Lead with Bubba Scott

Ebenezer Gyasi is a former active-duty Navy judge advocate, now serving as a JAG in the Navy Reserve, and a former federal law clerk. He grew up between New Jersey and Ghana, played football at Phillips Exeter and Williams College, and taught sixth-grade math in Baton Rouge with Teach For America before attending Penn Law and serving five years on active duty in the Navy JAG Corps.

Bubba has known Eb since 2008, when Eb played football at Exeter with Bubba’s brother. In this episode, they talk about what a Ghanaian-American upbringing and the Harkness table taught Eb about community, and why past success never guarantees the next level. He explains why being right means little if the people you’re leading can’t hear you. He also shares what he learned defending young Sailors and advising commanders, what clerking for two federal judges taught him about mentorship, and how three trusted voices pointed him toward the JAG Corps.

Key takeaway: Much of leadership happens without command authority. It comes through trust, clear communication, and honest counsel that helps decision-makers see their options and the risks. Along the way, a few words of confidence from the right person can change the direction of someone’s life.

Find Ebenezer: Instagram @ebeneezy | LinkedIn: Ebenezer K. Gyasi

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:36 Growing Up Between Ghana and New Jersey
07:04 A Scholarship to Exeter and the Harkness Table
11:54 Exeter Football and Finally Beating Andover
14:56 Past Success Is No Guarantee
18:16 How a Football Captain Planted the Teach For America Seed
24:45 Being Right Isn’t Enough
29:26 Three Nudges Toward the JAG Corps
36:34 Defending Young Sailors: The Lawyer as Explainer
43:59 Advising Commanders Without the Final Say
48:09 OpenAI and Two Federal Clerkships
54:24 What Great Mentors Have in Common
56:51 “Anyone Who Ever Gave You Confidence, You Owe Them a Lot”
59:40 Curiosity and Courage
1:02:40 Where to Find Eb

Tom Clifford is the founder of Without Limits, an accomplished endurance athlete, coach, and race director who has spent decades studying what it takes to perform at a high level.

Tom’s relationship with running started early, shaped by his siblings, his father, and a competitive drive that eventually took him to collegiate running at Eastern Michigan. But over time, his understanding of performance changed. He learned that toughness is not simply about pushing harder, and that some of the most important gains come from knowing when to slow down, recover, and remain consistent over time. 

In this episode, Tom shares the story of building Without Limits from a handful of clients into a coaching and endurance-sports community, including the unlikely origins of the business and the creation of the Wilmington Marathon. He also takes us inside what it is like to coach athletes chasing Boston Marathon qualifying times and Olympic Trials standards, and explains why the best coaching goes far beyond writing a training plan. 

We talk about discipline, consistency, confidence, trust between coach and athlete, dealing with failure, controlling ego, and why long-term excellence often requires resisting the temptation to prove yourself every single day.

Key Takeaway: Excellence is rarely built through one extraordinary effort. It comes from consistently doing the right work, recovering well, learning from failure, and having the patience to improve over time.

Find out more about Without Limits at iamwithoutlimits.com

00:00 – Tom Clifford: The Relentless Pursuit of Excellence
01:01 – Growing Up in Michigan and Finding Running
05:24 – His Father’s Heart Attack and a Family Lifestyle Change
08:46 – Learning Discipline and Giving Up Shortcuts
13:58 – The Competitive Drive: “I Didn’t Want to Lose”
16:13 – What Elite Running Training Actually Looks Like
20:08 – What Tom Wishes He Knew as a College Athlete
24:07 – How Access to Information Is Changing Endurance Sports
28:51 – Moving to Wilmington and Starting From Scratch
33:29 – The Birth of Without Limits
35:50 – Building the Wilmington Marathon
39:26 – When You’re Coaching the Best, How Do You Make Them Better?
41:50 – Coaching Athletes Toward the Olympic Trials
45:13 – Finding Three Minutes: The Fine Margins of Elite Performance
49:49 – Why Great Coaching Is More Than a Training Plan
54:07 – The Pressure to Reproduce Success
58:40 – Consistency Over Intensity
1:03:08 – Communication as the Foundation of Leadership
1:06:34 – Where to Find Without Limits

Lang Barth is a Naval Academy graduate, former Navy surface warfare officer, product marketing leader at Intuit, and the founder of Civilian Compass, a platform designed to help veterans navigate one of the most difficult questions that comes with leaving the military: What do I actually want to do next?

Lang's own transition began with a single conversation that turned into hundreds. He developed a systematic way to learn from veterans already working in different industries, track what interested him, test his assumptions, and ultimately find a career that fit the life he wanted. After more than 1,300 conversations with veterans, he began seeing the same challenges repeatedly and decided to build Civilian Compass so others would not have to navigate them alone. 

We talk about asking for help, turning networking into genuine curiosity, why veterans often default toward the careers that seem easiest to translate, and how conversations with people who have already walked the path can provide information no résumé workshop or recruiter can. Lang also explains how Civilian Compass uses technology, veteran mentorship, and a structured process to help service members explore careers, identify skill gaps, build relationships, and take ownership of what comes next. 

Key Takeaway: Your transition does not have to be a search for the first job willing to hire you. Approach it with curiosity, learn from people ahead of you, and deliberately build a career and life that fit who you want to become.

Civilian Compass: civiliancompass.com

Chapters:

00:00 – Lang Barth and the Mission of Civilian Compass
01:31 – Growing Up and Finding the Naval Academy
04:06 – Founding the Naval Academy Investment Club
06:26 – Learning to Lead as a Young Naval Officer
09:19 – Leadership During COVID at Sea
11:05 – Deciding to Leave the Navy
13:30 – The Conversation That Changed Lang’s Transition
17:04 – 300 Conversations and the “Vibe Check” System
20:59 – Exploratory, Tactical, and Urgent Transitions
28:35 – Why Veterans Default to the “Obvious” Career
32:10 – Building Civilian Compass
41:36 – Why Veterans Struggle to Find Their Next Identity
46:25 – Getting Honest Feedback From Other Veterans
52:46 – How Listeners Can Help Civilian Compass
55:58 – Patience as a Leadership Trait

What if one simple question could change the way you lead?

In this episode of Lead with Bubba Scott, I sit down with West Point graduate, former Army officer, Stanford GSB MBA, educator, coach, and author Doug Crandall for a conversation about leadership, reflection, high standards, and the way our words affect the people we lead.

Doug shares his unconventional journey through West Point—including leaving after his first year and ultimately finding his way back—and the lessons he carried from the Army into the classroom when he later returned to West Point to teach leadership.

At the center of our conversation is Doug’s new book, Building or Diminishing, and the question behind it: In the way I’m leading this person right now, am I building them or diminishing them?

Doug walks through four leadership archetypes—the Driver, Cheerleader, Belittler, and Builder—and explains why great leadership doesn’t require choosing between caring about people and demanding excellence. The goal is to do both.

We also discuss why clarity of expectations can be more powerful than correction, how reflection develops self-awareness, why seemingly small interactions can have lasting effects on the people we lead, and how leaders can hold others accountable without stripping away their confidence or dignity.

Finally, Doug shares the one trait he would encourage every aspiring leader to develop: integrity—and why choosing the harder right over the easier wrong remains foundational to leadership.

• Doug’s four-generation connection to West Point
• Why he left West Point—and what brought him back
• The role of grace, second chances, and reflection in leadership
• What Doug wishes he understood as a young Army officer
• Why standards and humanity are not mutually exclusive
• How teaching leadership changed the way Doug understood leader development
• The question behind Building or Diminishing
• The Driver, Cheerleader, Belittler, and Builder archetypes
• Why great leaders can be both demanding and positive
• How to move from being a Cheerleader or Driver toward becoming a Builder
• Why diminishing communication rarely improves performance
• How reflection creates greater self-awareness
• Why integrity remains the foundation of trust

Doug’s book, Building or Diminishing, is available on Amazon and through BuildingOrDiminishing.com. Proceeds from the book are being donated to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Chapters:

00:00 – Welcome to Doug Crandall

00:19 – Growing up in Washington and early influences

02:37 – Four generations of West Point

04:53 – Leaving West Point—and deciding to go back

11:06 – Second chances, grace, and leadership

13:14 – What Doug learned as a young Army officer

16:19 – The problem with “Driver” leadership

19:44 – Returning to West Point to teach leadership

25:48 – Why reflection is essential to leader development

31:01 – The origin of Building or Diminishing

37:12 – Driver, Cheerleader, Belittler, and Builder

42:44 – How to move from Cheerleader to Builder

46:40 – What writing the book taught Doug about himself

52:57 – Can you demand excellence without diminishing people?

56:46 – The book, assessment, and BuildingOrDiminishing.com

1:01:03 – The one leadership trait: Integrity

Patrick Nugent spent much of his life drawn to physical challenges. He grew up playing football, hockey, and lacrosse, played football at The Citadel, became its regimental commander, and ultimately achieved his goal of becoming a Marine infantry officer.

Then, during a live-fire training exercise in Hawaii, Patrick was struck by a bullet and sustained life-changing injuries. At 26 years old, he was confronted with an uncertain prognosis, a long recovery at Walter Reed, and eventually the realization that the Marine Corps career he had envisioned was coming to an end. 

Patrick shares how he learned to break an overwhelming recovery into measurable steps, including a first mile that took 48 minutes, and how returning to sport eventually led him to the Invictus Games, where he earned a bronze medal in powerlifting and was selected to captain Team USA. For Patrick, that experience restored something bigger than athletic ability: the belief that he could still lead and contribute after leaving the uniform. 

We also break down Patrick’s G.R.I.T. framework for responding to adversity:

• Grow your grit
• Regulate your response
• Insist on finishing
• Turn pain into service

Throughout the conversation, Patrick returns to one simple phrase that carried him through some of his hardest moments: Find a way.

Key takeaway: Resilience is not only something we discover after adversity arrives. It can be built beforehand through difficult experiences, deliberate action, reflection, and learning to focus on the next controllable step. 

Learn more about Patrick's story at https://www.patrickdnugent.com

Chapters

00:00 — Patrick Nugent: Find a Way

01:03 — Growing Up Through Sports, Teamwork, and Service

06:07 — Leaving Football to Pursue the Marine Corps

09:06 — Leading the Corps of Cadets at The Citadel

11:55 — Leadership by Example

13:59 — Becoming a Marine Infantry Officer

16:25 — Deployment, Hawaii, and the Live-Fire Exercise

18:47 — The Gunshot That Changed Everything

21:09 — “I Have to Be Stronger”

23:33 — The Prognosis and the Journey to Walter Reed

27:41 — Beginning the Long Road to Recovery

33:33 — Measuring Progress: The 48-Minute Mile

38:24 — The Failed Surgery and Losing the Future He Expected

42:40 — Rediscovering Purpose Through the Invictus Games

44:42 — Becoming Captain of Team USA

46:35 — The G.R.I.T. Framework

51:13 — Regulating Your Response When Adversity Hits

56:45 — Turning Pain Into Service

1:01:15 — Patrick’s Definition of Resilience

Content note: The conversation deals directly with death, military aviation loss, grief, and the long process of healing that follows. It is a heavy discussion, but it is also one about love, resilience, empathy, service, advocacy, and learning how to move forward while continuing to honor those we have lost.

On June 8, 2022, Swift 1-1, an MV-22B Osprey, crashed in eastern California following a mechanical failure, taking the lives of five United States Marines. In this episode, Bubba sits down with Amber Sax, Gold Star widow of Captain John Sax and founder of the Capt Sax Foundation, to remember John as a husband, father, Marine, and lifelong aviator.

Amber shares the ripple effects of a military aviation mishap, including the impact on surviving families, squadron members, first responders, and the aviators who must continue flying. She also reflects on the importance of giving people permission to grieve, releasing guilt without releasing love, and understanding that moving forward does not mean forgetting.

