From The Green Notebook

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Olivia Fox Cabane, author of the international bestseller The Charisma Myth, joins Joe to explore the science and practice of charisma—what it really is, why the biggest myths about it persist, and how anyone can deliberately develop it.
This episode dismantles the idea that charisma is an innate, magical quality reserved for a lucky few. Olivia shows that charisma is a set of learned behaviors built on three core elements—presence, power, and warmth—that can be dialed up or down depending on personality, situation, and goals. She explains how these elements work together (much like sugar, fat, and salt) to create the powerful effect we label “charisma,” and why first impressions form in under two seconds largely through body language rather than status symbols or titles.
Olivia also unpacks the internal work required: managing the inner critic, dismantling imposter syndrome, using visualization and gratitude to shift mindset, and practicing self-compassion so confidence (and therefore power) can show up externally. She shares practical tools for presence (from a two-second toe focus to short meditation), warmth, and power, while warning about the real downsides of leaving the “charisma switch” on too long—people oversharing, leaders persuading others of flawed ideas, and the emotional cost of constant high output.
Joe and Olivia also discuss:
Why presence, power, and warmth must all reach a minimum threshold, yet different “flavors” of charisma (authority, kindness, visionary, etc.) emerge from which element is strongest 
How body language consistently outweighs titles, cars, or clothing in conveying power 
Why distraction (especially phones) instantly kills charisma and how even a 17-millisecond delay in facial response registers as inauthentic 
The role of self-criticism as the biggest inhibitor of power—and why self-compassion and instant self-forgiveness are essential tools 
Practical ways to combat imposter syndrome: destigmatize it, detach from the feeling, and reframe it as useful fuel 
Visualization techniques (and gratitude practices) for generating genuine warmth before walking into a room 
How to accept compliments so the other person feels good for giving them 
Emotional contagion in leadership and why a leader’s calm under stress can steady an entire team 
The surprising science of voice, online charisma (bandwidth, camera angle, gesturing even when unseen), and why lower pitch is not inherently more charismatic 
The darker sides of high charisma: over-persuasion of bad ideas, people getting “hooked,” and the need to sometimes dial it down 
Why self-regulation is the single most important underlying skill
This episode is for anyone who wants to become more influential, present, and effective—whether in leadership, sales, interviews, or everyday interactions—without relying on status or personality luck. It is also for those who already feel charismatic and want to use the skill more deliberately and responsibly, for founders and managers seeking healthier team dynamics, and for anyone ready to treat charisma as a trainable set of behaviors rather than a fixed trait.
A 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!
Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind.

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On the fifth anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, General (Ret.) Scott Miller, the final commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, joins Joe for a candid conversation about the war, its ending, and what we owe the people who served there.
General Miller reflects on watching Afghanistan collapse after he left the country, the anger he carried afterward, and why he ultimately decided not to let that anger define the rest of his life. He also addresses the questions many veterans still wrestle with: Was it worth it? What should we be proud of? And what lessons must we carry forward?
Joe and General Miller also discuss:
The habits General Miller believes veterans should carry with them into civilian life
How watching the fall of Afghanistan affected him personally
What Task Force Ranger taught General Miller about loss, brotherhood, trust, and learning from combat
The responsibility veterans have to remember the fallen and stay connected with their families
Why learning lessons may be more valuable than simply assigning blame
How repeated rotations and a lack of continuity hurt America’s understanding of Afghanistan
General Miller’s perspective on the closure of Bagram and the risks involved in keeping it open
Why senior-leader accountability is essential to maintaining trust in institutions
The difference between winning tactical battles and achieving strategic objectives
Why any serious assessment of a war has to begin with the objectives leaders were actually given
What General Miller believes a successful transition looks like five years after leaving the Army
This episode is for veterans still making sense of Afghanistan, the leaders responsible for learning from it, and anyone who has struggled to reconcile honorable service with a painful outcome. Five years later, the question is not only what happened in Afghanistan, but what we choose to learn from it—and what those who served there choose to carry forward.
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George Barrios, former co-president of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), co-founder and co-CEO of Isos Capital Management, and author of Sometimes Wrong, But Never in Doubt, joins Joe to explore leadership, preparation, reinvention, and what it takes to transform an organization.
This episode examines George’s unconventional path from nearly failing out of high school to becoming one of the key executives behind WWE’s evolution into a global media and entertainment company. George reflects on the influence of his Cuban immigrant parents, the people who redirected his life, and the lessons he carried from each stage of his career.
George also explains why conviction should come from preparation rather than bravado. He shares how deep research, systems thinking, and a willingness to understand every part of a business helped him and Michelle Wilson recognize opportunities others could not yet see.
Joe and George also discuss:
Why life should be viewed as a movie rather than a single photograph
How George’s parents shaped his approach to work, learning, and adversity
Why leaders must understand the box before they can think outside of it
Why a short presentation may require hundreds of pages of preparation
The difference between confidence and unsupported certainty
Why people often want the position but not the work required to earn it
The emotional journey of building something meaningful
Why reading widely helps leaders connect ideas across industries
Why experts can explain how a system works but may struggle to imagine how it could change
What George learned from working alongside Vince McMahon and Michelle Wilson
How George thinks about failure, reputation, reinvention, and rewriting the ending
This episode is for leaders, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers who want to think more deeply, prepare more thoroughly, and pursue difficult work with conviction. It is also for anyone whose life has not followed a straight path and needs the reminder that one bad photograph does not define the entire movie.
Watch the full interview on YouTube
A 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!
Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind.

