The Professionals Playbook

Latest Episodes:

Gravity Jet Suit Inventor and Founder on Reimagining Human Flight and Overcoming the Status Quo--Richard Browning Jun 07, 2020

Show notes

*T-shirts are now available here.
My guest today is Richard Browning, the British inventor dubbed the “real life Iron Man.” He's the founder of Gravity, launched in 2017 with a dream to reimagine an entirely new form of human flight. Using 6 small jet engines, he's built a suit that has set multiple world records. In just 2 years he's given 5 TED talk and executed 96 public demonstrations of his technology across 30 countries.

In our conversation we talk about the hurdles he had to overcome to build a jet suit, how to maintain resilience in the face of adversity, and how his next step is to build retractable wings into the suit.

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LinkedIn-- Justin Hasard Lee
Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot
This episode was edited by Trevor Cabler
You can review the show by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Thanks for the support 👊

Master Class: The Green Beret Soldier behind the Afghan SOF Strategy talks Leadership--Scott Mann May 25, 2020

Show notes

*My editor sent me this after listening to the episode:
"I wanted to let you know that this was by far one of my favorite episodes to edit. It provided great insight into leadership skills."*
"The Professionals Playbook" t-shirts are now available here.
My guest today is Scott Mann who spent 23 years as an Officer in the United States Army, 18 of those as a Green Beret in Army Special Forces, where he specialized in unconventional missions in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

He is the author of two international best-selling books: Game Changers and Straight Talk About Military Transition.

He's also give 3 TED talks.

In our conversation we talk about how Green Berets build rapport with local tribes, how he almost took his life after leaving the military, and how leaders can connect with their people.
Order of Topics:

Using SOF training for COVID-19
How Green Berets compare to other SOF units
How to go into a village and establish trust
Interpersonal techniques
Architect of the Afghan SOF program
Almost committing suicide
How to transition from the military
Green Beret principals
How to build relationships
Leadership training

The First Non-American F-22 Pilot on Fighter Pilot Culture and Augmented Reality--Daniel Robinson May 12, 2020

Show notes

My guest today is Daniel "Bond" Robinson who is Founder and CEO of Red 6--a company revolutionizing augmented reality (AR) for military training by allowing pilots to see synthetic threats in dynamic and high speed environments.

In 2005 the RAF selected him as the youngest fighter pilot of his generation to attend the Weapons Instructor Course and a year later, he was selected as the first non-American fighter pilot to fly the the F-22 Raptor; a huge deal at the time.

In our conversation Daniel talks to his incredible aviation journey including flying the Raptor, why he left the RAF, and the cutting edge technology his company is working with now.
Order of Topics:

His background
Flying Tornados
Culture of the debrief
Being assigned to the F-22
Post Air Force career
Building his own airplane
Augmented reality in aviation

"Loonshots:" Author of the #1 Book of the Year on 'The Invisible Axe'--Safi Bahcall Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

My guest today is Safi Bahcall who is the author of Loonshots, The most recommended book of the year. It came out in 2019 and has already been translated into 18 languages. It's recommended by Bill Gates, Daniel Kahneman, Daniel Pink, Malcolm Gladwell, and Tim Ferriss and was selected as the best business book of the year by Amazon, Bloomberg, Business Insider, Financial Times, Forbes, Inc., Medium, and the Washington Post.

Safi is a physicist, a biotech entrepreneur, and a former public-company CEO. In 2008, he was named E&Y New England Biotechnology Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2011, he worked with President Obama’s council of science advisors on the future of national research.

Safi regularly speaks with leadership teams about applying the ideas in Loonshots and has presented at leading institutions around the world.

In our conversation we talk about his thoughts on the coronavirus, separating artists from soldiers in organizations, the role of incentives, and then at the end, he interviews me for a few minutes. I highly recommend his book Loonshots--The subchapter "The Invisible Axe" has, in my opinion, the single greatest page and a half of non-fiction writing, where he talks about the incentive structure of middle managers and why they are predisposed to reject innovative ideas.
Topics we talk about:

Corona Virus--optimism
Why he got into physics
Artists and soldiers--love both
Balancing risk and opportunity
Loonshot tactics for small groups
Stake vs. status
Think through incentives
Loonshots--the book

315 Combat Missions, 24 Air Medals, 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, on what makes a Great Pilot--George Nolly Apr 14, 2020

Show notes

My guest today is George Nolly, who flew 315 combat missions over Vietnam in both the O-2 as a forward air controller and the F-4 as strike pilot; earning 24 Air Medals and 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses. He was the last pilot to complete 100 missions over North Vietnam. While in the Air Force, George received the Tactical Air Command Instructor Pilot of the Year Award.

After his service, George went into commercial aviation, flying for United Airlines as a Captain and Flight Instructor for 26 years. He is also the host of the Ready for Takeoff Podcast.

In our conversation we talk about his lead up to Vietnam, flying an F-4 into the most heavily defended airspace in the world, and what makes a good pilot.
Here are the show notes with associated time stamps.

Passion for flight (min. 04:00)
Pilot training (09:00)
Forward air control (15:20)
Vietnam as a FAC(20:00)
TKTKTK check around 21:00
Working the system (33:00)
F-4 Fighter training (38:30)
Vietnam in the F-4 (40:00)
Post-Vietnam (59:00)

Founder of Spartan and the Death Race, 3x Bestselling Author on Grit and High Performance--Joe De Sena Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

My guest today is Joe De Sena, the Founder and CEO of Spartan, the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand. They have more than 250 events across 40 countries with over 1 million annual global participants.

He is also the host of the Spartan Up podcast and is a New York Times Best Selling Author of three books: Spartan Up, Spartan Fit, and The Spartan Way.

During our conversation we talk about how to build grit, his principals for high performance, and how he started the Spartan race.

Spartan Race (minute 02:00)
We're zoo animals (08:20)
Dark places during a race (12:00)
Leadership (14:30)
Firework business growing up (18:30)
Branding (22:00)
Death Race (23:00)
We quit too soon (28:00)
Money doesn't buy happiness (33:45)
His routine (35:00)
Risk (39:30)
Project he's working on (40:30)

Sign up for my newsletter for a few useful and insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here.
LinkedIn-- Justin 'Hasard' Lee
Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot
This episode was edited by Trevor Cabler
You can review the show by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Thanks for the support 👊

Conversation with French Fighter Pilot, Author, and Speaker on Lessons Learned from Combat--"ATÉ" Chuet Mar 03, 2020

Show notes

My guest today is Pierre "ATÉ" Chuet a former French Fighter pilot who is now an author and speaker. He went through Pilot Training as an exchange officer with US Navy before flying for the French Navy. He's flown missions in Iraq and was the Rafale Airshow pilot. After a stroke took him out of the cockpit, he transitioned to speaking.

In our conversation, we talk about human performance in combat, mental toughness, and the 11G pull-up that caused his stroke. Below are the show notes with time stamps:

Youngest pilot in Europe (Minute 02:45)
Exchange with US Navy (10:00)
Carrier landing mistake (15:00)
Anti-ship mission (18:00)
Flying the Dassault Rafale (25:00)
Physical preparation (36:00)
Being at the tip of the spear (47:00)
Mental health (1:05:00)
Speaking (1:18:00)

This interview is available in video format on YouTube here.

Top Artist and World Economic Forum Cultural Leader on using Art to Boost Creativity in Other Fields--Drue Kataoka Feb 18, 2020

Show notes

My guest today is Drue Kataoka who has built the top art studio in Silicon Valley, and did it entirely outside the gallery system. Her studio serves top art collectors in 4 continents and over 30 countries. Her art was used for the first zero gravity art exhibit in space at the International Space Station. She was also selected as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader & Cultural Leader.

In our conversation we talk about how art can be a catalyst for creativity in other professions, how creativity is like a muscle that you have to train, and the future of art in virtual and augmented reality. Below are the show notes and associated time stamps:

How art fosters creativity (minute 03:20)
Art vs. science (08:45)
Art vs. technology (15:00)
Building a business around art (21:45)
The commission model (25:30)
Her art (28:30)
First art exhibit in space (32:00)
Virtual reality art (40:00)
Grit in art (47:30)
Influence of Japan (55:30)
Her principles (1:01:30)

Virgin Galactic CEO and Former NASA Chief of Staff on Space Travel in 2020--George Whitesides Feb 04, 2020

Show notes

My guest today is George Whitesides, who is the CEO and President of Virgin Galactic, the spaceflight company founded by Sir Richard Branson. With Scaled Composites, the company has developed the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo vehicles, based on the X Prize-winning SpaceShipOne. In his role, he is responsible for guiding all aspects of the company to commercial operation at Spaceport America.

Prior to Virgin Galactic, he served as Chief of Staff for NASA. Upon departure from the agency he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award the agency confers. He is also a fellow of the UK’s Royal Aeronautical Society.

In our conversation we talk about the strengths and weaknesses of NASA, how space exploration is like aviation 100 years ago, and what the future of Virgin Galactic looks like. Below are the show notes and associated time stamps:

Background (minute 02:40)
Strengths and weaknesses of NASA (06:45)
Working with Richard Branson (10:45)
Leadership (15:00)
How they're getting to space (19:00)
Training (24:00)
How space will change our culture (25:00)
Lots of technical questions... (27:00)
Next 5-10 years for VG (37:15)
Aviation 100 years ago (39:15)
SpaceX and Blue Origin (43:30)

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I've also started a monthly newsletter where I send out a few useful or insightful things that have helped me over the last month. You can sign up by clicking here.
LinkedIn-- @justinfighterpilot
Instagram-- @justinfighterpilot
Facebook--@justinfighterpilot
This episode was edited by Trevor Cabler
If you'd like to help out, you can review the show by tapping here and scrolling to the bottom where it says: "Write a Review." Thanks for the support 👊

Smokejumper and Bestselling Author on Parachuting into and Killing Forest Fires--Jason Ramos Jan 21, 2020

Show notes

My guest today is Jason Ramos, a firefighter currently in his 30th season. He spent over half that time as an air-delivered firefighter. Known as Smokejumpers, these professionals are highly trained and specialized firefighters who can parachute or rappel into a forest fire. They work independently in some of the most difficult terrain imaginable. Jason has over 270 jumps into fires and has also written the leading book on the profession titled "Smokejumper."

In our conversation we talk about what it's like to be in one of these infernos, the traits required of a smokejumper, and dive into some of the tactics and equipment used to put out forest fires. Below are the show notes with the associated time stamps:

Being in a forest fire (minute 03:00)
History of smoke jumping (09:00)
Selection process (12:30)
First fire he jumped into (23:30)
How to kill a fire (28:00)
Mission planning (34:30)
Gear (44:30)
Biggest lessons to pass on (49:00)
Projects working on now (54:00)

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