Articles
Ep 177- Dopamine and the Problem With Always Chasing What’s Next with Dr. Daniel Z. Lieberman
Daniel Z. Lieberman, psychiatrist and co-author of The Molecule of More, joins Joe to explore the powerful role dopamine plays in shaping our desires, decisions, and sense of fulfillment. Joe and Dan discuss how dopamine isn’t just about...
Ep 176- The Hidden Markets Shaping Your Career with Judd Kessler
Judd Kessler—a professor at the Wharton School and author of Lucky by Design—joins Joe to explore the hidden markets that shape our lives, careers, and opportunities. Joe and Judd discuss how many of the most important decisions we...
Are You Chasing Daisies?
By Joe Byerly We build the future in our head with such vivid imagery. We can taste the salt on the rim of an ice-cold margarita. We can walk through every moment of the romantic date—every reaction, the way candlelight hits our partner’s eyes. We...
Ep 175-Bend But Do Not Break: Rethinking the Future of the All-Volunteer Force with Jaron Wharton
Jaron Wharton—a former brigade commander in the 82nd Airborne Division and co-editor of Bend but Do Not Break joins Joe to examine the future of the all-volunteer force and the role of professional discourse in strengthening the...
The Courage to Start Something New with Andy Yakulis
Andy Yakulis—West Point graduate, former Army pilot, and Special Operations officer turned defense tech entrepreneur—joins Joe to talk about leadership, transition, and the rapidly changing nature of modern warfare. Recruited to West Point just...
From Participation to Domination: How Units Can “WIN” the Officer Army Talent Alignment Process (ATAP)
If you don’t invest in the people who power your mission, don’t be surprised when the mission fails. – General Stanley McChrystal by Edward Prueitt The Army Talent Alignment Process (ATAP) has fundamentally transformed...
“Unc” Status: On Experience, Meaning, and Mentorship
by Brian C. Gerardi Somewhere between microeconomics and managerial accounting, I earned a new nickname: “Unc.” It started as a throwaway joke in a group chat. Our cohort of veteran business students attended a happy hour and I was the first to...
Ep 173- How to Tell a Good War Story with Randy Surles
Randy Surles—retired Army Ranger and Green Beret turned editor, ghostwriter, and Story Grid-certified book coach—joins Joe to talk directly to veterans who feel called to tell their story but don’t know where to start. After 25 years in Special...
The Guidon We Only Respect When It Is Ours
By Sam Balch I was serving as a battery commander in the 82nd Airborne Division when our guidon disappeared. After completing a grueling Joint Readiness Training Center rotation, the battery transitioned to the administrative bivouac area to clean...
This Is an Every-Service Problem: Space Power and the Risk of Fundamental Surprise
By Catherine R. Cline The United States is unlikely to be surprised in space in the traditional sense. It tracks launches globally, monitors orbital behavior in near–real time, and maintains an unmatched catalog of space objects. If surprise is...
My Daily Circle of Reading
By Joe Byerly Each morning, the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy got up and read his notebook of personally-curated passages from his favorite books (he later published this as A Calendar of Wisdom). In his diary, he wrote, “I felt that I...
What Books Taught Me About Life in 2025
By Joe Byerly Since 2017, I’ve spent the final month of each year reflecting on the books I read over the previous twelve months. Without fail, a set of themes and lessons emerges from what initially feels like a random stack of titles and genres....
Four Reasons to Write a Book Review
by Caleb Miller Have you ever met someone with a goal to write a certain number of words a week? How much quality content are they actually producing? Have you ever met anyone with a goal to read a certain number of pages a day or books...
Following White Rabbits
By Joe Byerly Even though we have more information at our fingertips than ever before, it’s getting easier to get stuck in echo chambers. News outlets cater to their “brand” of audience. Algorithms serve us content based on our browsing histories....
Are You Ready for the Siege?
By Joe Byerly Have you ever been in a very stressful situation? I’m not talking about getting stuck at a red light with two minutes to park and make it to an important meeting stressful. I mean the kind of stress that feels like you’re...
From Books to Battlefields: The Enduring Legacy of MajGen William F Mullen (USMC)
By Jeff Horn, Jr. “I prioritize self-development because I never want to look back and say, ‘I lost some of my Marines because I could not outthink the enemy.’” – Major General William F Mullen I met Major General (MajGen) William F. Mullen in a...
What Life (and Books) Taught Me in 2024
By Joe Byerly Since 2017, I’ve been compiling an annual reading list of the books I’ve finished each year. As the year winds down, I take time to reflect on what I’ve learned. For me, reading isn’t about getting smarter—it’s about living better....
The Command Sergeant Major of U.S. Army Special Operations Command Recommends these 5 books for your Christmas Stocking
By Command Sergeant Major JoAnn Naumann I am busy. But every day, I make time to read. For me, my dedicated time is early morning before anything else competes for my attention. I also read on flights and on lazy weekends. Most nights, you...
Three Football Books On Leadership
“There is no substitute for victory.” -General Douglas MacArthur “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” -Vince Lombardi While baseball is America’s pastime, football is America’s game. Since the beginnings of American Football, the...
