Episodes

Sam Mackey retired from the U.S. Navy with over 20 years of service in SEAL Teams, having served first as a Sniper at SEAL Team Eight before pivoting to SEAL Team Four. During his tenure he deployed to the likes of Iraq, Afghanistan, Uganda, Cameroon, and more. He's also nearly a record-holder, having taken a shot at the title (literally) with a particularly long-distance engagement during his time in Afghanistan. Today, he's the CEO and Co-Owner of Outsider, a high-quality outdoor lifestyle bra...

The crisis at the southern border is a hotly-contested topic among Americans, but few have seen the realities of the situation quite like Arizona Chief Deputy Sheriff Matthew Thomas. During his 31 years on the force, he's served in a variety of roles, from SWAT to Detention to Narcotics, and he's seen firsthand just how awful human beings can be to one another when there's something to be gained. In fact, that's why he sat down with Mike in studio in the first place - to talk about the very real...

The crisis at the southern border is a hotly-contested topic among Americans, but few have seen the realities of the situation quite like Arizona Chief Deputy Sheriff Matthew Thomas. During his 31 years on the force, he's served in a variety of roles, from SWAT to Detention to Narcotics, and he's seen firsthand just how awful human beings can be to one another when there's something to be gained. In fact, that's why he sat down with Mike in studio in the first place - to talk about the very real...

Matthew Thomas is an active-duty Chief Deputy Sheriff in Pinal County, Arizona - one of the fastest growing counties in the country, in no small part due to it's proximity to the southern border. During his over 31 years of duty, Matthew's served in Detention, Patrol, Traffic, Training, Academy, Narcotics, Anti-Smuggling, Motors and SWAT. Not only is Matthew a tried and true on-the-ground resource for the current crisis at the border - he's also a bellwether for how judicial precedence has worke...

Matthew Thomas is an active-duty Chief Deputy Sheriff in Pinal County, Arizona - one of the fastest growing counties in the country, in no small part due to it's proximity to the southern border. During his over 31 years of duty, Matthew's served in Detention, Patrol, Traffic, Training, Academy, Narcotics, Anti-Smuggling, Motors and SWAT. Not only is Matthew a tried and true on-the-ground resource for the current crisis at the border - he's also a bellwether for how judicial precedence has worke...

Anyone can be Special Operations - or at least, that's what Mike O'Dowd thinks. To him, Special Operations is a mindset - one about never accepting failure and refusing to settle for mediocrity. He's a 9 year Navy SEAL Vet with SEAL Team Seven, having deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He's served as a Breacher, Fighter, Waterman, Weapons Instructor, and he's even qualified as an NCAA Division 1 Athlete in rowing. He even founded Defense Strategies Training Group, a collective of Special Operatio...

Anyone can be Special Operations - or at least, that's what Mike O'Dowd thinks. To him, Special Operations is a mindset - one about never accepting failure and refusing to settle for mediocrity. He's a 9 year Navy SEAL Vet with SEAL Team Seven, having deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He's served as a Breacher, Fighter, Waterman, Weapons Instructor, and he's even qualified as an NCAA Division 1 Athlete in rowing. He even founded Defense Strategies Training Group, a collective of Special Operatio...

Training an animal to move, obey, and communicate effectively is no easy feat - especially when you're serving at the Tip of the Spear. That's where SEAL Team Seven Canine Handler Chris Cappa met Mickey anyway - a scrappy pup that would go on to become an absolute beast on deployment, snagging bites and catching bombs for nearly every op he went on. Of course, that's only part of the story, and finding out the full weight of the military's might in the wake of the coronavirus scare, traveling to...

Training an animal to move, obey, and communicate effectively is no easy feat - especially when you're serving at the Tip of the Spear. That's where SEAL Team Ten Canine Handler Chris Cappa met Mickey anyway - a scrappy pup that would go on to become an absolute beast on deployment, snagging bites and catching bombs for nearly every op he went on. Of course, that's only part of the story, and finding out the full weight of the military's might in the wake of the coronavirus scare, traveling to f...

Every warrior has a different reason for going over the wire. For Chris Cappa, it was almost destiny; a chance encounter at a local gym turned into a series of relationships that were suddenly severed in a 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown - otherwise known as Extortion 17. Soon after, Chris found himself headed to bootcamp, and before long, deploying at the Tip of the Spear with SEAL Team Seven in West Africa and Afghanistan. It wouldn't be long before Chris would find his real passion...

Every warrior has a different reason for going over the wire. For Chris Cappa, it was almost destiny; a chance encounter at a local gym turned into a series of relationships that were suddenly severed in a 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown - otherwise known as Extortion 17. Soon after, Chris found himself headed to bootcamp, and before long, deploying at the Tip of the Spear with SEAL Team Ten in West Africa and Afghanistan. It wouldn't be long before Chris would find his real passion -...

There's more to being a Marine Squad Infantry Leader than simply telling other Marines what to do. You're not only responsible for your squad's successes, but you also feel the weight of the most devastating of failures. But The Battle of Marjah isn't where Lions of Marjah author Ryan Rogers' story ends - a resurgence of vengeance, a Five-Day War, and getting out alive is all an integral part of the tale. Remember - it's not about the choices, it's about the chances. ---------- Get Your Copy o...

