Twenty One Gun Podcast

I had a great talk with Marine Corps Veteran Diana Peiffer, founder of The Stabers Group (www.thestabersgroup.com), a cyber security firm. She tells the story of her life as a leader of Marines and how she succeeded in a culture which requires you to man-up or get out.

There are a few Silkies Hikes remaining this year and if you haven't had a chance to come out to event, it's not too late. For all remaining hikes visit www.irreverentwarriors.com.

For everything 21 Gun (archived episodes, social media and contact info) please visit www.twentyonegun.net

Saturday 9/21/19 was the Raleigh Silkies hike and my first full hike. I embedded myself in the gaggle of pale thighs and half naked veterans for a first hand account of what an Irreverent Warriors Silkies Hike is all about. This episode features interviews with our beloved leader Cindy "Mama Bear" McNally, hike coordinators Russ Oxley and Jeremy Walton and from a bunch of hikers who were kind enough to share their stories. If I you were interviewed and not featured in this episode, I apologize but I had to cut 3 hours of audio down to 30 minutes! I also didn't get everyone's name, so if you hear your interview, drop me a line at [email protected] and let me know who you were!!! I bleeped out the names of those who requested it.

I hope I did a good job highlighting the Silkies Hike experience and I am grateful for the veterans that shared their stories with us.

If you want to be featured on an up coming episode, please email me, DM me, text me or basically get in touch with me by any means available.

I have a bunch of great episodes coming up including Col. Allen West, Marine Rudy Reyes, and Strike Force MMA Champion Chad Robichaux! Thanks for listening!

Cheers,

Sully

This week's 21 Gun interview is with Marine Veteran Daniel Sharp and Army Veteran Michael Steadman of PopSmoke Media and the The Smokepit Podcast. Pop Smoke started as a veterans entertainment Facebook Page which boasts over 550,000 likes and followers and has evolved into an international comedic media platform. The evolution and success of Pope Smoke is a masters course of marketing and branding in the 21st Century and the success enjoyed by veterans with vision and fortitude. We discuss the importance of self-discipline and personal accountability when it comes to transitioning from military service and the role comedy plays in improving mental health and well being. Links:

• https://www.instagram.com/pop_smoke_official/
• https://www.instagram.com/smokepitpodcast/
• www.twentyonegun.net
• www.irreverentwarriors.com
• 21 Gun Instagram

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Mike Lerario was a 1983 Graduate of the United States Military Academy and served 23 years as an Infantry Officer before retiring from the Army in 2006. He deployed in combat operations with conventional and special operations forces, both as a soldier and as a civilian.

Mike shares his unique perspective having served in the shadow of the Vietnam War to riding across the open desert with a map in one hand and brand new GPS technology in the other. He saw the military shift from amassing hundreds of thousands of troops at a nation's border to inserting small units for precision strikes in the ancient battlegrounds of the Afghan mountains.

We discuss how the soldier has changed over the past several decades, the stress of almost two decades of war, and the effects the increasing lethality of weaponry plays on the psyche of the modern veteran.

In October of 2016, Mike published Leadership in Balance: The Fulcrum-centric Plan for Emerging and High Potential Leaders. He also designed and developed the Leadership Fulcrum Assessment© as a tool to help leaders understand their natural tendencies in the four essential leadership domains of Communications, Adaptability, Focus, and Influence

You can check out everything Mike is up to at his site: https://bethefulcrum.com/

Hope you enjoy the show, please drop me a line at [email protected]

Follow 21 Gun on Instagram @21GunPodcast

This is a call to action for IW hikers and supporters. Kory Thomas personifies the Irreverent Warrior. He's dedicated to the IW mission and has volunteered a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to make this organization great.

Kory has decided to partake in is own personal North Carolina "walkabout" to raise money for next year's Willmington, NC Silkies Hike. He is spending the week prior to the Raleigh Silkies Hike hiking from Willmington to Raleigh (around 120 miles).

Kory joins me in this edition of the IW Spotlight mini-episode to talk about his service, his history with IW, and the meaning of his upcoming 120-mile odyssey.

To support Kory, you can visit his Facebook Page: My Walk To Raleigh

And to DONATE $, visit his GoFundMe: My Walk to Raleigh

Okay, every once in a while you meet folks who are the real deal. These are the folks who give you the impression that they would give you the shirt off their backs without hesitation. You are able to judge this class of individual by their actions... not their hashtags.... not their Instagram feeds but by their ACTIONS. Brett D'Alessandro and Alexa Modero are most definitely "those kind of people". It's hard to say where their collective story beings. Was it when Brett volunteered to defend his country during a time of war? Was it when Alexa refused to leave Brett's side despite horrific struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress? Maybe it begins with the creation of Backpacks for Life - a non-profit organization dedicated to providing homeless and at-risk veterans with a host of resources. Brett and Alexa dedicate their lives ensuring no veteran slips through the cracks and connect folks to the proper resources to save lives. Check out Backpacks for Life over at www.backpacksforlife.org Hope you enjoy the show. If you want to be on the show or just say "hi", shoot me an email [email protected] Interested in a Silkie Hike? Visit www.irreverentwarriors.com

I went out with Russel and the IW-Raleigh crew as they planned the route for the upcoming Silkies Hike in Raleigh, NC on September 21, 2019. Russ shared what IW means to him and how the hikes changed his life.

For information about all the upcoming Silkies Hikes please visit www.irreverentwarriors.com

For more information on the Raleigh Hike, visit their Facebook Page

This is PART II of the round table type open conversation with a couple of Marines. This week we have Mike Stojic who is a former Marine and owner of Revival 1869, a whiskey bar located in downtown Clayton NC which boasts a library of over 100 different types of whiskeys from around the world. Mike is a brilliant and highly motivated entrepreneur and it shows in the quality of the product he delivers. Visit www.revival1869.com for hours and events. We also have, Paul Cardenas who is also a former Marine and entrepreneur. He is the owner of Uncommon Valor Apparel, a clothing line established to support active-duty military, veterans, and first responders. I can attest to the comfort and quality of his clothing line and have even been witnessed mowing my lawn in a pair of UCV silkies! Check him out over at www.ucvalor.com and use 21Gun at checkout to receive 10% off. We gathered at Revival 1869 bar for a round of bourbon and to discuss some veteran issues. Topics include: -What makes veterans good entrepreneurs? -Thank you for your service. -Living among civilians. -Survivors guilt. -Veteran suicide. -Reasons for joining the service. -The role we play as veterans in supporting other veterans -Meditation and therapy for improved mental health.

This was the first of hopefully many round table type open conversations with any veteran that wants to hang out, drink some whiskey and wax philosophical. This week we have Mike Stojic who is a former Marine and owner of Revival 1869, a whiskey bar located in downtown Clayton NC which boasts a library of over 100 different types of whiskeys from around the world. Mike is a brilliant and highly motivated entrepreneur and it shows in the quality of the product he delivers. Visit www.revival1869.com for hours and events. We also have, Paul Cardenas who is also a former Marine and entrepreneur. He is the owner of Uncommon Valor Apparel, a clothing line established to support active-duty military, veterans, and first responders. I can attest to the comfort and quality of his clothing line and have even been witnessed mowing my lawn in a pair of UCV silkies! Check him out over at www.ucvalor.com and use 21Gun at checkout to receive 10% off. We gathered at Revival 1869 bar for a round of bourbon and to discuss some veteran issues. Topics include: -What makes veterans good entrepreneurs? -Thank you for your service. -Living among civilians. -Survivors guilt. -Veteran suicide. -Reasons for joining the service. -The role we play as veterans in supporting other veterans -Meditation and therapy for improved mental health.

Stefanie Parker is a US Army Veteran who served in Iraq as a helicopter door gunner. She tells her story about first ignoring the fact that service fundamentally changed her and eventually allowing herself to embrace the role of salty veteran!

You can contact Stef @ [email protected]

Interested in participating in a Silkies Hike? Visit www.irreverentwarriors.com for all the info you need. While you're there, pick up some Irreverent Warriors apparel to show your IW PRIDE!

Please visit Marine Paul Cardenas's veteran apparel site www.ucvalor.com and use Promo Code "21Gun" at checkout for 10% off all items.

For everything 21 Gun (links, episode archive, contact and social media) please visit www.twentyonegun.net