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Ryan Garay on Military Transition, LinkedIn, and Building a Career After Service | Security Halt! Podcast Ep. 428

• Deny Caballero • Season 8 • Episode 428

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Ryan Garay joins the show to discuss military transition, leadership, networking, LinkedIn, and finding success after service.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Lessons from becoming a Green Beret 
  • Military transition and civilian career growth 
  • Why LinkedIn is essential for veterans 
  • Overcoming imposter syndrome 
  • Careers in defense tech and business development 
  • Financial stability and strategic job choices 
  • Faith, resilience, and community support 
  • Helping veterans find purpose after service 

Key Takeaways:

  • Networking matters more than most people realize 
  • LinkedIn is one of the best tools for career growth 
  • Small and mid-sized companies can offer strong opportunities 
  • Imposter syndrome is common but can be overcome 
  • Faith and community can help veterans navigate uncertainty 

Chapters:
00:00 Authenticity in Podcasting and Storytelling
 03:08 Ryan Garay’s Journey to Becoming a Green Beret
 05:59 Leadership Lessons from Military Brotherhood
 09:06 Transitioning from Military Service to Civilian Life
 12:08 Leveraging Military Experience in the Job Market
 15:11 Why LinkedIn Matters for Veteran Career Growth
 17:55 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome After Service
 21:11 Faith, Resilience, and Finding Strength in Adversity
 31:54 Finding Faith and Purpose After the Military
 32:44 Helping Veterans Transition into Civilian Careers
 35:22 Understanding Business Development in Defense Tech
 39:32 Strategic Career Moves for Veterans
 42:42 Why Small and Mid-Sized Companies Offer Opportunity
 46:27 Financial Stability and Transition Planning
 49:54 Why It’s Never Too Late to Pivot Careers
 51:12 The Role of Faith in Veteran Transition
 55:05 Building Community and Supporting Veterans
 01:00:44 How to Connect with Ryan Garay

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Your Military Resume Has Leverage

SPEAKER_02

You don't understand the power of your military resume and where it can get you. It's not about the civilian resume. It's who you know. It's about a network and having somebody that can sit down with you and translate your military skills into what you can actually do in all these industries, man. Like, how the fuck does that translate to sales? How many times you deployed on a J set or a C did and had to like engage with a partner for it and talk with them and engage and break. I didn't know that. I don't I've only started understanding that once I got out and I talked to more guys. We have Green Berets, Ranger Steels, 88 mics that work for Fox, that work for NASCAR, that work at UPS, Google.

SPEAKER_03

These military guys have no idea. I don't care if you're conventional or you're soft. They don't have a clue on how brilliant and their personality traits are being driven and ambitious and entrepreneurial. Like they have all of the skills to succeed.

SPEAKER_00

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Why He Chose Special Forces

SPEAKER_02

But Ryan, you got a story because now you've been successful in the military and on the outside. And now you're doing an about face and helping other guys succeed. So today, my man, I want to dive into this. But um let's start off with why did you decide to serve as a Green Beret, man?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, so my story is kind of funny, man. It's not typical. Like I always wanted to join the military, right? And college really wasn't working out. I was doing community college, it wasn't for me. I was already pretty shitty in school. And uh I was working out at the gym one day, and I'm like, dude, I want to join the I want to join the military. I told my friend, he's like the retired Marine. And I'm like, dude, if you could do it all over again, who would you, what would you join? And he's like, green gray all fucking day. Literally, all I did was go to the recruiters. I asked for the contract. I didn't even know there was one called 18x, right? But that's what I did. I signed on the line, told my parents afterwards, and I'm fucking going. And I get to basic though. The funny thing is I meet all these great guys and we're talking, and I'm like, what MOS are you gonna do? Did you read this book? I didn't know anything about it. I just said I want to do the toughest, fucking coolest thing, and that's what I signed up for. So I had to learn along the way.

SPEAKER_02

Dude, fuck yeah, man. I had I remember I remember going to selection and you know, I was a you know, 82nd cat and seeing all these yoked-out fucking swole fucking you know, prep kids in there, and then you know, mixed butt bat batch of individuals are also active duty, the previous MOSs. But there was a kid in there, and uh, I remember his name, but I'm not gonna dog him out. And he went, dude, he shows up to selection with books on how to become an 18 Delta, and I'm like, bro, bro, you think I think you're you're you're you're looking a little bit too far down the road, man. I'm trying to make it past this next evolution, man.

SPEAKER_03

I had dudes like planning like courses that we're gonna go to once they got to group, and like more power to them, but that just wasn't me. Like I just kind of just went with the moment and tried to learn and blend in. But you remember, man, when we went through like that was a different generation, like of the cadre, like the dudes I looked up to, and you remember? Dude, bro, I still remember brotherhood shit.

SPEAKER_02

Sergeant relations. I remember Sergeant No, I remember uh day uh Storm.

SPEAKER_03

These dudes remember Mass of Sergeant Barrett, the fucking like eight feet tall. And then I remember SCT, one of those uh sergeant majors, dude, he gave me the best fucking brief, dude, all of us. He's like, somebody we found out was a fucking rat, and guess what? We don't have that, they're out now. And he's like, if you you know, once you join the brotherhood, you call me up in the middle of the night, I'm the guy to bury the body, and we keep our mouths shut. And like that serious.

SPEAKER_02

Look, I know exactly who that was. And that dude's dude, that's the brother, like awesome. Yeah, yeah. That dude, what a one of the best fucking cadre that dude.

SPEAKER_03

I know we gotta move on, but you gotta remember this one dude. His name was Adam. Like he was the coolest fucking dude, and he probably should have been a seal with his haircut. Like, dude was waving in the wind. He would drive his Range Rover up to the basketball courts, okay? And he'd give the safety briefs like, bro, I'm gonna go to Carolina Beach. I'm gonna go fucking surf. Don't fuck up, don't get no one pregnant, get in a fight, we better win. Like, just the coolest fucking dude. And like, I think he had like a silver star multiple times. He was wounded, like a huge pipe hitter. Like, that was what I looked up to. So I always was like humble and I wanted to learn, and I definitely knew I didn't know shit.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And that's that that set the tone for a successful career. Always honoring the people. And dude, if I could go back in time and look at that younger version of myself, I would just say, like, dude, take a snapshot of everybody you serve with, like, understand, like these dudes are going to be like extremely influential for the rest of your life. To this day, I I I meet certain complex

