Some leaders make their mark by following the system — and others change the system for the good of everyone who comes after them. My US Naval Academy classmate Dr. John Cordle is one of those rare leaders. Long before the Navy was ready to talk about the impact of fatigue and poor sleep on readiness and safety, John was the commanding officer willing to put his reputation on the line to get the truth heard. His work — captured in Going Circadian — has literally changed how the Navy operates and saved lives in the process. Now he’s turning that same honesty inward with his upcoming book, Letters to Myself, a collection of life lessons written with humility, courage, and the hard-earned wisdom of a leader who’s walked the walk. On this episode of No Clichés, TD sits down with his US Naval Academy classmate Captain John Cordle to explore a legacy still shaping the fleet — and the leaders in it.

The word brotherhood gets tossed around a lot. In locker rooms. In firehouses. In club houses. In boardrooms. But much of the time, it’s just talk.Samson DeSessa lives the word. A career firefighter, EOD technician, combat veteran, keynote speaker, and now author of the bold new book Brotherhood is a VERB, Sam calls out what happens when “know your people” comes off as a slogan instead of a standard. He’s here to remind us that brotherhood—real brotherhood—isn’t about matching shirts or shared hashtags. It’s about sweat, trust, and climbing into the arena yourself.So if you’re tired of leadership lip service, buckle up. Because in this episode we’re cutting through the smoke to talk about what happens when leaders turn nouns into action—and why Brotherhood is a VERB.

Few people manage to navigate as many worlds — and lead in all of them — as my lifelong friend Mark Fava. He’s a world-renowned expert in aviation law, a senior officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and an elected official who brings integrity and discipline to every role he serves. Now, he’s sharing the wisdom he’s gathered from the cockpit, the courtroom, and the quarterdeck in his new book, Lessons from the Admiral: Naval Wisdom and Sea Stories for Leaders. It’s a masterclass in leadership you’ll both apply and enjoy. On this episode of No Clichés, we set sail with Mark Fava to explore what true command — and humility — look like in action.

Some leaders make an impact in one sector — others leave their mark across many. Dr. Brian Byrd has done it all: physician, city councilmember, author, and executive leader who knows how to bring people together for real, lasting change. I saw that firsthand when he and I worked side-by-side to create LVTRise, the urban revitalization initiative that transformed Fort Worth’s Las Vegas Trail community into a model of collaboration and hope. Now, Dr. Byrd’s taking that same spirit of honest connection to a broader audience with his new book, Navigating Feedback at Work, Home, and Everywhere Else. In this episode of No Clichés, we’re unpacking what it really takes to lead — and listen — like he does.

The Dallas Cowboys don’t play football in Dallas. They play in Arlington - the same city where the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers play baseball. None of that happened by accident.Behind Arlington’s rise as a world-class hub for sports, entertainment, and innovation is a visionary leader who built unity into the city’s blueprint. Former Mayor W. Jeff Williams turned collaboration into a superpower — and now he’s sharing that formula in his new book, The Unity Blueprint.

** Audio remastered 10-24-2025 **Oak McCulloch knows leadership - how to do it and how to pass it down - after a lifetime of service in the US Army, on college campuses and in the social sector.… and he knows discipline. The man has kept a personal journal since he was in fifth grade.Someone with that level of sustained focus is just the right guy to collect a lifetime of practical, useful leadership advice.You can read a lot about leadership today. It’s the #1 topic for newly published books. In fact, you could read them all - if you had the time - and still not be an effective leader. Sure, you would know a lot of leadership stuff, but you could feasibly be left without the practical examples and useful tools that would transform you into the leader you were meant to be.If you’re lucky, though. One of these books might have been Oak McCulloch’s Your Leadership Legacy - Becoming The Leader You Were Meant To Be.Oak joins me on No Clichés to share some of the leadership gold in his book. Tune in to start the journey to leaving your leadership legacy.

Face To Face is a leadership book, but one unlike anything you’ve ever read - in both format and content. Career healthcare executive, hospital president, international performance consultant and author Cheryl Lynn Mobley was inspired to write Face To Face by the intersection of trust, disruption and uncertainty and her experiences on an African horse safari - where she and her group came face to face with threats that could end their lives. ‘Doesn’t get much bolder than that! Cheryl joins me on No Clichés to talk about what inspired the book, the application of some of its lessons and the unique way she turned a book into a living project to keep the journey alive.

In your worst nightmares, you’ll likely never have to defend your office against an armed terrorist. Tim White, however, had to do exactly that on July 16th, 2015. It was the last full day of Ramadan when terrorist Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez rammed his vehicle through the gate of Chattanooga’s Navy Operational Support Center and approached the headquarters building with an AK74 semi-automatic rifle. Inside, the Center’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Tim White rose from his desk, reached into a drawer for his personal sidearm, and fired on Abdulazeez from the window. The first to engage the terrorist, White’s gunfire alerted those inside the Center to the impending danger, giving most the opportunity to escape unharmed. White was a hero to many, but his Navy career from that point forward was anything but guaranteed. Navy regulations prohibited personal firearms on installations; but White, recognizing an imminent threat to his team that the chain of command failed to address, reached outside the rule book to display bold leadership that saved lives.

When something goes wrong in Navy aviation, it’s called a “mishap”. When it goes tragically wrong - the kind of wrong that leaves someone dead or strikes an entire aircraft from the Navy’s inventory - it’s called a “Class A mishap”. It didn’t take the Navy Safety Center long to determine the Tango 5 fire to be a Class A mishap. Had we caused the fire? Had we contributed to it?

The 2022 cohort of Leadership Fort Worth's CEO-level program, LeaderPrime, recently graduated. To kick off the commencement, TD Smyers moderated a panel of respected leadership academicians discussing engagement of today's workforce and the new irrelevance of command & control leadership. What you thought you knew about leading our Millennial and GenZ workforce is about to get reset. From the University of Texas at Arlington - Dr. David Mack; from Texas Wesleyan University - Dr. Tommy Nichols; and from Texas Christian University - Professor Tracey Rockett.