Break It Down Show

Morgan Lerette – Welcome to Blackwater - Morgan Lerette worked for Blackwater for 18 months, from 2004 to 2005. Upon his return to the United States, he completed his undergraduate degree at Northern Arizona University and commissioned as a U.S. Army intelligence officer. From 2009 to 2010, Lerette deployed back to Iraq. He left the Army as a captain, moved to Boston, and attended The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Get Morgan's book on Amazon at amzn.to/3uek1W7 Lerette wrote the book Welcome to Blackwater. The book is published by a veterans nonprofit, Onward Press, and all sales contribute to its mission to help veterans get their stories published. Morgan talks about the book with Pete and cohost Scott Huesing, and as always when the quorum of veterans in the episode is high, about 567 other aspects of the military life. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show!

Fredrik deBoer - The Cult of Smart - Fredrik deBoer has contributed to the The Guardian, The Washington Post, LA Times, Foreign Policy, Current Affairs, Politico, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Vox, Salon, among other publications. His first book, The Cult of Smart, was published in 2020 by All Points Books and was named one of New York magazine's Top 10 Best Books of 2020. Get The Cult of Smart on Amazon at: amzn.to/3z1ggVO Freddie deBoer joins Pete A Turner and new cohost Christopher Renner on the Break It Down Show to get into his book and findings. Part of what makes Chris special is his ability to speak to the problem, rather than the politics. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/PskUmIqASAs ​Haiku Extricate yourself From this cult and its limits Aint all facts, numbers Similar episodes: Shauna "Doc" Springer - youtu

Bert Sarkkinen - The Art of Hybrid Timber Framing - Bert Sarkkinen, known for his knowledgeable advice and "Bert-isms", weaves his knowledge of human nature into everything he does. To help people uncover their true timber framing style, he developed a personality quiz for potential clients. Ultimately, when their wants and needs are properly analyzed, it results in a personalized Timber Framing experience that exceeds expectations. Get his book The Art of Hybrid Timber Framing along with an accompanying workbook called The Timber Framing Planning Guide on Amazon at amzn.to/3fuznBF Sarkkinen explains, "It is important to think beyond timber framing and focus on what really makes people happy. This is a life experience. It goes beyond architectural design and strikes a chord within all of us. People want to enjoy the process. That's why teamwork, transparency and creative solutions are the driving forces in my philosophy." Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly

Martha Bolton - Dear Bob... - Martha Bolton was the first woman staff writer for Bob Hope, helping to write his television specials, personal appearances, and military shows for approximately fifteen years. She is an Emmy-nominated writer and author of eighty-eight books of humor and inspiration. She has received nominations for a Dove Award, WGA Award, and a Gold- en Scroll Merit Award for Fiction. Get Dear Bob... on Amazon at amzn.to/3lZ9oDA Martha informs us on how she and co-author Linda Hope (Bob's daughter) have collected personal letters, postcards, packages, and more sent back and forth among Hope and the troops and their loved ones back home, what drove Bob to do that, his legacy and more. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/QCrtHgwvhl8 ​Haiku He gave the troops hope Bob HOPE - Nomen est omen Others, take the torch! Simila

John Mosley - Last Chance U, Basketball - Head Coach John Mosley is featured on Season 1 of NetFlix Last Chance U. John's basketball program at East LA College focuses on highly talented but challenged basketball players. Often, these players have already lost chance at a Div I program with a full scholarship. Through love, faith and family, Coach Mosley manages to get his athletes back on track, focused on believing in themselves and each other. Watch Last Chance U: Basketball on Netflix at www.netflix.com/Title/81046613 The highly motivated John discusses with Pete about the most important things about coaching young people, being there for them, taking the drive for basketball and directing it in real life, managing several alphas in a team, ex alphas adapting to their new role... If you're a basketball head hit plaaaay! Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of t

Jack Devine - SPYMASTER'S PRISM - Spy vs Spy - Jack Devine is the president of the Arkin Group, an international risk consulting and intelligence firm. He formerly served as acting director and associate director of operation at the CIA and was in charge of the CIA's largest and most successful covert action operation which drove the Russians out of Afghanistan. He is the author of Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story. He also has a new book SPYMASTER'S PRISM: The Fight against Russian Aggression. For more info on Jack head to thearkingroup.com Get Spymaster's Prism on Amazon at amzn.to/3lOtctq As our guest, Jack explains some terms in his book and the book in general, he and our Pete talk about intelligence, finding opportunities, and being a spy in general. Well you didn't expect two ex-spies to talk about knitting techniques, did you? Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For

John McKay - How Do We Get Better at This - John McKay, a retired USMC COL and master of international relations comes back to discuss with Pete our international entanglements. He has been on the Break It Down Show multiple times. Pete's question, hard to ask and germane is simple. "How do we get better at this?" This answer, while complex, also reveals the nature of international work. How does one or a country, "Get better at this?" There must be complexity because we see the results of a simplistic approach. Both Pete and John would like us to get better at the day-to-day tasks. Let's see what these two have to say. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/f2g5IDlC3hI Haiku Simplistic approach Cool when you design a home Not that good for states ​Similar episodes: Xander Bullock youtu.be/GYC79EEboFs John Green youtu.be/inY3g3NAUe8 P