Understanding Weapons of Math Destruction: A Critical Analysis of Algorithmic Impact
by John Geracitano In the book Weapons of Math Destruction, author Cathy O’Neil critically examines mathematical models and machine learning (ML) algorithms. Leveraging her expertise in mathematics and her experience in the financial industry,...
Are You Chasing Daisies?
By Joe Byerly We build the future in our head with such vivid imagery. We can taste the salt on the rim of an ice-cold margarita. We can walk through every moment of the romantic date—every reaction, the way candlelight hits our partner’s eyes. We...
From Participation to Domination: How Units Can “WIN” the Officer Army Talent Alignment Process (ATAP)
If you don’t invest in the people who power your mission, don’t be surprised when the mission fails. – General Stanley McChrystal by Edward Prueitt The Army Talent Alignment Process (ATAP) has fundamentally transformed...
“Unc” Status: On Experience, Meaning, and Mentorship
by Brian C. Gerardi Somewhere between microeconomics and managerial accounting, I earned a new nickname: “Unc.” It started as a throwaway joke in a group chat. Our cohort of veteran business students attended a happy hour and I was the first to...
The Guidon We Only Respect When It Is Ours
By Sam Balch I was serving as a battery commander in the 82nd Airborne Division when our guidon disappeared. After completing a grueling Joint Readiness Training Center rotation, the battery transitioned to the administrative bivouac area to clean...
This Is an Every-Service Problem: Space Power and the Risk of Fundamental Surprise
By Catherine R. Cline The United States is unlikely to be surprised in space in the traditional sense. It tracks launches globally, monitors orbital behavior in near–real time, and maintains an unmatched catalog of space objects. If surprise is...
Waiting for Favorable Conditions
By Joe Byerly They checked the news first thing in the morning. Then again at lunch. Then one more time before bed. They waited for life to return to something that felt recognizable. It was hard to believe that leaders could be so casually...
Commander, Don’t Give Up Your Voice!
By: James J. Torrence We have an authenticity problem, and everyone knows it. The troops know it. The junior officers know it. The staff officers definitely know it. And deep down, our senior leaders know it too. Everyone sounds the same. Every...
To My Fellow “Subjects of Investigations”
By Danita Darby In 2019, I hit a professional and personal breaking point. I was investigated as a “toxic”, or counterproductive, leader. I attempted suicide that year too. I survived both—and what followed was a long, humbling healing process....
Twenty Years in Fourteen Lines
By Joe Byerly The man handed me the document fresh off the printer. “Make sure you keep this in a safe place,” he said. “This is your proof of service. Probably the most important document you’ll ever own.” I looked down at the still-warm DD214,...
Broadening with Purpose: Making the Most of the Army’s Broadening Opportunity Program
By Lyndi Dix During my time in company command, I was approached by a few mentors who encouraged me to consider the Broadening Opportunity Program (BOP) as I began thinking about what came next. I knew broadening was a common next step following...
The Narrative Fallacy: Challenging Army Myths
by George Fust Every organization has institutional narratives. These taglines go beyond best practices, they are embedded in the soul of the organization and passed from generation to generation. Sometimes these phrases, often framed as advice,...
The Value of Introspection: Letting Yourself Teach Yourself
by Michael Moffeit We have all been there, hastily scribbling notes into our notebooks (mostly green and mostly government-issued), trying to capture some notes or to-do lists. We attempt to record pearls of wisdom from our raters, senior raters,...
Should You Go to SAMS? Yes.
by Garrett Chandler Most of the stories they tell you about being a School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) planner are true. You will likely be thrown right into being the lead planner for something immediately, or, as in my case, on the third...
Why Write in the Age of AI?
By Tim Devine Outsourcing your writing to AI is tantalizing because of its sudden ubiquity. Despite the convenience, there’s a hidden cost when you transfer your agency as a writer. It robs you of crucial cognitive development. Composing your...
Why Do I Keep My Notebooks?
Photo courtesy of Jay Ireland, who also keeps ALL of his notebooks! by David J. Vowell A few years ago, I worked in the operations center (S3) of the Air Traffic Control organization in the Aviation Center of Excellence in Fort Novosel, AL. This...
What I Learned as an Inaugural Harding Fellow—and Why You Should Apply
By Emily Lopez No crap, there I was—a newly promoted Major, just two weeks shy of graduating with my Master’s degree from the National Defense University. The next logical step was clear—Civil Affair Company Command. Then came the plot twist: an...
Leaders, Stop Creating Chaos! Your Words Carry Weight!
By Joe Byerly One of the toughest challenges for leaders—especially as they rise to senior levels—is learning when to shut up. I don’t say that flippantly. Okay, maybe a little. But what I really mean is that a single question, offhand comment, or...
Just Write! A Message to Junior Officers and NCOs
by Mike Everett Army senior leaders want to hear what you have to say. You don’t have to take my word for it–General Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, has been very clear about his call for Army leaders to put pen to paper. The Harding...
What Are My Options? How to Speak Commander
By LTC Terron Wharton Five years ago, as a battalion S3, I watched a frustrated company commander struggle to brief my battalion commander. Unfortunately, this had become a trend for this particular company commander. Later that day, I brought him...
Effective Communication
By Jeff Farmer Are you an effective communicator? Can you communicate your direction, vision, and how to overcome hurdles to meet your objectives? In my experience, intentional leadership is the bedrock of building trust within an organization,...
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