Send us a text In this episode of our podcast, we kick off with a discussion about the challenges of being an infantryman and the debate over who makes the better host for the show. We then delve into some of our favorite episodes from this season, including the highly downloaded episode featuring Michael Rodriquez, who shares his experiences and work with the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation. Mike Lavigne's most downloaded episodes include interviews with Nich Palmisciano and Chelsey...
Dec 24, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Send us a text Logan always knew that he wanted to live life differently and sought ways to challenge himself. After the 9/11 attack, he knew that the military was the logical route. When he joined, he attended the premier military leadership school, Ranger School. He decided to go to Special Forces (SF) selection and after multiple deployments with SF along with almost 10 years of service, he applied to Harvard and was accepted for his undergraduate degree. But he didn’t stop there, he continue...
Dec 10, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Send us a text Michael “Rod” Rodriguez grew up surrounded by men who’d served their nation - and his pursuit of the same life of service showed him humanity at its best - and also at its most depraved. After seeing the humanitarian crises in Somalia and Haiti up close, Rod chose the life of the Green Beret. He tells us the journey he took – the twisty path that placed him in the position he currently holds, as the president and CEO of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation. If you enjoy...
Nov 26, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Send us a text Mike met Kevin and Jessica through the Veterans Yoga Project where Jessica was an instructor while Mike and Kevin were her students. In this episode, they talk about why they joined the military and some of the good and bad of military service. They all had different reasons for joining the military along with different experiences, but they shared the same struggles after they transitioned from the military to civilian life. It was difficult to integrate after deployments and not...
Nov 12, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Send us a text CPT Benjamin Ordiway is a Philosophy Instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point. After serving as a Cavalry Scout in the 82nd Airborne and Cavalry Officer, he made a shift to Civil Affairs and served in 1st Special Forces Group. In 2020, he pursued his Master’s Degree in Philosophy from University of Michigan. Along the way, he found his passion and incredible insights into ethical training and moral reasoning. He has authored multiple articles which have been ...
Oct 22, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Send us a text Growing up in a rowhouse in blue-collar North Philly gave Patrick J. Murphy a full education before he ever stepped foot in college. Those humble beginnings launched him into a career in the law, service in the Army, and ultimately into the halls of Congress as the first veteran elected with service in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Murphy’s resume is long and diverse, and his experiences defy an one label we could try to assign - but AIP co-host Mike Lavigne did his damndest, as he exp...
Oct 08, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Send us a text Matt joined the Air Force to travel the world, but initially he only joined to do one enlistment. But after the events of 9/11, he was called to dedicate his life to flying the skies as a crew member of Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (STARS) program. After spending two decades burning holes in the sky, Matt decided it was time to find a new path. His next adventure would meld together his passion for friends, the outdoors, and playing games. He invented the Rollers ...
Sep 24, 2022•58 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Send us a text One NCO’s first experience in combat completely changed the trajectory of his life - and put him on a focused path to a lofty goal: help every member of the joint force be physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared to fight in the most disadvantageous terrain on their worst day – and win. John Wayne Troxell, who served as a command sergeant major for 20 years before becoming the third Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2015, learned a lot i...
Sep 10, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Send us a text Colonel John Spencer is a scholar, author, combat veteran, scholar, and is recognized across the globe for his expertise in urban warfare. He enlisted in the Army and quickly rose to become a senior non-commissioned officer before becoming an officer. In this episode, Mike and John talk about how he got his start in writing and some of the mentors that helped him. Unlike most, he went straight for the big leagues as his article was accepted and ran by the New York Times. From an A...
Aug 27, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Send us a text SGT Retired Michael Sugrue served as a police officer for 14 years and also served in the Air Force as an officer in the Raven Program. After 8 years as a police officer, he would answer a call that would forever change his life. What ensued for the rest of his career can be described as a perfect storm of trauma. In those final years of his time as a police officer, he went through a divorce and a 4 year investigation into his actions on the previously mentioned call. He watched ...
Aug 13, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Send us a text Larry Broughton has an incredible wealth of knowledge – he’s a bestselling author, Green Beret, and award-winning speaker about leadership and entrepreneurship. Larry opens the episode talking about the Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) and how he gives back to the veteran community. Larry offers thoughts on why veterans are more successful in entrepreneurship, crediting this to the fact that veterans tend to have a servant mind frame. Larry talks abou...
Jul 23, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Send us a text CSM Herman Estrada opens this episode with his origin story as a troubled young kid who got into a lot of trouble, which resulted in him moving out of the home as a teenager. Homeless and struggling, he eventually was able to get a construction job. After a life changing injury, he knew he needed to make a change and this wasn’t how life was supposed to be lived. He made the decision to join the Army, but enlisting wasn’t that simple. Working 12 hours a day, doing school another 6...
Jul 09, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Send us a text “What are you gonna do when you get out, start a veteran t-shirt business like everyone else?” It’s likely a joke we’ve all heard, but without West Point grad and former infantry officer Nick Palmisciano, the concept of being a high-profile veteran entrepreneur wouldn’t really be a reality. He built a side gig as a t-shirt producer into the extremely successful company Ranger Up, the social media and apparel powerhouse of the early 2010’s. Nick’s journey from his childhood in Ital...
Jun 25, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Send us a text Freddie came from humble beginnings in the United Kingdom, he described his upbringing as not terrible but a difficult one. So naturally as he envisioned his life as an adult, money was the central theme to that vision. After he graduated college, he sought out employment in the corporate world and immediately felt like an imposter. Regardless, he put his head down and got to work, losing himself in the fast paced and rock-star lifestyle where he finally owned the nice house, BMW,...
Jun 11, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Send us a text There are two qualities that will make anyone successful in the military - hard work and dedication. West Point grad, former 1/75 Ranger and freshly-retired NFL player Alejandro Villanueva breaks down how those same two qualities, over time, can make you successful anywhere - from college, to the Army, and all the way to the National Football League. AIP co-host Mike Lavigne had to choke back some of his Baltimore Ravens fanaticism to make it through the hour conversation with Ale...
May 28, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Send us a text From a young age, Major Tony Nash has had an analytical mind and looked at life as a series of lessons. In this episode, Tony talks about how losing his father impacted him and how it would set a lot of things in motion for the rest of his life. He was lucky though and a role model recommended him looking into attending the United States West Point. In this episode, Tony leads with transparency and discusses how he has learned that closure is a personal journey and not leaving thi...
May 14, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Send us a text In this episode, we talk with Dr. Daniel Libby who is the founder of Veterans Yoga Project (VYP). He talks about how he got started in yoga, mindfulness, and veteran support. His admiration for veterans and the realization that we invest a lot in Soldiers and their training. However, we don’t take a deliberate approach to their mental and physical health. VYP hopes to help this effort and provide resources in and out of uniform. Dr. Libby’s own trauma and struggles were also a fac...
Apr 30, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Send us a text Admittedly, we’ve interviewed some interesting folks on this show – but not too many AS interesting as former Florida State basketball player, Army veteran, cybersecurity expert and social media influencer AJ Yawn. Yeah, that’s a lot. AJ’s journey from military brat to influencer, with stops at the NCAA’s Sweet 16 and the 82nd Airborne Division, really demonstrates how mindset and focus can help us change dreams to goals – and goals into accomplishments. From achieving his goal as...
Apr 16, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Send us a text In this episode Mike sits with Darin Pepple to talk about his time in uniform and his book; Dodge Bomb: Outside the Wire in the Second Iraq War .Darin realized when was young that the traditional path wasn’t for him. In this AIP Episode Darin and Mike talk about how that drove him to raise his right hand and join the Army. The Army’s discipline is what gave Darin structure in life. When he initially joined, he was part of a mounted stinger team. Darin decided to become an officer ...
Apr 02, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Send us a text We’ve all known people with the occasional side hustle - the part-time gig that puts a little extra money in your pocket - but you’ve never met anyone with an after hours job like Phillip Kennedy Johnson. Phillip is an active duty Master Sergeant who serves as a trumpeter in the U.S. Army Field Band at Fort Meade, MD - but as well known as he is for his skills with the horn, he’s more well-known these days as the writer of DC Comics’ flagship title Action Comics - and the architec...
