Episode 406 - Brandon Young - Army Ranger, Afghanistan, Divinity, Author, Entrepreneur, Leader

Brandon Young is a former US Army Ranger with four combat rotations to Afghanistan. He has spent more than 25 years building and leading teams in the military, corporate healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. Brandon has built partnerships with some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Nike, Walmart, Starbucks, Microsoft, and Amazon. He is the recipient of the Quest Diagnostics Regional Excellence Award for Commercial Leadership for his work in cancer diagnostics.

He’s been published in various magazines and peer-reviewed academic journals; assessed, mentored, and trained more than 1,000 Ranger leaders while serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment; and placed third in the 2006 Best Ranger Competition. Brandon lives in Littleton, Colorado, with his wife, Kelly. They have two adult children: Jaden is a Soldier in the US Army and Elliot is a student at the University of Colorado. Brandon holds a master of Divinity in leadership from Denver Seminary, and his passions are faith, family, community, and adventures.

Brandon Young cofounded Applied Leadership Partners in 2020 (with Blayne Smith) to share hard-earned leadership wisdom with leaders guiding teams through growth, change, or adversity. Applied Leadership Partners is a boutique consulting firm that supports leaders in creating tightly knit, high-performing teams through leadership development training, keynotes, and executive advising.

Perseverance Is Greater Than Endurance

Applied Leadership Partners

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[00:00:00] - Opening and book

[00:01:51] - Ad: Black Rifle Coffee

[00:03:54] - Generations, time horizon, and perseverance

[00:13:23] - Is mental toughness innate or learned?

[00:21:01] - Technology, orientation, and seeking discomfort

[00:26:00] - Selection/training and “flutter kicks”

[00:28:35] - The father and “stolen valor”

[00:57:01] - Peace vs. war; reality check

[01:01:00] - 9/11, marriage, deployments and “Winter Strike”

[01:16:29] - Tilman case and combat memories

[01:23:55] - Civil transition, VA and Team RWB

[01:38:56] - Applied Leadership Partners and frameworks

[01:51:01] - Trust, nuance and practical perseverance

[02:03:40] - The “ridgeline” of adversity

[02:11:50] - Closing: the book, quitting and plans