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PODCAST

Mike Drop

Mike Drop, hosted by former Navy SEAL and bestselling author Mike Ritland, is a no-holds-barred platform that dives deep into the stories and experiences of extraordinary individuals. Known for his candid and unfiltered approach, Mike interviews guests ranging from special operations veterans and elite athletes to renowned authors and thought leaders, offering listeners a exclusive glimpse into the human side of those who have excelled in their fields. Whether it"s discussing the intense challenges

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All Episodes

243:48

Navy SEAL Blackwater Team McAfee CEO Jimmy Watson |...

Mike Drop ·

2024/04/14

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedropJimmy Watson has got one hell of a story to tell. He served 17 years on active duty, first with two deployments as a U.S. Marine before getting into private contracting at Blackwater, where he'd eventually rise to the rank of Team Leader and find himself squarely in the sights of the F.B.I. following the events of the Nisour Square Massacre. From there he'd join SEAL Teams

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165:59

Air Force Pararescueman Brandon Daugherty Part Two |...

Mike Drop ·

2024/04/07

Air Force Pararescuemen, also known as PJ's, are the only elite combat force in the Department of Defense that are trained and equipped to perform personnel recovery. PJs are highly trained special operators who rescue, recover, and return American or allied forces in times of danger or extreme duress. It's a dangerous position from any angle - air, land, or sea, PJ's are there when others are not. Just take it from Brandon Daugherty. With seven back-to-back deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan,

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90:07

Astronaut Rescue Air Force PJ Brandon Daugherty Part...

Mike Drop ·

2024/03/31

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedropBrandon Daugherty rescues Astronauts. It's a complicated notion for a such a simple statement - where do Astronauts need to be rescued from, exactly? How many Astronauts are you rescuing in a given month, or even a year? And how does a guy like Brandon go from diving out of helicopters to snatching cosmic explorers right out of the ocean? Turns out, it all starts in the Air

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92:58

Former Secret Service Agent Evy Poumpouras Part Two |...

Mike Drop ·

2024/03/24

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedropYou might not know it, but the United States Secret Service does a lot more than simply protecting the President. They're acting security for any Heads of State, including those foreign and domestic, alongside their families and any close confidants that require around-the-clock service. They also investigate crimes against the financial infrastructure of the United States,

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96:47

Former Secret Service Agent Evy Poumpouras Part One |...

Mike Drop ·

2024/03/17

The United States Secret Service is one of our nation's most important federal agencies. Serving under the Department of Homeland Security, Secret Service Agents are charged with conducting criminal investigations, protecting U.S. political leaders and their families, and ensuring the safety of visiting heads of state, no matter the cost. Just take it from Evy Poumpouras - she's a former NYPD Officer turned Secret Service Agent with over a dozen years of experience, having served under the

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134:52

SEAL Team Eight Sniper Sam Mackey | Mike Ritland...

Mike Drop ·

2024/03/10

Sam Mackey retired from the U.S. Navy with over 20 years of service in SEAL Teams, having served first as a Sniper at SEAL Team Eight before pivoting to SEAL Team Four. During his tenure he deployed to the likes of Iraq, Afghanistan, Uganda, Cameroon, and more. He's also nearly a record-holder, having taken a shot at the title (literally) with a particularly long-distance engagement during his time in Afghanistan. Today, he's the CEO and Co-Owner of Outsider, a high-quality outdoor lifestyle brand

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84:19

Arizona Border Sheriff Matthew Thomas Part Two | Mike...

Mike Drop ·

2024/03/03

The crisis at the southern border is a hotly-contested topic among Americans, but few have seen the realities of the situation quite like Arizona Chief Deputy Sheriff Matthew Thomas. During his 31 years on the force, he's served in a variety of roles, from SWAT to Detention to Narcotics, and he's seen firsthand just how awful human beings can be to one another when there's something to be gained. In fact, that's why he sat down with Mike in studio in the first place - to talk about the very real

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85:37

Arizona Border Sheriff Matthew Thomas | Mike Ritland...

Mike Drop ·

2024/02/25

Matthew Thomas is an active-duty Chief Deputy Sheriff in Pinal County, Arizona - one of the fastest growing counties in the country, in no small part due to it's proximity to the southern border. During his over 31 years of duty, Matthew's served in Detention, Patrol, Traffic, Training, Academy, Narcotics, Anti-Smuggling, Motors and SWAT. Not only is Matthew a tried and true on-the-ground resource for the current crisis at the border - he's also a bellwether for how judicial precedence has worked in

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152:05

SEAL Team Seven Defense Strategies Group Mike O'Dowd...

Mike Drop ·

2024/02/18

Anyone can be Special Operations - or at least, that's what Mike O'Dowd thinks. To him, Special Operations is a mindset - one about never accepting failure and refusing to settle for mediocrity. He's a 9 year Navy SEAL Vet with SEAL Team Seven, having deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He's served as a Breacher, Fighter, Waterman, Weapons Instructor, and he's even qualified as an NCAA Division 1 Athlete in rowing. He even founded Defense Strategies Training Group, a collective of Special Operations

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95:30

SEAL Team Seven Canine Handler Chris Cappa Part Two |...

Mike Drop ·

2024/02/11

Training an animal to move, obey, and communicate effectively is no easy feat - especially when you're serving at the Tip of the Spear. That's where SEAL Team Seven Canine Handler Chris Cappa met Mickey anyway - a scrappy pup that would go on to become an absolute beast on deployment, snagging bites and catching bombs for nearly every op he went on. Of course, that's only part of the story, and finding out the full weight of the military's might in the wake of the coronavirus scare, traveling to

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103:47

SEAL Team Seven Canine Handler Chris Cappa Part One |...

