Eagle Nation Podcast

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:

• His military career
• Why he left the Army after 11 years (captured in Violence of Action)
• His writing and why it’s so important to him
• His evolving views on the needs of the American Veteran

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:

• Learning to accept the world as it is
• Committing to growth in times of struggle
• Focusing on quality and fighting the fear-of-missing-out (FOMO)
• “Extreme balance”
• Being a great parent in sub-optimal circumstances
• And much more

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:

• The state of the Veteran’s non-profit sector in America
• Why the Veteran disability system needs reform
• How to affect nation-changing philanthropy
• The future of Veteran support in America
• Why a movement to evidence-based policy in America is critical

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:

• His go-to coffee brewing setup.
• How he got shot in basic training.
• His book, Violence of Action
• Nomadic Veterans, the documentary

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:

• The importance of defining your culture
• Why it is critical to be humble
• How introverts often thrive in leadership roles
• What it means to constantly innovate

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:

• What he’s learned as an entrepreneur
• How he uses humor to discuss difficult topics
• His military transition and struggles
• Veteran’s owning their transition
• His favorite Article 15 Shirt
• His favorite Youtube Video that he’s starred in

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:

• Why we should stop using the word ‘stigma’
• The importance of maintaining our mental well being
• The value of seeing a counselor and asking for help
• Why you should absolutely ask ‘the question’

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:

• The article on the Afghan president (one of his favorites): http://www.duffelblog.com/2012/08/man-in-afghan-presidents-uniform-shoots-secretary-of-defense-in-latest-green-on-blue-attack/
• His talk at Got Your 6 Storytellers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t18RJaT_KF4
• His work at Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/author/paul-szoldra
• Thomas Brennan's The War Horse: http://www.thewarhorse.org/
• TM Gibbons-Neff at WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/thomas-gibbons-neff/
• CJ Chivers at NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/by/c-j-chivers
• His new project: WTF, over. http://www.wtfo.email

Connect with Paul via Social

• @paulszoldra
• @duffelblog

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:

• The importance of physical activity at school
• How adults can be the biggest impediment to kids learning
• Trust between teachers and kids, and why it’s critical

David is an amazing person, and incredibly inspirational!  We’re excited to bring you this episode!