Selection Memories And Staying Humble

SPEAKER_02

problems and I always refer back to like, all right, what did my senior do back in the day? Like, what are like I I'm confident in my skills, but if I get stumped, if I look at something, I'm like, how do I step out of the box and look at it a different way? I look at the individuals I served with because they all had the ability to look at a problem set a different way. And if you're listening, and it doesn't matter if you're not special forces, if you're whatever MOS you are, whoever your leaders are, if you got great men around you, great women, great individuals, understand them and look at their look, you're gonna go forward in your career, you're gonna transition out, you're gonna be a civilian world. Take all those leadership lessons. You can learn a lot from from bad ones as well, but remember the good ones, man, because that's what's gonna really help you out in the later on in life. Uh that's solid advice I wish I would have remembered or had when I was younger.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, for sure, man. I mean, that's the right mindset to have. That's that's what I had when I was a group, because there's some people with huge egos and they think they knew everything. I mean, that was maybe the one or two percent, but those dudes didn't get anywhere. I mean, that's not the right attitude.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Yeah, man. So take us through your career, man. Like you, you know, we talked about the uh, you know, your your SF special operations. It's like you say it's a it's a wave, man. You got some highs, and uh you definitely ended up on a great team doing a mission set that

Earning Trust On A Halo Team

SPEAKER_02

uh I am a big fan of because I'm a free fall guy as well.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I was on America's premier Halo team, they called it. But like, long story short, I was like so blessed. I have no idea how I went to a senior team, right? From joining it it doesn't happen, right? And the Sergeant Major at the time, Alvarez, he was like, he sat me down when I in process and he's like, How do you feel about going to a dive team? I'm like, Sir Sharp, Sergeant Major, whatever you say, Sergeant Major. And he's like, no, I'll put you in a halo team. I'm like, thank fucking God. I can't fucking swim. I don't want to do that. And then I'm like, how the fuck am I going to a Halo team in my head? I go down the hall, I open the door, and these are the most senior guys, probably in the company, all of them. And they're like, what the fuck are you doing here? And that was pretty much how they treated me for the next year, but it's fine because that was what had to happen, and I loved it. And I was the cherry, even when I did my jumps, I had to wear a red helmet. You know what I mean? I remember I tried to put my shit in a locker about a week before my one-year mark. And later that day, they threw my shit out of the locker and locked it up. They loved me. I had great rapport. I already did a deployment with them, but they're like, it's one year, bro. One year hit, I was good to go. But yeah, like, dude, I always try to learn as much as I could. Love being on a team, love being on a free-fall team. Best guys ever, man. Best relationships. Um, I was a pretty good combo guy. I did not fucking know everything. You know, IP was IP networks were always like, you know, a downfall, but I never showed that, right? So I already config. Yeah, dude. I always learned or I was always creative on what I mean to do. Like, if I didn't know how to set the SDN system, which I didn't, okay, I would get with the S6 guy on the side, have them like set the configs, and then when I deployed a Columbia and I set it up and we get comms, everybody's like, that dude's fucking spot on. And like to this day, people are like, great fucking echo. Like the guys I went when I was an instructor too, I still have dudes going back to groups and stuff, and they're like, yeah, Ryan was my instructor, fucking legend. I'm like, I'm not that good at comms, but I did make it work when I had to. But yeah, life was good, man. I got I got married, and this is all part of the story,

Divorce Med Board And A Fast Exit

SPEAKER_03

which is important. Like, I got hit with the swick orders, came back from Afghanistan, and like three months later, 2016, I was uh moving to Bragg, and ultimately I was moving alone, right? My wife, you know, just like others in the military, you have to, they say you have to like find a life outside of your husband. So when he's gone, things are good. My wife was too good at that. So when I came back, and I'm like, I gotta go to Swick, she's like, I'm not fucking going. I'm not leaving my friends and my job. And I'm like, all right, good. Try the geobachelor thing. It would have didn't work. Relationship was going down. Ultimately, I was like, if I'm not gonna have a pretend wife. So she, you know, got the gist. I was basically threatening divorce. I wasn't ready to sign the papers. I was just trying to push them and see what I can get. She ended up serving me. So she served me, and you know, knock on the door, I get the papers. I'm like, who the fuck is this? I had a gun. I was a I was living in an apartment at Bragg Boulevard trying to save money. And I'm like, who's this dude at my fucking door? And he's like, I got you on camera. I'm like, I don't give a fuck. Who are you? And I opened it up, it's like you're served. I'm like, all right, fuck it. So, long story short, divorced two months later. I didn't take anything, I didn't go to court. Don't want it, don't care. Move on. Um, life was still good, couldn't wait to get back to a team. All of a sudden, a lot of shit went wrong. Like, I put like a lot of stuff on the back burner for the last few years about my back and my neck. I decided to, people told me, go to Swick and get some help while you're while you're there and see what they can do. Ultimately, they found a whole shitload of fucking problems that I didn't know were as bad as they were, and they recommended the med board. Long story short, I took the med board, I got out in 2019. Three months before I got out, I met my current wife. And I don't really know, man. It was like a green parade thing. I didn't know what the fuck I was doing at the time, but I'm like, she checks all the boxes, she's a great girl. I really love being with her. She has the same goals and aspirations. Let's get married. And she's like, all right, let's get married next year and have a big wedding. I'm like, don't want that, but I guess we might have to do that. And she's like, I'm like, but you don't have insurance. So let's go to the courthouse. You know, I pulled all the brag moves, ready, and and got her, got married. She got insurance. And uh ultimately I'm about to get out in three months. And I got a new marriage, still learning each other. And I'm like, fuck, what do I do? And I don't know where the disconnect was for me. Like, I didn't do the Ana Foundation, I didn't do like Skill Bridge, I didn't do all that stuff. It just happened all too fast. And I just, instead of asking people for help, which I never do, and I wish I'd have done it, I just hate it. Like, I just never do. I try to figure out on my own. I built my own resume, I put out my own applications on my resume. I look back at it now, it's fucking embarrassing. I had like how many halo jumps I did. Like, anybody cares? No, no, you didn't. I did, man, dude. And yeah, I put like ASO level two, and I put like uh demolition semi-quali, dude, just horrible. Somehow I got a job.

SPEAKER_02

We don't know what we don't know. That's a thing. And I thought I was so squared away.

