Will Bowen, author of A Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted joins Joe to discuss the negative impact of complaining on our perception of the world. They also explore how making a conscious effort to quit complaining can significantly improve our lives. In this episode, Joe and Will dive into the following topics:

• How the 21-Day Complaint Free challenge works
• The social reasons why people actually complain
• The difference between processing and venting and why it matters
• Using negative feelings as a catalyst for self-reflection
• The myth of blowing off steam
• Developing a mindset for embracing challenges

After decades of unprecedented sales success in insurance, broadcasting, and advertising, on July 23, 2006 Will Bowen’s life changed forever…and so did the lives of tens of millions of people (so far).

On that day, Will invited 250 people to try and break the negative habit of complaining by going 21 consecutive days without uttering a single gripe.

Will gave each person a purple bracelet to be used as a mindfulness tool.

His idea: switch the bracelet from wrist-to-wrist with each spoken complaint and keep switching until you go 21 consecutive days without complaining.

Will’s idea EXPLODED around the world until now, some 15 years later, the worldwide Complaint Free bracelet total is over 15 million and climbing.

Will Bowen’s 21-Day Complaint Free challenge has been recommended by Oprah, Maya Angelou, Tim Ferris, Joe Vitale, Gary Zukov, The Wall Street Journal, NBC’s Today Show, the ABC Evening News, NPR, and too many additional celebrities and media outlets to include here.

Will has written 5 International Bestselling books that have sold more than 4 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than 35 languages.

Special thanks to this week's sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

My favorite coffee is veteran-owned Alpha Coffee and I've been drinking it every morning since 2020! They make 100% premium arabica coffee. Alpha has donated over 22k bags of coffee to deployed units and they offer a 10% discount for military veterans, first responders, nurses, and teachers! Try their coffee today. Once you taste the Alpha difference, you won't want to drink anything else! Learn more here.

Former Navy SEAL and New York Times bestselling author, Jack Carr, joins Joe for a powerful discussion ahead of the release of his 7th book in The Terminal List series, Red Sky Mourning. They explore the following:

• Why leaders need to be readers
• The perfect way to gift a book
• Transitioning from the military
• The importance of values in decision-making
• Finding your purpose
• How Jack became a writer
• and much more!!

From a young age, Jack Carr had two dreams: serving his country in uniform as a Navy SEAL and becoming an author. Following twenty years in the SEAL Teams, Jack shifted his sights to publishing and fulfilled his literary objective with the release of his debut novel, The Terminal List.

Since then, he has captivated readers worldwide with the gripping tales of James Reece in his New York Times bestselling novels True Believer, Savage Son, The Devil’s Hand, In the Blood, and Only the Dead.

The Terminal List was adapted into a thrilling #1 Amazon Prime Video series starring Chris Pratt and has been greenlit for a second season based on Jack’s second novel True Believer (release date TBA).

In addition, a prequel origin story series based on the character Ben Edwards titled The Terminal List: Dark Wolf starring Taylor Kitsch is currently in production.

Special thanks to this week's sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

My favorite coffee is veteran-owned Alpha Coffee and I've been drinking it every morning since 2020! They make 100% premium arabica coffee. Alpha has donated over 22k bags of coffee to deployed units and they offer a 10% discount for military veterans, first responders, nurses, and teachers! Try their coffee today. Once you taste the Alpha difference, you won't want to drink anything else! Learn more here.

Former World Series of Poker Champion and best-selling author, Annie Duke, returns to the show to discuss the concepts from her book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away.

Annie shares insights on how grit, often celebrated as a virtue, can also lead to sticking with paths that no longer serve us. Joe and Annie draw parallels to other high-profile figures like Jerry Seinfeld and Will Smith, who chose to step down from projects at the pinnacle of their careers. They also dive into Joe’s decision to retire from the Army. During the episode Joe and Annie discuss the following topics:

• The double-edged nature of grit and its impact on decision-making.
• Joe's personal experience of deciding to retire from the military and the concept of quitting at a high point in one's career.
• The concept of 'jumping the shark' and the challenges in identifying the right time to quit.
• How to separate your identity from your career
• The importance of setting 'kill criteria' to effectively determine when to quit under uncertainty.
• The role of intuition, sunk costs, and fear of the unknown in decision-making processes.
• Using the monkeys and pedestals mental model before starting a major project

Annie is an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space, as well as Special Partner focused on Decision Science at First Round Capital Partners, a seed stage venture fund. Annie’s latest book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, was released in 2022 from Portfolio, a Penguin Random House imprint. Her previous book, Thinking in Bets, is a national bestseller. As a former professional poker player, she has won more than $4 million in tournament poker.

