The Decision Hour

On this episode of The Decision Hour, host Adam Bird sits down with Chris McFee, a retired Green Beret, photographer, and co-author of Follow Me: Leadership Lessons from the Shadows That Shape Extraordinary Leaders. Chris traces his story back to Miami, where his mother taught him the resilience that would carry him through his athletic career and into some of the most demanding special operations missi...

Brendon Smith made a decision. He could keep drowning in survivor's guilt and addiction, or he could turn around and start pulling other people out of the same hole. He chose the second option. That choice led him to get clean, pick up a pen, and write the kind of veteran stories Hollywood refuses to tell.

Brendon served as a Marine Corp...

Sue Kerver served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia, then joined the Coast Guard. She knows what it is like to take off the uniform and feel completely alone.

For a long time, she tried to do it all herself. Then she hit a wall. She had to choose between staying on a path that was not going anywhere good, or waving the white flag and asking for help. She chose the latter. She t...

On this episode of The Decision Hour, I sat down with Joe Rubin, CMO and co-founder of Mowpod, to talk about what it actually takes to grow a podcast audience today. Joe shares his journey from venture capital to building Mowpod, a marketing agency that charges on performance and turns down clients who are not ready to advertise. We break down why organic podcast growth is so tough, h...

Sean Dillard is an Army veteran and founder of the Southern Illinois Veteran Foundation. He knows what it feels like to come home and lose your sense of purpose. He also knows what it took to find it again. We talked about his mental health struggles after the military, how community pulled him back, and why he and his son Aiden are rowing 6,000 miles through America's waterways to ra...

Kalen Cotto is an Army Veteran, a Mother, and the founder of KMC Digital. She just wrote a book called The Revenue Runway and she did not wait until she had it all figured out. She wrote it while she was still building her client base, still raising her kid, and still figuring out digital marketing in real time.

We got into thr...

In one of the most important conversations The Decision Hour has had, host Mr. Adam Bird sits down with Matt Cahill, Army veteran, combat medic, and founder of Green Star Families of America — to confront an issue that doesn't get nearly enough attention: the families left behind after a veteran dies by suicide.

Matt's pa...

What does Bitcoin have to do with human relationships? More than you'd think — and Hannah Praley is here to prove it.

In this episode of The Decision Hour, host Mr. Adam Bird sits down with longtime friend Hannah Praley — songwriter turned author — to explore her new book, Rigs Are from Mars, Nodes Are from Venus. ...

What does a Navy CH-46 helicopter mechanic, a mortgage underwriter, and a successful UGC content creator have in common? In this case, it's all the same person.

In this episode of The Decision Hour, host Mr. Adam Bird sits down with Trish Leto, a Navy veteran turned digital entrepreneur who has built a thriving career in user-generated content creation and ...

In this episode of The Decision Hour, host Adam Bird sits down with Rick Sherak, Air Force veteran and CEO of Exokinetics, to discuss the game changing mobility device, the Zeen. With over 30 years in the medical diagnostics industry, Rick shares his unique journey from military service to leading a company at the forefront of mobility innovation. Listeners get an inside look at the Z...

In this episode of The Decision Hour, host Mr. Adam Bird dives into the entrepreneurial journey and business wisdom of Barry Bradham, a business systems architect and founder of DigiLink. Barry shares his story of growing up between Washington and Alaska, transitioning from rodeo and agriculture to business, and discovering his passion for automation and CRM systems. Together, they di...

On this episode of The Decision Hour, host Mr. Adam Bird sits down with Anna Redmond for an inspiring conversation that goes from entrepreneurship to the evolving world of challenge coins. A Harvard alum and founder of BRAAV, Anna shares her journey from venture capital and thought leadership into transforming the physical security industry with a mission cent...

In this episode of The Decision Hour, host Mr. Adam Bird sits down with Brett Cotter, award-winning author and founder of the Stress Is Gone Wellness Platform, to discuss practical methods for managing stress, anxiety, and deep-rooted trauma. Brett shares his personal story of growing up in Queens, his journey through generational trauma, and his transformative experience with meditat...

In this episode of The Decision Hour, host Mr. Adam Bird sits down with operations strategist Lindsey Korell, founder of Daily Principal, to discuss the critical importance of building businesses that thrive without relying solely on their founders. Drawing from her global experiences and a personal wake-up call after a heart attack, Lindsey Korell reveals why entrepreneurs often beco...

In this episode of The Decision Hour, host Mr. Adam Bird sits down with Dr. Jacob Guidi, Account Director at Thrive Benefits Group and Doctor of Musical Arts, for a heartfelt conversation on career pivots, the value of discipline, and making meaningful choices for family and work. Dr. Jacob Guidi shares insights from his transition from music performance and teaching to employee benef...

In this powerful and candid conversation, your host Mr. Adam Bird sits down with U.S. Army veteran, entrepreneur, and leadership strategist Riley Gruppo. From her roots as an Army brat to breaking barriers as the first woman in her infantry unit, Riley shares her journey with raw honesty—revealing the challenges and triumphs she experienced on and off the battlefield.

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