Not Special: A Liberty Speaks Show

Send us Fan Mail Former Navy SEAL operator, leadership coach, and Doctor of Education Dan Luna joins The Not Special Show for a conversation about resilience, leadership, purpose, and the realities of life after elite military service. Yes, Dan served with the Navy SEALs and SEAL Team 6. But this episode isn't about tactics or war stories. It's about what happens after the mission. Dan s...

Send us Fan Mail The best teachers don't just teach subjects, they change lives. In this episode of The Not Special Show, we sit down with Rob Hughes, Herb’s high school science teacher, coach, timber framer, outdoorsman, and one of the people who had the biggest impact on who Herb became. Long before Herb became a Green Beret, Rob saw potential in him that he didn't yet see in himself....

Send us Fan Mail Green Beret Magnus Johnson shares his experiences in Ramadi, Army Special Forces, Mission 22, veteran mental health, military transition, purpose after service, resilience, leadership, and life after combat. Magnus joins Herb and Corrie Thompson to share his journey from the battlefields of Iraq to helping thousands of veterans find purpose after military service. He opens up abou...

Send us Fan Mail After reaching the pinnacle of military service, former Delta Force operator Gary Harrington was unexpectedly removed from the unit he had worked his entire career to join. What followed was a battle with identity, purpose, failure, faith, and finding meaning beyond military service. In this episode of The Not Special Show, Gary shares his journey from Marine Corps officer to Gree...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a former Green Beret and a former police officer stop surviving and start healing? In this powerful episode we sit down with Chris and Marcia Lessard to discuss Special Forces, law enforcement trauma, PTSD, traumatic brain injury (TBI), addiction, marriage, autism recovery, hyper-vigilance, mental health, veteran healing, and the groundbreaking brain treatments c...

Send us Fan Mail Former Special Operations PsyOps expert Stuart Gallagher and women’s health clinician Jamie Gallagher join the Not Special Podcast with Green Beret Herb Thompson and Corrie Thompson for one of the most powerful conversations yet. From Russia, Ukraine, psychological operations, Special Forces selection, cancer survival, veteran health, testosterone, prostate cancer awareness, hormo...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Not Special, Karen and John share what it was really like inside the CIA, SEAL Team 6, Afghanistan, and the mission environment that led to the Osama bin Laden raid. Karen spent 26 years serving as a CIA operations officer, deploying to some of the world’s most dangerous environments after 9/11. John served as a Navy SEAL and later as deputy commander at SEAL Te...

Send us Fan Mail Pat McKenna joins the Not Special Show with Herb and Corrie Thompson for a raw, unfiltered conversation about Navy EOD, war stories, overcoming adversity, mental toughness, and the journey from a troubled childhood to becoming an elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal operator. In this episode, Pat shares powerful stories about growing up in Aurora, getting into fights, run-ins with th...

Send us Fan Mail What kind of person pushes their body to the edge for 48 straight hours with no sleep and no quitting? Meet the inspirational Charles Gomes — Navy veteran, Brazilian immigrant, jiu-jitsu black belt, and a man on a mission far bigger than himself. From growing up in a poor fishing village in Brazil to stepping onto a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to working for Lamborghini. Now he’s a...

Send us Fan Mail The idea that veterans come home “broken” is everywhere but it’s not the full story. In this episode, Marine veteran and nonprofit leader Kevin Schmiegel shares his journey from service to leadership, through personal struggle, and ultimately to building a movement focused on “military thriving.” This conversation explores identity after service, the challenges of transition, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Not Special , we sit down with a retired Command Sergeant Major to unpack one of the most powerful and overlooked stories from the war in Ramadi. What begins as a conversation about leadership quickly becomes something much deeper. You’ll hear firsthand what it was like leading soldiers during one of the most dangerous periods of the Iraq War—where attacks were...

Send us Fan Mail Medal of Honor recipient Jim McCloughan doesn’t believe he’s special.  But during one of the most intense battles of the Vietnam War, he ran into enemy fire over and over again saving dozens of lives while wounded, outnumbered, and refusing evacuation as the enemy flowed down the hill like lava. In this episode of Not Special, Jim shares: * What it’s really like to arrive in Vietn...

