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How can you unlock your team’s untapped potential? Learn how to maximize your team’s performance from leaders who have really done it. From veterans, researchers, and high-powered entrepreneurs to pro athletes and CEOs of multi-million-dollar companies. Cam and Otis go through each guest’s story to pull the leadership lessons that they learned along the way. This father-son business podcast takes the philosophy of lifelong learning and applies it to leadership to help you learn how to lead a high-performing team. Otis is a former Green Beret and currently coaches high-performing business owners and their leadership teams, helping them implement Green Beret leadership principles in their business to 10x their staff. Camden is an entrepreneur and coaches rugby at the developmental and collegiate levels, and he coaches college athletes through the transition to life after sports. With two different generational and professional perspectives, the father-son co-hosts mix old-school wisdom with new ideas, which creates a unique dialogue with the guests. This show is made for lifelong learners who want to solve problems and make an impact!
10x Your Team with Cam & Otis
Misery Was the Catalyst - Joe Smarro | 10x Your Team Ep. #467
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What drives someone to leave a successful 15-year law enforcement career to tackle one of the most challenging problems facing first responders? In this episode, Cam and Otis sit down with Joe Smarro, a decorated Marine Corps combat veteran, former San Antonio Police officer, and founder of SolutionPoint+, who's on a mission to eradicate suicide among first responders.
"Misery was the catalyst," Joe explains candidly about his transition from police work to entrepreneurship. As one of the original members of the SAPD Mental Health Unit—featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary "Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops"—Joe shares powerful insights about trauma, PTSD, and the surprising overlap between the symptoms of post-traumatic stress and entrepreneurship.
From discussing how "all behavior is communication" to revealing why he turned to business the way others turn to alcohol, this conversation explores the intersection of mental health, leadership, and purpose-driven work. Joe's approach to de-escalating mental health crises and his framework for understanding human behavior offer valuable lessons for anyone leading teams or navigating their own challenges.
Whether you're a first responder, an entrepreneur dealing with the obsessive nature of building a business, or a leader seeking to better understand the people you serve, Joe's journey from battlefield to advocate provides a roadmap for turning trauma into meaningful impact.
More About Joe:
Joe is a decorated combat veteran from the United States Marine Corps. He honorably served in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. After completing his enlistment, he moved to South Texas, where he joined the San Antonio Police Department (2005). Joe was one of the original members of the SAPD Mental Health Unit and helped grow that unit into a nationally recognized best-practices policing program. Joe served on the SAPD MHU for 11 years.
In 2018, he gave a TEDx San Antonio talk titled: I See You. He has been highlighted in numerous media outlets and documentaries. Most notably, he is one of the main subjects in the Emmy award-winning documentary: Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops. Joe is an alum of the Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) at Texas A&M (2016). Once he completed his certification, he founded SolutionPoint+ in 2017 & is the current CEO.
Joe voluntarily left the San Antonio Police Department in 2020 to focus on making changes within the behavioral health and criminal justice systems around the country. His big, hairy, audacious goal is to eradicate suicide among all first responders, starting in law enforcement. When Joe is not speaking, training, consulting, or working on his next book, he will most likely be found on a golf course.
Chapter Times and Titles:
Introduction: The Hard Ground and Harder Problems [00:00 - 04:19]
Welcome and the ranch soil saga
Meet Joe Smarro: Marine, cop, entrepreneur
Setting the stage for a conversation about trauma and purpose
"Misery Was the Catalyst" [04:19 - 12:30]
Why Joe left law enforcement after 15 years
The transition from being part of a team to going solo
Finding purpose beyond the uniform
All Behavior Is Communication [12:30 - 24:45]
The foundational principle of Joe's work
Understanding what people are really saying through their actions
De-escalating mental health crises with empathy
The SAPD Mental Health Unit Story [24:45 - 32:17]
Building a nationally recognized best-practices program
Lessons from "Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops"
The TEDx talk: "I See You."
PTSD and Entrepreneurship: The Unexpected Overlap [32:17 - 43:05]
Symptoms of PTSD vs. symptoms of entrepreneurship
Bob Parsons' story: turning to business instead of alcohol
The obsessive nature of building something meaningful
Why avoidance and thrill-seeking show up in both