Eric Frohardt is a former Navy SEAL, an entrepreneur, and the CEO of StrongFirst. While on active duty, Eric served on various SEAL Teams and deployed numerous times to hot spots around the world. He’s co-founded a number of different businesses, most notably the BluCore Shooting Center, a firearms training facility. He is currently the CEO of StrongFirst – a premium strength and fitness education company with a global presence of more than 2,500 instructors that operates on 6 continents.
In this episode we discuss:
Dr. Nancy Sherman is a Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University. She was also the inaugural Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the United States Naval Academy. She holds a PhD from Harvard, and has taught at some of the best academic institutions in the U.S., to include Yale and Johns Hopkins. Sherman is the author of four books, several of which focus on military issues.
We have a rich conversation in which we cover:
Andrew Brennan is a former UH-60 Blackhawk pilot and combat veteran. After departing the Army a little earlier than he’d planned, Andrew ultimately found himself searching for his next calling. A fateful encounter with a group of Vietnam Veterans on their way to visit the memorial wall in DC sparked the inspiration he needed. Andrew is now the Executive Director of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation.
For the past two years they have been working diligently on Capitol Hill to gain bipartisan support for an amendment bill to the Commemorative Works Act of 1986 and today, they have successfully introduced two companion bills in the House and Senate: H.R. 873 and S. 926. These bills can pave the way for a sacred place to honor this generation of warriors and all without any taxpayer funding.
GWOTMF exists to ensure that the Veterans of the Global War on Terror experience their future memorial in a timely manner as we recognize that this can be a decade's long process from the time legislation is enacted to the completion of the memorial itself.
Check out the action plan below on how you make your voice heard and be a part of the effort to create a memorial that will tell the countless stories of bravery, resilience and sacrifice from the Global War on Terror for generations to come.
TAKE ACTION TODAY
Dr. Anthony Hassan is truly a luminary in the field of military behavioral health with more than 30 years experience in/out of uniform. He’s driven change in the military, at the University of Southern California, and now in his role as CEO of the Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) - a revolutionary effort led by philanthropist Steven Cohen to radically improve the state of mental health care available to veterans in America.
We have a rich conversation in which we cover:
With over 500,000 veterans and family members using the Post 9/11 GI Bill, supporting and advocating for student veterans has never been more important. On this week’s episode, we talk with Jared Lyon, President and CEO of Student Veterans of America to discuss the opportunities and challenges of going back to school.
A Navy submariner and diver, Jared has circumnavigated the globe and deployed multiple times in support of the Global War on Terror. His post-military school is even more interesting. It includes working in the defense industry, starting multiple businesses, working in Major League Baseball, college, grad school, and ultimately becoming the CEO of a large nonprofit organization.
Jared and his team at SVA are the foremost experts on higher education for veterans and we have a really fun and interesting talk about this incredible important topic. We know you’ll enjoy it!
Brandon Young is not only Team RWB’s Director of Development (where he’s one of the best in the business), but he’s also a former Army Ranger with a tremendous career. He’s got an incredible story, and he shares it with us in this amazing podcast. He’s a long time friend, so this podcast was a joy to produce for us!
We have a rich conversation in which we cover:
You probably haven’t heard of Donovan Haggas, but you should definitely hear from him. His professional journey has taken him from Air Force Special Operations (CCT), to corporate America, and finally back to the military community as a DOD contractor. However, his personal journey is even more interesting.
Through years of ups, downs, and hard choices, Donovan has emerged as one of the calmest and most balanced people I know. And, it hasn’t happened by accident. On this week’s episode, we cover a ton of important topics, including:
You may walk away from this episode with a few answers, but you’ll definitely walk away with some questions.
Thomas Meyer is the Director of Veteran’s services at The Philanthropy Roundtable, and one of the foremost experts in the country on Veteran Service Organizations (VSO’s) and Veteran philanthropy in general. He’s highly qualified (studied at Cambridge and Yale) and has been conducting military-focused research for years. He also grew up in a military family, and has a very personal connection to Veterans and Military Families.
We have a very important conversation, where we get into some challenging topics, to include:
Nick Koumalatsos is Marine (MARSOC) Veteran, the Director of The Raider Project, and an entrepreneur. In this week’s episode, we have an inspiring conversation about life, transition, fitness, and how Ben Bunn and I (Blayne Smith) beat him at Rush Club 009.
A true renaissance man, Nick is involved in all kinds of cool projects. He’s got an important perspective on life after the military and we’re really excited to share his story with Eagle Nation.
Marty Skovlund joins us as another man of many talents. He’s a former Army Ranger turned author, TV show host, and entrepreneur. He’s focused on telling the stories of our generation of veterans, and is doing an incredible job.
He’s also a hilarious guy, and really fun to talk to, as well.