Mike Drop ·

2024/02/04

Every warrior has a different reason for going over the wire. For Chris Cappa, it was almost destiny; a chance encounter at a local gym turned into a series of relationships that were suddenly severed in a 2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown - otherwise known as Extortion 17. Soon after, Chris found himself headed to bootcamp, and before long, deploying at the Tip of the Spear with SEAL Team Seven in West Africa and Afghanistan.It wouldn't be long before Chris would find his real passion -

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87:48

Marjah Marine Infantry Squad Leader Ryan Rogers Part Two

Mike Drop ·

2024/01/28

There's more to being a Marine Squad Infantry Leader than simply telling other Marines what to do. You're not only responsible for your squad's successes, but you also feel the weight of the most devastating of failures. But The Battle of Marjah isn't where Lions of Marjah author Ryan Rogers' story ends - a resurgence of vengeance, a Five-Day War, and getting out alive is all an integral part of the tale. Remember - it's not about the choices, it's about the chances. ---------- Get Your Copy of

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98:36

Marjah Marine Infantry Squad Leader Ryan Rogers Part...

Mike Drop ·

2024/01/21

The Battle of Marjah. A knock-down, drag-out, world class brawl. Featuring over 15,000 soldiers from all over the world, it was the largest joint operation in Afghanistan up to that point. And Ryan Rogers knows it better than most - he was a Marine Infantry Squad Leader for the whole damn thing. He was on the ground for the first day, and the next, and the day after, making the sort of decisions most wouldn't dare face. He's also the host of the Choices Not Chances podcast, and he's the author of

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117:52

Ret. CIA Security Officer Ryan Fugit Part Two | Mike...

Mike Drop ·

2024/01/14

After 7 years of flying as an Apache Helicopter Pilot for the Army, Ryan Fugit knew it was time to settle down. So naturally, he moved back to the States, settled in with his family, and immediately joined the CIA as a Collection Management Officer. But working at The Agency isn't all office work - Ryan spent time in Europe and North Africa, rubbing elbows with some of the most unique individuals in spy craft. He even took his kids on a couple of operations, though they'd never know it at the time

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76:17

Army Apache Helicopter Pilot Ryan Fugit Part One |...

Mike Drop ·

2024/01/07

Ryan Fugit is pretty good at seeing the bigger picture. Nowadays, he's a podcast host - hosting 'Combat Stories,' a weekly interview series dedicated to sharing war stories from some truly incredible veteran warriors - but before podcasting, he was a veteran himself, having served over seven years as an Army AH-64 Apache Helicopter pilot in Afghanistan in the post-9/11 era. After that, he spent eight years at the CIA (or 'The Agency', as it's known internally), supporting warfighters indirectly from

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119:22

Top Gun Fighter Pilot Instructor Jack Stewart Part...

Mike Drop ·

2023/12/31

Wait a minute, TOPGUN only trains students to become instructors? Turns out, there's quite a few details the Tom Cruise movies missed when it comes to the most elite flying academy in the world - but when it comes to real world dogfighting, it's not all about academics. It's truly a mental game, where you mean to outwit the opposite pilot before they can get the jump on you. Just take it from Jack Stewart - after he passed through TOPGUN he too became an instructor, before pivoting into commercial

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103:17

Dog Training Q&A with Navy SEAL Teamdog Founder Mike...

Mike Drop ·

2023/12/29

Why's my dog so aggressive? How can I start to train them more effectively? And what's the secret to getting any dog to truly obey your commands? There may be a million ways to skin a cat, but dog training doesn't have to be that complicated. Just ask Mike Ritland. When he's not hosting his podcast, he's hard at work over at Teamdog, training elite protection dogs and providing nutrition, supplies, and insight solutions for dog owners everywhere. That's why he's sitting down for a special

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98:33

Top Gun Fighter Pilot Instructor Jack Stewart Part...

Mike Drop ·

2023/12/24

Jack Stewart always wanted to fly. Following in his pilot father's footsteps, he pursued a career in aviation at the U.S. Naval Academy before serving 23 years as a fighter pilot, flying combat missions from three different aircraft carriers and deploying to Afghanistan as a member of an Air Force Tactical Air Control Party. He's also a graduate of the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as TOPGUN, both for it's esteemed reputation of bringing up the finest dogfighters in the country, as

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170:02

French Foreign Legion Navy SEAL Taylor Cavanaugh |...

Mike Drop ·

2023/12/16

The French Foreign Legion - a unique corps of the French Army that, unlike nearly any other army in the world, allows foregin nationals to enlist at will. It's a diverse fighting force, deploying all over the world into any conditions necessary. They're also the home of Taylor Cavanaugh, a former U.S. Navy Vet that enlisted just a few years ago. But Taylor's not just any veteran - he's a former U.S. Navy SEAL from SEAL Team Seven. Safe to say there's a lot of questions to ask here - why's Taylor

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123:34

Knife-Forging SEAL Nomad Shane Hiatt Part Two | Mike...

Mike Drop ·

2023/11/26

Mike Ritland and Shane Hiatt have been friends for a long time. Which is a surprisingly rare thing in the veteran community - the odds that two SEAL Team guys would run into each other again and again aren't quite as high as you might think. But Shane's a nomad - a wandering traveler, that's been living out of his truck with just his dog and the natural beauty of the American countryside for over 15 years. Fortunately, he's not just panning for change out there on the open road - Shane owns and

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288 results

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