WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.359 Okay, let's start with a mental image. I want 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:06.280 you to picture the ultimate archetype of the 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:10.320 modern American warrior. You're likely visualizing 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:13.359 a guy who looks like he was carved out of grommet. 00:00:13.550 --> 00:00:15.990 Someone who just commands a room by the way he 00:00:15.990 --> 00:00:19.690 stands with a voice that sounds like gravel crunching 00:00:19.690 --> 00:00:22.269 under a tank tread. Right. You're thinking combat 00:00:22.269 --> 00:00:25.329 tactics intensity. Naturally. That is the brand. 00:00:25.449 --> 00:00:27.089 I mean, that is the image on the book jacket. 00:00:27.109 --> 00:00:30.190 That's that scary Navy fuel archetype that pop 00:00:30.190 --> 00:00:32.229 culture has basically been feeding us for the 00:00:32.229 --> 00:00:35.149 last 20 years. Exactly. But here's where it gets 00:00:35.149 --> 00:00:37.590 really, really interesting. What if I told you 00:00:37.590 --> 00:00:40.299 that the same guy. the one who spent his career 00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:42.219 hunting insurgents in the most dangerous city 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:45.299 in Iraq, holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, 00:00:45.479 --> 00:00:49.600 that he spends his spare time analyzing, I don't 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:52.119 know, Shakespearean narrative structures, that 00:00:52.119 --> 00:00:54.460 he writes children's books about overcoming fears 00:00:54.460 --> 00:00:56.979 for, you know, for elementary schoolers. And 00:00:56.979 --> 00:00:59.140 just to throw another curveball into the mix, 00:00:59.159 --> 00:01:01.560 as of 2026, he is sitting on the board of directors 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:03.840 for a major league soccer team. alongside pop 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:07.319 culture icons like Issa Rae and global soccer 00:01:07.319 --> 00:01:09.540 stars. It just creates this massive cognitive 00:01:09.540 --> 00:01:11.719 dissonance, doesn't it? It just doesn't fit the 00:01:11.719 --> 00:01:13.840 box we want to put him in. It creates a paradox, 00:01:14.019 --> 00:01:16.319 and that is exactly where this deep dive begins. 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:19.200 I mean, if you only look at the surface level, 00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:21.540 the memes, the good video, the black and white 00:01:21.540 --> 00:01:23.819 Instagram photos of his wristwatch at 4 .30 in 00:01:23.819 --> 00:01:26.319 the morning, you are missing the actual story. 00:01:26.459 --> 00:01:27.819 You're missing the substance. You're missing 00:01:27.819 --> 00:01:30.379 all of it. The source material we have today. 00:01:30.909 --> 00:01:33.810 which includes his full military biography, his 00:01:33.810 --> 00:01:36.709 bibliography, and his business filings up to 00:01:36.709 --> 00:01:40.750 January 2026, it reveals a much, much more complex 00:01:40.750 --> 00:01:42.890 figure. We aren't just looking at a soldier here. 00:01:42.950 --> 00:01:44.849 We're looking at a soldier philosopher. And that 00:01:44.849 --> 00:01:48.170 is our specific mission for this deep dive. We 00:01:48.170 --> 00:01:50.469 aren't just going to recite a Wikipedia biography. 00:01:50.849 --> 00:01:53.349 Anyone can do that. We need to figure out the 00:01:53.349 --> 00:01:56.290 translation mechanism. How does a career defined 00:01:56.290 --> 00:01:59.799 by extreme violence in Ramadi, I mean, arguably 00:01:59.799 --> 00:02:03.159 the most dangerous place on Earth in 2006. How 00:02:03.159 --> 00:02:05.219 does that translate into a mainstream philosophy 00:02:05.219 --> 00:02:08.719 of business and parenting and life that applies 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:11.240 to a software engineer in Seattle just as much 00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:13.699 as a soldier? Precisely. We need to connect the 00:02:13.699 --> 00:02:15.780 dots between the battlefield and the boardroom. 00:02:16.039 --> 00:02:18.560 Because frankly, there are a lot of ex -military 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:20.719 guys who write books. A lot. There are a lot 00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:23.360 of tough guys who start podcasts. Very, very 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:26.319 few of them build the kind of diverse, multifaceted 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:28.639 empire that Jocko Willink has built. We need 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:31.139 to understand why his specific message resonated 00:02:31.139 --> 00:02:33.879 so loudly and really how he constructed this 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:36.259 whole ecosystem. So looking at the roadmap, we 00:02:36.259 --> 00:02:38.259 have a ton of ground to cover. We need to look 00:02:38.259 --> 00:02:40.500 at his evolution starting as a 19 -year -old 00:02:40.500 --> 00:02:43.060 enlisted sailor, not an officer from the get 00:02:43.060 --> 00:02:45.800 -go. That's a key point. We need to dissect the 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:48.240 crucible of Task Unit Bruiser because you just 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:51.039 can't understand his worldview without understanding 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:54.159 the sheer chaos of 2006 Iraq. And then we have 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:56.539 to look at the pivot, the books, the consulting, 00:02:56.740 --> 00:03:00.159 the jujitsu, and this fascinating recent expansion 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:03.620 into mainstream sports ownership with San Diego 00:03:03.620 --> 00:03:06.379 FC. Okay. Let's start right at the foundation, 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:10.430 section one, from Connecticut to Coronado. It's 00:03:10.430 --> 00:03:11.750 interesting you mention Connecticut right off 00:03:11.750 --> 00:03:14.050 the bat, because when people hear Navy SEAL, 00:03:14.669 --> 00:03:17.210 The mental image is usually some guy who grew 00:03:17.210 --> 00:03:18.990 up, you know, hunting elk in the mountains of 00:03:18.990 --> 00:03:21.610 Montana or surfing the breaks in Southern California. 00:03:21.650 --> 00:03:24.409 Right, a rugged outdoorsy type. But Willink was 00:03:24.409 --> 00:03:26.169 born in Torrington, Connecticut on September 00:03:26.169 --> 00:03:30.270 8, 1971. A New Englander. A thorough New Englander. 00:03:30.310 --> 00:03:32.870 And the sources indicate that the call to service 00:03:32.870 --> 00:03:35.370 wasn't some later in life epiphany. It wasn't 00:03:35.370 --> 00:03:37.729 a reaction to a specific political event or a 00:03:37.729 --> 00:03:40.250 drift into adulthood. He wanted to be in the 00:03:40.250 --> 00:03:42.409 military from a very, very young age. And he 00:03:42.409 --> 00:03:44.840 enlists in the Navy at age nine. Nineteen. Nineteen. 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:47.240 In 1990. I just want to pause on that for a second. 