The Strategic Veteran

What if the thing you think you want—a “dream franchise”—is the very thing that will eat your nights, your weekends, and your sanity?

What if the right fit is the one that feels boring on paper but quietly prints freedom?

Kim Woods has spent two decades in the trenches of franchising, turning ambition into action for people who don’t want a boss anymore. Navy veteran, relationship builder, and franchise development lead at Clear Pest Pros within BELFOR Franchise Group, Kim speaks in straight lines: proven systems, honest screening, and grit over hype. 

He thought owning a gym was purpose—until he saw the lease, the churn, and the weekends

She learned the hard way that “franchise fee” isn’t profit—it’s the cost of a real support system

If you won’t work the model, the model won’t work for you

Your LinkedIn is a weapon; TAP won’t save you

“Can I make a million?” isn’t a question—it’s a mirror

Buy with an exit in mind, build something your kids could run or you can sell

What if the thing the system won’t give you is the one thing that could actually save you?

Tim Wofford built a career launching global giants like Sam’s Club and Staples across twenty countries — but now he’s on a mission closer to home. As the founder of SmartBody Medical, Tim is bringing affordable hyperbaric oxygen therapy and next-generation wellness to neighborhoods where veterans, first responders, and families need real healing, not just more pills. With two sons in uniform, he knows what’s at stake — and he’s building the kind of help he hopes they’ll never need but always have.

Why he traded corporate boardrooms for oxygen chambers

The marriage he sacrificed to build billion-dollar brands

How seeing the VA’s failures changed his whole life’s work

Why the human body doesn’t need another pill — it needs real care

The plan to put SmartBody locations where vets need them most

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:30 Growing up in Tulsa with big dreams and bigger faith

08:10 Breaking national sports records that changed everything

14:50 From corporate success to burnout to purpose

21:10 What living in twenty countries taught him about people

29:20 Why SmartBody exists for vets and first responders

37:50 The real impact of hyperbaric oxygen therapy

45:00 How to get involved or help bring SmartBody to your town

52:00 His promise to the next generation of warriors

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 539-222-7773

My name is Adam Peters, and I’m here to unf*ck the transition.

What if the thing you spent years running from turns out to be exactly where your freedom starts?

Andy Dittrich didn’t deploy. He didn’t stack up ribbons or chase firefights. He did administrative work, learned about computers, partied under the neon lights of SoCal, and walked away from the Marine Corps with no plan. From crashing on couches to building a solid IT career, Andy’s story proves you don’t have to be a hero to have a hell of a comeback. His book, "Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes," is a love letter to mistakes, sarcasm, and embracing every part of who you are.

Why picking the “boring” MOS saved him later

How Fairbanks, Alaska, and a spiritual mom changed everything

The couch surfing, clubbing years that taught him real life

Why your biggest f*ckups become your best stories

How mentoring young IT pros pays back the debt he never talks about

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:30 From Berlin to Alaska at fourteen

07:20 The recruiter who wouldn’t stop calling

12:50 Getting stuck with admin — and making it work

19:00 Living out of boxes and crashing in Vegas

24:40 Club life and the raves that shaped him

32:10 Finding mentors when you didn’t have a father

39:50 How to break into IT without a degree

46:20 Writing a book about screwing up and surviving anyway

52:00 His door is open for any vet who needs a push

Website: https://andysbook.com

My name is Adam Peters, and I’m here to unf*ck the transition.

What if the thing breaking you down isn’t the system but the belief you can’t fight back against it?

Alex Muddiman spent nearly a decade in the Air Force chasing a dream of flying, only to have a hidden medical condition ground him for good. He pivoted to cyber, battled misdiagnosis, fought for the proper care, and stayed on mission even when leadership didn’t have his back. Alex’s story is every overlooked line in the reg, every late night Googling your rights, and every moment you wonder if you’re the only one banging your head against the wall.

