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Army officer and Harvard-trained scholar Laura Weimer joins Joe to unpack leader identity—how it’s formed, why it matters, and what happens when we never stop to question it.

From leading Soldiers in the field to earning a PhD in organizational behavior at Harvard Business School, Laura has navigated both the operational Army and academia. Along the way, she’s learned that one of the most important questions a leader can ask is: Do I want to do this job—or do I just want to be selected for it?

In this candid conversation, Laura and Joe explore how ego, purpose, and values shape career decisions. They share how small changes—like moving one swim lane over—can dramatically improve fit and fulfillment, and why leaders must help their subordinates figure this out before life forces the question.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why separating ego from purpose is critical in career decision-making
• The “swim lane” approach to finding a better fit without leaving the Army
• How coaching and reflection can clarify your leader identity
• Practical exercises for uncovering your values and reframing your work
• Why helping others find the right role strengthens the whole organization

Whether you’re a junior leader at a crossroads or a senior officer mentoring the next generation, this episode offers tools and hard-earned wisdom for building a leader identity that lasts beyond any rank or title.

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Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind. 

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Author Roland Allen joins Joe for a deep-dive into his book, The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper, and the surprising legacy of one of humanity’s most powerful tools: the humble notebook.

Whether it’s a green notebook in your cargo pocket, Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches, or a modern writer’s Moleskine, notebooks have shaped how people think, learn, and lead for centuries. In this fascinating conversation, Roland shares how these simple collections of thoughts, drawings, and quotes—what he calls “the first mixtape”—have been central to creativity, memory, and meaning throughout history.

Whether you're a leader, writer, soldier, or student, this episode will inspire you to pick up a pen and rediscover the power of thinking on paper.

In this episode, we explore:

• How a personal diary led Roland to uncover the global story of notebooks and their impact on civilization
• The Zibaldoni: a 14th-century Florentine notebook tradition that sparked the birth of modern literature
• Why Leonardo da Vinci never left home without his notebook—and how it supercharged his creativity across disciplines
• How Isaac Newton rewrote his own history by editing his notebooks
• The power of the commonplace book: a forgotten practice that shaped minds from Shakespeare to modern military leaders
• How notebooks create lasting knowledge—from 19th-century whalers to 21st-century climate scientists
• The quirky and wildly different notebook habits of Agatha Christie, Virginia Woolf, and Roland himself
• Why writing by hand helps us remember more, make better decisions, and build resilience through tough times
• Joe’s reflections on keeping a green notebook in combat and why he now journals with his future self in mind

Whether you use a green notebook, a Moleskine, or a legal pad, this episode will change the way you think about what it means to write—and why it matters.

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Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind. 

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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Matt Richtel joins Joe for a powerful conversation about his new book, How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence.

Blending neuroscience, history, and real-life stories from teens and families across the country, Matt offers a transformative understanding of adolescence—not as a problem to fix, but as a critical phase of growth. Whether you’re a parent, military leader, coach, or mentor, this conversation is packed with insight on how to support young people as they step into the most intense learning period of their lives.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why adolescence isn’t just a set of teenage years—but a biologically driven journey of self-discovery
• How to understand risk-taking, rebellion, and boundary-pushing not as defiance, but as testing for survival
• The powerful metaphor of adolescents as “castaways,” and why we must let them leave the shore to grow
• How The Odyssey offers a timeless framework for understanding the adolescent hero’s journey
• What neuroscience teaches us about reward sensitivity, risk tolerance, and the adolescent brain
• Why digital life isn’t inherently bad—but what it displaces can harm growth and mental health
• How to lead, parent, and mentor with empathy—by not taking rebellion or distance personally

Whether you’re leading young soldiers, raising kids, or reflecting on your own adolescent journey, this episode delivers timeless wisdom and practical tools for helping the next generation grow up well.

Matt Richtel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist and bestselling writer of mysteries and thrillers. His books are fast-paced, character-centered stories in which things are not always as they seem. The backdrop for the books is the modern world. Technology is everywhere. Everything moves at lightning speed, from conspiracy, to love, business, and violence. Technology is our slave. Or has it become our dark master?

