Joe Byerly

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 military. 

Joe and Jaron discuss how education and self-study shape better leaders, why intellectual curiosity is essential in command, and how stepping outside of purely tactical experiences helps leaders avoid what Joe describes as a “soda straw” view of the world. They also reflect on the dangers of groupthink inside hierarchical organizations and the responsibility leaders have to create space for dissenting ideas.

Throughout the conversation, they explore the growing disconnect between the military and the society it serves, the risks of an emerging “warrior caste,” and why service must be valued beyond just those in uniform.

Joe and Jaron also discuss:

  •  Why education prepares leaders not just for success—but for failure 
  •  The danger of an “anti-intellectual bend” in the military 
  •  How groupthink develops—and how leaders can actively fight it 
  •  Why publishing isn’t the goal—promoting conversation is 
  •  The risks of a widening civil-military gap 
  •  Why service should be celebrated across all professions—not just the military 
  •  The importance of giving junior leaders a voice in shaping the profession 
  •  What it might take to mobilize society for large-scale conflict 

Whether you’re a junior leader trying to find your voice, a senior leader thinking about the future of the force, or someone simply interested in the relationship between the military and society, this episode offers a thoughtful and challenging look at where we are—and where we may be headed.

Also, check out Bend but Do Not Break, with proceeds supporting Wear Blue: Run to Remember.

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 days before September 11th, Andy entered the Army knowing he would serve during a generation defined by war. After flying Kiowa Warrior reconnaissance helicopters and spending nearly a decade in Special Operations, he became increasingly frustrated with the gap between the technology soldiers used in combat and what existed in the civilian world.

Joe and Andy discuss Andy’s decision to leave the Army at 18 years to start Vector, a company focused on unmanned systems, as well as the challenges of military transition, the realities of leadership in the private sector, and how paying attention to what captures your curiosity might reveal the work you’re meant to pursue.

Watch the full interview on YouTube!

Joe and Andy also discuss:

  • Why physical fitness and sleep still shape Andy’s decision-making as a CEO
  • The value of civilian education for military leaders
  • The “Saturday morning coffee test” for discovering what you’re passionate about
  • Why veterans shouldn’t feel pressure to find the perfect post-military job immediately
  • The challenge of leading teams in the private sector
  • How drone warfare is reshaping the battlefield
  • The concept of “attritable mass” and the future of unmanned systems
  • Why the future of warfare may shift from one operator controlling one drone to one operator orchestrating many

Whether you’re transitioning out of the military, thinking about entrepreneurship, or trying to understand how technology is changing warfare, this episode offers insights on leadership, innovation, and the courage to pursue the work you feel called to do.

“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 depart, headed to start my commute to the suburbs and spend time with my wife and kids; leaving the party first wasn’t quite a party-foul but it was worth a well-meaning jeer, hence, “Unc”. The name stuck. Soon, half my cohort was calling me that. At first, it made me laugh—I mean, I’m not that old (I continue to tell myself). But somewhere along the way, I realized that the nickname came with a certain expectation.

When you’re ten years older than the youngest in the room, five years older than the median, and the only one with kids, a mortgage, and a looming colonoscopy, people start to look your way when conversations turn serious. I didn’t set out to be anyone’s mentor (in fact, my last Army job was teaching and I was looking forward to being on the other side of the classroom) but when you carry a bit more experience, people notice how you carry yourself (doubly so in a learning environment). You don’t always choose that influence: sometimes it just finds you.

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 Operations, Randy transitioned from the military to the writing world, studying under Shawn Coyne and helping dozens of veterans turn their experiences into memoirs, leadership books, and fiction. Along the way, he’s seen what works—and what doesn’t.

Joe reflects on his own year-and-a-half journey working with Randy on his forthcoming book—including the uncomfortable but necessary process of clarifying the message, identifying the right reader, and moving beyond “I just want to write a book” to “Here’s who this is for.”

Randy explains why most military memoirs never gain traction, why writing “for everyone” is the fastest way to reach no one, and how to identify the single reader you’re actually trying to serve. He also breaks down the realities of publishing—from traditional deals to hybrid models to self-publishing—and why marketing is often harder than writing.

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 selfish—treating the lives of entire groups of people as raw material for an ideology. Gradually, the work in front of them began to feel smaller. Easier to postpone. And more often than not, they caught themselves wondering why what they were doing mattered, when the world seemed to be falling apart. 

Those were the stressors that wouldn’t go away, and the question they carried with them, as they stepped into an almost 700-year-old church on a Sunday morning in October 1939 to hear a forty-year-old Oxford professor named C.S. Lewis address the students sitting shoulder to shoulder in the wooden pews.

