In this episode of Tactical Wealth, former U.S. Navy SEAL Ryan Williams shares his unconventional journey from the SEAL Teams to becoming a serial entrepreneur and building multiple successful businesses.

Ryan opens up about the realities of entrepreneurship, from starting his first clothing company with virtually no business experience to making mistakes, selling companies, and eventually building Industry Threadworks. He explains why he believes entrepreneurship is even harder than being a Navy SEAL and how learning to recognize patterns, adapt, and keep moving forward shaped his approach to business.

Ryan also gets candid about one of his biggest business failures, when rapid expansion left his company hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. He shares what went wrong, how he recovered, and why knowing when to pivot can be just as important as refusing to quit.

In this episode, we dive into:

🇺🇸 From SEAL Teams to Entrepreneurship: How Ryan transitioned from military service into business and discovered entrepreneurship through trial and error
📈 Building Multiple Businesses: How Ryan went from his first clothing company to launching and selling multiple companies
💰 The Reality of Growth: Why growing revenue doesn't always mean having more money and why businesses can become financially dangerous as they scale
⚠️ Learning From Failure: How expanding too quickly nearly put Ryan's company out of business and what he learned from the experience
🧠 Pattern Recognition: Why experience can help entrepreneurs recognize when something isn't working and when to step back
🔄 Knowing When to Pivot: Why quitting an idea isn't the same as quitting on yourself
🤝 Partnership & Leadership: How Ryan learned to define roles, build systems, and surround himself with people who complement his strengths
💼 The Power of a Day Job: Why Ryan believes keeping a job while building a business can actually give entrepreneurs a major advantage
💵 Financial Freedom: How having money can provide the freedom to make better decisions when things get difficult
🎯 Taking the First Step: Why aspiring entrepreneurs shouldn't try to map out every step before they begin

Whether you're a veteran, entrepreneur, founder, or someone considering a new path after military service, Ryan shares hard-earned lessons on resilience, failure, leadership, financial discipline, and building something from the ground up.

👉 Ready to stay tactical and stay driven? Hit SUBSCRIBE and join us for more conversations on leadership, wealth, entrepreneurship, and building a life of purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Ryan Williams:
📸 Instagram: @invictus5326
🌐 Industry Threadworks: IndustryThreadworks.com
🌐 Archive: archive3pl.com
👤 LinkedIn: Ryan Williams

Connect with Kaj Larsen:
🌐 Website: kajlarsen.com
📸 Instagram: @KajLarsen
👤 LinkedIn: Kaj Larsen

Join the Mission Money Community ➡️ https://mailchi.mp/siebert/valor-newsletter-signup

In this episode of Tactical Wealth, former U.S. Navy SEAL Max Darsonval shares how his journey from elite military service to entrepreneurship led him to found Velocity AI, a company focused on transforming human performance through artificial intelligence.

After serving 12 years as a Navy SEAL, Max faced the challenge of transitioning from military life to entrepreneurship. Drawing on the lessons learned in the Teams, he set out to solve a problem he experienced firsthand: making elite performance coaching and training more accessible through technology.

Max discusses the discipline required to succeed in special operations, the mindset shift that comes with leaving the military, and what it takes to build an AI company from the ground up. He also shares how Velocity AI is helping athletes, tactical professionals, and everyday individuals train smarter by using data to personalize performance and recovery.

In this episode, we dive into:
🇺🇸 Life After the SEAL Teams: The challenges of transitioning from military service into entrepreneurship.
🤖 Creating Velocity AI: Why Max believes artificial intelligence is the future of human performance.
💪 Training Smarter: How data-driven coaching can help people unlock their full potential.
📈 Building a Startup: Lessons from launching a company, overcoming setbacks, and learning through trial by fire.
🧠 The Operator Mindset: How discipline, adaptability, and resilience continue to shape Max's approach to business.
⚡ Performance Beyond the Military: Why elite training principles shouldn't be limited to special operations or professional athletes.
🚀 Innovation Through Service: How solving real-world problems became Max's next mission after the Navy SEALs.
💡 Leadership That Evolves: Why continuous learning and embracing discomfort are essential for long-term success.

Whether you're a veteran, entrepreneur, athlete, founder, or someone striving to reach your full potential, Max shares valuable insights on leadership, innovation, resilience, and the future of human performance.

👉 Ready to stay tactical and stay driven? Hit SUBSCRIBE and join us for more conversations on leadership, wealth, and building a life of purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Max Darsonval:
💼 LinkedIn: Max Darsonval
📸 Instagram: @vlcty_ai

Connect with Kaj Larsen:
🌐 Website: kajlarsen.com
📸 Instagram: @KajLarsen
👤 LinkedIn: Kaj Larsen

Join the Mission Money Community➡️ https://mailchi.mp/siebert/valor-newsletter-signup

In this episode of Tactical Wealth, former Marine Corps infantry officer Zach Iscol shares how a career built on service led him from the Battle of Fallujah to founding one of the nation's largest veteran mental health organizations and ultimately serving as New York City's Emergency Management Commissioner.

After graduating from Cornell, Zach commissioned into the Marine Corps just one month before September 11th. He volunteered for the infantry, fought in the Battle of Fallujah, helped build the Marine Corps' special operations pipeline, and learned leadership lessons that would shape every chapter of his career.

Following his military service, Zach noticed a growing crisis. Veterans were dying by suicide at alarming rates while access to mental health care remained difficult and stigmatized. That realization led him to found the Headstrong Project, providing veterans with world-class mental health care at no cost and without bureaucracy.

Zach also discusses launching Task & Purpose, building organizations inside existing institutions, leading New York City through emergencies ranging from cyberattacks and extreme weather to the migrant crisis, and why leadership is ultimately about serving the people around you.

In this episode, we dive into:

🇺🇸 From Marine to Public Servant: How combat leadership prepared Zach to lead long after leaving the military.

🧠 Changing Veteran Mental Health Care: Why he founded the Headstrong Project and how it transformed access to care.

🚀 Building Organizations That Matter: Lessons from launching nonprofits, media companies, and mission-driven ventures.

🏙️ Leading New York City Through Crisis: What it takes to manage emergencies affecting millions of people.

📈 Entrepreneurship Beyond the Garage: Why not every startup begins from scratch and how to build inside existing organizations.

💡 Leadership That Scales: The importance of humility, taking care of your people, and creating teams built on trust.

📊 Learning From Failure: Why listening to customers, embracing setbacks, and pivoting early are essential to success.
⚡ Military Lessons That Last: How the Marine Corps shaped Zach's approach to leadership, resilience, and decision-making.

Whether you're a veteran, entrepreneur, founder, public servant, or someone looking to build a mission-driven career, Zach shares powerful lessons on leadership, entrepreneurship, resilience, and creating lasting impact.

👉 Ready to stay tactical and stay driven? Hit SUBSCRIBE and join us for more conversations on leadership, wealth, and building a life of purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Zach Iscol:
💼 LinkedIn: Zachary Iscol
📸 Instagram: @zachiscol

Connect with Kaj Larsen:
🌐 Website: kajlarsen.com
📸 Instagram: @KajLarsen
👤 LinkedIn: Kaj Larsen

In this episode of Tactical Wealth, former U.S. Navy nuclear engineer Will Hasting reveals how he went from operating nuclear reactors to building the next generation of drones.

Growing up on a dairy farm in rural Illinois, Will enlisted in the Navy at just 17 years old. After earning a spot in the Navy's elite nuclear program, he learned firsthand how discipline, technical excellence, and operating under extreme pressure could shape a career far beyond military service.

Following the Navy, Will accelerated through an aerospace engineering degree, designed IndyCars, developed jet engines at GE Aerospace, helped take a Silicon Valley startup from Series C to IPO, and ultimately founded Angel Aerial Systems to solve one of the biggest challenges in modern drone technology.

Will shares how one conversation with a Navy chief changed the trajectory of his life, why your environment determines your future, and how military training prepared him to build cutting-edge technology with real-world impact.

In this episode, we dive into:
🚁 From Navy Nuke to CEO: How the Navy's nuclear program built the foundation for Will's career in engineering and entrepreneurship.
🧠 The Power of Your Environment: Why changing who you surround yourself with can completely change your future.
⚙️ Engineering Under Pressure: How operating nuclear reactors prepared him to lead startups through uncertainty.
🏎️ Building the Impossible: From designing IndyCars and jet engines to creating next-generation drones.
🚀 Starting a Company From Scratch: Why solving customer problems matters more than chasing technology.
🇺🇸 Innovation for National Security: How Angel Aerial Systems is developing mission-focused drones for military and civilian applications.
💰 Lessons on Wealth & Entrepreneurship: Why taking outside investment changed the way he thinks about responsibility, leadership, and success.
⚡ Military Skills That Win in Business: Extreme ownership, attention to detail, and staying calm when everything is on the line.

Whether you're a veteran, entrepreneur, engineer, investor, or someone building your next mission, Will shares powerful lessons on leadership, resilience, innovation, and turning technical expertise into lasting impact.

👉 Ready to stay tactical and stay driven? Hit SUBSCRIBE and join us for more conversations on leadership, wealth, and building a life of purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES
Connect with Will Hasting:
🌐 Website: angelaerialsystems.com
💼 LinkedIn: Will Hasting

Connect with Kaj Larsen:
🌐 Website: kajlarsen.com
📸 Instagram: @KajLarsen
👤 LinkedIn: Kaj Larsen

In this episode of Tactical Wealth, we sit down with retired Navy SEAL Commander, CEO, & Founder Jimmy May.

After 22 years in the SEAL Teams, Jimmy transitioned from leading elite military teams to building businesses and creating opportunities for veterans searching for their next mission as CEO of Beyond the Brotherhood.

Jimmy shares how a mentor changed the trajectory of his life, why he believes veterans don’t need handouts but opportunities, and how the leadership lessons he learned in the military became the foundation for his work after service.

From founding veteran-focused initiatives to building his own company, Mayday Executive Services, Jimmy explains how he applied the SEAL mindset of discipline, risk management, and resilience to entrepreneurship.

In this episode, we dive into:

🎖️ From Navy SEAL to Entrepreneur: How Jimmy’s 22 years in the Navy shaped his leadership style, decision-making, and approach to business.

🤝 The Power of Mentorship: How finding the right mentor became one of the most important investments of his life and inspired him to help others.

🇺🇸 A New Mission After Service: Why Jimmy dedicated himself to creating opportunities for veterans transitioning into civilian life.
🚀 Building Businesses With Purpose: How Jimmy launched companies by starting small, keeping overhead low, and focusing on creating real value.
⚔️ The SEAL Mindset in Business: How understanding risk, adapting under pressure, and taking action helped him navigate entrepreneurship.
🪜 Not a Handout, a Leg Up: Why veterans need opportunities, support, and a pathway to build their next chapter.
📈 Taking the First Step: Jimmy’s advice for veterans and aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start something new.
🌎 Building the Next Generation: How Jimmy is creating a legacy by helping the people coming behind him succeed.

Whether you’re a veteran, entrepreneur, investor, or someone looking to build your next mission, Jimmy May shares powerful lessons on leadership, resilience, mentorship, and creating impact beyond the battlefield.

👉 Ready to stay tactical and stay driven? Hit SUBSCRIBE and join us for more conversations on leadership, wealth, and building a life of purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Jimmy May:
🌐 Website: www.beyondthebrotherhood.org

🌐 Website: www.maydayexecutive.com
💼 LinkedIn: Jimmy May

Connect with Kaj Larsen:
🌐 Website: kajlarsen.com
📸 Instagram: @KajLarsen
👤 LinkedIn: Kaj Larsen

In this episode of Tactical Wealth, we sit down with American entrepreneur, billionaire, philanthropist, and Navy veteran John Paul DeJoria.

From living in his car with just $700 to co-founding Paul Mitchell and Patrón Tequila, John Paul built some of the world’s most recognizable brands through persistence, resilience, and an unwavering belief that almost nothing is impossible.

Before becoming a business icon, John Paul served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Hornet, where he learned the value of teamwork, discipline, and accomplishing extraordinary results with a team. Those lessons became the foundation for his success in entrepreneurship and leadership.

John Paul shares how he turned rejection into opportunity, why successful people do what others avoid, and how kindness became one of his greatest business advantages.

In this episode, we dive into:

🎖️ From the Navy to Entrepreneurship: How John Paul’s military experience shaped his leadership style, work ethic, and approach to building companies.

💈 Building Paul Mitchell From $700: How two entrepreneurs turned almost nothing into one of the world’s leading hair care companies.

🥃 Creating Patrón Tequila: The mindset behind taking a premium product into an industry that said it would never succeed.

🔥 The Power of Rejection: Why learning to handle rejection became one of the most important lessons in his career.

💼 Doing What Others Won’t: Why successful people separate themselves by taking action when others hesitate.

🤝 Winning Through Kindness: How treating people with respect became a competitive advantage in business and leadership.

🌎 Giving Back With Purpose: Why John Paul believes success means using your opportunities to make life better for others.

📈 Building an Unbreakable Mindset: The lessons he learned from homelessness, hardship, and decades of entrepreneurship.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, veteran, investor, or someone looking to build a more purposeful life, John Paul DeJoria shares timeless lessons on resilience, leadership, and creating success from any starting point.

👉 Ready to stay tactical and stay driven? Hit SUBSCRIBE and join us for more conversations on leadership, wealth, and building a life of purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with John Paul DeJoria:
🌐 Website: www.peacelovehappinessfoundation.org
📖 Book: Success Unshared Is Failure

Connect with Kaj Larsen:
🌐 Website: kajlarsen.com
📸 Instagram: @KajLarsen
👤 LinkedIn: Kaj Larsen

In this episode of Tactical Wealth, we sit down with former Marine F/A-18 Hornet pilot and portfolio manager Tony Bancroft.

After flying more than 100 carrier landings, completing multiple combat deployments, and serving as a Marine Corps fighter pilot, Tony made the leap from military aviation to Wall Street. Today, he manages one of the top-performing aerospace and defense ETFs, combining firsthand military experience with long-term value investing.

Tony shares what it's really like to land a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier at night, why veterans often feel behind their civilian peers after leaving the service, and how the discipline and systems thinking developed in the military became his greatest advantage in finance.

In this episode, we dive into:
✈️ From the Cockpit to Wall Street: How Tony transitioned from Marine Corps aviation to managing a leading aerospace and defense ETF.
🛩️ The Pressure of Carrier Landings: What it's like to land a 33,000-pound fighter jet on a moving aircraft carrier in complete darkness.
📈 Building a Career in Finance: Why business school, mentorship, and value investing helped accelerate his second career.
🎖️ Military Skills That Translate: How discipline, checklists, and breaking down complex problems create success in business and investing.
💼 Why Veterans Have an Edge: The leadership, operational experience, and perspective that many employers and investors overlook.
💰 Investing Within Your Circle of Competence: Why understanding an industry matters more than chasing the next hot stock.
🚀 Transitioning with Purpose: Why your military experience can become your biggest competitive advantage after service.

Whether you're serving, transitioning out of the military, building a career in finance, or simply looking to become a better leader and investor, Tony shares practical lessons that apply far beyond the cockpit.

👉 Ready to stay tactical and stay driven? Hit SUBSCRIBE and join us for more conversations on leadership, wealth, and building a life of purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Tony Bancroft:
🌐 Website: gabelli.com
👤 LinkedIn: Tony Bancroft
📈 Gabelli Commercial Aerospace & Defense ETF (GCAD)

Connect with Kaj Larsen:
🌐 Website: kajlarsen.com
📸 Instagram: @KajLarsen
👤 LinkedIn: Kaj Larsen

In this episode of Tactical Wealth, we sit down with Army veteran, entrepreneur, and Alpha Coffee co-founder Carl Churchill.

Before building a multi-million dollar coffee company, Carl spent more than 22 years serving as an Army intelligence officer, leading teams across infantry, armored, and special operations environments. After transitioning from military service, he experienced the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, including startup successes, devastating setbacks during the Great Recession, and the hard lessons that ultimately led to building Alpha Coffee.

Carl shares how military leadership shaped his approach to business, why purpose matters more than profit alone, and how resilience helped him navigate failure, uncertainty, and growth.

In this episode, we dive into:
☕ Building Alpha Coffee: How Carl and his wife started a coffee company from their basement and grew it into a thriving multi-million dollar business.
🎖️ Lessons from Military Leadership: The principles of teamwork, discipline, and servant leadership that continue to guide his business today.
📉 Surviving Failure & Economic Crisis: What Carl learned after multiple startups collapsed during market downturns and why setbacks often become opportunities.
🚀 Entrepreneurship After Service: Why veterans are uniquely equipped to build businesses and lead teams through uncertainty.
💡 Finding Purpose Beyond the Uniform: Carl's transition from military service to the corporate world and eventually entrepreneurship.
🤝 Taking Care of Your People: How military leadership principles helped shape Alpha Coffee's culture and employee-first approach.
⚡ Adapt, Adjust, Overcome: Why entrepreneurs must be willing to pivot, iterate, and keep moving forward when plans change.
💰 Financial Lessons Learned the Hard Way: The mistakes Carl made early in life and the money habits he wishes more veterans adopted sooner.

Whether you're transitioning from military service, building a business, leading a team, or looking for inspiration to overcome adversity, Carl's story is packed with practical lessons on leadership, resilience, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship.