The books relate to Matt's journalism. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 2010 for a series of stories on distracted driving. The next year, he wrote an acclaimed series for the New York Times called "Your Brain On Computers" exploring how heavy technology use impacts our behavior and our brains.

Matt lives with his family in San Francisco. He writes from an office with a window that looks onto the former house of baseball legend Willie Mays. He -- Matt, not Willie -- is an avid tennis player, takes pride in making guacamole and coffee, and writes the occasional song.

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Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind. 

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Retired Marine Raider and author John Dailey joins the podcast to discuss his memoir, Tough Rugged Bastards, and the hard-earned lessons from a lifetime in Marine special operations.

In this episode, Joe and John explore:

• The story behind the founding of Marine Special Operations—and what it took to prove they belonged
• Why breath work, meditation, and reading became essential tools for combat and recovery
• The power of broad commander's intent—and how trust enables bottom-up innovation
• How journaling and writing helped John process his experiences and reconnect with identity post-service
• Why being yourself is a leadership superpower—and how John learned to take off the many "coats" he wore in uniform
• What it means to “do windows”—and why no task is ever beneath the leader

John Dailey left his home in West Virginia at seventeen to join the Marines, which led to a career of over twenty years. As a Platoon Sergeant in the Marine Corps’ 1st Force Reconnaissance Company on deployment in Australia on Sep. 11th, 2001, he and his men soon found themselves in Afghanistan battling the Taliban. In 2003 he was selected to serve as a team leader in the first Marine Corps unit assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command —Detachment-1. Det -1’s 2004 Iraq deployment solidified the Marines’ place in special operations and led to the formation of the Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC). John received his MFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina - Wilmington in 2018. John continues to train Marine Raiders, and he provides leadership training and performance coaching through his company, Walking Point LLC. He lives in Hubert, North Carolina with his wife, Tracy. 

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Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind. 

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Army veterans and leadership experts Brandon Young and Blayne Smith join the podcast for a powerful conversation about their new book, Perseverance > Endurance: Lead with Resilience. Grow Through Adversity. Win Together.

Blending combat-tested wisdom, lived leadership experiences, and hard-earned insight from both military and civilian life, Brandon and Blayne break down what it really takes to lead through uncertainty—not just by gutting it out, but by growing through it.

In this episode, they explore:

• The critical difference between endurance and perseverance—and why one leaves you tired and the other makes you better
• How the “ridgeline of adversity” framework helps teams understand where they are—and what to do next
• What land navigation teaches us about mental toughness, bad assumptions, and moments of decision
• The trap of prediction vs. the power of preparation—and why confidence matters more than certainty
• The real reason some leaders cling to the way things were—and how to accept change without losing hope
• Why open dialogue beats open-door policies—and how to create cultures of candor, feedback, and trust
• The discipline to choose action over intention—and how real growth happens on the other side of hard

Whether you’re leading in uniform, navigating a career transition, or helping your team through a difficult season, this conversation delivers timeless tools and modern mindsets for becoming the kind of leader adversity demands.

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind. 

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U.S. Army Special Operations Command Sergeant Major JoAnn Naumann returns to the podcast—this time from the range at Fort Bragg—for a conversation on leadership, transformation, and enabling the next generation of special operations forces.

With nearly three decades in uniform and two years as the senior enlisted leader of USASOC, CSM Naumann shares the mindset shifts, hard-won lessons, and bottom-up insights that have shaped her time in the seat.

In this episode, they explore:

• Why she believes she has the best job in the Army—and how she stays energized by the Soldiers around her
• What it means to lead across 80+ countries, and how she stays connected to the ground truth
• How USASOC is driving transformation in structure, tech, and human performance—and why speed and soldier feedback are essential
• The challenge (and opportunity) of going from “operator” to enabler—and how shifting mindset scales impact across 36,000 teammates
• Why NCOs must be willing to say “that’s a dumb idea”—and the importance of modeling that kind of candor for the force
• The value of reading, curiosity, and lifelong learning in sustaining leadership at the highest levels
• How she adapts her approach to different commanders—and what it really takes to make that relationship work

Whether you’re an NCO navigating your first staff job, a commander looking to build trust across the chain, or a lifelong learner looking for leadership insights forged under pressure, this episode delivers a front-row seat to how transformation happens—one question, one conversation, one Soldier at a time.

