Brad Colbert is a retired Marine Master Sergeant with 30 years of military and government service. He served with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion in Afghanistan in 2001 and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where he led Marines in combat and was later depicted in Generation Kill. After retiring from active duty, he continued working in support of the Intelligence Community before shifting his focus to leadership, resilience, and veteran advocacy through The Carry On Podcast and the Recon Foundation.

We talked about combat, responsibility, and what happens when the uniform comes off. A major part of this conversation was veteran mental health and the reality that too many men are still fighting alone. Brad is working to change that. This episode is about ownership, connection, and making sure the people who served don't suffer in silence.

Find Brad Here: https://bradcolbert.us/

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Young Michael dove deep on his internet research for this Friday. We spent an hour discussing a variety of topics, and as usual, he did not disappoint:

-Black Belts Freaking Out and Punching Purple Belts

-Do Weapons Fire By Themselves?

-The Reality of Steven Seagal Movies

-Social Media Comments and Arrests in Europe

-Helicopter Crashes into the Snow

-The Epstein File debacle

And much more......

Enjoy-

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Mark Greaney is one of the most successful thriller authors working today — a #1 New York Times bestselling writer who built an entire spy fiction universe with his Gray Man series and helped carry forward Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan legacy. His novels have become global hits, translated into dozens of languages, and turned into major motion pictures on Netflix starring high-profile talent. We dive deep into what separates hobbyists from career storytellers, why meticulous research matters, and how Greaney approaches pacing, character, and realism in a crowded genre.

In this episode, Greaney walks us through his journey from early drafts to international bestseller, the hustle behind sustaining a long-running series, and how real-world preparation — from travel to tactical training — feeds the kind of action readers devour but seldom see the work behind.

The Hard Line:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/786216/the-hard-line-by-mark-greaney/

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