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?

You can pass every test at Sandhurst and still hit the real shock on day one of troop command: sometimes you simply do not have the answer. I sit down with Major Catherine Henderson, a serving Royal Signals officer with a seriously varied career, to talk about what leadership looks like when the textbook ends and your soldiers need you to be steady, human, and useful.

We walk through her journey from Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College to Sandhurst, then into the Royal Signals, with stops along the way in recruiting, instructing, and strategic work in Main Building. If you are weighing up cap badges or staring down the regimental selection board process, we get practical: why unit visits matter, how a simple five-year plan can sharpen your thinking, and why choosing based on one “legend” instructor can send you to the wrong place.

We also bust a common myth: Royal Signals is not just the CIS wing and radios. We dig into what communicators actually do, how technical soldiers become SMEs, why officers must translate complex kit issues for non-technical commanders, and where cyber, electronic warfare, and emerging AI work fits. Some of the most important moments are personal: building trust with a sceptical soldier, leading through vulnerability, and handling mental health crises with care and professionalism, plus a candid view on serving as a woman in defence.

Subscribe for more honest military career chats, share this with someone choosing their path, and leave a review if it helped. What part of leadership do you wish someone had told you earlier?