Command Sergeant Major JoAnn Naumann currently serves as the Senior Enlisted Leader for U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), where she advises on matters affecting over 36,000 Soldiers across the special operations enterprise.

Born in New Jersey, CSM Naumann graduated from the College of William and Mary with a degree in American Studies and Government before enlisting in the Army in 1996 as a 35P Voice Language Analyst. She completed the Arabic Basic Course at the Defense Language Institute and Advanced Individual Training at Goodfellow Air Force Base.

Over nearly three decades of service, CSM Naumann has held a range of leadership positions, including assignments with the 311th MI Battalion, the 344th MI Battalion, and Special Mission Units. She has deployed 14 times across CENTCOM and AFRICOM, and previously served as the Senior Enlisted Leader for Special Operations Command–Korea (SOCKOR).

She is a graduate of the Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy and has completed numerous military schools, including the Military Freefall Course, Airborne and Air Assault Schools, and the SOF Intel Leaders Course.

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Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind. 

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In this special Army Birthday Week episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson joins Joe to explore the deep roots of the U.S. Army and what its 250-year journey can teach today’s leaders. Known for his Liberation Trilogy and now two volumes into his Revolution Trilogy, Atkinson brings the American Revolution to life—warts, wonder, and all—and makes a compelling case for why understanding our founding story is essential for anyone in uniform.

In this episode, they explore:

• What it was like growing up as an Army brat—and how Atkinson’s father’s 30-year career shaped his lifelong fascination with military history
• The surprising parallels between Washington’s army and today’s force, from self-study and logistics to leadership under pressure
• How George Washington’s instinct for civilian control—and his rapid growth as a commander—still echoes in the Army’s DNA
• Why the American Revolution was, in Atkinson’s words, “our first civil war,” and how its complexity is far more compelling than its mythology
• Lafayette, logistics, and the brutal truth of 18th-century expeditionary warfare (including the grim sound of horse carcasses hitting the sea)
• The power of books, curiosity, and informal learning among Washington’s officers—and why that tradition matters more than ever for leaders today
• What Atkinson hopes readers, soldiers, and citizens will carry forward from the Founding Generation—and why we must not lose sight of what they gave us

Whether you’re a company commander, a military history buff, or someone simply trying to understand where the Army came from and where it’s headed, this episode is a timely reminder: the past isn’t just prologue—it’s instruction.

Rick Atkinson is the bestselling author of eight works of narrative military history, including The Fate of the Day, The Guns at Last Light, The Day of Battle, An Army at Dawn, The Long Gray Line, In the Company of Soldiers, and Crusade. He also was the lead essayist in Where Valor Rests: Arlington National Cemetery, published by National Geographic. He was a reporter, foreign correspondent, war correspondent, and senior editor at The Washington Post for more than twenty years. His many awards include Pulitzer Prizes for history and journalism, the George Polk Award, the George Washington Prize, and the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. He lives in Washington, D.C.

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Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind. 

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In this candid conversation, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll joins Joe to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to modernize a military while staying grounded in soldier-level feedback. From wrestling with “irrationality and stupidity at scale” in the Pentagon to launching the Army Transformation Initiative, Driscoll shares why he’s flipping tables—sometimes almost literally—to give soldiers the tools and trust they need to win the next fight. 

In this episode, they explore:

• How a 15-year “gap decade” in law, finance, and private equity enriched Driscoll’s return to uniform and deepened his respect for everyday soldiers
• The Army Transformation Initiative—delivering critical warfighting capabilities, optimizing force structure, and eliminating waste and obsolete programs
• A Fort Jackson drone drill where recruits with just five weeks in the Army changed training doctrine—proof that innovation starts at E-1
• Seasons vs. “work-life balance”: why high-tempo service demands conscious trade-offs at home, and how Driscoll keeps perspective as a husband and dad of two
• The IED-factory raid where rules forbade cutting a $2 padlock, and what it taught him about broken feedback loops in combat
• Concrete ways leaders at every level can accelerate change: send honest ground-truth up the chain, embrace small-unit credit-card innovation, and demand that processes serve soldiers first

Whether you’re a private, a Pentagon staffer, or a curious civilian, this episode offers a front-row seat to the Army’s most ambitious overhaul in decades—and a master class in leading large-scale change without losing sight of character, family, and the people who do the fighting.

