Most people say they want resilience, but few are prepared to face the moment that tests whether they actually have it.

Today Aaron Hale sits down with Matt Drinkhahn, host of The Eternal Optimist podcast and author of The Eternal Optimist, to examine what separates those who stay down from those who get back up.

The conversation moves from childhood conditioning and generational influence to a spinal injury that forced Matt to confront the possibility of never walking again.

He outlines how gratitude is built on past survival, why catastrophic moments interrupt destructive patterns, and how small disciplined tweaks create lasting change.

This is not a discussion about positive thinking–it's about acceptance, responsibility, and the decision to keep moving when comfort, ego, or despair would be easier.

0:00 Intro

01:48 Stubborn Refusal to Stay Down

07:07 Generational Influence & Cultural Shift

09:49 Gratitude Built on Overcoming

14:52 Hearing "You May Never Walk Again"

19:36 Emotional Interrupt as Catalyst for Change

22:17 Tiny Tweaks for Outsized Impact

30:11 Expanding Timeline & Studying Emotional Intelligence

39:15 Golf Tournament Reconciliation with Father

46:46 Countdown to Impact

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattdrinkhahn

Matt Drinkhahn's book: 📚 The Eternal Optimist: It's Never Too Late

https://amzn.to/4anEiR6

🎙️ The Eternal Optimist Podcast

https://eternaloptimistpodcast.com/

📚 Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams

https://amzn.to/4cx6sKD

📚 A Sense of Where You Are by John McPhee

https://amzn.to/4qHtK43

📚 Conversations Worth Having by Jackie Stavros

https://amzn.to/4kDklck

📚 Deep Work by Cal Newport

https://amzn.to/4cvclrN

📚 Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

https://amzn.to/3McS4wI

📚 Find and Use Your Inner Power by Emmet Fox

https://amzn.to/4cwavXE

Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).

A mission does not get easier because you bring more gear. In many cases, it gets harder.

Today Aaron Hale sits down with Clint Emerson, former Navy SEAL and special activities operator, about the evolution of the "Naked Warrior" mindset inside special operations.

Clint explains how operating alone without body armor, night vision, or a team behind you forces a different level of discipline. Tradecraft, disguise, timing, and cultural awareness become more important than firepower.

This conversation is not about Hollywood style espionage. It's about preparation, judgment, and knowing how to move through an environment without drawing the wrong kind of attention.

When you strip away the gear, what remains is discipline…and that's where the real risk begins.

0:00 Intro

01:36 Quiet professionalism and public recognition

04:46 Childhood encounter that shaped a SEAL path

11:27 Regional Focus and Post 9/11 Deployment Shift

15:18 Building a new special activities capability

25:14 Assessing agencies to find capability gaps

29:41 The modern "Naked Warrior" concept

32:05 Operating under cover and using disguise

37:56 Why disguise tools were left unclassified

41:03 Tradecraft in the age of AI and surveillance

44:53 Purpose behind the 100 Deadly Skills books

49:40 Bamboo and jungle survival techniques

53:38 Everyday items used for self defense

59:11 Feet, culture, and blending into environments

01:02:27 Using flip phones as triggers

01:08:43 Countdown to Impact

Resources Mentioned:

🌐 Clint Emerson Website www.clintemerson.com

🌐 100 Deadly Skills on Instagram www.instagram.com/100deadlyskills

📚 100 Deadly Skills: Survival Edition by Clint Emerson https://amzn.to/3ZV1D6m

📚 The Rugged Life by Clint Emerson https://amzn.to/4aAvKGq

📚 The Right Kind of Crazy by Clint Emerson https://amzn.to/4tvV48b

Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).

Speed is nothing without clarity–unless the goal is to move faster in the wrong direction.

Brian Bogert approaches technology from that exact tension, focusing less on what tools can do and more on what they amplify in the people using them.

Aaron Hale sits down with Brian to talk about how voice is formed through experience, how it gets protected over time, and why AI doesn't create clarity, it reveals whatever is already there.

Brian makes the case that technology simply mirrors its user. When intention is missing, it smooths things out, blurs edges, and pulls people toward sameness instead of truth.