SPEAKER_03

When I did, when I did it, I was like, I'm fucking awesome. I even showed my parents, I'm like, look at this, I got a resume. Doesn't

First Civilian Role And Pay Reality

SPEAKER_03

matter. I still figured it out because I was able to start a job the first day after leaving the military. No shit. Through a contract, contract with GDIT at uh JSOC JCU. I was an instructor. I figured it was an easy transition. I never, I've never been to JCU. I wanted to see what they're about, right? It's another comms unit. Maybe they do cool shit. I'll be an instructor. I was an instructor, but I hated it, dude. Plus, I only made 80K. And let me tell you, my eyes lit up when I made 80K and the salary. I was like, this is fucking amazing. I'm loaded, right? And then I get my first paycheck. And literally, I went to my boss and like something's fucking wrong. It was less money than when I was in because of the taxes. It's horrible. It wasn't for me. Through my network, I was able to get an amazing job six months later, L3 Harris, through a dude, you may remember Mike January. He was everywhere. He was a sales engineer. He's just fucking awesome. He got me on. It was a great start to my career. And I had a team, I was working with account managers and directors, and I was doing great work, basically a glorified FSR, still directly supporting SOCOM. But that's when I found out that, like, all right, my bosses, the account manager, the director, they're not that much more intelligent than I am. I mean, one of them has a fancy degree from West Point, but I got a better network. I got better connections. I'm able to build rapport with these customers where they can't. I understand the technology better than they do. Why can't I do their job? So that was when I saw like a vision. I didn't even I didn't understand like salary-wise, what I could get for me and my family and like the future I could have, but the vision of what I could I could maybe do that job. But um, as you know probably, at companies they're very slow to promote, especially outside of your role. And my best choice was to move. And that's when I moved to Persistent Systems, the direct competitor. But at the time, Man A's and even now is way more functional in the operational battlefield, you know, than the RF uh legacy systems. So a little bit of a uh salary jump, great team, built my network a little bit more, and ultimately it was a great experience. But once again, they're not going to promote. I wanted to do BD, and I kind of transferred as a sales engineer to a sales engineer, and it was great, but it's hard to get out of that field once you're in it. Um ultimately threw out some resumes, uh, reached out to a lot of the right people in my network, did it all on my own again, and I landed a huge job at IBM. And I didn't know shit about selling services. I wasn't a BD previously, I wasn't an account manager previously, and all of a sudden, my boss is a retired three-star general with 15 years of experience on industry suck.

Networking Over Civilian Resume Myths

SPEAKER_02

Dude, and we got we got pause right there because this is hitting on some things that I constantly talk to guys about. You don't understand the power of your military resume and where it can get you. I think the first time I I kind of understood what we brought to the table was when I sat down for a brief from Dan Rayburn. He goes to group, uh, he goes now he's in every group and other soft units, but he tells guys it's not about the civilian resume. It's who you know. It's about a network and having somebody that can sit down with you and translate your military skills into what you can actually do in all these industries, man. Like what you did comes with a lot of fucking second guessing and imposter syndrome because you're looking at your military resume like I'm an 18 echo, Green Beret. How the fuck does that translate into sales? How many times have you deployed on a J set or a C DIT and had to like engage with a partner force and talk with them and engage and break bread and talk to an officer that is like freaking three levels higher than you and sell your mission? Hearts and minds. Hearts and minds, yeah. Yeah. I didn't know that. I've only started understanding that once I got out and I talked to more guys. We have Green Berets, Ranger, SEALs, 88 mics that work for Fox, that work for NASCAR, that work at UPS, Google, all these places that we think the barrier to entry is a master's degree directly in line with this program. The reality is like, no, I had somebody that introduced me to this person, and you know, the one the the coolest story I heard was a guy wanted to work at Apple. That's insane. From our background, he and was a commissioned officer, he was an enlisted guy, wanted to work at Apple. Went through a network, went through one person, another person, got hired on, was able to demonstrate value in the job. And then when it came time for the next position, Apple literally said to him, Hey, we want you for this job. We need you to get this degree. We're gonna give you the time to go get it. We're gonna still pay you for having this job. Once you get that degree, you're in this next position. Rather than kick the can't kick the guy out and be like, yeah, we're seeing. No, you demonstrated value, you demonstrated worth, and you got to the position where you wanted. Now the team wants you to promote, they want you to continue growing and scaling with them. Like, hell yeah. And and that's just one story of success if you're just willing to try. Like when you were going through, going from position to position, going through all these different transitions, at any point, like, how did you combat that negative voice, that imposter syndrome, that voice that said, Man, you don't know what the fuck you're doing.

SPEAKER_03

I got that pretty much every day. But honestly, it was like I just trusted the path and I got a great faith in my um Catholic beliefs, you know, and that always helped me. But truthfully, it was like my son and my wife. And there were rocky times, which for sure, but um they're the main reason why I always had that drive every day. But there was a lot of uncomfortable times. Like I've been out for like six years, I've moved five or six times. I'm on my sixth job that I chose. Do you know what I mean? Like you have to put yourself in uncomfortable situations to grow and get where you want. And truthfully, you know, to hit on what you said, I mean, these military guys have no idea. I don't care if you're conventional or you're soft, they don't have a clue on how brilliant and like their personality traits of being driven and ambitious and uh entrepreneurial, like they have all of the skills to succeed. And I could speak to that from the defense tech side, you know, and and that's where I help people. Like, why not leverage the skills you've done in the military and translate them immediately for a good paycheck and a better life for your family with continued, you know, potential for growth, right? And that's the defense tech. I mean, defense tech, you you know, they can't throw enough, like venture capitalists and private equity, they wouldn't invest in defense that said anything about killing in the last three, four years. That's completely changed. Like, they can't throw money fast enough at companies that want to start up and grow and have a good idea. So, like, there's never gonna be This episode of Security Health is brought to you by Dr.

SPEAKER_02

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SPEAKER_03

An opportunity where you're looking for a job, like there's just continued growth in this field. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_02

And you know, it's a perfect time that to segue into this. Like, if you how do we inspire and motivate the next generation of guys and gals that are getting out? Like, what is the first thing they can do when they get out to get a foothold in this industry? It's growing. There's some you tons of new companies are sprouting, but it is a very popular path after service. What do you recommend for the person that's looking at a transition like tomorrow to start doing to make

LinkedIn Systems That Get Recruiters

SPEAKER_02

themselves look, you know, like a desirable candidate for these companies?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, what I tell people 100% first is if you don't have a LinkedIn, create a LinkedIn. There's people on the corporate side who have been in the space for five or 10 years and they don't really work much on their LinkedIn and they got 500 connections, and they're like, I don't see why it's so useful, you know. So these people who are transitioning, they have mixed ideas. But like, but yet they got 32k followers. On Instagram. It's the same concept. I've gotten to a point with my LinkedIn, and I tell people that I'm at like 25,000. That means something on the defense tech side, right? If I put my open two sign on, like I would be flooded with recruiters that have jobs that aren't even posted, reaching out and headhunting. That's how I've gotten my last four positions at different at different jobs. People don't understand that. So if you're six months, 12 months out, I'm already working with people to create their LinkedIn, make it look right. They don't know what right looks like. Start building your network, reach out to those head, you know, BD, VPs, management partners at these larger companies, smaller companies. And there's a huge process of what you can do to set yourself up.

SPEAKER_02

But I'm so glad you brought that up. LinkedIn has been a huge source of growth for me. It is remarkable right now that people still sleep on it and they don't approach it. They approach it if if they do engage with it, they approach it like it's Instagram or Facebook, and it's not professional connection, and you've got to leverage it. Connect every single if max out your request to connect with people every week. Every single week.

