Episode 61: Jake Bullock - Founder and CEO of Ravn, Retired Navy SEAL

Explicit content warning

03/21/21 • 56 min

Today’s guest is Jake Bullock. Jake is the founder and CEO of Ravn, a defense technology company building next generation technology for military personnel. Their platform, built from the ground up for use on the front lines, delivers mission-critical intelligence to service members when they need it most. The inspiration for Jake to start Ravn came from his experience as a Navy SEAL. On his first deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, Jake made a mistake on the battlefield as a result of poor information. That mistake weighed pretty heavily on Jake, and after several more deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan he knew that he had to solve this problem of poor information and communication on the battlefield. In this interview, we get into why Jake wanted to become a Navy SEAL, his time in the SEAL Teams, human performance as an operator vs an entrepreneur, and all things Ravn.

Timestamps

00:02:11 Interest in joining the military

00:04:36 How he prepared for BUD/S

00:07:35 His mindset going into and at BUD/S

00:09:52 Biggest takeaways from going through BUD/S

00:13:20 How many years he was in the Navy and where he was deployed

00:16:08 Optimizing his performance as a SEAL

00:19:10 What surprised him the most when he was in the SEAL Teams

00:20:07 How serving as a SEAL changed his perspective on life

00:21:43 What the transition into civilian life was like for him

00:25:23 Inspiration to start Ravn

00:27:13 Ravn overview

00:29:45 The problem with introducing disruptive technologies to military personnel

00:33:36 Augmented reality and how it applies to Ravn

00:38:37 Theoretical use case of Ravn

00:43:26 Applications of their technology outside of the military

00:44:18 Ultimate vision for Ravn

00:46:46 Biggest lessons he's learned so far about entrepreneurship

00:49:03 Why he's pissed at where history has gotten us

00:50:10 His daily routine

00:51:16 His driving force

00:53:07 Parting words of wisdom for the aspiring entrepreneur

Timestamps

00:02:11 Interest in joining the military

00:04:36 How he prepared for BUD/S

00:07:35 His mindset going into and at BUD/S

00:09:52 Biggest takeaways from going through BUD/S

00:13:20 How many years he was in the Navy and where he was deployed

00:16:08 Optimizing his performance as a SEAL

00:19:10 What surprised him the most when he was in the SEAL Teams

00:20:07 How serving as a SEAL changed his perspective on life

00:21:43 What the transition into civilian life was like for him

00:25:23 Inspiration to start Ravn

00:27:13 Ravn overview

00:29:45 The problem with introducing disruptive technologies to military personnel

00:33:36 Augmented reality and how it applies to Ravn

00:38:37 Theoretical use case of Ravn

00:43:26 Applications of their technology outside of the military

00:44:18 Ultimate vision for Ravn

00:46:46 Biggest lessons he's learned so far about entrepreneurship

00:49:03 Why he's pissed at where history has gotten us

00:50:10 His daily routine

00:51:16 His driving force

00:53:07 Parting words of wisdom for the aspiring entrepreneur

Previous Episode

Episode 60: Andy Ramage - Founder of Seneca Performance, Co-Founder of OneYearNoBeer, Former Broker & Pro Footballer

Today’s guest is Andy Ramage. Andy is a former professional soccer player, who following an injury which cut short his career, went on to co-create two multimillion-dollar city brokerages. But after achieving traditional “success” Andy was left feeling broken. He was unfit, unhealthy, overweight, stressed and unhappy. Andy believed there had to be another way to be successful while staying super fit, healthy, maintaining a happy home life and doing it with a smile on his face. So, 10 years ago Andy went on an adventure to study the art of behavioral change and elite performance. The techniques Andy uncovered transformed his mind, body, business and most importantly his relationships. Perhaps the key to it all for Andy though was when he decided to stop drinking alcohol. By quitting alcohol, he found it easier to eat healthy, exercise more, have better relationships and found more time in the day, every day. Inspired, Andy firstly co-founded a world-leading behavioral change platform (OYNB) OneYearNoBeer.com which is a 28,90 or 365-day alcohol-free challenge, inspiring over 100,000 people to transform their relationship with alcohol. And his latest venture, Seneca Performance is revolutionizing corporate wellness through its unique mind, body and lifestyle management program for elite business professionals. In this interview, we get into Andy’s time as a professional soccer player, his career as an oil broker, his journey of studying behavioral change and elite performance, and One Year No Beer.

Timestamps

00:03:07 Growing up in East London

00:04:55 Aspirations to become a pro soccer player

00:10:05 Talent vs. mental toughness

00:12:11 Position he played in soccer

00:12:27 Biggest takeaways from playing pro soccer

00:14:00 His career ending injury

00:17:20 Transitioning out of pro soccer and ending up in banking

00:21:26 Role of an oil broker

00:23:41 Drinking as part of his banking career

00:28:50 Did he ever talk to anyone about what he was going through during banking?

00:30:24 What he focused on initially to transform his health & wellbeing

00:33:06 How he entertained banking clients without drinking

00:37:02 The genesis of OneYearNoBeer (OYNB)

00:42:24 OYNB overview

00:44:01 Who is OYNB for?

00:44:57 Effective strategies for people to maintain strong social lives without drinking

00:47:32 Why describe OYNB as a behavioral change platform?

00:49:06 The compound interest of drinking

00:51:17 Quitting alcohol gives you time back

00:53:23 What he wants to accomplish 5 years from now

00:55:47 Books that have made a significant impact on his life

00:56:52 His daily routine

00:58:12 His driving force

00:59:08 Parting words of wisdom around evaluating your relationship with alcohol

Next Episode

Episode 62: Jeff Harry - Rediscover Your Play

Today’s guest is Jeff Harry. My conversation with Jeff will feel a bit different than most of the podcasts I’ve done. Instead of my traditional focus of unraveling the stories, takeaways, and lessons from my guest’s life (which we do get into a little), most of my discussion with Jeff centers around one topic – incorporating more play into one’s life and workplace. I know what you might be thinking, who has time for play? I’ve got this business, this job, relationship, kids, etc. Well, what if engaging in more play could help you tap into your truest self and feel happier and perform better every day? That’s what Jeff shows to companies and individuals. He’s worked with Google, Microsoft, Southwest Airlines, Adobe, the NFL, Amazon, and Facebook, helping their staff to infuse more play into the day-to-day. He’s also presented at conferences such as INBOUND and SXSW, and was recently selected by BambooHR and Engagedly as one of the Top 100 HR Influencers of 2020 for his organizational development work around dealing with toxic people in the workplace. Jeff might be the highest energy person I’ve had on the podcast, and I think you’ll find my conversation with him to be an interesting change of pace.

Timestamps

00:02:38 Rise of Superman book passage reaction

00:04:52 When did we decide that play was a waste of time for adults?

00:07:03 When did Jeff's exploration into play begin?

00:09:55 Did his parents encourage him to play?

00:13:30 Affluent deadness

00:15:37 Reconnecting with your childhood

00:19:34 Incorporating play into mechanical engineering

00:20:58 Overview of Rediscover Your Play

00:23:15 Addressing the toxic person at work

00:27:04 Navigating uncertainty through play

00:28:55 Problem with fixating on the result