You can say you want the Parachute Regiment in one sentence. Earning the trust to lead in it takes years, and it starts with the part you can’t talk your way around: the standard you can prove on the day. Our guest, Thomo, is a serving British Army Major with 15 years in the Parachute Regiment, and he’s frank about what selection, P Company, and battalion life actually demand from officers who want to be credible with soldiers.

We get into why so many people express interest early, then fall away once competition becomes real. We break down why fitness is used as the cleanest measure of preparation, why “minimum standard” is only the buy-in, and why soldiers are not athletes who peak perfectly on a single day. Tom shares a raw account of doing P Company before Sandhurst, picking up red cards, and what changes when you stop hoping for motivation and start relying on discipline and deliberate mindset.

From there, we zoom out into leadership and command: the pyramid of fitness, conceptual competence, and moral strength; what mission command looks like when it’s a two-way conversation rather than abandonment; and why the platoon commander and platoon sergeant relationship can make or break a platoon. We also talk about the loneliness of command, unpopular decisions, and responsibility to the mission alongside responsibility to the soldiers now and the people they become later.

If you’re preparing for AOSB, Sandhurst, Brecon, P Company, or your first platoon, you’ll leave with clear, practical direction and a sharper view of what “professional standards” really means. Subscribe, share this with someone chasing the Para path, and leave a review with the one standard you refuse to compromise on.

Most people imagine the Army Reserve as a light commitment and a bit of adventure on the side. The truth is sharper: it is leadership in compressed time, service with real trade-offs, and a second career you have to actively manage. We sit down with Major Ash Bardwaj to unpack what Reserve life actually looks like when you are also building a civilian career as a travel journalist, defence journalist, author and speaker.

We get into the motivations that pull people towards service, how purpose changes over time, and why “fighting for a government” is rarely the reason anyone joins. Ash talks candidly about joining first as a trooper to test the commitment, commissioning via Sandhurst, and the practical reality of being a platoon commander when you cannot rely on coercion because people can simply stop turning up. We also cover AOSB preparation, controlling the controllables, and the leadership habits that matter most when you are developing others with limited time.

A standout section explores how the British Army Reserve can leverage civilian expertise, from storytelling to media operations and defence communications, including lessons from Op Rescript during COVID and the challenge of disinformation. We finish with reflections on the Centre for Army Leadership work, the value of structured feedback, and the real advantages and disadvantages of reservist life, including skill fade and the experience gap as you promote.

If you find this useful, subscribe, share it with someone considering the Reserves, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Number 10 calls, and suddenly you’re standing in a hangar full of drones with seven and a half minutes to question the Prime Minister one-on-one. That moment is where confidence and imposter syndrome collide, and it kicks off a wider reflection on what it really means to back yourself as a leader when the stakes rise and the room gets senior fast.

We trace the story back to March 2020, when a lockdown bet in Catterick led to a GoPro, a first upload, and then the “Civilian to Soldier” idea built to help recruits and officer candidates arrive better prepared. The growth is quick, but so is the pushback. We talk about the pressure that follows when the chain of command gets involved, why one commanding officer’s willingness to take the flak matters, and how consistent, responsible content can move from “take it down” to formal recognition for outstanding service and recruitment impact.

From there, it’s the messy middle: leaving the British Army, trying on a new identity, building the Future Leader Academy, and taking criticism from people who never bothered to understand the intent. We also share why starting a podcast becomes a force multiplier for leadership development, bringing in influential guests and lessons that reach the next generation preparing for AOSB, Sandhurst, and early command.

The week finishes with something even bigger than career milestones: news of becoming a dad, and the three values he wants to pass on and practise now resilience, self-belief, and having a voice. If you care about military leadership, defence, officer selection, and building confidence under pressure, you’ll take something practical from this. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave us a review: which of the three traits do you need to work on most?