Here are some excerpts from previous podcast episodes to provide some insight about the authors books being featured. How is this book club any different than other book clubs out there? • It's virtual. • Many of the authors will be participating with us when covering their book. How often do you get to do that with books you’ve read? The intent of this project is to create a community of service members and veterans an opportunity to connect / interact with each other as well as civilians acros...
Jun 18, 2025•32 min•Season 3Ep. 115
In this episode, you will hear clips from previous episodes and upcoming episodes of women who have served in the military. They share their stories about going to a service academy, serving in the military. You will also hear some share lessons in leadership, digging deep within to exercise their resiliency, while others share their experience of God intervening in some situations.
Feb 21, 2025•6 min
Meet Juan “JP” Perez, “The Veteran’s Coach” is a former U.S. Marine Corps Infantryman & Sniper with distinguished service in Afghanistan. He suffered and went through it all, - the veteran ego who refuses to get help, then finally, being able to create his own success through taking ownership over all of his mistakes. JP is also the head coach and owner of the VetRise Academy, where he focuses on empowering veterans through fitness, nutrition, accountability, and community. JP is a veterans'...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 4Ep. 128
Excepts from a various seasons. Including episodes not yet published.
Jan 03, 2025•15 min•Season 5Ep. 150
Martha Elizabeth McSally is an American politician and former military pilot (A-10 Warthog). During her 26-year military career, McSally deployed six times to the Middle East and Afghanistan, flying 325 combat hours and earning the Bronze Star and six Air Medals. She served as U.S. Representative for (AZ-R 2nd Congressional District) 2015-2019 proceeded by time as United States Senator (AZ-R) 2019 to 2020. In her speeches, Martha McSally has the ability to take her lessons learned from combat, l...
Apr 07, 2024•37 min•Season 4Ep. 130
Shannon Hough. She has worn multiple hats as it relates to the military and veteran communities. She’s a military brat (dad served in the Army), she served in the U.S. Navy and is a married to a now retired Army serviceman). If that isn't enough of an understanding of the military life, Shannon Hough is also the mother of a service member. Having a daughter serving in the U.S. Marine Corps (Sempere Fi) Shannon Hough has experienced life tied to various branches of the military as well as differe...
Mar 20, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Season 4Ep. 124
Dr. Mark L. Gordon is an endocrinologist in Magnolia, Texas. He received his medical degree from Universidad de Guadalajara and has been in practice for more than 20 years. Endocrinologists treat hormone-related conditions, which most commonly include diabetes, thyroid disease, pituitary gland issues and hormonal imbalances. Since 2004, Dr. Mark Gordon has spearheaded the application of the science now being used to address and treat individuals suffering with neuropsychiatric illnesses brought ...
Mar 10, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Season 4Ep. 122
Gregg Forrest Martin is a United States Army two-star general who retired as the Special Assistant to the Chief of Engineers in 2014. From July 2012 to July 2014, he was the President of the National Defense University at Fort McNair Army Base in Washington, D.C. Gregg F. Martin, PhD, Major General, US Army (Retired), served on active duty for 36 years, until May 2015. He is a combat veteran, Bipolar Survivor, Airborne-Ranger-Engineer qualified soldier, and Army Strategist. He holds a Ph.D. and ...
Jan 04, 2024•24 min•Season 4Ep. 117
The transition from military service to civilian life can be a complex and challenging journey. For many veterans, it involves not only adjusting to a different lifestyle but also dealing with the physical, mental and spiritual wounds that often result from their service. This Veterans Day, I hope Americans will be willing to take a closer look at the difficulties that many veterans face, and more deeply appreciate their sacrifices and for what they sacrificed. Jon Macaskill - Retired Navy SEAL ...
Nov 11, 2023•27 min
Pasha is a corporate trainer and speaker on the topics of emotional resilience, mental health, overcoming obstacles, thriving through adversity and staying calm under pressure. Pasha Palanker is a two time recipient of the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. He is credited with saving the lives of 15 soldiers by confronting and stopping a suicide bomber in a face to face altercation. Pasha is on a mission to break the stigma associated with Mental Health treatment. He is helping organiza...
Aug 07, 2023•47 min•Season 3Ep. 121
USMC Veteran Dale Walls
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 53 min
Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce a man who exemplifies the utmost skill, dedication, and courage in the field of aviation. Meet John Ballenger, a distinguished Marine One pilot who has soared to great heights in service to our nation. With a firm grip on the controls and an unwavering sense of responsibility, John has been entrusted with the critical task of piloting the iconic Marine One helicopter. As the primary aircraft used to transport the President of the United States, ...