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:50.340 Think back to what you were doing at 19. I think 00:03:50.340 --> 00:03:53.060 I was trying to figure out how to do laundry, 00:03:53.259 --> 00:03:56.479 maybe passing some barely relevant college electives. 00:03:56.699 --> 00:03:59.379 And I was certainly not making life altering 00:03:59.379 --> 00:04:01.120 commitments to the federal government. Exactly. 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:04.900 And looking at that timeline, 1990 is so significant. 00:04:04.979 --> 00:04:08.020 This is pre 9 -11. The world was a fundamentally 00:04:08.020 --> 00:04:11.020 different place geopolitically. The forever wars 00:04:11.020 --> 00:04:13.639 hadn't even begun. That is a crucial distinction 00:04:13.639 --> 00:04:16.620 to make. When Willink enlisted, the Soviet Union 00:04:16.620 --> 00:04:18.620 was collapsing. The Berlin Wall had just come 00:04:18.620 --> 00:04:21.420 down. The military he joined was a peacetime 00:04:21.420 --> 00:04:24.379 military that was preparing for these large conventional 00:04:24.379 --> 00:04:27.579 threats. Not the counterinsurgency grinder he 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:30.180 would end up in a decade later. But I think more 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:33.439 importantly, enlisting at 19 means his entire 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:36.019 adult formation, those critical years where you 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:38.079 really figure out your identity, happened within 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:40.079 the strict hierarchy and culture of the U .S. 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:42.889 Navy. He wasn't shaped by a liberal arts college 00:04:42.889 --> 00:04:45.670 dorm experience first. His worldview was shaped 00:04:45.670 --> 00:04:48.509 by the fleet. Correct. And he didn't walk straight 00:04:48.509 --> 00:04:50.430 into the SEAL teams either, which is another 00:04:50.430 --> 00:04:52.810 interesting detail. The sources mention he went 00:04:52.810 --> 00:04:55.509 to Radio Man A school first. Okay, for those 00:04:55.509 --> 00:04:57.550 of us who don't speak Navy, let's unpack that. 00:04:57.670 --> 00:05:01.050 What exactly is A school? So in the Navy, every 00:05:01.050 --> 00:05:03.269 enlisted person needs a rating. That's their 00:05:03.269 --> 00:05:06.870 job. You aren't just a soldier or a sailor. You're 00:05:06.870 --> 00:05:09.850 a mechanic. a cook, a technician of some sort, 00:05:10.350 --> 00:05:13.250 Willink was a radio man. A radio man. Yeah. So 00:05:13.250 --> 00:05:15.310 that means before he was learning how to blow 00:05:15.310 --> 00:05:17.769 things up underwater or conduct raids, he was 00:05:17.769 --> 00:05:19.610 learning communications theory, frequencies, 00:05:19.889 --> 00:05:22.709 encryption, radio protocols. Which ironically 00:05:22.709 --> 00:05:24.930 seems like a pretty fitting start for a guy who 00:05:24.930 --> 00:05:27.629 eventually makes his living talking into a microphone 00:05:27.629 --> 00:05:30.829 and communicating complex ideas to millions of 00:05:30.829 --> 00:05:33.250 people. It really does. It's almost prophetic 00:05:33.250 --> 00:05:35.100 in a way. It gave him a technical foundation 00:05:35.100 --> 00:05:37.500 in communication. But eventually, he reports 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:41.000 to the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado for BUDS. 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:44.160 Basic Underwater Demolition Seal Training. The 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:47.000 one and only. The legendary BUBS. The ringing 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:49.560 of the bell, the sand, the surf torture. We've 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:51.699 all seen it in the movies. And for the record, 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:54.579 the sources note he graduated with Class 177. 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:57.240 But here's where his story gets technically interesting. 00:05:57.699 --> 00:06:00.240 And it really speaks to that complexity we mentioned 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:03.250 in the intro. Willink followed what's known in 00:06:03.250 --> 00:06:06.509 the military as the Mustang path. I've heard 00:06:06.509 --> 00:06:09.050 that term thrown around in military movies, usually 00:06:09.050 --> 00:06:11.149 with a lot of reverence, but break it down for 00:06:11.149 --> 00:06:13.149 us. What does it actually mean to be a Mustang? 00:06:13.410 --> 00:06:17.310 A Mustang is an officer who started their career 00:06:17.310 --> 00:06:20.610 as an enlisted service member. And you have to 00:06:20.610 --> 00:06:22.410 understand, in the military, there's a pretty 00:06:22.410 --> 00:06:25.319 rigid caste system. You have enlisted personnel 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:28.000 there, the workforce, the doers, and you have 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:30.240 commissioned officers who are the management, 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:32.759 the planners. Right. Usually officers come from 00:06:32.759 --> 00:06:35.500 places like the Naval Academy or ROTC programs 00:06:35.500 --> 00:06:38.139 at universities. They enter the service with 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:40.439 a college degree and a gold bar on their collar. 00:06:40.620 --> 00:06:42.819 So they basically start as managers on day one. 00:06:43.100 --> 00:06:45.779 Exactly. They have the authority, but they often 00:06:45.779 --> 00:06:48.420 lack the ground level experience. Willink, however, 00:06:48.579 --> 00:06:51.740 served for eight years on active duty as an enlisted 00:06:51.740 --> 00:06:54.670 Navy SEAL with SEAL Team 1. Eight. Eight years. 00:06:55.009 --> 00:06:58.509 He was in the trenches, so to speak. He was taking 00:06:58.509 --> 00:07:00.470 the orders, hauling the gears, scrubbing the 00:07:00.470 --> 00:07:02.889 floors, and doing all the grunt work long before 00:07:02.889 --> 00:07:05.189 he was ever giving orders. That has to fundamentally 00:07:05.189 --> 00:07:07.529 change the leadership dynamic later on, right? 00:07:07.689 --> 00:07:10.230 When he eventually became a commander, his troops 00:07:10.230 --> 00:07:12.670 knew he hadn't just read about the job in a textbook. 00:07:12.930 --> 00:07:15.990 He had lived it. It changes everything. It earns 00:07:15.990 --> 00:07:18.889 a completely different species of respect. When 00:07:18.889 --> 00:07:21.189 a Mustang officer tells you to do something absolutely 00:07:21.189 --> 00:07:23.920 miserable, like... you know, low -crawling through 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:26.060 a freezing swamp or staying up for three days 00:07:26.060 --> 00:07:28.800 straight. Yeah. You know he's done it a thousand 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:32.100 times himself. He isn't asking you to do anything 00:07:32.100 --> 00:07:37.540 he hasn't already done, which is huge. But speaking 00:07:37.540 --> 00:07:39.259 of textbooks, this is the part of his biography 00:07:39.259 --> 00:07:42.100 that usually trips people up. While he was doing 00:07:42.100 --> 00:07:45.300 all of this, serving as an enlisted SEAL, deploying 00:07:45.300 --> 00:07:48.079 around the world, training constantly, he was 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:50.079 also working on his education. He wasn't just 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:52.600 doing push -ups and shooting guns. Not at all. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:55.600 He earned his commission through Officer Candidate 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:57.860 School, which is what allowed him to make that 00:07:57.860 --> 00:08:00.540 jump from enlisted to officer. But at the same 00:08:00.540 --> 00:08:03.180 time, he also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:07.019 Wait for it. In English. An English major. The 00:08:07.019 --> 00:08:09.379 guy who is famous for saying discipline equals 00:08:09.379 --> 00:08:12.459 freedom and carrying a heavy machine gun spent 00:08:12.459 --> 00:08:15.819 his spare time analyzing Shakespeare and Hemingway 00:08:15.819 --> 00:08:18.639 and Faulkner. He graduated from the University 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:21.529 of San Diego in 2003. And I would argue that 00:08:21.529 --> 00:08:23.670 this is not a contradiction. It's actually his 00:08:23.670 --> 00:08:25.949 superpower. How so? Because usually we think 00:08:25.949 --> 00:08:28.209 of English majors as, you know, academics, maybe 00:08:28.209 --> 00:08:30.629 writers, not tactical commanders leading men 00:08:30.629 --> 00:08:32.789 in combat. But think about the military environment. 00:08:33.490 --> 00:08:36.190 It is filled with brilliant tacticians, guys 00:08:36.190 --> 00:08:38.669 who can read a battlefield, understand flanking 00:08:38.669 --> 00:08:41.210 maneuvers, and direct fire. It's full of them. 00:08:41.549 --> 00:08:44.350 But if you cannot communicate those ideas clearly, 00:08:44.509 --> 00:08:47.629 if you can't write a coherent operational order, 00:08:47.950 --> 00:08:51.149 A clear performance evaluation or concise mission 00:08:51.149 --> 00:08:54.350 statement. Your ceiling is limited. The ability 00:08:54.350 --> 00:08:57.409 to analyze text, to understand narrative structure, 00:08:57.629 --> 00:09:00.370 and to articulate complex thoughts clearly and 00:09:00.370 --> 00:09:03.429 simply. That literacy almost certainly played 00:09:03.429 --> 00:09:05.830 a massive role in his ability to write extreme 00:09:05.830 --> 00:09:08.269 ownership later in life. It's the combination 00:09:08.269 --> 00:09:10.649 of the warrior and the scholar. It reminds me 00:09:10.649 --> 00:09:12.730 of that old saying that if you separate the scholars 00:09:12.730 --> 00:09:14.669 from the warriors, you'll have your fighting 00:09:14.669 --> 00:09:17.529 done by fools and your thinking done by cowards. 00:09:17.610 --> 00:09:20.970 Exactly. Willink bridges that gap. He understands 00:09:20.970 --> 00:09:24.110 the nuance of language, which is absolutely critical 00:09:24.110 --> 00:09:26.250 when you're trying to convince people to follow 00:09:26.250 --> 00:09:28.429 you into a life or death situation. That makes 00:09:28.429 --> 00:09:30.450 a lot of sense. And speaking of the warrior side, 00:09:30.629 --> 00:09:33.250 we have to talk about his pre -911 action. The 00:09:33.250 --> 00:09:35.470 sources mentioned deployments to Asia, the Middle 00:09:35.470 --> 00:09:38.570 East, and Europe. But there is one specific incident 00:09:38.570 --> 00:09:40.950 in the records that just reads like an 80s action 00:09:40.950 --> 00:09:43.570 movie script. You must be referring to the Volganeft 00:09:43.570 --> 00:09:46.710 147. The seizure of the Russian tanker. This 00:09:46.710 --> 00:09:48.690 feels like something straight out of a Tom Clancy 00:09:48.690 --> 00:09:50.809 novel. It really does. This was in the Gulf of 00:09:50.809 --> 00:09:53.710 Oman. And... The context here is really important. 00:09:53.809 --> 00:09:56.269 At the time, there was a United Nations economic 00:09:56.269 --> 00:10:00.409 embargo against Iraq. The Volga Neft 147 was 00:10:00.409 --> 00:10:02.909 a Russian tanker that was suspected of carrying 00:10:02.909 --> 00:10:06.029 Iraqi oil in violation of that very embargo. 00:10:06.409 --> 00:10:09.750 So you have a SEAL team. Willink is part of this. 00:10:10.379 --> 00:10:13.139 boarding a Russian ship at sea to seize contraband 00:10:13.139 --> 00:10:15.360 oil. I mean, that is incredibly high -stakes 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:17.700 stuff. You're dealing with a foreign power, international 00:10:17.700 --> 00:10:21.059 law, and a potentially hostile boarding action. 00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:23.360 It is the definition of a gray zone operation. 00:10:23.740 --> 00:10:26.039 It's not full -scale war, but it's certainly 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:29.279 not peace either. There's actually a photo in 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:31.519 the records of Willink standing with a fellow 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:33.659 SEAL after that boarding operation. It's just 00:10:33.659 --> 00:10:36.159 a great visual. What does it tell us? It highlights 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:38.100 that his experience wasn't just the war on terror. 00:10:38.519 --> 00:10:40.259 He was operating in that complex environment 00:10:40.259 --> 00:10:42.720 of international enforcement long before the 00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:45.240 world changed on September 11, 2001. But the 00:10:45.240 --> 00:10:47.639 world did change, and that leads us directly 00:10:47.639 --> 00:10:50.000 to the next major chapter of his life. Yeah. 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:52.759 Section 2, The Crucible. We're talking about 00:10:52.759 --> 00:10:55.259 Task Unit Bruiser and the Battle of Ramadi. This 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:57.259 is really the centerpiece of his entire military 00:10:57.259 --> 00:11:00.500 career. If that English degree provided the tools 00:11:00.500 --> 00:11:03.139 for communication, Ramadi provided the raw material. 00:11:04.500 --> 00:11:08.210 We need to fast forward now to 2006. Operation 00:11:08.210 --> 00:11:11.809 Iraqi Freedom is in full swing. Willink is now 00:11:11.809 --> 00:11:13.509 lieutenant commander, and he is leading task 00:11:13.509 --> 00:11:16.730 unit bruiser of SEAL Team 3. For anyone who might 00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:19.110 be a bit fuzzy on the timeline or the geography 00:11:19.110 --> 00:11:21.190 of the Iraq War, let's really set the scene here. 00:11:21.450 --> 00:11:24.850 What was Ramadi in 2006? Ramadi was the absolute 00:11:24.850 --> 00:11:27.789 epicenter of the Sunni insurgency. At that specific 00:11:27.789 --> 00:11:30.149 time, it was widely considered the most dangerous 00:11:30.149 --> 00:11:33.080 city in Iraq, maybe on the planet. Wow. The Marines 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:35.120 and the Army were taking heavy, heavy casualties 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:38.279 there every single day. Al -Qaeda in Iraq had 00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:40.039 essentially claimed the city as their capital. 00:11:40.100 --> 00:11:42.399 It was this dense urban environment just filled 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:45.899 with IEDs, snipers, and incredibly complex ambushes. 