SOFREP Radio

After serving in the U.S. Navy, Chad Eaves built a career helping leaders communicate when the stakes are high. As the founder of Eaves Group, executive coach, and communication strategist, he works with executives, organizations, and veteran professionals to sharpen one of the most overlooked leadership skills: effective communication. Drawing on decades of experience spanning military service, corporate leadership, and academia, Chad focuses on the practical side of influence—how to lead teams, navigate difficult conversations, and build trust without relying on buzzwords or management fads. His work is rooted in the belief that communication isn't a soft skill—it's a competitive advantage. In this episode, Chad joins SOFREP Radio to discuss leadership after service, the communication mistakes that derail careers, and why the ability to clearly influence people is often the difference between merely getting the job done and earning the opportunity to lead.

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Dr. Mike Simpson is a former U.S. Army Ranger, Special Forces Green Beret, emergency medicine physician, and combat veteran. After serving with the 1st Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger), he went on to become a Special Forces Engineer and Medical Sergeant with the 7th Special Forces Group, deploying throughout Central and South America. Following his military service, he earned his medical degree and later served as an Army physician assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), deploying in support of the Global War on Terror. Dr. Simpson was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device for valor and the Combat Medical Badge. Today, he is a board-certified emergency medicine physician, a recognized expert in tactical trauma and combat sports medicine, an MMA fight physician, podcast host, and speaker. He is also known for his work as a member of the investigative team on two seasons of the History Channel series Hunting Hitler.

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Shawn Johnson graduated from Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota, with a degree in Criminal Justice before earning his Juris Doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was immediately accepted into the FBI, trained at the FBI Academy, and assigned to the Seattle Division. There, he worked on the Green River Serial Murder investigation before joining the Violent Crimes Squad, where he investigated bank robberies, fugitives, interstate theft, extortions, and kidnappings. His legal background also led to service as Assistant Chief Division Counsel. Johnson later joined the National Security Squad, working counterterrorism and counterintelligence operations, including joint overseas investigations with the United States Army and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Returning to the Violent Crimes Squad, he played a key role in the Hollywood investigation, helped establish the Puget Sound Violent Crime Task Force, served as Bank Robbery Coordinator, and authored the Division's Bank Robbery Response Plan. After transferring to the Milwaukee Division's Madison Resident Agency, he focused on drug conspiracy investigations, employing sophisticated surveillance techniques that contributed to major takedowns of drug organizations in Chicago and Madison. Following 9/11, he managed the newly established Madison Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), overseeing federal and local efforts to investigate international terrorism. Johnson later returned to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, where he instructed new agents in criminal investigations, counterterrorism investigations, and Human Intelligence (HUMINT). His final FBI assignment was with the Directorate of Intelligence, training agents in HUMINT policy and procedures. Upon retiring from the FBI, he founded Wolf & Owl LLC, where he continues to train FBI personnel in support of the Bureau's mission to protect the United States. Steven Meyers was the partner and principal accomplice of Scott Scurlock, better known as "Hollywood," the notorious bank robber responsible for a string of high-profile bank heists in the Seattle area during the 1990s. Over the course of four and a half years, Meyers worked closely with Scurlock and their crew in planning and executing 19 bank robberies that resulted in the theft of more than $2.3 million. Beyond participating in the operation, Meyers helped develop the plans, create disguises, and support the methods that allowed the crew to evade law enforcement for years. Meyers and Scurlock were deeply involved in every aspect of the enterprise, including planning operations, laundering money, and acquiring vehicles and equipment. As Scurlock's closest collaborator, Meyers gained a unique understanding of the man behind the "Hollywood" persona and the motivations that drove one of the Pacific Northwest's most infamous crime sprees. In 2023, Meyers was featured in the Netflix documentary *How to Rob a Bank*, providing firsthand insight into the robberies and the inner workings of the crew. Today, he joins retired FBI Special Agent Shawn Johnson—the lead investigator who helped solve the case—to share the untold stories behind the Hollywood robberies and offer perspectives from both sides of one of the most remarkable bank robbery investigations in modern history.

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Nate Amidon is the founder and CEO of Form100 Consulting, a veteran-owned tech consulting firm that applies military leadership principles to modern software organizations. His team has improved technology practices for Fortune 500 companies across manufacturing, aviation, CPG, and defense sectors. Nate served over 20 years in the Air Force as a C-17 pilot, accumulating 4,000 flight hours, 800 combat hours, and earning 5 Air Medals. His experience leading aircrews and planning large-scale missions’ shapes Form100’s approach to alignment, clarity, and execution in technology programs. He holds a management degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy, an MBA from the University of Nebraska, and multiple industry certifications. Nate lives in Boise, Idaho with his wife and three children, and spends his free time fly fishing or skiing.

