The MILCOM Founders Podcast

MilCom Founders Podcast, Episode 51: Robert E. Strong Jr., Pretty Thai Specialty Sauces & Spices

Join host Rod Loges and guest Robert E. Strong Jr., a former Air Force signals intelligence analyst, founder of Pretty Thai Specialty Sauces & Spices, and co-founder of Wingman Kitchens. Pretty Thai products are sold in 900+ retail locations across eight states. Robert also runs the Palmer Nicklaus Foundation in honor of his son Palmer.

In this episode:

• Robert explains how 9/11 changed everything for him while he was a junior at Ithaca College and led him to enlist in the Air Force, despite having no military background in his family
• His career as a signals intelligence analyst at NSA/CSS Hawaii and later as a civilian all-source intelligence targeting analyst, deploying twice to Fallujah with the Counter-IED Targeting Program
• How a trip to Thailand after his final deployment opened his eyes to Thai food, and how a Food & Wine magazine recipe became his gateway to cooking with Thai flavors back stateside
• Why he dropped out of journalism school at UT Austin after one semester to attend Le Cordon Bleu, and how the Austin food truck scene led to Pretty Thai For A White Guy, later featured on Season 5 of the Cooking Channel's Eat Street
• The move from food truck to bottling sauces in 2015, sparked by customers constantly asking to buy the sweet chili sauce off the truck
• Co-founding Wingman Kitchens in 2018 as a shared kitchen space and incubator, now with locations in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio
• Why not having a business or marketing background was his biggest challenge, and how he went seven years before discovering veteran entrepreneurship programs like Bunker Labs and IVMF
• Meeting Graham Weston through the Texas Business Hall of Fame after receiving the 2021 Future Texas Business Leader Veteran Award
• A recent shelf audit at Walmart showed Pretty Thai wasn't catching consumers' eyes in the first four glances, leading to a potential full rebrand of packaging and logo
• His plan to bring back the food truck as a marketing and fundraising vehicle, with stops at H-E-Bs, Walmarts, and children's hospitals across Texas
• The Palmer Nicklaus Foundation, created in honor of his son Palmer who passed from congenital heart disease and heterotaxy syndrome in 2017, and the new chef program launching at Christus Children's Hospital

Key takeaways:

• Integrity and situational awareness carry over from military service, but trained analysts can fall into paralysis by analysis when they don't have all the data before making a decision
• Veteran entrepreneurs tend to resist asking for help, but Robert's blunt about it: if someone says they're 100% self-made, they're full of it
• Not discovering veteran-focused programs like Bunker Labs and IVMF until seven years in cost Robert time, money, and connections that could have sped up his growth
• A great product is not enough in retail. If consumers don't see you on the shelf in the first two seconds, you lose the sale, even when your repurchase rate is strong
• Fractional leadership (CMOs, COOs) found through veteran networks can fill critical skill gaps for founders without business or marketing backgrounds
• Putting off purpose-driven work indefinitely can drain the motivation that keeps a founder going. For Robert, the foundation isn't something that comes after the business succeeds; it's the reason the business exists

Guest: Robert E. Strong Jr., Founder and CEO of Pretty Thai Specialty Sauces & Spices, Co-Founder of Wingman Kitchens, Founder/Director of the Palmer Nicklaus Foundation, United States Air Force Staff Sergeant

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-strong-1a378839/   
• Website: https://www.prettythaibrand.com

Guest Bio:

Robert E Strong Jr. is a former United States Air Force Staff Sergeant. He holds a BA in History from Ithaca College, as well as a Certificate of Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu Austin. Robert served as a Signals Intelligence Analyst with NSA/CSS Hawaii, and an All-Source Intelligence Targeting Analyst for the Counter-IED Targeting Program. He was twice deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in support of the 1st and 2nd Marine Expeditionary Forces, as well as Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Teams 3 & 5.

Robert entered the food sector in 2012, launching Pretty Thai For A White Guy food truck in Austin, TX, and was featured on Season 5 of Eat Street on the Cooking Channel. He transitioned from food service to a Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) company, Pretty Thai® Specialty Sauces & Spices, in 2015, and now sells his products in 900+ retail locations in eight states, to include H-E-B, Central Market, and Walmart in Texas, and Meijer in the Mid-West.

Robert is a co-founder of Wingman Kitchens, a shared kitchen space/incubator in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. In addition to Pretty Thai® and Wingman Kitchens, Robert is a Founder/Director of the Palmer Nicklaus Foundation, 501 (c) (3). The Palmer Nicklaus Foundation's mission is to put good into the world in honor of their son Palmer who passed from CHD and Heterotaxy Syndrome in 2017.