There's more to being a Marine Squad Infantry Leader than simply telling other Marines what to do. You're not only responsible for your squad's successes, but you also feel the weight of the most devastating of failures. But The Battle of Marjah isn't where Lions of Marjah author Ryan Rogers' story ends - a resurgence of vengeance, a Five-Day War, and getting out alive is all an integral part of the tale. Remember - it's not about the choices, it's about the chances. ---------- Get Your Copy o...

The Battle of Marjah. A knock-down, drag-out, world class brawl. Featuring over 15,000 soldiers from all over the world, it was the largest joint operation in Afghanistan up to that point. And Ryan Rogers knows it better than most - he was a Marine Infantry Squad Leader for the whole damn thing. He was on the ground for the first day, and the next, and the day after, making the sort of decisions most wouldn't dare face. He's also the host of the Choices Not Chances podcast, and he's the author o...

The Battle of Marjah. A knock-down, drag-out, world class brawl. Featuring over 15,000 soldiers from all over the world, it was the largest joint operation in Afghanistan up to that point. And Ryan Rogers knows it better than most - he was a Marine Infantry Squad Leader for the whole damn thing. He was on the ground for the first day, and the next, and the day after, making the sort of decisions most wouldn't dare face. He's also the host of the Choices Not Chances podcast, and he's the author o...

After 7 years of flying as an Apache Helicopter Pilot for the Army, Ryan Fugit knew it was time to settle down. So naturally, he moved back to the States, settled in with his family, and immediately joined the CIA as a Collection Management Officer. But working at The Agency isn't all office work - Ryan spent time in Europe and North Africa, rubbing elbows with some of the most unique individuals in spy craft. He even took his kids on a couple of operations, though they'd never know it at the ti...

After 7 years of flying as an Apache Helicopter Pilot for the Army, Ryan Fugit knew it was time to settle down. So naturally, he moved back to the States, settled in with his family, and immediately joined the CIA as a Collection Management Officer. But working at The Agency isn't all office work - Ryan spent time in Europe and North Africa, rubbing elbows with some of the most unique individuals in spy craft. He even took his kids on a couple of operations, though they'd never know it at the ti...

Ryan Fugit is pretty good at seeing the bigger picture. Nowadays, he's a podcast host - hosting 'Combat Stories,' a weekly interview series dedicated to sharing war stories from some truly incredible veteran warriors - but before podcasting, he was a veteran himself, having served over seven years as an Army AH-64 Apache Helicopter pilot in Afghanistan in the post-9/11 era. After that, he spent eight years at the CIA (or 'The Agency', as it's known internally), supporting warfighters indirectly ...

Ryan Fugit is pretty good at seeing the bigger picture. Nowadays, he's a podcast host - hosting 'Combat Stories,' a weekly interview series dedicated to sharing war stories from some truly incredible veteran warriors - but before podcasting, he was a veteran himself, having served over seven years as an Army AH-64 Apache Helicopter pilot in Afghanistan in the post-9/11 era. After that, he spent eight years at the CIA (or 'The Agency', as it's known internally), supporting warfighters indirectly ...

Wait a minute, TOPGUN only trains students to become instructors? Turns out, there's quite a few details the Tom Cruise movies missed when it comes to the most elite flying academy in the world - but when it comes to real world dogfighting, it's not all about academics. It's truly a mental game, where you mean to outwit the opposite pilot before they can get the jump on you. Just take it from Jack Stewart - after he passed through TOPGUN he too became an instructor, before pivoting into commerc...

Wait a minute, TOPGUN only trains students to become instructors? Turns out, there's quite a few details the Tom Cruise movies missed when it comes to the most elite flying academy in the world - but when it comes to real world dogfighting, it's not all about academics. It's truly a mental game, where you mean to outwit the opposite pilot before they can get the jump on you. Just take it from Jack Stewart - after he passed through TOPGUN he too became an instructor, before pivoting into commerc...

Why's my dog so aggressive? How can I start to train them more effectively? And what's the secret to getting any dog to truly obey your commands? There may be a million ways to skin a cat, but dog training doesn't have to be that complicated. Just ask Mike Ritland. When he's not hosting his podcast, he's hard at work over at Teamdog, training elite protection dogs and providing nutrition, supplies, and insight solutions for dog owners everywhere. That's why he's sitting down for a special end-of...

Why's my dog so aggressive? How can I start to train them more effectively? And what's the secret to getting any dog to truly obey your commands? There may be a million ways to skin a cat, but dog training doesn't have to be that complicated. Just ask Mike Ritland. When he's not hosting his podcast, he's hard at work over at Teamdog, training elite protection dogs and providing nutrition, supplies, and insight solutions for dog owners everywhere. That's why he's sitting down for a special end-of...

Jack Stewart always wanted to fly. Following in his pilot father's footsteps, he pursued a career in aviation at the U.S. Naval Academy before serving 23 years as a fighter pilot, flying combat missions from three different aircraft carriers and deploying to Afghanistan as a member of an Air Force Tactical Air Control Party. He's also a graduate of the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as TOPGUN, both for it's esteemed reputation of bringing up the finest dogfighters in the country,...