00:11:45.980 --> 00:11:47.899 So this wasn't a peacekeeping mission. This wasn't, 00:11:47.899 --> 00:11:49.820 you know, winning hearts and minds by handing 00:11:49.820 --> 00:11:52.740 out candy bars. This was a daily brutal gunfight. 00:11:52.919 --> 00:11:55.399 It was sustained, high -intensity urban combat. 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:58.700 And this is the environment where Willing's leadership 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:02.480 theories were truly tested by fire. It's one 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:04.639 thing to have a theory about ownership when you're 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:07.139 running a training drill in San Diego or sitting 00:12:07.139 --> 00:12:09.299 in a classroom. Yeah. It's another thing entirely 00:12:09.299 --> 00:12:11.399 when you were coordinating movements between 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.679 SEALs, U .S. Marines and Iraqi army soldiers 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:16.899 while you're actively under machine gun fire. 00:12:17.059 --> 00:12:20.220 And when you look at the roster of task unit 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:23.470 bruiser. It's actually statistically baffling. 00:12:23.490 --> 00:12:25.090 I was reading through the names in the source 00:12:25.090 --> 00:12:27.710 material, and it just feels like an all -star 00:12:27.710 --> 00:12:30.029 team of modern military history. It's unbelievable. 00:12:30.389 --> 00:12:33.070 It truly is a statistical anomaly to have that 00:12:33.070 --> 00:12:36.190 much talent and that much tragedy concentrated 00:12:36.190 --> 00:12:39.090 in one single platoon -sized element. Just listen 00:12:39.090 --> 00:12:42.110 to some of these names. First, Leif Babin, who 00:12:42.110 --> 00:12:43.850 was one of his platoon commanders, and later 00:12:43.850 --> 00:12:45.529 becomes his business partner. The co -author 00:12:45.529 --> 00:12:48.309 of Extreme Ownership. Yep. Then you have Chris 00:12:48.309 --> 00:12:50.850 Kyle. I mean, stop right there. Chris Kyle, the 00:12:50.850 --> 00:12:53.690 American sniper himself, the most lethal sniper 00:12:53.690 --> 00:12:55.809 in U .S. military history, was operating under 00:12:55.809 --> 00:12:57.669 Willing's command in this single unit. And then 00:12:57.669 --> 00:13:00.450 Johnny Kim. Johnny Kim is a whole other level 00:13:00.450 --> 00:13:03.389 of human achievement. He goes from being a SEAL 00:13:03.389 --> 00:13:06.230 combat medic in this unit, literally treating 00:13:06.230 --> 00:13:08.809 his wounded friends in the street, to becoming 00:13:08.809 --> 00:13:11.389 a Harvard -trained doctor and then a NASA astronaut. 00:13:11.570 --> 00:13:13.769 It's just an absurd collection of high achievers. 00:13:13.809 --> 00:13:16.389 But then you also have the tragedy. You can't 00:13:16.389 --> 00:13:18.529 talk about Bruiser without talking about the 00:13:18.529 --> 00:13:21.789 incredible cost. The sources list Michael Monsoor. 00:13:22.250 --> 00:13:24.809 Master at Arms, second class. He was awarded 00:13:24.809 --> 00:13:27.610 the Medal of Honor posthumously. He jumped on 00:13:27.610 --> 00:13:29.429 a grenade to save his teammates on a rooftop. 00:13:29.549 --> 00:13:32.029 That happened in this unit, under this command 00:13:32.029 --> 00:13:34.269 structure. Unbelievable. And Mark Allen Lee. 00:13:34.370 --> 00:13:37.330 The first Navy SEAL to lose his life in Operation 00:13:37.330 --> 00:13:40.669 Iraqi Freedom. He was killed in action during 00:13:40.669 --> 00:13:43.210 a firefight while he was part of Task Unit Bruiser. 00:13:43.350 --> 00:13:45.330 And there are others listed. Seth Stoner, Stone, 00:13:45.669 --> 00:13:48.779 Kevin Last, Ryan Diggle's job. Yeah. I mean, 00:13:48.779 --> 00:13:51.419 when you look at that list, you realize that 00:13:51.419 --> 00:13:53.820 Willink wasn't just managing soldiers. He was 00:13:53.820 --> 00:13:56.820 managing lions. He was leading these high performance, 00:13:57.039 --> 00:13:59.879 high drive, aggressive individuals in an incredibly 00:13:59.879 --> 00:14:01.879 chaotic environment where people were dying. 00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:04.299 So how does that shape a person's philosophy? 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:06.700 I mean, how do you go from that to writing business 00:14:06.700 --> 00:14:10.700 books? The connection seems so tenuous. I think 00:14:10.700 --> 00:14:12.820 that is exactly where the concept of ownership 00:14:12.820 --> 00:14:16.299 comes from. In that environment, the fog of war. 00:14:16.700 --> 00:14:19.279 is real communications break down constantly 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:22.580 plans fail the second they make contact with 00:14:22.580 --> 00:14:24.799 the enemy the enemy does things you didn't expect 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:28.159 right if you are a leader in that hellscape you 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.980 cannot blame the weather for a failed mission 00:14:30.980 --> 00:14:33.840 you cannot blame the enemy for being good at 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:37.340 their job you cannot blame your superiors for 00:14:37.340 --> 00:14:39.480 giving you bad intel because if you do if you 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:42.190 do you lose focus and people die It's that simple. 00:14:42.370 --> 00:14:44.909 The only way to survive and function is to take 00:14:44.909 --> 00:14:47.129 absolute total responsibility for everything 00:14:47.129 --> 00:14:49.809 in your world. If a subordinate doesn't understand 00:14:49.809 --> 00:14:51.850 the plan, it's not because they're stupid. It's 00:14:51.850 --> 00:14:54.110 because you didn't explain it well enough. That 00:14:54.110 --> 00:14:57.909 mindset shift from blame to ownership was forged 00:14:57.909 --> 00:15:00.049 in Ramadi because it was the only psychological 00:15:00.049 --> 00:15:02.919 tool that worked to keep those men alive. It's 00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:05.039 the ultimate high -stakes test and ground for 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:07.820 any theory. And his service was recognized, of 00:15:07.820 --> 00:15:10.620 course. The sources mention he received the Silver 00:15:10.620 --> 00:15:13.419 Star and the Bronze Star Medal. Correct. He eventually 00:15:13.419 --> 00:15:15.879 rotated out of that command, served as a training 00:15:15.879 --> 00:15:18.120 instructor, which is critical, passing those 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:20.860 lessons on to the next generation of SEALs, and 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:23.980 then retired in October 2010 after 20 years of 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:26.740 service, rank of lieutenant commander. But unlike 00:15:26.740 --> 00:15:29.759 so many who retire and just fade into a quiet 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:32.840 life of fishing or golfing, Willink did something 00:15:32.840 --> 00:15:35.879 very, very different. He took that ownership 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:38.399 concept and decided it applied to selling widgets 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:40.659 just as much as it applied to clearing houses 00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:43.080 in Ramadi. And that brings us to the great pivot. 