SPEAKER_03

You're the first person who's actually said that who knows that. I that's what I tell everybody I work with. 100%.

SPEAKER_02

Every single week you want to max out that connection. And don't make it frivolous. Don't just like make it, you know, I'm in the I'm in the space, but now I'm I'm expanding the other side of my business. I'm getting way more clients on the social media management. I'm I'm I'm expanding and growing and scaling this thing. So I have to take into account, like, okay, I need to be able to not only have people that are at my level, but I need to start talking to people above because I don't want to stay small. I want to go big. What does a bigger company look like? How do they scale? How do they hire out? How can I connect with those people? I need to start sending those requests. And I'm telling you, within all those industries, any industry you want to get into, there's a veteran waiting to reach out and connect with you and say, hey man, I work over here at friggin' black, black, blah, blah, blah studios. And this is how we're doing it. Like I've had so many people that I thought for certain, I'm like, oh, they're not going to want to reach out to me, instantly reply back and be like, absolutely, let's get a virtual cup of coffee. Like, more often than not, people in that space are willing to sit down with you for 15, 20, hell, even an hour and 30 minutes, and just give you insight into their industry and what they're doing or how they got to where they're at. And you can't get that anywhere else. You know, geographically, you may not have access to a big network. It might be a small town. You might have gone back home, or you might be a digital nomad now, living off abroad, but you can tap into LinkedIn today and connect with somebody that can make, you know, can give you a job offer. That's the thing that blows my mind. It's not that far off from reality. You can connect with somebody, impress them enough to say, hey, you know what? Um, don't submit. Send me your resume. Let's 100%.

SPEAKER_03

And the funny thing is, too, on LinkedIn is like if you're already at a company and you're working like a conference and you give them your business card, before they email you, they look you up on LinkedIn. Like the first thing that hiring managers, recruiters, when you get their resume, they won't even read the resume. I've seen it. They go straight to LinkedIn and they want to see what your page looks like. And if I mean that's the first way they judge you, and it better look right.

SPEAKER_02

And not only that, it's uh it's they they're going to do their due diligence. They're going to look at everything that you post. Be willing to put some time and effort. Get rid of the friggin' service uniform picture. Get a real headshot. Put up a real LinkedIn banner.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Sometimes, depending on the rank and the timeline they have to transition, is I'd recommend one of those professional, like what DA photos. I've been out too long. But when you're trying to connect with all those top, you know, 50 to 100 defense companies and they see who is asking for the connection, when they see it's a CW3, for example, from SOCOM, then all of a sudden they're like, I do want to have a relationship with that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, for defense tech, yeah, absolutely. Yeah you know, because they're like, okay, he's not out yet.

SPEAKER_03

Maybe he can open some doors for me. But as soon as soon as you do transition and you get your job, put the suit on, put the tie on, and take the right headshot.

SPEAKER_02

That's another funny thing. You'll be surprised how many people want you on a board or an advisory committee, depending on where you where you come from within the military. Um, and don't pass those opportunities up. Don't pass that up.

SPEAKER_03

I've got dudes I'm working with at the unit, and they're trying one of them is transitioning in six to eight months, and he's already consulting at like 1,500 a day. Just to give business development advice, he's never done business development on the corporate side. So the companies are paying him to find out what he knows about where the tech is going, how acquisition happens, how procurement happens, what does the funding look like? What should they develop, like product uh roadmap, you know, advice. And he has all those tools. Luckily, he knows that. And that's why he he went forward with that. But a lot of people don't.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And you have to understand, too, like one thing that turns a lot of people off is like, well, I don't know anything about that industry. Nobody does at the beginning. Nobody does. You're not gonna know anything about that industry right off the bat. You'll know surface level stuff if you do your due diligence and look stuff up and read. But the only way to learn how to perform and do the job is to get there and do the job. That's the reality of it. It's gonna be scary up until you're there in the wheelhouse. Like I'm telling you, when you scale, when you when you advance in life, when you leave the military and you push away from the safety of that shore and you start swimming, it's scary. Get that job offer, that's a win. But with that win comes that imposter syndrome and that oh shit moment of I'm gonna have to deliver. Trust me, every time I bring on a new client or or or grow a little bit or bring on a new show, it's like I get the same thing. A brief moment of like, fuck yeah, I'm doing it, followed by, oh fuck, I gotta deliver. And the only way you're gonna be able to deliver is by doing the fucking job. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

But I think most of us suck for sure. I think most of us soft guys, though, we we all have that imposter syndrome, and it's a good thing, right? Like, I still have it. So like it's that those three traits that they say makes up like the best professional like potential, right? And it's you kind of think you deserve a little bit better than other people, right? You I'm better than that. And the second thing is you're you always feel like you're not good enough. And then you got this incredible drive that you can't shut off once you're locked on. And like I still have that. Like I, you know, there's times where I go into rooms that I feel like maybe I'm not supposed to be in. And then I quickly remember that once I get in there and I start speaking, people are listening to me and caring what I say. And I'm like the most important person in the room. And then it just changes my perspective. Not like in an ego way, but it it just humbles me that like maybe I know more and can offer more than and and let me continue to to learn. It's always a you got you gotta always be on that on that path to continue to learn.

SPEAKER_02

Dude, absolutely beginner's mind, man. I'm gonna tell you, it's imposter syndrome, it's important. Understand it, but don't let it go unchecked. Be willing to be your own champion. Once I wake up, I feel it. You know, I I I get a I get a blessing. You pray for something, it gets there, and and and you want to deliver for God. He brought it to you. And that little voice in the back of your head is like, man, I don't know if you can do it. As soon as that fucking voice comes in, just be

Faith Family And Impostor Syndrome

SPEAKER_02

willing to say, okay, if this wasn't right for me, then why would he bring it to me? If he if he trusted me enough with this, this opportunity, then I know I can deliver. But you're gonna have that voice. That negativity is gonna be there. You just gotta combat it. Um, you know, you mentioned you're you're a Catholic, and I'm one as well, proud Catholic. When it comes to this environment, when it comes to finally trusting in yourself, we come from a team environment where we're we we thrive with the guy next to us, the the brotherhood. What role has faith played in this endeavor where it's it's just Ryan. It's Ryan trying to find the best avenue approach for his for his wife, for his family. How have you leaned on faith and during this?

SPEAKER_03

It is huge. So, like on a personal level, whether it's with my family or what we're trying to achieve or with my work, um, especially with even BD, like talking about what business development is, and like explain to people what it is. It's a grind, right? But like faith is everything to me. So, like, literally, it sounds silly, but every day I wake up motivated, even when I'm not, and I drive forward and I have a checkbox of what I have to do and get done. And I, if I accomplish it, I always do, right? And it makes me feel good by the end of the day. And just like with BD, and in life, you're gonna have a lot of shitty days. Okay, so there's like there's like two months with BD that I will maybe not get the callbacks that I want, or you know, the customers I'm talking to have been deployed and they're off the grid. And I got leadership asking me, where's this sale? How's this moving forward? And everything looks shitty, but like I trust in God, and I say, I'm just gonna do the right thing every day. I'm gonna ping this guy, I'm gonna send this email, I'm gonna keep on checking those boxes because I trust his path. And then all of a sudden, there's that sale, there's that happy customer, leadership's happy, but it's the same thing with life. Like every day it's not perfect by any means. And and you know, everybody deals with a lot of shit. And I I like talking to these guys because I can really relate to them because I guarantee you I've been there with exactly what these guys are going through. And there is grass that is greener, but you have to trust in God and his plan and have faith. Like, and once you do that, you will see it come through in so many ways. It's just absolutely crazy. Like it it'll just you'll constantly be surprised on on what he does for you if you follow his guidance and have faith, the doors will open.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely, man. 100% correct. Uh, I think many of us find faith on the backside of our service. Um, if it wasn't like rooted and be and already instilled in you, and you hold you held on to it through the the crazy times of the jiwa. And there's nothing wrong with with finding it after service. Uh, it's whenever you hear the calling and it brings you to the church. Um but I found that it was one of the most important things during the transition, during the fall, during the difficult times, when you lean on that and it becomes a concrete pillar, it becomes the biggest thing. And your journey, you're turning around now and seeing individuals that are going through the transitioning and wanting to connect and help them. How did that start?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. So I set up the company, but that's only recently, but I've been doing this for like three, four years, and I've been doing it just because it fell in my lap. It's because of LinkedIn. Because of my network, because of my following, I would just get DMs on DMs and DMs, and literally just bros being like, bruh, how the fuck did you get here? I'm about to transition. Do you got a couple minutes to talk? And I would always take the calls. And I've literally helped hundreds over the last four years. And it's not like I never wanted to do it, I never had this idea. It fell in my lap. But then when I have these calls and I'm talking to people just like you, like I'm able to show them what's possible. That's the biggest thing. Like, they have no idea. First of all, they doubt themselves. Then once they see the vision of, okay, maybe I can do this job, I'm gonna look into it. They don't know what the ceiling is for salary, commissions, like what the possibilities are 10 to 15 years once you get out for you and your family. I try to show them what's possible based on their skills, and then all of a sudden they're like, I believe it. He did it, he's telling me how to do it, he's gonna show me, and then all of a sudden, their lives are changed, right? Like I just a couple weeks ago, I worked with this guy for like four months, 20 years as a CEO, reached out that same exact way, and he was just like, I don't know what the fuck to do, bro. Um, how'd you get here? I kind of wanted to do BD. Can you tell me about it? We talked, I fixed his LinkedIn, fixed his resumes, introduced him to a bunch of my network, sent out a bunch of uh resumes for him, prepped him on interviews. He landed his first job like a week and a half ago. I posted it. 150k with 30% commission. And but that's just the start. That's an entry-level BD role. And he I mean, when I first talked to him, he thought his best chance was being like an FSR because he was a little technical. And I'm like, there's a ceiling, even if you did that. I mean, 20 years from now, you'll be making 140, 150. He does what he's doing now, he's gonna love it. And then two, three years from now, he could be making double. There's no ceiling, and he's still got 15 years more of work at least. Yeah in his family.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and and that's the the difficult thing, is just opening up the aperture and understanding what's available.

SPEAKER_03

And the biggest thing I want to, yeah, one thing I want to point out quickly though, is business development, right? Yeah. People don't understand it.

SPEAKER_02

They're like, oh, yeah, let's break it break it down for us so that we can get a better understanding.

SPEAKER_03

Especially in defense tech, all right, and that's my specialty. So they're like, I don't want to do sales, I don't want to do like cold calling. Bruh. And do they really care about me? I've never done it on the corporate side. Listen, all these companies want is somebody for business development who can open the doors that they can't. So they want to know who your network is, where you've worked, what your Rolodex is. Do you have any experience using technology on the battlefield, which we all do? Ultimately, they're looking for that person who can connect them to the right customers they're targeting. Simple as that. So even when you join the company, all you're doing as a business development guy is basically identifying opportunities. So that's reaching out to your customer base, providing product information, maybe doing on-site customer demonstrations where you bring engineers along. And ultimately, you're just at glue. Your biggest job in business development is relationships and being real, right? Because the fake people, they're weeded out immediately, right? Just be loyal, have integrity, talk to the customer the way you expect to be talked to, and then relay the right information up to your company and hire and leadership and engineering, steer those roadmaps, you know, build some pipeline. It it's a very simple thing, and it's something that's so great for transitioning military, especially soft, because you guys are extremely good at building rapport, understanding the value of relationships, and you guys all have entrepreneurial mindsets. So it's not about like closing one sale, it's about a long-term pipeline of what strategically, how do you achieve that? Yeah. It's an exciting job.

SPEAKER_02

Dude, everybody that I know that's that's involved in defense tech and that's in that capacity loves it. Like we were talking before we started recording, uh, 18 Echoes, TAC P, CCTs, um, they're they're traveling around the world. So if you like to travel, uh a lot of them are doing that. But the the most important thing is, and and it it, yes, I I'm gonna, I know this is like for a vast majority of you out there, the most important thing is the financial package, or at least it's in the top three. It's I would say it was a top three for for all of us, the financial compensation for the time and effort of doing the job. And unless you are willing to start an OnlyFans, I will say that this is by far one of the best uh industries to get into, specifically right now. This is the time. If you're getting out and you're not a creative, you don't want to write the next book, you don't want to go into creating a podcast, you don't want to go into social media management, marketing. Try this. Check it out.

SPEAKER_03

But what I love too, and I tell people when they reach out to me is it's incredibly important to land your first job out of the military in the defense touch space with the role that you want. Don't get in as a solutions engineer if that's not what you want to do for the next 10 or 15 years. Don't get in as a contractor or an FSR. Because I promise you, once you get into that and you put it on your LinkedIn, it's going to be very, very hard to transfer out to a sales, growth, or BD role. You your first role needs to be where you want to go for the next 10 to 15 years.

SPEAKER_02

Stories shape culture. They build trust. And when they're told the right way, they move people to action. That's what we do at Security Hall Media. We don't just produce content, we create authentic, impactful, and purpose-driven storytelling for podcasters, nonprofits, brands, and leaders who are on a mission. For people who've lived real experiences and want their message to actually matter, from podcast production and video to strategic storytelling and distribution. We help you clarify your voice, elevate your brand, and connect with the audience you're trying to serve. You have a story worth telling and a purpose behind it. Security Hall Media is here to help you tell it the right way. Click the link in the episode description to learn more today. That's Smart Insight, because I think guys undersell, they go straight to the FSR. They want to, oh well, I'm I'm hands-on, the guy. It's like, dude, no, think be strategic. Think outside the box. 100%, man. 100%.

Coaching Done Right And Scam Warnings

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Now, when it comes to long-term planning, man, like, is this um, is this, do you think that this is what you're gonna pivot to? Are you gonna try to create uh, you know, a coaching, a business model for this?

SPEAKER_03

I mean, here's the thing. Like, I love my job and I love working in defense tech space. I love it. I don't think that's gonna end, right? I'm not trying to make a fortune off this at all. Like, I honestly just help dudes. Like, as much as they pick me, I pick who I want to work with. I've never turned down anybody, of course. But like what I've found and why I made this official in my company is because there's so many organizations out there. And I don't know how good the ones are with the military, like the honor, the skill bridge, all stuff, but I'm talking about like privately owned companies who say, like, we're gonna land you a six-figure job. And, you know, if I drive a Range Rover, you could drive a Range Rover. And they're fucking scam artists. And they're not gonna help you, and they're gonna click you onto a network and make you watch a podcast about Grant Cardone, and it's like it's fucking ridiculous. And they pay, they pay tens of thousands of dollars, they they target the weakest people, you know, to put it on three different credit cards, and then they walk away laughing. And it's like, what I do when I talk to clients, if they work with me, I literally will not leave their side until they land the job and the role that they want. So I'm not like guaranteeing you like in two months you're gonna make 180K. We are gonna find you the exact job you want with the role you deserve that I highlight in our intro call, and we make that happen. Like I am everything. Like once we start working together, like we're talking 24-7 on text messages. I'm writing posts for you on LinkedIn, I'm creating your network, I'm building your network, I'm tweaking your resume, I'm sending out everything to all my network, getting you interviews, doing interview prep, and then we're gonna talk about your offers, which one you should take, why you shouldn't take them.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, dude, that's a that's a big one right there. Yeah, you don't have you don't have the experience to look at all that data by yourself. I'm just saying.

SPEAKER_03

And always be willing to counter too, know the room. Like these are all very, they seem basic to me at this point, but not for the people that I'm I'm trying to teach a mentor. So I help them along this process fully until they land that job. And truthfully, every single person, I I gotta say, at least 70 or 80 percent, I've kind of uh force fed them into the BD role and they loved it. I mean, they were skeptical at first, but like that, I'm I'm just real. Like, this is what I recommend you do. And I don't think one BD person turned down a job for less than 150, plus commission. That's good. There hasn't been one position less than six figures, and nowadays six figures isn't that great. But you know, if a dude wants to be a systems engineer, And that's what makes him happy. Air Force technical guy, and he's making 110, good for you. If that's what you want, I got you. You know

What Defense Tech BD Really Is

SPEAKER_03

what I mean? But Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

You know, in in this space, what are some of the companies that uh you often highlight for being not just great, but awesome towards our veterans?

SPEAKER_03

I think the small companies are better than ever right now. Like startups and the smallest. Yes, they're agile, they're very positively culture driven. Um they want to hire directly out of the military, and ultimately they're creating products that are best suited and most operationally relevant right now. So you look at companies like Saronic, four years old. I think they're worth like $30 billion. I mean, it's ridiculous what he's able to achieve. And this is a former CEO who's the CEO. Damn. Okay. Like I always point people into companies that are small to mid-size or startups before they go to the largest. Because they're these companies are more willing to give you a chance. You're gonna be able to really grow from the bottom up, and ultimately you're still gonna get the paycheck that you want and you deserve. And you're gonna enjoy it. The small to mid-size companies and startups are much more funner and sometimes better work-life balance than the largest. But what I tell people is five years down the road, six, seven years down the road, you're gonna get recruiters reaching out. And that's when maybe you want to think about taking those big jobs at AWS, Fantor, IBM, Microsoft, and those positions, I tell them what their potential is, and it's three, four times what they initially made. You're never gonna make that money if it's important to you at a small to mid-size, unless you have a huge equity package. But it depends on what makes you happy.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. That that's a that's a great point to make, man. And you sit right there at the end, the equity package. Uh a lot of the I so I've I've got some friends that did go the small startup, and that was one of the big things. Like, you never know which which one of these companies is going to become a huge fish. And uh, you know, that equity is a big thing. Like, think of the the first couple of people that were in Android. Like Exactly.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, exactly.

SPEAKER_02

Like when you think about that, like that's not a bad place in the culture too, that they're more willing to do whatever it takes to make their employees happy. So being willing to um, you know, you know, going back to the office has become a big thing for a lot of people these days. Fuck that. Remote work. Like, I'm fully working.

SPEAKER_03

I'm fully remote. I've been fully remote for three years, and it's because you know the recruiters who reach out to me for the last three jobs, even at IBM, they're like, we'd like you on site at DC. I'm like, that's never gonna happen. You could pay me 600 grand a year. I'm not going back to DC. That's my one bug of I love where I'm at, I'm never moving there. And um, and they're like, no problem at all. That's the thing. People worry, they're like, I have to move. Uh, this BD job says it's in fucking Washington. And it's like, just apply. They're look, that's a that's a job wreck. All right, salary is negotiable for the right person. Fully remote is definitely acceptable for the right person. I mean, you're traveling probably 30, 40% of your time, anyways.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And what did uh what did you end up settling down?

SPEAKER_03

Now, finally. So I spent nine years at Fort Bragg in a place that I never wanted to go, right? Okay. But you know how it is. It's like I had one job and then I worked at Persistent, and I'm like, shit, I'm still here. I like my job. I gotta be at the office. And then I got the job at IBM, and that was remote. And then, like a year into it, I'm like, what tell my wife? I'm like, what the fuck are we still doing here? And then I decided to start moving, and uh, we moved last year to the Franklin, Tennessee area. Oh, new shit. Yeah, Sean Ryan lives down the road. I got Kid Rock like five minutes from me, so it's pretty fucking awesome. Yeah, dude, like living the dream, man. And it's like I moved here because like it's gorgeous, but the schools, top 10 public schools in the entire country for my son. So, you know, it's it's it's it's it's a great place to live. But like, this is all the kind of stuff that like I really talk openly about with my journey to my clients because I'm just like them. Like, I didn't think that I could achieve anything that I've achieved in the last six years. And like I have like crawled over broken glass for six years to get where I have gotten. And like, but if I had somebody like me helping them, I could have done that in two and a half. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And you know what, we we have to pause and really dive into this last little bit right now. Like, at first glance, this seems like, oh, it's just job placement. It's helping somebody get like, no, dude, like the number one stressor coming out of the military is finance. That's the number one stressor. You put somebody under that pressure while they're going through a med board or or while they're just regular ETSing. Um, and that feeds so many mental health issues that gives people so much stress. If you can cut down on the amount of stress and create a pipeline to success into an industry that more often than not, it's gonna lead you to satisfaction, financial compensation that's within the realm of like holy shit, and lead you to actually have a great transition. Like you're you're helping somebody in in more than one way, man. And the financial thing is often missed.

