Perseverance > Endurance with Blayne Smith and Brandon Young

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Army veterans and leadership experts Brandon Young and Blayne Smith join the podcast for a powerful conversation about their new book, Perseverance > Endurance: Lead with Resilience. Grow Through Adversity. Win Together.

Blending combat-tested wisdom, lived leadership experiences, and hard-earned insight from both military and civilian life, Brandon and Blayne break down what it really takes to lead through uncertainty—not just by gutting it out, but by growing through it.

In this episode, they explore:

• The critical difference between endurance and perseverance—and why one leaves you tired and the other makes you better
• How the “ridgeline of adversity” framework helps teams understand where they are—and what to do next
• What land navigation teaches us about mental toughness, bad assumptions, and moments of decision
• The trap of prediction vs. the power of preparation—and why confidence matters more than certainty
• The real reason some leaders cling to the way things were—and how to accept change without losing hope
• Why open dialogue beats open-door policies—and how to create cultures of candor, feedback, and trust
• The discipline to choose action over intention—and how real growth happens on the other side of hard

Whether you’re leading in uniform, navigating a career transition, or helping your team through a difficult season, this conversation delivers timeless tools and modern mindsets for becoming the kind of leader adversity demands.

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