00:15:43.389 --> 00:15:46.129 Section three, extreme ownership, the transition 00:15:46.129 --> 00:15:48.830 from the battlefield to business and authorship. 00:15:49.009 --> 00:15:52.169 This is where the story shifts from a war movie 00:15:52.169 --> 00:15:54.690 to business school. This is where we see the 00:15:54.690 --> 00:15:56.950 English major come back into play with a vengeance. 00:15:57.409 --> 00:16:00.169 Immediately after his Navy life, he co -founds 00:16:00.169 --> 00:16:02.789 Echelon Front with Leif Dabin. And Echelon Front 00:16:02.789 --> 00:16:05.230 isn't just a book title, right? It's a full -fledged 00:16:05.230 --> 00:16:07.720 active consulting firm. Oh, yeah. It's a management 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:10.080 consulting firm. They host conferences. They 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:12.379 run seminars. They do direct -to -company training. 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:16.539 But here is the key insight. They didn't just 00:16:16.539 --> 00:16:19.360 sell war stories. There's a trap that a lot of 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:21.360 ex -military speakers fall into. What's that? 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:23.320 They just get up and tell cool stories about 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:25.120 blowing things up. And the corporate audience 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.559 claps and they feel motivated for an hour. But 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:29.100 they don't actually learn anything applicable. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:31.659 to their accounting firm. It becomes entertainment, 00:16:31.820 --> 00:16:34.659 not education. Right. Willink and Babin focused 00:16:34.659 --> 00:16:37.039 on the translation. They codified the philosophy. 00:16:37.559 --> 00:16:40.639 The core concept, which is mentioned again and 00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:43.659 again in the sources, is simple. There are no 00:16:43.659 --> 00:16:47.500 bad teams, only bad leaders. That is a really 00:16:47.500 --> 00:16:49.580 tough phrase to hear if you're in charge of something. 00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:52.440 It's brutal. It's absolutely brutal. It implies 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:54.860 that if your team is failing, it is your fault. 00:16:55.179 --> 00:16:57.659 Period. Yeah. Full stop. I can just imagine a 00:16:57.659 --> 00:16:59.720 CEO hearing that and getting really defensive. 00:16:59.799 --> 00:17:01.580 Well, my sales team just isn't working hard enough 00:17:01.580 --> 00:17:05.319 or the market is down or our competitors are 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:08.349 cheating. And Jocko would say, did you clarify 00:17:08.349 --> 00:17:10.650 the mission? Did you provide the resources? Did 00:17:10.650 --> 00:17:13.630 you explain why the sales goal matters to the 00:17:13.630 --> 00:17:16.670 overall company? If not, you fail to lead. It 00:17:16.670 --> 00:17:18.750 completely flips the script from they messed 00:17:18.750 --> 00:17:22.230 up to I need to do better. They put this entire 00:17:22.230 --> 00:17:25.569 framework into the book Extreme Ownership, How 00:17:25.569 --> 00:17:28.829 U .S. Navy Seals Lead and Win. Which was a massive, 00:17:28.970 --> 00:17:31.329 massive hit. The sources say it reached number 00:17:31.329 --> 00:17:33.869 13 on the New York Times bestseller list for 00:17:33.869 --> 00:17:35.890 audio nonfiction. And what I found so interesting 00:17:35.890 --> 00:17:39.430 is the structure. They use a very specific narrative 00:17:39.430 --> 00:17:42.329 device in every single chapter. Right. The combat 00:17:42.329 --> 00:17:44.589 to corporate structure. Exactly. Each chapter 00:17:44.589 --> 00:17:47.029 starts with a visceral combat story from Ramadi. 00:17:47.150 --> 00:17:48.950 They put you right there in the Humvee. You feel 00:17:48.950 --> 00:17:51.089 the dust and the adrenaline and the fear. Then 00:17:51.089 --> 00:17:53.029 they pause the story and extract the principle. 00:17:53.190 --> 00:17:57.880 Say the principle is cover and move. Then. They 00:17:57.880 --> 00:18:00.380 apply that exact principle to a business scenario 00:18:00.380 --> 00:18:03.019 they've consulted on, like a product launch or 00:18:03.019 --> 00:18:04.599 a marketing dispute between two departments. 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:07.240 That is the translation mechanism we were looking 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:10.099 for earlier. Taking a firefight and explaining 00:18:10.099 --> 00:18:13.240 how the breakdown in communication there is exactly 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:15.400 the same mechanic as a breakdown in communication 00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:17.920 between the marketing and sales departments in 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:20.140 an office. It makes the business advice sticky. 00:18:20.730 --> 00:18:23.369 You might forget a bullet point on a PowerPoint 00:18:23.369 --> 00:18:26.569 slide, but you won't forget the story of a friendly 00:18:26.569 --> 00:18:30.710 fire, a blue -on -blue fratricide incident that's 00:18:30.710 --> 00:18:33.250 used to explain the critical importance of simplified 00:18:33.250 --> 00:18:35.490 communications. And he didn't just stop with 00:18:35.490 --> 00:18:38.589 one book. The man has been incredibly prolific. 00:18:38.750 --> 00:18:41.309 Very. He followed up with a dichotomy of leadership. 00:18:41.829 --> 00:18:44.490 This book is actually crucial because extreme 00:18:44.490 --> 00:18:47.329 ownership on its own can be misinterpreted. How 00:18:47.329 --> 00:18:49.549 so? I mean, isn't taking ownership a pretty straightforward 00:18:49.549 --> 00:18:52.380 concept? Well, some people hear extreme ownership 00:18:52.380 --> 00:18:55.519 and they think it means micromanaging every little 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:58.240 detail or taking the blame for everything in 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:00.380 a way that just makes you a martyr. Or they think 00:19:00.380 --> 00:19:02.140 it just means being aggressive and loud all the 00:19:02.140 --> 00:19:05.299 time. Exactly. Dichotomy explores the nuance. 00:19:05.420 --> 00:19:08.220 It's about balance, how to be aggressive, but 00:19:08.220 --> 00:19:10.680 also prudent, how to be disciplined, but also 00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:13.759 flexible enough to adapt. It's really the advanced 00:19:13.759 --> 00:19:16.180 course in his philosophy. And then there's discipline 00:19:16.180 --> 00:19:19.170 equals freedom. Field Manual, which is a very 00:19:19.170 --> 00:19:20.750 different kind of book. It's more of a collection 00:19:20.750 --> 00:19:24.250 of his routines, his workouts, and almost stoic 00:19:24.250 --> 00:19:26.650 poetry. That book is all about aesthetics and 00:19:26.650 --> 00:19:30.250 impact. It's black pages, white text, very aggressive. 