SPEAKER_03

It's huge, man. Finances, women, what was the other thing? Yeah, drinking, drinking, drinking. But like, this is what I tell people, like, especially the ones like six months before they get out and they've reached out to me. I'm like, bro, here's the thing. Like, I'm pitching you this. I feel like you're on the fence, but you're you you want to listen and do it. Do this. Get the job, get the BD job. All right. You don't fucking like it, like six months in, go live on a ranch somewhere with your family and like herd cattle or or I don't know, open a car wash. That's fine. But at least when you get

Startups Remote Work And Big Tech

SPEAKER_03

out, you're gonna have something to fucking do. You're not gonna be on the couch with your wife bitching at you, with no money in your pocket, no motivation, then the depression sinks in. Like, why not start immediately into a role where you're collecting a great paycheck? Yeah. If you hate it six months after, pivot. But you have your base. You need a base.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And you know, I gotta ask now because I'm I'm certain there's somebody driving, listening to this, they're leaving the the fucking French toe stick factory, hating their fucking life, wishing their transition went a little better. Is it ever too late to reach out and try to like, hey, I went to the wrong career, I went to the wrong field, I hate what I'm doing. This sounds like an opportunity. What's your advice for somebody that's already been out into the civilian workforce for four, five, ten years and they're listening now and they're like, you know, maybe with Iran popping off, maybe I can uh go into defense tech?

SPEAKER_03

I work with them in the same exact way, and I also work with a lot of dudes who are already on the corporate side and they're stuck in roles that they don't want to be in and they're trying to pitch, try to pivot. So if it's anything defense tech related, I'm your guy. I don't try to claim that I can do everything, but like if you want something positive for you and your family, and like this goes back to how a lot of soft guys we know, like you said, found God and religion after they got out. And I was always religious, but I think I I found it, I've definitely found it more so when I got out. And I think that's a big reason why people find religion and they focus on it so much, is because they realize, like, they stop and breathe. Like it's not about violence of action all the time. You don't need to like kick down doors. Like, I look back at some of the shit that I said when I was an operator and like how I thought in in in in Afghanistan and like what I was saying to like my friends, like we're all the same. And I was like, I was fucking nuts. What was I saying? Like, did I drink the Kool-Aid? And it's like, but I think once you get out, we're realizing that like the only thing that matters is family. And a lot of us have neglected our families. And it's like, my wife matters, my son matters. And then you're like, fuck, I need to work on myself. Maybe I'm maybe I'm a little bit of a piece of shit. Maybe I'm gonna find God. And that's what people I've known do do, and it and it's incredibly beneficial, and it's the only way to live. Like, God is a huge point of every day of mine, full stop. And I'm not trying to push religion on anybody, but the people I know who are very, you know, God driven on a daily, they're the most loyal, integrity, good people, you know, and they're the most productive in the long run.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely, man. That when I look back, same thing. The guys that really were were able to leave the military and were able to keep themselves together were always the guys that were strong in faith. And and I never understood it. Never understood to go on the day outside and saw the guys that left, left the team room on time, that didn't stick around just frigging fucking it off and drinking. They went home and they knew where they were going Sunday or Saturday for Mass. Like it was a part of them, it was a concrete pillar for them. It was, and they were still great teammates. And uh, that's why I told people, man, like it's think of if if you are just now starting to like think about serving, man, think about building all three pillars mind, body, and spirit. Work on all three, and you're gonna be the best version of yourself going into the military. I do believe that some of the best warriors I served with were men of God, and they were just as lethal, if not more, because uh they were very good in the fight. Um we have to get rid of this idea that you have to be a toxic, broken person to be a good warrior. You don't. You can do this entire journey being a good man of God. Um, and there's nothing wrong on the backside. You heal, you get better, and

Purpose Service And Helping Friends

SPEAKER_02

then you find your focus. You know, God, family, and and and being a better member of your community. Like it's the path is up to you. I don't want you to struggle. I want you to be better. And uh so that means I'm gonna tell you to go to church. Find a way to find and make make that change in your life sooner than later.

SPEAKER_03

Plus, yeah, and and there's a lot of dudes out there, you know, and this is a whole nother conversation though, that that struggle with PTSD and all the stuff that they've seen. And a lot of them, you know, internalize it and they become depressed and they don't have a drive, they don't have a purpose. So, like part of what I want to do is provide people with a purpose so they can, you know, function. And and then in the military, there was always a purpose to show up and perform and you have something to do. Like, you need to continue that on the outside. Because like ultimately, I mean, I've heard this before from multiple people, but it just stuck with me that like I'm you could say, like, oh, you owe it to yourself and your family to be better, but you owe it to like the same guys that you you've seen killed and the shit you've been through. Like, do you know what these dudes would do for one more of your shitty days that you're complaining about? Like you're too busy. Like, I I stop myself. I'm normal. Sometimes at night I'm tired of shit and my son wants to play. Right? And and at first I'm like, no, I don't want to play, I'm gonna sit watch TV.

SPEAKER_01

And then I immediately think I'm like, that dude would do anything for 10 minutes with his kid.

SPEAKER_03

So change your mindset. And it just goes back to being grateful for what you have, that you're still here, and you owe it to everyone around you to be the best and drool you could be.

SPEAKER_02

Damn, absolutely, man. We didn't your greatness isn't reserved for your service.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

100%.

SPEAKER_02

It's not. You owe it to everybody in your life to continue reaching for excellence and everything you do as the head of your household, as a member of your community, as a man in the society. Like that's you want to you want to talk about like what really is gonna help if you just focus on being a good person to the people immediately around you. Same can be said for veteran suicide. I'll say it right now. We're we're not gonna pay our way out of this. We're not gonna, a national incentive, a national program isn't gonna solve this. You will, if you connect and you make it a daily habit of talking to at least three of your friends. Not just surface level text, not just a meme, but an actual engagement. Hey man, how's it going? Hope you're doing well. How's you know, how was spaghetti night at your house? How are the kids doing? Engage. The same level of excellence that you poured into your life every single day when you were in that team room, when you put that uniform on, transfer it back into what you're doing today. It didn't end. It was a great cadre, forget what his name was, but he had one of the best sayings. It was um, when did you when do you earn the Green Beret? Oh, when you graduate the Q course. No, no, you earn it every single fucking day. Every single day. So it rents do, motherfuckers. Rents do. Wake up and be excellent. You owe it to your family. You wake up next to an amazing person, you have amazing kids next to you, or maybe you're you're by yourself and you just you're living that solo life, you still owe it to a great creator, you still owe it to somebody to be good. You're gonna have bad days, you're gonna have some shitty days. I'm gonna tell you, we're all gonna fucking struggle. Take a knee, drink water, and help somebody else.