This isn't a conversation about hacks or efficiency (though Brian might inspire you with a few things there, too).

It's about agency, restraint, and keeping hold of what makes communication feel real.

0:00 Intro

03:03 AI as a tool that requires intention and boundaries

09:06 Losing voice through early trauma

15:13 "Take out your trash"

19:53 Armor vs. character

25:21 Creating emotional safety

30:51 Using AI to compress time

37:55 Systems and agents to protect authentic communication

43:21 Building specialty agents to increase capability

50:14 Choosing tools through experimentation and patience

53:32 Clarity through action challenge and feedback

56:35 Writing & publishing a children's book with AI support

1:05:26 Countdown to Impact

Resources Mentioned:

🌐 Connect with Brian Bogert:

https://brianbogert.com/connect

📚 Mindset by Carol Dweck

https://amzn.to/4aqx0vD

📚 Grit by Angela Duckworth

https://amzn.to/4c436hZ

📚 The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

https://amzn.to/3NU1LjU

Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Point of Impact isn't just a podcast—it's a battle cry. Hear raw, real stories of warriors, risk-takers, and everyday legends who turned adversity into fuel.

Catch more real, raw conversations:

🛡️ Point of Impact Podcast → https://pointofimpactpod.com/

🛡️ Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/point-of-impact-with-aaron-hale/id1681213789

🔥 Book Aaron to speak → https://calendly.com/aaronhale/new-meeting

👇 Let's connect:

IG → https://www.instagram.com/aclayhale/

FB → https://www.facebook.com/aclayhale

LinkedIn → https://linkedin.com/in/aaron-hale-1861477

Check this out for more → linktr.ee/aaronhalepointofimpact

First responders do not get to turn it off when the shift ends.

In this episode of Point of Impact, Aaron Hale talks with Sergeant Michael Sugrue, who spent years in the Air Force and more than a decade in civilian law enforcement. He's seen both worlds up close and knows what the job actually does to people over time…

Michael explains why police officers and other first responders live in a constant state of alert and how that pressure builds quietly for years. He talks about the event that finally pushed him past his limit, and what happened when he tried to deal with everything by staying silent.

If you've worn a uniform, live with someone who does, or want to understand what this work really costs–this conversation is worth your time.

0:00 Intro

0:39 Why first responders are always in combat

2:06 Military trauma versus first responder trauma

5:28 The jar metaphor

6:24 The fatal event that became the breaking point

10:01 Losing invincibility and the downward spiral

15:48 Why betrayal hurts more than trauma

22:06 Changing the culture from the inside

28:45 Generational differences in law enforcement

31:57 Military vs. civilian policing realities

35:45 The modern law enforcement landscape

39:37 Reactive policing and political pressure

49:47 Mental health, resiliency, and hope

51:58 Countdown to Impact

56:18 Where to find Michael

Resources Mentioned:

📚 Relentless Courage: Winning the Battle Against Frontline Trauma by Michael Sugrue

https://amzn.to/3ZMNtUT

📚 On Killing by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

https://amzn.to/4bC9aOQ

📚 Warrior by Dr. Shauna Springer

https://heyor.ca/WGZBt9

📚 Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement by Dr. Gilmartin

https://amzn.to/4aut0ue

Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).

Happiness… It has the tendency of slipping through our fingers no matter how much success, money, or influence we chase.

In this powerful episode of Point of Impact, Aaron Hale sits down with Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer–author, church leader, and outspoken cultural voice–to unpack why so many people feel emptier than ever in a world flooded with distractions, dopamine, and conformity.

Jackson shares how God redirected his life from business to ministry, why the church cannot stay silent on politics and culture, and what COVID revealed about fear, virtue signaling, and the cost of standing out. He explains why young men are returning to church in record numbers, how social media is reshaping mental health, and why happiness will always fail but joy will not.

This conversation cuts through the noise to ask a harder question:

What are you building that will outlive you?