Daniel P. Driscoll is the 26th Secretary of the Army, sworn in on February 25, 2025. He leads the Army’s efforts in operations, modernization, and resource management for nearly one million Soldiers and more than 265,000 Army Civilians.

A former Army officer and business executive, Driscoll brings a diverse background in military service, law, and the private sector. Commissioned as an Armor Officer in 2007, he served with the 10th Mountain Division and deployed to Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His military honors include the Army Commendation Medal, Ranger Tab, and Combat Action Badge.

Following his service, he earned a J.D. from Yale Law School and held leadership roles in investment banking, private equity, and venture capital, including serving as COO of a $200 million fund. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He is married to his high-school sweetheart, and they have two children.

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind. 

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In this powerful conversation, award-winning journalist turned Army officer Sarah Blake Morgan joins Joe for a raw and reflective discussion on identity, purpose, and what happens when we step away from the life we always thought we wanted.

From chasing stories as a national correspondent for the Associated Press to standing in formation at Army basic training at age 31, Sarah opens up about what led her to leave a successful journalism career behind—and what she’s discovered about herself in the process.

In this episode, they explore:

• The slow erosion of purpose that pushed her out of journalism
• Why sitting still has been more terrifying than the hardest assignment
• The painful process of letting go of titles, identities, and ego
• What she’s learning about storytelling in uniform
• How walking into the metaphorical (and literal) woods helped her find her next chapter

Whether you're navigating a major transition or simply questioning what's next, Sarah’s story will remind you that growth often begins where the path ends—and that it's okay to not know exactly where you're going.

Sarah Blake Morgan is a storyteller and U.S. Army Reserve officer whose unconventional path took her from a successful career in television news to military service. After nearly a decade reporting for stations in Texas, North Carolina, and The Associated Press, Morgan felt stuck in a life of routine. That changed in 2020 when, inspired by a reporting trip with the 82nd Airborne Division, she decided to enlist in the Army.

At 31, she completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood and earned her commission through Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, beginning her journey as a military intelligence officer. Today, she balances her work serving in the special operations community with her ongoing mission to give voice to the unheard — and to discover her own evolving sense of purpose along the way.

In addition to her military and journalism careers, Morgan is the creator and host of The Forgotten: After Helene, a powerful podcast uncovering the overlooked stories of those affected by Hurricane Helene.

Follow her journey at @StorytellerSBM.

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind. 

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In this powerful conversation, retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal joins Joe to discuss his new book, On Character: Choices That Define a Life. Drawing from decades of military leadership and personal reflection, General McChrystal breaks down why character is more than just a word—it's a daily practice rooted in conviction and discipline.

In this episode, they explore:

• Why journaling would have made him a better leader
• A practical method he used to align his time with his priorities in Afghanistan
• How reading shaped his thinking both in and out of uniform
• The subtle but dangerous effects of power on rising leaders
• Why leaders must continuously test their convictions under pressure

Whether you're in uniform or leading in another capacity, this episode is a must-listen for anyone striving to lead with authenticity, courage, and character.

Stan McChrystal retired in July 2010 as a four-star general after over 34 years of service in the U.S. Army. His final assignment was as the commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and all US forces in Afghanistan. He had previously served as the director of the Joint Staff and almost five years in command of the Joint Special Operations Command.

General McChrystal’s memoir, My Share of the Task, was a New York Times bestseller in 2013. He is also the author of New York Times bestseller Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World and wrote the forward for the sequel, One Mission:How Leaders Build a Team of Teams. He is a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and a partner at McChrystal Group, where he transforms organizations into adaptable teams. He and his wife, Annie, live in Virginia.

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind.