Cleared Hot - Powered By BRCC
Andy Stumpf
It is safe to say that I have wandered a bit. I served in the military, flew some jets, jumped out of most, climbed mountains (I jumped off of them too), taught fitness, owned a gym, and have spent the last few years speaking to organizations and leaders. It has been a journey, and in all honesty, I have no idea where it is going. I seek the things that make me uncomfortable. I move towards things that scare me. I think you should too
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 2, 2026 • 3h 6min
Torture, Gitmo, and the 9/11 Case That Won't End | Jessica Trant & Frank Pellegrino | Ep. 480
Jessica Trant, a 9/11 victims’ advocate whose father died in the North Tower, joins Frank Pellegrino, a former FBI agent who investigated terrorism and interviewed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed at Guantanamo. They trace KSM’s rise and near-capture, examine how torture derailed the prosecution, and explore the painfully slow military commission process. They also discuss grief, accountability, finality, and preserving 9/11’s history.
6 snips
Oct 30, 2026 • 56min
Who You Are When Nobody's Watching | Full Auto Friday | 10.30.26
A candid Q&A on truthful VA claims, military spending, contractor price gouging, and the personal line between integrity and dishonesty. It explores parenting after loss, volunteer search-and-rescue, and turning imposter syndrome into preparation rather than paralysis. There’s also practical advice for interrupting negative self-talk, plus reflections on SEAL life, fighter pilots, and backcountry rescues.
9 snips
Oct 28, 2026 • 2h 54min
Mogadishu, the Silver Star, and the Man in the Mirror | Kyle Lamb | Ep. 479
Kyle Lamb, a retired Army Sergeant Major, Tier 1 veteran, and Silver Star recipient, revisits Mogadishu, combat leadership, and the identity struggles that followed service. He discusses biblical war stories behind his new book, The Next Mission, veteran infighting, poetry and trauma, faith, forgiveness, and why confronting the man in the mirror can demand more courage than battle.
Oct 26, 2026 • 2h 38min
27 Years Undercover, Zero Dent in the Drug Trade | Britt Elmore | Ep. 478
Britt Elmore, a retired San Francisco police officer with 27 years in law enforcement and decades undercover, recounts buying drugs, making high-risk gun deals, and working federal wiretaps. He discusses fentanyl’s impact, surveillance technology, post-2020 policing, and the personal toll of undercover work. He also shares a wired prison-van confession, advising Training Day, and his dog’s role in an MLB HGH scandal.
Oct 23, 2026 • 58min
"Free Money" Is Costing Someone | Full Auto Friday | 10.23.2026
A candid Friday Q&A tackles the morality of VA disability claims, taxpayer-funded benefits, federal debt, and veterans’ tendency to compare service. It then examines free speech, incitement, and the line between censorship and consequences. Finally, a former soccer player wrestles with family pressure, lost purpose, and uncertainty about his future and relationship.
13 snips
Oct 19, 2026 • 2h 55min
Inside the Thunderbirds and the Cost of Getting It Wrong | Ryan Bodenheimer | Ep. 477
Ryan Bodenheimer, former F-15E combat pilot, Thunderbird, airline pilot, and founder of Max Afterburner, discusses the razor-thin margins of aviation. He recounts tragedy, survivor’s guilt, fatal training accidents, combat judgment, and surviving hypoxia. The conversation explores Thunderbird leadership, autonomous dogfights, drone warfare, Iran, air power’s limits, and when experienced pilots break the rules.
28 snips
Oct 16, 2026 • 1h 18min
He Should Die. Should We Watch It? | Negligent Discharge Friday | 10.16.26
A spirited discussion asks whether a convicted Fort Hood shooter’s execution should be televised, weighing deterrence, closure, martyrdom, and unintended consequences. The conversation also explores why people cling to debunked beliefs, a disastrous RPG-7 test, returning to combat after being shot, India’s voter-roll purge, election security, and the arrest of a 94-year-old barrister over a sign.
4 snips
Oct 12, 2026 • 3h 3min
The AGI Promise Is a Cover Story | Bill Thompson | Ep. 476
Bill Thompson, a former Army communications specialist and founder of AI hunting company Spartan Forge, explores phone security, military accountability, torture, liberty, health, fatherhood, addiction, and strategic leadership. He then challenges AGI promises, contrasts closed and open AI, warns regulation could create a cartel, and explains his push toward private computing, local models, and a more authentic human future.
17 snips
Oct 9, 2026 • 1h 2min
Is Convenience Making Us Weak? | Full Auto Friday | 10.9.26
A candid Q&A explores how smartphones, political tribalism, and on-demand convenience are reshaping American life. The conversation examines self-reliance, preparedness, the lessons of pandemic shortages, and why the ability to use force can coexist with peace. It also turns personal, tackling family estrangement, inherited hardship, age-appropriate honesty, and raising resilient children without abuse.
Oct 5, 2026 • 3h 5min
Robots Will Fight the Next War | Mike LeBlanc | Ep. 475
Mike LeBlanc, a former Marine infantry officer and robotics entrepreneur, explores warfare’s rapid transformation. He discusses Ukraine’s drone-dominated battlefields, the psychological cost of killing through screens, and the moral questions surrounding autonomous weapons. He also recounts his journey from combat and Harvard Business School to building security and humanoid robots for industry and defense.