How he mapped out his entire ROTC plan on a napkin — and made it happen

Why a single commander showed him the kind of leader he’d never be

The day a simple test proved he wasn’t broken, just misunderstood

How he used ADHD as a weapon, not an excuse

Why knowing the regs better than your boss is the best armor you’ll ever have

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:10 Growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts

08:20 From welding to Air Force ROTC

15:50 Building a three-college plan to chase the sky

23:10 Getting grounded for good and pivoting to cyber

31:00 Living in the Barney Chair and learning to fight back

38:40 How leadership failed — and what it taught him

46:00 The night shift that cracked him open

52:00 The TOVA test that changed everything

59:00 Why the reg book is your best friend

My name is Adam Peters, and I’m here to unf*ck the transition.

What if the thing that nearly broke you is the same thing that can set you free if you learn to love yourself again?

Marla Ballard isn’t a veteran in uniform, but she’s lived the sacrifice. When her husband, an Army major, was wounded in Iraq, Marla lost the life she knew and built something better in its place. Today she’s the CEO of You Too Shine and director of Unconquerable Me, helping veterans and entrepreneurs break free from old stories, stuck trauma, and limiting beliefs — one healing at a time.

Why her husband’s recovery showed her the real battle starts at home

How tapping and quantum personal development can free trapped pain

The lesson she learned about fear, love, and free agency

Why community is the greatest tool nobody talks about

The power of turning survival into service when the uniform is gone

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:10 Growing up gritty in Kentucky

07:40 From racehorses to resilience

12:30 Becoming an Army wife overnight

18:50 The fear nobody warned her about

26:00 Watching her husband lose his identity

32:40 Why she built her own community

40:10 The truth about trauma trapped in your body

46:50 Free Me EFT and what makes it work

52:00 How to find your unconquerable self again

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlafballard/

Website: https://empower-me-academy.yu2shine.com/marla-ballard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marla.ballard.9

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marla.ballard/

Free E-book: https://mygiftoffer.com/

My name is Adam Peters, and I’m here to unf*ck the transition.

What if the real fight isn’t keeping people safe, it’s teaching them they can protect themselves long after you’re gone?

Marc Fitzwater spent two decades as a Green Beret, leading elite teams through Afghanistan, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. He carried the weight of loss, the lessons of mentorship, and the quiet mission to bring warriors home better than he found them. Now he runs I-Sixty-Eight Consulting Group and the Cutting Edge Training Facility in Colorado, turning tactical training into a sanctuary where men, women, and families find strength, skill, and unshakable confidence.

Why two fallen brothers still guide every move he makes

The difference between teaching people to shoot and teaching them to believe

How building a safe place for women became his real legacy

Why running a company is harder than any deployment

The cost of protecting others when you forget to protect your own family time

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:10 Growing up in the Virginia mountains

07:30 From college baseball dreams to the National Guard

12:40 Old school Green Berets who changed his life

18:50 Three deployments, two brothers lost, and a new mission born

25:00 From the fight to the family — the real transition

31:30 Why I-Sixty-Eight is more than a gun range

38:00 Women, warriors, and building real community

45:20 How to stay present when the mission won’t leave your head

52:00 Grand openings, future plans, and his open invitation to vets

Website: https://www.i68consulting.com

Facebook: I-Sixty-Eight Consulting Group

Instagram: I-Sixty-Eight Consulting Group

My name is Adam Peters, and I’m here to unf*ck the transition.

What if the real threat to your mission isn’t outside, it’s the sleep you keep sacrificing to stay in the fight?

Dr. Leah Kaylor spent five years as the FBI’s trusted sleep expert, helping elite agents, first responders, and veterans overcome burnout, trauma, and mental fog by addressing the issues that arise when the lights go out. She’s not just theory — she’s run VA sleep clinics, teaches the science behind every bedtime myth, and just dropped The Sleep Advantage to help you stop treating rest like a luxury you can’t afford.

Why sleep deprivation is killing your motivation more than you know

The brutal truth about sleep apnea and veterans

How your bedtime habits confuse your brain every night

Why sleep is step one to real trauma recovery

What actually works when you can’t turn your brain off at 3 AM

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:00 Growing up in Uniontown, PA

05:40 Passing out in an OR changed everything

10:20 From forensics to trauma to sleep

17:00 Running the VA sleep clinic that opened her eyes

24:10 Myths that keep veterans stuck

32:40 The FBI and sleep stigma in high stakes worlds

38:50 The three S’s that make or break your sleep

45:10 Cannabis, CPAPs, and what really works

53:00 Her message for any vet running on empty

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drleahkaylor

Website: https://www.drleahkaylor.com

My name is Adam Peters, and I’m here to unf*ck the transition.

