x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Build Your A-Team

Welcome to “Build Your A-Team” a podcast powered by MilSpec Talent, where we educate Small Business owners on how to attract, recruit, and retain high-impact, low-ego talent. I’m your host Freddie Kim, founder of Milspec Talent, I’m am a West Point grad, former Green Beret, Kellogg MBA, and more importantly, I’m passionate about championing the value and leadership of Veteran 2.0s in our workforce.

business careers

All Episodes

16:08

Nick Ripplinger on Veteran Entrepreneurship and...

Build Your A-Team ·

2026/04/08

What separates Veterans who successfully build businesses from those who stay stuck?In this episode of Veteran Led, John S. Berry and co-host Freddie Kim of MilSpec Talent (‪@FreddieJKim‬) speak with Nick Ripplinger about Veteran entrepreneurship, leadership, and the mindset required to build a business after service.Nick shares insights on transitioning from the military into entrepreneurship, explaining why action, adaptability, and resilience are essential for long-term success. He

en

24:49

Veteran Led Collab: Ryan Kuo on Veteran Talent and...

Build Your A-Team ·

2026/04/01

Why do so many organizations struggle to recognize the value Veterans bring to the workforce?In this episode of Veteran Led, John S. Berry and co-host Freddie Kim of MilSpec Talent (‪@FreddieJKim‬) speak with Ryan Kuo about Veteran talent, leadership, and building high-performance teams.Ryan breaks down how military leadership experience translates into the civilian workforce — and why that translation often fails. He explains how organizations can better identify, develop, and retain

en

23:37

Veteran Led Collab: Barbara Kent and Joanna Serra on...

Build Your A-Team ·

2026/04/01

What happens when two sisters turn resilience, service, and a simple product into a national business?In this episode of Veteran Led, John S. Berry and co-host ‪@FreddieJKim‬ of MilSpec Talent speak with Barbara Kent and Joanna Serra, the founders of Fundraiser Blankets, about entrepreneurship, Shark Tank, and the power of saying yes to opportunity. Barbara, an Army Veteran and West Point graduate, and Joanna, a former teacher, explain how their business grew from a family idea into a

en

35:11

Failed BUD/S to Top Performing Team with Nathan Sable

Build Your A-Team ·

2026/03/03

What happens when a Navy intel specialist fails BUD/S – twice – and decides to run toward the next hard thing anyway?In this Operator Series episode of Build Your A-Team, Freddie and Charlsey sit down with Nathan Sable, Market Area President at Apex Service Partners, where he oversees multiple HVAC brands across Central and Southern Virginia. Nathan’s path to leadership wasn’t conventional — from U.S. Navy Intel to Cyber Command and the DIA, from Deloitte consulting to commercial fishing in

en

37:33

You Can't Expect What You Don't Inspect with Tasha Smith

Build Your A-Team ·

2026/02/11

In this episode, Freddie Kim and Charlsey Mahle sit down with Tasha Smith, a retired Army Sergeant First Class and former Drill Sergeant, now General Manager at Victors Home Solutions, overseeing two branch locations (Cincinnati + Columbus) across a massive regional footprint. With zero prior roofing industry experience, Tasha shares how she translated military leadership into civilian execution – and why culture, expectations, and being present with your people still win every time.If

en

66:13

Brilliance or Bullsh*t: Hiring Myths Founders Still...

Build Your A-Team ·

2026/01/29

In this episode of Bring Your A-Team, Freddie Kim sits down with two Veteran founders running recruiting businesses from totally different angles — Stephen Hrutka (HRUCKUS) and Ryan Hogan (Talent Harbor). They break down what actually works in hiring, what’s total nonsense, and how founders can build teams that scale without getting trapped by bad process, bad JDs, or bad assumptions.Ryan Hogan is Founder & CEO of Talent Harbor, a Navy veteran (former aircrewman and commissioned

en

55:52

Printing the Non-Sexy Manufacturing with Catalyst...

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/12/09

From stalking astronauts as a kid to launching a large-format 3D printer on Kickstarter, Major Samantha Snabes has taken bold, thoughtful risks. She’s the Co-Founder & Catalyst at re:3D, the company behind Gigabot — a large-format industrial 3D printer that can run on polymers or shredded plastic waste.In this BYAT episode, Sam breaks down how she built a mission-driven team that will “run through brick walls,” why she doesn’t believe in competitors, and how she balances bootstrapping,

en

66:17

Leading Human Services in the Rise of AI with Travis...

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/11/19

Travis Bloomfield is an Air Force Veteran and the CEO & Managing Partner of Provisio, Salesforce’s largest consultancy dedicated to human services and social sector organizations. He shares his journey from air traffic controller to leading one of the nation’s most impactful mission-driven consultancies — built on grit, purpose, data expertise, and the emerging power of agentic AI. After six years in the Air Force, Travis entered IT consulting, eventually serving as COO for two firms

en

57:15

Heart and Hustle: Brian Handley on Leadership and...

