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  • Athena Ives

    Athena Ives
    2026/03/09
    Athena Ives' journey is one of incredible resilience, transformation, and a fierce dedication to making a difference. From a childhood in a cult to serving as a Marine Corps lioness in Iraq, she has navigated immense challenges, including homelessness and the profound impact of combat. Now a respected peace and security advisor with a PhD in forensic psychology, Athena shares her story of overcoming adversity, breaking barriers, and advocating for a more compassionate approach to global security. This episode offers a raw and honest look at the realities of military service, the lingering effects of trauma, and the power of finding one's purpose even in the darkest of times.
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    1 時間 3 分
  • William Holsten

    William Holsten
    2026/03/04
    In this empowering conversation on The Strategic Veteran, host Adam Peters welcomes William Holston, a leading expert in Business Mistake Prevention. William draws upon his extensive background in innovation for a corporate giant and his personal journey building a family business to offer crucial guidance on avoiding preventable entrepreneurial failures. This episode is packed with wisdom for anyone navigating the complexities of starting or scaling a business, especially veterans transitioning from military to civilian life. Key Takeaways: 00:00:00 Introduction and the feeling of business setbacks. 00:03:36 The path to entrepreneurship for veterans. 00:06:23 William's first major business blunder and the lessons learned. 00:13:33 Decision discipline vs. general discipline for entrepreneurs. 00:20:31 The top 8 preventable business mistakes. 00:36:49 Leveraging AI tools (like ChatGPT & Perplexity) for business research. 00:41:07 Insights from William's book, "Oh, The Mistakes I've Made." 00:44:36 The importance of courage, curiosity, and asking for help. Learn how to: Identify and sidestep the "no one needs this" syndrome. Challenge assumptions and avoid "death by assumption." Understand the "Vanishing Wallet Trap" and cash flow management. Master the art of "flying without a map" by creating a business plan. Develop your own "blunder tendencies" to prevent future mistakes. William Holston's practical advice, combined with his engaging stories, will equip you to navigate the entrepreneurial landscape with greater confidence. #BusinessStrategy #EntrepreneurMindset #VeteranSuccess #StartupTips #BusinessGrowth #RiskManagement #AIinBusiness #WilliamHolston #TheStrategicVeteran
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    47 分
  • Peter Pollock

    Peter Pollock
    2026/02/23
    In this episode, Peter Pollock, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, shares what really happens after a senior officer retires and the structure disappears. After 24 years of service, command roles, deployments, and Pentagon work, Peter expected the transition to be manageable. It wasn’t. We talk about identity loss at the officer level, leadership myths in corporate America, why rank means nothing on the outside, and how veterans collide with mediocrity after service. This is a blunt conversation about leadership, failure, and starting over when the playbook you lived by no longer applies. Subscribe for real transition stories without bullshit: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Growing up and choosing the Air Force • Being denied flight school and adapting early • Command, deployments, and Pentagon work • Retiring after 24 years and losing structure • Why corporate leadership frustrates veterans • Leadership vs title when failure actually matters • Rebuilding purpose without rank or uniform GUEST BIO Peter Pollock is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, leadership coach, and founder of Gladius Consulting. After 24 years of service, Peter now works with leaders and organizations to build decision-making, accountability, and real leadership grounded in responsibility, not position. LINKS • Gladius Consulting: https://gladiusconsultingtx.com • Email Peter: peter@gladiusconsultingtx.com • The Strategic Veteran Podcast: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-strategic-veteran/id1743039436
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    1 時間 8 分
  • Joshua Palassis

    Joshua Palassis
    2026/02/23
    In this episode, Joshua Palassis shares what it feels like when your entire plan collapses overnight. After failing aircrew selection, Joshua lost his military path, his income, and his independence and was forced to move back home and repay the Army. No backup plan. No safety net. Just failure staring him in the face. Instead of staying stuck, Joshua rebuilt from the ground up. Through self-education, entrepreneurship, relationship-building, and brutal self-honesty, he carved a new path in branding, marketing, and connection-driven business. This conversation breaks down the reality of transition, investing in yourself, finding mentors, and why people—not job titles—are the real leverage point after the military. Subscribe for real transition stories that don’t sugarcoat the process: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Growing up in Hamilton, Ontario • Joining the Canadian military and commissioning as an infantry officer • The reality of officer life and broken expectations • Failing aircrew selection and losing a career path • Paying back the military and moving home • Investing $5,000 into self-education • Learning marketing, ClickFunnels, and online business • The power of mentorship and relationships • Becoming a connector instead of chasing titles GUEST BIO Joshua Palassis is a Canadian Army veteran, entrepreneur, brand strategist, and podcast host of The Connector. After a difficult military transition, Joshua rebuilt his life through self-education, marketing, and relationship-driven business. Today, he helps founders, executives, and creators grow their brands, land stages, and build meaningful opportunities through connection. LINKS • Joshua on Instagram: https://instagram.com/palassis • The Connector Podcast • Brand Alchemy • The Strategic Veteran Podcast: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-strategic-veteran/id1743039436
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    1 時間 1 分
  • Rand Timmerman

