I am a complete financial idiot. Seriously. 

Throughout my life, it's always seemed like I never had enough. 

Well, in 2019, the year that I turn 40, I've decided to change all that. 

So I've committed myself to learning everything I can about personal finance. 

In this episode, I take you through what I've learned and how I'm prepping myself for retirement. 

I also give out some advice to the young military service members who listen to the show about how they can be financially set once they reach my age. 

Note: As I state above, I am an idiot. So nothing I say in this episode should be considered financial advice. If you really want to learn about money you should read:

1) Tony Robbins, Money Master the Game

2) Andrew Hallam, The Millionaire Teacher

3) Benjamin Graham, The Intelligent Investor

When life isn't going well, it's easy to place the blame on luck or on the world around you. The problem with this is that it traps you in a world where nothing is possible. 

In this episode, we discuss the importance of gratitude and understanding the opportunities you have in front of you to finding true success. 

Steven Kuhn is an entrepreneur, business consultant, speaker, and US Army Combat Veteran. 

In this episode, Chris interviews Steven Kuhn, a man he's looked up to ever since hearing him speak at Clever Talks 2019. Steven has made a name for himself by turning failing businesses into successes across the US and Europe. 

He's also advised some of the most influential people in the world, but despite his success, Steven always maintains a high degree of humility. 

Steven approaches his business and life through the principles of honesty, integrity, and transparency and he's not afraid to talk about his past mistakes. 

In this episode we talk about Steven's ups and downs, his battles with PTSD, his use of plant medicines, and the principles he applies when he's working with entrepreneurs. 

To learn more about Steven: https://steven-kuhn.com/

To work with Steven as an entrepreneur: https://stevenclass.com/

For Steven's Goal Setting Course: https://steven-kuhn.mykajabi.com/the-last-goal-setting-course

In this episode I discuss what I would do if I lost it all again. This is a near and dear subject to me because 7 years ago, I actually lost everything and found myself living out of my car. My hope is that where ever you are in your life, you'll take something from this episode that will help you to get out of a tough situation. 

Achieving goals isn't the product of constantly swinging for the fences. Rather, it's constant and steady progress that gets us to where we want to be. 

Yannis Pantelis is a productivity expert and motivational speaker based in Manchester, UK.  In addition to running his speaking gigs, Yannis is also a PhD candidate in Engineering at the University of Manchester, a consultant in one of the biggest Self-Help American Companies and an entrepreneur with a healthy work-life balance. 

Our Guest:

Ryan Michler is the founder and creator of the Order of Man Podcast. He is leading a movement to create better men who are stepping more fully into their roles as men. 

About this Episode

Like many boys in our society, I never had a dad while I was growing up. Though my mother did absolutely everything she could for my sister and myself, not having a male mentor in my life definitely had an impact. 

There was a lot that I had to figure out for myself, and it really wasn't until I joined the Marine Corps that I learned the value of responsibility and leadership. 

In our society, the value of masculinity is increasingly being called into question. Boys are growing into manhood without ever really having to face actual challenges, and society is paying the price for it. 

Ryan Michler has led the fight to uphold the values of masculinity, and he's continued that fight with his Legacy event. This is a three day challenge where fathers and sons learn new skills, forge deeper bonds, and create the framework to grow and find success as men. 

To learn more about Ryan and the Order of Man Podcast: http://www.orderofman.com. 

We often hear about things like survivors' guilt and imposter syndrome in the veteran community, but rarely do we explore why we experience them or where they come from. 

To tackle this issue, I've brought on Andrew Merrell, LMFT. Andrew is a therapist who works with men in the public eye who are struggling with their identities under the pressures of prestige and fame. 

Andrew's perspective on this is valuable because he deals with men every day who do not feel like they deserve what they have. For veterans transitioning into the civilian world after experiencing the death of friends, this is a familiar feeling. 

Many veterans enter their civilian lives with the feeling that they do not belong. For some, this can be a feeling of guilt due to the fact that they lost friends in combat. For others, it can feel as if they are impersonating someone else by trying to fit into a new identity. 

As Andrew mentions, these are two separate phenomena, but both have an impact. 

To Learn more about Andrew: http://aimpsychotherapy.com/andrewmerrell

Mike Kollin is an elite dating and relationship coach that specializes in communication between men and women. He is also the author of Crack the Female Code and Get the Girl, Keep the Girl. 

According to Mike, men and women often have trouble communicating because their brains are wired differently. While men are mostly left-brain thinkers, women think more with their right-brains. This can lead to errors in communication and complete breakdowns in relationships. 

Mike's ideas are eye-opening, particularly for us men who can't quite figure out how women are thinking. 

To follow Mike:

Toxic masculinity is a term that's been thrown around a lot over the past few years, generally in very liberal circles. 

For some reason, there is an idea out there that exhibiting male attributes is a bad thing. Mike and I decided to tackle this issue and have a discussion about whether or not this term is a myth. 

Featuring Mike Ergo from the Transitions from War Podcast. 

When you're young, a little money seems like it could go a long way. But if you're not careful, you can find yourself painted into a financial corner by the time you get out of the military. 

In the age of the social media influencer, so many people are focused on becoming famous. In their quests for fame, many of them aren't telling the truth about their lives. 

This episode covers the cost of lying and why you should tell the truth at all times. 

Captain Stephanie Lincoln is the Founder of Fire Team Whiskey, a fitness platform for active duty military members, Veterans, and first responders. 

Captain Lincoln began this journey after dealing with her own weight issues. Despite the fact that she was training intensely, her weight ballooned up and she didn't understand why. The culprit was the large amount of sugar she was consuming on a regular basis.

Eventually, she noticed that she wasn't the only one. The Soldiers she was working with were experiencing health problems and signs of morbidity even though most of them were only in their 20s. Statistics show the larger trend: 60% of our military is overweight and one in four Veterans admitted to the VA system has diabetes. 

Captain Lincoln's solution was to create Fire Team Whiskey to educate the troops on good nutrition and training practices. She's also developed a specialized line of supplements for military members. 

SPECIAL FOR WARRIOR SOUL LISTENERS: text "veteranfitness" to 555888 and you can get 40% off of membership to Fire Team Whiskey. 

Learn more about Captain Lincoln at http://www.fireteamwhiskey.com. 

Follow Fire Team Whiskey at:

There's not one amongst us here on this Earth that wants to have regrets. Yet somehow, we all find ourselves in position to become regretful at some point. 

No matter how hard we try, there's always something we could do better or try harder at. And when this happens, we damn ourselves to lives of wondering what might have been if we just gave a little bit more. 

This podcast episode contains advice for those of you, both young and old, who may be dealing with regrets and haunting thoughts. 

This week, Mike Ergo and Chris Albert discuss one of the most important books of our time: 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson. 

Human beings are fascinated by pushing themselves to the extreme. Whether it be lifting superhuman amounts of weight, or running as fast as possible, feats of physical prowess inspire us to be greater than ourselves. 

A growing segment in extreme sports is ultra-marathon- races where runners run 50 miles or more. Normally, when we hear about these races, we think of light and sleek runners. 

Ben Davis defies the norm. At 6'2 and 230 pounds, Ben is far bigger than his compatriots. This adds to the physical challenge, but it used to be much harder for Ben. 

After leaving the US Army, Ben settled into a sedentary job. There his weight rose to over 400 lbs. He was held back from training properly due to physical injury and lack of motivation due to depression and PTS. 

Ben used to ketogenic diet to overcome both. On his quest, he dropped 120 lbs and committed to running an ultra-marathon a month. 

Ben is using his story to motivate other veterans to achieve their own extreme physical feats, and he's created Arsenal of Hope as a free coaching platform to enable them to do so.  

We often look at writing, speaking, and selling as skills we'd want to contribute to our success. But one of the most effective skills for success is actually listening. 

Those of us who have served in the military tend to burn the candle at both ends. Sleep, rest, and recovery are often after thoughts to an intense schedule of exercise, work, and stress. 

While we all want to excel at our jobs, look like Greek gods, and generally be able to kick ass, missing out on rest and recovery can stop your growth where it is. 

This episode takes you through some basics of what you need to know to get awesome sleep and recover like an all star. 

Joshua Prado is a US Navy Veteran and Founder of the Vetd Talent Network. Joshua is a professional talent agent, consultant, and recruiter who consistently guides others onto the path to success. 

Joshua has developed his business by going above and beyond for his clients. He's constantly going the extra mile to make sure they're satisfied and advancing in their careers. 

We brought Joshua onto the show to discuss his work and how he uses his networking skills to help his clients. You'll learn why networking is important, how you can begin building your network, and how you can take advantage of the benefits afforded you as a veteran. 

People are constantly told to find their purpose. In particular, veterans who are getting out of the military are told that they have to "find their next missions."

While having a purpose is important, being told to "find your purpose" really puts things on hold. If you want to find a purpose, start by looking at where you're at now, and figure out a way to find your purpose there. 

This week Mike Ergo and Chris Albert speak about tools and practices for overcoming and beating depression. 

Both Mike and Chris have had their struggles with depression in the past. In this episode they cover the strategies they've used to ease it's presence. 

These include physical exercise, meditation, and other tools and tactics for overcoming the dark thoughts. 

The Warrior Soul Podcast is sponsored by FBomb Nutrition. Get 20% off of your FBombs today at www.dropanfbomb.com

Use the code WARRIORSOUL to get 20% off of your first order. 

Work is part of life. In order to live the lives we want to live, we need money. That means that sometimes we need to take jobs we never wanted. 

You might not have ever seen yourself as a restaurant worker, as stock boy, or a day laborer, and it's easy to get down on yourself. 

But you need to understand one thing: there is no such thing as a bad job. A job is simply a starting point or a launching pad to something bigger. 

Put your effort into doing the best job you can and people will notice. Trap yourself into thinking that you're better than the work and people will notice that as well. 

Joey Martinez is an FMF Corpsman Veteran and host of the Devil Doc Talk Show. 

Joey's been through a lot of struggles with post traumatic stress and with pain. He's been a good friend of our show since we started. In spite of his own struggles, Joey has always tried to help others and he uses his skills as a broadcaster to reach those most in need of a kind and helping voice. 

We brought Joey onto the show to talk about some of those struggles, and to discuss some of the issues surrounding pain, PTS, and life. We also discussed his show and the new direction he's taking it in 2019. 

The Warrior Soul Podcast is teaming up with Mike Ergo from Transitions from War to bring you a new weekly segment. In this episode, we'll be discussing Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. 

If you don't remember who Mike is, make sure that you go back and check out the episode we did with him. Mike is a Marine Corps Veteran and former drug addict, who went on to become an Ironman Triathlete. 

Both of us had recently listened to David Goggins' book and it had a huge impact on us. We discuss it's impact on our individual outlooks on life, and we get into how we've applied it since listening to it. 

We also discuss a bit about our own fitness regimens and how they play into our own lives. 

For many people around the country, the winter is like a purgatory period for pursuing fitness goals. The cold weather and less access to sunlight make training a lot harder for many people. 

Because of this, many people put on weight during the winter months. This leads to a lack of energy and increased risk of depression. 

But what if you could avoid the winter slump altogether? This episode discusses three things that you can do to ensure that your winter months remain productive while keeping your mind clear in the cold weather.