From The Green Notebook

Send us Fan Mail In this special Notebook Notes episode, Joe sits down with Sergeant Major Urzua and Sergeant Major Brady to discuss the Army Directive 2025-18, with a guest appearance from Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer. The intent behind the new Army directive and what it means for Soldiers and leaders Why appearance reflects discipline, professionalism, and Army values How commanders...

Send us Fan Mail Author and researcher Dr. Colin Fisher joins Joe to unpack the invisible forces that shape teams—and why leaders ignore them at their own risk. From his book The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups Dr. Fisher shows how group dynamics are always at play, whether in a locker room, a boardroom, or on the battlefield. Together, he and Joe explore why the myth of the...

Send us Fan Mail Military strategist and author George M. Dougherty joins Joe to unpack how robotics, AI, and precision weaponry are reshaping the future of warfare—and what history can teach us about navigating this transformation. From his book Beast in the Machine , George traces the roots of military robotics back over a century and shows how concepts like remote-controlled systems and autonom...

Send us Fan Mail Army officer and Harvard-trained scholar Laura Weimer joins Joe to unpack leader identity—how it’s formed, why it matters, and what happens when we never stop to question it. From leading Soldiers in the field to earning a PhD in organizational behavior at Harvard Business School, Laura has navigated both the operational Army and academia. Along the way, she’s learned that one of...

Send us Fan Mail Author Roland Allen joins Joe for a deep-dive into his book, The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper , and the surprising legacy of one of humanity’s most powerful tools: the humble notebook. Whether it’s a green notebook in your cargo pocket, Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches, or a modern writer’s Moleskine , notebooks have shaped how people think, learn, and lead for centuries....

Send us Fan Mail Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Matt Richtel joins Joe for a powerful conversation about his new book, How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence . Blending neuroscience, history, and real-life stories from teens and families across the country, Matt offers a transformative understanding of adolescence—not as a problem to fix, but as a critical phase of gro...

Send us Fan Mail Retired Marine Raider and author John Dailey joins the podcast to discuss his memoir, Tough Rugged Bastards , and the hard-earned lessons from a lifetime in Marine special operations. In this episode, Joe and John explore: The story behind the founding of Marine Special Operations—and what it took to prove they belonged Why breath work, meditation, and reading became essential too...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail U.S. Army Special Operations Command Sergeant Major JoAnn Naumann returns to the podcast—this time from the range at Fort Bragg—for a conversation on leadership, transformation, and enabling the next generation of special operations forces. With nearly three decades in uniform and two years as the senior enlisted leader of USASOC, CSM Naumann shares the mindset shifts, hard-won le...

Send us Fan Mail In this special Army Birthday Week episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson joins Joe to explore the deep roots of the U.S. Army and what its 250-year journey can teach today’s leaders. Known for his Liberation Trilogy and now two volumes into his Revolution Trilogy , Atkinson brings the American Revolution to life—warts, wonder, and all—and makes a compelling case...

Send us Fan Mail In this candid conversation, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll joins Joe to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to modernize a military while staying grounded in soldier-level feedback. From wrestling with “irrationality and stupidity at scale” in the Pentagon to launching the Army Transformation Initiative, Driscoll shares why he’s flipping tables—sometimes almost lite...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful conversation, award-winning journalist turned Army officer Sarah Blake Morgan joins Joe for a raw and reflective discussion on identity, purpose, and what happens when we step away from the life we always thought we wanted. From chasing stories as a national correspondent for the Associated Press to standing in formation at Army basic training at age 31, Sarah ope...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful conversation, retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal joins Joe to discuss his new book, On Character: Choices That Define a Life . Drawing from decades of military leadership and personal reflection, General McChrystal breaks down why character is more than just a word—it's a daily practice rooted in conviction and discipline. In this episode, they expl...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Joe sits down with Lieutenant General Mary Izaguirre, the 46th Surgeon General of the U.S. Army and Commanding General of Army Medical Command, for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, vulnerability, culture, and purpose. Drawing on over three decades of service, LTG Izaguirre shares hard-earned lessons on how to lead authentically and navigate professional...

Send us Fan Mail In this Notebook Notes episode of From the Green Notebook , we sit down with Bob O’Brien, the Army’s lead for the Command Assessment Program (CAP), to take a deep dive into how CAP is transforming how the Army selects and develops its future leaders. Bob explains how this multi-day assessment process captures over 1,800 data points per candidate to provide a more complete picture...

Send us Fan Mail In this Mother's Day episode, Joe sits down with Danny Ricker, Emmy-nominated comedy writer, producer, and author of Wow, You Look Terrible!: How to Parent Less and Live More , for a laugh-out-loud conversation on the highs and lows of parenting young kids. Drawing from both personal experience and sharp comedic insight, Danny unpacks the pressure modern parents face to do it...

Send us Fan Mail In this special edition of From the Green Notebook , Joe sits down with Command Sergeant Major Christopher Mullinax from the Army’s Training Directorate to break down the most recent changes to the Army’s fitness assessment—the newly updated Army Fitness Test (AFT). After years of collecting data from the field and listening to feedback from soldiers and leaders at all levels, the...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Joe sits down with Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, a leading neuroscientist and author of How Emotions Are Made , to explore groundbreaking insights on how emotions are formed and how we can better understand and regulate them. Together, they dive deep into the science behind emotions, how the brain predicts our feelings, and how we can gain more emotional agency in our...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode, Joe sits down with Lieutenant General Greg Anderson, Commanding General of XVIII Airborne Corps, to discuss one of the most significant structural changes to the airborne community in decades. With 22,000 paid parachutist positions on the table for reclassification, LTG Anderson explains the data-driven process behind the decision, what it means for readin...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Joe sits down with Victoria Trammel from the Arbinger Institute to explore the life-changing insights from the newly revised edition of Leadership and Self-Deception . Together, they dig into the patterns of self-justification, the emotional energy we waste on false narratives, and the practical tools leaders can use to shift from an inward to an outward mindset....

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of From the Green Notebook , General Randy George, the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army, returns to discuss the habits, practices, and mindset that have shaped his leadership journey. From the pocket-sized notebook he started as a field grade officer to the lessons he's learning from visiting troops and reading deeply, General George offers a candid reflection...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, host Joe sits down with Melody Wilding, an executive coach and author of Managing Up: How To Get What you Need From the People In Charge   to explore the dynamics of power, status, and influence in the workplace. Melody shares practical strategies for managing up effectively, not by being a sycophant, but by building stronger relationships, communicating with conf...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Joe welcomes Corie Weathers, licensed professional counselor, author, and expert on military culture, to explore the shifting landscape of service, leadership, and the personal challenges faced by military members and their families. Corie shares insights from her latest book, Military Culture Shift , offering her thoughts on the past 20 years of war and what it m...

Send us Fan Mail The FTGN Merch Store is Live!! Help Support the site with official FTGN Gear! In this episode, Joe welcomes David Baker, former President & Executive Director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, to explore leadership, legacy, and the values that shape extraordinary careers. David shares lessons from his time working with NFL legends, his deep respect for the military, and his la...

Send us Fan Mail The FTGN Merch Store is Live!! Help Support the site with official FTGN Gear! In this episode, Joe welcomes Sam Walker, author of The Captain Class: A New Theory of Leadership , to dive into the world of leadership and team dynamics. Sam shares the surprising insights from his 11 years of research, studying over 25,000 teams since the 1880s, to uncover what truly makes teams great...