Eagle Nation Podcast

Brennan Mullaney is Team RWB’s Deputy Director and one of the original Eagles.  Over the past 6 years, he has served in a number of different roles within the organization.  Once the Boston chapter captain, Brennan became Team RWB’s 4th employee back in 2013.  Since then, he has worn many hats including: Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, DC Chapter Captain, and ‘Our Guy in DC’!

On this week’s podcast, we have a great conversation about:

• Balancing our expectations with reality
• The importance of taking some time reflect
• The future of Team RWB
• Surfing…and much more

Brennan is an amazing leader and we’re very fortunate to have him guiding the way.  He’s got great perspective and it was a blast having him on this episode!

Mat Best is a former Army Ranger and current entrepreneur - but he is most well known as a social media influencer, racking up tens of millions of views and impressions with his youtube videos and content.  He’s a true creative professional, and we dive deep into his creative process and how he’s spending his time.  

In this episode we discuss:

• His Memorial Day video that went viral
• How he approaches the creative process
• His transition process and associated struggles
• How he keeps himself balanced and effective

Jeremy Paris is the Executive Director of the Veteran Artist Program and a long-time contributor the Veteran space.  He is also the host of the Veteran Resource Podcast, and was a major contributor to the establishment of the Eagle Nation Podcast.  

During this episode, we dig into his start in nonprofit work and how art has grown into a viable career path for military Veterans.  His organization, Veteran Artist Program, provides a community, resources, and mentorship for those looking to grow as working artists.

We also spend some time covering the craft of podcasting and the role that is plays in building both community and business.  We cover a bunch of really important topics that apply well beyond podcasts.

Jeremy has been at it for a long time and has tremendous perspective and insight.  We know you’ll enjoy hearing from him!

Lieutenant General (Retired) Mike Linnington is a pretty incredible person.  After a tremendous 35 year long career in the Army, he transitioned to the nonprofit sector and took the helm at the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), which was the subject of some  public controversy at the time (early 2016).  His leadership has been critical, and WWP is really serving Veterans and military families in a big way.

In this episode we discuss:

• His career in the military, and service in his family.
• Transition from a 35 year military career to the nonprofit world.
• What he found when he showed up to WWP, post controversy.
• The changes they’ve made, and what WWP is up to now.

Spencer Kympton is the president of The Mission Continues, a national nonprofit that urges Veterans to continue serving in their communities.  He is also an Army Veterans and former Blackhawk pilot.

Spencer brings a very unique and important perspective to our field, as his professional career has spanned the military, private sector, and multiple areas of the nonprofit sector.  He is as smart and informed on Veteran and community issues as anybody in the country.

We have a in-depth conversation to focuses mainly on the value of service in all of its forms.  We talk about:

• The decline in civic engagement and what we can do about it
• The potential for a national service commitment for young Americans
• How societies benefit from having and engaged population
• And so much more…

Spencer is a long-time friend and member of Team RWB and has done an amazing job in leading The Mission Continues.  His thoughts are both timely and relevant, and we know that you’ll enjoy hearing from him!

Tyler Grey is a Army Veteran and former Tier 1 operator.  He was severely injured in Iraq during a mission, which changed the course of his career.  He now spends his time working in Hollywood (in front and behind the camera), advocating for veterans, and doing security consulting.  He’s an incredible guy, and really engaging.  

In this episode we discuss:

• The viral Memorial Day tribute video he was in
• His awesome documentary, That Which I Love Destroys Me
• His history channel show, The Selection
• His recovery and struggles with losing his dream job
• His theory of LTSD, and how he misses war
• How veterans can more effectively transition out of the military.

Mike Bledsoe is a Navy veteran and the CEO of Barbell Shrugged.  Over the last 5 years, he and his team have revolutionized the way that the gyms, trainers, and fitness enthusiasts do business.  Mike started one of the early CrossFit boxes while he was still in college back in 2007.  A few years later, they started a little podcast (the first one I ever listened to) called Barbell Shrugged and have gone on to interview many of the most influential people in the worlds of CrossFit and strength training, to include Rich Froning and Tim Ferriss.

This episode is as wide-ranging as it is intriguing.  Mike and I go into every from the role of identity to the value of content marketing.  He is an extremely thoughtful guy and provides some tremendous insight into how Veterans (and everybody) can become the best versions of themselves.  If you’re not familiar with Mike, you are in for a treat.  He’s unlike anybody we’ve interviewed so far and this one was a ton of fun.  You won’t want to miss it!

You can catch Mike on Twitter @michaelbledsoe or check out their stuff at:

www.barbellshrugged.com and www.barbellbusiness.com

If you’re interested, you can check my interview on the Barbell Business podcast from last April.

Tyler Steinhardt is the founder of Shootout for Soldiers - a one-of-a-kind event that uses lacrosse to support veterans and build community across America.  In addition to that, he’s one of the most articulate and thoughtful 23 year olds that you’ll ever come across.  

In this episode we discuss:

• Social Entrepreneurship.
• Bootstrapping and scaling a rapidly growing event and what he’s learned.
• Shootout for Soldiers, and how it started.
• Why Lacrosse has gained so much popularity in America.
• The importance of community.

David Wood is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and the author of a fantastic new book, What Have We Done: The Moral Injury of Our Longest Wars.  He has covered conflicts all over the globe and has seen warfare in many forms.  We have a wonderful conversation that includes:

• Understanding moral injury and how it affects Veterans

• How PTSD is often misused as a blanket term for all combat related stress

• Reconciling a pacifist upbringing with the realities of war and soldiering

• Ways that we can better support one another, and our communities

Very few people have more experience with the true nature of armed conflict and those that are affected by it.  Please enjoy this episode and be sure to share it with friends!

Marjorie is the acclaimed author of the 2017 Independent Publisher Award (IPPY) winning book, The Frontline Generation: How We Served Post 9/11.  The book began as a personal memoir for her son and turned into the first to define post 9/11 service and leadership.

In this episode we discuss:

• The term Frontline Generation, and what it means.

•  Writing a book for her son

•  Why she decided to independently publish, vs. a traditional publisher?

•  How intelligence professionals view the world differently.

•  What it’s been like to share unfiltered journal entries with the world.