Army veterans and leadership experts Brandon Young and Blayne Smith join the podcast for a powerful conversation about their new book, Perseverance > Endurance: Lead with Resilience. Grow Through Adversity. Win Together.
Blending combat-tested wisdom, lived leadership experiences, and hard-earned insight from both military and civilian life, Brandon and Blayne break down what it really takes to lead through uncertainty—not just by gutting it out, but by growing through it.
In this episode, they explore:
- The critical difference between endurance and perseverance—and why one leaves you tired and the other makes you better
- How the “ridgeline of adversity” framework helps teams understand where they are—and what to do next
- What land navigation teaches us about mental toughness, bad assumptions, and moments of decision
- The trap of prediction vs. the power of preparation—and why confidence matters more than certainty
- The real reason some leaders cling to the way things were—and how to accept change without losing hope
- Why open dialogue beats open-door policies—and how to create cultures of candor, feedback, and trust
- The discipline to choose action over intention—and how real growth happens on the other side of hard
Whether you’re leading in uniform, navigating a career transition, or helping your team through a difficult season, this conversation delivers timeless tools and modern mindsets for becoming the kind of leader adversity demands.
Meet Blayne and Brandon
Blayne Smith is a West Point graduate and former Army Special Forces officer who has transitioned into a highly effective business and social impact leader. He is a cofounder and principal at Applied Leadership Partners and the director for health and wellbeing at the George W. Bush Institute. Blayne also serves on the board of the Armed Services Arts Partnership and as an advisory board member of GORUCK. Previously, Blayne was the first executive director of Team Red, White, and Blue, a veterans’ nonprofit that has grown into one of the most trusted and effective organizations in the space.
During his time in the military, Blayne led combat units in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a Draper Leadership Award recipient, the Distinguished Honor Graduate of the Army’s Ranger School, and was awarded three Bronze Stars, including one for valor. Blayne holds a MBA from the University of Florida and currently lives in Maine with his wife and three children.
Brandon Young is a former US Army Ranger with four combat rotations to Afghanistan. He has spent more than 25 years building and leading teams in the military, corporate healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. Brandon has built partnerships with some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Nike, Walmart, Starbucks, Microsoft, and Amazon. He is the recipient of the Quest Diagnostics Regional Excellence Award for Commercial Leadership for his work in cancer diagnostics.
He’s been published in various magazines and peer-reviewed academic journals; assessed, mentored, and trained more than 1,000 Ranger leaders while serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment; and placed third in the 2006 Best Ranger Competition. Brandon lives in Littleton, Colorado, with his wife, Kelly. They have two adult children: Jaden is a Soldier in the US Army and Elliot is a student at the University of Colorado. Brandon holds a master of divinity in leadership from Denver Seminary, and his passions are faith, family, community, and adventures.
Brandon Young cofounded Applied Leadership Partners in 2020 (with Blayne Smith) to share hard-earned leadership wisdom with leaders guiding teams through growth, change, or adversity. Applied Leadership Partners is a boutique consulting firm that supports leaders in creating tightly knit, high-performing teams through leadership development training, keynotes, and executive advising.
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