Jul 19, 2023•26 min•Season 3Ep. 118
“In the quiet solitude of her son’s bedroom, her mind drifted and fixated on her husband’s .45 caliber pistol.In November 2018, the sergeant first class thought about suicide for the first time. Since she had accepted an assignment to serve as a platoon sergeant in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), Chelsea struggled to strike a balance of time for duty and family. “I was good enough at work,” she said. “I wasn't good enough at home. I was failing somewhere. … Nothing was good enoug...
Jun 28, 2023•23 min•Season 3Ep. 116
Kate Stewart is a Port Inspection Diver in the Canadian Royal Navy. Port Inspection Divers use compressed air breathing apparatus (CABA) to perform various underwater searches, surveys, and inspections, primarily for the purpose of port security. Port security is one aspect of Maritime Coastal Operations conducted to ensure the maritime security of the nation. Port Inspection Divers often work in conjunction with naval port security teams to provide underwater skill sets in support of the sovere...
Jun 21, 2023•54 min•Season 3Ep. 114
If you were asked to provide an answer on the spot, would you be able to explain the difference between Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, and Veteran’s, would you be able to? On Aug. 31, 1949, Defense Secretary Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the armed forces under one agency -- the Department of Defense. Note: As enacted, S. 1160 is Public Law 89-487 (80 Stat. ...
May 28, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 112
Mandy Hickson (née Wells) was born in Cheshire in 1973. She gained a BSc Joint Honours Degree in Geography and Sports Science from the University of Birmingham. Mandy has over twenty five years experience within aviation. She joined the Royal Air Force in 1994 and was only the second woman to fly the Tornado GR4 operationally; she operated in hostile environments, including patrolling the ‘No Fly’ zone over Iraq; completed three tours of duty and flew fifty missions over Iraq with No. II(AC) Sq...
May 10, 2023•28 min•Season 3Ep. 112
SGT. MICHAEL SUGRUE - USAF Captain | Security Forces (Raven) | Retired Walnut Creek Police Sergeant | #1 Best-Selling Author | Mental Health Warrior | —————- Michael Sugrue began his law enforcement career in the United States Air Force as a Security Forces Officer in 1998. As a Security Forces Officer, Michael specialized in Law Enforcement, Global Force Protection, Anti-Terrorism, Nuclear Security, Foreign Airfield Assessments & Air Base Ground Defense. Michael served in a variety of assig...
Apr 21, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 111
'I had seen dozens of people die horrible deaths ... This time was different. This time it was a friend of mine dying in the dirt in front of me, and it was my job to save him.' Dan Pronk is the author of three bestselling books , a regular keynote speaker, and the resident medic on the hit TV Show, SAS Australia. After failing dismally in his first career dream of being a professional triathlete, he studied medicine on an army scholarship. Upon qualifying as a doctor, he passed the SASR selecti...
Apr 11, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 120
We are only limited by the things we allow to limit us. The keys to success and productivity are already in your pocket. You just need someone to show you the lock and encourage you to open the door. Who would have thought that a woman who pioneered a path for women in the military - excelling at what she did as an Air Force A-10 (Warhog) Pilot could ever struggle with confidence or imposter syndrome? LTC Tammy Barlette (USAF, LTC, Retired) is a mindset and performance expert who specializes in ...
Apr 09, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Doctor Kate Hendricks-Thomas, U.S. Marine Corps Military Police Officer: In 2018, she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer believed to be connected to burn pit exposure in Iraq. In the years since, Kate Hendricks-Thomas tirelessly advocated for herself and other veterans trying to obtain health care and benefits for exposure-related illnesses. Doctor Kate Hendricks Thomas died Tuesday, April 5, 2022, at the age of 42. RESOURCES / REFERENCES Remembering Kate Thomas: Marine Corps Vet, Champio...