Over the course of his sermon, he spoke to them about war, uncertainty, fear, and the temptation to put their lives on hold until the world made sense again. He spoke about the danger of postponing meaningful work while waiting for better days. 

“If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work,” Lewis told them. “The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.”

He was right. Favorable conditions never come.

Ep 172: How Work Stress Hijacks Your Life with Dr. Guy Winch

Dr. Guy Winch, bestselling author and psychologist, joins Joe to discuss his newest book, Mind Over Grind to explore how job stress quietly spills beyond the office—and into our evenings, our sleep, and our relationships.

What starts as a difficult meeting or looming deadline doesn’t end at 1700. It follows us home. From the “Sunday Scaries” to 2AM rumination loops, Guy explains how modern work keeps us stuck in fight-or-flight—and why we’re often blind to the ways we sabotage our future selves in the process.

Joe reflects on his time in command and the culture of constant availability in the military, while Guy highlights research showing that leaders have far more power to reduce stress than they realize. Sometimes it’s not about solving the problem—just showing that you care.

They also spend time on practical tools: reframing procrastination, managing rumination, cultivating a better relationship with your “future self,” and creating intentional rituals that signal the workday is over.

Watch the full interview on YouTube!

Joe and Guy also discuss:

  • Why the dread of Monday is often worse than Monday itself
  • How procrastination is really about avoiding feelings—not tasks
  • The danger of treating your future self like a stranger
  • How to stop replaying failures at 2AM
  • The “Memoir Test” for putting problems in perspective
  • Why naming your emotions reduces their intensity
  • How journaling helps you spot recurring “icebergs” in your life
  • Why Instagram reels don’t actually relax you
  • The science behind clothing, rituals, and mental transitions

Whether you’re in the military, the corporate world, or building something of your own, this episode is a reminder that stress doesn’t stay at work—and that managing your inner world is part of leading well.

Ep 171: Bring Your Own Pencil: The Leadership Lesson of Coach Bill Walsh with Griffin Brand and Dan Casey

Griffin Brand and Dan Casey, co-authors of Bring Your Own Pencil: Bill Walsh’s Playbook for Winning at Anything, join Joe to explore preparation, leadership, and what separates sustained excellence from short-term success.

It’s Super Bowl weekend, so football is part of the lens—but it doesn’t stay there. The discussion moves from Bill Walsh and the San Francisco 49ers to Dyson vacuums, Raising Cane’s chicken fingers, JSOC, and even 50 Cent. Different worlds, same underlying question: why do some people and organizations endure while others flame out?

At the center is a simple idea: success is a lagging indicator. Drawing on Walsh’s leadership philosophy, Griffin and Dan explain why outcomes take care of themselves when leaders focus on standards, habits, and ownership of preparation—long before performance is visible.

From there, the episode broadens into leadership more generally: perseverance, the myth of overnight success, and how constraints can sharpen thinking instead of limiting it. A key theme is the idea of a permanent base camp—maintaining standards that keep teams within striking distance of excellence without burning them out.

They also spend time on legacy. Not wins or titles, but people. The episode reinforces a simple measure of leadership: how many people succeed because you took the time to invest in them.

Watch the full interview on YouTube!

Joe, Griffin, and Dan also discuss:

  •  What “bring your own pencil” really means for leaders
  •  Alive time vs. dead time 
  •  How the path to the top is rarely a straight line
  •  How to sustain excellence without burning people or culture
  •  Why inputs matter more than outcomes
  •  How culture becomes real when it carries itself forward
  •  What legacy looks like when leaders step back
  •  Why the best leaders make their ceiling someone else’s floor

Whether you’re watching the Super Bowl or leading a team far from the spotlight, this episode is a reminder that the work that matters most usually happens long before anyone is watching.

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 had been elevated to great spiritual and moral heights by communication with the best and wisest people whose books I read and whose thoughts I selected for my Circle of Reading… What can be more precious than to communicate every day with the wisest men of the world?”

Lately, I’ve started a similar practice. Next to my chair is a stack of books that contain short daily passages that I can read in maybe 2-5 minutes and jump start reflection.

The books and authors I’ve chosen for my Daily Circle of Reading focus on subjects that interest me, or on areas of my life where I know I still have work to do.

For those of you who struggle to find time to read and feel like time isn’t on your side—because you’re too busy, too distracted, or too mentally taxed to take on another book—this practice may be worth considering: create your own daily circle of reading.

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. That’s why I wrote to you then (First Article, Second Article).

Today, I want to share what it felt like to be on the receiving end of an investigation—and what I’ve learned since about how leaders can better support those going through it.