00:19:30.470 --> 00:19:32.849 It's designed to be a kick in the pants rather 00:19:32.849 --> 00:19:34.950 than a textbook you study. But here is where 00:19:34.950 --> 00:19:36.710 the story gets really, really interesting for 00:19:36.710 --> 00:19:40.619 me. The softer side of the scary seal. We absolutely 00:19:40.619 --> 00:19:42.519 have to talk about the children's books. This 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:44.839 is a brilliant strategic move, whether it was 00:19:44.839 --> 00:19:47.240 intended from the start or not. He authored the 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:49.400 Way of the Warrior Kid series. Way of the Warrior 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:51.519 Kid. It sounds like a Saturday morning cartoon, 00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:54.279 but the content is actually quite serious, just 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:57.460 simplified. It takes those exact same seal principles, 00:19:57.720 --> 00:20:01.680 discipline, overcoming fear, working hard, study 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:04.619 math, eating healthy, and it packages them for 00:20:04.619 --> 00:20:06.809 elementary schoolers. It follows a kid named 00:20:06.809 --> 00:20:09.109 Mark. Is that named after Mark Lee? It's very 00:20:09.109 --> 00:20:11.849 likely a nod, yes. The character Mark is being 00:20:11.849 --> 00:20:14.109 bullied, he can't do any pull -ups, and he hates 00:20:14.109 --> 00:20:16.869 his math homework. His uncle Jake, who's a Navy 00:20:16.869 --> 00:20:20.089 SEAL, comes to stay for the summer and basically 00:20:20.089 --> 00:20:22.329 puts him through a modified SEAL training regimen. 00:20:22.589 --> 00:20:25.029 So it's the karate kid, but with Navy SEAL training 00:20:25.029 --> 00:20:28.170 methods and time stables. Essentially. But just 00:20:28.170 --> 00:20:30.430 think about the market penetration here. You 00:20:30.430 --> 00:20:32.210 have the dad who's reading Extreme Ownership 00:20:32.210 --> 00:20:35.269 for his job. He loves it. He wants to share that 00:20:35.269 --> 00:20:38.289 mindset with his son or daughter, but he can't 00:20:38.289 --> 00:20:40.950 read them a book about urban combat in Ramadi. 00:20:41.109 --> 00:20:44.509 So he buys Way of the Warrior Kid. Exactly. And 00:20:44.509 --> 00:20:46.849 now the entire family is speaking the same language. 00:20:47.529 --> 00:20:49.869 Discipline equals freedom becomes the family 00:20:49.869 --> 00:20:52.160 motto around the dinner table. He's creating 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:54.900 a multigenerational philosophy. And it is working. 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:56.940 The sources say there are five books in that 00:20:56.940 --> 00:20:59.720 series now. And as of April 2024, it's being 00:20:59.720 --> 00:21:01.779 adapted into a feature film. And starring Chris 00:21:01.779 --> 00:21:04.059 Pratt. Starring Chris Pratt. Which brings the 00:21:04.059 --> 00:21:07.039 message to a massive global audience. Chris Pratt 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:09.019 is about as A -list as it gets for that kind 00:21:09.019 --> 00:21:12.069 of family -friendly demographic. It really solidifies 00:21:12.069 --> 00:21:14.670 Willink not just as an author, but as the head 00:21:14.670 --> 00:21:17.470 of a franchise. He even dabbled in adult fiction 00:21:17.470 --> 00:21:20.930 with a novel called Final Spin in 2021. Which 00:21:20.930 --> 00:21:23.049 just goes to show that the English degree wasn't 00:21:23.049 --> 00:21:25.250 a fluke. It wasn't just a box he checked. No, 00:21:25.269 --> 00:21:27.569 it proves he understands storytelling fundamentally 00:21:27.569 --> 00:21:30.769 as a vehicle for his ideas. Okay, so we've covered 00:21:30.769 --> 00:21:33.950 the mind, the books, the philosophy, the business 00:21:33.950 --> 00:21:37.109 consulting, but we can't talk about Jocko without 00:21:37.109 --> 00:21:39.650 talking about the body, the physical discipline. 00:21:40.380 --> 00:21:43.000 That brings us to section four, the discipline 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:45.859 lifestyle. This is where the theory becomes practice. 00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:48.779 You cannot preach discipline all day and then 00:21:48.779 --> 00:21:51.599 be out of shape and unhealthy. For Willink, the 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:54.019 physical domain is the primary testing ground 00:21:54.019 --> 00:21:56.599 for all his ideas. And that discipline seems 00:21:56.599 --> 00:22:00.220 to center around two main pillars, the gym, specifically 00:22:00.220 --> 00:22:03.480 Brazilian jiu -jitsu, and the clock. Let's talk 00:22:03.480 --> 00:22:05.980 about BJJ first. It is a massive part of his 00:22:05.980 --> 00:22:08.529 identity. The sources note he started training 00:22:08.529 --> 00:22:10.930 under a guy named Fabio Santos while he was still 00:22:10.930 --> 00:22:12.670 in active duty in the SEALs. And he's not just 00:22:12.670 --> 00:22:14.650 a casual hobbyist who shows up once a week. He 00:22:14.650 --> 00:22:16.849 holds a black belt under Dean Lister. And we 00:22:16.849 --> 00:22:19.329 should say Dean Lister is a legend in the grappling 00:22:19.329 --> 00:22:22.329 world. He's known for his leg locks and his famous 00:22:22.329 --> 00:22:24.890 philosophy of why would you ignore 50 % of the 00:22:24.890 --> 00:22:28.210 human body? Willink holding a black belt under 00:22:28.210 --> 00:22:30.589 him is a very serious credential. He's also an 00:22:30.589 --> 00:22:32.569 instructor at Victory MMA and Fitness in San 00:22:32.569 --> 00:22:35.640 Diego. Why jiu -jitsu, though? Of all the martial 00:22:35.640 --> 00:22:38.519 arts in the world, why is this the one he evangelizes 00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:42.039 so much? Why not boxing or karate? Because BJJ 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:44.839 is uniquely cerebral. It's often called human 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:47.980 chess for a reason. In boxing, you can sometimes 00:22:47.980 --> 00:22:50.420 just tough it out or get lucky with a wild haymaker. 00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:53.859 In jiu -jitsu, if you panic, you lose. If you 00:22:53.859 --> 00:22:56.059 lose your breath, you lose. If you don't use 00:22:56.059 --> 00:22:58.339 proper technique against a better opponent, you 00:22:58.339 --> 00:23:00.970 get choked unconscious. So it reinforces the 00:23:00.970 --> 00:23:03.329 extreme ownership mindset. Completely. If I get 00:23:03.329 --> 00:23:05.529 submitted on the mat, if I get tapped out, it's 00:23:05.529 --> 00:23:08.829 because I made a mistake. It is immediate, undeniable, 00:23:08.849 --> 00:23:12.109 and often painful feedback. It teaches you to 00:23:12.109 --> 00:23:14.190 be comfortable in incredibly uncomfortable situations. 00:23:14.609 --> 00:23:17.029 You have a 200 -pound person on your chest trying 00:23:17.029 --> 00:23:19.650 to strangle you. Stay calm. You have to breathe. 00:23:19.710 --> 00:23:21.549 You have to calculate your escape. And then you 00:23:21.549 --> 00:23:24.390 have to execute. That is the exact same mindset 00:23:24.390 --> 00:23:27.089 he teaches for dealing with business crises. 