During her career, Annie won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She retired from the game in 2012. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2023 Annie completed her PhD in Cognitive Psychology at UPenn.

Annie is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education. She is a member of the National Board of After-School All-Stars and the Board of Directors of the Franklin Institute.

Special thanks to this week's sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

My favorite coffee is veteran-owned Alpha Coffee and I've been drinking it every morning since 2020! They make 100% premium arabica coffee. Alpha has donated over 22k bags of coffee to deployed units and they offer a 10% discount for military veterans, first responders, nurses, and teachers! Try their coffee today. Once you taste the Alpha difference, you won't want to drink anything else! Learn more here.

Former World Series of Poker Champion and best-selling author, Annie Duke, joins Joe to share her journey from studying cognitive science to becoming a poker legend, and how this experience led her to explore the cognitive underpinnings of decision-making in everyday life.

Joe and Annie explore the fundamental concepts from her book, Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts, and discuss how treating life’s decisions as bets can significantly improve how we navigate uncertainty. Some of the topics they discuss include:

• The two factors that determine the quality of your life
• Using poker strategies for making decisions
• Separating outcome quality from decision quality
• How our self-narrative affects reflection and learning
• The benefits of mental time travel
• ...and much more

Annie is an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space, as well as Special Partner focused on Decision Science at First Round Capital Partners, a seed stage venture fund. Annie’s latest book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, was released in 2022 from Portfolio, a Penguin Random House imprint. Her previous book, Thinking in Bets, is a national bestseller. As a former professional poker player, she has won more than $4 million in tournament poker.

During her career, Annie won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She retired from the game in 2012. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2023 Annie completed her PhD in Cognitive Psychology at UPenn.

Annie is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education. She is a member of the National Board of After-School All-Stars and the Board of Directors of the Franklin Institute.

Special thanks to this week's sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!

My favorite coffee is veteran-owned Alpha Coffee and I've been drinking it every morning since 2020! They make 100% premium arabica coffee. Alpha has donated over 22k bags of coffee to deployed units and they offer a 10% discount for military veterans, first responders, nurses, and teachers! Try their coffee today. Once you taste the Alpha difference, you won't want to drink anything else! Learn more here.

Colin Stevens, author of Make Your Mark: Lessons from Legends for a Life of Fulfillment and Impact, joins the show to share his inspiring story of chasing a dream that didn't pan out the way he thought it would and the lessons he's learned along the way. Joe and Colin talk about the following topics:

• The importance of self-belief for achieving success
• Why we should study the "full game" over the "highlight reel".
• Leadership through transparency and owning mistakes.
• The impact of social media on young athletes' mental health.
• How to develop resilient kids
• The role of fear and failure in pursuing passions.
• The power of being true to oneself.

Colin Stevens is a former Division 1 basketball player and senior year team captain at Coastal Carolina University. After working in the banking industry for years, he left the 9-5 to embark on an entrepreneurial journey and start his own business. He has since created two successful brands in the basketball development industry.

For the past five years, Colin has worked as a life strategist and performance coach. He has been hired by professional athletes, business executives, and entrepreneurs to help them maximize their potential. With a unique approach that combines his sports background and personal development expertise, Colin enhances decision-making, personal growth, and emotional intelligence.

Colin is the published author of two books, COACHABLE, and his most recent book with raving reviews, Make Your Mark. He is a sought-after speaker and trainer for various companies, motivating and empowering others to reach their full potential. Learn more about Colin at www.thecolinstevens.com

Special thanks to this week's sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Connect Leadership With Action Across Distributed Formations With Mustr by Adyton. Mustr is your digital knife-hand for daily and rapid personnel accountability, real time response data visibility, and automated reporting. Learn more about what Mustr can do for your formation here!

My favorite coffee is veteran-owned Alpha Coffee and I've been drinking it every morning since 2020! They make 100% premium arabica coffee. Alpha has donated over 22k bags of coffee to deployed units and they offer a 10% discount for military veterans, first responders, nurses, and teachers! Try their coffee today. Once you taste the Alpha difference, you won't want to drink anything else! Learn more here.

Dr. Amishi Jha joins Joe to discuss her book, Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day . Amishi sheds light on the complexities of the brain's attention system to help us understand how we can navigate and enhance our focus in stressful and demanding jobs. In this episode Joe and Amishi discuss:

• How our attention shapes everything from emotions to relationships
• Challenges in maintaining attention in an information-saturated age
• How the attention system works
• The vulnerability of attention to stress and its impact on performance
• Insights into memory and emotional regulation
• How mindfulness training helps strengthens our attention system
• A practical approach to mindfulness training for enhancing attention

Whether you’re struggling to stay present, looking to enhance your memory, or seeking solace in the whirlwind of the digital age, this episode promises to turn the light of your attention onto pathways that could lead to a calmer, more focused state of being. Learn more about Amishi's research in military cohorts here.