SPEAKER_03

And that's the whole thing, the helping people. Like, yeah, if I have one piece of advice that's worked for me and it's made me happier, be a good person to fucking everybody. I think I've gotten like a lot softer as I got out of the military. Because I used to be like, say some asshole stuff for sure, but like be nice to everybody. Like, I am nice to like if somebody calls me up, I will help you for the next four hours if we're talking. It doesn't matter if I get the same kind of feedback back, right? Like, I have like maybe six, seven close friends that I trust, you know, with my life because I'm willing to give you 140%. I think everybody should be that way, but um, don't always expect it back, right? But the ones that do, you know, realize that. And um just being a good person is gonna is gonna make you happier and it's gonna bring more um amazing stuff your way, you know?

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. Nobody ever got through life excelling at being a piece of shit. Well exactly.

SPEAKER_03

Well, some have.

SPEAKER_02

Some have some have us, lower people. We're not gonna make it through life just being a dog shit human being. We've got to be the best version of ourselves and understand like you don't have to be 100% through your journey. I know you're struggling with some shit. I I if you're listening to this, chances are you're dealing with something. You've been dealt some bad hands. You don't have to wait till you're 100% because guess what? You're never gonna be 100%. You're gonna life's a journey in recovery. Getting better is a constant journey. Some days you're 99, some days you're at 75. But as soon as you get the handle of things and you're consistently hitting 70 or better, turn around and help somebody else. If you see a friend that's struggling and he posts some shit on social media, don't screenshot it and say, anybody know this person? Go help.

SPEAKER_01

Reach out to somebody in your area. Hey man, how are you doing? How are you doing? Don't worry about fucking metrics.

SPEAKER_02

The real impact happens in your circle, in your community. That's how we save lives. That's how we take care of each other. And you're doing that right now, man. When you're able to put somebody into a position out of the military, as soon as they transition and they're able to continue putting food on the table, and it's a it's a bigger paycheck so they can start living their life. Like, bro, you're changing lives, man. That is fucking huge.

SPEAKER_03

Duke. And and and once I like start building relationships with these guys, you know, I find out they're no different than, you know, I was, or you maybe, you know, or people we know, you know, they're they're going, they're they're they're their marriage is on the fritz. The wife already moved out, finances are a little backed up, credit card bills are there, he's got two kids. You know, it's like and I try to tell him that it's all right, take a breath. And I give him hope. And then, you know, we work together. And I it's it makes me incredibly happy when I get like those texts, right? Where he's like, I'm starting a new life. I got my got my offer, and it's like he's making double than he ever did. Maybe his wife's gonna come back. You know, like the point is it's like he he has a different outlook that like things could be better if I'm a better person. And that's what I preach. Like, you be the best person you can be, because you can only control yourself, right? Absolutely, man. See what else happens from that. Yeah.

Where To Find Ryan Online

SPEAKER_02

Well, dude, where can people connect with you in case uh they're they're looking to transition and need help uh getting into that defense tech world?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, the Instagram I'm slowly building up. I don't know nothing about that, but operator to executive. I don't know. Maybe I should make some funny videos. I don't know. Maybe maybe that'll be better.

SPEAKER_02

No, no, authentic, impactful, purpose-driven. I'll share, um, I'll share some tips after the episode. But um, you're doing everything right, man. Um content right now, like in fact, after we get done with this, I gotta get in front of the camera and record some stuff. But you're doing everything right. It it's the message that matters most. And and trust me, um leverage, leverage everybody that you know on LinkedIn to follow you.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I think the best thing too would be is like find me on LinkedIn too, if first, um Ryan Gray, and you'll just see, like, you know, you could see a lot from a person's profile. And that's why we're gonna that's why I focus on that. But um appreciate it, man.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely, man. It's an absolute pleasure to have somebody else from uh the old uh friggin' seventh group stomping grounds and uh our old days in uh friggin' North Carolina. It's just good, man. Uh I remember you from way back in the day. It's just it's funny, man. It it's I you we never think that we're it's gonna be us that that you know get out before they hit 30 or 40 fucking years in in the uniform. And now I'm starting to see my friends are getting you know selected for you know CSM, and people are talking about who's gonna be the next group CSM, and your friends' names are getting thrown.

SPEAKER_03

It's like holy shit, I'm old. All right. And I applaud it, and I still got friends. I got a dude at 10th group, went to Yale. I thought he was gonna be out first, and he's gonna be CSM of the world. But try not to drink the Kool-Aid. We know that term and soft, right? Bro, I left group, yeah, and there's like people junior, and now they're still in, and I talk to them, and bro, they talk like a different person. They drank the Kool-Aid so much that I don't know how they're gonna transition. They need my help when they do.

SPEAKER_02

They're just exactly, yeah, and everybody figures it out. I think everybody has their journey, man. But I'm just it it's it's just so great to see both sides. The guys like you that made it on the outside, that are doing amazing things and helping so many other people, and seeing our other brothers that are continuing on doing this important work and they're reaching these milestones in their careers, and you're just like, holy shit, like this is incredible. Like seeing seeing how far your brothers succeed in life is one of the most rewarding things on earth. And I hope all you realize that your success is my success. And when we support each other, when we just celebrate each other authentically and say, great fucking job, you're crushing it, it leaves it makes room for you to be happy. You don't have to be the bitter dude that's always conniving, man.

SPEAKER_03

But you mean that, and I mean that. But like there's so many people out there that actually are not happy with your success. Yeah. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And that's that's one thing that that you know, that's a great way to end it on. Like, if you feel yourself uh and and and and you're just sad and angry all the time, like just pray. I'm telling you, honestly, just in this, in this, in this candid moment right now, if you're not doing good, if you just always uh Always see the negative side of things. Just take a moment to pray, man. Just take a moment and ask, and just ask for what you need, and you'll be surprised with what gets delivered, man. Um I'm telling you, yeah. I mean life's life's better when you're happy.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. And just like and and to that point though, before we end, man, like back in 2021, I literally was at that point, the lowest point of my life. And I didn't know that that that kind of feeling mentally was possible. Yeah. You know, and I know other people have been there, but I got out of it. So there's always uh a light in a tunnel.

SPEAKER_02

There is, man. There is. We just gotta be brave enough to find that little bit of light and keep moving forward, keep moving towards it, man. Ryan, thank you for being here. Guys, do me a favor, pause the episode. It's almost over. We're at it's the moment every time we do this. I don't know why you're shocked. Go to the episode description, click those links, send Ryan a friend request on LinkedIn and on Instagram. Follow his page. They're all be down there. I'm telling you, fix your LinkedIn or just contact Ryan. He'll tell you what to do. Brother, thank you for being here. Thank you guys for tuning in, and we'll see you all next time. Till then, take care.

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Deny Caballero

Host