Robert is a 2021 Future Texas Business Leader Veteran Award recipient for the Texas Business Hall of Fame (TBHF) and sits on the TBHF Executive Leadership Board as the San Antonio Alumni City Chair. Robert is an avid golfer and wine enthusiast; and when not working (which is rarely), loves spending time with his wife Kristen and their children, Alivia (8), Eloise (4), and Coen (2).

Looking ahead: Robert is preparing for a potential full rebrand of Pretty Thai's packaging and logo after a shelf audit revealed visibility problems at major retailers. He's also planning to bring back the food truck, this time as a combined marketing and fundraising vehicle with stops at retailers and children's hospitals across Texas to support the Palmer Nicklaus Foundation.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business founders. Each episode brings practical insights from veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

How ready is your business? Take the Ready Founder Assessment: https://s.pointerpro.com/bgitblpx

For each podcast guest, One Degree Financial donates $100 to the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund. Learn more at milcomfounders.com

MilCom Founders Podcast, Episode 50: From Military Ministry to Mission-Driven Entrepreneurship with Theresa Irving

Join host Rod Loges and guest Theresa Irving as she shares her path from Air Force chaplain assistant serving overseas in England and Japan to founding Epic Military Brands, a strategic consulting firm connecting veteran entrepreneurs with mission-aligned partners and high-impact nonprofits. Theresa's story covers opening a restaurant during COVID, building Duneberry Farms around disc golf technology developed for defense applications, and the hard lessons about exit planning that shaped how she helps other veteran business owners today.

In this episode:

• Theresa's path from a small Michigan town to Air Force service at RAF Lakenheath and beyond
• Why she retrained from logistics to become a chaplain assistant and the profound impact of ministry work
• Her transition from military service to civilian entrepreneurship and the decision to buy a restaurant in Silver Lake, Michigan
• Opening Sands Restaurant during the COVID lockdowns and the creative strategies she used to generate a million dollars in revenue during her first year
• The importance of planning your exit strategy before you need it, and how poor exit planning cost her significantly
• Her roles at Warrior Rising and Owners in Honor, shaping veteran resilience and business ownership programs
• Launching Epic Military Brands and the consulting model that helps veteran entrepreneurs align their business with personal goals
• How she's supporting Pulse Patch, a veteran-founded life-saving technology for law enforcement
• The role of military networks like SOAR, ACP, IVMF, and Warrior Rising in growing veteran businesses

Key takeaways:

• Personal and professional growth must be the foundation of a healthy entrepreneurial life, regardless of business success
• Clear communication and positive confirmation prevent costly mistakes and build trust with team members and partners
• The military culture of making immediate friendships translates directly to building the strategic relationships that drive entrepreneurial success
• Your business model must align with your personal and professional goals, or it will make you miserable despite financial success
• Exit planning should be built into your business plan from day one, changing how you operate and what opportunities become available
• Telling your military story and connecting with veteran networks accelerates business growth and provides mentorship you can't get anywhere else
• Mistakes and setbacks become powerful learning opportunities when you communicate them early and honestly with your team

Guest: Theresa Irving, Founder of Epic Military Brands, retired Air Force chaplain assistant

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-irving-5a73a613/
• Website: https://www.epicmilitarybrands.com

Theresa Irving is a retired Air Force veteran and serial entrepreneur transforming veteran leadership into civilian impact. During her military career as a Chaplain Assistant, Theresa earned the Army Achievement Medal and multiple Iraq Campaign medals for her deployments to Iraq and Southwest Asia. Her tours in England and Japan deepened her ability to build trust across cultures, a skill that defines her work today.

After service, Theresa channeled her grant-writing expertise into mission-driven roles, including Deputy Director of Programming at Warrior Rising (2022–2024), where she shaped veteran resilience programs, and Director of Development at Owners in Honor (2024–2025). In 2025, she founded EPIC Military Brands (Two Sergeants LLC), a business development and strategic consulting firm dedicated to connecting veteran entrepreneurs, mission-aligned brands, and high-impact nonprofits.

As co-owner of Duneberry Farms in Shelby, Michigan, Theresa introduced a groundbreaking disc golf tracking technology originally developed for defense applications that has transformed how players experience the sport. This innovation exemplifies her mission: bringing military-grade excellence and innovation to unexpected places, building stronger communities, and empowering veterans to lead in civilian spaces. Her work spans venture partnerships, nonprofit strategy, and community-building at the intersection of defense, entrepreneurship, and veteran wellness.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business owners. Each episode brings practical insights and lessons learned from veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Donate to the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund: https://bold.org/funds/dick-loges-veteran-entrepreneur-fund/

MilCom Founders Podcast, Episode 49: A Family Legacy of Service and the Path to Graphic Design with Hannah Scribner

Join host Rod Loges and guest Hannah Scribner as they explore what it means to grow up in a military family with deep roots spanning generations, from the Revolutionary War to today. Hannah is a first-generation college student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln pursuing graphic design, and the 2026 Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship recipient. Her father, a disabled Navy veteran, runs Scrib's Moving & Heavy Hauling, a house-moving business that relocates buildings, trains, bridges, and other structures across the country. Hannah reflects on how her family's military heritage shaped her work ethic, how she discovered her passion for graphic design, and what it means to be the child of a veteran business owner navigating PTSD and entrepreneurial challenges.

In this episode:

• Hannah shares her family's extensive military history spanning from the Revolutionary War through today, including relatives who served in World War II, Vietnam, and modern military branches, with her father working on Pioneer UAVs now in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

• She describes what it was like growing up watching her father build Scrib's Moving & Heavy Hauling, a business that moves entire buildings, trains, bridges, and artwork, all while managing PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

• Hannah explains how she discovered her passion for graphic design by combining her love of art with her interest in technology, starting with making posters and locker signs in high school and evolving into social media management and design work in college.

• She discusses her current internship at Sandhills Global as a graphic design output technician, where she prints yard signs, koozies, T-shirts, banners, and business signage, and what hands-on experience means for her early career.

• Hannah reflects on why she created and sent a thank you video to Rod and the scholarship committee shortly after receiving the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship, rooted in her belief in showing gratitude and kindness in a difficult world.

• She shares her five-year vision, which includes graduating college debt-free, getting engaged or married, owning a home, and working in or near her dream job in graphic design.

• Hannah offers advice to other children of veterans, encouraging them to show kindness to military members, understand the daily struggles their parents face, and not be afraid to lean on them for support.

• She reveals a meaningful personal story about her father staying up until midnight on his birthday to sing her happy birthday while she was competing in nationals in Florida, illustrating his commitment to being present despite distance and his own challenges.

Key takeaways:

• Generational work ethic isn't abstract, it's something you watch your parents live out every single day, especially when they're fighting invisible battles while still showing up for their kids.

• Combining your natural talents with what you actually enjoy doing is how you find a career path that doesn't feel like work, rather than chasing what sounds prestigious or practical.

• Gratitude and kindness are simple acts that cost nothing but mean everything, both to the person receiving it and to the person giving it.

• Children of veterans witness resilience in its rawest form, and that firsthand knowledge of perseverance becomes your competitive advantage in anything you pursue.

• Entrepreneurship isn't the only path forward, and choosing to work for a company while appreciating what your veteran parent built is a valid and thoughtful choice.

Guest: Hannah Scribner, 2026 Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Recipient, Graphic Design Student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-scribner/
• Website: https://bold.org/scholarships/dick-loges-veteran-entrepreneur-scholarship/#winners

Guest Bio

Hannah Scribner is a first-generation college student from David City, Nebraska, and one of two recipients of the 2026 Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship. She grew up watching her father, a disabled Navy veteran, build and run Scrib's Moving & Heavy Hauling, a house-moving business he operates despite living with PTSD and other service-connected disabilities. Her father served as an AT2 working on the RQ-2A and RQ-2B Pioneer UAVs and was present when his aircraft was inducted into the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. He was recently elected president of the Midstates House Movers Association.

In high school, Hannah was involved in nearly every activity available to her. She earned a state championship and Best Actress award in One Act (2023), placed as a C-1 speech champion with individual placements in prose, POI, and duet, finished 4th in state for esports in StarCraft II (2023), and took 7th place nationally in FCCLA Chapter in Review Display (2025). She received top ratings in band and choir, earning superiors for trumpet and vocals, and has been working as a junior manager at Runza since 2023.

Hannah transferred from Wayne State College to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she is pursuing a degree in graphic design. She is currently interning with Sandhills Global as a graphic design output technician.

Looking ahead, Hannah aims to build a career in graphic design, leading creative projects inspired by the perseverance and work ethic her father modeled throughout her life.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business owners. Each episode brings practical insights and lessons learned from veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Donate to the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund: https://bold.org/funds/dick-loges-veteran-entrepreneur-fund/

MilCom Founders Podcast, Episode 48: From Combat Search and Rescue to Luxurious Hard-Use Clothing with Christian Meyers

Join host Rod Loges and guest Christian Meyers as they explore the journey of a 13-year Air Force veteran who transitioned from combat search and rescue operations to founding Terra Arma, a company revolutionizing military-grade base layers and apparel. Christian shares his evolution from first rescue operations off the coast of San Francisco to building a company now stocked in over 200 military retail locations globally.

In this episode:

• How a lieutenant colonel's suggestion after the 2008 downturn led Christian to combat search and rescue in the Air Force
• His first rescue mission off the Farallon Islands and what recovering bodies from a yacht crash taught him about the real purpose of the work
• The shoulder injury from uncomfortable military-issued cotton base layers during a deployment to Africa that sparked the idea for Terra Arma
• Launching his first product in 2019 using deployment savings and a website he built while still overseas
• Growing Terra Arma into over 200 military exchange locations globally, from Ramstein to Pearl Harbor, and developing the first four-way stretch flame-resistant fabric on the market
• Why 100 percent of Terra Arma's products are sourced and manufactured in the United States, at prices accessible to military personnel
• The moment his first supervisor told him he wasn't getting promoted because "you're an asshole" and how that conversation changed his leadership
• Traveling to all seven continents in seven days for the 7X Project and the Human Performance Manual that came out of it
• Why managing global logistics across 200 retail locations is more stressful than facing enemy fire
• His work with the Bird's Eye View Project and building an AI coaching system for veteran entrepreneurs

Key takeaways:

• High-stress military environments train you to stay present and focused, and that skill translates directly to managing business crises
• When someone you trust tells you something hard about yourself, that is the mentorship. Be willing to hear it and change.
• Build a board of advisors and be brutally honest with them about your problems. Issues compound when you hide them.
• Manufacturing domestically costs more, but it creates competitive advantage and aligns with serving the military community
• The transition out of the military changes who you are. Take the time to figure out who you are outside the uniform before charging into the next thing.
• Unmanaged stress will force you out of business. Find what works for you, whether that is writing tasks down, therapy, or extreme sports.
• Stay in a training mindset. Being coachable means continuously learning and allowing yourself to be tested, not slipping into cruise control.
• Small product innovations that solve real problems can become significant business opportunities if you invest the time to understand the space

Guest: Christian Meyers, Founder and CEO, Terra Arma, 13-year Air Force veteran who served in combat search and rescue

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-meyers-237309b5/
• Website: https://terraarma.com/

Christian Meyers is the Founder and CEO of Terra Arma, a company specializing in luxurious hard-use clothing sourced and manufactured entirely in the United States. With 13 years of service in the Air Force as a combat search and rescue specialist, Christian brings a unique perspective to product development and leadership.

During his military career, he observed a critical gap in the market for comfortable, functional, and fire-resistant base layers designed specifically for military personnel. This observation, combined with a shoulder injury sustained while deployed to Africa, inspired him to launch Terra Arma in 2019. Today, Terra Arma products are stocked in over 200 military retail locations globally and represent the only premier base layer available in military exchanges worldwide.

Beyond his business ventures, Christian is deeply committed to veteran wellness and serves on the board of the Bird's Eye View Project, a nonprofit dedicated to veteran mental health and resilience through challenge-based programming. He is also an accomplished extreme athlete who participated in the 7X Project, traveling to all seven continents in seven days to complete marathons and base jumps while contributing to the development of the Human Performance Manual.

Christian continues to mentor transitioning military personnel and veteran entrepreneurs, sharing his expertise in business development and the unique challenges of life after service.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business owners. Each episode brings practical insights and lessons learned from veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Donate to the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund: https://bold.org/funds/dick-loges-veteran-entrepreneur-fund/

MilCom Founders Podcast, Episode 47: Systems Over Hustle with Yasmin George

Join host Rod Loges and guest Yasmin George as she shares how she went from military spouse and Fortune 500 marketer to founder of Trend Lab, where she helps six- and seven-figure businesses replace chaos with systems so they can scale without burning out.

In this episode:

• How Yasmin found the military-connected entrepreneur community through the Bunker Labs Veterans in Residence program and why that cohort became her tribe
• What it was like being a military spouse living in a separate state from the service member and feeling disconnected from the community until she found Bunker Labs
• Her board role at Act Now Education, a fast-growing nonprofit that connects transitioning service members and military spouses with more than 40,000 free upskilling and certification resources
• Why Yasmin says most businesses that hit six and seven figures got there by hustling, and why that same approach will not get them to the next level
• The internal block that almost ended her business, a fear of getting on camera that she traced back through neuroscience-based hypnosis before she could promote herself at all
• How she builds AI agent advisory boards for clients, including a financial advisor agent, a researcher, and even a multimillionaire perspective agent to pressure-test decisions
• Her take on AI as "an enhancer that needs a handler" and why founders who treat AI output as gospel end up going down the wrong path
• The client story where one interview produced an entire brand positioning document that captured everything the founder had been trying to articulate for years
• Her father's story of coming to America 50 years ago with $11 and a leg paralyzed by polio, and how that shaped her commitment to giving back

Key takeaways:

• You cannot scale without systems. What got you to six figures will not get you to seven without simplifying your strategy and building repeatable processes
• A lot of what holds founders back at the next level is internal, not tactical. Identity shifts, fear, unresolved experiences from military life or transition can quietly stall growth
• You are the sum of the five people you surround yourself with. Your environment shapes your business outcomes whether you recognize it or not
• AI hallucinates with full confidence. You have to challenge it, ask where it got its information, and never accept an output at face value
• Start with the end in mind and work backwards. Know what take-home profit and personal time you actually want before building your marketing strategy around a revenue number
• A lot of times people say they don't know their purpose. The answer is you don't need to know yet. Keep moving and it reveals itself

Guest: Yasmin George, Founder of Trend Lab, military spouse (active duty Army), board member at Act Now Education

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ygeorge/
• Website: www.thetrendlab.co

Yasmin George is an entrepreneur, marketing strategist, and founder of Trend Lab. For more than 20 years, she's worked with Fortune 500 companies, tech startups, and growing businesses drive growth through strategic marketing. Today, she helps entrepreneurs simplify their marketing, sales, and operations through systems, automation, and AI. Known for turning complex business challenges into simpler, scalable systems, Yasmin helps founders increase revenue, reclaim their time, and focus on what matters most.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business owners. Each episode brings practical insights and lessons learned from veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Donate to the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund: https://bold.org/funds/dick-loges-veteran-entrepreneur-fund/

MILCOM Founders Podcast – Episode 46: Nick Bradfield, Marine Corps Sergeant Turned EOS Implementer

Join host Rod Loges as he sits down with Nick Bradfield, a Marine Corps infantry veteran turned fintech founder who now helps growth-stage business owners find clarity and focus as an EOS Implementer. Nick shares the real story behind building and exiting a fintech company, scaling a veteran-focused nonprofit across the country, and coaching hundreds of entrepreneurs through the same patterns he lived himself.

In this episode:

• How Nick went from Iowa wrestler to Marine Corps infantry in two weeks, and broke the news to his mom at dinner
• The speeding ticket in a 14-ton military vehicle that remains his only ticket to this day
• Why being a terrible employee pushed Nick toward building his own fintech company
• How EOS gave him the clarity to shut down what was not working and scale what was
• Building the CEO Circle program at Bunker Labs with J.P. Morgan to support growth-stage veteran founders
• The success formula: a coach, a peer group, and an operating system
• Why the military community builds trust faster than any other peer group
• A law firm that set a $1.3M EBITDA goal and came back at $3.6M in one year
• How a wealth management firm went from 15 wrong-fit employees to being named one of the best places to work in their city and state
• Why AI is on almost every EOS client's issues list right now

Key takeaways:

• The most successful entrepreneurs have a coach, a peer group, and an operating system
• Leaders need to pull themselves out of the weeds and spend time in thought
• Being coachable is not optional for growth; every great athlete and entrepreneur has a coach
• The fastest way to get value from a peer group is to get vulnerable early
• EOS is not a magic pill; it gets harder after the first year, and that's when the real work begins
• Asking for help is the biggest thing the military community needs, on every level

Guest: Nick Bradfield, EOS Implementer

• Website: https://www.eosworldwide.com/nick-bradfield 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbradfield

Nick Bradfield is a United States Marine Corps veteran who served four years in the infantry, where he learned to adapt and overcome, stay calm under pressure, build high-performing teams, and simplify complicated situations. After the Marines, he spent a decade in the corporate world while always running some kind of side business, a mix of wins and losses that confirmed entrepreneurship was in his blood.

Nick eventually went all in as an entrepreneur and started a fintech company. His first market did not work, and he came close to losing everything before a pivot took him to the highs of pitching at SXSW and working on deals with Fortune 100 companies. EOS gave him the clarity and focus to steady the business during a season when shiny objects were everywhere.

After exiting that company, Nick became an early employee at a nonprofit that helps veterans start and grow businesses, using EOS to scale it across the country. Coaching and listening to hundreds of entrepreneurs, he kept noticing the same patterns he had lived himself, which led him to become an EOS Implementer. Today he works with growth-oriented business owners who are frustrated but ready to commit to what it takes to change.

Looking ahead: Nick continues working with growth-stage business owners through EOS implementation, helping founders build businesses they can step away from without everything falling apart.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business founders. Each episode brings practical insights from successful veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Learn about the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund at https://www.milcomfounders.com/

MilCom Founders Podcast, Episode 45: From Police Officer to Fractional CISO with George Hyek

Join host Rod Loges and guest George Hyek as he traces the path from his early days as a police officer to founding TRINSEC 7. George explains why he walked away from responding to crime to spend a career preventing it, first as an Army intelligence officer and now as a Fractional CISO+ giving small businesses in regulated industries the kind of integrated security that used to be reserved for Fortune 500s and the government.

In this episode:

• How a Marine recruiting pull-up event and a roommate's conversation with a recruiter pulled George off the police force and into the Army as an intelligence officer.
• The 8 a.m. meetings at NATO Special Operations Headquarters where the commander, a Navy SEAL named Skip Vincenzo, banned all work talk so he could read where his people's heads and hearts were before the day started.
• What George took away from General John Kelly addressing a packed gymnasium at U.S. Southern Command during the rise of ISIS, and never once mentioning the son he had lost.
• Why George named his company TRINSEC 7, from Trinity to the biblical number seven for completeness, and how it captures his idea of holistic security.
• The problem with siloed security, why juggling 7 to 10 vendors leaves small businesses paying markups and getting finger-pointing instead of accountability.
• Why George turned down a security company as a client when they refused to let him run a vulnerability assessment.
• The VC who told George he doesn't run a software as a service company, he runs a service as a software company, and why that reframe stuck.
• George's work in rural healthcare and HIPAA, including a client visit in Oregon that reminded him the patient is the real person being protected.

Key takeaways:

• Strong teams are built on people, not just the mission. Knowing where someone's head and heart are tells you what kind of work they can do that day.
• Real leadership makes it about the people you lead, not yourself, even when you are carrying the heaviest loss in the room.
• Siloed security is one of the biggest vulnerabilities a small business has. One integrated program with one point of accountability beats a stack of disconnected vendors.
• Security only works when it supports the business. The moment it becomes an obstacle, people route around it and create a bigger hole.
• Coachability matters more than budget. A client who refuses to learn how exposed they are is not a client worth taking on.

Guest: George Hyek, Founder and Managing Partner, TRINSEC 7. Former U.S. Army intelligence officer and federal Senior Special Agent.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-hyek/
• Website: www.trinsec7.com

George Hyek is the founder and managing partner of TRINSEC 7, a security firm delivering enterprise-grade protection for small businesses without the enterprise budget. As a Fractional CISO+, George replaces the piecemeal, siloed approach to security with a single integrated program aligned to each client's business objectives, culture, and compliance requirements across frameworks like NIST, ISO, GLBA, and HIPAA.

George's career began in law enforcement as a police officer, where he quickly realized that responding to crime wasn't where he wanted to be. He wanted to prevent it. That realization led him into the Army, where he commissioned as an intelligence officer through the Pennsylvania National Guard's Officer Candidacy School. Over 14 years of service across the National Guard, Reserves, and active duty, George served in joint assignments at U.S. Southern Command, NATO Special Operations Headquarters in Belgium, and other high-level commands, leading 60+ overseas counterintelligence operations.

On the civilian side, George served as a Senior Special Agent investigating espionage, cyber intrusions, and national security threats, and managed security operations across seven airports and four nuclear plants, reducing critical incidents by 35%. He also teaches cyber threat intelligence and risk management at the graduate level, averaging a 4.9 out of 5 on student evaluations.

George is the author of Holistic Security Secrets, a practical framework for family security programs, and is currently writing a second book focused on small business security. His ideal clients are small businesses under 100 people in regulated industries, with a growing focus on rural healthcare and HIPAA 2.0 compliance.

Looking ahead: TRINSEC 7 is growing its client base and developing a proprietary software platform to complement its security services. George is also actively raising capital to bring that software to market.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business owners. Each episode brings practical insights and lessons learned from veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Donate to the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund: https://bold.org/funds/dick-loges-veteran-entrepreneur-fund/

MilCom Founders Podcast — Episode 44: From Navy Aviator to AI-Powered Purpose with Pete Canalichio

Join host Rod Loges and guest Pete Canalichio as he shares his journey from Naval Academy graduate and P3 Orion aircraft commander to co-founder of ThriveAlive.AI, a platform using artificial intelligence to help people find clarity on their purpose, vision, mission, and values.

In this episode:

• How Pete's father's simple advice kept him from leaving the Naval Academy during a brutal plebe year
• Flying the P3 Orion with a 12-member crew during the Cold War and what leading that team taught him about showing up for every role
• The oil-fed engine fire over the Pacific that forced Pete to dive his aircraft toward the ocean to blow out the flames
• A seven-year finance career at Coca-Cola that Pete chose because he was good at math, not because it was his calling
• How a chance meeting after a law firm talk led to a partnership with co-founder Ernesto Escobar
• Building ThriveAlive.AI to help people in transition find their purpose so they don't repeat his seven-year detour
• Why military veterans and their families are the community Pete is most passionate about serving
• His daughter Ellie's "Dad, what are you thinking?" moment that changed a major decision

Key takeaways:

• Don't make hasty decisions when things aren't going well. Give it time before you walk away
• A leader is someone people want to follow, regardless of title
• The military prepares you to be an excellent officer but rarely helps you figure out what comes next
• If somebody had helped Pete define his purpose before business school, he wouldn't have spent seven years in the wrong career
• You don't have to do everything. Do what you do well and surround yourself with people who fill in the rest

Guest: Pete Canalichio, Co-Founder of ThriveAlive.AI, US Naval Academy graduate, Navy aviator and instructor pilot

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petecanalichio-thrivealive/  
• Website: www.thrivealive.ai

"Unlock the essence of your purpose, vision, and mission effortlessly with ThriveAlive.AI. Powered by cutting-edge artificial intelligence, it guides you through tailored questions to extract core values and aspirations."

Pete Canalichio is an award-winning author of the Amazon #1 New Release Expand, Grow, Thrive (2018) and Strategic Brand Licensing (2024), a TEDx speaker, and a recognized expert in brand strategy, expansion, and licensing. Over a 25-year career, he has helped scale global brands through leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company, Newell Brands, and as founder of BrandAlive.

In 2025, Pete co-founded ThriveAlive.Ai, a platform designed to help military members, veterans, and spouses gain clarity on their purpose, vision, and mission—extending his commitment to leadership and impact beyond the corporate world.

Pete's leadership foundation was forged at the United States Naval Academy, where he earned a degree in physics before serving as a Navy aviator and instructor pilot. As aircraft commander of a multi-engine platform and 12-member crew during the Cold War, he developed the decisive, calm-under-pressure leadership style that defines his career.

That leadership was tested in extreme conditions—most notably while piloting an aircraft over the Pacific Ocean when an engine caught fire. In that moment, Pete relied on disciplined thinking and decisive action to navigate the crisis safely, a mindset he has since applied to complex business challenges and global brand growth initiatives.

Following his military service, Pete earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, where he was a Richard H. Jenrette Fellow and salutatorian. He began his business career at Coca-Cola in global finance, managing $32 billion in annual transactions as Treasury Operations Manager in London, before transitioning into brand expansion and licensing leadership.

Over the course of his career, Pete has worked in more than 40 countries, leading large-scale initiatives across global markets. Today, he is known for helping organizations unlock growth through disciplined brand expansion strategies and long-term, value-driven partnerships.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business owners. Each episode brings practical insights and lessons learned from veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Donate to the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund: https://bold.org/funds/dick-loges-veteran-entrepreneur-fund/

MilCom Founders Podcast, Episode 43: John Collins, Retired Army Sergeant Major and Author of Your Pay

Join host Rod Loges as he sits down with John Collins, a retired Army Sergeant Major who spent 28 years in special operations and turned his passion for financial education into a book for service members. John shares how a 15-minute hallway conversation changed his approach to money and why he went from teaching financial classes during deployments to writing Your Pay: Navigate Your Military Benefits and Take What's Yours.

In this episode:

• How a winding path from Boston University to Ranger Battalion to Special Forces shaped John's career
• The hallway conversation with a finance specialist that changed how John thought about investing
• Teaching financial literacy classes during deployments and watching it make an immediate difference
• Why John chose to write a book instead of continuing to teach 25 people at a time
• The four-year process from first draft during a deployment to publication
• How working with an editor through a chaplain's recommendation kept the book on track

Key takeaways:

• Genuine care for your people is the foundation of leadership; without it, no one follows for long
• Micromanagement usually signals a failure to invest in and trust the people you lead
• Financial stress pulls focus from the mission; removing it frees service members to do their jobs
• Starting imperfectly with investing is far better than waiting for the perfect plan
• Knowing where you stand financially and where you want to go creates a usable map for decision-making
• Always confirm that a financial advisor is a fiduciary before working with them

Guest: John Collins, Retired Army Sergeant Major, Author of Your Pay

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-h-collins
• Book: Your Pay: Navigate Your Military Benefits and Take What's Yours
  • Amazon:  https://a.co/d/02aCpQ5R
  • B&N:
    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/your-pay-john-collins/1150160718?ean=9798295838255 

John Collins is a retired Army Sergeant Major and longtime advocate for improving the financial readiness of America's service members. Across a twenty-eight-year career spent mostly in special operations, he saw firsthand how preparation and long-term discipline determine success, both on the battlefield and at home.

Born and raised in a small town in upstate New York, John enlisted in the Army after graduating from Boston University. He began his career in 3rd Ranger Battalion, initially serving in the demanding, albeit non-glamorous, role of Ammo Bearer. He went on to attend the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and complete the Special Forces Qualification Course ("Q" Course). Later in his career, he attended Stanford Graduate School of Business, further expanding his understanding of strategy, leadership, and decision-making.

Throughout his service, John recognized a troubling pattern: many highly capable military professionals lacked the financial education necessary to fully use the benefits they had earned. Poor financial outcomes were rarely the result of irresponsibility; more often, they stemmed from incomplete information and a broader education system that overlooks practical financial literacy. In some cases, that confusion created avoidable stress, strained relationships, and diminished focus during critical moments.