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 115
"Inspire until I expire." That's what you will hear him say on his Tic-Tok videos both in and out of the gym. Of course, it will be followed by "Let CENTCOM say 'AMEN!" Born Michael Barnes, Chaplain Col. Khallid Shabazz grew up in a devout Lutheran home in Alexandria, LA "I loved everything about the church," he says. "But there were no men." As a fatherless child without brothers or uncles, he ached for male role models. The only man who played a significant role in his young life was the famil...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 107
Meet US Coast Guard veteran Tammy Barlet of the Washington DC / Baltimore area. Tammy’s originally from a small town in Pennsylvania which is part of the reason she served 8 years in the military [get out of the small town] as an Operations Specialist. She shares the other reason why she joined the military along with what she did, where she’s been, and taught me something about a certain status of the Coast Guard I thought I knew to be true. I was obviously misinformed. Currently, Tammy serves ...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 101
Jessica Buchanan is this week’s guest on an epic episode of The Mettle of Honor Podcast. Jessica Buchanan: Teacher, Author, Humanitarian, Speaker, Survivor On October 25, 2011, while on a routine field mission in Somalia, Jessica was abducted at gunpoint and held for ransom by a group of Somali land pirates for 93 days. Forced to live outdoors in deplorable conditions, starved, and terrorized by more than two dozen gangsters, Jessica’s health steadily deteriorated until, by order of President Ba...
Jan 27, 2023•59 min•Season 3Ep. 106
The episode with U.S. Army Reserve Engineer officer, LTC Lisa (Peplinski) Jaster, will be published here this week as well as on YouTube. In the meantime, here’s some info on women becoming Army Rangers and learn more about Lisa Jaster and her book, “Delete The Adjective.” After graduating with a BS Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy (USMA), Lisa Jaster commissioned as an Engineer Officer and later transferred into the US Army Reserves - still as an engineer officer. Lisa ...
Jan 25, 2023•3 min•Season 3Ep. 107
When you delete your adjectives, who are you? Most people limit themselves to their labels. They embrace barriers based on the box that society puts them in. But your adjectives aren’t your destiny. In "Delete the Adjective: A Soldier’s Adventures in Ranger School," Lisa Jaster proves your merit should always trump your labels. Lisa Jaster is an American Soldier, combat engineer, and one of the first three women to graduate the elite United States Army Ranger program in 2015. One of the most dif...
Jan 21, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 106
U.S. Army Colonel (COL) James Lynch, MD (retired) and Sean Mulvaney are the cofounders of The Stellate Institute. Dr. Jim Lynch is a primary care sports medicine physician who joined the Regenerative Orthopedics & Sports Medicine (ROSM) team after serving 31 years in Army medicine. In April 2021, he co-founded The Stellate Institute in Annapolis, MD to serve as a center of excellence for an innovative PTSD treatment called Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB). Dr. Lynch earned a Bachelor of Science...
Jan 11, 2023•39 min•Season 3Ep. 105
General David Howell Petraeus is a retired four-star general originally from New York. He is a Partner at KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, which he established in May 2013. He is also a member of the boards of directors of Optiv and OneStream, a Strategic Advisor for Sempra, a venture investor in more than 25 startups, and engaged in a variety of academic endeavors. Prior to joining KKR, General Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six cons...
Jan 05, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 104
Jeremy Harrell is a U.S. Army Combat Veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Global War on Terrorism. After serving honorably for nine years as an Active-Duty Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO), he went to school at Mid-Continent University studying Business Management. In 2017, Jeremy founded Veteran’s Club INC, which is a premier nonprofit that assists Veterans in healing from PTSD, TBI, Substance Abuse, and to assist homeless Veterans with housing and programs to get them back on the...
Dec 07, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 100
Meet US Army National Guard Veteran Ashley Gorbulja of the Washington DC area. While serving in the National Guard (Ohio), Ashley functioned as a Military Police Sergeant. She is the Founder & CEO of Guide On! Education. guideoneducation.com | agorbulja@guideoneducation.com | linkedin.com/in/ashley-gorbuljamission2serv | "GuideOn" the Military Community | Founder & CEO | VHA Communications Specialist I TAL Podcast Co-Host | MPH | MAPL | Content Creator | Vetrepreneur | Public Speaker I T...
Nov 24, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 99
Meet US Army Major Bernard Toney, Jr. (Retired) whose last duty station was none other than the White House Medical Staff. and was further assigned as the healthcare provider to the President of the United States, the Vice President, and their spouses. I bet that was like HIPAA on steroids. "During his service in the White House Medical Unit, he conducted 84 domestic and five overseas missions in support of the President and Vice President. Consequently, he assessed hospital systems and witnesse...
Nov 16, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 98
