The book of gaberock with Gabriel Avilla

IT’S A CELEBRATION! This episode is a recording of the last minute FaceBook Live event I arranged to celebrate selling out the entire first run of my book No Pressure in ELEVEN DAYS! I also announce the next phase of my book's release just in time for the holidays. LET’S GO!!!

“A man who trusts nobody is apt to be the kind of man nobody trusts.” In this episode, I interview Colonel Billy Pope, Chief of the Future Operations Division at United States Cyber Command. We talk about his recently earned opportunity to serve at the next level of command, how to develop a culture of trust at multiple levels within an organization, and how academia has positively shaped his lead...

“We Fail and Succeed at the Margins of our Experiences.” In this episode, I cover my recent experience of finally putting my hands on my new book, “No Pressure”, and what it meant to finally achieve this milestone. The road wasn’t always easy, but I stayed the course and am proud of my creation. I also cover some new experiences and challenges I’m preparing for in my continuous pursuit of constant...

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” In this episode, I provide some reflections on feedback I received from mentors and peers on recent approaches to problems. Did I learn my lesson, or am I too proud of a leader to learn from them? Let’s go! This month’s sponsor is Classic Tales of Fright , a Virtual Halloween series from Davisson Entertainment out of Phoenix, Arizona. Danie...

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” In this episode, I interview Lt Col Tim Turner, the recently graduated commander of the 82d Communications Squadron out of Sheppard AFB, Texas. We talk about our origin story that goes back to being company grade officers in the 22d Communications Squadron (WELEAD.COMM!), why leaders need to get comfortable with delivering honest conversations, and how we are com...

“While we are here, let’s do the right thing.” In this episode, I welcome back Major Charles “Ski” Dobson. We talk about his upcoming opportunities heading into his second tour as a squadron commander along with being selected for Lieutenant Colonel, how we still have some work to do in regards to mentoring officers within the new promotion system, and why no matter what position we serve in, we n...

“Leadership without risk is Management, and we don’t need more managers on our team.” In this episode, I provide my thoughts on a recent event at work where I took bold actions to drive progress in my organization and encountered some resistance to my tactics when I rocked the boat. Some people are just not comfortable with being uncomfortable, and I’m not one of them. Like David Goggins says, “I’...

“I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses can't define how I be droppin' these Mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery…” -Inspektah Deck In this episode, I don’t have a formal topic or agenda to cover, so I just freestyle some of the things currently going in life. A few work things, a few fitness things, a few community things, a few creative things. Always seeki...

“Accelerate Change Or Lose.” In this episode, I share my thoughts on the 2020 virtual Air, Space, and Cyberspace conference. I cover the keynote presentations from General Charles “CQ” Brown, Chief of Staff of the Air Force 22, CMSgt JoAnne Bass, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force 19, as well as other senior leader panels that cover topics that are important to advancing the Air Force. Be sure...

“Leadership is not a position or title, it is action and example.” In this episode, I interview Sergeant Major (Retired), USMC, Greg Harting. We talk about our origin story at USMC Command and Staff College, his three simple rules for success, and how leaders need to stop overthinking things and get out there and lead. 

“No Pressure...But Don’t Mess This Up.” On the one year anniversary of me launching my podcast, I congratulate all of the officers recently selected for the best job in the Air Force: Squadron Command, AND...announce the title of my upcoming book and give some insight to the upcoming release! I am excited to release my passion project from over a year and half of hard work and want to continue to...

“If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels.” In this episode, I get into my emotions and share with you some of the struggles I’m dealing with and how I’m choosing to not let them dominate me. All of us have different methods of dealing with stress, so let’s choose the positive ones and keep on elevating.

“Books open windows to the world and have the power to transform lives.” In this episode, I cover some of the recent books I’ve read in my neverending journey to become a great leader. Some you may know, some you may not, but I’m always interested in finding those books that inspire me to become a more well-rounded leader that is open to any idea to make myself and my team that much better.  Suppo...

In this (longer than usual) episode, I interview Major Chris Foltz, a fellow cyberspace operations officer stationed with me at Joint Force Headquarters DODIN at Ft Meade, MD. We cover our origin story, the challenges of balancing the core duties of being an officer versus your assigned specialty, the ingredients to being an effective staff officer, and how all of us will need to come to grasp on...

“When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.” In this episode, I cover the two fitness regimens that on the surface couldn’t be farther from each other, yet both have tremendous impacts on making me mentally stronger: Running and Weightlifting. I talk about my origin stories in both sports, the mental benefits shared by both, and some smart ways on how you can get started in each pat...

“Don’t Just Talk About It, Be About It.” In this episode, I interview MSgt Ron Esposo, a former teammate from the mighty 673d Communications Squadron and co-founder of the Filipino-American Airmen group on Facebook, boasting more than 4,500 worldwide members. We discuss our origin story, the power of a global community through a shared culture that always makes you feel at home, and his personal l...

“Self-reflection is the school of wisdom.” In this episode, I cover a key component of my self-reflection practice: writing. I cover my personal beginnings with writing, the importance of writing professionally and the positive impact it can have with your teammates, and how I plan to continue to become a better writer. Sometimes you need to look back so that the view looking forward is even clear...

Would you rather have a teammate that truly wants to do their job for the sake of the mission, or a teammate who is just going through the motions to advance themselves? In this episode, I interview Major Chris Carr, currently serving as a Foreign Affairs Officer at Headquarters Air Command, Royal Australian Air Force Base Glenbrook, New South Wales Australia. We talk about our origin story, the s...

Another year goes by and another performance report drops. In this episode, I give you a debrief on my latest officer performance report and the associated feedback session with my supervisor. The summary is a great example of how a feedback session that covers both the professional and personal goals of a person can leave you motivated to remain a team player and keep working hard.

If you are asked to sign a waiver by your leadership, chances are you being asked to accept full responsibility for your actions. But does your leadership have faith that you can take the right actions, or are actions being decided for you due to lack of trust? In this episode, I share my personal thoughts on how a perceived lack of trust within a team is actually damaging morale and building a fa...

Leaders and Followers that strive for transparency and understanding have the foundational elements of an efficient team. In this episode, I cover the challenges of the “interpretation games”, which is when leadership only provides partial information to a problem and yet you are responsible for providing a full solution. This problem plagues hierarchy-based organizations like the Air Force, and I...

The most effective time management strategy for a leader is one built with the team in mind from the outset, not as an afterthought. In this episode, I cover six components of my time management strategy that keeps both my professional and personal lives well-balanced. This episode also has a video component, so if you’re interested in watching and listening to the episode, please watch on my YouT...

If you want to start your day right as a leader, start them with squats. In this episode, I interview Captain Danny Canlas of the Alaska Army National Guard. We talk about our origin story at 907 CrossFit, how serving as a fitness trainer within the military has carried over to building our confidence as leaders, how the CrossFit methodology is inherently inclusive and can build strong communities...

When taking a stand against racial injustice, the world will always need leaders that continue to lead with kindness and compassion. In this episode, I interview the Commander, 618th Air Operations Center, Brigadier General Jimmy “Vegas” Canlas. We talk about creating space to have difficult conversations that can empower people towards meaningful change, some of the best and worst advice he’s hea...

It is easy to jump on a bandwagon once something is popular, but are you willing to step up for what is right when the outcome is unknown?  In this week’s episode, I end the 2020 Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with an interview with fellow Filipino-American Airman leader, SMSgt Eddie Grant. We talk about our digital origin story, his drive behind creating the popular Bebot Challeng...