Double Middle Fingers and a Homecoming

Episode 47 — Adam Castillo: "Double Middle Fingers and a Homecoming"Hardcore and At Ease | Mission Ambition, LLCYou gave everything to a country that claimed to want you back. So what do you do when it doesn't make room for you? You build something they can't take back. And then you come home.Adam Castillo came home from Afghanistan ready to work. Corporate America hung the banners. Hire a hero. And then wouldn't get him through the door for a warehouse supervisor interview. So he gave it double middle fingers, packed up, and moved to one of the most dangerous places on earth. What he built there, and who he became, is the kind of story that reframes everything you thought you knew about rejection, reinvention, and what it means to finally come home.In this episode, United States Marine and combat veteran Adam Castillo breaks down what happens when the system hands you something that was never actually meant for you, how anger becomes either your exit or your engine, and what a man carries back after twelve years of building in a war zone. This is leadership in crisis. This is the American spirit abroad. This is Hardcore and At Ease.In This EpisodeWhy corporate America's "hire a hero" movement felt like a betrayal to returning veterans in 2012-2013How Adam channeled post-service rejection into building a security company in Myanmar that employed thousandsWhat it means to lead a business community through a military takeover with no playbookThe VA claim he didn't file for over a decade, and the all-night sign-up in Bangkok that changed everythingWhy faith and a fellow veteran's words became the turning pointWhat he is carrying back to Riverside, California, and why it fits this timeFeatured GuestAdam Castillo is a United States Marine, combat veteran of Afghanistan, author, and founder of a security company in Myanmar that employed thousands at its peak. He served as president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, leading the American business community through a military takeover and years of crisis. After more than twelve years abroad, he is returning home to California with a mission to invest in the community that raised him.Next EpisodeEpisode 48 — Solo. Shelly gets into the process of tying up loose ends on the road to publishing a book: what the journey looks like from the inside, what she has learned, and what is coming next.Resources MentionedFinding Our Voice: A Story of Leadership in Crisis and the American Spirit Abroad by Adam Castillo — Available now: https://a.co/d/05WGMqAeMission Wildflower on Substack — Women veteran stories and additional content: https://shellyrood.substack.comAffiliate Disclaimer: I only recommend products I genuinely use. Full disclosure: https://othersoverself.com/affiliate-disclaimer/Get the Gear: 📊 My Business Report: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/biz-report 🎯 StoryBrand.ai: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/storybrand-ai 📚 Business Made Simple: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/bms 🚀 Flight School: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/flight-school 📈 My Marketing Report: https://hardcore-and-at-ease.captivate.fm/marketing-reportListen & Connect🎙️ Apple | Spotify | YouTube | https://othersoverself.com 📲 Instagram: @TheShellyRood 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/missionambition/ 📩 [email protected] count: ~3,100 | Under 5,000 limit ✓ Draft 1 | Ep47 | Mission Ambition, LLC | Others Over Self®