0:00 Intro

1:43 Answering the Call

5:01 Why Faith and Politics Cannot Be Separated

9:06 The Return of Young Men to the Church

13:02 Why Jackson Backed Trump Early

15:24 The Greatest Threats Facing America Today

18:44 Refusing to Stay Silent From the Pulpit

22:35 Virtue Signaling and the Fear of Standing Out

25:36 How America Became So Divided

31:10 Social Media and the Mental Health Crisis

33:00 Chasing the Wind

39:29 Countdown to Impact

Resources Mentioned:

🌐 Website: JacksonLahmeyer.com

📚 Chasing After the Wind: Why Nobody Is Catching What Everybody Is Chasing – Jackson Lahmeyer https://amzn.to/4jP1x9K

📚 Christianity for Modern Pagans – Dr. Peter Kreeft https://amzn.to/49Td1EK

📚 The Confessions – St. Augustine https://amzn.to/3Zqngew

📚 The Great Divorce – C.S. Lewis https://amzn.to/4a1Mcz8

Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).

What happens when the uniform comes off…and no one tells you what's next?

On this episode of Point of Impact, Aaron Hale talks with JR Butler, Founder & CEO of Shift Group.

JR built Shift Group to help veterans and former athletes break into business careers without getting filtered out by outdated hiring systems. He believes the traditional resume reduces real people to lifeless bullet points, and that better tools and better storytelling create better opportunities.

The conversation covers what transition is really like, why confidence follows discipline, and why starting over with humility is not a setback. It's the path forward.

If you're figuring out your next move, this episode will help you rethink how to present yourself, how to aim your skills, and how to climb the mountain a second time.

0:00 Intro

02:24 Losing identity after the uniform

4:23 Why the resume is broken

10:32 Coaching, discipline, and doing the work

26:11 You are Tom Brady (but you still start at the bottom)

33:05 Culture fit beats credentials

37:40 What's next for Shift Group

41:47 Countdown to Impact

Resources Mentioned:

🌐 Shift Group https://shiftgroup.io

Shift Group on socials: https://www.youtube.com/@shiftgroup_hq https://www.instagram.com/shiftgroup_hq/

📚 To Sell Is Human – Daniel Pink https://amzn.to/49yCZ0Z

📚 The Qualified Sales Leader – John McMahon https://amzn.to/4jlL5xv

📚 The Power of One – Bryce Courtenay https://amzn.to/4jlPtMJ

Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).

Can the warrior mindset that keeps you alive in combat…

…be the thing that holds you back once you're home?

In this episode of Point of Impact, Aaron Hale sits down with Ryan Woodruff, Marine Corps veteran and CEO of Clear Path for Veterans, to explore the unseen battles veterans face after the uniform comes off and what real healing actually requires.

Ryan shares his journey from infantryman in Iraq to struggling civilian and how service dogs became a pathway back to empathy, connection, and humanity. Together, they unpack the human-animal bond, the ripple effects of trauma, and why growth often comes through pressure, honesty, and being met where you are.

It's an honest look at healing and what it really takes to move forward, especially for veterans finding their way back to normalcy.

0:00 Intro

1:09 Meet Ryan Woodruff and Clear Path for Veterans

6:01 Finding purpose through service to other veterans

11:46 Dogs can carry our pain

14:27 How service dogs restore empathy and human connection

25:07 Training dogs for environmental resilience

28:05 How service dogs interrupt anxiety and panic

38:03 Why veterans downplay their own trauma

45:09 Authenticity and meeting veterans where they are

55:56 Countdown to Impact

Resources Mentioned:

Clear Path for Veterans: https://clearpath4vets.org

Assistance Dogs International (ADI) https://assistancedogsinternational.org/

📚 Man's Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl https://amzn.to/4q6XbN2

📚 Gates of Fire — Steven Pressfield https://amzn.to/44qMooI

📚 Can't Hurt Me — David Goggins https://amzn.to/4s1KapE

📚 Wild at Heart — John Eldredge https://amzn.to/4pzWnjU

📚 12 Rules for Life — Jordan Peterson https://amzn.to/4pE9H6J

Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).

Every 11 minutes, a life is lost…and more than a hundred people are left carrying the weight of it.

Today Aaron Hale sits down with Tony DeMaio, longtime advocate for veterans and first responders, and founder of Helping Heroes USA.

Tony breaks down what really leads people down the path of isolation, depression, and despair–and how everyday people can step in before it's too late. From recognizing early warning signs to learning how to start hard conversations without judgment, Tony shares a clear, practical framework for prevention.

If you've ever wondered what to say, how to help, or whether you can make a difference, this conversation might just give you the tools to help save a life.

0:00 Intro

1:14 Why this mission matters

4:35 You don't have to be a veteran to help

8:46 Talking about it saves lives

12:38 Recognizing warning signs and restoring hope

18:12 Why strong people still need support

21:40 How to start the conversation

25:19 Practical prevention and responsibility

30:14 Purpose, process, and moving forward

34:33 What Helping Heroes USA does

39:30 Why community saves lives

43:10 Countdown to Impact

54:10 What living a life of impact really means

Resources Mentioned:

Helping Heroes USA

https://helpingheroesusa.org

📚 Silent Battle - Tony DeMaio

https://silentbattle.life

93% of American business owners pay more in taxes than they are legally required to.

Not because they're bad at business, but because they're playing the wrong game.

Today Aaron Hale sits down with tax strategist Rondi Lambeth, who breaks down why there is one tax code but two tax systems: one for the informed, and one for everyone else.

Rondi exposes why CPAs are referees and not coaches, how the wealthy legally structure their lives to protect assets and reduce taxes, and why trying to get to zero every year keeps most entrepreneurs broke.

From the Augusta Rule to corporate structures, asset protection, LLC myths, and generational wealth strategies, Rondi shows you don't have to cheat the system–you just have to understand it.

0:00 Intro 1:34 Why the tax game is rigged 9:51 How to legally pay almost zero taxes 15:15 From military service to tax strategy 21:01 Own nothing, control everything 24:17 LLCs vs S Corps 37:34 Structuring businesses for real asset protection 45:12 Turning your home into a tax advantage 53:01 Countdown to Impact

Resources Mentioned:

Rondi's "Winning the Tax Game" Workshop: https://winningthetaxgame.com Use code: TAXFREE

🌐 Rondi Lambeth's website https://rondilambeth.com/

Rondi's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RondiLambeth

📚 Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki https://amzn.to/4sXjmaX

📚 The Magic of Thinking Big – David J. Schwartz https://amzn.to/49UFyL1

📚 The Richest Man in Babylon – George S. Clason https://amzn.to/3Lts0wS

📚 Tax-Free Wealth – Tom Wheelwright https://amzn.to/4aYhHv9

Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).

What if addiction isn't about substances at all…but about escaping reality?

Today Aaron Hale sits down with Ken Miller, a Dartmouth grad, former felon, and now a man with 21+ years of sobriety, to unpack a harder truth most people avoid:

The real addiction is leaving reality–and there are no good excuses for doing it.

Ken traces his path from foster care, violence, and prison to building multiple businesses, mentoring men across the country, and living with clarity and discipline. He explains why emotional pain never justifies relapse, why cliches block real thinking, and why authenticity requires far more than honesty–it requires responsibility.

This conversation isn't about motivation or self-help shortcuts. It's about truth, perception, and what it actually takes to face life without numbing, masking, or running.

0:00 Intro 0:34 Addicted to leaving reality 2:33 Childhood, foster care, and early trauma 7:50 Intelligence, privilege, and first exposure to alcohol 9:17 Ken's definition of an alcoholic 13:38 Escaping reality with chemicals 17:30 Why no emotional pain justifies using 20:37 Making amends by showing up 26:21 Dropping personas and "Becoming Ken" 29:47 The turning point 33:31 What it means to finally be well 40:30 Why cliches are lazy thinking 46:07 Forgiveness, resentment, and letting go 57:29 Life after addiction 59:40 Countdown to Impact

Resources Mentioned: Connect with Ken:

📍 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenmiller84/

📧 Email: [email protected]

📚 Ken's Book: Becoming Ken https://amzn.to/3NIN4jt

📚 The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem — Nathaniel Branden https://amzn.to/49qc6v1

📚 The Speed of Trust — Stephen Covey https://amzn.to/450ApOO

📚 Deep Work — Cal Newport https://amzn.to/4jBG0Bo

Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).