Motivated by a deep sense of duty, John dedicated himself to simplifying complex financial concepts into practical, actionable guidance for his fellow service members. His approach avoids jargon and theory in favor of clear explanations and real-world examples paired with disciplined frameworks that readers can immediately apply.

His book, Your Pay: Navigate Your Military Benefits and Take What's Yours, represents decades of service and mentorship distilled into one resource. John wrote it to be the guide he wished had existed earlier in his own career, one that equips military families with the clarity and confidence to build lasting financial strength.

John retired from the Army in 2025 and lives in Idaho with his wife and two sons.

Looking ahead: John is building a website to provide additional resources for military families and is exploring partnerships with organizations that support financial readiness for service members.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business founders. Each episode brings practical insights from successful veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Learn about the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund at milcomfounders.com

MilCom Founders Podcast — Episode 42: From K-9 Handler to Capturing Stories That Matter with Michael Parks

Join host Rod Loges and guest Michael Parks as he shares his journey from Air Force K-9 handler and retired Supervisory Federal Air Marshal to founder of Daystar Photography, a veteran-owned photography, videography, and drone services company serving clients nationwide.

In this episode:

• How growing up with an active duty Army father gave Michael the foundation to pursue military service
• His path from Air Force K-9 handler to Secret Service bomb dog detail to Federal Air Marshal
• The moment on a glass-bottom boat in Destin, Florida that sparked his love of photography
• How his mom saw the spark before he did and gave him his first camera for Christmas
• Why he treats every client like family instead of a transaction, a lesson he learned from his working dogs
• The story of Captain Johns, who refused to leave Michael's side during an explosive detection alert in Kuwait
• How he founded Vet Fest, a free festival celebrating veterans that has grown from 300 attendees to 550 and is expanding to multiple cities
• His advice on balancing the entrepreneurial drive with personal time and family

Key takeaways:

• The loyalty and focus of a working dog taught Michael how to serve clients: show up fully, earn trust, and give everything to the relationship
• Don't treat people as transactions. Treat them as family
• God places people in your life to support you when it matters most, whether it's a captain in a war zone or a mom who notices what lights you up
• The military teaches pride and excellence, but entrepreneurs also need to learn when to step away and give themselves grace
• Learn to have a work-life balance. The business isn't going anywhere, but you can never get back the time you've been given

Guest: Michael Parks, Owner and CEO of Daystar Photography LLC, US Air Force veteran (12+ years, K-9 Handler/Security Forces), retired Supervisory Federal Air Marshal (22 years, Department of Homeland Security)

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professionalphotopgraher-recruiter-law-enforcement-advisor/
• Website: www.daystarphoto.com

Michael Parks is the Owner and CEO of Daystar Photography LLC, a Veteran-Owned professional photography, videography, and drone services company serving Atlanta, Tampa, and Orlando. Through Daystar Photography, Michael captures powerful visual stories that spotlight leadership, service, and impact. He is the official photographer for Syracuse University's D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) and proudly serves as a Brand Ambassador for IVMF's Ambassador program. 

Throughout his career, Michael has traveled nationwide documenting major veteran and corporate events, working with nationally recognized organizations including Wounded Warrior Project, Walmart, Fiserv, USAA, JPMorgan Chase, and Amazon. 

Michael is also a retired Supervisory Federal Air Marshal with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS), serving honorably from January 2002 to November 2023. Over his 22-year career, he held numerous leadership and operational roles, including Federal Air Marshal, Primary Watch Officer, FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Task Force Supervisor, Program Manager and International Planner for the Middle East & Africa, and ultimately retiring as a Supervisory Federal Air Marshal. His service took him to more than 50 countries and over 350 destinations worldwide, supporting national security and international operations. 

In addition to his primary duties, Michael was entrusted with several critical collateral roles, including Law Enforcement Chaplain, Certified Peer & Grief Counselor, EEO Counselor & Investigator, Counter-UAS/Drone Supervisor, and Lead Recruiter & Hiring Specialist. Prior to his federal service, Michael served over 12 years in the United States Air Force, where he built deep expertise as a K-9 Handler (Explosive & Narcotics) and Program Manager. His Air Force career included progressive leadership roles as Kennel Master, Trainer, and Security Forces K-9 Handler. He is also the founder of Vet Fest, a growing annual festival celebrating veterans and connecting them with resources across the country.

The MilCom Founders Podcast champions and celebrates military community business owners. Each episode brings practical insights and lessons learned from veteran entrepreneurs.

Sponsored by One Degree Financial www.onedegreefinancial.com

Want to support veteran entrepreneurs? Donate to the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund: https://bold.org/funds/dick-loges-veteran-entrepreneur-fund/