Pete A Turner - Losing in Afghanistan or Roberts Gates' Folly - Sometimes, Pete A Turner is the guest, in this case, he's written an OpEd https://peteaturner.medium.com/losing... responding to Secretary Robert Gates' recent article published in the NY Times. Pete A Turner delivers fast and clear critique on this episode of the Break It Down Show. Where Gates' laments the US leaving Afghanistan...Pete rebukes Gates for his failure. In his candid, but a truthful response. Pete discusses just some of the reasons why the US failed in Afghanistan. We don't get enough of this part of Pete's work, and we're interested to see what Guest Host Brad Hutchings has in store for us. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/Q-uNEy365Rw Haiku A folly, that is! You bet Pete's gonna address This is his two cents ​Similar episodes: Xander Bullock youtu.be

Grant Martin - Afghanistan, What Were We Doing? Can We Get Better? - Grant Martin is a COL and a Green Beret in the US Army. Grant and Pete discuss Afghanistan at a variety of levels. The main thing they discuss is the strategy, the training and the mindset of the US Military. Grant and Pete push the established narrative and challenge one another and the system. The thing that we love about this episode is Grant and Pete are able to volley back and forth at a level that we don't see anywhere else. Are we truly interested in winning? It doesn't seem like we were. BTW Check out Pete right around Min 29:00 Damn kid... Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/nJ3j_22zB-w Haiku Preparing for what? Stop the conventional threat? Or building a state ​Similar episodes: Xander Bullock youtu.be/GYC79EEboFs John Green youtu.be/inY3g3NAUe8 David Eu

Pete A Turner - The Afghan Constant - Pete A Turner continues to provide thought leadership on Afghanistan. As the situation evolves, we're left to wonder, what happened. However, Pete, powered by the Ground Truth understands the reasons for the collapse of the US installed Afghan government. As a means of illustrating the flaws in the US system,Pete has authored a monograph describing the tools, mindsets and axioms he developed while deployed. The US and her allies failure to adapt to the unique problem set posed by Afghanistan is the first problem. Therefore, the US owns the burden, costs and atrocities. Brad Hutchings hosts this episode which ought to be insightful and illustrative. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/QkKnV40eseo Haiku Hard to get Ground Truth But luckily we have Pete He knows, he was there ​Similar episodes: Pe

John Green – The Last Plane Out of Kabul - John Green and Pete A Turner are two of the most experienced Afghanistan hands that exist. Truly, these guys understand why the US failed so badly during its time building up the country. Now, as the US flees Afghanistan, we're all trying to make sense of what's happening. There are opinions flying in every direction...Who is at fault, what went wrong, should we stay or go? John Green is a long-time friend of Pete A Turner's. You can't find better minds on this topic. They have seen more of the Ground Truth than anyone you're likely to encounter. When the pundits and partisans talk...NONE of them have the knowledge and experience that John has. If you want to understand what's happened in Afghanistan...don't miss this episode. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/oTeQ7DM0kjA ​Haiku The last

Carolyn Hennesy - EMMY Winning Actress from General Hospital - From an Oscar winning Hollywood family to her own Emmy Gold, Carolyn Hennesy has created characters that fans love to hate, on both the big and small screen. One of the more recognizable is Diane Miller on General Hospital (GH). Just as she was approachng her 500th episode on the hit Daytime series, the Covid pandemic delayed the landmark moment. Now, with very strict covid restrictions in place at ABC, Carolyn returns to GH to hopefully soon celebrate the quingental episode of her character. Watch the multi EMMY nominated Studio City on Amazon at: amzn.to/3z24j3c The lovely Carolyn talks about getting over thinking she's not a good actress, being exposed to filmmaking as early as 4 years old, of course General Hospital, how 50 is the new 20, her charity etc. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this

Sean Kanan - Cobra Kai, Way of the Cobra, Mike Barnes - With a lifetime of acting, Sean began as a child in New Castle, PA. He moved to Los Angeles and landed the iconic role of MIKE BARNES, karate's Bad Boy of cobra kai in KARATE KID III. Since then he's starred in over 10,000 hours of NETWORK TELEVISION, perform STAND-UP COMEDY, host SHOWS, written 2 BOOKS, and a hit TV show, Emmy® award winning STUDIO CITY now streaming on AMAZON prime. Get more on Sean at seankanan.actor Get all of Sean's books on Amazon at amzn.to/3spLy6x Sean just shot a movie with Bruce Willis and is about to drop his latest book. Dude gets it done. We talk about that, his karate-chopping character Mike Barnes, how it's better not getting into his bag of tricks… This episode's special guest cohost and Benicia Boy is Ryan Hellquist! Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to