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Dustin “Dusty” Turner is a former Navy SEAL trainee whose case has become one of the most controversial wrongful-conviction stories connected to the military community. Convicted in 1996 for the murder and abduction of Jennifer Evans, Turner maintained that his fellow SEAL trainee, Billy Joe Brown, acted alone — a claim Brown later confessed to under oath. Despite a Virginia court initially granting Turner a Writ of Actual Innocence in 2009, the decision was later overturned on appeal. After serving more than 30 years in prison, Turner was released on parole while continuing to fight for full exoneration. During his incarceration, he became known as a model prisoner, mentor, veterans’ support leader, and advocate for rehabilitation and second chances

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Tod Robberson is the author of Globemaster Down: Soviet Espionage and the Doomed Attempt to Sneak Nukes into Europe, released on March 31, 2026. Tod is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who spent four decades as a reporter, bureau chief, correspondent and/or editor for various news organizations including The Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Reuters news agency. He currently is a senior editor for investigative news at ESPN. Robberson has lived in London, Panama, Mexico, Cyprus, El Salvador, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia and holds a master’s degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He has covered wars throughout Latin America, the Middle East and Afghanistan and has provided guest commentary for CNN, MSNBC, National Public Radio, Sky News and Telemundo. In addition to his 2010 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing, Robberson has received a National Headliners Award, the SAIS-Novartis Award for international reporting, and statewide journalism awards in Texas and Missouri. 

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Matthew Butler is a former U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret and the founder of Awake Green Beret. After years of service in high-intensity military environments, he faced the difficult transition out of the military and the internal challenges that came with it.

His journey led him beyond conventional paths and into deep personal work, including shamanic practices and spiritual exploration. Through that process, he rebuilt his sense of purpose and identity.

Today, Butler works with veterans and others seeking transformation, helping them navigate trauma, reconnect with themselves, and integrate a more grounded, purposeful way of living—bridging the gap between the warrior mindset and inner healing.

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Magnus Johnson is a former Green Beret, Bronze Star recipient, and co-founder of Mission 22, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending the veteran suicide epidemic. He has spent his life studying what breaks men and what builds them, first on the battlefield, then in the long, often invisible struggle of coming home. After leaving the military, Johnson faced what so many veterans face: the disorienting work of rebuilding identity outside the uniform. That journey, through art, mindfulness, community, and faith, became the foundation for everything he has built. This includes Mission 22's Recovery + Resiliency program, designed to help veterans transform trauma into Post Traumatic Growth. Find out more about 'The Men we Make' here : http://www.magnusrjohnson.com

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Jack MacTavish is a retired United States Army Colonel and author of action-adventure and espionage fiction. Over a military career spanning more than 36 years in both the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, he served in airborne, special operations, and joint assignments, including roles supporting U.S. Army Special Operations Command and U.S. Special Operations Command.

His operational experience took him across multiple global regions, including Afghanistan, Korea, Haiti, Central and South America, and the Middle East. In addition to his military service, MacTavish has supported missions within the U.S. Intelligence Community as a contractor.

MacTavish is the author of Royal Diamonds (2026), his debut novel, which blends action-adventure, espionage, and historical intrigue. His writing is informed by firsthand experience, emphasizing realism, operational authenticity, and the complexities of modern conflict and global power dynamics.

He currently resides in North Carolina, where he continues to write and remains an advocate for veteran causes, including support for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

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Kyle Steiner is a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and combat leader who served in the Global War on Terror. He enlisted in the Army in 2005 and deployed to Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, serving in the Korengal Valley during some of the most intense fighting of the war. His experiences there were later captured in the acclaimed documentaries Restrepo and Korengal.

During combat operations, Steiner was wounded in action and awarded two Purple Hearts after surviving multiple enemy attacks, including an RPG blast and a machine-gun round that struck and deflected off his helmet.

He later went on to serve in U.S. Army Special Forces, conducting missions across the Middle East, Central America, and South America. Over the course of his career he became Ranger-qualified, Combat Diver-qualified, HALO-certified, and a graduate of the Special Forces Sniper Course. His assignments included service with SOCOM’s Crisis Response Force.

Steiner’s military decorations include two Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars, and the Army Commendation Medal with “V” device for valor.

Today, he is the founder of Operator Mindset, a leadership and performance coaching platform focused on discipline, resilience, and purpose. He is also a husband, father, and speaker who shares lessons from combat, leadership, and personal transformation.

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