00:23:27.410 --> 00:23:30.000 And what I found really sweet. if i can use that 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:32.619 word in a jocko segment is the family connection 00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:36.619 the sources say that in september 2022 he promoted 00:23:36.619 --> 00:23:39.720 his own daughter to blue belt That connects right 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:42.099 back to the warrior kid ethos, doesn't it? Teaching 00:23:42.099 --> 00:23:44.740 his own children the value of struggle and technique 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:47.319 firsthand. He's also turned this passion into 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:49.619 a pretty significant business with Origin USA. 00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:52.599 This is another fascinating pivot. He's a co 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:55.299 -owner of Origin USA, which is based in Farmington, 00:23:55.319 --> 00:23:57.519 Maine. And they make all sorts of things. Lifestyle 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:00.259 apparel, nutrition supplements, fitness equipment. 00:24:00.380 --> 00:24:02.480 But the key differentiator here, the thing that 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:06.480 really defines the company. is the G's. The uniforms 00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:09.599 you wear for jujitsu. For decades, almost all 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:12.220 textile manufacturing has left the United States. 00:24:12.700 --> 00:24:15.880 Most G's are made in Pakistan or China. Willink 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:18.079 and his partner, a guy named Pete Roberts, decided 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:21.019 to bring that entire manufacturing process back 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:23.940 to rural Maine. That seems, I mean, from a purely 00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:26.059 business perspective, incredibly inefficient. 00:24:26.339 --> 00:24:28.140 Wouldn't it be so much cheaper to just import 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:31.079 them? On paper, it's crazy. It is much harder 00:24:31.079 --> 00:24:33.400 and much more expensive to do it this way. But 00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:35.940 it fits the ownership narrative perfectly. Instead 00:24:35.940 --> 00:24:37.960 of complaining that American manufacturing is 00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:40.819 dead, they went out, they bought old looms, they 00:24:40.819 --> 00:24:42.519 trained a new workforce, and they built a factory 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:44.160 from the ground up. They're owning the entire 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:46.319 supply chain. They're owning the problem. And, 00:24:46.359 --> 00:24:48.119 of course, you can't talk about his lifestyle 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:50.839 without mentioning the 4 .30 a .m. club. It is 00:24:50.839 --> 00:24:53.359 perhaps his most famous or maybe infamous habit, 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:56.339 the sources reference it multiple times, why 00:24:56.339 --> 00:24:59.960 this retired Navy SEAL commander wakes up at 00:24:59.960 --> 00:25:03.680 4 30 a .m every single day he posts a picture 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:06.000 of his watch on social media black and white 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:10.940 0 4 .30 signal isn't it it says i am wake i am 00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:13.539 working i'm getting ahead of the enemy even if 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:17.140 the enemy is just your own laziness or procrastination 00:25:17.140 --> 00:25:20.400 exactly But there's a tactical element to it 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:22.359 that the sources mention. He doesn't just wake 00:25:22.359 --> 00:25:24.319 up and stumble around looking for his gym socks. 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:26.759 No, the preparation happens the night before. 00:25:26.859 --> 00:25:29.099 That's the key. That's the secret sauce. You 00:25:29.099 --> 00:25:31.220 lay out your gear the night before. You write 00:25:31.220 --> 00:25:33.539 your to -do list for the next day. So when that 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:36.940 alarm goes off at 04 .30, there is zero decision 00:25:36.940 --> 00:25:39.680 fatigue. You don't have to negotiate with yourself. 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:42.299 You just execute the plan. I think that's where 00:25:42.299 --> 00:25:44.660 most people fail. And I'm including myself here. 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:46.700 The alarm goes off and I immediately start bargaining. 00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:49.259 Just five more minutes. It's so cold outside. 00:25:49.480 --> 00:25:51.859 The bargaining is the defeat. Willing's philosophy 00:25:51.859 --> 00:25:55.200 is to eliminate the negotiation entirely. You 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:57.220 set the condition the night before and you simply 00:25:57.220 --> 00:25:59.680 execute in the morning. No discussion. So we 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:02.039 have the military hero, the bestselling author, 00:26:02.200 --> 00:26:04.359 the business mogul, the fitness icon. But in 00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:07.119 the last decade or so, he has become something 00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:11.640 else entirely. A media empire. Let's dive into 00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:14.880 Section 5. The Jocko Podcast. It all started 00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:17.039 after he did the podcast circuit, right? He made 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:20.039 these huge appearances on shows like Tim Ferriss, 00:26:20.099 --> 00:26:22.480 Joe Rogan, and Sam Harris. Right. And he realized 00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:25.019 there was a massive appetite for this kind of 00:26:25.019 --> 00:26:27.299 content. People were hungry for leadership advice 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:29.680 that wasn't, you know, sugar -coated in corporate 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:32.740 jargon. So he launched his own on December 28, 00:26:32.940 --> 00:26:35.519 2015. And who's the co -host? Tell us about Echo 00:26:35.519 --> 00:26:38.269 Charles. Echo Charles. He's a... BJJ practitioner 00:26:38.269 --> 00:26:41.150 and a video producer, and he provides a really 00:26:41.150 --> 00:26:43.289 critical balance to the show. He's the everyman 00:26:43.289 --> 00:26:46.910 voice against Jocko's intensity. He asks the 00:26:46.910 --> 00:26:48.630 questions that the audience is probably thinking. 00:26:48.769 --> 00:26:50.549 He brings it back down to earth. And the growth 00:26:50.549 --> 00:26:53.930 has just been massive. As of January 2026, the 00:26:53.930 --> 00:26:56.109 YouTube channel has around two million subscribers. 