Mar 19, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Send us a text Kim Scott is best selling and critical acclaimed author of Radical Candor: Be a Kick Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity and Just Work: How to Root out Bias, Prejudice and Bullying to Build a Kick-Ass Culture of Inclusivity . Both of these books are must read for any leader or person to understand bias that exists and how we create environments that are free of B.S.! It this episode Kim talks about how she got started on this path of identifying bias and actions that detract fro...
Mar 05, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 3
Send us a text This is our first episode with Mike Lavigne at the helm. He’s serving as our new co-host and has been a longtime fan and supporter of AIP. In this episode - in the 100 years of its existence and the dozens of years it’s been under 24 hour guard, there have only been five women to serve as “Sentinels” of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. No female noncommissioned officer had ever served as the Sergeant of the Guard - that is, until 2020 and the arrival...
Feb 19, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Send us a text Major General Mick Ryan is a general officer in the Australian Army. He has held positions from Troop to Brigade level as an Officer and as a General where his positions have spanned the globe. He holds a Master’s Degree from John Hopkins University in International Public Policy. His works have been featured in many blogs and he also wrote the foreword for the book, To Boldly Go and will publish his first sole work, War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power ...
Feb 05, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Send us a text Mike Lavigne has served across the Army as a Public Affairs specialist, with time in Eighth Army, TRADOC and most recently leading the Sergeant Major of the Army’s “This is My Squad” initiative. Throughout his career, he has helped to make sure that soldiers' stories are told and promoted across the world. In this episode sits down to talk about a life of service, how his time has humbled him and also gives him a purpose he never imagined. It hasn’t always been easy and there have...
Nov 27, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Send us a text Hannah Wagstaff is a 14-year-old MMA Fighter with a professional record of 3-1. She is also a white belt in Jiu-Jitsu and a balanced fighter with a great ground game, while still holding her own when she is standing. In this episode Hannah and her father, Chris, talk about how she got started in MMA, what the process has been like, and how it turned into a passion that her entire family supports and has a role in. They also talk about an opportunity she had to travel to Bulgaria t...
Nov 20, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 51
Send us a text Mike Erwin is the founder of Team Red, White and Blue which has the mission of enriching veteran’s lives by connecting them with communities through fitness and social activities. This community has over 190 locations across the country, 200,000 members and close to 250,000 check-ins for 2020. Find out more about Team RWB here: Team Red, White and Blue Mike is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserves, his current assignment is as an Assistant Professor at Unite...
Nov 13, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Send us a text Tyr Symank is Green Beret, author, contractor and currently the Program Manager at Black Rifle Coffee Company. He is a man of many talents and even more stories. In this episode we got a chance to sit down with Tyr (after 5-6 reschedules) to talk about relationships, Afghanistan, struggling in life and his crazy career. Tyr and Mike have known each other since 2011 when they met at the University of Washington’s ROTC program where they served as Military Science Instructors. They ...
Nov 06, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Send us a text David Fivecoat is a retired Colonel, author, executive coach and loves to help people become better leaders. In this episode David and Mike talk about leadership, relationships, growing grit and core principles to effective habits. How these are important aspects of success in and out of uniform. David recently wrote a book about growing grit as a leader and within an organization. David talks about the idea and process of writing his book. One of the key aspects is setting goals,...
Oct 30, 2021•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 48
Send us a text Jeramiah Solven is a former Army Ranger Officer with time in the 75th Ranger Regiment. After his time in the Army, he made a change and dove into entrepreneurship. He is the founder of Conquer Academy which helps leaders win through personal and group coaching, podcast, newsletter, and books. Unlike a lot of high-performance coaches, Jeremiah continues to set the example through his own personal ventures. He also has been active in the MMA community and regularly competes in fight...
Oct 23, 2021•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 47
Send us a text In this episode Mike talks with Jon Macaskill (Former Navy Seal, Mindful Coach) and Will Schnieder (Mindfulness, Yoga and Meditation instructor) about the mindfulness movement. They started a Podcast called Men Talking Mindfulness, the hope is to bring awareness to the power of the mindfulness. Additionally, they are innovative in their approach to podcasts. Doing live sessions where they call up listeners to ask questions and contribute to the episodes. Every episode is an advent...
Oct 16, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 46