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Michael Kloepper, former commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and current Brigade Tactical Officer at the United States Military Academy, joins Joe to explore leadership, readiness, and the responsibility to pass hard-earned lessons to the next generation.
This episode examines what it means for a generation of leaders shaped by more than two decades of war to “empty the rucksack” before leaving the Army. Michael reflects on the urgency he and many of his peers feel to pass on what they learned through success, failure, command, and combat so future generations do not have to repeat the same mistakes.
Colonel Kloepper also shares how his experiences in battalion and brigade command shaped his views on mental, physical, and spiritual readiness. Rather than simply pointing soldiers toward more resources, he believes leaders and chains of command have a responsibility to create healthier organizations. He explains how programs built around outdoor challenges, shared hardship, reflection, and time with teammates helped reduce high-risk behavior while strengthening trust and readiness.
Joe and Michael also discuss:
Why learning organizations must do more than collect information
Why leaders should invest in people before problems occur instead of only responding afterward
How shared challenges and time outdoors can strengthen teams and reduce destructive behavior
Why people fight for what they believe in
Why accessibility matters, especially when information is not moving through the chain of command
The difference between highlighting problems and becoming a reactionary leader
Why presence remains one of the most important qualities of leadership
What lieutenants and captains should understand about character, toughness, command authority, and example
What Mike has learned from leading and developing cadets at West Point
This episode is for leaders who want to build stronger organizations, invest more deeply in their people, and pass hard-earned lessons forward. It is also for veterans reflecting on what their service meant, commanders trying to create healthier teams, and anyone who believes leadership begins with presence, trust, and the willingness to stand alongside people when things are hard.
Watch the interview on YouTube
A special thanks to this week's sponsors!
Dunedain Systems is a veteran-founded defense technology company building Warmind, an AI platform that accelerates military planning, operations, and document generation. Warmind connects to your unit’s data and learns how your warfighting function operates, delivering outputs tailored to your SOPs and operational context rather than generic AI responses. Whether your team is building OPORDs, running intel workflows, or generating CONOPs, Warmind handles the heavy lift so your staff can focus on decisions, not paperwork. Built by combat veterans who lived the problem firsthand, Warmind is already in use across SOCOM and the broader DoD. The beta is free for anyone with a .mil or .edu email at dunedainsystems.com.
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!
Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind.

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Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of Gates of Fire, the War of Art, A Man at Arms, and The Arcadian, joins Joe to explore writing, resistance, and the soldier’s long search for peace.
This episode examines the story behind The Arcadian, Pressfield’s latest novel featuring Telamon, a warrior cursed to live lifetime after lifetime as a soldier. Steve shares how the seed for the book began with a quote from Empedocles that he carried with him for more than forty years before finally discovering the story it was meant to become.
Steve and Joe discuss why the idea of a cursed soldier resonates so deeply, especially with those who have served. Telamon’s journey is not just a story about war, exile, or violence. It is about the burden many people carry, the search for redemption, and the hope that we can become something more than the roles we have played for so long.
Steve also reflects on losing his home in the Palisades fire while working on the book and how writing became a refuge during that difficult season. What could have become another form of resistance instead became proof of the very ideas he has spent decades teaching: that the work can save us, steady us, and call us back to ourselves.
Joe and Steve also discuss:
The connection between soldiers, exile, redemption, and the search for peace
Why “life is warfare and a journey far from home”
Why animals and children often carry the divine in stories
Why great stories often begin with the question “What if?”
What it means to start over, kill the ego, and become an apprentice again
Why Steve believes nearly every great story is, in some way, a redemption story
This episode is for anyone who has carried a burden longer than they expected, walked away from a life that once defined them, or wondered whether peace is possible after years of fighting. It is also for writers, leaders, veterans, and readers who believe that stories can help us make sense of exile, suffering, hope, and the long road home.
Watch the full interview on YouTube
A special thanks to this week's sponsors!
Dunedain Systems is a veteran-founded defense technology company building Warmind, an AI platform that accelerates military planning, operations, and document generation. Warmind connects to your unit’s data and learns how your warfighting function operates, delivering outputs tailored to your SOPs and operational context rather than generic AI responses. Whether your team is building OPORDs, running intel workflows, or generating CONOPs, Warmind handles the heavy lift so your staff can focus on decisions, not paperwork. Built by combat veterans who lived the problem firsthand, Warmind is already in use across SOCOM and the broader DoD. The beta is free for anyone with a .mil or .edu email at dunedainsystems.com.
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!
Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it’s banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind.