No Turning Back

Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell first sat down with "Mayor Pete" Buttigieg in April of last year to record their first episode of No Turning Back. Stan and Chris release the episode's audio for the first time, revisiting now-Secretary Buttigieg's thoughts on the power of local leadership to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, the necessity of trust, and the need to innovate as we tackle global challenges. As Secretary Buttigieg starts his new role in the Cabinet, Stan and Chris reflect on the challenges and benefits of developing trust in teams - in an important time in our nation's history.

Walgreens has a new incoming CEO: Rosalind (Roz) Brewer. Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell revisit their fascinating conversation with Roz, reflecting on how her value-based approach to leadership, connection to frontline workers, and long-term focus on initiatives rather than immediate wins will position her well to take on the CEO role during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tim Brown and Iain Roberts are experts within the design thinking field, and are the Executive Chair at IDEO and its Chief Operating Officer, respectively. This week, Stan McChrystal and Chris Fussell sit down with Tim and Iain to learn more about how design shapes the world to fit consumers' needs, how prototyping mitigates risk, and why organizations learn faster by building faster.

Garry Kasparov is one of the world's most well-known and accomplished chess players. But he built on his excellence and notoriety in chess to become a pro-democracy advocate in Russia, and for democracy globally. Through his remarkable career at the heights of the game, Garry proved that hard work is a talent, and that mistakes are great fuel for practice. Beyond chess, Garry discusses his ongoing efforts to promote democracy worldwide, how he thinks about risk-taking, and finding your purpose.

Stan and Chris kick off the new year with an episode answering questions from No Turning Back listeners. This podcast started in April of 2020 during the heavy uncertainty of crisis, leaving leaders in uniquely tough situations trying to support the health of their team and business. It's thanks to our listeners that we've been able to continue this podcast many guests and months later. Enjoy Stan and Chris as they answer questions on national service, leading through change, and their surprising career leadership lessons.

Simon Sinek is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, which led to his viral TED Talk about how great leaders inspire action with the concept of "why." He is a thought leader changing how we connect leaders and organizations together to inspire a sense of purpose and action. A visionary and optimist, Simon shares his perspective on the future of organizations, observations from teams this year, and why people are so motivated to find their purpose.

Brian Kilmeade, co-host of Fox News show Fox & Friends and author of numerous books about historical American leaders, shares his perspective about present-day leaders and how they compare to leaders throughout history. In this episode, they discuss how Brian's day to day work in the media creates the space for him to be a leader, record history each day, and compare today's climate with past eras and what it means for those in the public eye.