Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff.

This bonus episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff. was recorded during a motorcycle camping trip through the Nevada backcountry with my son, Luke. We were almost 700 miles into the ride, with around 200 miles on dirt. We chased thunderstorms, found a remote hot spring, camped by a lake at the end of a trail most people could not get to, and recorded part of the conversation from a truck stop on th...

A season does not send you a notice when it ends. The light shifts. The air changes weight. Something that was true last month is quietly less true this month, and you feel it before you can name it. The same thing happens in a life. Specifically, it happens to the definition of winning you have been carrying, the one that formed early, got rewarded, and slowly stopped feeling like a belief and st...

When someone asks you who you are, what is the first thing that comes to mind? For most people, the answer is a function. A title. A role. And that reflex tells you something important — not just about how you introduce yourself, but about where your identity actually lives and what happens to it when the function changes. This episode is about the container problem. The slow, unannounced process...

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff. , I sit down with entrepreneur and cybersecurity founder Heather Stratford to talk about why most security awareness training still fails and what it actually takes to change behavior inside organizations. We explore the human side of cybersecurity, including: Why compliance doesn’t equal culture How behavioral change actually happens Leadership vs a...

Fear gets results. But it also leaves damage behind. In cybersecurity and leadership, we’ve used fear, uncertainty, and doubt for years to drive action. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it creates alignment. And sometimes, it quietly breaks trust. I’m Jason Elrod, an executive leader, strategic advisor, author, and founder of Limitless Cyber. I help leaders turn complexity into clarity and build resi...

Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than most leaders have time to process it. But the real risk is not the technology. It is the erosion of judgment. In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., I sit down with Sol Rashidi to explore what AI can do, what it cannot do, and where leaders are getting it dangerously wrong. Sol is a five-time C-suite executive and global AI and data leader...

Leadership rarely breaks down because of a lack of tools. It breaks down when fear replaces curiosity, and judgment gets outsourced. In this episode of 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘊𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦. 𝘋𝘰 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧., I sit down with Kara Schlageter, a people-first cybersecurity and technology leader, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership when certainty disappears. We talk about curiosity as a discipline, resilience without...

Stoicism is often misunderstood as emotional detachment or indifference. In reality, it is a practical leadership discipline built for moments when pressure is high, decisions are imperfect, and responsibility is real. In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff. , Jason Elrod is joined by returning guest Brad Bussie for a grounded conversation on stoic leadership in modern executive roles. Tog...

This is a bonus episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff. It’s not a traditional conversation. It’s a short, focused leadership reflection. As AI continues to accelerate, the real challenge facing leaders isn’t how powerful the tools become. It’s what we decide to hand over and what we refuse to. AI can execute. It can generate answers. It can optimize decisions. What it cannot do is carry responsib...

High performers are often told to slow down, reflect, and be more present. But for many, slowing down doesn’t feel calming. It feels unsafe. In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff. , Jason Elrod sits down with retired Navy SEAL officer JJ Parma for a deeply honest conversation about elite performance, survival wiring, and what happens when discipline alone stops working. JJ shares how ego...

What happens when you strip away titles, roles, and expectations? In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., Jason sits down with longtime peer and retiring executive Brant Borchert for a deeply human conversation about ritual, identity, and the quiet drift that pulls people away from who they are meant to be. They explore how small habits compound into life-defining momentum, why ritual mat...

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., Jason Elrod sits down with Bradd Busick to unpack what leaders are missing about AI, speed, and organizational courage. This is not a conversation about tools or hype cycles. It’s a real discussion about pace, culture, and what happens when leadership either creates momentum or becomes the constraint. Bradd shares lessons from his transition from he...

Most people don’t lose their purpose in a single moment. They lose it slowly, quietly, and without noticing. In this solo episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., Jason Elrod explores the quiet drift and what happens when momentum begins to replace intention, especially for high performers and leaders. Drift doesn’t come from laziness or failure. It comes from capability. From saying yes too often...

Episode 16 — Balance is Power: A Framework for Life & Leadership In this solo episode, Jason Elrod explores the idea that balance isn’t neutrality — balance is power . Drawing from Aristotle’s Golden Mean, Stoicism, Taoism, and modern leadership practice, Jason breaks down how every virtue becomes destructive when taken to extremes. This episode introduces a practical framework built around ei...

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff. , I sit down with Jarrod Washington, tech leader, father, and perpetual source of optimism, to talk about faith, leadership, empathy, and the power of gratitude. From musical theatre to coaching youth football, Jarrod brings contagious energy and real lessons about teamwork, humility, and showing up with purpose. We explore what it means to practice...

In a world obsessed with control, clarity is the true leadership advantage. In this short solo episode, Jason Elrod explores how uncertainty tests our ability to stay calm, think clearly, and act with purpose. Especially in cybersecurity and executive leadership. When you stop chasing control, you start building confidence. Because leadership isn’t about predicting the future, it’s about preparing...

Artificial Intelligence isn’t coming,  it’s here.  And like every great leap before it, it’s testing what kind of leaders we are. In this solo episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., Jason Elrod breaks down the leadership shift of our time as we move from the Information Age to the Age of AI. He shares how 2025 transformed progress itself, why we’re living in a “weightless” moment at th...

Jason Elrod talks with Dorene Rettas, co-founder of Cyber Security Tribe, about courage, empathy, and what it really means to lead with purpose. From leaving corporate comfort to building a mission-driven business, Dorene shares lessons on failure, resilience, and why doing the right thing is always the best strategy. ––– What happens when you stop chasing safety and start leading with purpose? In...

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., I sit down with longtime friend and ultra-endurance athlete Brian Recore. With more than a hundred ultra marathons under his belt, including 50+ 100-milers and the infamous Badwater, Brian has learned lessons that apply far beyond running. We explore: Why discipline always outlasts motivation How invisible progress is made by continuing forward, eve...

Most people think prepping is about bunkers and canned beans. But the truth is, being a prepper isn’t paranoia, it’s preparation. And that’s exactly what Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) is all about. In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., I connect the dots between personal prepping and enterprise resilience. Because whether it’s your pantry or your data center, the same...

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., I sit down with James Pham — entrepreneur, risk-taker, and co-founder / CEO of Opisin. James’s story is one of bold leaps: leaving med school in Vietnam, moving across countries on faith alone, and turning down safe jobs to chase uncertain opportunities. At the core of his journey is radical transparency: a leadership style built on honesty, trust,...

This episode is different. It’s not about strategy or technology, it’s about conviction. When the murder of Charlie Kirk shook the nation, it was more than another act of violence. It was an assault on freedom itself, on the foundation of America, on free speech and expression, and on the courage to stand against evil. In this solo episode, Jason Elrod shares why silence in the face of darkness is...

In this solo episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., I share the story of my first leadership role—and how I almost walked away from management before I even got started. What turned it around was a lesson I’ll never forget: leadership isn’t about taking power, it’s about brokering it. We’ll unpack what it really means to be a Power Broker in today’s organizations, why influence is multiplied by...

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff. , I sit down with Noel Grover, entrepreneur, inventor, and founder of EnQuanta. Noel’s journey is extraordinary. At 38, his heart stopped, and coming back gave him a fearless perspective on risk, purpose, and innovation. He shares how failure became his best teacher, why persistence and common sense are underrated superpowers, and the lessons he lear...

In this episode of Drink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff., I sit down with Corey Elinburg — a seasoned CISO and field security leader — to talk about why emotional intelligence, identity, and outcomes matter more than tools or titles. We explore the realities of healthcare cybersecurity, the lessons of servant leadership done right, and why the best leaders don’t shade out growth around them. 👉 Subscribe f...