Summer Podcast List
Are you looking to broaden your leadership skills? Do you want to know what is being listened to across branches of service? Are you curious to find out how other branches value being called a leader? Do you seek information about diversity and inclusion in your workplace? You have come to the right place. The DoDReads team has compiled a list of the best podcasts for summer 2021. These podcasts focus on leadership, resilience, strategy, culture, and leveraging history to make better decisions.
Take a listen to a few and reach out to the DoDReads team. Let us know which one is your favorite podcast or tell us what you recommend.
Own The Heat: DoD Climate Change Action with Mr. Richard Kidd
Mr. Richard G. Kidd IV, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Environment & Energy Resilience, provides policy and governance for programs and activities that enable resilience and cyber-secure energy for weapon systems and installations. This includes budgetary, policy, and management oversight of programs related to climate change, compliance with environmental laws, prevention of pollution, management of natural and cultural resources, and cleanup of contaminated sites, as well as energy resilience, risk, and performance.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Kidd served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Strategic Integration where he led the strategy development, resource requirements, and overall business transformation processes for the Office within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. He was responsible for developing and monitoring performance metrics for the Army’s installation management community as well as leading a strategic effort to examine options for future Army installations. In this podcast, Mr. Kidd addresses threats to the force from climate change, operating conditions in a worsening climate, and how the DoD can be proactive in this existential fight. Listen HERE.
A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek
During these times, we are all having to find new ways to connect. Join me every week as I talk with people that inspire me, about love, life, leadership, and silver linings. The hope is that we all leave with something I think we need these days… A Bit of Optimism.
Simon Sinek is an optimist, a speaker, and an author. Join him in inspirational conversations with friends on topics such as having a laugh and designing a future. He started the podcast amongst the hard times during the pandemic, acknowledging the difficulty of finding the silver lining. You can find episodes about confidence, joy, and generosity; including one on vulnerability with Brigadier General Michael “Johnny Bravo” Drowley. Take a listen and let us know what you think!
The Importance in Life of Being Present – Passion Struck Podcast
In this powerful episode, John R. Miles interviews Navy SEAL and NASA Astronaut Chris Cassidy on the importance in life of being present and his journey from Midshipmen to decorated Navy SEAL and Chief Astronaut. Chris gives a unique perspective on how a single pivotal event changed his life and made him who he is today.
In discussion, why sometimes an extra year of maturity can make or break us. While still young, it can help us achieve our goals. Whether it is SEAL BUDs training, combat, spacewalks, or being a leader, why you are doing the things in your life right now is important.
Yo! Is This Racist?
Yo, Is This Racist?, hosted by Andrew Ti, creator of the popular blog of the same name, is now a weekly podcast! Every Wednesday, Ti, co-host Tawny Newsome, and their guests answer questions from fan-submitted voicemails and emails about whether or not something is, in fact, racist.
Forging Mettle
In this raw, hard-hitting podcast, your blacksmiths, Tara and Ron, are on a quest to forge mettle. You will be inspired and empowered by stories of strength, courage, and perseverance. Each week, they explore the intersection of mental toughness, resilience, and grit. The tantalizing ingredients to a recipe for success and fulfillment in your arena of choice. It is their strong belief, every great leader has mettle. That uncanny ability to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way and remain calm in the storm.
You can expect them to interview an all-star lineup of elite athletes, entrepreneurs, business leaders, authors, thought leaders, scientists, and academics who have been through the fire and came out the other side, stronger and better. They will purposely highlight the failures, adversity, and struggles that all elite performers experience on their journey upward but rarely discuss in a public forum. They believe these are valuable lessons for us all. This is about overcoming adversity and obstacles that we all face in our journey.
Join them as they work to unlock the secrets to harden the f*ck up and unleash personal excellence! You too can find calm focus.
The Professionals Playbook
“This is a podcast that brings transparency to top performers, careers, and topics. My name is Hasard Lee. I’m an active F-35 fighter pilot for the Air Force. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that you have to be selective with who you listen to–there’s a lot of noise out there. The goal of this podcast is to find experts who are at the top of their field to share their insights based on credibility and experience.” About the Host: “Major Lee has 9 years of experience flying both the F-16 and F-35. In 2016, he was selected as the ‘Top Instructor Pilot of the Year’ for the Air Force’s largest F-16 Combat Wing. In 2017, he returned from Afghanistan where his squadron dropped the most ordnance since the opening days of the war. He’s flown 82 combat missions and has 4 Air Medals.” Listen HERE.
The Veteran Professional
This is the podcast to accompany the website The Veteran Professional. Except with an extra layer of honesty, swearing, and personal experience. Types of episodes you will be able to find here: Resource of the week (weekly): I’ll share a resource with you every week in a short (less than 10 min) episode. Included will be why and how you should use it. Interviews (every 2-3 weeks): Here is where I’ll interview people to share insights with you about the transition process. Monologue (Every 2-3 weeks): I’ll pick a topic relevant to what’s on the site and riff on it for 20-30 minutes, giving you my thoughts in greater detail on the subject. Mainly, I’m looking to share with you how I thought about it and came to the conclusion that I did.
The Ezra Klein Show
Each Tuesday and Friday, Ezra Klein invites you into a conversation on something that matters. How do we address climate change if the political system fails to act? Has the logic of markets infiltrated too many aspects of our lives? What is the future of the Republican Party? What do psychedelics teach us about consciousness? What does sci-fi understand about our present that we miss? Can our food system be just to humans and animals alike?
Jocko Podcast
Jocko Willink is a decorated retired Navy SEAL officer, author of the book Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, and co-founder of Echelon Front, where he is a leadership instructor, speaker, and executive coach. Jocko spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams, starting as an enlisted SEAL and rising through the ranks to become a SEAL officer. As commander of SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser during the battle of Ramadi, he orchestrated SEAL operations that helped the “Ready First” Brigade of the US Army’s First Armored Division bring stability to the violent, war-torn city. Task Unit Bruiser became the most highly decorated Special Operations Unit of the Iraq War. Jocko returned from Iraq to serve as Officer-in-Charge of training for all West Coast SEAL Teams. There, he spearheaded the development of leadership training and personally instructed and mentored the next generation of SEAL leaders who have continued to perform with great success on the battlefield.
During his career, Jocko was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and numerous other personal and unit awards. In 2010, Jocko retired from the Navy and launched Echelon Front with Leif Babin where he teaches the leadership principles he learned on the battlefield to help others lead and win. Clients include individuals, teams, companies, and organizations across a wide-range of industries and fields. Listen HERE.
It Was Said
It Was Said is a limited documentary podcast series looking back on some of the most powerful, impactful, and timeless speeches in American history. Written and narrated by Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author-historian Jon Meacham, and created, directed, and produced by Peabody-nominated C13Originals Studios in association with The HISTORY® Channel, this series takes you through 10 speeches for the inaugural season. Meacham offers expert insight and analysis into their origins, the orator, the context of the times they were given, why they are still relevant today, and the importance of never forgetting them. Each episode of this documentary podcast series also brings together some of the top historians, authors, and journalists relevant to each respective speech and figure.