Tim Abell - Fathers and Sons – a Terminal List Story - Tim Abell is an actor, host and producer, living in Los Angeles, Ca. An avid outdoorsman who host's Dorsey Pictures' outstanding television series, "Grateful Nation", honoring our returning wounded veterans on the Outdoor Channel. He starred as former US Marine Benny Ray Riddle, in producer Jerry Bruckheimers' TV series "Soldier of Fortune inc., and many other film and TV projects such as "We Were Soldiers....", "NCIS", "CSI:NY", "CSI:Miami","Sons of Anarchy" etc. Check out Fathers and Sons – a Terminal List Story: youtu.be/C22rfT0rkt0 Tim and Pete converse about giving back to your community and putting your time into something bigger, being a US Army Ranger, what Tim learned as an actor, his short film Fathers and Sons – a Terminal List Story and plus. For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/yXGY9Vy2_rU ​Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directl

Spencer Coursen - The Safety Trap - After a distinguished career spanning military, government, and private sector service, Mr. Coursen founded Coursen Security Group to provide his expert advice on how to return to normalcy after a breach of safety, and to advise on effective strategies to reduce risk, prevent violence, and ensure the certainty of safety for everyone involved. Find out more on: coursensecuritygroup.com He shares how recording your own audiobook is not simple, projecting safety vs actual safety, the safety trap of being too polite and other safety-related issues from our everyday lives. Shelley Klingerman wins the supporting host award in this episode. Get Spencer's The Safety Trap at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Q6iqD1 Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/mHN3GSXmiuA ​Haiku Be safe, don't project Spencer Coursen here t

Andrew Norelli - Lebron is the GOAT, Analytics Can't Measure Giants - We continue our Save the Brave sponsored comedy episodes on BIDS. Soon Bastards Canteen in Temecula opens and we will have a comedy/live music venue. Our guest for this episode is Andrew Norelli. Andrew has had numerous late night appearances, including "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," and "Jimmy Kimmel Live." A Ted Talk was recently added to his resume where he hilariously lampooned the absurdity of computer error messages. Get more on Andrew at: www.andrewnorelli.com This episode contains serious guy-talk. Baseball, Tom Brady, Lebron James and the inevitable GOAT debate of him vs MJ, comedy and more. For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/2b4IBriNEVc Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show!​ ​Haiku A Stand-up comic That's pretty informed on sports A real guy

Adam Bird - Heroes Media Group and Veterans Podcasting - Heroes Media Group Founder and CEO Adam Bird is our featured Veteran Entrepreneur for this episode. Adam founded Heroes Media Group (A digital media branding and publishing company) to give a voice to our community heroes and those who support them. Check out Heroes Media Group at: www.heroesmediagroup.com Adam and talks about his podcast (being the one of the top veteran podcasters along with our Pedro), where does he think it is going and other aspects of the podcast game. Adam is still going strong even though some mornings he thinks – how am I still doing this?! Hey we've all been there. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/iDTd8YafhCo ​Haiku Podcast veteran How is he still doing this? Well, consistency! Similar episodes: Shauna "Doc" Springer - youtu.be/8rPkQ0LFWj4 Tracy

Michael Heller - Mine!: Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives - Michael Heller is the Lawrence A. Wien Professor of Real Estate Law at Columbia Law School. He is the author of The Gridlock Economy: How Too Much Ownership Wrecks Markets, Stops Innovation, and Costs Lives. Michael Heller is the co-author of Mine: Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives. Get Mine! on Amazon at: amzn.to/3yANtrW MINE! blows out of the water everything we think we know about who owns what. Ownership seems natural, whether buying a cup of coffee or a house. But who controls the space behind your airplane seat: you reclining or the squished laptop user behind? Why is plagiarism wrong, but it's okay to knock-off a recipe or a dress design? MINE! explains these puzzles and many more. Seriously, once you see it, you can't unsee it. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episod

Peter Matsoukas - No Place Movie - Peter Matsoukas is a screenwriter, editor, producer & director born and raised in New York City. He's written, produced & directed narrative and documentary features and short films. He has also created behind the scenes documentaries for Douglas Buck's Sisters, Larry Fessenden's The Last Winter and Glenn McQuaid's I Sell The Dead. Watch No Place on Amazon at amzn.to/3rHjSJD The website for his film is: noplaceindiefilm.com His latest movie is called No Place and stars Benjamin Madrid. We featured Benjamin on an earlier episode of BIDS and enjoyed the conversation so much, we asked Peter to join us for this episode. Our convo subjects move from how he characterizes the different versions of storytelling to finding actors who want to do something different, which movies deserved to be remade etc. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the liv

Will Moore - 5 Core Life, Tactics - Will Moore is a dynamic entrepreneur, speaker, life coach, and happiness expert. His #1 mission in life is to gamify the process of personal wellness so that people become addicted to becoming the happiest and best version of THEMselves – in turn paying it forward to help the world become the best version of ITself. Get all of Will's concepts, podcast and speaking at mooremomentum.com Will More and Pete A Turner talk about blending and connecting your tactics to your strategic outcomes. Moore says, "Habits don't care...your brain is trying to save energy with habits" The majority of our actions are about our brain setting up auto-pilot...So we must evaluate what's preventing or contributing to momentum. Please support the Break It Down Show by doing a monthly subscription to the show bit.ly/3pPkrjr All of the money you invest goes directly to supporting the show! For the live version of this episode head to youtu.be/GEDP04hBroI ​Haiku A dynamic guy Hence his momentum in lif