I feel a responsibility to support others who find themselves in that same position. Having lived through both an investigation and a separation board, I carry two perspectives: the experience of the subject, and the responsibility of the leader.

To those under investigation:

  1. You still matter. This is true no matter what you did nor what others accuse you of.
  2. The first statement is not easy to manifest and believe when you are branded a “subject”. You need to have people in your life that will remind you of your worth (because it’s easy to forget).
  3. The hard part is letting them. If you give those people permission to stay close, they can help steady you and pull you back up. Your leaders can—and should—be among them.

Ep 170- Making the Call: Military Intelligence, Judgment, and Command with Lieutenant General Tony Hale

Lieutenant General Tony Hale, the Army G-2, joins Joe for a conversation on military intelligence, judgment, and decision-making in modern war. Drawing on nearly four decades of service, Hale reflects on the evolution of the intelligence profession—from red pens and acetate maps to AI-enabled platforms—and why human judgment still matters most.

Hale shares his path into military intelligence, challenges common misconceptions about the field, and explains why intelligence is foundational to maneuver, lethality, and command. From battalion S2 shops to JSOC, Afghanistan, and the Army’s highest intelligence roles, he offers a clear view of how intelligence professionals shape outcomes across every echelon.

They discuss the responsibility of “putting your rank on the table,” developing junior analysts, and creating environments where ideas matter more than hierarchy. The conversation also explores self-development, operating amid disinformation, balancing OSINT with historical context, and how AI can enhance—but never replace— disciplined thinking.

In this episode, LTG Hale and Joe explore:

  • Why “lethality starts with intelligence”
  • The role of intelligence in enabling decision dominance
  • Making analytical calls under uncertainty
  • Developing confident, capable intelligence professionals
  • The limits of AI and the enduring value of human judgment
  • Preparing for future conflict while mastering the fundamentals

Whether you’re an intelligence professional, commander, or leader navigating uncertainty, this conversation is a reminder that seeing clearly—and thinking well—remains the decisive advantage.

Ep 169- Open Doors & Hidden Worlds: The Power of Curiosity with Brad Meltzer

On the release of his latest thriller, The Viper: A Zig and Nola Novel, Brad Meltzer joins Joe for an in-depth conversation on writing, curiosity, service, and the often-hidden moments that shape a life. From bestselling thrillers to children’s books, Meltzer reflects on how stories—both real and imagined—help us make sense of who we are, what we’ve lived through, and the paths we choose moving forward.

Drawing on his own unlikely origin story, Meltzer shares how a single teacher’s encouragement set him on the path to becoming a writer, why falling in love with the process matters more than chasing outcomes, and how curiosity has been the throughline of his career. They explore how paying attention—to people, details, and quiet acts of kindness—can open doors we didn’t even know existed.

The conversation also dives into Meltzer’s deep connection to the military community, from his work with the USO to the research behind his Zig and Nola thriller series set at Dover Air Force Base. Together, Joe and Brad discuss service, sacrifice, grief, and why storytelling can help destigmatize mental health struggles—especially for those transitioning out of uniform.

In this episode, Brad Meltzer and Joe also explore:

  • How one teacher’s belief can change the trajectory of a life
  • Why curiosity is a more powerful tool than talent
  • Falling in love with the process—not the outcome—of creative work
  • What writing thrillers has taught Meltzer about human nature
  • Why Dover Air Force Base became the heart of his Zig and Nola series
  • How small acts of kindness ripple outward in unexpected ways
  • The challenge of transitioning from a life of constant motion to stillness
  • Why seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness
  • How reading builds empathy, critical thinking, and resilience
  • Why transformation is the hardest, and most important, kind of change

Whether you’re a writer, a leader, a veteran, or someone navigating a transition, this conversation is a reminder that paying attention, staying curious, and honoring the quiet work of becoming can lead to a life richer than any plan you could have written in advance.

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, and a sudden realization hit me: the last twenty years of my life were physically represented in fourteen lines of print.

Decorations. Medals. Badges. Deployments.

All of it fit neatly into Boxes 13 and 18 of an official government document.

At first, I felt unsettled.

That’s it?

All those years away. All the sleepless nights. All the ambition, drive, and sacrifice—compressed into two square boxes?

My moment of intense reflection was quickly interrupted.

“Oh yeah—your flag, certificate from the Chief of Staff of the Army, and your retirement pin are on the table over there,” he said, already turning back to his desk to continue processing paperwork. “Don’t forget to grab those.”

I noticed it wasn’t even the current Chief of Staff. They must have been trying to get rid of old ones. I didn’t say anything. I just left.

I moved on.