The BreakLine Arena

What does resilience look like when the market turns against you?

In Episode 78 of the BreakLine Arena, Team BreakLine’s own, Natalia Peddycoart, sits down with Jackson Fairburn, a former U.S. Army AH-64 Apache pilot, company commander, and now Mission Success Lead at Swarm Aero, to unpack his journey from nine years of military service into a volatile 2022 tech hiring market.

Jackson shares how he translated high-stakes aviation leadership into civilian impact, landed a solutions engineering role at Evolv Technology during a downturn, earned rapid promotions, and ultimately returned to aviation-focused innovation by staying open to unexpected opportunity.

This conversation is about more than transition.

It’s about reinvention.

Reassessing priorities as life evolves.

Trusting the process when outcomes feel uncertain.

And adopting a mindset Jackson calls: “Be Open to Yes.”

Whether you’re navigating a pivot, leading through ambiguity, or searching for true mission fit, this episode offers a grounded, tactical look at resilience in action.

If you’re a visionary founder or a purpose-driven top performer building the future with clarity, community, and access to the most ambitious companies in America, join us!

Learn more about our Effects-Based Hiring approach here: partners.breakline.org

Sam Jones started his career as a GS-7 cyber operator in the Air Force. Today, he’s the co-founder and CEO of Method Security, a bleeding-edge, dual-use cybersecurity and AI company that has raised $26M from top investors, including Andreesen Horowitz and General Catalyst.

In this BreakLine Arena conversation, Sam doesn’t just talk with Zayn (CEO and Host) about cybersecurity; he talks about building for the business effect from the onset. Sam unpacks why his team chose what he describes as the “psychotic approach” of serving Fortune 500 companies and the Department of War from day one. Resilient software isn’t a strategic choice but a structural requirement if the government and Fortune 500 are to secure their organizations. And what it means to design a company, technically and culturally, around the hardest missions first.

“To become resilient, you need to test the whole of the enterprise all the time where it matters most.”

This episode is about more than AI and cyber. It’s about raising standards. Building teams with real conviction. Choosing the harder path early so the ceiling stays high later and for the long game.

If you’re a visionary founder or a purpose-driven top performer building the future with clarity, community, and access to the most ambitious companies in America, join us!

Learn more about our Effects-Based Hiring approach here: BreakLine.org

In the first episode of 2026, we’re bringing you a fresh conversation that sits at the intersection of purpose and performance.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena to hear Justin Crocker, Head of People & Talent of the a16z-backed startup, Sharp Performance, pull back the curtain on his strategy for building high-caliber teams. Justin discusses his career and the key decision-making variables along the way, what the team at Sharp Performance is building for their front-line customers in high-risk jobs, and how the team hires with an incredibly high bar. In this episode, Justin joins Zayn Knaub in The BreakLine Arena to pull apart the “black box’ of high-stakes hiring, team-building, and post-military careers.

From out of the dense, directionless fog of transitioning out of service to leading a team that is “literally saving and changing people’s lives,” don’t miss his gems about building for longevity, not just short-term performance.

If you’re a visionary founder or a purpose-driven top performer building the future with clarity, community, and access to the most ambitious companies in America, join us!

Learn more about our Effects-Based Hiring approach here: BreakLine.org