00:26:57.210 --> 00:26:59.170 But the format is what always surprises me. These 00:26:59.170 --> 00:27:01.630 aren't 20 minute, easily digestible sound bites 00:27:01.630 --> 00:27:05.089 designed for TikTok. No, they are marathons. 00:27:05.089 --> 00:27:07.880 They're three, sometimes four hours long. And 00:27:07.880 --> 00:27:10.400 what does he do? He reads old military memoirs. 00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:12.839 He analyzes these obscure battles from the Korean 00:27:12.839 --> 00:27:16.400 War or Vietnam or World War One. He dissects 00:27:16.400 --> 00:27:19.960 human nature and evil and heroism. It's essentially 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:22.420 a history class mixed with a leadership seminar 00:27:22.420 --> 00:27:25.119 and honestly, a therapy session at times. It 00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:27.279 just proves that people actually do have an attention 00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:29.819 span if the content is good enough. They want 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:31.869 the depth. They want the nuance. And Willink 00:27:31.869 --> 00:27:34.170 provides that by reading these old books that 00:27:34.170 --> 00:27:36.170 most people have forgotten about. He honors the 00:27:36.170 --> 00:27:38.250 history and the sacrifices of the people who 00:27:38.250 --> 00:27:40.289 came before him. But here is the most recent 00:27:40.289 --> 00:27:43.349 plot twist. The sources mentioned something very, 00:27:43.369 --> 00:27:45.450 very surprising about his business portfolio 00:27:45.450 --> 00:27:49.710 as of 2026. You must mean San Diego FC. Yes. 00:27:49.890 --> 00:27:52.589 Major League Soccer. Jocko Willink is on the 00:27:52.589 --> 00:27:54.369 board of directors and is part of the ownership 00:27:54.369 --> 00:27:56.930 group for a professional soccer team. It's amazing. 00:27:57.190 --> 00:28:00.329 The club was founded in 2023. They play at Snapdragon 00:28:00.329 --> 00:28:03.549 Stadium in San Diego. And just look at the company 00:28:03.549 --> 00:28:06.009 he's keeping on that board. You have Manny Machado. 00:28:06.170 --> 00:28:08.750 The baseball superstar for the Padres. You have 00:28:08.750 --> 00:28:12.049 Issa Rae, the creator and star of Insecure. You 00:28:12.049 --> 00:28:15.009 have Juan Mata, the Spanish soccer legend. That 00:28:15.009 --> 00:28:17.950 is such a diverse and, frankly, unexpected group. 00:28:18.069 --> 00:28:21.029 You have a Navy SEAL, an MLB All -Star, and a 00:28:21.029 --> 00:28:23.549 Hollywood creator and actress all on the same 00:28:23.549 --> 00:28:26.470 team. It represents the full integration of Jocko 00:28:26.470 --> 00:28:29.789 Willink into mainstream American culture. He 00:28:29.789 --> 00:28:32.750 isn't just a niche military figure anymore. He 00:28:32.750 --> 00:28:35.589 is a cultural pillar in the city of San Diego. 00:28:35.890 --> 00:28:38.109 And if you really think about it, professional 00:28:38.109 --> 00:28:41.049 sports team is all about culture, leadership, 00:28:41.329 --> 00:28:44.049 discipline, and winning. It's actually a completely 00:28:44.049 --> 00:28:46.950 natural fit for his philosophy. Whether it's 00:28:46.950 --> 00:28:49.410 a SEAL platoon in Ramadi, a manufacturing factory 00:28:49.410 --> 00:28:52.309 in Maine, or a soccer team in San Diego, the 00:28:52.309 --> 00:28:54.710 principles remain exactly the same. There are 00:28:54.710 --> 00:28:57.839 no bad teams. only bad leaders. That applies 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:00.039 to a soccer team just as much as it applies to 00:29:00.039 --> 00:29:02.839 a combat unit. If a team is losing, the ownership 00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:04.740 and the coaches need to look in the mirror first. 00:29:05.079 --> 00:29:06.660 So let's try to wrap this up. We've covered a 00:29:06.660 --> 00:29:08.539 huge amount of ground today. We certainly have. 00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:11.019 We tracked him from being an English major at 00:29:11.019 --> 00:29:14.039 the University of San Diego to a SEAL commander 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:16.700 in the streets of Ramadi. We watched him transition 00:29:16.700 --> 00:29:19.539 into a consultant, a best -selling author, a 00:29:19.539 --> 00:29:23.480 podcaster, and now an MLS owner. It is a remarkable, 00:29:23.740 --> 00:29:27.339 almost Unbelievable trajectory. So what are the 00:29:27.339 --> 00:29:29.619 key takeaways here for the listener who's, you 00:29:29.619 --> 00:29:31.779 know, driving to work or hitting the gym or maybe 00:29:31.779 --> 00:29:34.519 just sitting in an office right now? What should 00:29:34.519 --> 00:29:37.259 they take from this? I think the first one is 00:29:37.259 --> 00:29:39.880 the power of duality. We tend to want to put 00:29:39.880 --> 00:29:41.900 people in these neat little boxes. You're either 00:29:41.900 --> 00:29:43.799 a knuckle dragger or you're an intellectual. 00:29:44.420 --> 00:29:46.680 You're either an artist or you're a soldier. 00:29:47.319 --> 00:29:50.079 Well, it proves you can be both. You could be 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:52.799 a savage in combat and a thoughtful student of 00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:55.220 literature. You don't have to choose. In fact, 00:29:55.220 --> 00:29:57.059 the combination of those two things is what makes 00:29:57.059 --> 00:29:59.220 you more effective. I love that. Be dangerous 00:29:59.220 --> 00:30:02.359 and be smart. Don't pick one. Precisely. And 00:30:02.359 --> 00:30:04.539 the second big takeaway is obviously the concept 00:30:04.539 --> 00:30:07.160 of ownership. It applies to absolutely everything. 00:30:07.339 --> 00:30:09.700 It applied to seizing that Russian tanker in 00:30:09.700 --> 00:30:11.980 the Gulf of Oman. It applies to running a business 00:30:11.980 --> 00:30:14.670 in Maine. It applies to raising your kids. If 00:30:14.670 --> 00:30:18.009 you can stop blaming external factors, the economy, 00:30:18.150 --> 00:30:20.750 your boss, your genetics, the traffic, and start 00:30:20.750 --> 00:30:22.910 looking at what you can actually control, you 00:30:22.910 --> 00:30:26.349 become incredibly powerful. Discipline equals 00:30:26.349 --> 00:30:29.089 freedom. It's not just a catchy phrase for a 00:30:29.089 --> 00:30:31.450 T -shirt. It's a formula. It is. The structure 00:30:31.450 --> 00:30:34.089 doesn't bind you. It actually frees you. So here's 00:30:34.089 --> 00:30:35.430 the final thought I want to leave everyone with 00:30:35.430 --> 00:30:38.559 today. We talked a lot about how Jocko finds 00:30:38.559 --> 00:30:41.500 freedom through this incredibly strict structure, 00:30:41.700 --> 00:30:44.440 the 4 .30 a .m. wake -ups, the martial arts, 00:30:44.539 --> 00:30:47.900 the checklists. So ask yourself this. If the 00:30:47.900 --> 00:30:50.019 commander of the toughest unit in Iraq needs 00:30:50.019 --> 00:30:52.500 that kind of structure to be free, where are 00:30:52.500 --> 00:30:54.839 you lacking structure in your life? And is that 00:30:54.839 --> 00:30:57.259 lack of discipline actually the very thing that's 00:30:57.259 --> 00:30:59.640 keeping you stuck? That is the question. Something 00:30:59.640 --> 00:31:01.720 to mull over. Thanks for diving in with us on 00:31:01.720 --> 00:31:02.720 this one. Until next time.