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/10/29

Vulnerability as a leadership superpower? Brian Handley runs a 175-year-old, fifth-generation foodservice company — and says the quiet part out loud: you don’t need all the answers to build an elite team. We dig into right-seat/right-role moves, KPI cultures that actually help people grow, and a raw, hopeful conversation on veteran mental health, meditation, and daily discipline.Brian Handley is President of Palmer Food Services, serving 2,000+ customers across NY, CT, and NJ. A former Army

en

62:29

Define. Measure. Win with Yolanda Clarke

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/10/24

Veteran founder Yolanda Clarke — Army Reserve Major and CEO of Powder River Industries — joins BYAT to show how process becomes culture: ISO that actually runs the business, “workflow bosses” who map reality, and a hiring system with clear KPIs and no-compromise standards. We get candid on handling bad hires with grace and evidence, leading remote teams through values and templates, and making decisive calls without burning bridges. Through disciplined execution and vision, Yolanda Clarke

en

57:49

Powering the Fiber Gold Rush with James Han

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/09/30

Former Marine Corps Captain James Han went from slinging wigs in Gary, Indiana to President & CEO of Triage Partners, a telecom services and supply-chain software platform that’s scaled from 120 → 400 employees across 20 states. In this episode, James breaks down how veterans can enter new industries fast, why recruiting was Job #1, and how to balance humility with confidence to win trust and deliver results. We dig into topgrading, root cause analysis, and the ETA (entrepreneurship

en

62:32

When Desert Storm Meets AI

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/09/24

From Gulf War Veteran to AI Tech, CEO Barbara Jones-Brown served in the U.S. Army during Operation Desert Storm. Now, she is just as fierce leading Freeing Returns™, an AI platform helping retailers recover millions in lost revenue. She shares how grit, optimism, and a mission-ready mindset fuel startup resilience, what she learned raising capital from Serena Williams and Morgan Stanley, and why agentic AI is reshaping enterprise operations. Barbara’s journey is a blueprint for Veterans and

en

65:59

How a Marine Scales Amazon Ops with CEO Rudy Cazares

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/09/16

From leading 400+ Marines to building a 200+ employee logistics powerhouse, Rudy Cazares shares how he scaled Amazon DSP, FedEx, and same-day delivery operations in New York.

en

59:23

The Lethal crayon: CrayTac® with CEO Nick Ripplinger

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/09/16

From Army veteran to defense innovator — Nick Ripplinger shares how CrayTac® is redefining battlefield tech and veteran-led leadership.

en

69:54

CEO Omar Dennis: From the Corps to 50 Strong

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/07/22

Marine Corps veteran and cybersecurity entrepreneur Omar Dennis joins Freddie Kim to unpack the real story behind acquiring a business, scaling from 1 to 50 employees overnight, and leading with emotional intelligence. Omar is the CEO of Sedulous Consulting Services, a firm that now supports federal, healthcare, and commercial clients in high-stakes cyber missions. He shares how a single question led to a 6-month M&A process, why fear is just data, and how EQ – not a degree – helped him

en

70:00

CEO Liseth J. Velez: Grit in the Concrete – From...

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/07/17

Liseth J. Velez is a U.S. Army and Air Force veteran, founder, and CEO of LJV Development, a rapidly growing, 8A-certified, SDVOSB and women-owned construction firm. After immigrating from Colombia at age seven and growing up in Lowell, MA, she served in both the Army and Air National Guard – beginning as a truck driver – before launching her own firm. Liseth brings grit, heart, and tactical clarity to every project, having led LJV to national recognition including: Inc 5000 (#115), BBJ

en

65:41

CEO Eric Styles – Sneakily Competitive Verizon on Wheels

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/07/17

From Army Staff Sergeant to Inc. 500 CEO, Eric Styles is the co-founder of YourSix Inc., a cloud-native leader in the physical security industry. In this episode, Eric joins Freddie Kim to unpack the grind of building YourSix from the ground up, why culture and team chemistry are everything, and how Veterans can find a second mission in tech entrepreneurship. Eric shares battle-tested lessons on hiring, leading through growth, and the importance of being “sneakily ultra-competitive.” If

en

32:21

CEO Dr. Jude Black — Built to Shivet

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/05/29

From federal service ambitions to founder of three healing organizations, Dr. Jude Black didn’t plan on becoming a therapist – or a CEO. But love, leadership, and military life had other plans. After decades as a military spouse to Colonel Bill Black and holding space for Veterans, Jude turned burnout into boldness. She shares how broken systems, bad leadership, and deep empathy drove her to build trauma-informed, zero-drama organizations that actually serve. Built on frustration; sustained

en

32:37

CEO Jim O’Farrell – Owning the Power: Solutions In...

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/05/28

From Navy Supply Corps officer to CEO of a high-trust, high-impact GovCon firm, Jim O’Farrell has spent his career building teams that lead with mission, culture, and compassion. As the head of AMSG – a 150+ person prime contractor – Jim shares how servant leadership, frontline focus, and feedback-first management built AMSG into one of the most trusted names in government contracting. His blueprint? Build the right team, not the biggest. Choosing to scale as a prime contractor, AMSG owned

en

55:35

CEO Chris Anthony – Ranger Roots. Cyber Future.

Build Your A-Team ·

2025/05/28

What do you get when a former Army Ranger and Green Beret builds a cutting-edge defense tech company? You get Chris Anthony – founder of Teamwork Security, cyber expert, and author of The Veteran Entrepreneur. With combat deployments, a career in the intelligence community, and time as a systems engineer at Johns Hopkins APL, Chris brings a rare mix of tactical grit and technical expertise. CEO of a defense tech company protecting critical infrastructure through cutting-edge cyber

en

29 results

Similar Podcasts

TaxTalent.com The Golden Rule Podcast

Adam Golden

TaxTalent.com Podcast

Tony Santiago

Handelsblatt Crime - spannende Streitfälle der deutschen Wirtschaft

Ina Karabasz, Solveig Gode, Sönke Iwersen

Deffner und Zschäpitz – Der Wirtschafts-Talk von WELT

WELT

Black Box - La scatola nera della finanza

Guido Brera e Gian Luca Comandini -...