The conversation concludes with Amber’s work through the Capt Sax Foundation, which provides scholarships to aspiring pilots, maintainers, engineers, air traffic controllers, transitioning service members, and others pursuing careers in aviation. The foundation has awarded more than $80,000 in scholarships and hopes to surpass $100,000 this year. Amber personally covers its operating expenses so that every donated dollar can go directly to scholarship recipients.

Learn more about the Capt Sax Foundation or make a donation:
CaptSaxFoundation.org

Key takeaway: One of the most meaningful ways we can honor those we have lost is by living fully, serving others, and carrying their legacy forward.

Chapters

00:00 — A Different Kind of Conversation
A content note on military loss, grief, aviation mishaps, and healing.

02:40 — Meet Amber Sax

03:10 — How Amber and John Met

04:59 — John’s Lifelong Dream of Flying

09:35 — The Husband, Father, and Marine Behind the Pilot

12:28 — Life Before and After Swift 1-1

16:56 — Remembering More Than the Final Moment

22:13 — The Ripple Effects of an Aviation Mishap

31:56 — Moving Forward Without Moving On

35:46 — Finding Support in the Gold Star Community

40:13 — Resilience, Empathy, and Permission to Heal

44:22 — Building the Capt Sax Foundation

51:41 — Advocacy and Learning to Use Your Voice

1:00:21 — Leading with Empathy

1:01:43 — How to Support the Capt Sax Foundation

In this episode of Lead with Bubba Scott, I sit down with my good friend and Naval Academy classmate Isaac Seals, a former Marine officer whose career took him from leading Assault Amphibian Marines, to the Silent Drill Platoon, to serving as a White House Social Aide.

We talk about Isaac’s upbringing in Decatur, Georgia, his path to the Naval Academy, walking onto the Division I track team, and the legendary videos he made with classmates that became part of Academy lore. Isaac also shares his unique path to becoming a Marine officer, lessons from leading Marines, stories from 8th & I and the White House, and what it has meant to build a meaningful life after service.

This is a fun, honest, and insightful conversation about identity, transition, purpose, service, teamwork, and why leaders should never forget to bring who they are to the table.

00:00 Introduction
01:03 Welcome to Isaac Seals
01:35 Growing Up in Decatur, Georgia
03:17 African Wild Dogs and Lessons in Teamwork
04:05 Family, Expectations, and Getting to College
06:39 Naval Academy, NAPS, and Division I Athletics
08:06 Getting Cut from Lacrosse and Walking Onto Track
11:33 How the Track Team Changed His Life
14:28 Going from “The Guy” to Finding a New Role
17:40 Viral Academy Videos and Creative Outlets
21:06 Why Isaac Chose the Marine Corps
22:58 His Grandfather’s Final Wish and a Complicated Decision
24:48 The Challenge to Earn Marine Corps
28:11 The Marine Corps Board
29:50 Service Selection and Becoming a Marine
32:01 Assault Amphibian Officer and Leading AAV Marines
35:59 A Hard Leadership Lesson as a Young Officer
42:31 Silent Drill Platoon and “Remember What You Represent”
44:50 White House Social Aide
46:18 Stories from the White House
48:44 Transitioning Out of the Marine Corps
52:23 Finding Purpose After Service
57:34 Advice for Navigating Transition
01:00:10 Bring Who You Are to the Table
01:01:12 Closing Reflections
01:01:38 Outro

In this episode of Lead with Bubba Scott, I sit down with Colonel Kyle Phillips, an active duty Marine officer whose career has spanned the infantry, law, command, teaching, national security work, and military justice.

We talk about his early lessons in leadership, his transition from infantry officer to Marine lawyer, advising commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan, working national security cases at the Department of Justice, and leading Marines and civilians in command.

Kyle also shares lessons from endurance sports, command philosophy, accountability, and why leadership by example is necessary, but not sufficient.

This is a great conversation about judgment, service, responsibility, standards, and leading in law.

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer
01:09 Welcome to Colonel Kyle Phillips
01:48 Growing Up on the Jersey Shore
05:28 Villanova, NROTC, and the Path to the Marine Corps
08:17 Becoming an Infantry Officer
09:46 Leadership by Example Is Necessary, but Not Sufficient
12:26 Transitioning from Infantry to Law
16:04 Deploying as a Marine Lawyer
19:34 Advising Commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan
23:00 Rules of Engagement and Preparing Marines to Make Decisions
26:48 Department of Justice and National Security Law
30:05 Confidence, Competence, and Self-Study
32:40 Teaching Leadership at the Naval Academy
37:55 Command Philosophy: Proud Professionals, Mission Focused, Inspire Others
43:38 Second Command Philosophy: Support Each Other, Support Warfighting, Support the Mission
47:38 Endurance Sports, Discipline, and the Group Effect
53:49 Last Man Standing and the Power of a Support Team
55:29 Accountability and Advice to His Younger Self
58:36 Personal Accountability in Adventure Racing
01:01:27 The Marine Corps Leadership Traits
01:03:22 Closing Reflections
01:04:18 Outro

In this episode of Lead with Bubba Scott, I sit down with Dr. Jim Womack, one of the most influential voices in modern manufacturing, management, and Lean Thinking. Dr. Womack is the founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute and helped translate the Toyota Production System into what the world now knows as Lean. We talk about his early curiosity, what he learned from studying General Motors and Toyota, and why Lean is much more than tools, buzzwords, or cost-cutting.

This conversation is really about leadership: how leaders see work, define value, support people, and build better systems. Dr. Womack explains the importance of Gemba, going to the place where value is created, and why leaders need to ask better questions, show respect for the people doing the work, and focus on solving problems at the source.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:50 Dr. Jim Womack’s Early Curiosity and Background

05:01 From India to Japan: Seeing Systems Differently

07:56 General Motors, the Cadillac Plant, and the Problem with Modern Management

15:03 Studying Toyota and Translating Lean for the West

22:50 The Machine That Changed the World and the Core Ideas of Lean

33:40 Gemba: Going to Where Value Is Created

38:21 Kaizen on Top of Chaos Is Chaos

44:09 From Answer Man to Question Man: Leadership Through Better Questions

55:25 Final Advice: Start with the Work

In this episode of Lead with Bubba Scott, Bubba sits down with Shane Mitchell, a Navy veteran and Northeast Regional Customer Support Manager at Makino.

Shane shares his journey from growing up in a military family to serving as an enlisted aviation maintainer in the Navy, where he worked on helicopters and F/A-18s. He reflects on the importance of reputation, technical competence, mentorship, and making the most of every assignment.

Bubba and Shane also discuss rugby, the lessons of teamwork and accountability, and how those lessons carried into Shane’s military service and civilian career. The conversation closes with Shane’s advice for veterans transitioning out of the military: understand your value, stay humble, and find work that gives you a sense of purpose.

This episode is about service, humility, mentorship, and finding your next team after the military.

Go to theVAlender.com to learn more about the show's new sponsor!

Chapter list:

00:00 Welcome, Sponsor Announcement, and Episode Preview

02:01 Growing Up in a Military Family

04:57 A Father’s Service and the Call to Serve

07:25 From College to the Navy

10:43 Starting Out in Navy Aviation Maintenance

13:05 Earning the Opportunity to Work on F/A-18s

18:01 Bloom Where You’re Planted

19:38 Reputation Is All You Have

22:15 Rugby, Teamwork, and the Next-Man-Up Mentality

31:33 Leaving the Navy and Finding the Next Team

36:15 Building a Civilian Career at Makino

42:18 Advice for Veterans Entering Industry

45:00 Confidence, Humility, and Starting Over

48:57 Be Trainable: The Leadership Trait That Matters

51:02 American Manufacturing and Veteran Opportunity

53:38 Final Reflections and Closing