeIn the final part, Mike LeBlanc explains why Ukraine has become a real-time preview of future warfare, where robots and drones now do most of the fighting and over 80% of incoming Russian drones are stopped before impact. He breaks down the political reasons Russia hasn't crushed Ukraine, the underexplored frontier of subsurface warfare exposed by Iran, and why he believes autonomy—not new weapons types—is the true turning point in combat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Ukraine Battlefield Tests: Robots That Can Now Open Fire | Ep. 302 | Pt. 2
1w ago01:14:36Tap to summarizeIn Part 2, Mike LeBlanc details how a chance call pulled him away from a private equity offer and into Silicon Valley, where he co-founded Cobalt Robotics before launching Foundation Future Industries. He walks through the brutal early days of building a robotics startup, a company crisis over fabricated sales contracts that forced him to overhaul the business, and the pivot into humanoid robots for the Department of War. The conversation turns to real combat testing in Ukraine, the ethical debate inside his own company over weaponizing robots, human-in-the-loop safeguards against battlefield mistakes, and why he believes America—not China—will lead the humanoid robotics race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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He Built the Defense Humanoid Robots Now Fighting in Ukraine | Ep. 302 | Pt. 1
1w ago01:13:22Tap to summarizeFormer Marine Corps officer, Harvard Business School graduate, and entrepreneur Mike LeBlanc spent 13 years in the Marine Corps, including back-to-back deployments advising Afghan forces, service with First Recon, a joint special operations task force in Bahrain, and a Pentagon role evaluating emerging military technology. After leaving active service, he founded Cobalt Robotics and later co-founded Foundation Future Industries. In this episode, we dig into his early days advising Afghan forces, including a green-on-blue attack just 30 days into his deployment after an Afghan soldier saw news coverage surrounding the “Innocence of Muslims” film. We then shift into his work building humanoid robots and why he believes they could eventually replace American troops in some of the battlefield’s most dangerous roles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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WAR BENEATH THE SURFACE: Tunnels, Sub-Terra Combat, and the Next Battlefield | Ep. 301 | Pt. 3
2w ago01:02:27Tap to summarizeIn the final part of this conversation, Major John Spencer breaks down the discipline he's built his career on: urban warfare. He explains why cities are the most complex environment any military can fight in, why the U.S. lacks real expertise in fighting underground, and how history's most costly urban battles keep repeating the same avoidable mistakes. He closes by discussing what he sees as the next frontier of warfare — the world beneath our feet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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THE COST OF COMMAND: 150 Lives, Zero Sleep, and the Making of an Urban Warfare Expert | Ep. 301 | Pt. 2
2w ago00:57:15Tap to summarizeMajor John Spencer is a retired U.S. Army officer who served 25 years in uniform, including two combat tours in Iraq as an infantry platoon leader and later as a company commander during the Battle of Sadr City. In this part 2, he describes taking command of a company hours after it was devastated by an Iranian-backed rocket attack, and explains how he rebuilt a broken, stop-lossed unit into one of the most requested companies in his battalion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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TOP WAR STRATEGIST: Why the Iran Escalation Theory Left Out What Mattered Most | Ep. 301 | Pt. 1
2w ago01:08:26Tap to summarizeMajor John Spencer is a retired U.S. Army officer with more than 25 years of service and is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare. In this conversation, he breaks down the conflict with Iran, challenges popular predictions about escalation, and explains why war remains inherently human, political, and unpredictable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Free Will, Faith, and Second Chances After the Fall | Ep. 300 | Pt. 3
3w ago00:54:27Tap to summarizeIn the final part of this conversation, Derek Janisch talks about rebuilding his life after prison — reconnecting with his ex-wife in Hawaii, moving back to California, and starting over as a father, husband, and businessman. The conversation closes with a deep dive into faith, free will, and how his time in jail shaped a worldview built on second chances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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He Survived Afghanistan, Then Got Shot Growing Weed | Ep. 300 | Pt. 2
3w ago00:52:45Tap to summarizeDerek Janisch spent a decade in the SEAL Teams, deploying to Afghanistan and the Philippines, before his life came apart at home. In this part 2, he talks openly about the affair that ended his marriage, the arrests that followed, and the night on a Humboldt County cannabis farm when a dispute over money ended with him being shot in the chest. It's a raw look at what happens when a warrior's nervous system has nowhere left to go, and how one man found his way back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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I Survived Afghanistan, But Almost Got K*lled in California Over $3k | Ep. 300 | Pt. 1
3w ago00:54:32Tap to summarizeDerek Janisch took PKM and RPG fire in Afghanistan and walked away alive. Years later on a California cannabis farm, an argument over $3,000 put a bullet in his chest. In this episode he breaks down both nights, the firefight that should have killed him and the one that almost did, plus the recovery, the scar people mistake for a war wound, and how he ended up back in California teaching shooting at the Outfit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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