👉 Ready to stay tactical and stay driven? Hit SUBSCRIBE and join us for more conversations on leadership, wealth, and building a life of purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Carl Churchill:
🌐 Website: alpha.coffee
👤 LinkedIn: Carl Churchill

Connect with Kaj Larsen:
🌐 Website: kajlarsen.com
📸 Instagram: @KajLarsen
👤 LinkedIn: Kaj Larsen

In this episode of Tactical Wealth, we sit down with entrepreneur, investor, veteran, and media entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano.

Before becoming one of the most recognizable voices in finance, technology, and investing, Anthony served as an infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army and deployed to Iraq. After leaving the military, he entered the world of startups, entrepreneurship, and investing, eventually building and backing companies that would go on to achieve billion-dollar valuations. But this conversation goes far beyond investing.

Anthony shares the lessons he learned from military service, the mistakes that shaped his investing philosophy, and why he believes discipline, resilience, and a willingness to do hard things are often the biggest differentiators between success and failure.

In this episode, we dive into:

🎖️ From Infantry Sergeant to Investor: How military service shaped Anthony's approach to business, leadership, and risk-taking.
📈 Learning the Hard Way: The investing mistakes that taught him some of his most valuable lessons.
🚀 Building Companies & Backing Startups: What he learned from investing in more than 200 companies and working alongside world-class entrepreneurs.
₿ Bitcoin & Conviction: Why Anthony became an early believer in Bitcoin and how he approaches long-term investing.
🤖 The AI Revolution: How artificial intelligence is changing business, investing, and wealth creation faster than most people realize.

⚡ The Power of Doing Hard Things: Why choosing the difficult path often creates the greatest opportunities for growth.
🧠 Discipline, Patience & Compound Growth: The mindset principles that have guided Anthony throughout his career.
🇺🇸 Lessons from the Military: How service continues to influence the way he makes decisions, builds businesses, and navigates uncertainty.

Whether you're building a business, growing your wealth, navigating a career transition, or simply looking to develop a stronger mindset, Anthony's story offers practical lessons on leadership, investing, and long-term success.

👉 Ready to stay tactical and stay driven? Hit SUBSCRIBE and join us for another conversation on leadership, wealth, and building a life of purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Anthony Pompliano:
📸 Instagram: @pompglobal
𝕏 X: @APompliano
🌐 Website: pomp.com

Connect with Kaj Larsen:
🌐 Website: kajlarsen.com
📸 Instagram: @KajLarsen
👤 LinkedIn: Kaj Larsen

In this inspiring episode of Tactical Wealth, we sit down with retired Command Sergeant Major Tonya Oxendine, a trailblazing military leader, master paratrooper, veteran advocate, and one of the first Black female Command Sergeant Majors in the 82nd Airborne Division.

Tonya's journey began on a dirt road in St. Augustine, Florida, where she grew up in a single-parent household and learned resilience long before she ever put on a uniform. What followed was a remarkable 30-year Army career that saw her rise through the enlisted ranks, serve as a drill sergeant, lead soldiers around the world, and ultimately reach the highest levels of enlisted leadership.

But this conversation goes beyond military achievement. Tonya opens up about overcoming adversity, navigating leadership when few people looked like her, confronting mental health challenges after service, and finding renewed purpose through her work helping veterans at Wounded Warrior Project.

In this episode, we dive into:

🪂 From Dirt Roads to Airborne Operations: How Tonya transformed humble beginnings into a historic military career.
🎖️ Reaching the Top of the Army: The leadership principles that carried her to Command Sergeant Major and the highest enlisted ranks.
⚔️ Leadership Is a People's Business: Why serving others, not chasing rank, is the true foundation of great leadership.
🧠 Mental Health & Finding Purpose Again: Tonya's candid story of struggle, recovery, and rediscovering meaning after military service.
💪 Wealth Through Health: Why physical fitness, mental resilience, and purpose are the cornerstones of lasting success.
🇺🇸 Veteran Transition Lessons: Practical advice for service members preparing for life after the uniform comes off.
📈 Financial Wisdom Learned the Hard Way: From expensive mistakes to building generational wealth with the help of a trusted financial advisor.

Whether you're serving today, transitioning into civilian life, leading a team, or simply looking for inspiration to overcome adversity, Tonya's story is a powerful reminder that your circumstances do not determine your future.
👉 Ready to stay tactical and stay driven? Hit SUBSCRIBE and join us for another conversation on leadership, purpose, and building wealth that lasts.

EPISODE RESOURCES

Connect with Wounded Warrior Project:
🌐 Website: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Connect with Kaj Larsen:
🌐 Website: https://www.kajlarsen.com
📸 Instagram: @KajLarsen
👤 LinkedIn: Kaj Larsen