What if the thing that almost ruined you is the same thing that makes you unstoppable now?

Logan Spiewak went from juvenile delinquent and near prison time to Marine infantryman, then crashed headfirst into the isolation so many vets face on the way out. With no plan and no clue, he almost lost himself again until a stranger at the gym changed everything. Now, Logan runs the Boots to Health Foundation, giving vets a free place to rebuild their minds and bodies, and the kind of second chance he fought so hard to find for himself.

Why the uniform was his only ticket out of a dead-end life

How brutal leadership left deeper scars than boot camp ever did

The moment he realized the gym could save him twice

How he risked it all with no experience to build a place for other vets

Why your story only owns you if you let it

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:00 Growing up rough in South Central PA

07:10 The recruiter who didn’t care about his medical waiver

12:30 From infantry dreams to real-world pain

19:20 The mental fallout nobody warns you about

26:00 Why he almost didn’t make it back

31:40 The old man and the pair of shoes that changed everything

37:20 Building Boots to Health with zero backup plan

43:50 Why real help has no strings attached

49:00 His message for any vet feeling stuck right now

Boots to Health Foundation: @BootsToHealthFoundation (all socials)

My name is Adam Peters, and I’m here to unf*ck the transition.

What if the thing you thought was holding you back turns out to be your secret advantage?

Pete Tiliakos joined the Marines to blow things up and see the world — instead, he got assigned to admin and payroll. That detour launched him into a twenty-five-year career as one of the most astute minds in global HR and payroll technology. Now Pete runs PayrollInfluences.com, hosts the HR and Payroll 2.0 Podcast, and shows veterans that boring data and relentless discipline can open doors nobody else sees.

How his recruiter’s “no” changed his life forever

Why he calls his first job a white-collar prison — and a gift

The Disney paycheck that showed him what real shared services could be

The myth of HR as a cost instead of an investment

Why veterans undersell the very skills companies need most

⏱ Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:10 Growing up in Florida and chasing the uniform

07:30 Why he never became an infantry Marine

12:50 The desk job that felt like a cage but built his future

19:00 Circuit City and temp jobs — the hidden step up

24:20 What Disney taught him about people and paychecks

31:50 From HR consulting to industry analyst

38:40 PayrollInfluences.com and bridging the tech gap

45:00 How AI is rewriting what skills really matter

52:00 The open invitation to any veteran who needs help

Website: https://www.payrollinfluences.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peteatiliakis

X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/peteatiliakis

My name is Adam Peters, and I’m here to unf*ck the transition.

What if you’re not falling behind, you’re just not asking the right questions yet?

John Tansill spent twenty years in the Marine Corps, split between active duty and the reserves, leading Marines in combat and learning humility from the best NCOs in the Corps. He transitioned from the rigors of Wall Street to the mission of helping veterans and military spouses enter the tech industry. Today, as Director of Veterans Affairs at Skillstorm, he serves as the bridge for thousands who want to break into IT but don’t know where to start.

How the MECEP program taught him more than any classroom ever could

The shock of trading a rifle for a clerk’s badge on the NYSE

Why paying your dues is not a step back but a running start

The truth about tech careers: passion first, paycheck second

How to build real work experience when you have none

What happens when you lead with connection, not desperation

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:00 Military legacy and finding the Corps

06:30 From pilot dreams to infantry reality

12:45 The enlisted mentors who shaped his command

18:00 Why Wall Street humbled him fast

23:30 Starting over without ego

29:50 Why most transition programs miss the mark

37:10 Breaking into IT with no degree

45:00 The real value of Skillstorm’s free coding course

52:00 Serving the next generation of veterans

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johntansill

Email: [email protected]

My name is Adam Peters, and I’m here to unf*ck the transition.