The Protectors® Podcast
The Protectors® Podcast is where powerful stories ignite purpose. Hosted by Jason Piccolo—a retired federal agent, former U.S. Army Infantry Captain (Iraq 2006), and author—the show explores the human side of courage, resilience, and leadership.
More than a podcast about service, it’s a platform for storytelling that empowers. Each episode highlights personal journeys of adversity, sacrifice, redemption, and triumph—revealing the mindset, discipline, and heart behind extraordinary lives. From frontline professionals to bestselling authors and acclaimed actors, the conversations uncover how real experiences inspire the stories that move us—and how storytelling itself becomes a force for strength and transformation.
Past guests include Sean Patrick Flanery, Andrews & Wilson, Mark Greaney, Stephen Hunter, Remi Adeleke, Florent Groberg, Clint Emerson, and Travis Mills—voices that inspire listeners to lead with courage, live with purpose, and tell their own stories boldly.
The Protectors® Podcast
#422 | Ryan Stovall | Former Green Beret | Author | BLACK SNOWFLAKES
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Ryan Stovall joined The Protectors® to talk about his poetry collection Black Snowflakes Smothering A Torch: How to Talk to Your Veteran, working in a combat hospital, Balad burn pits, his writing career, and a ton more.
About Ryan: Ryan Stovall is a former adventurer, world traveler, and Green Beret twice decorated for valor and awarded two Purple Hearts, whose poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction can be found in numerous journals and anthologies.
About BLACK SNOWFLAKES: A primer serving to facilitate dialogue between those who have experienced the crushing arms of war and those who have not, at its foundation Black Snowflakes Smothering a Torch presupposes that many issues veterans face when reintegrating come not from the veteran’s traumas but from the hypocrisies inherent to American civilian culture itself. As such Black Snowflakes represents an invaluable starting point, one that will serve as both a reference for civilians seeking to understand and as a voice for veterans hoping to explain.
Make sure to check out Jason on IG @drjasonpiccolo
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