A Wild Ride Called Life™ The Podcast
The one with Chris McPhee
Beyond the Uniform: Leadership, Legacy & the People Who Shape Us | Christopher J. McPhee Who are you when the uniform comes off? In this episode of A Wild Ride Called Life , Annette sits down with longtime friend Christopher J. McPhee , a retired Green Beret, author, entrepreneur, podcaster, photographer, husband, father, mentor and co-founder of the BLK OPS Foundation. Chris and Annette first connected through the military community years ago, but what began as networking became a lasting friendship built on mentorship, collaboration, curiosity and a shared willingness to keep growing. This conversation goes far beyond Chris's military accomplishments. Chris shares how being raised by a single mother helped shape his discipline, the teachers and mentors who helped redirect his path, and why presenting his mother with his first Bronze Star became one of the most meaningful moments of his career. They also talk candidly about marriage, divorce, parenting, sobriety, failure, relationships, military transition and learning that the uniform can be an important part of your story without becoming your entire identity. Chris shares the philosophy behind his book, Follow Me: Leadership Lessons from the Shadows That Shape Extraordinary Leaders , the documentary work that helped inspire it, and the mission of the BLK OPS Foundation to inspire and mentor youth through storytelling. Throughout the conversation, several lessons continue to surface: • You don't have to do life alone. • Relationships matter more than networking. • Leadership begins with learning to lead yourself. • Sometimes not helping someone is actually helping them grow. • Treat people with kindness whenever you can. • Stop spending all your energy discussing the problem and start looking for the solution. • Keep learning—and pass what you've learned to someone else. • The military may have shaped you, but it does not have to define everything you become. Most importantly, this is a conversation about legacy —not simply what we accomplish, but what people remember learning from us after we're gone. ️ Guest: Christopher J. McPhee Follow Me: Leadership Lessons from the Shadows That Shape Extraordinary Leaders BLK OPS Foundation: blkopsfoundation.org Green Beret Media: greenberetmedia.com Find Christopher J. McPhee on LinkedIn and on Instagram under @greenberetmedia All proceeds from Follow Me support the BLK OPS Foundation and its work with youth.