Send us Fan Mail Alex Dekker is a former Green Beret, combat veteran, and author of Desert Heist . After being severely injured by a Taliban grenade, Alex fought his way back to his team—eventually deploying again while still recovering. In this episode, he shares the mindset behind Special Forces, the realities of war, and how his experiences shaped a novel that blends fiction with hard-earned tr...

Send us Fan Mail Ricky Mills is a former Army Ranger and Green Beret whose story goes far beyond combat. From a difficult childhood to elite military service, Ricky built his identity around strength and resilience, until a near-fatal accident and traumatic brain injury forced everything to unravel. In this episode, he shares:  What it’s like to lose your sense of self   How trauma affects familie...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a “normal” guy walks into a world built for SEALs, Rangers, and operators and refuses to quit? In this episode of Not Special, Bryan Mabry shares the inside story of going from overlooked candidate to CIA Global Response Staff (GRS) operator. He eventually lead training for the next generation in this elite unit. We go deep into: * Getting rejected and coming bac...

Send us Fan Mail Clinical psychologist Dr. Chris Frueh explains Operator Syndrome and the hidden physical and psychological costs of elite military performance in this honest conversation that impacts veteran stories. In this episode of Not Special , Herb and Corrie Thompson sit down with clinical psychologist, professor, and researcher Chris Frueh , author of Operator Syndrome.   Dr. Frueh has sp...

Send us Fan Mail Navy SEAL Mike Lahiff doesn’t believe he’s special. But he understands something most people don’t, ownership changes everything in this honest conversation. In this episode of Not Special , we talk about risk, pressure, building teams, and what success actually costs. This isn’t surface-level business advice. It’s about responsibility, discipline, and the weight that comes with l...

Send us Fan Mail Mike flew elite combat missions. He commanded one of the most selective aviation units in the U.S. military. He was told growing up he wasn’t intelligent. In this honest conversation, Mike Athanasakis shares his journey from a troubled childhood and Tourette diagnosis to Apache pilot and Battalion Commander in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. After years of high-ris...

Send us Fan Mail Kevin didn’t make it into the Navy SEALs on his first try.  Or his second.  He didn’t even make it through his first week of BUD/S. Kristen left a stable teaching career, built a nutrition coaching business, burned out… and started baking sourdough bread from home. Today, this veteran entrepreneur couple runs Crafted Coastal Bakery in Encinitas, California . Scaling from eight loa...

Send us Fan Mail In this deeply personal episode, Herb Thompson former U.S. Army Green Beret, Drill Sergeant of the Year, Ivy League MBA, speaker, and entrepreneur, shares the moments that shaped him most: combat leadership, chaos, addiction, recovery, marriage, and learning how to finally slow down. From leading troops through some of the most kinetic fighting of his career, to struggling with si...

Send us Fan Mail Jason DeBlasio shares his journey from a difficult upbringing and dropping out of high school to serving as an Air Force flight engineer , supporting critical mid-air refueling missions on the KC-10 during combat operations. In this episode of Not Special , Jason explains the often-overlooked role of flight engineers, the pressure of keeping aircraft in the fight, and what it mean...

Send us Fan Mail Spencer Hatcher didn’t have a backup plan—and he wasn’t interested in playing it safe. In this episode of Not Special , Spencer shares his journey from growing up immersed in music and faith in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to betting everything on a career in country music. He talks about being told to quit at a young age, going viral during COVID, almost choosing a safer path, an...

Send us Fan Mail What if the very things you think are “wrong” with your brain are actually what make you successful? In this episode of Not Special, we sit down with Chantel Prat, cognitive neuroscientist, professor, author of The Neuroscience of You, and one of the most relatable science communicators working today. Chantel breaks down how the brain really works — not as an average, but as a dee...

Send us Fan Mail Former U.S. Congressman, Acting Secretary of the Army and Iraq War veteran, and Patrick Murphy joins Not Special for a wide-ranging, no-BS conversation about leadership, unity, national debt, military service, and why moral courage—not party loyalty—is what America desperately needs right now. From growing up in a row house in Northeast Philadelphia to teaching at West Point, serv...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful episode of the Not Special Podcast, Herb and Corrie sit down with former 82nd Airborne paratrooper, Green Beret, and Delta Force operator Tom Spooner who now dedicates his life to saving warriors instead of fighting wars.  From surviving near-death blasts, battling alcoholism, navigating brain injuries, and walking away from elite military life—his journey leads t...