Episodios

  • Rand Timmerman

    Rand Timmerman
    Feb 9 2026
    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 h y 1 m
  • Kenneth Webb

    Kenneth Webb
    Feb 2 2026
    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 h y 2 m
  • Cory Brown

    Cory Brown
    Jan 26 2026
    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 m
  • Ron Beckner

    Ron Beckner
    Jan 19 2026
    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 m
  • Tommy Kilpatrick

    Tommy Kilpatrick
    Jan 12 2026
    In this episode, Tommy Kilpatrick shares how he deliberately burned his life to the ground. After decades of marriage, running medical clinics, and building financial stability, Tommy chose homelessness, took a vow of poverty, and walked away from everything he owned. What followed was a radical experiment in faith, healing, fasting, alternative health, and service. From working with Marines suffering from severe PTSD to teaching self-managed health clinics, farming, and bamboo housing in the Philippines, this is a conversation about letting go of money, titles, comfort, and control in order to reclaim purpose. This is not a feel-good story. It is a confrontation with attachment, identity, and what it actually costs to live on your own terms. Subscribe for real transition stories and unconventional frameworks: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Choosing homelessness and a vow of poverty • Running alternative medical clinics for PTSD and trauma • Why fasting, grounding, and discipline change the nervous system • Working with Marines at Camp Pendleton • Detaching from money, status, and control • Building a new life centered on service and simplicity GUEST BIO Tommy Kilpatrick is a former medical clinic operator, author, and lifelong experimenter in alternative health and intentional living. After walking away from wealth and comfort, Tommy now focuses on teaching self-managed health practices, fasting, farming, and community-based healing, currently working with farmers and communities in the Philippines. ⸻ LINKS • Tommy Kilpatrick Facebook: https://www.facebook.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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    51 m
  • Zack Miller

    Zack Miller
    Jan 5 2026
    In this episode, Zack Miller, founder and CEO of Patriot Growth Capital, breaks down why entrepreneurship is one of the most powerful paths back to purpose after the military. Raised by two Marines and surrounded by service his entire life, Zack shares how he walked away from corporate America to help veterans become business owners instead of employees. We talk identity loss, risk, money, network, and why owning cash-flowing businesses creates real freedom after service. This is a no-fluff conversation about building generational wealth, teaching veterans how to fish, and reclaiming control after the uniform comes off. Subscribe for real transition stories and frameworks that actually work: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd ⸻ EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Why corporate America fails veterans • Identity, purpose, and tribe after service • The myth that entrepreneurship is “too risky” • Buying cash-flowing businesses instead of starting from scratch • Patriot Growth Capital’s 5-year veteran ownership model • Teaching veterans how to build generational wealth GUEST BIO Zack Miller is the founder and CEO of Patriot Growth Capital, an acquisition platform designed to help veterans become business owners. With a background in sales leadership, startups, and capital strategy, Zack now focuses on acquiring profitable businesses and training veterans to run and eventually own them. LINKS • Patriot Growth Capital: https://patriotgrowthcapital.com • Email Zack: z.miller@patriotgrowthcapital.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 h y 3 m
  • Russell Torgerson

    Russell Torgerson
    Dec 29 2025
    In this episode, Russ Torgerson shares how a 31-year Coast Guard career as a rescue swimmer and pilot shaped his identity, and how losing that identity nearly destroyed him after retirement. From pulling bodies out of the water to flying missions in some of the harshest conditions on earth, Russ opens up about PTSD, depression, alcohol, and the long road back to purpose. We talk about the veteran transition, identity loss after service, finding a new tribe, and why physical struggle and community matter more than most transition programs ever admit. Subscribe for real transition stories and frameworks that actually help: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd ⸻ EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Becoming one of the first Coast Guard rescue swimmers • What continuous trauma does to the nervous system • Leaving service after 31 years and losing identity • Depression, alcohol, and the silent spiral after retirement • Why most veterans say “I’ve got this” when they don’t • Finding healing through jiu-jitsu, discipline, and tribe ⸻ GUEST BIO Russ Torgerson is a retired Coast Guard commander, former rescue swimmer (RS-68), pilot, and aviation program leader. After 31 years of service, Russ now focuses on mentorship, personal growth, and helping veterans navigate identity loss and life after the uniform. ⸻ MEGAPHONE LINKS • Russ Torgerson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russtorg • 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 h y 8 m
  • Robert Novotny

    Robert Novotny
    Dec 22 2025
    In this episode, Robert Novotny shares how he went from a Marine navigating loss, NJP, and suicide inside the ranks to building a life of purpose through financial planning and veteran advocacy. We dig into the reality of the veteran transition from military to civilian life, including grief, identity loss, money mistakes, and what actually creates stability after service. This conversation covers suicide prevention, leadership failures, entrepreneurship, and why real wealth is about legacy, not status. Subscribe for real transition stories and frameworks that work: https://open.spotify.com/show/3U8FOupOu070V00PXR4DSd ⸻ EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS • Losing a close friend to suicide on his birthday • Leadership lessons learned the hard way • Why TAP fails most veterans • Transitioning from the Marine Corps to civilian life • Building wealth with intention, not hype • Veteran entrepreneurship and legacy building ⸻ GUEST BIO Robert Novotny is a former United States Marine, financial planner, and founder of Vets Lives Matter. He works primarily with veteran-owned businesses, helping them build long-term financial stability, generational wealth, and purpose after service. ⸻ LINKS • Robert Novotny LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com • Vets Lives Matter: https://www.instagram.com/vetslivesmatter • Strategic Planning Associates: https://strategicplanningassociates.nm.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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    59 m