Dr. Amishi Jha, PhD is Director of Contemplative Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami. Prior to her current post, she was an Assistant Professor at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania.

She received her B.S in Biological Psychology from the University
of Michigan, her Ph.D in Psychology (Cognitive Neuroscience) from the University of California–Davis, and her post-doctoral training at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University in functional neuroimaging.

Learn more about her work here.


Special thanks to this week's sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Connect Leadership With Action Across Distributed Formations With Mustr by Adyton. Mustr is your digital knife-hand for daily and rapid personnel accountability, real time response data visibility, and automated reporting. Learn more about what Mustr can do for your formation here!

My favorite coffee is veteran-owned Alpha Coffee and I've been drinking it every morning since 2020! They make 100% premium arabica coffee. Alpha has donated over 22k bags of coffee to deployed units and they offer a 10% discount for military veterans, first responders, nurses, and teachers! Try their coffee today. Once you taste the Alpha difference, you won't want to drink anything else! Learn more here.

Dr. Michael Norton joins Joe to discuss his new book, The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions. In this episode, Joe and Dr. Norton explore the hidden power of rituals in our daily lives. Highlights from this episode include:

• Understanding the powerful impact of rituals
• The difference between a habit and a ritual
• How to find and examine our own personal rituals
• The role of rituals in transitions (becoming a leader, returning from combat, retiring from the military)
• How rituals can improve our performance and help us better navigate life
• Rituals and family life
• How to create family traditions when you move all the time
• ....and much more!

Michael Norton is the Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. He has studied human behavior as it relates to love and inequality, time and money, and happiness and grief. He is the author of The Ritual Effect and the coauthor—with Elizabeth Dunn—of Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending. In 2012, he was selected by Wired magazine as one of “50 People Who Will Change the World.” His TEDx talk, How to Buy Happiness, has been viewed nearly 4.5 million times. He is a frequent contributor to such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Scientific American, and has made numerous television, radio, and podcast appearances.

Lieutenant General Christopher Donahue returns to the show to continue his previous conversation with Joe on culture and leadership. In this episode, they discuss:

• What LTG Donahue has learned since his last appearance on the podcast
• How the culture of the 82nd Airborne Division held up during the evacuation of Afghanistan
• Four reasons leaders need to focus on physical fitness
• The importance of innovation in today's Army
• What LTG Donahue is reading right now
• Tips for successful communication

Lieutenant General Christopher Donahue currently serves as the 39th Commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, and Ft. Liberty, NC. Prior to assuming command of the corps, LTG Donahue served as the Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division.

LTG Donahue’s other assignments include Commander, NATO Special Operations Component and US Joint Special Operations in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Deputy Director for Special Operations and Counter-Terrorism, J-3, for the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C., Commandant, US Army Infantry School and Director of the Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team, and Deputy Commanding General (Maneuver) of the 4th Infantry Division.

LTG Donahue has led Soldiers at all levels in Airborne, Ranger, Light and Mechanized units, to include service with 3 divisions, the 75th Ranger Regiment and USASOC. He has deployed 20 times in support of operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, to include; Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Inherent Resolve, Operation Atlantic Resolve, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Operation European Assure, Deter and Reinforce, and in support of the Sudan crisis.

His formative and key, Army and special operations, assignments include Director of Operations, Joint Special Operations Command, and 16 years in various USASOC organizations, first as a platoon leader, then as a troop commander, squadron commander, and finally as a brigade commander.

LTG Donahue is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, and was commissioned in 1992. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Naval War College, and the US Army War College Fellowship at Harvard University.

Special thanks to this week's sponsors!

Veteran-founded Adyton. Connect Leadership With Action Across Distributed Formations With Mustr by Adyton. Mustr is your digital knife-hand for daily and rapid personnel accountability, real time response data visibility, and automated reporting. Learn more about what Mustr can do for your formation here!

My favorite coffee is veteran-owned Alpha Coffee and I've been drinking it every morning since 2020! They make 100% premium arabica coffee. Alpha has donated over 22k bags of coffee to deployed units and they offer a 10% discount for military veterans, first responders, nurses, and teachers! Try their coffee today. Once you taste the Alpha difference, you won't want to drink anything else! Learn more here.