Former BUD/S Commander Reveals Why He Was Willing to Lose His Trident | Ep. 311

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews Captain Brad Geary, a 25-year Naval Special Warfare veteran and former commanding officer of Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command. Geary recounts his path from competitive swimming and the Naval Academy to SEAL teams and SDV Team 1, and discusses the events surrounding a candidate death during his tenure running BUD/S. He shares his perspective on changes in BUD/S training over the years, the importance of suffering in personal growth, and his unexpected discovery that executive leadership roles brought him more fulfillment than tactical command positions.

Key takeaways

• Geary attributes his quote from Romans 5:3-5 (‘suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope’) as central to his leadership philosophy at BUD/S, teaching that suffering is essential for growth and should be embraced rather than avoided
• According to Geary, BUD/S training has remained largely consistent over decades despite specific changes—some elements harder, others easier—with the core curriculum and principles staying the same across eras
• Geary describes how his career aspirations shifted dramatically: he initially planned only five years to lead tactical units, but discovered executive leadership as a commanding officer was the most fulfilling work of his career, contrary to his earlier expectations

Episode details: published September 29, 2026 · 141.3K views · 4:55:01 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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