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The moment the uniform comes off, the noise drops—and the harder questions echo. We open up about the silence that follows separation, the sudden return of every choice, and why “freedom” can feel like drift when the structure that once organized your life disappears. Instead of sprinting into a new title to patch the hole, we get honest about the quiet grief many veterans carry and the subtle ways it shows up as irritability, restlessness, or emotional flatness.

Together we unpack the temptation to over-identify with the next role and call it resilience. We draw a hard line between usefulness and worth, then explore how to build identity on anchors that do not move: values, principles, and for some, a renewed or redefined faith. You’ll hear practical ways to practice identity rather than hunt for it—how you speak when you’re tired, how you treat people who can’t advance you, how you rest without a spreadsheet to justify it. We share why patience is not passivity but the only path to depth, and how families often sense the drift before we do.

This conversation is for veterans who feel “between structures” and anyone who loves them. We honor the past without getting trapped in it, and we set a course for integration—carrying forward discipline, mission, and service into a wider life that isn’t defined by rank or role. If the question “Who are you without the uniform?” makes you uneasy, good. That’s the starting line. Press play, sit with the question, and let the answer take time. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a fellow veteran, and leave a review to help others find the show.

If you're a military veteran in the construction industry, or you're in the construction industry and support our military vets, and you'd like to be a guest on the podcast you can find me at constructionvetpodcast@gmail.com , or send me a message on LinkedIn. You can find me there at Scott Friend. Let's share the stories and motivate others!

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• TCV Email: constructionvetpodcast@gmail.com
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What if the skills you earned under pressure—decisive action, accountability, and care for your team—were the exact traits that make you great at serving builders? That’s the heart of our conversation with Air Force veteran Brandon, who traded security forces and deployments for a construction-adjacent sales role where reliability and relationships win the day.

We dig into the real transition—messy, human, and often humbling. Brandon shares how leaving the structure of service collided with personal upheaval, how TAPS helped and where it fell short, and why therapy, faith, and community became non-negotiables. He walks through the early stumbles in sales, the awkward jump to speaking with executives, and the moment he reframed the job: stop pushing, start listening, ask sharper questions, and deliver outcomes that matter on a jobsite. From fallen units and damaged fence to preventative planning for porta potties, waste tanks, and service schedules, he explains how small details shape morale, productivity, and profit.

You’ll hear why construction professionals respond to blunt honesty, how veterans connect faster on site, and what separates a true partner from a drive-by “car salesman.” We talk trade coordination, poll planning, doing it right the first time, and the leaders who keep evolving instead of hiding behind “that’s how we’ve always done it.” Brandon offers grounded advice for veterans entering sales—be patient, be humble, and keep asking for help—and a challenge to construction leaders: give grace, set clear expectations, and measure vendors by their response when things go sideways.

If you care about building teams that communicate, deliver, and grow, this story will land. Subscribe, share this with someone navigating their own transition, and leave a review to help more veterans and builders find practical guidance and a community that’s got their back.

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If you're a military veteran in the construction industry, or you're in the construction industry and support our military vets, and you'd like to be a guest on the podcast you can find me at constructionvetpodcast@gmail.com , or send me a message on LinkedIn. You can find me there at Scott Friend. Let's share the stories and motivate others!

Support the show

• TCV Email: constructionvetpodcast@gmail.com
• TCV Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/constructionvetpodcast/

Send us a Message!

Ever feel that split second when your jaw tightens and your breath runs short right before you snap? That flash is the hinge of leadership. We dig into why yelling often masquerades as control, how it triggers a threat response that looks like action but kills trust, and what to do instead when pressure, risk, and deadlines stack up on a busy job site.

We walk through simple, practical moves for steady leadership under stress: pause before you speak, lower your volume on purpose, use names, state facts instead of feelings, and give clear direction once. We draw a clean line between urgency and emergency so your team can spot real danger without tuning you out. We also unpack the soldier-to-builder transition: command presence has a place in combat, but on a civilian site constant volume becomes intimidation and drains loyalty. Survival isn’t development; crews don’t grow under fear, they shrink.

You’ll hear how to repair after you yell—own it, reset expectations, and skip the long justification—plus why systems beat shouting every time. Clear scopes, daily huddles, written expectations, and consistent consequences reduce chaos and make the site predictable. Predictability builds psychological safety, and safety unlocks performance. We address burnout as the hidden accelerant: when patience runs thin, the pause disappears. Rest, support, and boundaries are leadership tools, not luxuries, because your voice sets the emotional climate people carry home to their families.

If you’re ready to trade noise for clarity and build a crew that chooses to follow, press play. Subscribe, share this with a foreman or PM who needs it, and leave a quick review telling us the one habit you’ll practice this week.

If you're a military veteran in the construction industry, or you're in the construction industry and support our military vets, and you'd like to be a guest on the podcast you can find me at constructionvetpodcast@gmail.com , or send me a message on LinkedIn. You can find me there at Scott Friend. Let's share the stories and motivate others!

Support the show

• TCV Email: constructionvetpodcast@gmail.com
• TCV Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/constructionvetpodcast/