    Rand Timmerman
    2026/02/09
    In this episode, Rand Timmerman, a Vietnam War Marine, former mustang officer, JAG attorney, and lifelong alcoholic in recovery, shares one of the most honest stories ever told on this show. From rural poverty and combat in Vietnam to decades of buried trauma, night terrors, and alcohol-fueled survival, Rand walks us through what happens when the past finally demands to be faced. At nearly seventy years old, sober and grieving deep loss, Rand made a radical choice. He walked the Appalachian Trail alongside his brother. Twenty-two hundred miles. One step at a time. Not to escape his demons, but to meet them head-on. This conversation is about war, grief, faith, addiction, brotherhood, and the truth that it is never too late to change course. Subscribe for real transition stories that don’t pull punches: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Growing up in rural poverty and enlisting during Vietnam • Infantry combat, helicopters, bayonets, and survivor’s guilt • Alcohol as a lifelong coping mechanism • Becoming a mustang officer and Marine JAG • Night terrors, PTSD, and a psych ward at 65 • Sobriety and faith later in life • Walking the Appalachian Trail at nearly 70 • Why healing is one hard mile at a time GUEST BIO Rand Timmerman is a Vietnam War Marine veteran, former mustang officer, retired attorney, author, and recovery advocate. After decades of buried trauma and alcoholism, Rand found sobriety and healing later in life. He is the author of A Spiritual Passage, documenting his 2,200-mile journey on the Appalachian Trail and the inner work that came with it. LINKS • Rand Timmerman Website: https://randtimmerman.com • Book: A Spiritual Passage (Amazon) • Email Rand: rand.timmerman@gmail.com • The Strategic Veteran Podcast: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-strategic-veteran/id1743039436
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    1 時間 1 分
  • Kenneth Webb

    Kenneth Webb
    2026/02/02
    In this episode, Kenneth Webb shares what happens when a 33-year Army career, a second career at American Airlines, and every familiar identity finally fall away. After retiring as a lieutenant colonel and realizing no one cared who he used to be, Ken walked away from the U.S., moved to Miraflores, Peru, and began rebuilding life on his own terms. We talk about long-term service in the Army Reserves, deployments to Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, identity loss after retirement, depression, and the decision to stop chasing titles. Ken opens up about learning Spanish through immersion, pursuing a doctorate later in life, and writing his first crime novel not for status or money, but because he had something he needed to say. This conversation is about reinvention, sovereignty, and choosing a life that actually fits. Subscribe for real transition stories and honest frameworks: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • 33 years in the Army Reserves and multiple combat deployments • The identity crash after retiring twice • Depression after losing rank, structure, and mission • Leaving the U.S. and starting over in Peru • Learning Spanish through immersion, not apps • Why Ken started writing crime fiction • Publishing a first novel without chasing approval • Choosing peace over prestige GUEST BIO Kenneth Webb is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, former military intelligence officer, and author. After decades of service and a second civilian career, Ken relocated to Peru where he focuses on writing, language immersion, and personal reinvention. His debut crime novel, Trapped in Deception, explores identity, manipulation, and starting over later in life. LINKS • Kenneth Webb Website: https://kenwebb69.com • Book: Trapped in Deception (Amazon) • The Strategic Veteran Podcast: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-strategic-veteran/id1743039436
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    1 時間 2 分
  • Cory Brown

    Cory Brown
    2026/01/26
    In this episode, Cory Brown opens up about losing a brother-in-arms to suicide and how that loss forced him to confront everything the uniform never prepared him for. After 16 years in the Army and National Guard, Cory experienced the familiar spiral of identity loss, broken tribe, and silence that follows so many veterans after service. That pain became fuel for Eat Your Feelings, a project built around normalizing hard conversations about mental health through food, storytelling, and shared experience. This is a raw conversation about grief, suicide prevention, transition, why “we should do something” is meaningless without action, and how sitting at a table together might save lives. Subscribe for real transition stories and human conversations that actually help: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Losing a close friend to suicide • The real damage that happens after deployments end • Identity, purpose, and tribe after the Army • Why veteran suicide conversations stall out • How Eat Your Feelings was born • Food as a bridge to mental health conversations • Taking action instead of posting condolences GUEST BIO Cory Brown is an Army and National Guard veteran, mental health advocate, and co-creator of Eat Your Feelings. After losing multiple friends to suicide, Cory committed to creating spaces where veterans and civilians can have honest conversations about grief, identity, and healing without stigma. LINKS • Eat Your Feelings Website: https://eatyourfeelingshow.com • Eat Your Feelings Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatyourfeelingshow • Eat Your Feelings TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatyourfeelingsshow • The Strategic Veteran Podcast: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-strategic-veteran/id1743039436
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    58 分
  • Ron Beckner

    Ron Beckner
    2026/01/19
    In this episode, Ron Beckner shares how a career spanning the Navy, Coast Guard, Naval Reserves, and union pipe trades shaped his understanding of discipline, leadership, and money. After 24 years of service and decades in the working class, Ron now teaches veterans and blue-collar Americans how money actually works. We break down why most veterans are never taught financial fundamentals, how bad advice costs careers and retirements, and why money is a tool, not a destination. This is a straight-talk conversation about pensions, TSP mistakes, taxes, investing, and building a financial foundation that can survive real life. Subscribe for real transition stories and practical frameworks: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Nearly missing ship movement and the mindset it created • Navy to Coast Guard to Reserves transitions • Working two jobs for 16 years • Why veterans misunderstand retirement and TSP • The biggest financial traps facing working-class Americans • Money as a tool, not a goal • How to build financial resilience that won’t sink GUEST BIO Ron Beckner is a Navy and Coast Guard veteran, former union pipe fitter, and financial professional focused on educating working-class Americans. He is the author of A Blueprint and Financial Guide for the Working Class American and specializes in helping veterans understand money, taxes, and long-term financial strategy. LINKS • Ron Beckner Website: https://peaks-integrity.com • Email Ron: ron@peaks-integrity.com • Book: A Blueprint and Financial Guide for the Working Class American (Amazon & Audible) • The Strategic Veteran Podcast: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd • Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-strategic-veteran/id1743039436
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    48 分