We have a wide-ranging conversation conversation that includes the following:
Colin Baden is the former President and CEO of Oakley and currently serves as the Chairman of the Infinite Hero Foundation, a nonprofit that is committed to finding, funding, and supporting the most innovative approaches to healing the wounds of war.
We have a great conversation about leadership, culture, and values. Colin and his team have built an incredibly strong and distinct brand at Oakley, and it hasn’t happened by accident. We cover some really important topics like:
This is a truly insightful talk with a very unique leader. We know that you’ll get a lot out of it.
Vincent (Rocco) Vargas is a man of many talents, to include being a part owner of Article 15 Clothing, Black Rifle Coffee Company, Leadslingers Whiskey, Warfighter Tobacco, and various other pursuits. He’s also a Youtube Star, public speaker, author, cooking show host and musician among other things - in short, he’s a renaissance man.
We have a open and honest conversation about various topics, to include:
Give An Hour is a national network of mental health professionals that have pledged to provide free, confidential support to military veterans and their families. Over the past 10 years, they have provided thousands of hours of care to our community and are working to change the way that we think about mental health.
On this week’s podcast, we have the privilege of speaking with Nancy St. Claire and Rebecca Morrison, two incredible ladies and are working hard at Give An Hour’s mission.
Nancy is a licensed therapist and currently serves as Give An Hour’s COO. She began her journey as a cultural anthropologist serving alongside soldiers in Iraq. After seeing war first-hand, she ultimately decided to study psychology and practice in a clinical setting.
Rebecca is a program specialist at Give An Hour and works closely with organizations like Team RWB, Team Rubicon, and The Mission Continues to provide peer support and suicide prevention programs. She is a Gold Star spouse and has also worked with families and survivors at TAPS.
We have a very honest and sometimes raw conversation that covers:
Team RWB really appreciates Give An Hour’s work and their partnership. Nancy and Rebecca are making a difference and we know you’ll appreciate their perspective on this very important topic.
Paul Szoldra is a journalist at Business Insider, and the founder of the wildly popular military satire site The Duffel Blog, an online magazine with a vast military readership (The Secretary of Defense, James Mattis is known to be a reader).
In this week’s episode, we talk about the origin story of The Duffel Blog, as well how he creates and cultivates the irreverent, biting, relevant content that The Duffel Blog is famous for. In addition, here are some topics we cover:
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David Oclander is a retired Army officer, who felt moved to dedicate his post-military life to inner city education. He’s been a teacher and administrator in both Chicago and Detroit, and is working hard to shape our education system in America.
In this week’s episode, we talk about his experiences, as well as some of his views on the American education system, as well as:
David is an amazing person, and incredibly inspirational! We’re excited to bring you this episode!
It is hard to find a story, or a person, more inspiring than Lisa Hallett. In 2009, her late husband John was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, John’s unit suffered numerous casualties during that deployment, leaving the entire community stunned and hurting. With three very small children and a heavy heart, Lisa knew that she had to find a way to move forward.
Lisa and some of the family members around Joint Base Lewis-McCord used running as a way of dealing with grief and supporting each other. In 2010, Lisa and her co-founder, Erin O’Connor, started wear blue: run to remember. The organization aims to create a support network for military members and their families and to provide a living memorial for our country’s fallen.
We have a great conversation covers the founding story of wear blue, the importance of honoring and remembering, and so much more. Lisa is brave woman that is doing her part to make the world a better place, and we’re proud to call her a friend.
Jake Wood is the co-founder and CEO of Team Rubicon. This amazing organization harnesses the skills of military veterans to respond to disasters across the country and the globe. Their mission started in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that devastated the country. Jake and his co-founder, William McNulty, led a small team into the heart of the rubble and did what veterans do – help.
In this week’s episode, Jake shares the founding story of TR and talks about how the organization has grown over the past 7 years. We dive into:
Jake is a great friend and Team RWB is proud to work closely with Team Rubicon. His journey from Division I football, to the Marine Corps, to TR is an amazing story and we’re pumped to share it with you!
Carolyn Furdek is a former Army officer who recently published a book that describes her decade long journey as she fights a lingering battle with mental illness over the course of a decade that leaves the medical community and her family struggling for answers.
In this raw and powerful podcast we discuss her battle, and also the ways in which she’s trying to change the system from the inside to help America better handle treatment of mental health.
Steve Shenbaum is the founder and president of game on NATION and has become a nationally recognized expert in leadership, communication, and character development. He actually started his career as a working actor in Hollywood and appeared in a number of popular commercials, television shows, and movies. Later, Steve began working with top-level performers to improve their communication, teamwork, and mental game.
Since 2012, Steve and his team at game on NATION have brought effective, engaging, and memorable training seminars to world-class clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies, to professional sports teams, to star athletes...even Team RWB.
Steve and I have a really rich discussion that covers:
As a friend, mentor, and supporter Steve has done a lot for Team RWB and we are thrilled to share his knowledge with all of you!